Chaf Envoy

The Chaf Envoy was a Chiss cruiser, used as a diplomatic ship by Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano of the Fifth Ruling Family in 22 ABY during the rediscovery of Outbound Flight.

The Chaf Envoy was somewhat more that two hundred meters long, with a hull-design in which flat planes and angular edges predominated. The ship's appearance was highly distinctive, but it reminded those who encountered her of an asteroid, or a half-finished sculpture of a Mon Calamari Star Cruiser with the roughly-hewn form not yet smoothed into curves. It appears that this distinctive design was typical of ships of the Fifth Ruling Family, and details of the design and hull markings apparently indicated the status and role of the senior official carried.

The Chaf Envoy was outfitted with two half-bays on either flank, in which shuttles and courier ships such as the fifty-meter Jade Sabre could dock: the forward port-side bay normally held the ship's own hyperdrive-equipped Chiss shuttle, known as a glider. From the docking bays, important visitors were typically ushered to a grand reception chamber that could be quickly configured with the appropriate decorations to greet dignitaries of the Chiss Ruling Families. Other cabins, such as the main dining area and the staterooms provided for guests, were smaller and more restrained in style, but elegantly-appointed and carefully-designed.

The ship was conned from a command centre sited deep inside the hull, a large room with a central podium for the commander surrounded by consoles for the crewers, and viewscreens mounted on the walls. Directly opposite the main viewer was a small observation gallery for the ambassadorial personnel and their guests. The limits of her combat capabilities may be suggested by the fact that a Paskla-class ship in a military configuration could be considered a serious threat.

The standard crew compliment aboard Chaf Envoy consisted of just thirty ratings and four officers, including her Captain; and since this number must be divided among multiple duty watches, it is evident that the ship required a very small duty crew for normal operation - probably no more than one officer and ten crewers. In spite of the fact that the Chiss eschewed droid technology, such a small crew implies a high degree of computerized automation aboard the Chaf Envoy. The ship also had accomodation provision for at least thirty-four supernumary personnel, including an ambassador, a senior military commander, the two squads of warriors who formed the ambassadorial honour guard, and a civilian diplomatic staff of twenty.

Under normal circumstances, a diplomatic ship of the Fifth Ruling Family would be crewed entirely by Chaf personnel, but on the mission to Outbound Flight, most of the personnel aboard Chaf Envoy were drawn instead from the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force, including General Drask and a military crew under Captain Talshib; apart from Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano and his niece Feesa, the only Chaf Family personnel were two diplomatic aides. This was clearly a highly sensitive mission with obvious irregularities in the formation of the crew, and this may have been the reason why members of the line crew could apparently be detailed to form at least one extra squad of combat infantry.

Appearances

 * Survivor's Quest