The Essential Guide to Force Exile/Sabre starfighter

Sabre starfighter

Description
The Sabre starfighter was designed to replace a vehicle that was nearly obsolete when first released, the Shoto starfighter. While the Shoto's meager capabilities were attributed to the nascence of Kraechar Arms during its production, by late 0 ABY, the Yanibar Guard Fleet was no longer willing to tolerate its mediocrity. The success of Rebel Alliance X-wing starfighters against the Empire was further impetus to design a new starfighter. Two years later, the first Sabre rolled off the assembly line. A sleek, aerodynamic craft, the Sabre was designed with atmospheric performance in mind. Its forward-swept wings and smooth lines were reminiscent of Naboo craft, but it was much more heavily shielded and armed.

Due to the turbulent skies over Yanibar, the capability to operate in harsh weather conditions was essential. As such, the Sabre was made as aerodynamic as possible in order to enhance its performance. In atmosphere, the Sabre boasted a superior turn radius, climb rate, atmospheric speed, and dive rate to most contemporary starfighters, including the X-wing. The Sabre handled fine even amidst wind conditions of greater than 200 kilometer per hour, though an experienced pilot was needed to control the craft.

The shielding of a Sabre was tested against captured models and found to be superior to that of an X-wing. It was particularly resistant against lightning strikes. If the Yanibar Guard had ever seen fit to fight in the stormy atmosphere of a gas giant, the Sabre would have been at a decided advantage. The vehicle was tough and survivable, with redundant flight controls allowing it to sustain significant damage and still limp away. The cockpit was housed inside of an armored casing resembling a tub which was laced with energy dissipants and insulating foam to reduce the possibility of laser blasts, spalling, fragmentation, or circuit overload from incapacitating the pilot.

Sabres were heavily armed, boasting three laser cannons mounted around the nose of the starfighter, as well as two underwing proton torpedo launchers that housed four proton torpedoes apiece. While packing less firepower than a Rebel Alliance X-wing, the Sabre compensated with manueverability and durability. The mounting of the lasers also meant that no convergence point was needed, unlike X-wing or B-wing lasers, which were limited to specific distances where all their S-foil-mounted lasers converged on a focal point.

History
The Sabre first entered operational service in late 2 ABY. It received near-universal praise from its pilots. The roomier, better-protected cockpit was well-liked, and the enhanced capability at the cost of some speed and a larger craft was deemed well-worth it. Yanibar Guard Fleet doctrine shifted significantly after the Sabre entered service. Sabre squadrons were commissioned as fast as possible and assigned the roles of bomber escort as well as interceptor, while Shotos were delegated to point-defense. Orders for the Shoto were canceled or reduced significantly, while Sabres were in great demand.

This came at a price, though, as a Sabre cost twice as much to produce as a Sabre. As a larger craft, it also required more fuel and thus cost more to operate. The Yanibar Guard Fleet was willing to accept this tradeoff, though, as Sabres were posting upwards of three to one kill ratios in simulated battles against Shotos.

The Sabre first saw combat over Drexel in late 3 ABY, where a group of them helped defeat the Victory-class Star Destroyer Suppressor. The Sabre soon saw action again in the Battle of Yanibar. Though in very limited numbers, they were the only Yanibar Guard starfighter capable of fighting Zann Consortium StarVipers toe-to-toe. Older Consortium starfighters were completely outclassed by the Sabre, which racked up the highest kill ratio of any starfighter type on either side involved in the battle.

Sabres continued to remain in service as the starfighter of choice for aspiring pilots. Due to hangar bay size limitations, the Shoto was not completely replaced until the introduction of the Whirlwind interceptor, while the Sabre received a substantial upgrade in 19 ABY that boosted its shielding, anti-missile defenses, replaced the engines with more efficient models, and increased the torpedo complement to twelve. Upgraded Sabres were referred to as "Sabre IIs."

Behind the scenes
The Sabre was envisioned as a Yanibar Guard Fleet analog to the X-wing starfighter, filling the mid-size starfighter role. As a second-generation starfighter, it could afford to be more advanced than its predecessor, the Shoto. The name for the Sabre was derived from lightsaber in accordance with early Yanibar Guard practice of naming smaller ship types after Force-user weapons (Discblade, Shoto, etc). Its design influences included the X-29 fighter, the Protoss Scout from Starcraft, and the E-wing starfighter. The original drafts of the Force Exile saga did not include the Sabre&mdash;instead, customized E-wing starfighters were employed instead. A shift in the storyline that also led to a focus on indigenous craft resulted in the creation of the Sabre.

The actual starfighter design underwent many changes. While the basic concept of a forward-swept wing fighter that would resemble modern air superiority fighters endured, the exact realization of that concept experienced numerous tweaks. Due to the sleek curved contours of the Sabre, it was judged unfit for modeling in SolidWorks or line-drawing in AutoCAD. Instead, Force Exile Saga creator Atarumaster88 opted to sketch the Sabre in pencil, making it the smallest spacecraft to be hand-sketched.

Appearances

 * Force Exile IV: Guardian