Editing Star Wars Ascendance (section)

===The Explorer Corps===

This fleet of 30 vessels is responsible for exploring the newly clearing hyperspace routes, warning the Alliance of oncoming danger, and making peaceful contact with other survivor civilizations of the old Galactic Republic. It's also responsible for recovering lost technologies and performing archaeological missions. This gives the Explorer Corps a dynamic, academic flavor, in keeping with it's founders. The Explorer Corps are part of the proud history and traditions of the Alliance, and interminably bound with a romantic spirit of adventure, as well as with the near-mythical Jedi Knights, who are deeply involved with the organization.

Small Lightrunner Galleons and ancient hyperdrive vessels carry teams of up to 12 explorers to to the many worlds within the sector. Unlike the Hutts, who don't like going through the effort of exploration, or the Palpatinist Autarchy, which distrusts expansion except for conquest, the Alliance's penchant for exploration has proven to be a great military and economic boon, as well as helping to develop and recover new technologies.

While all members of an explorer team hold rank within the Alliance Navy, normally hierarchy on the small Explorer Corps vessels is very loose. Explorer Corps duty is some of the most dangerous in the Alliance, the high pay and benefits are attractive to many young people as well as to spaceers, former criminals and all sorts who don't fit into normal life. It's not uncommon for young people to fulfill their compulsory military service with an Explorer Corps term.

As the Corps is also part of the Navy, Explorers will occasionally be tasked to hunt down pirates, carry communiques and personnel, and during wartime act as the Navy's reconnaisance elements. Explorer teams will also occasionally be asked to work as covert ops specialists, although this isn't really an Explorer speciality.

Ideally, a Jedi of at least Padawan Learner rank or other Force User will be assigned to an Explorer Corps vessel to act as a Navigator, although this may not always be possible.