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History of some of the Black Stars' current DropShips.


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The history of the "Event Horizon" is a long and ill omened one, stretching back almost two hundred years.

In that time, the ship has served in units both prestigious and obscure. It has participated in missions both glorious and mundane. It has traveled to every nation of the Inner Sphere and the majority of the important Periphery realms.

Unfortunately, almost from its very construction on Tharkad, the ship has labored under a reputation as a ship with a dark side.

During the ship's acceptance trials, a catastrophic reactor failure caused by construction mistakes killed the entire trial crew and engineering teams. It took almost a year after this to decontaminate the ship.

The next twenty five years did nothing to help dispel the building reputation of the ship, as an average of three crew-members died each year in improbable accidents and strange circumstances. Airlocks cycled with no command. Pipes ruptured for no apparent reason. Cargo shifted unpredictably, despite being well secured. One Captain was even electrocuted when his command chair somehow became part of the jump circuit controls.

Following this last incident, the surviving crew quietly brought in several priests to perform an exorcism and blessing of the ship. While not sanctioned by higher command, this action appeared to quiet things for the next fifty years.

Unfortunately, this period of quiet was not to last. The next incident was the one to precipitate the ship's departure from Steiner service. Tasked to deliver an independent raiding unit deep behind Marik lines, it is not known what occurred on board, though a mis-jump is suspected. What IS known is that the "Event Horizon" was discovered by Marik AeroSpace patrols drifting powerless with its JumpShip near a pirate point in the system of Campbelton.

Investigation found the two ships to be completely unoccupied with no sign of the crews, or any indication as to their location. (Darker rumors speak of mysterious writings on the bulkheads in corrupt Latin and bastardized Aramaic.) All cargo and equipment, down to the crew and passenger's personal items remained exactly in place, as if they had just set them down and walked away.

In-depth investigation of the Jumpship proved impossible, as during recovery operations, the ship mysteriously regained power and initiated a jump sequence. The "Event Horizon" had already been detached at this point, but the JumpShip, (The Scout class: LCSS Marie Celeste), disappeared and has not been seen again to this day.

The "Event Horizon" passed into mercenary hands at this point, as the ships reputation led many House units to refuse the ship due to morale considerations.

In the last one hundred and thirty five years, the "Event Horizon" has served with ten different mercenary and commercial concerns, each time changing hands under unusual circumstances, and always dogged with rumors of a "Curse" and a reputation as a crew killer.

Additional text by Vampire

When news broke of the demise of the majority of the Black Stars at their home base on New Hedon, Herotitus early July 3078, Zhao and Ten-Bears were hard pressed to keep the tattered remnants of the unit together. Putting together small groups of mercenaries, the self appointed CO and XO of the mercenary collective were faced with another problem - the complete lack of interest of any DropShip Captain to sign on.

After thorough meet ups, failed attempts at black mails and bribery, the pair were approached by a Captain Nigel Harris. Pleasantly surprised, but with suspicions on the unsolicited approach, the new Black Stars officers were stunned when it was disclosed that Harris was the Captain of none other than the Seeker Class DropShip Event Horizon.

Dismissing the Captain's (repeated) offer of joining up with the Stars, Zhao and Ten-Bears continued their increasing desperate search for another DropShip. The curse of the Event seemed to leech itself onto the fate of the Stars even at that point. Two other DropShips - the ancient Union Class DropShip Simon Says, and a heavily refitted Mule Class DropShip, the Princess Bride both suffered mishaps. The Captain of Simon Says was ran over by a garbage truck on his way to put his signature on the papers to tie his Union to the Stars, while the Princess Bride was rendered inoperable indefinitely when an unloading accident resulted in an explosion of a cargo of explosive chemicals gutted the entire hull of the 11,200 ton DropShip.

Faced with the prospect of being stuck on Herotitus while the start time of their contract on Fujidera closing in, Zhao and Ten-Bears reluctantly accepted Captain Harris's offer.

Thus began the intertwined fate between the Black Stars and the Event Horizon.


