Curse

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One of six Corellian gunships captured by House Plagueis during the taking of the new Ascendant Fleet, the Curse has become an attack ship of the Hellfire raid fleet. When outside of large engagements, it roves through both stellar and planetary battlefields, crushing fighter resistance and crippling freighters and defensive positions.

History

Unlike others of the reliable DP20 make in the 108th, the frigate Cleric and her sister ship Hope were built expressly to reinforce the Expeditionary Scout Fleet. Commissioned in 33 ABY, the ships were fitted with newly-made parts and presented to the admirals of the Galactic Alliance before being added to their roster. Helping to reinforce discipline and order, they became a part of the 108th's safety net against fighters and bomber craft, an essential part of any fleet.

The Cleric had a full crew when the Ascendancy and her Plagueian masters struck, but was no match for the larger ship's ion cannons and was soon boarded by Trandoshan warriors from Saraask'ar. Captained by these, instead of by Subjugates, the Cleric tore a line down the middle of the 108th's defenses and helped to cripple several other ships for boarding. Though disabled, it was towed by tractor beam to Ascendancy and repaired at Vaiken Spacedock with parts scavenged from the lost hulls of Ace and Sharpshooter, two other DP20 ships.

Once back in service, it was renamed Curse, and became a key component of Plagueian raid efforts.

Characteristics

Designed to serve more adequately as a vessel of war than its relative, the CR90, Corellian gunships had a greatly reduced amount of space for passengers, troops, or cargo. During their design phase, two words guided the shipwrights and engineers of CEC: Fast and deadly. As such, engines made up half of their available interior space, with the rest reserved for deflector shield generators and weapons systems. Because of this speed and lethality, they were ideal craft for raiders and pirate fleets, but also saw extensive use by the Rebel Alliance and were even used by local Imperial fleets.

The DP20 gunship bore a stock armament of eight double turbolaser cannons, four concussion missile tubes, and six quad laser cannons. This made the vessel useful for a number of reasons. Ideally, it was meant to destroy fighters, bombers, and other snub or shuttle craft en masse; where a capital ship's bulk made accurate strikes against such craft difficult, the gunship could pinpoint and destroy them with much greater accuracy. However, they were also capable of harrying and dealing damage to larger ships, while still being maneuverable and quick enough to evade powerful craft such as Star Destroyers. In Plagueian hands, these vessels have become central to crippling and raiding ships for supplies and slaves.

DP20 ships held accomodations for forty-five crewmen and forty-six gunners; in Plagueian hands, both posts are occupied by Subjugates. In addition, the 120-meter craft always house a Sith, and the crews rotate outward. In the close-knit environment of such a small ship, crew members become akin to families, something that increases the possibility of Subjugate crewmen finding identities and rebelling. To combat this, the crews of the gunships are routinely cycled out or, if necessary, purged. The Sith aboard is both a measure against boarders and a safeguard against slaves; in such enclosed spaces, a lightsaber and the Dark Side make them more than a match for invading soldiers or a crew of lightly-armed slaves.