Cutlass-9 Patrol Fighter

Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Starships of the Galaxy

During the height of The Galactic Republic, the SoroSuub Corporation decided to design and build a Starfighter it could produce, modify, and utilize for its own needs. This patrol fighter was the Cutlass series, the last (And most successful) model of which was the Cutlass-9. Originally intended purely as a corporate asset, the Cutlass-9 Patrol Fighter was popular enough to spur some sales to other Species, especially nonhumans. As The Galactic Republic began to groan under the weight of its own success, many humanocentric companies began treating nonhuman buyers as second-class citizens. SoroSuub never had that attitude, and sold many more Cutlass-9s as a result.

Once The Galactic Empire came into power, SoroSuub had to tread a much more careful line. Having supported The Confederacy of Independent Systems, the company had to take extreme measures to prove itself to the Empire. One such step was to stop production of the Cutlass-9 Patrol Fighter, which the Empire saw as a ship preferred by malcontents and rebels. By the time SoroSuub underwent an internal revolution and switched to supporting The Rebel Alliance, the rebels needed Capital Ships far more than fighters, and no further Cutlass-9s were built. Being sturdy and easily modified vessels, some survived in independant hands, but they became increasingly rare after the end of the Galactic Civil War.

Capabilities

The basic Cutlass-9 was a simple fighter, with two mid-grade lasers and a single Concussion Missile Launcher. It had a Class 2 Hyperdrive with a Navicomputer and weak shields, making it a good long-range fighter when it was produced. Because it was always intended to be modified to suit the needs of SoroSuub, it was built with additional unused power conduits (Giving it 3 unused Emplacement Points). This additional capacity was often used to upgrade the shields or Hyperdrive, or to add more powerful lasers and missile weapons. As the Clone Wars spurred the development of Starfighters, the Cutlass-9 Patrol Fighter want from cutting-edge to outdated. It was possible to upgrade it with the unused Emplacement Points, but few owners bothered.