Harrower

History

The ‘’’BAC Harrower’’’ was commissioned in 27 ABY by Bothawui Shipyards originally under the name ‘’’Harvest’’’. The ship was assigned to the Fifth Fleet during the duration of the Yuuzhan Vong War. It was assigned there as a replacement ship to a ‘’’Victory’’’-class Star Destroyer which had been destroyed during the attempted hyperspace jump to Fondor to assist the First Fleet.

It remained with the Fifth Fleet for the next seven years, but was reassigned to a smaller fleet, the 108th Expeditionary Scout Fleet, sent to Ord Pardron in case the Geonosians sympathized with the Killiks in what would eventually come to be called the Swarm War.

Characteristics

Built to fill the role of the aging Victory-class Star Destroyer, the Bothan assault cruiser was an intimidating design. Armed with twenty four heavy dual turbolaser cannons, ten ion cannons, twenty turbolaser cannons, twenty proton torpedo launchers with sixteen missile magazines, and four tractor beam projectors, it was a capable and versatile offensive ship.

The two hangars on the ship were capable of carrying four squadrons of fighters. Dorsal and ventral hangars were located amidships and were fitted with launch apertures for flexible deployment and recovery. They also contained rear meditation cabins, equipped with transparisteel arches for the viewing of space. Their sublight engines could match a Victory-class destroyer while their Class 1 hyperdrive allowed for rapid hyperspace transport.

Defensively it was better-equipped than the Destroyer it was meant to replace, with its armor being 150 percent heavier than the other craft. That said, it was primarily an offensive vessel, with most of its power siphoned toward the weaponry systems. This left it vulnerable to heavy attack.

Role

The two Bothan Assault Cruisers utilized by Plagueis form the flagships of the Hellfire and Corsair Raiding Fleets. This makes their typical use akin to a central hub, launching fighter squadrons and cooridinating the smaller frigates. They will use their size and offensive capabilities to circle the battlefield, shepherding ships away from retreat vectors and crippling critical systems while the smaller vessels fly in to board their prey.

In a larger battle, they take up the role of medium picket ships, keeping the frigates and corvettes off of the fighters and drawing heavier ships away from the frigates. They very much occupy a medium role, making it difficult for large and small ships to strike properly and allowing the other vessels of the Ascendant Fleet to succeed. In this way they are like the medium fighters of any fleet, maintaining the less glorious but far more important aspects of the engagement.