OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: Shira's personal ship.
- Image Source: Tachyon: The Fringe, minor modifications by me
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions: Purchased here
- Primary Source: Kessel-class Armed Courier
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
- Manufacturer: Concord Specialized Technologies, modified by the Wretched Hive
- Affiliation: Shira Varanin
- Model: Kessel-class Armed Courier, modified
- Production: Unique
- Material: Durasteel hull
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Classification: Courier/gunship/light freighter
- Length: 35 meters
- Width: 33 meters
- Height: 8.3 meters
- Armament: Average
- 4 heavy laser cannons
- Defenses: High
- Squadron Count: None
- Maneuverability Rating: High (Low if in atmosphere with shields down)
- Speed Rating: High
- Hyperdrive Class: Very Fast (Class 0.5, range 100,000ly)
STANDARD FEATURES
- All standard systems.
- Limited cargo/passenger hold with foldaway seating.
- Three modest sets of living quarters.
ADVANCED SYSTEMS
- Modified hyperdrive.
- Workshop with rigger table.
- Liberation neural piloting interface.
- Can deploy a wide variety of small survey and interdiction probes, including the SIARC, SUREC, INCIS, TRUL, and EXPARC models.
STRENGTHS
- Very fast long-range hyperdrive.
- Quite fast and nimble at sublight, especially for a ship its size.
- Tough shields and hull.
- Workshop can turn salvaged components into ship modifications, cybernetic upgrades, and other useful gear.
- Extended consumables capacity (3 months for 3 people).
- Shira can fly the ship hands-free or in augmented reality using her cybernetic implants.
- Can deploy probes with various sensor and small-scale interdiction capabilities.
WEAKNESSES
- Unimpressive firepower for a ship its size.
- Forward-fixed firepower leaves it vulnerable to more maneuverable fighters and unable to fire at a pursuer.
- Firepower concentrated in a single weapon type, reducing options.
- Low cargo/lift capacity.
- Asymmetric hull will cause handling issues in atmosphere if the shields are down.
DESCRIPTION
The Higher Love is a modified CST Kessel-class Armed Courier, and the home of Shira Varanin. She fell in love with the spaceframe and its ease of modification. On a visit to Port Neverwhere, she met the outlaw techs of the Wretched Hive and contracted them to modify her boat.
Apart from upgrades to shields and engines, they installed a custom high-speed hyperdrive with a large gas tank. They also crammed in a bay for Naboo sensor probes and an interface for Shira's cybernetics.
The Higher Love is a solid little survey and exploration vessel, good at finding safe places and back roads. These capabilities come in handy when visiting obscure Jedi enclaves, or - on occasion - evacuating them.
Shira normally has a couple of other Jedi or OPA people aboard for incidental reasons, but has no consistent crew support.
