Hyper Probe Grade 1

The Hyper Probe Grade 1, also known as the Hyper-Viper or the HPG1-series probe droid, was an unarmed, prototype probe droid model created by Imperial engineers on Eriadu, who intended to create an efficient and longer-lasting replacement to the Empire's Viper probe droids. Hyper-Vipers were almost identical in appearance to standard Vipers, though were much larger, bulkier, and featured less appendages. The Hyper-Viper's distinguishing feature, however, was its ability to travel across several sectors using a small hypermatter engine as opposed to the ship-mounted sublight and hyperspace pods used by standard Vipers. A single Hyper-Viper can frequently travel between sectors for up to a week before its power and hypermatter cells had to be replaced. Hyper-Vipers also had more durable armor plating despite lacking any defensive systems other than a self-destruct program that would initiate if unapproved individuals, such as scavengers or Rebel slicers, attempted to access a captured Hyper-Viper's data storage compartment. Only nine Hyper-Vipers were ever produced, while only seven were ever deployed on a legitimate Imperial mission, though a majority of these active Hyper-Vipers were either destroyed or captured by Rebel forces during the Galactic Civil War. Another one remained in a testing facility while the last Hyper-Viper to ever be manufactured was stolen by the Mandalorian warrior Naastau, who used the droid to remotely scout the galaxy when not on a mission, though this particular Hyper-Viper was eventually lost when it ran out of fuel while it was exploring an inhospitable storm world, causing it to dive further into the world's surface and become buried in whatever material made up the surface.