Deathraven

Deathraven was Erron Kell's personal starship, which he used in his occupation as a freelance pilot.

A unique design borne from the merging of two E2 B-Wings into a single craft with a shared, enlarged cockpit, the ship was the product of collaboration between Kell and engineers of Kuat Drive Yards. The final product performed in excess of its parent craft, being faster, better shielded, and more heavily armed than two B-wings combined. Oddly, despite the presence of its hyperdrive, Kell preferred to ship it as freight for long-distance travels.

Description
A unique design built from two B-wing/E2 starfighters, the Deathraven boasted a larger, central cockpit with the two B-wing hulls rotating around it. Due its thirty-two meter length, the modified starship was too big to be considered a starfighter, although its cockpit was still unconfortable for extended travel. However, the Deathraven did possess two months of fuel and consumables if a long trip was necessary. The design had a Class 1.0 hyperdrive, improved sublight and atmospheric engine performance, improved armor plating, and stronger deflector shields, which was due to upgraded shield generators. Instead of requiring a two-person crew like the B-wing/E2, the Deathraven only required a single pilot and had room for one passenger along with increased cargo space of two-hundred and fifty kilograms in its enlarged cockpit. In addition to possessing the armaments of the two B-wing/E2 starfighters, the starship was upgraded with an additional two light ion cannons to go along with the four original assault laser cannons, six light ion cannons, and four proton torpedo launchers. All of the assault laser cannons were linked to fire together, as were the proton torpedo launchers and light ion cannons. Due to the expanded magazines possessed by the B-wing/E2, the Deathraven could hold up to forty proton torpedoes when fully loaded. Overall, the design was more powerful than most starfighters, while its speed was more than enough to escape from larger vessels.

History
The design of the Deathravan was conceived of by Erron Kell, a former Rebel and New Republic pilot who resigned his commission and became a mercenary due to his dislike of the increased organization of the New Republic military after the Battle of Endor. Through his New Republic contacts, Kell was able to obtain two B-wing/E2s believed by the New Republic to be too expensive to repair. While Slayn & Korpil manufactured the original fighters, Kell constructed the new design with help from engineers working for Kuat Drive Yards. After all of the modifications and repairs were complete, the Deathraven was worth around 609,000 credits, which was considerably more than the 500,000 credits that two B-wing/E2s cost.

After the construction of the vessel was complete, Kell used the Deathraven as his personal starship while working as a mercenary pilot during the reign of the New Republic and also during the invasion of the galaxy by the extra-galactic Yuuzhan Vong species. During Kell's career, the starship was proven to powerful and was able to defeat most small ships and outrun larger ones. In one instance, the Deathraven destroyed a smaller vessel, which exploded. When traveling over long distances, Kell usually shipped the Deathraven as cargo to avoid being stuck in the small ship for long periods.

Owners and operators
Although the original B-wing/E2 starfighters used in building the Deathraven belonged to the New Republic, Erron Kell was able to obtain them through his contacts with the New Republic government. After the ship's construction, Kell flew the ship during his career as a mercenary pilot.

Behind the scenes
The Deathraven was first featured in Wizards of the Coast's 2001 edition of Starships of the Galaxy, which was written by Owen K.C. Stephens. In the book, the Deathraven was pictured as destroying a small target in an image created by John Gallagher. However, while the sourcebook refered to the ship's design as unique, a slightly different image in Wizards of the Coast's online Starships Art Gallery, has the Deathraven leading a pair of ships that share its double-hulled design. This article was written with the assumption that the sourcebook is correct.