Battleship Athos

Battleship Athos

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Owner

Corsairs

Location

F-6, Omega-48

CLASS: Murmillo

CREW: CLASSIFIED

ARMAMENT: CLASSIFIED

Christened the Battleship Athos in 824 AS, this Murmillo class vessel is the state of the art of Corsair engineering. For its maiden voyage, the Council of Elders had the Athos spearhead a raid through Red Hessian space. The battlegroup kited through Omega-55 and jumped into Dresden, catching the Hessians off guard and allowing it to succeed against a haphazard defense, entrenching itself in the clouds of Dresden. The Athos then raided Dresden for months, prompting the Hessians to improve the defenses of Vogtland.

In 825, the Gallic Royal Navy lost the Battleship Beuvray to Libertonian attack in the Siege of New London. The Corsair Empire, no longer interested in harassing the Hessians in the heart of Dresden space, removed the Athos from Dresden to deploy it to the siege through Dublin, reinforcing GRN losses.

During the Battle of New London, the Athos, although not a like for like replacement of a Valor, performed to the best of its abilities in the final assault. As it would be however, the battle turned against the Gallic side, and the Athos, far more nimble than most of the Gallic fleet, fled to Dublin successfully.

After maintaining a low profile and bandaging her wounds in a backyard of Bretonian space, the Athos was deemed again suited for battle. After extensive scouting disovered an opportune moment to begin movements once again, the fleet departed Dublin for Omega-48. On the way there, her escorts had a brief encounter with the Alvin Katz and Ben Warner own in the Lobos Nebula, but none of the capital ships managed to find each other.

Bribes & Missions Offered

Bribes

Corsairs Gallic Navy

Missions

Corsairs

Commodities

Imports

Commodity Price Ablative Armor Plating 62$ Medical Equipment 39$ Rum 36$ Light Arms 146$ Black Market Pharmaceuticals 70$ Counterfeit Computerware 85$ Oxygen 13$ Water 13$ Food Rations 42$ H-Fuel 184$ MOX 49$ Pharmaceuticals 39$ Hull Panels 88$ Consumer Goods 48$ Engine Components 81$ Black Market Munitions 58$ Black Market Augments 64$ Synth Paste 40$ Munitions 82$ Xenobiotic Filters 71$ Xeno Relics 227$

Exports

Commodity Price Deployable Mining Container 50,000$ Toxic Waste 16$

Ships sold

Ship	Class	Price
Centurion	Heavy Fighter	12,367$
Titan	Very Heavy Fighter	24,379$
Praetorian	Bomber	72,376$

News

[833 AS] Outcasts retreat, sealing Corsair victory

FREEPORT 9 -- 833 -- Facing superior Corsair forces, the Outcasts have fled from battle in Omicron Theta, abandoning their Zoner lapdogs. Valiant Corsair fighters cut down their pitiful enemies, putting these upstart Zoners in their place. Despite this, victory has come at the cost of many precious Corsair ships, and ambushes on our freighters continue in the system's nebulae. The Elders recognize that the Zoners are feeble minded and were manipulated by the treacherous Outcasts -- Crete has generously offered peace terms to local Zoner leaders so that they may accept Corsair rule and ensure their survival.

[833 AS] Elders dismiss general over failure

CRETE -- 833 -- Outraged at the destruction of the Battlecruiser Kefalonia and damage to Freeport 9, the Elders have summoned General Galvez to answer for his failure to anticipate the scale of the attack. The Home Fleet is now being reorganized under new command, with the Battleship Delos providing immediate cover while the Battlecruiser Vis and squadrons from Rheinland are urgently pulled back from their present campaigns. Elder Garcia commended the Freeport’s defenders for their tenacity, congratulating them on throwing back the Outcast invaders. “We held our ground, at a cost,” she noted. “The Outcast feel they have struck a blow, but the wreckage shows they’ve paid a severe cost in blood they cannot well replace. When they return, we shall be ready.”

[832 AS] Breaking the Stalemate

PETRA -- 832 AS -- Grinding stalemates against the Hessians in Omega-5 and Omega-48 have gone on for decades, with tens of thousands having met their end in these systems. High Elder Montoya once pioneered the Road to Rheinland strategy to break this impasse. He envisioned an assault through the Sigmas into Rheinland, crippling the Hessian back lines in Dresden. While the High Elder has since passed, today we have the power to once again put his bold plan into action. Our scouts aboard the Battlecruiser Penitence report that the Rheinland Military and Hessians have severely bloodied one another in a massive clashes within Dresden. Both are weakened and preoccupied; all we must do is administer the fatal blow. The Elders have directed our forces to assemble at Petra and prepare to break through Frankfurt into Dresden. Be wary of the Bundschuh, who have harassed our raiders and resupply freighters in the area. They will likely try to stop us, and are to be shot on sight.

