Lost Reef

"It's a simple, low-threat freighter. A modified Mon Cal DeepWater class. Decent armor, decent shields, nothing special."

- Imperial Captain Calo Drusan

The Lost Reef was a DeepWater-class light freighter produced by Mon Calamari Shipyards. When the Empire dissolved the Mon Calamari Commercial Expeditionary Service Lost Reef was sold in auction, where Yarkora aintiquities dealer named Saell-Terae bought it to be used in mapping the Unknown Regions. After an extended stay in the Unknown Regions the ship was discovered empty and adrift near Elrood sector, carrying three valuable statues in a hidden compartment as well as a data plaque with astrogation charts for a part of the Unknown Regions. Around the time the Lost Reef was a wanted prize, both to its owner Saell-Terae, as well as to Imperial officer known as Thrawn&mdash;the Chiss was interested in the three statues the freighter carried, as their design would have provided valuable information on his enemies.

At some point before 0.8 ABY the Lost Reef had fallen into the hands of Thrawn, who at that time held a title of Senior Captain. He had in turn presented the ship as a gift to his long time friend, smuggler Jorj Car'das. When alien warlord Nuso Esva threatened Poln system&mdash;located at the border between the Unknown Regions and the Empire&mdash;Thrawn enlisted Car'das' help. The Lost Reef was essential in turning the tide of the battle of Poln system, when Thrawn used it to prevent a collision between Imperial Star Destroyer Chimaera and the Golan station guarding Poln Major.

Description
"You really think this is going to work?''" "The theory is perfectly sound. The only question is whether or not the Lost Reef will be able to handle the strain." "''Don't worry about that. The Mon Cals build their ships to last, and I put in a lot of modifications after you gave her to me. She'll hold together."

- Jorj Car'das and Thrawn during the battle of Poln system

The Lost Reef was one of the 10,000 DeepWater-class light freighters build by Mon Calamari Shipyards and used by the Mon Calamari Commercial Expeditionary Service before the Galactic Empire dissolved the organization. As was typical with Mon Calamari starship designs, the Lost Reef had unique features, which differentiated it in small, mostly cosmetical, ways from every other ship in its class. However it shared one unusual feature with other ships of the same type: it could be used both in space and under water with only relatively small changes done to the hull and shields. Other features the Lost Reef shared with its sister ships were a modest cargo room&mdash;it could only carry 85 metric tons in its two holds&mdash;and reliable set of engines, which had still been upgraded by Saell-Terae.

Like its exterior, the interior setting of the Lost Reef was similar to other DeepWater-class ships, consisting of a cockpit in front, two cargo bays on the sides, crew lounge and state rooms in the middle, and engineering compartment at the back of the ship. The Lost Reef carried three different landing systems; the standard landing gear and the landing claw&mdash;which was used when docking with asteroids or other ships with the extendable boarding tube connected with the airlock&mdash;were accompanied by puncture-proof pontoons designed for landing in the water. One of these pontoons held a hidden compartment, which Saell-Terae used to hide three statues he acquired in the Unknown Regions.

Saell-Terae made multiple modifications to the ship while it was in his possession. He replaced the life support systems, designed for Mon Calamari, with one more suitable to be used by non-amphibious species. He also upgraded the engines, which increased ship's maneuverability and speed, both in realspace and in hyperspace. The basic weapon systems found in DeepWater-class ships were also replaced and improved, the Lost Reef being equipped with quad laser cannon turret, instead of the usual dual laser turret, and four torpedo launchers, designed to be used underwater. These weapons&mdash;along with military grade shielding and improved targeting computer Saell-Terae installed&mdash;were illegal on civilian ships under the Empire.

The later owner of the ship, a human smuggler Jorj Car'das&mdash;who had received the ship from his friend Thrawn at some point before 0.8 ABY&mdash;had in his turn modified the ship.

History
"Strictly speaking, a tractor beam doesn't pull in its target, but instead pulls the target and the generator toward their common center of mass. Since the Chimaera vastly outmasses nearly everything you've ever drawn in, it's never before been an issue for you.''" "Yes, sir." "The question now, of course, is whether the Lost Reef'' and I can provide you enough of a nudge to pull you off Nuso Esva's predetermined path."

- Thrawn explaining his plan to save Chimaera to Commander Pellaeon.

The Lost Reef was manufactured by Mon Calamari Shipyards along with around 10,000 other DeepWater-class light freighters for the Mon Calamari Commercial Expeditionary Service. Like other ships in its class, the Lost Reef was submersible and had unique details, as was typical for most of Mon Calamari designs. When the Galactic Empire dissolved the Commercial Expeditionary Service the Lost Reef and the other ships were put to auction and sold to individual owners. Lost Reef was purchased for 76,000 credits by a Yarkora named Saell-Terae who, like many other of his species, claimed to be an antiques dealer. Sael-Terae used his ship to explore the Unknown Regions, his negotiations, however, did not appear to be profitable.

