Ion Weapons

Standard blaster bolts are ineffective against deflector shields and heavily armored electrical components, and are likely to completely obliterate any electronics that are lightly armored. When the goal is to disable rather than destroy, ion fire is the tool for the job. Everything from the handheld ion neutralizer to the massive ion cannons designed for planetary defense operate on the same principle.

Though ion weapons appear to fall into the directed-energy class, they do not simply fire bolts of electricity. Rather, conductor coils within the weapon energize an electrically conductive "slug" of ferromagnetic fluid. Each slug is roughly spherical, and holds its shape—and its electrical charge—while in flight. When it strikes a target, the slug bursts, scattering energy across the target's surface. Ion weapons are relatively useless against infantry, as the plastic synthetic used in ablative plate armor renders the electrified slugs inert.

Attempts have been made to create dual-purpose weapons that could function as both a blaster and an ion gun. To date, this has proven too expensive to implement in any consumer products, and has seen only limited use in the military and security industries. The amount of energy required to "ionize" a laser cannon's bolts is far too great to be practically achievable on a large scale.


Jira Grotto Bazaar

One of many "open-air" markets found in the Had Abbadon tunnels, Jira Grotto is home to businesses of all sizes and descriptions. If one desires, they can spend an afternoon eating delicious food, collecting artwork for their home, and selecting just the right blaster for personal defense, and cap it all off by adopting a pet. Locals and offworlders alike visit the bazaar, though the latter are far easier to part from their money.

For a population that's by necessity spread thin and far between, marketplaces such as Jira Grotto are profound examples of community in spite of physical obstacles. For this reason, private residences are only allowed along the perimeter; the center of the chamber is a commons, open to all. Sellers often travel on migratory routes between the bazaars, which means that there are well-established paths from market to market. Should an offworlder wish to travel Had Abbadon in the safest, most convenient way possible, it's recommended that they follow the money.


The Jedi Order

The elusive Jedi operate as self-appointed "guardians of peace and justice" throughout the Galactic Republic. Little is known about the organization's structure, if it even has one. The only two ranks the public is aware of are "Knight" and "Master." It is assumed they are headquartered on Coruscant, though nobody has been able to prove this.

Jedi are conflict-resolvers. Some Jedi will arise during battles or negotiations the Republic is involved in, assisting in solving the problem. Other Jedi appear to be unaffiliated with the Republic, and instead solve local conflicts on smaller worlds. Depending on the individual Jedi, this conflict resolution may take the form of peaceful negotiation, or it may involve the deadly lightsaber, a signature weapon of the Order.

Just as the modus operandi of individual Jedi differ, so does public opinion on the Order as a whole. Some see the Jedi as infallible paragons of virtue and justice. Others cannot stand the idea that an organization such as the Jedi Order goes unchecked by the laws of the Republic. Outside Republic space, the Jedi are seen as little more than a myth. Any tales about them are simply regarded as exaggerations of acts performed by Republic Special Forces.


Junkfort Station

Located in the Outer Rim at a junction between hyperspace lanes, Junkfort Station is a neighbor to, among others, the planets Oseon and Boonta. Living up to its name, it's inhabited by scrappers, pirates, criminals, and all manner of other sentient detritus. Due to its position along hyperspace routes, it is home to a plethora of species and cultures.

The station functions as a trade and leisure hub for pilots passing through the hyperlane intersection. Freighter pilots may stop off at the station to stretch their legs, enjoy food or drink from all across the galaxy, or spend the night in one of the station's handful of seedy hotels. Occasionally, these stops end up becoming inadvertently long-term ones. Many new pilots agree to haul cargo to the Outer Rim without setting up a job that allows them to return to the Core. This is the most common way to find oneself living on Junkfort Station.

The chief aim of those living on Junkfort is to not live on Junkfort. Escaping is not easy, however, especially if one was unlucky enough to grow up there. Scrounger and bandit collectives have reason to keep their younger operatives right where they are, their quick fingers and desperate circumstances serving nicely to help them capture greater prizes. Those who do manage to escape usually end up on the surrounding planets; a native-born Junkforter managing to make it more than a few systems away is almost unheard of.


Korriban

The planet of Korriban, assumed to be located in the Outer Rim, is an unsettled world that has been lost to time. Though many ancient documents reference the planet by name, the hyperspace route to its system was unknown for centuries. In 1138, the University of Theed sent an expedition to the planet. A faculty member claimed to have come into possession of an ancient data packet containing travel directions to the lost planet.

