Courageous (Inexpugnable-class)

"Visitors! Please depart! It's lost! It's lost!" "Stop! What's going on here?" "The Courageous! The Courageous is lost!"

- A Telerath protocol droid and Jedi Master Lucien Draay, after the Courageous destruction

The Courageous was an Inexpugnable-class tactical command ship that served in the Republic Navy during the Mandalorian Wars. Produced by Rendili Hyperworks, the Courageous featured the Inexpugnable-class' trademark "wishing-well" bridge and a massive Vanjervalis Systems computer fitted to its frame&mdash;the ship was designed to coordinate the actions of dozens of ships simultaneously. The Courageous served as the flagship for Admiral Saul Karath and participated in several campaigns on the Outer Rim. The Courageous saw action in the Republic's doomed defense of the planet Vanquo in 3964 BBY. The next year, the Courageous headed a battle group organized by Admiral Karath to hold the planet Serroco against a Mandalorian invasion. The ensuing Battle of Serroco resulted in the devastation of the planet and the shattering of the Republic defense. Mandalorian forces pursued the Courageous and its flotilla through deep space and eventually succeeded in boarding and destroying the vessel&mdash;Admiral Karath was barely able to escape with his life. Part of the ship was fashioned into a battle-axe wielded by the Mandalorian chief, Mandalore the Ultimate.

Description
"If they're going to invade Serroco, they're going to need a lot more ships than they've brought!"

- Admiral Saul Karath, aboard the Courageous before the Battle of Serroco

The Courageous was an Inexpugnable-class tactical command ship produced by Rendili Hyperworks. Per its design, the Courageous functioned as a platform from which the actions and movements of an entire fleet could be coordinated. The ship was distinguished by its "wishing-well" bridge configuration, which merged visual and electronic data by suspending holographic images over a transparent deck. The display could be disorienting to crewmembers, and vertigo was a common complaint. The bridge, circular in shape, had an open center surrounded by a number of computer stations. The Courageous featured a massive Vanjervalis Systems computer fitted to its frame, which, using the native software codes of a Republic Hammerhead-class cruiser, could instantly transmit commands to as many as 64 Hammerheads simultaneously. As a result, the Courageous moved slowly, defended by the cruisers under its control. The ship had its own comm center, along with a sensor system capable of rapidly detecting the number and classification of enemy ships in its vicinity and the radioactive signature of fired missiles. 3,100 meters wide, the Courageous had a sizable cargo hold which was connected to the ship's brig by way of ventilation tunnels.

The Courageous itself was well-armed&mdash;the vessel featured five double turbolaser batteries and five light turbolaser batteries, along with a pair of point-defense light laser cannon batteries and a pair of tractor beam batteries. The Courageous fighter decks also held a sizable complement of 144 Aurek-class tactical strikefighters, 24 S-250 Chela-class starfighters, 24 Conductor-class short-haul landing craft, six Ministry-class orbital shuttles, and other various support craft. The Courageous was staffed by 4,300 skilled crew and could hold up to 2,000 soldiers, along with as many as 50,000 tons of cargo and 2 years worth of consumables. The ship had a Class 2 hyperdrive and a Class 10 unit as a backup, and was equipped with a navicomputer. Although not available for sale, the Courageous estimated value was 70 million credits.

Early campaigns
"I'll deal with Carrick personally–provided we survive today!"

- Admiral Saul Karath, after encountering fugitive Zayne Carrick during the Battle of Vanquo

The Courageous was built at the Rendili/Vanjervalis Drive Yards on the planet Corellia, one of just six Inexpugnable-class prototypes produced by the outbreak of the Mandalorian Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Mandalorian warrior clans. Designed to sell more Hammerhead cruisers, the Courageous was outfitted with a Vanjervalis computer system that allowed it to control up to 64 of the ships simultaneously. The Courageous was pressed into service when the Mandalorians invaded the Republic, and command was given to Republic Navy Captain Saul Karath, who had made his name hunting pirates on the Outer Rim.

In 3964 BBY, the Mandalorians began threatening vital resource worlds near the planet Taris&mdash;eventually, the Mandalorians moved on Vanquo, a planet on the Republic's Jebble-Vanquo-Tarnith line. Captain Karath and the Courageous saw action in the Battle of Vanquo, the ship commanding the surrounding fleet from the center of the Republic line. In the midst of a [{Realspace|space]] battle, Karath and Lieutenant Dallan Morvis noticed a ship leaving Vanquo's atmosphere. The vessel was identified as The Last Resort, known to be carrying "Jedi killer" and wanted Republic fugitive Zayne Carrick, and it quickly jumped into hyperspace towards Mandalorian territory. Karath took this to mean that Carrick was a Mandalorian spy, and he vowed to bring Carrick to justice. The Courageous held out for as long as it could above Vanquo, but eventually Karath was forced to fall back and retreat.

Serroco
Karath's defense of Vanquo earned him a promotion to rear admiral, and he soon turned his attention to the next front of the war. In 3963 BBY, the Mandalorians set their sights on the planet Serroco in the Expansion Region, a full member of the Republic, and the now-Admiral Karath formed what he called "Battle Group Serroco" in order to protect the world. Karath's battle group was centered around the Courageous, and was bolstered by dozens of Hammerhead cruisers and other Republic ships, along with a fleet of fringer tradespeople who offered goods and services to the Republic soldiers. The Courageous and its group set off to Serroco from its staging point on Ralltiir ahead of the Mandalorians, with Karath thinking that the Republic Navy was finally ready for their enemies. The Courageous took point above Serroco, surrounded by Hammerhead cruisers, while the rest of the battle group formed camps among the planet's Stereb cities.

