Starcraft
Perseus: Part One
By Dazergrock54444 And Xenophon13
Prologue
October 3rd, 2546
Unknown Position
There was, simply, a hulk. Once it had been a warship, proud and unyielding until the very end. But now, it was there, drifting. There were, however, two marks of pride still there: an emblem of an eagle beneath a single star clutching an unknown world within an inverted, open triangle of thin, curved lines; and a single word: Perseus.
Though the reactor had long burned through all of its fuel, the engines had long ceased glowing, and the weapons had long fallen silent, the ship still retained its pride, its dignity.
Every once in a while, it would pass through an inhabited system in what had long ago been confirmed by scientists as an endless circuit through the sector. Some still argue to this day that the course had been planned, that the ship was possessed, but those people were few and far between.
Decades before, salvage attempts had been made, all to no gain. The ship refused to divulge its precious cargo, helping propagate the ghost stories surrounding it. However, all the salvagers wanted was the physical cargo; weapons, precious metals and the like. The ship, however, had no such thing. What it did have was a story, a saga spanning time and space; unimaginable to most, but there none the less.
The ship has seen wars, and here remains. It stands in its true element, space, as it glides toward whatever destiny is deemed necessary.
The story of the Perseus starts nearly seventy years earlier, at the place none in this region know of: the planet simply called Earth.
January 5th, 2477
Earth Dry-dock Facilities; High Orbit: Earth, Sol System.
The lone scientist watched as construction began on the ship that was, in essence, his brainchild.
"Amazing how it goes so quickly from a bunch of random squiggles on a piece of paper to a real hull," he muttered to himself.
As things stood, the ship was to be the first of its class. While not as massive as the Behemoth-Class Battlecruiser was, this ship was meant to be able to take such an adversary head on and come out able to throw down with another. What made this particular design so superior was in the weapons layout: several heavy slug throwing cannons, a point defense envelope so airtight that it would make any decent lawyer green with envy were it a legal case, the four plasma turrets on the hammerhead, two silos of experimental plasma missiles and, last but definitely not least, the latest rendition of the powerful Yamato Cannon.
The scientist had planned for more features in the concept phase, but didn't have time to put them in at the actual design phase. The main issue had always been time, command wanted the blueprints almost overnight, and the designer had not been able to come up with any method of placing the other improvements before the deadline.
Those changes had been placed on another set of plans, the ones meant for the eventual reevaluation of the design after ten or so years of useful combat life for the idea. What he didn't anticipate was the politics involved.
A five-year project quickly evolved into seven, and then to nine, as problems with the workers, materials, everything except the dock itself, began to crop up. And as the project stalled, the more politicians there were to oppose the idea. In the end, all production halted, and the ship was quickly forgotten.
While forgotten, the ship was still there, and if one took the time to look through the dock's files, one would find the ship listed under the title '15-A', with a status of 'Indefinitely Postponed Pending Review'.
What had been a man's dream had lost in the battle against politics. Eventually, that region of the dock became abandoned in favor of more advanced facilities, and ship 15-A was considered a permanent resident.
December 6th, 2499
DSS Aleksander; Standard Orbit: Earth, Sol System
"Are you sure that you want to do this, Admiral?" asked the Russian.
"Of course," the Admiral replied. "That ship is the best choice for such an assignment. The vessel in berth 15-A is the perfect candidate."
"I'm only saying that that ship has not been worked on in twenty-two years," the Russian shot back. "The metal could have rotted away. To say nothing of actually finding the plans." He let the unspoken question hang in the air.
"This campaign needs a vessel to test what it is that we are bringing to the field, Alexi. That ship is the one. When is the earliest we can have it completed?"
"The ship is essentially completed. All that remains is some electronics and any upgrades made necessary by the time passed. If the workers go to failure, the vessel should be ready by Christmas."
"Good. The next step is to find the crew. Who did you have in mind?"
"Most of the crew has already been reassigned; all that remains is the Captain and the Executive Officer. I had these two in mind." The Russian handed over some files.
"Fiske? I remember him. He was the one who reeled in that rogue ship out near Jupiter six years ago, no?"
"Exactly, but he may be a bit, shall we say, unwilling to serve. The XO is a bit more straightforward. Commander Drake would be the perfect foil for any of Fiske's, issues."
"Be careful, Alexi, though you have faith in him, I can see only trouble ahead with what you're thinking. The crew shall be as you chose, but watch yourself; this issue will have severe repercussions if it ever comes to light."
"The decision was yours, Admiral. The construction will proceed as planned. You will have your ship."