Luthen Rael's Fondor Haulcraft, a significantly altered V-21.1 Chevlex, was employed by Luthen Rael around 5 BBY. This vessel, which Rael simply called "the Fondor," included a droid Mod that functioned as a co-pilot, alongside numerous concealed defensive systems like laser beams and a projectile launcher.
During the early stages of the rebellion against the Galactic Empire, Rael journeyed to Ferrix aboard this ship, where he encountered Cassian Andor and sought to enlist him for a raid targeting the Imperial command center located on the planet Aldhani. Subsequently, he traveled to Segra Milo to visit Saw Gerrera, where the ship engaged with and successfully damaged an Imperial patrol cruiser.
The personal starship of Axis network spymaster Luthen Rael, referred to as the "Fondor Haulcraft," originated as a V-21.1 Chevlex light freighter produced by Fondor Yards Commercial Ventures. Beyond its lavish and spacious interior, it boasted significant modifications geared towards combat, reflecting the dual nature of its owner. The cockpit was reconfigured to incorporate a Fondor Droid Mod, an artificial intelligence that served as Rael's copilot and navigator, negating the requirement for a support crew. This Mod could assume complete control of the transport, speak in Galactic Basic Standard, identify Rael's whistle as a signal to unlock and activate the ship, and protect it from intruders. Despite these capabilities, Rael remained wary of the droid and routinely wiped its memory banks following each mission. The spymaster treated his ship as a closely held secret, rarely permitting anyone access and carefully concealing it behind his shop on Coruscant.
To enhance security, the ship's navigation computer featured triple encryption using a unique cipher system derived from extinct languages. Only Rael and his assistant, Kleya Marki, possessed the key to unlock it, and Rael erased it after each mission. Moreover, the freighter was outfitted with a suite of electronic countermeasures capable of simulating system failures meticulously designed to register on enemy sensors and accompanied by expected indicators like hard radiation and heat signatures. A fabricated reactor meltdown could deter pursuit, while a thruster malfunction could afford Rael time to "repair" the issue.
The ship's living quarters included a concealed compartment hidden behind a false wall containing various disguises, enabling Rael to maintain his facade as a wealthy antique collector.
The Haulcraft's concealed strength against adversaries lay in its extensive offensive and defensive enhancements. It incorporated a targeting computer capable of autonomously locking onto and engaging targets with a concealed dorsal laser cannon turret deployable from the Haulcraft's roof, along with a rear-mounted ballistic chaff launcher that could unleash swarms of tiny projectiles against a target. Furthermore, Rael had incorporated two side-mounted laser beam projectors which, upon activation, emitted two potent, continuous laser beams from each side of the transport to bisect targets. While requiring a prolonged power-up sequence, these countermeasures proved exceptionally effective in eliminating enemy starfighters. The ship also featured two forward-facing laser cannons and several antipersonnel blasters. Its modified engines were so powerful that a tractor beam with an intensity level of at least five was needed to immobilize it.
To supply power to these systems, the ship also included a non-standard reactor, which provided the added advantage of possessing a [hyperdrive](/article/hyperdrive]. Rael had also equipped the transport with passive protective measures, including stealth technology that allowed it to evade detection in heavily patrolled areas, as well as interior space for a single speeder bike. The ship also had a bottom front hatch and an escape pod located on the side of the cockpit module.
Luthen Rael's personal transport began as a standard V-21.1 Chevlex transport, a notably slow vessel typically used for hauling cargo.
By 5 BBY, Luthen Rael had obtained the Haulcraft and extensively modified it, incorporating numerous countermeasures and weapon systems, a droid mod, and surprisingly potent engines. He had been using his modified Haulcraft for a considerable time, resulting in the ship being closely linked to him and well-known among his associates.
In 5 BBY, Rael piloted the ship to Ferrix to meet with Cassian Jeron Andor to recruit him into his spy network for an imminent high-stakes operation or to acquire an Imperial N-S9 Starpath Unit from him. Following the Mod's recommendation, Rael parked his ship in a canyon 2.3 kilometers from the city and traveled via shuttle ferry from a nearby Ferrix shuttle station to the business center Terminal. The ship remained concealed until Rael and Andor, fleeing from pursuing Pre-Mor Enforcement corpos, returned to the canyon, at which point 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 employ the ship again to journey to Segra Milo and confer with Saw Gerrera regarding an assault on the Spellhaus Imperial power station. When Gerrera declined, Rael went back to Coruscant, only to be summoned again two days later when Gerrera changed his mind and asked to join the operation.
While departing Segra Milo following this second meeting, the Haulcraft was detected by a Cantwell-class Arrestor Cruiser belonging to the Segra Milo Imperial patrol under the command of Captain Elk. Rael instructed his droid Mod to quickly assign a false Alderaanian transponder ID. While the cruiser's technicians recognized it as valid, Captain Elk ordered his crew to prepare a boarding party as an impromptu training exercise. Rael deliberately delayed while his Mod charged up the ship's countermeasures, but the cruiser ensnared the Fondor in its tractor beam and began pulling it in for boarding. To gain time, Rael activated his ship's left booster, prompting Elk to order the tractor beam intensity to be increased to five, which successfully pulled the ship closer to its RT-17 repulsor-tractor beam emitter. With the countermeasures finally ready, Rael activated the ship's projectile launcher and unleashed a wave of miniature projectiles against the beam, which pulled them directly against the emitter, shattering it and freeing the Haulcraft. The cruiser immediately launched three TIE/ln starfighters and a TIE Boarding Craft against it, but Rael swiftly eliminated the boarding craft with the hidden laser cannon turret and sliced through the fighters with its laser beams. Finally free of pursuers, Rael jumped to hyperspace.
Rael used the ship to travel to Ferrix for Maarva Carassi Andor's funeral hoping to find Cassian Andor there to assassinate him, as he considered the rogue rebel a liability. Andor infiltrated the ship while Rael was distracted by the protest on Rix Road and disabled the Droid Mod to prevent it from alerting Rael. Upon the spymaster's return to the ship, Andor presented him with the choice of either killing him or allowing him to join his network. Rael smiled and accepted Cassian's offer.
The ship first appeared in the official trailer for Andor Season 1. Its initial on-screen presence was in "That Would Be Me," the season's second episode, and it was first identified as "Luthen Rael's Fondor Haulcraft" in "Launchpad," a section within Star Wars Insider 222.