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Loronar's E-9 Explorer vessel was designed to be a long-range scout that requires a small crew to operate at peak efficiency. The ship is streamlined to maximize atmospheric flight for planetary landings and holds enough supplies to allow the ship to operate for long periods between starport visits. Although it is often purchased by small groups of adventurers to travel the galaxy, the ship has proven to be popular with small mercenary bands as well.

The ship's bridge houses stations that allow the entire four-person crew to monitor and operate most ship systems. The crew quarters, located along the neck of the ship, are spacious enough to allow the crew and any passengers they take aboard to live comfortably during long voyages. The lounge holds an autochef system to help meet the crew's nutritional needs as well as a holographic game table and other entertainment systems to keep the minds and bodies active between destinations. In addition to the engineering section, the main body of the ship also holds a three-deck cargo bay large enough to hold a small repulsorlift vehicle, which can leave the ship through the ventral cargo elevator. Loronar even offers the option of adding a CS-1 cargo sled to the ship for an additional 12,000 credits.

To help make the lives of technicians easier when repairs need to be made during flight, a network of crawlways was built under the main deck that can access virtually any part of the ship. Despite their convenient use, their only access point is through the gunwell just inside the front area of the cargo bay. Anyone trying to gain entry into the maintenance tunnels anywhere else must cut through the deck plating.

The E-9 Explorer comes equipped with two laser cannons, one on top and one on the bottom of the main body of the ship, under the belief that the weapons should provide sufficient defense against any dangers it may face. Though not initially conceived by its designers, many owners of the ship found that the weaponry can be upgraded easily to more lethal armament, including double, quad, or even heavy laser cannons. Some shrewd owners have even been known to install a proton torpedo launcher into the underside of the ship's nose. Such measures are viewed by Loronar and the Imperial government as highly unnecessary and have been known to incite seizure of the ship by the Empire.

History

The Loronar E-9 Explorer was first introduced to the galaxy near the end of the Clone Wars as an unarmed transport. Amid the political turmoil and the rising success of the Corellian Engineering Corporation's line of light freighters, the E-9 experienced only mild success with its intended market. Despite this, Loronar maintained their support of the ship, believing that sales would pick up. Several times over the next few years, the ship was nearly discontinued but managed to gain enough customer support to persist.

When Loronar decided to follow the trend established by other ship production companies and add weaponry to their light freighters and transports, the E-9 was one of the first to receive the upgrade and subsequent advertising promotion. Sales rose dramatically, as customers suddenly noticed the vessel's value and guaranteed the survival of the line.

The success was short-lived, however, as the Empire cracked down on shipbuilding companies that incorporated weapons into their ships. Loronar pleaded with the Imperial Bureau of Shipyards and Construction and fought a long legal battle that nearly forced the company to stop production of the line. Finally, Loronar gained permission to continue to produce and sell the E-9 as an armed transport with the justification that the ship would be used as an exploration vessel and required the armament to defend itself away from the protection offered by the Empire.

With a renewed purpose, Loronar upgraded the ship's sensor suite, changed its marketing strategy, and advertised the E-9 as an armed scout vessel. Although sales were not as high as they once were, Loronar decided not to forsake the good fortune they received and continued to support the ship well into the first years of the New Republic.

E-9 Explorers in the Galaxy

Most often, E-9 Explorers can be found away from the Core Worlds in unexplored star systems or at distant starports, used by hardy crews scouting for new planets and secrets away from the notice of the galactic population. However, several of the ships have been used by small mercenary bands as their primary vessel or means of transport to and from various missions. Still other E-9s have fallen into the hands of pirates that use the ship to loot innocent merchants and luxury transports. Merchants and well-to-do citizens have been known to pick up an E-9 Explorer as well, mainly to use the ship as a personal yacht to travel the spacelanes in style.

Saga Edition Statistics

Loronar E-9 Explorer

CL 7

Colossal space transport
Init –5; Senses Perception +7

Laser cannons (2 gunners)
Atk +2, Dmg 4d10x2

Loronar/Mobquet CS-1 Cargo Sled

CL 1

Huge ground vehicle (speeder)
Init +8; Senses Perception +5

Not known for producing high-quality repulsorlift vehicles, the designers at Loronar forged a partnership with a company that had a reputation for creating excellent speeders: Mobquet Swoops and Speeders. The engineers from both companies assembled and jointly designed the CS-1 cargo sled, to be sold exclusively with the E-9 Explorer.

The CS-1, unlike many of Mobquet's speeder bikes and swoops, focuses on power rather than speed. While the four-person cab positioned at the front of the vehicle takes up the front quarter, the rest of the sled's 8-meter body is nothing more than a open-air bed dedicated to holding up to 1,000 kilograms of cargo. For most owners, the carrying capacity is enough to meet their needs. A few have tried to upgrade the repulsorlift unit to increase its strength but have had little luck doing so.

A few ingenious owners have even figured a way to install weaponry in the bed of the cargo sled and mounted a blaster cannon in the back to help defend their freight in less-civilized areas.

About the Author

Patrick Stutzman is a freelance game designer whose credits include Threats of the Galaxy and the upcoming The Clone Wars Campaign Guide for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game Saga Edition. He also maintains his Web site, Star Wars: The Forgotten Tales, and works on SWRPGNetwork under the name of Jan Tolbara. Currently, he lives in Kansas City with his wife, two children, and an annoying Force spirit that follows him wherever he goes. If you have any tips on how to get rid of this spirit, let him know.

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