Phobos (Individual Trojan-class DropShip)
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- This article is about the refitted freighter DropShip. For the Union-class DropShip, see Phobos (Union).
| Phobos | |
|---|---|
| Vessel Profile | |
| Type | DropShip |
| Class | Trojan |
| Previous classes | Danais |
The Phobos was a Trojan-class DropShip best known for its association with the Gray Death Legion.
Contents
History
Phobos was the "Number Two" DropShip of the free trader JumpShip Invidious, while its sister ship Deimos was the "Number One" DropShip. Originally an unarmed[1] freighter, implicitly a Danais-class vessel[2] though that is never actually confirmed, the Phobos had been modified to Trojan-class specifications[3] by 3025.
On 25 October of that year, the Phobos attempted to run the blockade of Verthandi posing as the Union-class DropShip Li Tao,[4] after having been repainted with a Draconis Combine crest and false shadings had been applied to imitate the shadows of weapons.[5] The ruse failed and the Phobos came under fire from aerospace fighters and DropShips (including the Xao) during the breakthrough, eventually managing a rough landing on the shore of the Azure Sea Basin on Verthandi some 200 kilometers from their intended landing zone. It was subsequently rigged to float and moved 500 kilometers across the Azure Sea using an improvised steam drive to hide in a fjord.
At the conclusion of the Verthandi campaign it was patched up for spaceflight again[6] despite the severe damage it had sustained.
The vessel's future beyond this point is uncertain. A DropShip named Phobos remained in service with the Gray Death Legion, but it is consistently described as a Union-class vessel in later sources[7], indicating that a real Union replaced the original, damaged and worn-out Phobos after Verthandi. (See also: Phobos (Union))
Notes
- The Phobos was first metioned by name in the 1987 novel Mercenary's Star (although it may possibly have been the unnamed DropShip from the previous novel, Decision at Thunder Rift). It was described as a modified 3200 ton spheroid freighter DropShip that could be mistaken for a slightly bigger and substantially better armed Union-class DropShip (which it pretended to be). The exact class was not stated. A scenario published in Gray Death Legion (scenario pack) (published 1986 and apparently written concurrently with the novels by the same author) recreates the attempt to run the blockade of Verthandi and provides game stats for the Phobos under AeroTech rules including its weapons layout, again without stating its class. The 2008 sourcebook Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents finally introduced the Danais/Trojan-class DropShip, using the Phobos' stats from the scenario as a template for the Trojan class and explicitly mentioning the Phobos in the writeup.
- The Invidious and both of its DropShips were boarded by pirates from the Oberon Confederation while recharging enroute to Trellwan in 3024, and weapons were installed by the pirates to both DropShips.[8] Although the Phobos is not mentioned by name, it seems likely that the Phobos was converted into a Trojan in this incident.
References
(Page references for the novels refer to the PDF editions and may differ from print editions.)
- ↑ Mercenary's Star, p. 31
- ↑ because the Danais is the base merchant vessel class from which the Trojan derives
- ↑ Gray Death Legion, p. 27; the Trojan-class writeup in Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 153, not only uses the configuration of the Phobos during their blockade running attempt as a template for the Trojan class, but also specifically mentions the Phobos as an example for such vessels posing as Unions.
- ↑ Mercenary's Star, pp. 45-64; Gray Death Legion, p. 27
- ↑ Mercenary's Star, pp. 31, 50-51
- ↑ Mercenary's Star, p. 342
- ↑ The Price of Glory, pp. 29, 60; Mercenary's Handbook 3055, p. 57; The Dying Time, p. 73; Field Manual: Mercenaries describes the Gray Death Legion to own or operate altogether five Union class DropShips and a number of aerodyne DropShips, without providing names
- ↑ Decision at Thunder Rift, p. 115 - Lori Kalmar recalls being forced to install weapons on both DropShips whereas Renfred Tor previously reported it only for the one that later landed on Trellwan (p. 58).