Carrier Pacifica

262 14 0
                                    


The Pacifica is, as all the Carriers are, named after one of Earth's Seven Seas. She is the largest, and most powerful of all seven Carriers, and is very nearly the size of Old-Earth's moon.

She is also home to the Imperial Family, and houses both the Senate of Worlds, and the Imperial Parliament. Although she was originally designed to be a ship of war, the Pacifica is rarely called upon to perform to her more violent capabilities.

More often, she is a floating sign of the Imperial Will, traveling between worlds on a continuing circuit so that, if needed, she can come to the aid of any world that needs her immense power.

This circuit is managed by a selection of the best precognitive talents, and tactical geniuses in the Empire's employ. Seeming to be random, the Pacifica's travels are in fact carefully curated to place her precisely where she is needed most.

This is also to prevent the possibility of an attack, and has been Imperial policy ever since the Uprising, a period in which three of the other Carriers, the India, the Mediterranean, and the Adriatic, were hijacked by an attempted coup. They were recovered, but at significant cost.

Inside, the Pacifica is a world unto herself. A titanic floating colony, the Pacifica carries nearly fourteen million humans and human-others, and nearly eight million more alien and full-blood Others. At full capacity, she is capable of carrying nearly three times that number, but rarely has been called to do so.

Inside there is, of course, the Core, which includes her massive hyperspace Jump drive, and also the system needed to power all of her many functions. Like all Carriers, the Pacifica's Core is powered by a truly remarkable piece of engineering, said to be the creation of a dragon (likely Lord Petros) a Djinn, (possibly Lord Al'Mudhib), and a god. (Possibly Poseidon).

At her heart, there is an eternal flame, ignited by dragon fire, and sustained by great magic. In the centuries in which the Pacifica has been in flight, these eternal flames have never wavered. They produce a truly staggering amount of power, sufficient to keep the Pacifica and her sisters aloft with no need for other fuel.

Pacifica City, which houses most of the current population, is focused towards the surface of the Carrier, where many millions of windows, protected by retractable plating, allow for incredible views of the stars and planets as Pacifica travels. There are, of course, thoroughfares for vehicles, gardens, recreational events and schools of all sorts.

Notably, Pacifica offers a towering array of apartments, each with their own breathtaking window to the outside of the ship, for every Senator in residence. These apartments are virtually identical in layout and design in the interest of fairness. They are generously sized, but have a maximum occupancy of five, including the senator themselves. This is to ensure that the richer worlds do not take more room than they are due, thus crowding out poorer, or newer senators. These apartments are the property of the Imperial Government, and when a senator is replaced, their quarters go to the next from their world to be voted in.

The shopping of Pacifica speaks truly to the wealth housed within her walls. Designers, artists, and creators of all kinds swarm to Pacifica, eager to make their mark among the most powerful beings in the Human Galactic Empire. The markets of Pacifica are thick with shoppers, tourists, and residents going about their business. Because so many of Pacifica's residents are galactic officials, there is an entire subsection of the market that caters to robes of state, and several businesses offer a wide array of collected clothing that can be rented for the many glittering events that punctuate Pacifica's social circle. These businesses are particularly popular with new-world Senators, who do not have the financial means to furnish their own wardrobes.

The weapons of Carrier Pacifica are truly impressive. Capable of destroying a moon, or a planet with several well-placed blows, Pacifica is a terrifying symbol of military power. Even without the swarms of fighters she carries within her vast space-ports, ready to fly at the defense of their home, she is a formidable force to be reckoned with. So immense are her hangers and space ports, that Pacifica is capable of housing nearly a hundred destroyers, the devastating war ships of the Empire, within her belly, to deploy whenever the need arises. Most often, however, these destroyers act as her honor guard, floating around her, ready to attend the Imperial Will.

Her armor is nearly as impressive as her weapons. Made of faerie silver, nearly indestructible in itself, the armor plating is actually shed dragons scales, mostly those of Lord Petros, by their size, and covered in sheets of the silver. This armor can withstand nearly everything except a blast from another Carrier, even without the particle shields that are layered over her great bulk.

Truly, the biggest of the Carriers is a sight to behold, so large she produces her own gravity to supplement the artificial. So powerful that nothing but another Carrier could face her. In the light, she is glowing and silver, bright against the black of space. In the shadow of a planet, she vanished, marked only by her own great lights, guiding her sailors home.

No MoonOpowieści tętniące życiem. Odkryj je teraz