Fw'sen-class Picket Ship
In the fictional Star Wars universe, the Fwsen-class Picket Ships were small warships deployed by the Ssi-Ruuk in the Expanded Universe book The Truce at Bakura.
The Fwsen-class took the ovoid overlapping shell shape of other Ssi-Ruuvi starships, although it featured a set of four small wings for stabilization during atmospheric flight. The Truce at Bakura Sourcebook lists the ships length at 45 meters, while the Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels lists it at 50 meters. The two sources also differ on the armament of the picket ship. The former lists the armament of the ships as a pair of bow laser cannons, fin- and keel-mounted turbolasers and six ion cannons, while the later excludes the ion cannons. The West End Games profile of the ship class appears more accurate, as the ion cannons would have assisted the disabling of enemy ships to collect their crews for entechment.
Each Fwsen-class Picket Ship is crewed by thirteen P'w'ecks and six enteched servant droids, although the ships could be remotely piloted by Ssi-ruuk cruisers. This remote piloting option, combined with the design choice to forgo thick hull plating for shield generators, demonstrated a Ssi-Ruuvi intention to sacrifice the picket ships where tactically necessary.
During the Bakura Incident, and subsequent Battle of Bakura, the Ssi-Ruuk fielded twenty Fwsen-class picket ship. The Imperial defenses destroyed five of the ships during the preliminary battle, while the rest were destroyed or captured by the Rebel Alliance relief force that arrived to rescue Bakura.
Bibliography
- Kathy Tyers (1994). The Truce at Bakura. Spectra. .
- Eric S. Trautmann and Kathy Tyers (1996). The Truce at Bakura Sourcebook. West End Games. 0874312566.
- Bill Smith, Doug Chiang, Troy Vigil (1996). The Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels (Star Wars). Del Ray. 034539299X.
External Links
Categories: Star Wars spaceships