[832 AS] Core on Our Doorsteps!

CIUTADELLA - In a surprise attack, the Core battleship Mars has emerged from the Theta Jump Hole in the Omicron Kappa system, and launched a massive attack on the Artificial Intelligence planet of Gammu! They cowardly waited for our forces to be dispersed between various theaters, the latest one being the Outcast return to Omicron Theta, and took advantage of our inability to crush them like the pests they are. Special orders were relayed to Battleship Delos in Theta to coordinate additional patrols in the Amarus Cloud to interfere with their shipments of Gammu materials as much as possible.

[832 AS] The Outcast Menace Returns

DELOS -- 832 AS -- In a bitter day for the Corsair Empire, the Outcasts have returned to Omicron Theta. The crew of the Battleship Fes gave their lives to raise the alarm, allowing the Corsair defenders of Freeport 9 to assemble and repulse the assault. The Elders have authorised the deployment of elements of the Omicron Gamma defence fleet to respond to the Outcast invasion and secure our borders. These elite fighters are more than a match for the drug-addled Outcasts and will hold the line until the Northern and Southern Fleets complete their assignments in Dresden and Dublin. The Battleship Delos has been dispatched to the system to coordinate our counter-attack and avenge the loss of the Fes. The Elders have announced that a great honor will be bestowed upon the pilots responsible for the destruction of the Outcast Battlecruiser Augusta.

[832 AS] Gunboat Prosperity

CRETE -- 832 AS -- The rightful occupation of Freeport 9 has relieved some pressures on Crete, but stressed others. While we now control the biodomes of Omicron Theta, Food production has begun to decline. Our engineers think this is because of the high-yield synth crops depleting the soil. The Zoners seem to have prevented this previously by importing Fertilizers from the Houses. Similarly, Crete, Leon and Cadiz are facing a shortage of Pharmaceuticals, complicating the treatment of our casualties. The Zoners now refuse to sell us these goods, so we must look elsewhere to obtain what we need. The Elders have decreed that the raiding fleets are to redouble their efforts in Cambridge, and make new inroads into the Frankfurt system. Petra Base in Sigma 15 is to be reinforced, and the Fertilizer convoys from Planet Holstein treated as priority targets. The Corsairs have always prized strength, and we have the strength to take what we need from the weak. Prosperity is there to be seized.

[832 AS] The Gold-Paved Path to Victory

CADIZ -- 832 AS -- The Gallic War left Bretonia a wounded beast, stumbling along in a desperate attempt to prolong the inevitable. This new 'peace' has left the Bretonians weak, lazy and complacent. This presents us with critical opportunities. Our reavers scourge their trade lanes to feeble opposition, each raid securing the plunder and materiel needed to rebuild our mighty fleets. Now, the Mollys have seized the Dublin system, and its immense Gold wealth along with it. The Mollys are but gnats compared to the mighty Corsairs - the Elders have decreed that the system will be ours. The Battlecruiser Santander has already struck a great victory by eliminating the Battleship Hood. The Mollys fear to meet us in open battle, but soon they will be forced to fight or starve. With the wealth of Dublin secured, no one will be able to oppose us. The path to the Corsairs' great victory in Bretonia and Rheinland is paved in Gold.

[831 AS] Freeport 9 Seized Over Zoner Treachery

FREEPORT 9 -- 831 AS -- For decades we tolerated the insolence of Freeport 9's Zoners. They wrongly assumed that the Corsairs would simply ignore the sheltering of our enemies and the disrespect of our laws, so long as their biodomes continued to provide for Crete. The death of Juan Garcia was but the latest in a line of killings by the Bounty Hunters Guild, abetted by the Zoners who provide them with safe harbor. The Elders have decided: no more. One opportunity was offered for the Zoners to make amends for their transgressions, and instead they chose to ignore our reasonable demands. Last night, Freeport 9 was boarded and the station administration placed under arrest. From this day forward, the biodomes will provide exclusively for the Corsairs, and the docking bays will admit only those we allow. Fortunately, our ancient enemies the Outcasts appear to be preoccupied with a self-inflicted revolt on their poisonous planet. By the time they turn their focus back to the Omicrons, we will be secure in our conquest.

[831 AS] Jump Hole Upheaval Causes Chaos

HEISENBERG -- 831 AS -- Jump holes across Sirius have become increasingly volatile and chaotic over the last year, with Professor Sophia Nagel from the Heisenberg Research Station linking the unusual phenomena to the Pulse. The Pulse was an unprecedented blast of hyperspace energy that was detected immediately prior to last year's jump gate Blackout. Professor Nagel and her team are certain the Pulse originated from outside Sirius, but are otherwise no closer to identifying its source or mitigating a future Blackout event. "Following the Blackout, we began to see immediate signs of jump hole destabilization in multiple different regions, with many ultimately falling out of phase alignment altogether", she commented. The dramatic upending of Sirius' jump hole network has already prompted many groups to abandon stations and withdraw from systems that appear to risk being cut off. While months-long trips between the stars are possible thanks to the Liberty Engine and many centuries of innovation, few ships are designed or provisioned to make such arduous journeys. Those who were displaced by Sirius' redrawn map hope that system connections will return, while adventurers and explorers rush to discover new routes.

