Alluvial damper

An alluvial damper regulated the thrust output from a hyperdrive generator, blocking the emission of ion particles by moving a servo-controlled plate. The Carrion Spike was equipped with alluvial dampers.

Soon after the Battle of Yavin, Rebel pilot Evaan Verlaine and the astromech droid R2-D2 outsmarted their pursuers, Wedge Antilles and Luke Skywalker, making them believe that their alluvial damper had been damaged, when in fact, it had been useless decoy. Thanks to the maneuver, Verlaine and the droid managed to transport Princess Leia Organa out of Yavin 4 despite General Jan Dodonna's restriction, to accomplish their self-imposed mission to rescue the survivors of Alderaan from the Galactic Empire.

In the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Hoth, the Millennium Falcon faulty hyperdrive prompted its owner Han Solo to check the system, including its horizontal boosters and the alluvial damper, while Imperial forces relentlessly attacked them.

Text and facts from the “Alluvial damper” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.