Slave circuit

A slave circuit is a mechanism that allows a user to remotely access the systems of a vehicle without having to enter that vehicle. Slave circuitry is typically installed on a ship so that an owner may use a handheld device known as a beckon call to activate his ship's systems well before he enters the craft. When attempting a landing at a spaceport, an owner may also transmit his slave circuit code to the control tower, allowing the tower to assist him in landing his craft. An owner without a slave circuit installed on his ship can, with a little programming skill, set up a temporary circuit using a computer.

Less common is the practice of fully slave-rigging a ship's systems to a beckon call for the purpose of bringing the ship to the user's location, automatically maneuvering the craft around any obstacles that are in the way. Some slave circuits can also be programmed to make the ship fight its way to the user's location, with a reasonable degree of skill.

Despite the convenience that a slave circuit affords, many owners are averse to installing them on their ships. Commonly cited is the fear that a criminal who has gained access to the ship's slave circuit code, or stolen the ship's beckon call, will easily hijack and steal the ship, possibly kidnapping anyone who was aboard in the process.

Additionally detracting from the slave circuit's popularity is the Katana fleet incident. In about 45 BBY, the fleet of 200 Dreadnaught-class heavy cruisers was launched with much fanfare. Each Dreadnaught in the fleet was completely equipped with slave-rigged units, thus tying each ship's essential systems into one computer. This had the benificial effect of reducing the crew of every ship down to 2,000 soldiers, but one Dreadnaught was capable of seizing control of the entire fleet.

At some point, a hive virus quickly spread thoughout the fleet and drove its victims insane. As a result, some crew members decided to slave the ships together and jumped into hyperspace. The fleet was found nearly half a century later.

Another well-known incident that involved craft that were fully slave-rigged was the Battle of Sluis Van in 9 ABY. Prior to the battle, the Imperial forces of Grand Admiral Thrawn had stolen 51 mole miners from the mining facility on Nkllon known as Nomad City. Those mole miners reappeared at the Sluis Van shipyards and carried boarding parties, who used the digging equipment of the mole miners to drill into the hulls of New Republic vessels that were in their final stages of construction or under repair. From there, the boarding parties would take control of the vessels and steal them.

This plan was thwarted, by Lando Calrissian, the previous owner of the mole miners. He used the slave circuit code that each mole miner was rigged with to activate their engines. As a result, every mole miner drilled past the hull of each ship that had been boarded, rupturing the air seals of the vessels and killing the Imperial boarding parties. While it caused extreme harm to the New Republic vessels, it also kept them from being used against the New Republic.

While both of these incidents are extreme examples, a ship's owner is best advised to keep them in mind when considering the benefits and drawbacks of rigging his ship with slave circuitry.

Appearances

 * Heir to the Empire
 * Dark Force Rising
 * Assault at Selonia