Pillar of Ash - Info

[Leo]

[close][report][help] CLASS: Pilgrim CREW: 35 CAPTAIN: Otto Knightfall ALLIES: Militants & Zoners NEUTRAL: All not listed ENEMIES: Liberty Military, Police, Corporations Corsairs // INFO BGN The Pillar of Ash began its life as a transport vessel in the early days of Sirius--ferrying passengers between developing star systems. As jump gates became widespread and jump holes were discovered, these older liners were rendered obsolete. Many were abandoned, left drifting as hulks in the debris fields that marked Humanity’s expansion. In time, these ships found second lives in less reputable roles. Smugglers, slavers, and other criminal outfits began using them in the dark reaches of space. Not all were claimed by such groups. Some less wealthy operators purchased and restored these aging vessels for legitimate transport work. One such liner was operated by a small Zoner commune in the Omicron and Omega systems. This group was made up of several independent families who built their livelihood around cheap transport of cargo and passengers. During a slow transit through Omicron Delta, the group found themselves caught between an LSF Black Cell operation and a Corsair patrol. The LSF, assuming the Zoners were smugglers, ordered them to halt. The captains ignored the demand, citing Liberty’s lack of jurisdiction in Omicron space. During the exchange, a Corsair force arrived and opened fire, claiming the Zoners had been smuggling their people off Freeport 9 during its capture. The LSF joined the fight, citing the destruction of smugglers and the protection of Liberty interests. It was a bloodbath. All but one of the Zoner ships were destroyed. The Pillar of Ash, then known as Starfall, was crippled and left adrift after the LSF and Corsairs turned on each other once the Zoners were eliminated. The surviving crew--reduced to a few dozen--limped the liner to Freeport 11, where they spent their remaining credits restoring the ship as best they could. Swearing revenge, the survivors took the name “Ashen Hull”, forming a pact to make both Liberty and the Corsairs pay for what they had done. They were not fighters by trade, but they understood transport and logistics. With the rechristened Pillar of Ash, they now sell those skills to militants and Zoners across Sirius. There has been discussion within the Ashen Hull about refitting the Pillar of Ash into something less suited for trade and more capable in combat. The problem is the ship itself. The aging hull of the old Pilgrim Liner cannot support heavier weapon mounts--in several places the structure has already begun to degrade. Reinforcing it enough to carry proper armament would require extensive reconstruction. The power plant is another issue. It struggles to maintain the systems currently online, let alone support additional weapons, shielding, or upgraded propulsion. Any meaningful conversion would require a full overhaul. Such work would place the liner in drydock for months--possibly years--and the cost would run into the tens of millions of credits. That is far beyond what the Ashen Hull can realistically generate in the near term, or even the distant one. // INFO END

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You fear oblivion. Yet you forget. The universe remembers every atom of your being. Even dust hums your name in the dark.

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Starlight Research Consortium | The Banished Legion | Astral
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