Wrath of Achilles

Wrath of Achilles
Class:	Siege Perilous
Length:	666m
Beam:	471m
Draft:	211m
Inertial Mass:	18,045,521 kg
Current Status:	Destroyed
Crew Manifest
Crew Complement:	212
Ship's Avatar:	Achilles (Destroyed), Ryan

Overview

The Wrath of Achilles is a Siege Perilous Class that served the old Systems Commonwealth and was captured by the Drago-Kazov Pride during the First Systems Commonwealth Civil War.

History

The Achilles was commissioned in the closing months of the War but the commissioning was too late and the Nietzscheans ultimately won the war. Achilles was eventually captured by the Drago-Kazov though he managed to put up a fight that he still bore scars from 300 years later when Captain Dylan Hunt found him. The ship was sent to the Tartarus System without a Slipstream drive with over 50 other Commonwealth ships that the Nietzscheans intended to use but were unable to until the Nietzscheans could find a way to erase or control their Artificial Intelligences. ("The Knight, Death, and the Devil")

As their years of imprisonment went by, Achilles emerged as the leader of the P.O.W's and kept them together and made sure that they didn't lose hope. He also made sure they remained soldiers and not slaves by organizing resistance movements in the camp when the Nietzscheans tried to erase them from time to time. Halfway in to their imprisonment, the ships were able to cobble together a single Slipstream drive that they placed in the troop transport Clarion's Call as he would be the least likely to draw attention on the outside. The plan was for the Clarion to contact the "moderate prides" and then have the Nietzscheans destroy each other, with the ships Artificial Intelligences offering themselves as mercenaries. The Clarion was successful in escaping but when the Nietzscheans discovered the escape, 2 ships were destroyed as punishment. Their deaths appeared in vain as Clarion never returned and was branded a traitor by the remaining prisoners.

300 years later the ship P.O.W. camp was visited by Captain Dylan Hunt and some of his crew, who learned of the camp and were determined to rescue the ships and bring them in to the New Commonwealth.

Dylan was directed to the Achilles by Ryan, the Artificial Intelligence of Clarion's Call, that Hunt and the others "acquired" for the mission who explained that he was the camp leader and also one of the most powerful ships the High Guard built before they fell. Going on this Dylan decided they should land on Achilles so they could direct the fleet by appealing to their leader first.

Achilles did not greet the rescuers with open arms, and was prepared to vent the two strangers and the "Traitor" out in to open space unless they explain themselves in 60 seconds. Dylan's quick thinking fortunately allowed Rommie to up link with Achilles' core to speak directly with the Artificial Intelligence. Rommie was able to make contact and the Achilles recognized her as the Artificial Intelligence of the lost Andromeda who explained the circumstances of her escape. She also said she could sympathize with the ships' imprisonment despite the different circumstances that Achilles pointed out, and then Rommie explained the reason they were here. While the old Commonwealth had fallen Dylan was building a new one and wanted the ships to be a part of this. Achilles was notably intrigued and happy with the idea but warned that Dylan might be assuming and expecting too much from the prisoners.

Speaking with the Achilles Avatar Dylan learned a lot had happened in the camp in 300 years, especially a large philosophical and social debate among the Artificial Intelligences. Many of the ships had begun to wonder if they had ever been equal with their High Guard comrades and not just beasts of burden. While Dylan's offer is better than their current predicament many of the ships thought of the offer as just another form of imprisonment. Later, Nietzscheans from the Drago-Kazov boarded the ship to erase the Achilles Artificial Intelligence. One was successful in getting the Artificial Intelligence eraser to command and attaching it to the Achilles main system console. Ryan finally killed the Nietzschean crew member and pulled off the eraser but it was already too late and the Wrath of Achilles was dying. After the Achilles Artificial Intelligence was gone, Ryan volunteered to be the new Artificial Intelligence for the ship. Mila, Artificial Intelligence to the Million Voices, wasn't sympathetic to Ryan taking control of the Achilles, but finally went along with the idea. Just then a whole Nietzschean task force emerged from Slipstream to destroy the ships. Mila and other ships drew the cruisers away from the rest of the fleet. Mila later sacrificed herself by colliding with a Nietzschean cruiser allowing the rest of the fleet to safely transit to safety. Achilles and the remainder of the fleet emerged from Slipstream right in front of the Andromeda. Ryan was promoted to captain of the Wrath of Achilles and served the Systems Commonwealth fleet.

Destruction

The Wrath of Achilles was ultimately destroyed in the Battle of Enga's Redoubt, along with the heavy cruiser Twelve Centuries, and most of the New Systems Commonwealth fleet.

Trivia

• Achilles and Hector were in the "Iliad" during the Trojan War.
  • The opening lines of the work are rendered into English by Butler as
  • "Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans."
  • and by Alexander Pope as
  • "The Wrath of Peleus' Son, the direful Spring
  • Of all the Grecian Woes, O Goddess, sing!
  • That Wrath which hurl'd to Pluto's gloomy Reign
  • The Souls of mighty Chiefs untimely slain;"
• The Achilles Avatar was played by Christopher Judge, giving it much in common with the Balance of Judgment's AI, Gabriel, portrayed by his fellow Stargate SG-1 star, Michael Shanks. Christopher Judge returned as the Avatar of the Resolution of Hector and battled Gabriel, an interesting role-reversal since, in the Iliad, Achilles slays Hector.

Gallery

Wrath of Achilles

Wrath of Achilles