This trip—the only known research expedition to Korriban in recent history—ended in disaster. The team never returned, and cryptic transmissions from their research site hint at a horrible fate. Small chunks of data were sent back to Naboo before the team met their end, but there is nowhere near enough information to paint a clear picture of the state of the planet Korriban.

TRAVEL ADVISORY: A popular holonet scam provides recipients with the supposed coordinates to Korriban, promising untold riches of lost treasure upon arrival. Do not respond to these messages, and do not under any circumstances travel to the coordinates provided. Report any instance of this scam message to NetSec officials immediately.


Leviathan-class Assault Cruiser

The Charybdis, flagship of the Confederacy and presumed base of operations for a mysterious Confederate warlord, is a unique design known as the Leviathan-class. It is shorter in length than most warships, though it shares the typical "bridge tower" design found in the Star Destroyers of the Republic. Its defining characteristic is its split hull, which separates into distinct dorsal and ventral structures about halfway down the length of the vessel. There was a rumor among Republic Defense Force pilots that between the two halves of the ship's massive maw sits an unspeakably powerful laser cannon, but this was recently debunked.

An independent shipyard in the Outer Rim was hired by the Confederacy to construct the Charybdis. When the yard had completed the job, the Charybdis turned its guns on the facility and completely destroyed it. Thus, no records exist pertaining to the Charybdis' construction or design. All statistics about its armaments are merely estimates compiled from sightings of the ship by Republic reconnaissance teams.

Despite its relatively small size compared to most capital ships, the Charybdis is well armed and armored, capable of handing military operations on its own. It carries at least four fighter squadrons and a healthy complement of turbolaser batteries and ion cannons. Tractor beam projectors have been spotted on the hull of the vessel, though the commanding officer of the Charybdis is not known for taking prisoners alive.


Lightsaber

The signature weapon of the Jedi Order, this "laser sword" is feared by the common soldier. In the hands of a skilled Jedi it can be used to deflect blaster bolts, and its searing-hot blade can effortlessly cut through flesh and armor alike. The number of lightsabers seems to correspond to the number of Jedi. They are not mass-produced; each one that has fallen into the hands of someone outside the Order is unique in design.

On very rare occasions, a lightsaber will show up on the black market commanding a price high enough to buy a large warship. These weapons most often end up in the hands of eccentric collectors, but there are recorded instances of assassins and bounty hunters buying black market lightsabers and attempting to use them. As one might expect, an untrained individual using a lightsaber has disastrous results.


Memory Lichen

Found only on the world of Had Abbadon, the bioluminescent "memory lichen" thrives in the cavern networks that have been abandoned by intelligent life. Through the use of electrical impulses, the lichen is capable of absorbing and playing back the memories of sentient species that touch it. If a lichen is "storing" memory, it will glow a cool blue color. "Empty" lichens emit no light at all.

The memory transfer method is not perfect. The only person capable of understanding a memory playback completely is the one who planted it in the lichen to begin with. Attempting to view the memory of another is useless; it simply results in a wild hallucination. Bits and pieces of the original memory may be understood correctly, but for the most part the user will see nonsense. Nevertheless, a local culture has arisen around viewing and interpreting the memories of others via the lichens. For some on Had Abbadon, venturing deep into an old cave and receiving the memories of a long-dead settlement is a religious experience.

The lichen quickly perishes if removed from Had Abbadon, due to its reliance on an unknown material found within the planet's rock and soil. The lichen's ability to store memory for long periods of time directly correlates to how big of a "network" it is attached to. Small patches of the lichen found in Had Abbadon's cities can only store memories for a handful of weeks before resetting back to their "empty" state. The massive tendrils of memory lichen found deep within the abandoned caverns have stored the same memories for hundreds of years.


Planetary Shield

A large-scale version of the deflector shield technology found in starships can be used to protect a planet from orbital bombardment or unauthorized landing. These planetary shields are prohibitively expensive, and are usually found only on wealthy and populous worlds.

Though shields protect a planet from being fired on from orbit, they also prevent surface-to-space weapons from being useful; the protection offered by a shield works in both directions. To counter this, Coruscant—the most notable shielded planet—utilizes several orbiting defense stations and ships to deal with potential attacks.

