The Elegance message drone represented a specific model within the broader category of message drones.
Elegance message drones were constructed with a length of at least nine meters, and were almost entirely composed of engine components. While its hyperdrive allowed for rapid transit, it was constrained to a single jump before refueling became necessary, and could only complete five jumps before the engines were rendered unusable. Upon entering a system, the Elegance emitted a beacon signal, notifying nearby ships or space stations of its presence.
Given their frequent utilization for transporting sensitive governmental or military data, Elegance drones incorporated fail-safe self-destruct systems. These systems involved the snapping together of two electrite crystal triggers, resulting in the drone's destruction and the generation of a destructive blast capable of obliterating everything within a 600-meter radius, thereby preventing unauthorized access to its contents.
Prior to the establishment of the HoloNet, most governing bodies relied on these droids to facilitate long-distance communications. During peaceful periods within the Galactic Republic, Elegance drones were sometimes employed to convey messages over relatively short distances, such as from a planet to one of its orbiting satellites.
Conversely, during times characterized by political instability (even after the HoloNet was active in most of the galaxy), Elegance drones were used to transmit messages over short distances to mitigate the risk of interception and decryption by eavesdroppers. Even under the Galactic Empire, some isolated Imperial outposts maintained a stock of these drones as backup communication devices in the event that their communication satellites were compromised.
Following the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, an Elegance drone reached the Forest Moon of Endor, addressed to Emperor Palpatine (who had recently perished in the battle). Wedge Antilles and Luke Skywalker recovered it. After deactivating its self-destruct mechanism and deciphering its data, forces of the Alliance of Free Planets on the moon were alerted to the initial wave of the Ssi-ruuvi invasions targeting Bakura.