-CANN- Kalarba System, Hevvrol Sector-

Director Echuu Shen-Jon of the Corporate Alliance Policy Administration Directorate (CAPAD), the security arm of the Corporate Alliance, announced today in a press conference the details regarding a recent joint Rift Alliance project. “The first one hundred Dreadnaught-class Heavy Cruisers of the two hundred strong Katana Fleet are officially undergoing space trials and are set to begin entering active service throughout RA controlled space,” Echuu announced, declaring the discovery and retrofitting of the lost fleet a substantial achievement in the war against the Empire.

This historic project to repair and retrofit a fleet of this size took place largely in secret for months utilizing the powerhouse of shipyards within the Rift Alliance, including those of the Krath Dynasty, Kingdom of Elysia, Corporate Alliance, The Pentastar Alignment, Galentro Heavy Works, Death Watch, Empire of the Hand, Eriadu Authority, Chiss Ascendancy, and the Matukai Dragons. The fleet's flagship “Katana,” now under the command of the Krath Dynasty, took her second test flight in the Outer Rim at the beginning of Galactic Year 17. Roughly ten to thirty Dreadnaughts are designated for command under each Rift Alliance organisation, providing a sizeable boost in fleet support capabilities alongside the Rift Alliance’s Mon Calamari Cruisers.

The Katana fleet, named originally after its flagship, the Katana, was launched by the Galactic Republic several years before the Clone Wars as part of a project to rebuild the Republic Navy. Other notable ships in the fleet include the Braxant Brave, Harrier, and Peregrine, which were the first to be retrofitted successfully and will begin service as battle group flagships within the Rift Alliance. The long troublesome slave circuitry that caused the loss of the fleet and its 440,000 crew members has been removed and replaced with modern droid dominant systems similar to those found in cruisers today.

The fleet’s location has long been sought after since the fall of the Republic and was discovered in a joint Rift Alliance reconnaissance effort led by Lord Commander Grevendar Togl of the Krath Dynasty deep within the Unknown Regions. One Chiss Ascendancy pilot involved in the first day of the fleet’s recovery offered his personal account during the conference. “When we entered the search grid and saw them, ships dead in space like coffins floating in the dark; it was the eeriest sight I’ve ever seen. No reactors, no engines, just cold metal and death floating in empty space. Almost half a million Republic citizens were lost aboard those ships. The way they died, their faces…it was horrible.”  

Dr. Pat Kil`astra, the Director of Medicine for the Corporate Alliance, leads the investigation into the death of the Katana fleet crews. “We’ve come to a clear conclusion that the loss of the fleet was caused by a strain of the Hive Virus. It likely spread across the crews while in a dormant state before becoming active and driving them insane. It appears the orders for an emergency hyperspace jump came from the bridge of the Katana prior to their unfortunate demise.”

Elm Aran, Chief Magistrate of the Corporate Alliance and Chairman of the Rift Alliance Industrial Council, commented briefly on the operation. “This tragic loss of life will never be forgotten, and the recovery of this many ships could very well prove instrumental in the war against the Empire and the return of the Republic for which they were originally built.”