Nera Dantels - The Quite Content Damsel

                Mon Mothma and the Rebellion had a distinct charismatic charm that was able to draw in good people from every nook and cranny of the galaxy. And just like with Han Solo, Nera Dantels was an independent smuggler who decided to stick around after her path crossed with the Rebel Alliance.

                The extended universe tells us that Nera's first dealings with the Rebellion where shortly before Episode 4. They contacted her with a need for astromech droids and she decided to help. With that choice, though, she was no longer a neutral smuggler and so traveled with her shipment to Yavin for safety. It was during the course of these events that she met and fell in love with Biggs Darklighter, the rugged farm pilot from the Outer Rim. Sadly, their courtship was drawn to a close when Biggs was killed in action flying against the Death Star.

                When it comes to the X-wing game however, it is pilots - not smugglers or star-crossed lovers - that make it in as characters. Nera became a rebel pilot when she volunteered to join Dagger Squadron: the first squad formed of the new B-wing Starfighters. So it should be no surprise when we find Nera in the Rebel Aces expansion pack. Not only does she get her red-painted B-wing, she also gets a wonderful pilot ability: her torpedoes can be fired in a 360 degree arc. And why not because what intellegent smuggler wouldn't modify their starship?

                While on my hunt for good ordnance fixes, this one screamed at me to be used. Since Horton Salm was my ordnance knight, this made Nera my Lady Damsel. I started flying her with the Deadeye upgrade and paired her with Garvin Dreis or Dutch Vander to give her action economy. And it did a very good job of overcoming the pitfalls of torpedoes. I can say, however, that I conceived of a better use for Nera and then had my thoughts confirmed online. Included in the same Rebel Aces pack as Nera is the E2 B-wing Modification which allows the ship to equip a crew member.

                I am going to go out on a limb here and proclaim to the world that the only man Nera wanted was Biggs. And since this damsel can't have him she doesn't need any man. So forget the action-giving escort ships, Nera's got something better planned. Have her call up her bff, the recon specialist, and she'll fill the crew slot on the B-wing. This may take up more points for one ship but it gives Nera a far greater freedom in the game. It also relieves the player from the risk of a synergy-based build failing. And even after she has shot her ordnance, she can still use the recon specialist for both an offensive and defense focus. A B-wing only gets one defensive die but every evade matters in the game.

                Now to talk about the ordnance itself: which torpedo type should Nera take? Our friend Horton is effective with proton torpedoes because of his re-roll ability. However, Nera's focus action is not as effective because the torpedoes' "smart-bomb" focus already modifies one focus roll. This makes her modification partially redundant, unless you really want that critical hit. Instead, I would choose Flechette Torpedoes which don't waste any of Nera's focus. Moreover, they are cheaper to equip which helps keep her build cost lower. On the other hand, if you do want to spend more points the best use of the focus modification would be on Advanced Proton Torpedoes. If a proton torpedo is a smart bomb then the APT is a prodigious genius. It automatically turns 3 blanks into focus and begs for you have an extra focus to spare. Statistically, this will reward you with 5 clean hit rolls almost every time.

                Which one to go with is up to your play style. Use Proton Torpedoes if you want the criticals or you don't mind the redundant focus. Flechette Torpedoes can be used from afar to give stress and set up shots for your other ships. Or they can be used as a limited semi-turret making her strong after the alpha strike. Finally, equipped with APTs, Nera will charge straight into the fight with a range 1 circle of death. With any of these choices, though, she will be the biggest target for enemy fire. So consider flying her with Biggs to provide cover and to add a spice of romance. They can't be together in the extended universe but they sure can be together in the game! (And you can make your opponent remorseful as you sob uncontrollably when one of the two dies in a match...)

                There are only 2 weaknesses to this Nera build, the first being that it is expensive. If you are going to spend the points make sure you know how to fly her well and that you allot the rest of your points effectively. The second weakness is the potential for blocking: if Nera can't take an action she can't get her 2 focus tokens and is a sitting duck. This can be avoided by taking a systems upgrade: an advanced sensor to take your action before bumping or enhanced scopes to always move first. But if you don't want to spend even more points, just learn to move her evasively. She has a 360 degree arc so practice flying past enemies and blasting them from an angle.  

                Nera Dantels is another pilot that successfully makes ordnance an effective part of the game. Even though she is expensive, she adds a new and fun twist. Try flying her and see what kind of crazy antics you can pull off.

Eternal Love -100 points

                B-wing/w Nera - 39

                                Deadeye 

                                Advanced Proton Torpedo

                                Extra Munitions

                                E2 Mod 

                                Recon Specialist 

                X-wing w/ Biggs - 25

                Headhunter w/ Bandit - 12
                Headhunter w/ Bandit - 12
                Headhunter w/ Bandit - 12

The Quite Content Damsel - 100 points

                B-wing /w Nera - 35

                                Deadeye

                                2 Flechette Torpedoes

                                E2 Mod

                                Recon Specialist

                B-wing w/ Blue Squadron - 22
                B-wing w/ Blue Squadron - 22

                X-wing w/ Rookie - 21

Afterwards:
I first heard the phase "Quite Content Damsel" from Bungie's Destiny. It was the christened title of a starfighter I earned in the game. My character was a Titan Knight class and I died of laughter for a good five minutes.

Link to Strat Update for this article.