Luthen Rael's Fondor Haulcraft was a heavily modified version of a V-21.1 Chevlex in use by Luthen Rael in 5 BBY. The ship, which Rael referred to as "the Fondor," had an added droid Mod serving as a co-pilot as well as multiple hidden countermeasures such as laser beams and a projectile launcher.
During the early rebellion against the Galactic Empire, Rael used the ship to travel to Ferrix, where he met with Cassian Andor to recruit him for a heist on the Imperial headquarters of the planet Aldhani. He later used the ship to visit Saw Gerrera on Segra Milo, where the ship was engaged by and managed to damage the Imperial patrol cruiser.
A hidden compartment served as a hiding place for Rael's disguises and gear
Axis network spymaster Luthen Rael's personal ship, nicknamed a "Fondor Haulcraft" was a V-21.1 Chevlex light haulcraft manufactured by Fondor Yards Commercial Ventures. It featured a spacious luxury interior in addition to significant combat-focused modifications, reflecting its owner's double role. Its cockpit was modified to include a Fondor Droid Mod, an artificial intelligence functioning as Rael's copilot and navigator, eliminating the need for support crew positions. The Mod could take full control of the transport, communicate in Galactic Basic Standard, recognize Rael's whistle as a signal to unlock and activate the ship and guard it against trespassers. Despite these capacities, Rael distrusted the droid and erased its memory banks after every mission. The spymaster considered his ship a closely guarded secret and rarely allowed anyone to enter it, carefully storing it behind his shop in Coruscant.
For additional security, the ship's navigational computer was triple-encrypted with a unique cipher system based on extinct languages, with only Rael and his assistant Kleya Marki possessing the key to unlock it and Rael wiping it clean after every mission. In addition, the haulcraft was equipped with a package of electronic countermeasures which could simulate systems malfunctions carefully constructed to be picked up on enemy sensors and accompanied by the expected evidence such as hard radiation and heat signatures. A simulated reactor meltdown could cause a search party to keep its distance, while a thruster malfunction could buy Rael time until he could "repair."
The ship's living quarters included a hidden compartment behind a fake wall which included various disguises, allowing Rael to perfect his image as a rich antique collector.
Rael's Fondor had two projectile launchers hidden under its rear heat vents.
The Haulcraft's hidden advantage against attackers were its extensive offensive and defensive modifications. It featured a targeting computer which was able to lock and engage targets autonomously with a hidden dorsal laser cannon turret which could be deployed from the Haulcraft's roof, as well as a rear-mounted ballistic chaff launcher which could launch myriads of tiny projectiles against a target. Additionally, Rael had added two side-mounted laser beam projectors which once activated would project two powerful continuous-stream laser beams, one from each side of the transport to slice through targets. Although requiring a lengthy power-up process before they could be used, these countermeasures were ultimately very effective in dispatching enemy starfighters. In addition, the ship was equipped with two forward-mounted laser cannons and several antipersonnel blasters. It also had modified engines which were so strong that required a tractor beam intensity level of at least five to immobilize.
To power all these, the ship also boasted a non-standard reactor, which granted the ship the additional benefit of having a hyperdrive. Rael had also equipped the transport with passive protection measures including stealth technology which allowed the ship to slip out of tightly patrolled zones undetected, as well as interior space for a single speeder bike. The ship was also fitted with a bottom front hatch as well as an escape pod located on the side of the cockpit module.
Luthen Rael's personal transport started its operational life as a standard V-21.1 Chevlex transport, a particularly slow ship usually utilized as a cargo hauler.
By 5 BBY, Luthen Rael had acquired the Haulcraft and heavily modified it, adding a multitude of countermeasures and weapons systems, a droid mod as well as surprisingly powerful engines. He had been using his modified Haulcraft for quite some time, resulting in the ship being closely associated with him and well known among his associates.
Luthen's trusty droid Mod could communicate with him and undertake multiple difficult tasks
In 5 BBY, Rael flew the ship to Ferrix to meet Cassian Jeron Andor to recruit him in his spy network for an upcoming high-stakes mission or purchase an Imperial N-S9 Starpath Unit from him. Rael parked his ship in a canyon 2.3 kilometers from the city as advised by his Mod and took a shuttle ferry from a nearby Ferrix shuttle station to the business center Terminal. The ship remained hidden until Rael and Andor, escaping from pursuing Pre-Mor Enforcement corpos returned to the canyon and Rael reactivated it with a whistle. The pair then used the ship to escape the planet and reach Aldhani, where Rael dropped Andor off to join Vel Sartha's team and then used it to return to Coruscant. A month later, he would use the ship again to travel to Segra Milo and meet with Saw Gerrera to discuss an attack on the Spellhaus Imperial power station. When Gerrera declined, Rael returned to Coruscant, only to be summoned again two days later when Gerrera changed his mind and asked to join the operation.
Luthen destroys two TIE fighters with his ship's laser beams
While leaving Segra Milo following this second meeting, the Haulcraft was detected by a Cantwell-class Arrestor Cruiser of the Segra Milo Imperial patrol under the command of Captain Elk. Rael had his droid Mod quickly assign fake Alderaanian transponder ID, but while the ship's techs recognized it as valid, Captain Elk had his men prepare a boarding party as part of an impromptu training exercise for his crew. Rael deliberately stalled while his Mod was charging up his ship's countermeasures, but the cruiser ensnared the Fondor in its tractor beam and started pulling it in for boarding. To buy some time, Rael powered up his ship's left booster, prompting Elk to order for the tractor beam intensity to be raised to a five, which succeeded in pulling the ship closer to its RT-17 repulsor-tractor beam emitter. With the countermeasures finally ready, Rael activated the ship's projectile launcher and sent a wave of miniature projectiles against the beam, which pulled them directly against the emitter, shattering it and freeing the Haulcraft. The cruiser immediately deployed three TIE/ln starfighters and a TIE Boarding Craft against it, but Rael swiftly dispatched the boarding craft with the hidden laser cannon turret and sliced the fighters with its laser beams. Finally free of pursuers, Rael jumped to hyperspace.
The Fondor's cockpit was filled with hidden panels which controlled the ship's countermeasures
Rael utilized the ship to travel to Ferrix for Maarva Carassi Andor's funeral in hopes of encountering Cassian Andor there to kill him as he considered the rogue rebel to be a loose end. Andor would infiltrate the ship while Rael was distracted by the protest on Rix Road and deactivate the Droid Mod to prevent it from warning Rael. When the spymaster returned to the ship, Andor presented him with the ultimatum of either killing him or letting him join his network. Rael smiled and accepted Cassian's offer.
The ship was first shown in the official trailer for Andor season one. Its first on-screen appearance was in "That Would Be Me," the second episode of the season, and it was first identified as "Luthen Rael's Fondor Haulcraft" in "Launchpad," a department in Star Wars Insider 222.
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