Travel through a planetary shield is achieved through the use of "shield gates," which open small gaps in the shield to allow vessels to pass through. There are hundreds of shield gates around Coruscant, each staffed by a team of both droids and sentient traffic controllers. Though the departure and arrival process is extremely efficient, this does not stop impatient travelers from occasionally trying to jump the queue and pass through a shield gate out of turn. This is highly illegal, and can result in harsh fines and ship impounding.


Primary Engine Thrust Vectoring

Starships are generally steered by adjusting thrust ratios among a series of rear-facing engines. More advanced maneuvers require thrust to be directed toward the bow or sides of a starship. This is usually done with smaller, secondary thrusters mounted along a ship's hull. "Primary engine thrust vectoring" (PETV) is the aerospace industry term for sending thrust in multiple directions at once using only a ship's main engines.

This is not a stock feature on a majority of starships. Space superiority fighters used by military forces are one notable exception, as thrust vectoring is a necessary component of dogfighting. The ability to vector the primary engines can be added to some vessels, though the aftermarket retrofit is often prohibitively expensive. Aerospace traffic control laws prohibit performing thrust vectoring maneuvers in civilized space, such as that around and in the atmosphere of populated planets.

WARNING: It is a common misconception among pilots that PETV can be "hotwired" into any standard starship engine on the fly, causing thrust to be directed out the forward engine intake. Under no circumstances should this supposed hotwire be attempted mid flight. Likelihood of catastrophic engine failure is extremely high.


Republic Credits

Intergalactic trade has inevitably given rise to an intergalactic currency. The Republic Standard Credit first came into use several thousand years ago on Coruscant. Before its inception, each planet with a unified government had its own currency. As needed, one world's currency was simply exchanged for another at one of several hundred businesses in Coruscant's financial district.

These exchange companies eventually formed a Galactic Currency Exchange, and began issuing vouchers that were valued against the currency of other worlds. As a measure of expediency, traders began swapping these vouchers instead of using actual money. Once the Republic government caught wind of this, they passed a law integrating the currency exchange into the government and forming an official Bank of the Galactic Republic. The Republic Standard Credit was born.

Most transactions are handled electronically, although credit coins are commonplace for small purchases and transactions that an individual may not want to be tracked. Many worlds outside Republic space still accept credits as payment on some level, despite having their own currencies. If an individual winds up stuck on a non-Republic world with only credits in hand, the money can often be unofficially swapped for the local currency at a shipping terminal, albeit for a very unfavorable exchange rate.


Republic Defense Force

For much of the Republic's early history, the galaxy-spanning government kept no unified military force. The task of defense fell to individual planets and systems. This was, as the representatives of smaller worlds and colonies often pointed out, unfairly balanced in favor of larger and wealthier worlds. This changed with the passage of the Unified Defense Initiative Act. The Defense Initiative eventually became known as the Defense Force, and the modern Republic military was born.

Every Republic world contributes proportionally to a shared pool of soldiers, ships, and munitions. For example, the Star Destroyer Coelacanth, though purchased by the Alderaanian Royal Navy, is maintained and operated by the Republic Defense Force. The Senate Defense Committee directs the RDF, though most day-to-day decisions are made by high-ranking members at RDF headquarters, leaving the Defense Committee members time to do other work in the Senate. Soldiers do not enlist directly with the RDF, but rather with their home planet. RDF headquarters are located on Coruscant, and staffed by Defense Force members from all across the galaxy.

Republic member worlds are only required to provide armaments and troops to the Defense Force until a galactic quota has been met. Once the quota has been filled, further participation by any planet is entirely voluntary. However, general consensus is that this quota is not enough of a military force to truly defend the Republic in a full-scale war.


The Ruusan Reformation

Over one thousand years ago, the Republic teetered on the brink of war. Nearly fifty star systems had declared their desire to leave the Republic, and had made it clear that they were willing to fight for their independence. The Senate was in disarray, and in the name of being able to act quickly in an emergency, the Supreme Chancellor was granted special executive wartime powers.

Through a series of treaties, the secession conflicts were resolved without bloodshed, but the Chancellor refused to give up his powers, citing the possibility that tensions may resurface. Most saw this as harmless; he kept the executive powers in his back pocket, but never actually used them more than once. The one use, however, was seen as an egregious breach of trust and tradition: before his retirement, the Chancellor appointed his son to serve as his successor.