Unbeknownst to Admiral Karath, Zayne Carrick was on the planet below, working at a fringer mess ship called the Little Bivoli. After the former Jedi Padawan had a Force vision of the Mandalorians destroying Serroco, Carrick decided that he needed to inform Admiral Karath of what he had seen, and he managed to convince Lieutenant Carth Onasi, one of Karath's protégés, to give him a ride up to the Courageous. Once Carrick stepped onto the Courageous bridge, however, Admiral Karath, who already believed that he was a Mandalorian spy, immediately recognized Carrick and had him arrested. Karath refused to heed Carrick's warnings&mdash;soon, the Mandalorians arrived in-system, and launched an opening barrage of nuclear missiles towards the Republic fleet. To Karath's surprise, the bombs angled around the ships, aimed at the planetside camps all along. Twenty-seven populated areas were hit by the Mandalorian attack, and while Lieutenant Onasi saved many lives by using the Courageous comm system to send the native Stereb to shelter in underground catacombs, the Stereb cities were wiped from the planet.

Flight into oblivion
"Ah, Admiral Karath, is it? Or did you lose your rank as well as your flagship? Recognize this axe? It was forged from your so-called Courageous–when we began melting it down for scrap!"

- Mandalore the Ultimate

With much of his Battle Group Serroco annihilated, Admiral Karath was left with no choice but to retreat and find a place to make a stand. The Courageous went on the run&mdash;Karath hoped to make it to the planet Myrkr or the Ryyk Nebula, where the Courageous and its group could join forces with the Tremendous battle group in the area. The Mandalorians pursued the Courageous every step of the way. As Admiral Karath had pledged to defend the ships in his flotilla from Mandalorian attack, the Courageous saw plenty of action during its trip through the hyperlanes. The Mandalorians eventually caught up to the Courageous in deep space, boarding the battleship with their shocktroopers, the elite group thereby making their first appearance in the war. With his flagship damaged and listing, Admiral Karath deemed that the only course of action was to scuttle the Courageous. Karath ordered all nonessential personnel to the escape pods and prepared to make a stand against the boarders with his second-in-command, Commander Dallan Morvis; amidst the fighting, Karath narrowly escaped death at the hands of a shock trooper thanks to the timely arrival of Lieutenant Onasi. Trapped, Karath, Morvis and Onasi made their way to the brig, sealing the door behind them, and checked with Zayne Carrick, who had been meditating in his prison cell. Carrick rose to reveal that he had been spending his time slowly unfastening the bolts in the walls behind him with the Force, thus opening a passage from his cell to the cargo bay, where Onasi's cargo hauler, the Deadweight, sat unnoticed by the Mandalorians.

With Onasi flying the Deadweight, the small group of survivors were able to evade Mandalorian pursuit and narrowly escape the Courageous destruction. Although news of the Courageous fate filtered out and caused a panic on some Republic worlds such as Telerath, Admiral Karath managed to make his way back to the Republic capital of Coruscant, where he immediately submitted his resignation to the Republic Navy's Admiral of the Fleet for the loss of the Courageous. Instead, Admiral Karath was placed in command of the battleship Swiftsure, newly refitted based on knowledge that Karath had gained while serving on the Courageous. The Mandalorians eventually melted the battleship down for scrap, fashioning part of it into a battle-axe carried by their chief, Mandalore the Ultimate.

Commanders and crew
"It's your career or your life, Morvis. Don't take too long deciding."

- Admiral Saul Karath, to his protégé Dallan Morvis during the Mandalorian boarding of the Courageous

The Courageous was commanded by Saul Karath, who was still waiting for the Merit Board to meet on his promotion to rear admiral when he was given control of the ship. The son of a laborer from Corellia, Karath made his name aboard the ship Reciprocity, his first command, where he was noted for his efforts hunting pirates. Admiral Karath became renowned for his feats in the Mandalorian Wars, distinguishing himself in the heated defense of the planet Suurja, and then aboard the Courageous in the Vanquo and Serroco campaigns. Karath was presumed dead after the Courageous destruction, and his safe return to Coruscant touched off joyful celebrations. One of Karath's men from the Reciprocity, Commander Dallan Morvis, also served aboard the ship as Karath's right-hand man. Morvis came from an upper-class background&mdash;his father was the director of the Coruscant Financial Exchange and mother the Senator from Chandrila&mdash;and he found a competitor for the admiral's favor in Lieutenant Carth Onasi, a hotshot pilot from Telos IV who shared Karath's hardscrabble beginnings. Both men would rise in the ranks after the Courageous destruction, with Morvis gaining command of his own Hammerhead-class cruiser and Onasi furthering his career in the Republic Navy under Karath. The ship's security chief was an individual named Viddarie, and the Courageous also held up to 4,300 skilled crew and 2,000 soldiers.

Behind the scenes
The Courageous first appeared in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 8: Flashpoint, Part 2, a comic written by John Jackson Miller and released in 2006. The ship was designed by artist Dustin Weaver, who took Miller's request for a "typical warship bridge with holographic battle displays" and created the ship's distinctive "wishing-well" design. Miller named the ship after the Courageux, a French warship captured by the British in 1761. The Courageous appeared in several more issues of the Knights of the Old Republic comic series, and was mentioned in other sources such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Handbook and the Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 8: Flashpoint, Part 2
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: Days of Fear
 * The Admiral's List: Jimas Veltraa Memorial Edition
 * The Admiral's List: Remember Serroco! Edition
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 17: Nights of Anger, Part 2
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 18: Nights of Anger, Part 3
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 19: Daze of Hate, Part 1
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 20: Daze of Hate, Part 2
 * The Adjudicator Special Report: Tools of the Trade
 * The Admiral's List: Karath Home Safely
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 31: Turnabout
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 49: Demon, Part 3