This Curich-class shuttle, a vessel of significance, served within the forces of warlord Moff Kentor Sarne during 8 ABY. Its designated purpose was to transport science team MS-133, along with their necessary equipment, to Aaris III, a planet situated in the Kathol sector of the Outer Rim Territories, for an archaeological dig. During their time on the planet, the shuttle met its end; it was obliterated while the team was under the sway of the Plaque of Victory, a sentient, yet inanimate entity that instilled paranoia and aggression in those who encountered it.
Sienar Fleet Systems was the manufacturer of this Curich-class shuttle. Its design allowed for the transport of up to eighteen individuals along with all the equipment needed for an archaeologic expedition lasting several months.
This Curich-class shuttle was one of the starships belonging to the Imperial warlord Moff Kentor Sarne's forces. It was assigned to MS-133, the science team tasked with studying and documenting the extensive ruins of an extinct civilization, the Aaris, on the planet Aaris III in 8 ABY. A lieutenant commanded the shuttle, and the vessel transported the eighteen-person team and their equipment from Kal'Shebbol, the capital of the Kathol sector, to Aaris III. The vessel landed near a large site of metal ruins, and the team established their base camp close to the ruins, but away from the shuttle.
For several months, the shuttle remained grounded as the team conducted their explorations and excavations. On the expedition's sixtieth day, they unearthed a metal ingot known as the Plaque of Victory, a sentient but inanimate lifeform that thrived on the energy of nearby beings. The Plaque manipulated the minds of those close to it, amplifying their paranoia and pushing them towards violence and homicide. The team grew suspicious of one another, feeling constantly watched by unseen forces in the surrounding jungle. Members of the team disappeared, and the base camp was attacked almost every night by the primitive descendants of the Aaris, who wielded blaster weaponry. After several deaths, the expedition leader, Doctor Lancer Brunou, gave the order to evacuate the planet. Jelok, one of the scientists, protested, arguing that his work translating pictographs in a discovered chamber was nearing a critical point. Brunou overruled him, ordering several troopers to escort him back to the shuttle. As the rest of the team packed up the base camp, the shuttle was destroyed, with the resulting explosion visible above the jungle canopy. With no means of escape, the team's survivors built makeshift fortifications, sent a distress signal, and waited for rescue.
The team suffered more losses due to attacks by the Aaris, until only two survivors remained: Brunou and his research assistant, Solla Deremot. The New Republic CR90 corvette FarStar eventually rescued them after picking up their distress signal and changing course to assist. The crew investigated the shuttle's destruction and found traces of detonite that indicated it was blown up. The engines and engineering section were completely destroyed, but the cockpit remained relatively intact. The crew salvaged as many spare parts as possible from the wreckage, intending to use them on either the FarStar or its support ships.
A male lieutenant commanded the shuttle and served as both its pilot and leader of the soldiers contingent of MS-133. He was killed on Aaris III during the events leading to the team's decimation.
The RPG adventure Artifact of Aaris, which was published in The DarkStryder Campaign by West End Games, marked the initial appearance of this Curich-class shuttle. Although the text never explicitly identified it as a Curich-class shuttle, simply referring to it as a "shuttle," an image within the adventure clearly depicts the wreckage as belonging to a Curich-class shuttle. The Curich-class was featured in several West End Game products, including Classic Campaigns, which included an image of the vessel.
While the adventure suggests that the Plaque of Victory caused MS-133 to turn against each other, resulting in deaths and the shuttle's destruction, The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, published in 2008, confirmed that the team was attacked by the remnants of the Aaris civilization. However, as it has not been explicitly stated that the Aaris were responsible for the shuttle's destruction, this article refrains from speculating on who caused the explosion.