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"The tiles you stand on, the handles on the doors, and all the buttons and switchs on the Charon's Ferry are likewise of bone and human ivory. We surround ourselves with reminders of what awaits all of us in the end, so that we might reflect on its meaning, and never lose sight of our ultimate fate.” Gaius Marius's conversation with Zhao Zi Long, 19 October, 3081.

The legacy of the dead permeates the Aurora DropShip's entire history. Charon's Ferry has seen more death than even the most prolific killers in history. Before the Black Stars Mortuus Legio Victrix sub-unit acquired her, the Ferry was a morgue ship, carrying the remains of countless souls into the heavens, to be set free amongst the stars. Instances when it was employed included when a small nuclear weapon was employed as part of the little succession disagreement in the Free Worlds League a few years ago. This particular Aurora was there, carrying away the remains of the dead so as to prevent the spread of disease and help restore order. It was also part of the response to the Winter Plague outbreak on Mauripur, that time carrying medical supplies to the system, and then housing the physicians as they tried to stop the Plague. It also carried their bodies away again, when the Plague struck them down as well when they got careless.

All in all, this small DropShip carried over a million discarded mortal shells in its short time.


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Dropship: Fury Class
Type: Aerodyne
Mass: 1,900 Tons
Date of Acceptance: February 17th, 2954
Location of Manufacture: Gibson, FWL
Configuration: Standard, Factory Spec.
Crew: Eight (
Capacity: Type 2 Military Vehicle Transport Cubicles (
Type 4 Personnel Berthing Compartments (4)
Misc. Cargo (200 Tons)
Upgrades: NONE
Maintenance Grade: 2
Known Major Deficiencies: Interior Furnishings stripped
Date of Last Refit/Refurbishment: June, 3075 (Galax Shipyards, Fed-Suns)

Ship Identification Number: G7645JK9837ADE7560003B

Ship Designation: Baba Yaga

Assigned to DMM broker for Sale: November 1st, 3081
Previous Owner: Fed-Suns Military Transport Command (Outback Regional Directorate)
Reason For Sale: Not Given

List Price: 30,000,000 C-Bills (Negotiable)


…FS Baba Yaga: Recovered: Half-Trees System September 17th 3080. Crew/Passengers: Deceased.

In the chaos of the recent four-way bloodbath that the Clan invasion of the Outback had become, WMD's of several sorts had been used with abandon, chemical and biological weapons included. The Adelson system was one of several systems that had been completely depopulated and functionally destroyed by said weapons. A fact which had been discovered only when the unit “Chisholm's Raiders” were sent to reinforce the beleaguered planet and found nothing but a giant graveyard.

Less than a month later, a Merchant class and an Invader class jump-ship were discovered in a seldom used, unoccupied, way-point system, apparently having stopped to recharge their drives before proceeding. Attached to the ships were the “Baba Yaga”, the Princess Class liner “Nicolletta”, and the Monarch Class ships “Henrietta May”, “Mary-Ellen Carter”, and “Liza Jane”. The ships were all derelict, with power, but not responsive to hails, and only automated beacons transmitted any information, with those systems broadcasting a clear “Warn Away” signal.

Investigation by military salvage crews found all aboard deceased, the apparent victims of a very virulent disease.

Later reconstruction of the ship's logs and personal writings found aboard, painted an all too clear picture of what had happened.

Following the initial bio-weapons attacks on Adelson by the Word of Blake, many of the planet's “Elite” and wealthy had sought to flee the devastation, hoping to avoid the plague. Seizing the DropShips, and ruthlessly abandoning anyone with even a hint of illness of any kind, even a simple cold virus, they hoped to escape any contamination. They failed.

From the records, it appeared that several of the passengers had already been infected before boarding, but due to the subtle nature of the initial symptoms, and fears of being abandoned leading to the infected individuals concealing them, this fact had not been discovered until it was already far too late. By the time the first symptoms had appeared, the enclosed environment of the ships had been completely contaminated and everyone aboard exposed.

Within four days, it was almost over. Eighty percent of the passengers and crew were dead. Either from the disease, or from a choice to commit suicide rather than suffer through the course of the disease. The rest were not to be far behind. All the remaining crew could do was to set the automated beacons and initiate one of the anti-boarding protocols installed on the ships. Anesthetic gas quickly rendered everyone remaining aboard unconscious, letting them die relatively peacefully through gas overdose instead spending their last hours writhing in pain.