[831 AS] Corsair Elder's Son Killed by BHG!

FREEPORT 9 -- 831 AS -- The presence of Bounty Hunters so close to the Corsair home world has long been a source of anger for the Edge World pirates. Zoner Freeports offer a safe harbor and open market to all comers - including the BHG. For decades the Zoners of Freeport 9 have kept themselves safe from Corsair reprisals by offering useful services, with their biodomes providing Crete with respite from the famines that once ravished it. Despite this, outrage has swept Omicron Gamma after a flight of Hunters killed Commander Juan Garcia, before retreating back to the No Fire Zones of Omicron Theta. The Council of Elders have ordered the administrator of Freeport 9 to attend Planet Crete to hear their demands. Elder Garcia has vowed that the station's halls would "run red with blood" unless the Zoners turned over all BHG aboard the Freeport. The Zoners are yet to respond, likely trying to anticipate how the Corsairs will react.

[830 AS] Tempers Flare over Pygar Colony!

PYGAR -- 830 AS -- The Zoners have seen many trials over recent years, with the Bretonian invasion of Gran Canaria being one among many. It was this occupation that forced many settlers off-world, with some braving the deadly storms of Pygar to eke out a difficult existence under the barren planet's surface. The arrival of Zoner colonists in Omicron Theta has not been met with warmth by all, however. The Corsairs see the Pygar colony as a direct competitor for the region's scarce resources, with Elder Garcia warning that there would be "dire consequences" should Freeport 9's biodomes reduce or divert their exports to Planet Crete. Whispers of alien ruins and Artifacts discovered below Pygar's surface may also antagonize the Corsairs, who rely on the Artifact trade as a source of wealth. The hardship of Pygar's extreme conditions and the uneasy relationship with the Corsairs has already led many colonists to consider a return to the now liberated Gran Canaria.

[830 AS] Corsair Empire salutes High Elder Montoya

CRETE -- 830 AS -- The Corsairs all across the Empire salute High Elder Montoya, who died among his family aged 78. The High Elder dedicated his life to the Corsair people, having won a lifetime of glory leading strikes into Bretonia, Rheinland and the Sigmas. Montoya pioneered the 'Road to Rheinland' strategy, commanding the Northern Fleet as it entered Sigma 15 in 815 AS. While that campaign would falter in Frankfurt, Montoya's steady leadership ensured that many Corsair warriors returned to Crete to continue to fight for the Empire and future victory. In his later years, Montoya would act as a steadying hand on the Council of Elders, counseling against rash decisions and reckless action. The Council has since inducted Elder Rosita Garcia to their number. As she commemorated the launch of the Battlecruiser Santander, she declared that "Sirius shall be set alight as a pyre in Montoya's honor". The Santander and its squadrons have been dispatched to pillage Bretonia.

[828 AS] Reconquista

CRETE -- 828 AS -- Following a lull of successful conquests waged by the Corsairs, the Elders have finally broken their silence and issued an ultimatum. "The standing Navy of the Corsair Empire as well as its irregular raiders must do everything within their means to break existing stalemates or make progress. The enemies of Crete have grown arrogant and take for granted that Corsair offensives have lost their steam, this is an assessment which must be proved woefully wrong." In response to these express instructions, activity across every Corsair installation has intensified to levels that suggest substantial mobilization.

[803 AS] Rheinland deserters ravage Omegas

FREEPORT 5 -- 803 -- There is a new menace prowling the Omegas, killing without remorse or restraint. Rheinland Colony War defectors have been sighted indiscriminately attacking trade ships in Omega-5 and 41. These Rheinland marauders are known by the Hessians as the “Wild Hunt”, for the way they appear using cloaking devices, kill or kidnap pilots, and vanish as quickly as they arrived. No Wild ship has ever responded to hails or expressed a motive, nor has there ever been a ransom demand for those taken. If you come across a Wild ship, we recommend you dump your cargo to shed weight, and run as fast as you can.

Rumors

Corsairs

This ship takes five days to complete a full patrol before coming back to the C6 Platform. We'll be launching again tomorrow once the engines are refuelled and the crew assignments are sorted. I wish I was back at Thira Colony with my family. Still, I know I'm protecting them by being here, with the rest of the crew, defending the system from whatever is out there. See that green cloud? That's what we're here for, I think. Whatever attacked those scouts afew years back, I reckon it came from in there.

NOTE: Page generated on the 07/06/2024 at 15:55:47 UTC