The Blackwake

Identity

The Blackwake

Kazellis-class Light Freighter · Registry KZ-4471-NE · Grim

Size:MediumPaint:Matte charcoal/gunmetal hull with weathered dark grey like storm clouds. The wings swept like a bird of prey have markings of a deep crimson red, the engine housing is blackened steel and the cockpit glass is a smoked amber. Any markings are a faded white.Pilot:Rend

HP

120

Shields

55

AC

15

Handling

+2

Speed

Fast

SIB

+3

Hyperdrive

Class 1.0

Sensors

Advanced

Hardpoints

Weapon loadout

• Quad Laser CannonStock
  turret · DEX · Close · 3d10
• Ion Cannon
  turret · DEX · Close · 2d10

Installed upgrades

• Extra Hardpoint (Turret) I
  weapons · 20,000 cr
  Engineering refit installs an additional turret hardpoint with full-arc rotation. Adds 1 to the chassis's turret-hardpoint cap. Tier I — a Tier II refit adds a second turret.
• Reinforced Shield Generator
  shields · 12,000 cr
  Reinforced shield generator coils. Raises shields_max by 10.
• Reinforced Plating
  armor · 10,000 cr
  Bonded durasteel laminate plates. +10 hp_max, +1 SIB.
• Ablative Armor Layer
  armor · 20,000 cr
  Sacrificial ablative panels bolted over critical hull sections. The first big hit per encounter is absorbed completely; the layer is then spent until you can replate.
• Maneuvering Thrusters
  engines · 9,000 cr
  Vector-jet maneuvering thrusters. +1 Handling.
• Hyperdrive Upgrade (Class 1.0)
  hyperdrive · 25,000 cr
  Refits the ship's hyperdrive to Class 1.0. Faster long-distance jumps.
• Astrogation Computer
  hyperdrive · 12,000 cr
  High-end astrogation computer. Makes jump-calc-under-pressure a lot less terrifying.
• Hyperjump Calibrator
  hyperdrive · 14,000 cr
  Pre-cached route calibrator that does most of the jump math before you need it. Advantage on Engineer hyperspace-jump-calc checks — pairs naturally with an Astrogation Computer for the always-on safe-jump experience.
• Sensor Mask
  sensors · 16,000 cr
  Active sensor-masking suite that scrambles inbound scans.
• Advanced Sensor Array
  sensors · 11,000 cr
  Long-range advanced sensor array. Upgrades sensors descriptor and grants +1 to Starship Initiative.
• Astromech Docking Bay
  utility · 4,500 cr
  Astromech droid socket for an R-series unit. The classic X-wing pairing; brings R2-style support to civilian ships.
• Tractor Beam Installation
  utility · 20,000 cr
  Installs a tractor beam projector. Adds the tractor beam weapon and sets the chassis tractor_beam flag to true.

Traits

• Smuggler's Special
  narrative
  Whoever built (or modified) this ship knew the value of a hidden hold. Customs has their work cut out for them.

Quirks & flavor

• The Cargo Nobody Talks AboutOne compartment is sealed behind an apparently ordinary maintenance panel. Even the current crew aren't entirely sure what is inside. Its original owner installed it and died before explaining its purpose.
• The Unusual Hyperspace EntryThe Blackwake's modified hyperdrive produces a distinctive blue-white flash when entering hyperspace. Experienced pilots can recognise the signature.
• The Captain's MarkThere is a small crimson skull painted inside the cockpit, directly above the pilot's seat. Every captain has added something to it. Nobody has ever removed it.

Captain's notes

“Everything leaves a trail. The trick is making sure yours disappears before anyone follows it.” The Blackwake came later. A Kazellis-class freighter, though calling it a freighter by the time Rend acquired it was perhaps being generous. Its ownership was scattered between people who didn't particularly like one another, its maintenance records were incomplete, and its previous history was buried beneath enough falsified transponder codes to make even the most determined customs officer lose interest. Rend acquired it in pieces. The first share came across a sabacc table, a game played in the back room of a Nar Shaddaa gambling den. The man who lost it had been drinking heavily, and the cards had been marked, and neither fact was particularly relevant by the time the credits changed hands. The remainder was negotiated in a docking bay several levels beneath the Smuggler's Moon's respectable districts. It involved three interested parties, two competing claims of ownership, a considerable amount of money and rain that smelt of chemical runoff soaking through Rend's jacket. By the time the negotiations ended, one man had walked away considerably poorer, another had decided he had never owned the ship in the first place, and Rend had acquired a vessel that technically belonged to him. Technically. The ship was ugly when he got it. Its hull carried mismatched plating, the internal systems were temperamental, and the hyperdrive had a habit of making noises that suggested it was considering retirement. But the underlying frame was sound, the engines had potential, and the ship was considerably less interesting to the authorities than anything with a clean history. Rend saw possibilities where most people saw scrap. He spent the next several months rebuilding it, though 'modifying' might be a more accurate description. Anything unnecessary was stripped out. The power distribution was reworked, the engines were tuned for speed, and the sensor profile was reduced as far as his available credits and a cooperative slicer would allow. The transponder was replaced, the internal communications systems were hardened, and the cargo compartments were altered to accommodate equipment that didn't always appear on official manifests. He wasn't building a warship. He wasn't interested in standing toe-to-toe with an Imperial patrol craft or trading fire with a proper military vessel. He wanted something that could be gone before anyone realised it had been there. The ship remained nameless throughout the modifications. Rend had never been particularly sentimental about machines, and a name seemed unnecessary for something that was, at that point, little more than a collection of debts, replacement parts and questionable engineering. Then came the first run. It was supposed to be straightforward. A pickup, a short jump, a delivery. Nothing particularly unusual. The cargo was legitimate enough on paper, the credits were good, and the client had been careful not to ask too many questions. The trouble began when the Blackwake arrived at the rendezvous. Someone had talked. Whether it was the client, the buyer or someone further up the chain was never established. What Rend found waiting for him was an armed interception team, a compromised landing zone and enough hostile attention to make staying put a very poor decision. The first shots struck the hull before the landing gear had fully retracted. Rend didn't bother returning fire. He pushed the engines beyond the limits he'd originally set, punched through the atmosphere on a course that made little sense to anyone watching the traffic monitors, and jumped to hyperspace with the ship still complaining about the abuse. They made it out. Just. The hull had new scars, one of the stabilisers was damaged, and the hyperdrive needed attention. But the ship was intact, the cargo was still aboard, and Rend was alive. More importantly, whoever had arranged the ambush was left staring at an empty stretch of sky. That was when he named it. The Blackwake. Not because it was particularly fast, or because it carried any great reputation. It was because, wherever it went, trouble seemed to follow in its wake. And when that trouble finally arrived, the Blackwake was already disappearing into the darkness. Since then, the ship has developed a reputation of its own, though not necessarily a particularly respectable one. It has carried legitimate cargo, questionable passengers, bounty targets, equipment of uncertain origin and the occasional person who was better off not being asked about their destination. Its modifications have continued over time. Some are practical, some are improvised, and a few are the result of repairs made under circumstances where finding the correct replacement part simply wasn't an option. There are systems aboard that Rend understands better than their original manufacturers and others that he has learned never to touch unless absolutely necessary.