So, Adar Daala was given the ship that would later mean as much to
him as the Millenium Falcon means to Han Solo. Daala soon found
out that this vessel (formally named Nova Child by the pirates)
was more than it first seemed. The pirates added several
modifications that the Kestrel II still has as of this intelligence report.
The best feature, a false transponder code and registery, are very
valuable if you don't want to get caught. Getting caught was something
Daala and his comrades definitely wanted to avoid. The false transponder code
identified the Kestrel II as the Wave Breaker, an Action III transport
that was a regular trader of nerf hides in the Colonies. It wasn't
until Adar had actually payed off the Kestrel II that another
modification to the ship was discovered.
The Kestrel II before Daala made some modifications.
Before a mission centered around Xa Fel took place, Daala
further modified the Kestrel II by increasing power to
the sublight drives and a little re-wiring so the twin dorsal and
ventral laser cannons (the original weapons) could be fired
from the cockpit. During a mission that took his party to Obroa-skai,
Daala discovered an encryption program aboard his vessel that could
assist in scrambling codes. Daala had surely scored a prize, and it
was now his intention to improve the ship to his specifications.
After Daala attained the rank of Lieutenant (and, thus, receiving
a modest sum of credits), he removed the dorsal and ventral turret
twin laser cannons and replaced them with capital-scale heavy
turbolasers in turrets. This caused an enormous power drain when
they were fired and could only be fired once or twice before they
over-heated. The two twin laser cannons were moved above and below
the cockpit.
Though incredibly powerful, the capital-scale turbolasers
caused deflector shield failures many times. In the second major
revision of the Kestrel II, the ship was entirely re-wired,
more generators assiting the coolant uptake of the turbolasers, and
the sensors were given a boost to range (by 10 klicks each). Modifications were executed on the Leptam Republican Army asteroid base. Though
still prone to severe power drain and malfunction (as any vessel
so heavily modified undoubtedly would be), the Kestrel II
has become an excellent asset to Daala.
It is difficult to project what modifications Daala will make in the future. The two twin laser
cannons were severely damaged on Leptam. It is rumored that Daala
may replace them with an ion cannon, but this is purely speculative.
As a military officer, I find it un-wise to keep the turbolasers. The
Kestrel II no longer has any starfighter protection. After all, now that
Captain Daala is wanted by the remnants of the Empire and has already destroyed two Imperial-class Star Destroyers, no Star Destroyer Captain is
going to let Daala within a light year of firing range.
-----------End Transmission-----------
Updates to this transmission follow below as Commander Ap Lyffed continues surveillance.
UPDATE: Daala has made some major modifications to the Kestrel II
at the Sluis Van shipyards. The dorsal turbolaser has been removed and replaced
with a quad laser anti-starfighter battery. He has also improved
the shields, hull, and added an ion cannon. Finally, for an emergency that needed Saber team to get to Coruscant from the Outer Rim quickly, Daala added a hyperdrive upgrade that allows the Kestrel II to make .75 past light speed. Sluissi techs identified that part of the money for these new systems comes from a secret New Republic agreement, but would say no more. Daala is much better
equipped for survival in almost any combat situation.
-----------End Transmission-----------
