Hephestus



Ship Name - Airship Hephestus

Officially formed - 1868 V.E.

Affliation - ENIGMA Vessel Classification - Chartered Merchantman (Brigantine)

Vessel Type - Airship (Armed Freighter)

World of Origin - Europa

The Airship Hephetus is a Burket Class Merchantman that was retired from the supply fleet of the 6th Meridian Air Corps in 1879 V.E. and has been converted from standardized construction in that the main boilers have been fitted with a Trans-Temporal Inducer drive and a Aether Convertion Module.

Current Crew
The Hephestus has only one permenant crew member on retainer. All other hands are hired for the voyage at time of need which sometimes can be months apart. The only standing crew member is Captain Hamish KelRoy, a hideously poor tempered man with one peg leg and an uncanny bility to navigate the Multiverse complete free of the aid of charts or maps. By blind jumps of dead reckoning Capt. KelRoy can Reality Breach the Hephestus in the right dimension 99% of the time. Being that he must be kept on retainer full time Capt. KelRoy spends much of his months of waiting for assignments servbiceing the ship's engines and playing solitaire. The Captain is know to be a bit of a hermit and is usually annoyed when he must carry the ENIGMA Agents somewhere off world.

Backstory
The vessel was modified by Skyrat Hijackes who captured the ship in port during a emergancy mobilization of the Air Fleet in response to the Farthsworth Tsunami. Finding the vessel only lightly manned (the crew was on liberty) the Skyrats subdued and ditched those onboard at the port made their modifications and Reality Jumped somewhere else before the Tsunami hit the Port Defiance Air Field.

The Hephestus was captured six months later off the coast of Albion by the 9th Sidewinder Fighter Wing while it was on coastal patrol. Impounded she was never returned to the 6th Corps who had already replaced the vessel. Instead the vessel was retired and taken into possession by ENIGMA, the ability of the craft to travel to altenate Realities and Dimensions menat the Agency could now broaden its investiagtive and enforcement abilities without always traveling by military transport which was neither subtle or non belligerent. the unassuming Hephetsus is still mainly a freighter but is armed enough and possesses enough speed to manage an escape from most pursuers.

The ship is named in honor of a Ancient Europan Deity form the Druidic Faith. According to ancient myth the God Hephestus wished to give the science of the forge to the Druid caste first but was crippled in the leg and could not journey to their woodland realm ands so the Ancient Warrior caste who quested to find the lands of the gods dicovered Hephetus and learned his secrets of steel.

Specifications
Most of the Hephestus operates as per a standrad issue Burket Class Merchantman would. The shipp can accomodate a crew of a little as seven (7) and as much as forty five (45). It can carry up to 3,000 tons of cargo and has small cabin berths for up to twenty (20) passengers.

Weapons

 * Fore Aerial Guided Torpedo Racks (2)
 * Fore 66cal Mulitbarrel Defense Cannon
 * Port/Starbaord Broadside Flak Barrage Cannons (12 per side)
 * Aft 66cal Mulitbarrel Defense Cannon
 * Aft Smoke Deployment System

Mechanics

 * Trans-Temporal Inducer Drive
 * Aether Convertion Module
 * Twin Jackson Special Series V Boilers with Over Pressure Condensers
 * Twin Syncronized Houghes Special Propellers Class 8
 * SkyJack System Docking Clamps for attaching light craft (up to 4 fighters)

Armor

 * Standard Meridian military grade Steel Plating
 * Reinenforced Woven Titanium Fiber Canopy for Hydrogen Lift System
 * Level 6 Power Energy Shields with Aetheric Flight Fields

Attributes
The Hephestus has the appearance of a well maintained and under used estate when boarded. Many of the passenger cabins though small are well equipped with comfortable beds and nice built in amenities such as pressing irons, coffee makers, and 10 shared bathrooms with hot showers (often the passengers are so few the bathrooms are not shared). Capt. KelRoy spend all of his sober hours finding ways to improve or upgrade the Hephestus's interior as he is not allow to improve the appearance of the exterior of the craft. However most will notice the underused and exquisite furniture and rooms that the Captain has crafted from the Hephestus with his limitless expense account courtesy of ENIGMA. In addition the Hephestus has been upgraded and improved with superior communication and navigation systems but ENIGMA Agents complain that Capt. KelRoy refuses to shared any information with them on these systems or where they are located on the ship.

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© Airship Isabella 2012