This triggered a new wave of planets declaring independence from the Republic. They did not wish to live under the rule of what now seemed to be a monarchy. Fortunately, one senator acted swiftly in the face of this constitutional crisis.

1152 years ago, on what is now celebrated as Reformation Day, Senator Tyria Ruusan and a coalition of her colleagues stormed into the offices of the Chancellor, held the young man at gunpoint, and demanded he resign. This entire coalition of senators served together as Acting Chancellor until an election could be held. When the whole Senate gathered together to vote for the new Chancellor, Senator Ruusan was unanimously selected. As her first act in office, she surrendered the emergency powers that had belonged to her predecessors. Today, Reformation Day is celebrated as a holiday marking a rebirth of the Republic, and the First Reformation Day is the epoch of the current era in the Galactic Standard Calendar.


Scimitar

The personal starship of the Confederate warlord does not match any known makes or models in the Galactic Republic database. This one-of-a-kind vessel was produced by an unknown shipyard at an unknown date and time for an unknown sum of credits.

Republic Intelligence reports indicate the ship is crewed only by droids and the warlord himself. It appears to possess a form of stealth technology. Though it is impossible to completely cloak a ship from enemy sensors, the Scimitar is capable of "blurring" its heat signature. In theory, this would make weapons lock-on extremely difficult. Tracking the Scimitar when it is among a larger fleet—such as during a space battle—is likely almost impossible.

Attempts to discern the vessel's origin in the hopes of reproducing it for use by Republic Special Forces have thus far been unsuccessful. Schematics for a ship of similar design were recovered by archaeologists several years ago on the planet Korriban. The ship depicted in them was similar in shape to the Scimitar, but the schematics were far too ancient to be of any use to a modern military.


Security Spikes

In today's security industry, entirely mechanical locks are almost unheard of. The rise of the electronic lock was the downfall of the practice of lockpicking, and for several decades an electronic lock was seen as the ultimate security measure. This changed with the invention of the security spike, a device designed to overload the circuits of an electronic locking system.

When inserted into an electronic lock, a security spike attempts to apply excessive voltage to the lock's circuits and short it out. When the lock reboots, the spike will set a new password during a short vulnerability window in the lock's startup phase. This allows the user access to whatever the lock was protecting. Most security spikes are single-use. In the interest of keeping them cheap and compact, they are only manufactured with enough battery power to short a lock out once.

The advent of more complex security spikes has spurred the creation of more complicated locks. These locks often contain "dummy circuits" designed to fool the security spike into shorting out electronic components that serve no function. The highest-end security spikes are not disposable, but instead contain single-use power supply charges. This allows the user to tweak the spike's settings to fit each individual lock and simply swap in a new charge after each use.


Shield Generator

Before space combat, there were shield generators. The earliest shields were crude particle deflectors, used to stop spaceborne debris from tearing through a ship's hull. Ray shields followed shortly thereafter, to prevent potentially lethal energy from affecting starships. Now, of course, both shields serve a more immediate use, preventing energy weapons and torpedoes from destroying ships in space combat.

Deflector shields vary in strength, ranging from the light models used on civilian craft to the heavy-duty generators used on the largest capital ships. All shields are weak to ion fire; if enough concentrated ion energy is lobbed against a shield, it will be rendered useless. The same is true of other weapons of war; if a shield is struck enough, it will burn itself out, rendering the target defenseless.


Shock Baton

Throughout the galaxy, melee weapons have fallen out of popular use. Blasters are the go-to for self defense and combat alike. However, there are still circumstances where a close-range weapon is preferred. They can be concealed easier than a blaster, and are useful in situations where making noise would be problematic. The galaxy's most popular melee weapon is the vibroblade; its larger cousin the vibrosword is often used by pirate gangs in the Outer Rim.

For those looking for a non-lethal melee sidearm, the shock baton is the obvious choice. Originally developed for law enforcement and riot control squads, these collapsible weapons emit electrical energy capable of wreaking havoc on the muscular systems of most sentient beings.

Shock batons are technically not available for civilian purchase, since the power cell in a shock baton can easily be modified to deliver a lethal jolt of electricity. However, tech-savvy individuals have been able to build their own shock weapons which are a close approximation of the ones carried by police. The collapsible nature of the shock baton makes it easy to conceal; these mechanics and tinkerers will often disguise the weapon as part of their toolkit.