Overall, the death toll aboard the ships was over two thousand. A mere drop in the bucket set against the backdrop of whole planetary populations being wiped out, but horrific nonetheless.


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"Many of the Tamar and Skye worlds in the Lyran Alliance were populated by the Scottish and Irish, and many of us, including me, have some heritage from that direction, though I am mostly of German origin. Nonetheless, I speak fluent Gaelic, and as part of our schooling we are taught the histories.

“One of the most celebrated of the Scots was a poet named Robert Burns, and his famous work is a cautionary tale told in verse, about a man named Tam o’Shanter. Now Tam was an honest man, but prone to giving himself over to the drink. His wife, portrayed as an authority to be feared, usually keeps him in line either through her viscous tongue or with the threat of a frying pan to the back of the head.

“One evening however, after a trip to the markets, Tam gives over to his desire for the drink and settles in at the local pub to down some ale. When he finally realizes his predicament, that he is drunk, it is late and his wife will give him a thrashing when he gets home it is already nearly midnight, or the witching hour back in those days if you will.

“On his way home, Tam, through a drunken haze, perceives a strange ritual in the local church which is commonly believed to be haunted. A group of witches and warlocks are performing a wild dance, complete with open coffins and the devil himself in tow. The witches are dressed only in the their night-shirts, and the prettiest of the witches, named Nannie, has on a shirt, called a cutty-sark in those days, that is much too small and reveals more of the comely witch than Tam’s inebriated libido can resist, so he calls out:

“’ Weel done, Cutty-sark!And in an instant all was dark’”

“Well, even a drunkard like Tam could now see he was in serious trouble as the assorted ‘Hellish Legion’ started to chase after him. Putting all his faith in his horse Meg, Tam o’Shanter fled for the bridge across the River Doon, as all good folk knew in those days that the wielders of magic could not cross running water.

“The mare wins the race, though not before losing her tale to Nannie, who is not only the most comely but the fastest and hungriest of the assembled demonic host. Tam, it is assumed, goes home to face the wrath of his wife, but the tale concludes with a warning to all, albeit with tongue firmly in cheek:

“’ Now, wha this tale o' truth shall read,
Ilk man and mother's son, take heed:
Whene'er to Drink you are inclin'd,
Or Cutty-sarks run in your mind,
Think ye may buy the joys o'er dear;
Remember Tam o' Shanter's mare’”

“Nice story,” Cherie complemented after a moments silence, “So you have called the ship Tam o’Shanter then?”

“Actually I was going to name it Meg after the horse,” Markus replied.

“That is a stupid name for the ship,” Michelle exclaimed, giving Markus a hard look.

“I know,” he said back with a grin, “So yes, Cherie, the ship will be named the Tam o’Shanter, more due to the fact that he had his fun and got away with it than anything to do with the moral of the story.”


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Conversation between Miroslav Pololski , Brandon Cross and Zhao Zi Long, 7 July 3083.

"Harding came across this Gazelle and forwarded its details over to us." Miroslav started to explain even as Brandon handed over the file in his hand to Zi Long. The Chinese man opened it and started to read through. "As you can see, it had changed ownership several times since it was completed in the late 2570s. It actually started its service with the Taurian Defence Force, after which it was captured during the Reunification Wars by the SLDF..."

"Wait, that means that bugger's like what? Five hundred years old?!" Zi Long interrupted in disbelief.

"Five 'undred an' three." Brandon offered.

"And if Harding is to be believed, in surprisingly good condition." Miroslav continued. "And for a rather reasonable price as well."

Zi Long frowned. "There has to be a catch."

Miroslav nodded "There is. The last owner of the DropShip is actually the Word of Blake."

"So? I thought you guys take care of your hardware like they're your mistress."