During his travels in the Unknown Regions Saell-Terae acquired three warrior statues, made by a military commander who&mdash;despite his species' primitive spacefaring culture&mdash;was at war with an Imperial officer Thrawn, sent to work at the Unknown Regions. Having found out that Saell-Terae possessed these wooden statues, covered with precious gems and valuable metals, Thrawn sent his agents to find the Yarkora and get the statues for him, as their design could help the Chiss to learn more about his opponent. Pursued by Thrawn's agents, Saell-Terae was forced to abandon his ship near Elrood sector after deleting his navcomputer records. When the ship was discovered drifting, however, a dataplaque&mdash;which held detailed charts of parts of the Unknown Regions&mdash;was discovered hidden in a secret compartment located in the Lost Reef airlock. The three warrior statues were also still hidden in the pontoon, carefully protected with cargo netting and packing foam.

When the Lost Reef was discovered drifting, Saell-Terae wanted to have his ship back&mdash;he was even prepared to kill who ever possessed it&mdash;but Thrawn's agents were also still seeking to deliver the Lost Reef and the warrior statues to their master. Eventually the ship fell into Thrawn's hands, who gave it to his human friend Jorj Car'das, who was a head of a large smuggling and information brokering organisation. About eight months after battle of Yavin, when Car'das's health had started to evaporate, Thrawn requested his help in stopping warlord Nuso Esva. Together Car'das and Thrawn traveled to Endor, where Thrawn arranged a meeting with Emperor Palpatine on board the Lost Reef and gave the Emperor his suggestions on improving the defenses set around the construction site of the second Death Star. Thrawn also requested to be given six more Star Destroyers to help him deal with the threat posed by Esva's fleet, but the Emperor turned him down advising the Chiss to speak with Darth Vader instead.

After the meeting with Vader, Car'das and Thrawn used the Lost Reef to follow Star Destroyer Chimaera, on board which Esva had infiltrated under a false identity, to the Unknown Regions. Soon an emergency call from Poln Major, capital planet of Candoras sector, reached them ordering all Imperial vessels to defend the system against Rebel threat. In Poln system they found Chimaera, crippled by Esva, and on a collision course with the Golan station orbiting Poln Major. Car'das and Thrawn used the Lost Reef and Chimaera remaining tractor beam systems to steer the seriously damaged ship away from the space station and ruined Esva's battle plan, which had rested on Thrawn being forced to sacrifice either the war ship or the Golan. When Esva had brought in the rest of his troops, Thrawn also invited his reinforcements to the scene: Darth Vader and his Death Squadron. As Thrawn was still staying on board the Lost Reef, he gave his task force under Vader's command for the rest of the battle.

One-third of Esva's entire fleet was lost in battle and after conversing with Vader, Thrawn was eager to head back out to Unknown Regions and use the advantage he had gained. Before leaving Thrawn suggested that Car'das should travel to Wroona and rescue the people Esva had kept hostage there to force a human calling himself Sorro to work for him. Despite being seriously ill and knowing his only hope for cure laid in an outlying Kathol sector, Car'das made plans to visit Wroona and see if he and the Lost Reef could be of help.

Owners and operators
"My hope is that Sorro's family may still be alive and can be freed.''" "By me." "There's no one else who can do the job. The Lost Reef'' has the weaponry, and I'm sure you have the necessary contacts to locate them. The question is whether you have the will."

- Thrawn persuading Car'das to help distressed people.

The first known individual owner of the Lost Reef was a Yarkora called Saell-Terae. Before he bought the ship from an auction, it was owned by Mon Calamari Commercial Expeditionary Service, a company which was closed down by the Galactic Empire. Like other Yarkora&mdash;a species encountered only in small numbers and who often claimed to have specialized in antiques and little known religions&mdash;Saell-Terae kept his ultimate mission quiet, using the Lost Reef to travel the little studied starlanes of the Unknown Regions with only little gain to himself.

Behind the scenes
The Lost Reef was first described in the West End Games's Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game sourcebook Stock Ships, where it appeared as an example ship for the DeepWater-class light freighter. The ship later appeared in Timothy Zahn's novel Choices of One, where it is used by Jorj Car'das. These two sources create a minor inconsistency concerning Thrawn's rank in Imperial military: Stock Ships grant him the title of an Admiral while he is only a Senior Captain during the events of the Choices of One.

Appearances

 * Choices of One