Sigma-3 Arterius Personal Transport Shuttle

The Sigma-3 Arterius is a small personal transport craft manufactured by Cygnus Spaceworks for the Republic Defense Force. The craft is unarmed and lacks a defensive deflector shield, but is lined with ablative armor plating to protect against attacks from energy weapons. It is equipped with a standard Class 2 hyperdrive. A civilian version with an inferior navicomputer and a slower hyperdrive is also available for purchase.

The ship is most commonly used for transporting Republic officers between ships or on short hyperspace hops between friendly systems. Its lack of shields and armaments make it light and nimble, but it is not intended for use in hostile territory without a starfighter escort. The standard configuration seats a pilot and one passenger—or an optional co-pilot—in the front row, and two passengers in the rear. A popular aftermarket modification sees the rear row of seats removed, usually to allow the vessel to store more cargo.

The Sigma-3's unique gull-wing doors allow for easy access to the cabin through large openings. Upon landing, the swept wings of the vessel move into a forward position and function as boarding ramps to the port and starboard doors. Due to the lack of space within the cabin, a passenger must enter from the side of the ship they wish to sit on. When the ship takes off, the wings sweep back into their flight configuration.


Siratech Personal Domestic Robot Model Eight

Siratech Droidworks is a company responsible for the production of several domestic assistance droids, from android butlers to self-driving vacuum cleaners. The "SPDR M-8," or "spider mate," was a compact domestic droid designed for use in tight environments such as efficiency apartments or starship cabins. "Spider mates" were intended to service one individual, and their personality profiles imprinted on their owners upon initial activation. The model was renowned for its extreme utility and durability.

The low-profile disc-shaped body allowed the droid to fit into tight spaces for storage or navigation, and it possessed several appendages that allowed it to climb all manner of surfaces and grasp common household objects while moving. The droid was waterproof and dustproof, and its shell was rumored to be capable of withstanding small arms fire. It was also extremely power efficient, lasting months on a single cycle of its rechargeable cell.

Siratech discontinued the SPDR M-8 in 1146 after a barrage of negative press due to a series of high-profile criminal acts committed with the droids. Tech-savvy owners had modified the insides of a SPDR M-8 with electronic interference and security countermeasure suites. The criminals then sent the droid into the ductwork of a bank and shut down the security system, allowing them to rob it to the tune of several million credits. In the aftermath, the Republic worked with Siratech to implement a buyback program of the droids. Most owners complied, but there are still some "spider mates" left in the wild, mostly in the Outer Rim. Due to the model's personality imprinting function, a SPDR M-8 will only follow the orders of its original owner. The secondhand purchase market for these droids is practically nonexistent.


The Sith

Widely regarded as nothing more than a bedtime story of "evil Jedi" meant to scare children, the tales of the Sith have been passed down around campfires for generations. They are said to wear black cloaks and carry blood-red lightsabers. Some stories even speak of them choking people with their minds. Those who have no goodwill towards the Jedi Order are quick to point out that any so-called "good Jedi" is just as capable of doing this.

Any evidence of a currently existing group meant to antagonize the Jedi Order is basically nonexistent. Archaeological finds on the planet Korriban indicate there was once a splinter faction of Jedi bent on galactic domination, but official Republic records insist that this group was wiped out thousands of years ago.


Slugthrower

Although energy weapons are the primary type of firearm in the galaxy, more primitive "slugthrower" weapons still see wide use, particularly in less settled regions. These projectile weapons are simpler, more reliable, and cheaper than blasters.

The two main categories of slugthrowers are cyclers and scatterguns. Cyclers file a single projectile with each pull of the trigger, and cycler rifles are a common armament for big-game hunters and sharpshooters. Slugthrowers fire a "spray" of metal pellets. Though not effective at long range, they are extremely deadly in close quarters.

Slugthrower weapons are used in military applications as a countermeasure to deflector shields, as the metal projectiles can pass right through the energy barriers. Bounty hunters, mercenaries, and pirates with a taste for violence and a desire to cause literal bloodshed have also been known to equip themselves with slugthrowers.


Swoop Bike

Planetary ground transportation is available in a variety of forms. For comfort and safety, there are landspeeders. For high speed open-air travel, there are speeder bikes. For the truly death-defying adrenaline junkies, there are swoop bikes.