Miroslav winced slightly. "Not really, but close enough. The story of this particular DropShip began in 3080, when a Federated Suns JumpShip received a distress call while stopping over to recharge towards the Davion outbacks. If you remember, mid 3080 was when the FedSuns had to deal with the Star Adders incursions. The caller identified himself as a member of the crew of the Ourang Medan, a Word of Blake vessel, and supposedly claimed that the ship’s captain and crew were all dead or dying. The messages became jumbled and bizarre before trailing off and ending with the words: “I die.” The JumpShip captain quickly dispatched some small craft and an Union Class DropShip attached to the scene to help. When they arrived, they found that the Ourang Medan was undamaged, but that the entire crew — even the ship’s dog — was dead, their bodies and faces locked in terrified poses and expressions, and many pointing at something that was not there. Before the rescuers could investigate further, the ship mysteriously caught on fire, and they had to evacuate. Soon after, the Ourang Medan was said to have exploded and the hulk drifted into space. While the details and the overall veracity of the Ourang Medan story were still widely debated, there have been a number of theories proposed about what might have caused the death of the crew. The most ridiculous was actually the most correct one."

Zi Long raised a questioning eyebrow. "And you would know because..."

Miroslav shifted uncomfortably before replying. "Because I was aware of the true story. The Ourang Medan was actually transporting ricin, a nerve agent which was supposed to be deployed against the Adders. While no attempt was made to salvage the hulk, it should be easy to deduce that the ricin was not properly secured and seeped out into the air. Given the circulated ventilation within a DropShip, it quickly and killed everyone on board."

"So some salvage company came across the Ourang Medan in 3081, towed it back and repaired it." Zi Long nodded, his eyes going back to the file. "It says here than the Ourang Medan was then sold to some small merc command... wait… and ALL the new crew and occupants DIED?!" He looked up in alarm.

"No actual reasons were given, though there was the suggestion that the ricin wasn't completed vented out from the air ventilation systems." Miroslav shrugged.

"And the next three freakin' owners as well?!?!" Zi Long's eyes grew even wider as he read on.

"That, they don't have explanation for." Miroslav admitted.

"You guys have a death wish or something?" Zi Long threw the file back the at the two fellow Black Stars like it was poison. He narrowed his eyes at the two men in suspicion. "Or did you have the intention of locking me up on it and hope for my quick and ugly death since I seem to be recovering from my injuries."

"Nay boy 'o. Don't ya be silly." Brandon raised both hands. "If da Event think it’s time fer ya da go, she'd take yer."

"Its been sitting in mooring for the past year and a half." Miroslav went on. "Harding said he and his pet Clanner actually went onboard to check things out."

Zi Long rolled his eyes. "CHECKING THINGS OUT and bloody travelling it on are two completely different things, or hadn't you guys realized that."

"We know. But he offered to make the trip from Terra here to Melissia system." Miroslav explained. "If he makes it, I guess it would mean that the Ourang Medan's safe to ride in."

"Wha? What is he doing all the way out here for?"

"He said he heard of some possible deals on Solaris VII that he had to check out himself personally." The commander of the Shooters' Nephilim squad as well as overall second in command of the sub-unit replied with another shrug. "I didn't think to probe further."

"You should've." Zi Long replied. "The bastard never does anything, especially taking risks, for a VERY good reason."

Brandon nodded in agreement, before asking his next question. "So yer ok with givin' the Ourang Medan a look see?"

"I'm guessing that since this inquiry was done over two months ago, and that we'll be reaching Melissia's Nadir Jump Point in another twenty hours that you guys have already given Harding the green light, and that he'd be waiting for us at the jump point?" Zi Long stared daggers at the two men.

"Dat's another hundred ya owe me boy 'o." Brandon nudged Miroslav. The Battle Armour soldier looked at Zi Long with a look of disappointment, before pulling another hundred C-bill note out and reluctantly handing it over to X. "The Doc should probably increase your drug dosage. It'd make things easier for everyone."

"Yeah, we all have our wishes." Zi Long snorted before pulling his pillow from his back and fluffing it. "Now shoo. The patient needs his rest, especially after tangling with you two jokers."

The two stood. Brandon looked down at Zi Long before breaking out into a grin. "Yer right. Git some rest. Ya might not have much of it once yer transfer onboard the Ourang Medan."