Editing Inexpugnable-class tactical command ship (section)

==='''History'''===

Prior to the Republic's involvement in the Mandalorian Wars, the Republic determined the need for a tactical command ship to coordinate the large fleets of Hammerhead-class ships defending its lines. The proof-of-concept Swiftsure was built at some point prior to the Mandalorian Wars. Less than half a dozen Inexpugnable-class prototypes were constructed before the outbreak of the Mandalorian Wars, designed by Rendili Hyperworks and launched from the Rendili/Vanjervalis Drive Yards at Corellia. This new line of command ships, at an estimated cost of 70,000,000 credits, effectively replaced the Republic's older command ships, such as the Reliance I. Among those prototypes were the Courageous and the Reliance. The production line also included the Indefatigable and the Tremendous. They were nicknamed "Inexies" by Republic crewmen.

At the end of 3,964 BBY, the Mandalorian Wars finally hit the Republic when Mandalorian fleets attacked Vanquo and Taris. Inexpugnable-class vessels served as large command ships and battle group flagships in the Republic Navy during the Mandalorian Wars. The Courageous, commanded by then-Captain Saul Karath, led its battle group against the Mandalorians during the Battle of Vanquo. In early 3,963 BBY, at Serroco, following an intense Force vision, Zayne Carrick, the Jedi apprentice accused of committing the Padawan Massacre of Taris, stowed aboard Lieutenant Carth Onasi's ship, the Conductor-class landing craft Deadweight, to warn Karath of an upcoming Mandalorian attack.

However, Karath immediately recognized Carrick as a fugitive and imprisoned him in the Courageous's brig, ignoring the warning. As predicted, the Mandalorians attacked Serroco in force, using nuclear missiles to destroy cities and Republic troops on the planet's surface. Following the attack, the Courageous was boarded and captured by the Mandalorians. However, Karath, Carrick, and Onasi were able to escape, as Carrick had used the Force to dismantle the wall in his prison cell, allowing them to access the Deadweight in the Courageous's landing bay. The Courageous was taken by the Mandalorians and recycled for their own use; Mandalore the Ultimate later claimed that his battle-axe was forged from the Courageous's hull. The remnants of the Courageous battle group joined the Tremendous and its own battle group, while now-Admiral Karath transferred his flag to the Swiftsure shortly after the Battle of Omonoth. Meanwhile, the Reliance was lost with all hands, including its commander, Admiral Jimas Veltraa, at the First Battle of Taris. Another Inexpungable-class that served was the Diligence, captained by Dallan Morvis.

After the Battle of Serroco, the remaining Inexpugnable-class ships, including the Swiftsure, the Tremendous, and the Indefatigable, were equipped with a new sensor package that allowed them to use tactics such as the Vanjervalis Chain, an advanced sensor system that slaved the controls of up to sixty-four Hammerhead-class cruisers, predicted enemy movements, and adjusted the fleet for maximum efficiency. The Swiftsure was the first to be fitted with the system by the manufacturers, and became the basis for the production model. Karath, in command of the Swiftsure, used the Vanjervalis Chain to protect the Republic capital of Coruscant from any attack or infiltration, specifically so that Republic and Jedi forces might intercept Carrick, whom the Jedi Covenant believed was going to attack their operations on Coruscant. However, Haazen, the secret leader of the Jedi Covenant, was able to control all Republic ships linked to the Vanjervalis Chain, since he had directed the Draay Trust to purchase Vanjervalis Systems, and integrated fleet remote controls into Haazen's Sith artifact, the Gauntlet of Kressh the Younger. He commanded Karath's fleet, including the Swiftsure, to attack the Republic strike team threatening his plans. Haazen's Vindication, the Jedi Covenant's insurrection against the Jedi Order, was stopped when Carrick and his former Master, Lucien Draay, retrieved the Gauntlet of Kressh and used it to command the Swiftsure and the Republic fleet to fire upon both Haazen and the Draay Estate on Coruscant's surface.

Later that year, Karath took the Swiftsure and its task force to an asteroid field not far from Ithor. Anticipating a Mandalorian attack, the Swiftsure's fleet prepared for an engagement with Cassus Fett, a prominent Mandalorian Field Marshal, and his forces. Fett's fleet fought a brief battle with the Republic, but the attack was a ruse. Carrick and Fett—who owed a debt to Carrick after having warned the Mandalorians of the Rakghoul plague on Jebble—arranged for the false attack on Republic forces to draw out the Crucible slaver ship Gladiator, which Carrick and his friend, Jarael, had previously encountered. When Karath learned of the ruse and its ultimate goal, he directed the Swiftsure's fleet to capture the Gladiator and its captain, Dace Golliard. Golliard revealed the position of the planet Osadia, an important Crucible base of operations and where Jarael was being held captive, to the Republic, and Karath detached the Hammerhead-class cruiser Testament from his fleet to investigate, taking Carrick and his associate, Marn Hierogryph, along, with the goal of shutting down the Crucible and rescuing Jarael.

Only six Inexpugnable-class vessels, including prototypes and production models, were ever manufactured, since problems began cropping up with the design. The rest of the production line was abandoned and the role of tactical command ship was filled by the smaller Centurion-class battlecruiser. Millennia later, the massive freighters-turned-battleships of the Trade Federation resembled the class's design, with Hoersch-Kessel Drive's Lucrehulk-class battleship having a similar, circular superstructure and even incorporating Rendili StarDrive–made engines.

'''Source'''
*KORSE p184-185. Converted from d20 Saga Edition rules.</p>