Derisively referred to as "an engine with a seat" by those with no fondness for the mode of transportation; swoop bikes are the cheaper, faster, and more dangerous cousin of the speeder bike. They are a favorite of tinkerers and gearheads who enjoy modifying vehicles, and the highly dangerous sport of swoop racing is common on less settled worlds. Small-time criminals will often form "swoop gangs" and travel around on their souped-up vehicles intimidating anyone who gets in their way.

Flying a swoop at full throttle requires incredible reflexes. In the interest of self-preservation, most swoop bike owners will never truly push their vehicle to its full potential. Several years ago, a piece of legislation attempted to mandate that kinetic deflector shields be installed on all new swoop bikes as a safety measure. This was largely ineffective. Most swoop bikes on the market were built before the legislation was passed, and are therefore exempt from the rule. Swoop enthusiasts insist these kinetic deflectors alter the aerodynamics of a bike and ruin the driving experience. Anyone who purchases a brand new swoop is likely to disconnect and remove the shield generator before even powering up the bike for the first time.


Tactical Projection System

Until recently, if a fleet admiral wished to direct a space battle they needed to preside over the conflict personally. The simple nature of long-distance communication made issuing large sets of orders impractical—the fastest form of communication is audio-only, and the need to relay orders between multiple communication officers hampers a commander's ability to get a full picture of the situation.

The Tactical Projection System seeks to remedy this problem. Developed internally by the Republic Defense Force, it consists of a suite of sensor packages and high-capacity tight beam holonet transmitters. This equipment is installed on one ship, nicknamed the "sender" by the development team. On the other end of the line, the "receiver" ship is outfitted with special holoprojectors on the bridge and a set of equally high-capacity holonet receivers. Once properly set up, the commanding officer of the receiver ship is able to see a miniature projection of the entire battlefield, and direct the sender ship with tactical orders in nearly real-time.

The system is not perfect, however. It requires an immense amount of bandwidth, and its data stream is easily detected by electronic countermeasures, which essentially paints a target on the back of the sender ship. A second revision of the system, which allows the role of sender to be passed between multiple ships in a fleet, is currently in production.


Tantalus SYS-P5 Yacht

Tantalus Replica Shipyards was a small corporation on the Outer Rim world of Ord Radama known for producing knockoffs of more famous vessels. Their final creation, the SYS-P5 Yacht, "pays homage" to the J-type 327 Nubian Royal Starship. Production was halted when the Theed Palace Space Vessel Engineering Corps filed a copyright strike claiming that, despite the knockoff's smaller size and slightly different shape, it was clearly infringing on the patented designs of the J-type 327.

The shipyard claimed that they were exempt from such copyright laws, as they did business exclusively on a non-member world of the Galactic Republic. However, during the months-long court proceedings, Ord Radama joined the Republic, and this changed the direction of the case considerably. In the aftermath of the lawsuit the shipyard was forced to cease production of the SYS-P5, closing its doors only a few months later. No more than a dozen of the ships were ever completed, and fewer still exist today, as the model was notoriously unreliable.

Electrical failures, poorly attached interior paneling, a propensity for hull rusting, imbalanced landing legs, and an inconsistent artificial gravity generator are just a few of the issues known to plague the vessel. Its rarity has done nothing to drive up its price; when the few existing ships do change hands, a shockingly low sum of credits is traded as well. Whether buying one is actually a good deal is another matter entirely.


Turbolift

The turbolift, also referred to as an elevator or lift, is a vessel designed to transport cargo and passengers between floors of a building or decks of a ship. Unlike the entirely mechanical elevators of old, turbolifts move using a combination of mechanical parts and repulsorlift engines. Turbolifts on large ships or space stations can often move both horizontally and vertically. If a turbolift needs to move especially quickly, it can use the same inertial dampeners found in starfighter cockpits to make the ride more comfortable for passengers.

In case of an emergency where turbolifts are inoperable, it is required that an alternate mode of access between floors be available. This most often takes the form of staircases or ladders. In the mega-skyscrapers of planets such as Coruscant or Taris, stairs would be impractical for descending from the uppermost floors. Instead, these buildings often have an emergency network of escape pods to allow occupants to descend from the upper floors quickly in the event of a fire or power outage.


