The Essential Guide to Force Exile/Harasser speeder

Description
The Harasser combat speeder was an all-purpose repulsorlift speeder used by the Yanibar Guard in a variety of roles. The speeder was employed for reconnaissance, light strike, infantry transport, and light cargo transport. Lightly-armored and fast, the speeders were best used for a hit-and-run role, thus giving them their name.

The Harasser was essentially a knock-off the Arrow-23 landspeeder. The plans for the Arrow-23 were obtained by a YGI source from within Aratech, which were then militarized for use by YGA. YGA’s versions had slightly reduced top speed in order to leave space for more powerful repulsorlift coils and stabilizers, upgrading the height clearance from four meters to six and providing extra stability during high wind conditions. Due to Yanibar’s erratic weather patterns, this was deemed essential.

The Harasser speeder could carry up to four heavily-loaded infantry, with space for at least two other passengers or cargo. Infantry were trained to drive and operate Harassers rather than having dedicated drivers, so two Harassers could carry a full infantry squad. The speeders could also carry an additional two hundred kilos of cargo, or up to eight hundred kilos of cargo if the aft passenger compartment was empty.

In terms of protection, the Harasser speeder was fully enclosed against the elements and sported armor capable of deflecting a hit from a light blaster cannon, as well as moderate kinetic damage. At 8.1 meters in length, it was rather large, but its ruggedness endeared it to the troops who used it.

The Harasser carried a universal weapon mount that could carry either a plasma mortar, a tri-fire missile pod useful against vehicles or aircraft, or a repeating blaster, which were also the weapons carried by JRF fire support droids. The weapon could be handled externally or controlled from within. Later options included a beamlaser designed to pierce fortifications, although this came with reduced power and range compared to stationary versions deployed by the Yanibar Guard.

The Harassers were most commonly used for infantry transport, reconnaissance, and light strike missions, but also found roles as police vehicles and small cargo hauling. In some cases, Harassers were also retrofitted to serve as medivac vehicles or communications vehicles, to the point where Kraechar Arms eventually developed modular packs for quick conversion to those roles.

History
The Arrow-23 plans were obtained in 8 BBY from the Aratech Repulsor Company, where the vehicle was just entering production. By 6 BBY, Kraechar Arms had been successful in updating the design to YGA’s requirements and had begun production. The vehicle was extremely common, with over 2000 in Yanibar Guard Army service by 2 ABY. They were deployed at every level of the Yanibar Guard Army and some were even carried aboard Yanibar Guard Fleet ships. At regiment levels, some Harassers did have dedicated drivers, but the majority were manned by YGA infantry. Harasser speeders helped defend Yanibar against the Zann Consortium in the Battle of Yanibar, transporting infantry teams to secure the flanks. The speeders were not part of the main armored thrust, as they were too lightly armed and armored to directly participate in the vehicular clash.

Harassers were used for nearly 30 years until shortly before the Yuuzhan Vong War, at which point they were phased out in favor of the Vanguard speeder, a slower and heavier option, but which possessed, among other things, a small shield generator and reactive armor for defeating projectiles. By 26 ABY, virtually all of the Harassers were retired, though some still saw use in the Battle of Rishi in 27 ABY in Yanibar Guard Marine service. Many were demilitarized and sold to the general populace, and they were extremely popular among YGA veterans. Others were sold to offworld allies of the Yanibar Guard, with their weapons replaced with export models&mdash;often an E-WEB repeating blaster. The speeders were still usable even after years of service in the YGA and so were common sights in the sector around Yanibar years later.

Behind the scenes
The Harasser speeder was designed to be a workhorse utility vehicle and scout for the Yanibar Guard Army. Its versatility and ruggedness of design were influenced by real-life vehicles such as the BMP or HMMV. Visually, the speeder’s design was driven by the canonical Arrow-23 landspeeder. The name of the speeder was derived from a BattleTech hovertank of the same name.

Appearances

 * Force Exile IV: Guardian
 * Force Exile V: Warrior
 * Yanibar Guard Sourcebook