REVENANT...it's out there!
REVENANT
...it's out there!
Drake Galleon
"REVENANT" Fleet Carrier (Small Update)
WIP [Ephalanx] 2015
https://starcitizen.mmmos.com/?p=view&uid=54e745db82bda
-MOUSE AND CAT--
It
was here alright. Massive and hulking. The unidentified ship appeared
derelict, and devoid of activity, but we knew better. Sleeper agents
had gone dark a mere 48 hours prior to our two-man team arriving in
the sector.
Were we heading into an ambush? It could be. No
telling. Agents sometimes halt comms in the event things get hot
rather than be discovered. A small force outfitted with light,
low-sig, high-speed craft could get in, survey the scene and get
critical reconnaissance data. They'd have a decent chance of staying
undetected and making it home. Indeed it was more than a precarious
tactic for most, yet here they were, drifting in the black,
approaching parallel to the mysterious craft's port side. The ship
dwarfed the two slim fighter craft, appearing as a great steel
canvas. Conversely, they; two small strokes of paint.
We
noticed the navigation lights were dark in some spots, and all the
ship bays seemed to be sealed. No environmental gases were picked up,
indicating it was locked down tight. Scanners weren't able to
penetrate the hull shields without turning up the juice, so there was
no way to get internal readings without fear of being discovered.
So
far things weren't totally out of place but it was bizarre enough to
keep us on edge. The ship's recorders were just about done
assimilating the data we needed when the environmental scanners
picked up a blip from the front of the craft. Just a min more and we
could hit boosters and head for the jump point. A dark reddish flash
illuminated the space ahead and it was a struggle to even make out
the controls. While intense, it was brief, as the canopy viewing
systems and helmet visor helped adjust things to a more visible
spectrum.
From the corner of my eye, I watched Grind-Five's
Puma fighter engines flash and sputter and suddenly snuff out. I
shouted over the comm. Nothing. It became apparent that my craft was
suffering the same fate. Ahead, where we detected the EV blip, a few
silver glints informed me of the situation. Cutlasses or Cutli. And
even from this distance, they still looked ugly.
--SCOUT INFORMATION--
------The
ship while asymmetrical in several places has a fork-like front shape
with dual landing and take-off areas for fighters or medium-sized
support craft. It also has a very large central internal bay which
appears to be outfitted or crowned with several heavy tractor-beam
devices. In fact, it might be able to secure a craft the size of an
890 Jump inside! The ship also appears to sport a docking 'bandolier'
that holsters up to 4-6 Drake Caterpillars. These are connected by
their noses into a few slots mainly on the starboard side towards the
back end of the ship.
On
the port side near the rear, a modular section exists that seems to
be a mix and match of different holds. Cargo, sleeping quarters,
science or medical sections, even prison holds, etc. We cannot be
completely sure but reports have come in from our sleepers confirming
most of these configurations. These are pretty large sections and
appear to be tiered to maximize the space.
The
ship is also very weaponized with dozens of manned turrets along the
hull and an unusual type of gun/cannon exists just off the center-line of
the main ship. It appears to be about a third of the total ship size.
Speculation: Alien, hybrid, or experimental weapon tech was outfitted
as the cannon seems to defy standard design qualities from known
manufacturers and appears 'tacked on'. If anything this craft looks as
if it could function as a high-end fleet carrier, escort carrier,
heavy weapons platform, personnel/slave trafficking platform, mobile
base station, command vessel, or more....------
-- BACKGROUND –
When
RSI submitted their initial ship bid, the legendary Bengal Carrier to UEE officials, several other manufacturers offered
competing bids of their own. These contract meetings, somewhat more political in nature than one would think, were always
conducted in secrecy and manufacturers were usually handpicked. At such time 'new money'
Drake Interplanetary was one of the
companies to get word of the contract. What follows is a rather interesting story or controversy of sorts depending on your point
of view.
Back then, business was booming, yet Drake CEO Jan Dredge felt the reputation of the company needed a well-deserved boost. Although
finances were in great shape, the real story to be addressed at the
time was the unsavory nature of Drake Interplanetary's
customer base.
According to sources close to Jan, the developers and engineers Drake employed were a motley crew from across the known
galaxies, as such it was all Dredge could do to keep them focused and on task. The CEO
thought what better way to galvanize his
research and development team than a lofty goal such as securing the UEE Carrier contract.
Furthermore, winning would mean
Jan, or Drake rather would finally be considered a reputable player in the ship manufacturing game. Add in the significant
monetary compensation and the effort could be well worth the risk. Impulsive by nature he felt his initial gamble paid off before
with the formation of Drake Interplanetary, why not this? The worse he could do was break even. Dredge then set in motion a
most ambitious plan and put his team to task – build the
UEE Drake Galleon.
Out of the gate the team of engineers while individually gifted in their respective fields, ran into several debilitating issues.
Concerns with vague UEE design specifications and various inexplicable construction decisions made by their chief engineer
(an RSI mole),
put the Galleon's construction in project hell. Jan used to having more than a guiding hand in the company's
inception and many of its products, simply did not have the time to provide the oversight needed to manage a project so large.
Soon the money and effort were not enough to get the construction done in time to honor the bid. Several of his lead engineers
had left for greener pastures and the project was eschewed in favor of day-to-day business. A half dozen partially completed
concept hulls and no signed UEE contract were the lasting remnants of the failed initiative. Jan, frustrated with the attempt,
mothballed the work and set his mind and the company’s efforts towards the future.
Fast forward a decade or so; a rash of protracted skirmishes broke out in unregulated space between several non-UEE factions.
The UEE's engagement was limited at that time due to 'resource constraints'
and many of those involved were left to fend for themselves. At some point during these confrontations, Drake Interplanetary nonchalantly reported a 'loss' of product and
company IP. They reported these holdings stolen and claimed the insurance on the property or wrote off what was not covered.
The nature of the stolen goods was not reported to the press but more than a few surmise that the 6 Galleon hulls were included
in that. Jan was not available for comment but a
presser later revealed that Drake Interplanetary denied any foul play on the
company’s part.
Reportedly, Jan settled any accusations of negligence on the company's part out of court, but this was apparently conjecture or rumor. Since then nothing was heard about Project Galleon or the stolen goods and the issue was all but swept under the rug. However, recently a confidential UEE brief was intercepted; only a few snippets of the message were able to be deciphered:
<<<--->>>
Unknown craft, code name: 'Revenant'. Spotted in unregulated space. Initial reports and conjecture believe the ship is carrier classed in nature. Possibly operated by either aliens, outsiders (Tevarin / Lier) privateers, or pirates.
Capabilities: unknown.
Directive: passive reconnaissance.
<<<--->>>
The UEE denies that the craft is one of theirs as well as any of our alien/foreign neighbors, Xi'an or otherwise. Vanduul and Banu have also been ruled out. Possibility of a new class of craft from the Vanduul, Kr'Thak, Tevarins, or a new race in unexplored space on the far side of Vanduul space/sectors.
Outsiders (either Tevarin-Branaugh/Outsiders-Lier), Privateers, or Pirates (Goss Olympus Pool/Cathcart) are also potential operators.
Neither Dredge himself nor Drake had a response to the news. On the flip side, many have called into question the manufacturers' integrity, yet no proof exists to charge them with a crime, as well as any proof that the craft exists at all.
Meanwhile, the mystery of the ‘Revenant’ persists and grows amongst those that frequent lawless regions or explore uncharted space.
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MORE TO COME...
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