Typhoon Division

Typhoon Division is the designation for Alderaan's most famous group of naval vessels, serving under the command of General Obi-Wan Kenobi and, in his absence, Commander Temeura Cody. It is lead by the Star Destroyer Coelacanth, a Victory-class vessel. Three Consular-class frigates (Ferox, Icthys, and Manta) and two fighter squadrons (Sawshark, made up of Z-95 Headhunters; and Barracuda, consisting of ARC-170s) round out Typhoon Division.

The division is most notable for the number of conflicts they have resolved without firing a shot. Typhoon Division's penchant for avoiding bloodshed has earned their leader his famous nickname: "Kenobi the Negotiator." Despite this, when it does come down to fighting, the division is extremely effective. Sawshark Squadron has one of the highest kill counts in the Republic Defense Force, and Typhoon Division alone liberated the Ord Ibanna system from its brief occupation by pirates in 1146.

On their home planet of Alderaan, the Typhoons are regarded with near-celebrity status. They are referred to as "The Heroes of Alderaan" in recruitment materials for the Republic Defense Force, and Typhoon Division's emblem—the Coelacanth and a pair of Z-95s flying in front of a cyclone of water—can be found hanging on the walls of university dormitories, offices, and shops all across Alderaan.


Vote of No Confidence

The vote of no confidence is a procedure in the Galactic Senate used to unseat a Chancellor before the end of their term. The vote is fairly uncommon, as such open expression of distaste for the current leadership is seen as a costly expenditure of political capital.

When a senator calls for a vote of no confidence, enough senators must second the motion in order for the vote to be scheduled. As most votes of no confidence are started by fringe political parties, this is usually where the vote fails. Should a sufficient number of senators agree to hold the vote, it is scheduled for a special Senate session, where 75 percent of the Senate must agree to remove the Chancellor.

A successful vote of no confidence is almost unheard of. In recorded Republic history, it has only happened three times. If removed, the unseated Chancellor simply returns to their position as senator for their home planet, and a new Chancellor is elected a short time later. In practice, this often marks the end of the senator's career. No ousted Chancellor has ever won another Senate election.


XT-1580 Ultralight Performance Craft

The XT-1580 Ultralight Performance Craft, often referred to as simply "The XT" by enthusiasts, was one of a handful of ships manufactured for the Upper-Atmosphere Racing Championship (U-ARC) on the gas giant Oovo. The craft combines the aerodynamic design often found in speeders with a sealed cockpit and engines that are capable of spaceflight, as both are necessities for racing in high atmosphere.

Racing in the U-ARC involved navigating a massive obstacle course high above Oovo. Floating rings, hazards, and course markers were held aloft by repulsorlifts. Ships were operated by teams of two: one to fly the craft, the other to sit beside the pilot, call out instructions, and assist in spotting upcoming obstacles or turns.

The U-ARC was shut down by law enforcement after a massive crash killed the occupants of all twelve vehicles on its most dangerous course. The rest of the league's drivers quietly sold off their vessels to ship enthusiasts. Most of these enthusiasts modified their new racing craft with hyperdrives so that they could transport them between planets without having to use a carrier ship. A handful are still raced illegally in the Outer Rim, but most owners simply fly theirs for fun.

Though the vessels are incredibly nimble, they are extremely challenging to fly. The added weight of a hyperdrive tends to throw off the carefully-tuned balance of the formerly "ultralight" racing vehicle. A pilot who has not practiced in a simulator is likely to crash an XT the first time they fly one.


Z-95 Headhunter

The Z-95 Headhunter is a multipurpose starfighter jointly produced by Incom Corporation and Sublight Products. Its balance of durability, reliability, and ease of repair make it a favorite of both the Republic Defense Force and private organizations.

The fighter is equipped with four sublight engines, and a laser cannon is mounted at the end of each of its two wings. Concussion missile tubes are integrated into the lengthy body of the starfighter. The craft is lightly armored; defense is instead provided by a pair of kinetic-energy deflector shield generators.

The stock Z-95 is not equipped with a hyperdrive. However, the majority of Z-95s ordered for the Republic Defense Force do have hyperdrives installed. This was done in the interest of allowing Z-95 squadrons to run long-range missions on their own, without the need of a carrier ship. Hyperdrive installation is also a popular aftermarket modification for civilian owners of the starfighter.