Craft
Modified CEC Star Cruiser
Cost
NA - Unique Craft
Type
Blockade Runner
Consumables
1 year
Scale
Capital
Hyperdrive/Backup
x3 / x18
Length
115 meters
Nav Computer
Yes
Crew/Skill
15; gunners: 1; skeleton: 2/+15 (Capital ship piloting: Corellian star cruiser)
Space/Maneuver.
9/2D
Passengers
10
Hull
3D
Cargo
560 metric tons
Shields/Backup Shields
2D+2/--
Sensors

"The Slip Stream"

by Ryan Matheny

Passive 35/1D
Scan 70/2D
Search 90/3D
Focus 3/3D+2

Capsule The Slip Stream was a highly modified Corellian star cruiser outfitted for smuggling and blockade running by Stefon Sapur, a small time smuggler and pirate by trade. Sapur acquired it through a game of chance with the original owner - who in turn reportedly shot Sapur several times in the chest at point blank range in a fit of anger.

Sapur wasted no time and traded his old Corellian Action III bulk transport for a set of high-powered Setec xJ-9 ion drives and a set of power couplings and generators from Sienar Design Systems, thus boosting the stop speeds dramatically. Sapur also upgraded the shield generator to what was then considered an illegal military-grade in addition to replacing the stock Class 3.2 hyperdrive motivator with a slightly faster Class 3.

Stock Corellian star cruisers carry no offensive weaponry as the Republic tended to use them as diplomatic vessels and light cargo transports. The addition of any weapons usually required quite a bit of work, rerouting power and making space for the emplacement. Knowing this, Sapur only mounted a pair of fire-linked ion cannons on a small turret just above the bridge which was controlled from a remote gunnery station just behind cockpit.

With the remaining funds left from selling his old Corellian Action III, Sapur invested in a paint job for the Slip Stream. The entire ship was painted in a non-reflective black with the words "Sir Sapur's Slip Stream" in bright white on either side of the interchangable salon pod (a design aspect which helped make the Corelian star cruiser famous).

The salon pod that came with the Slip Stream was a standard cargo pod, providing an additional ten metric tons of storage space to the vessel. This is what Sapur wanted, as any decent smuggler or pirate would need as much storage space as possible. In emergency situations, the entire salon pod could eject from the cruiser and act as an escape pod equipped with its own sensors and life-support.

Over the next few years Sapur would add additional systems to the Slip Stream, improving its smuggling and blockcade running abilities. The most notable addition was a backup battery which was legally sold for to maintain life support systems after a catastrophic power failure, but could also be used illegally to power the life support while running silent - an act commonly carried out by those hoping to sneak past starships which are only scanning passively.

The Slip Stream served Sapur for nearly forty years until technological advances, which outdated the vessel, combined with the political unrest during the formation of the Empire forced him to retire the vessel. There were several rumors stating that an antique black Corellian star cruiser had been seen around in the Palvar Sector during the later days of the Empire, however, the validity of such rumors is questionable when one accounts for the vast amount of time spanning the Slip Stream's last known siting with the one in the Palvar Sector.

 

Weapon Systems

2 Ion Cannons (fire-linked)
Crew: 1
Fire Arc: Dorsal Turret
Scale: Starfighter
Skill: Starship Gunnery
Fire Control: 2D+2
Range: Space: 1-3/7/36
Atmosphere: 100-300/700/3.6
Damage: 4D
Corellian Emergency Backup Battery
This backup battery is marketed as a life support systems fail- safe, allowing up to an hour's extra survival in the event of a catastrophic power failure. Ordinarily, life support fails while running silent in only a few minutes, due to lack of power, but the backup battery allows the ship to lurk in space for an extended period.
 

Notable Blockade Runners

Stats and write-up are property of Ryan Matheny . First table format by Tim "Nealos" Salam. Second table format by Chris Curtis.

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