E-9 Explorer/Legends

E-9 Explorer The E-9 explorer was a scout vessel produced by the Loronar Corporation that requires a small crew to operate at peak efficiency.

Characteristics
The ship's bridge houses stations that allow the entire four-person crew to monitor and operate most ship systems. The crew quarters, located along the neck of the ship, are spacious enough to allow the crew and any passengers they take aboard to live comfortably during long voyages. The lounge holds an autochef system to help meet the crew's nutritional needs as well as a holographic game table and other entertainment systems to keep the minds and bodies active between destinations. In addition to the engineering section, the main body of the ship also holds a three-deck cargo bay large enough to hold a small repulsorlift vehicle, which can leave the ship through the ventral cargo elevator. Loronar even offers the option of adding a CS-1 cargo sled to the ship for an additional 12,000 credits.

To help make the lives of technicians easier when repairs need to be made during flight, a network of crawlways was built under the main deck that can access virtually any part of the ship. Despite their convenient use, their only access point is through the gunwell just inside the front area of the cargo bay. Anyone trying to gain entry into the maintenance tunnels anywhere else must cut through the deck plating.

The E-9 Explorer comes equipped with two laser cannons, one on top and one on the bottom of the main body of the ship, under the belief that the weapons should provide sufficient defense against any dangers it may face. Though not initially conceived by its designers, many owners of the ship found that the weaponry can be upgraded easily to more lethal armament, including double, quad, or even heavy laser cannons. Some shrewd owners have even been known to install a proton torpedo launcher into the underside of the ship's nose. Such measures are viewed by Loronar and the Imperial government as highly unnecessary and have been known to incite seizure of the ship by the Empire.

History
The E-9 Explorer was first introduced to the galaxy near the end of the Clone Wars as an unarmed transport. Amid the political turmoil and the rising success of the Corellian Engineering Corporation's line of light freighters, the E-9 experienced only mild success with its intended market. Despite this, Loronar maintained their support of the ship, believing that sales would pick up. Several times over the next few years, the ship was nearly discontinued but managed to gain enough customer support to persist.

When Loronar decided to follow the trend established by other ship production companies and add weaponry to their light freighters and transports, the E-9 was one of the first to receive the upgrade and subsequent advertising promotion. Sales rose dramatically, as customers suddenly noticed the vessel's value and guaranteed the survival of the line.

The success was short-lived, however, as the Empire cracked down on shipbuilding companies that incorporated weapons into their ships. Loronar pleaded with the Imperial Bureau of Shipyards and Construction and fought a long legal battle that nearly forced the company to stop production of the line. Finally, Loronar gained permission to continue to produce and sell the E-9 as an armed transport with the justification that the ship would be used as an exploration vessel and required the armament to defend itself away from the protection offered by the Empire.

With a renewed purpose, Loronar upgraded the ship's sensor suite, changed its marketing strategy, and advertised the E-9 as an armed scout vessel. Although sales were not as high as they once were, Loronar decided not to forsake the good fortune they received and continued to support the ship well into the first years of the New Republic.