IPS Colossus

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The IPS Colossus was a passenger starship operated by the Star Passenger Service. This meant securing the company as number one and outselling its biggest rivals Cynthian Cruises who had completed the IPS Mayran just years prior, the biggest spaceship at the time. The disaster would end up as the worst Peacetime Starship Disaster until the IPS Stellar Star. The crash and subsequent loss of life would end up changing space laws forever. The company would also go bankrupt just years after.

## Career

### Construction

The ship was constructed by Star Passenger's shipyard in the major city Laideza on Luna in 2705 and was an amazing undertaking for the shipyard. At over 1,200ft the Colossus was the biggest ship ever constructed at the time, bigger than even the space navy's biggest warships. Over 100 feet longer than the Mayran. In an odd design choice, only 24% of her was engines and power. This greatly reduced the speed she would travel but helped her have a more stable ride and increased the amenities they could put in her.

### Public Reception

The public loved this new ship, with over 4.3 million attending her launch and 6.4 million watching her depart, the biggest numbers of any launch at the time. The interiors were also deemed luxurious, with every passenger having a private 5-star room. Many cinemas were playing different movies, they had a massive Sol System-based restaurant within and had every channel available on the ship. They spared no expense and it paid off over 2,523 boarding her as passengers. Well-renowned Captain Prifti was her new captain, an Albanian Starship captain who was known for his no-nonsense behaviour and adherence to rules, he had also successfully done a controlled descent just two years prior with another ship, so he was more than qualified.

### Maiden Voyage and Disaster

She set sail on the 3rd of April 2712, a moment for the ages. She set sail for the Star System Lucha. Lucha is a yellow dwarf star with three celestial bodies around it, one being a nature conservatory. She planned to stop there, let some people off, get others on then head back to the Sol System. She doubled as a cruise ship and a passenger vessel, with 546 people aboard intending to arrive at the nature planet and the others boarding for the views of outer space on the most luxurious starship in the world. However, 3 days into her voyage as she was nearing Lucha they were alerted of an asteroid field directly ahead of them. Prifti turned the ship west, planning to go through the Yersteum System instead. This would also be good as there was a beautiful icy planet there that people could watch in awe as they went by. However, the report had failed to mention that this massive asteroid field was moving west, meaning the Colossus was on a direct collision course.

She entered the Yersteum System on the 6th of April, flying by the first exoplanet with no worry. Scans didn't show anything so she sailed at her normal speed. They passed by the second exoplanet, and once again nothing. However, it was at this point they received an updated report on the field, showing its movement to the Yerstsum System. Prifti worked with his officers and determined they would get out of the system in time if they kept the course they were at, which was the right move in the scenario. What they didn't account for was a sudden increase in the speed of the group and in particular, some split off into smaller sub-groups of asteriods. As she was approaching the Ice Planet, simply nicknamed Y-4367D at the time, the scanners picked up a group of objects. Prifti decided to turn towards the ice planet with a new plan. They would hover above the icy planet until the asteroid field had cleared. Whilst this would be bad for the company's schedule, it was the best way to stop lives being lost, and the amenities inside the ship would keep everyone distracted. Not only that but it would allow the engines to cool down.

They made their way to Y-4367D, announcing to the passengers a stop to rest the engines a bit and give them a view of the beautiful planet. The ship was now about to arrive at the planet but the asteroid field had arrived. One asteroid, in particular, ended up crashing straight into the ship's engine room, the vessel not being fast enough to properly manoeuvre. In a last-ditch attempt to save everyone, the lifepods were readied and the captain attempted a controlled descent to the ice planet. It was chaos aboard, officers trying to keep the panic down. Lifepods were launched and around 442 had escaped into the pods. The last words rang out, "We are colliding, brace for impact." Anyone not in the pods had to brace as she collided with the ground. The engine half was completely ripped apart and only her main compartment was left, but she had crashed successfully and despite many dying from the impact, 143 managed to get out of the ship including most of the commanding crew as the bridge was mostly unaffected. The Captain was also right as far as everyone was concerned. 585 had survived the landing, and they all met up. There were hardly any winter clothes in the pods and so they had to settle their base on the barren icy wilderness. The ship had sent an SOS in its last moments and people were heading over, but it was too late for 37 people, including the captain who mostly died of hypothermia.

### The Rescue and Aftermath

The IPS Cypra of Cynthian Cruises arrived a day later, having been heading to a nearby star system. The survivors were welcomed and given heating and other warming-up methods. For those who could still talk they were questioned, the main one being the Chief Officer, who told them about the captain's selfless actions and what they had planned. News quickly spread across the empire and a salvage team was sent to the planet two days later. Bodies were found and identified, and certain parts of the ship were taken and the planet was nicknamed "Ice Colossus". Many people went there to witness the wreck. The front was in good condition, however, the engine rooms had completely been wrecked.

The Star Passenger Service could not ignore any of this, over 2,000 died including their most professional captain, the media was now getting riled up over this and they had to pay for every family hurt in the events. This and other events happening in the company since the disaster caused the company to sell everything it owned in 2716 and it filed for bankruptcy. Talks about protecting the wreck would continue until 2719 when the ship suddenly blew up completely, leaving nothing but smoke and debris in the atmosphere.

### Spacetime Law

With the crash of the Colossus, some new laws were implemented. Lifepods are required to have winter outfits and water-based outfits within the capacity of that lifepod, they are to have heaters within and other systems to keep people safe. They also developed a new technology for spaceships, a barrier. This was eventually developed more later on but for now, they had a basic forcefield around ships. Communications officers would also double as scanners, scanning the environment around the ship and radars were required to reach at least the radius of Earth. A new company also formed called the Safe Space Company, making specialised ships meant for destroying known asteroid fields and meteors. An unfortunate accident but a needed accident.