Immortal Spirit
Sarna News
| Immortal Spirit | |
|---|---|
| Vessel Profile | |
| Previous names | E. Presley |
| Type | WarShip |
| Class | Aegis |
Contents
History
The Terran Hegemony
Launched from the Greenock shipyards above Terra in 2382, the Aegis-class heavy cruiser E. Presley joined the black water navy of the Terran Hegemony military, the Hegemony Armed Forces, and would continue to serve the HAF as the THS E. Presley until she was mothballed in 2531.[1]
The Star League
The Star League Defense Force reactivated the E. Presley in 2582, partway through the Reunification War, and restored her to service as the SLS E. Presley. Serving with distinction, the E. Presley remained an active part of the SLDF until the opening stages of the Amaris Civil War.[1]
When Stefan Amaris launched his coup the E. Presley was under the command of Vice Admiral Mitchell Justin and serving as a part of the 568th Armed Transport Flotilla under the overall command of Admiral Amanda Braso. Serving alongside a sister ship of the same class, the SLS Huston, the E. Presley was one of eight WarShips within the flotilla. The lead ship of the flotilla was Admiral Braso's Black Lion-class battlecruiser, reinforced by the E. Presley, the Huston, four Lola III-class destroyers and a Potemkin-class carrier, along with twenty assorted transport vessels and an undisclosed number of support craft. When the bulk of the SLDF learned of the coup, one division - the Thirty-Fourth Royal BattleMech Division - was strongly associated with the world of Epsilon Indi, and was determined to launch an unsanctioned attack to reclaim the Hegemony world. The 568th acted to support the forces of the Thirty-Fourth.[2]
The 568th divided their forces into two groups, one led by Admiral Braso and one by Vice Admiral Justin, and arrived at the zenith and nadir jump points of the Epsilon Indi system at 0900 hrs on the 1st of July 2767. The two groups began the transit to the planet, and were challenged by the first Caspar drone from the local SDS network a day away from the planet. The drone refused to acknowledge the SLDF codes, and the best efforts of the crews of the various SLDF WarShips had no success in attempting to gain control of the drone ship's systems. Soon, all fifty-six Caspars assigned to Epsilon Indi were in formation, waiting for the SLDF WarShips to approach; Admiral Braso ordered Vice Admiral Julian to take his ships to the other side of the planet while her group engaged the bulk of the drone forces, in the hope that Julian's group would be able to deploy their contingent of the Thirty-Fourth unopposed.[2]
The Caspars coordinated their efforts precisely, inflicting heavy damage on the Star League WarShips and splitting into two groups as the SLDF troop transports made for the planet, one group attacking the deploying troops as the others engaged the WarShips and defending vessels. When the SLS Rex, a Lola III, attempted to break and run, several Caspar drones worked together to quickly destroy the isolated vessel; even as Admiral Braso's Black Lion managed to disable some of the drones through accurate gunnery, another Caspar rammed the Huston, destroying the heavy cruiser outright. The remaining ships of the 568th were destroyed shortly after, with only a fraction of the Thirty Fourth making it to the planet through the gauntlet of Caspar drones and ground-based SDS weapons.[2]
The Word of Blake
Unlike the other ships of the 568th, the E. Presley had only been disabled by the defenses at Epsilon Indi, not destroyed; locked into a long elliptical orbit, the E. Presley was recovered by the Word of Blake in secret at some point in 3059. The Blakists transported the E. Presley to the Terran solar system and had her extensively repaired at the Titan Yards, changing her name in the process to the WBS Immortal Spirit. The news service INN reported that the Immortal Spirit was due to launch in 3064, but may have actually entered active service in 3063, only to vanish as a result of what was suspected to be a catastrophe related to her being rushed into service early.[1]
Despite the apparent destruction of the Immortal Spirit, sightings of her began to be reported from numerous systems ranging from Hazeldean to Memphis]], although as late as October 3068 the Immortal Spirit had failed to appear in any of the engagements between Blakist forces and other nations.[1]
The Immortal Spirit had in fact survived her apparently hasty launch, and served with the Blakist fleet until her destruction in the Coventry system in 3074.[3]
Notes
The name E. Presley is most likely a pop culture reference to the noted rock and roll performer Elvis Presley.