Invictus

The ***Invictus*** was an Assault Cruiser of the Terran Federation Navy, before being modified and sold to John Blake by Vice Admiral Charles Harris.

## Ship Overview

The *Invictus* is a decommissioned Terran Federation Assault Cruiser, and is both the primary setting and the main McGuffin of most of the Three Square Meals story. It is currently owned by retired Terran Federation Marine John Blake. Although it was a standard Terran Assault Cruiser when purchased by John, it has since undergone extensive refits and modifications, making it faster, more manoeuvrable, more heavily armoured and far more heavily armed than any other single ship in known space, except for progenitor dreadnoughts.

## History

The *Invictus* was a standard Terran Federation Assault Cruiser when John Blake was assigned to it as a marine 2757 CE. At some point between 2757 CE and 2767 CE, Charles Harris took command as Captain having been on the bridge crew since 2748 CE. The *Invictus* remained Blake's posting until his retirement in 2767 CE.

Blake and the *Invictus* were reunited c.2778 CE at Olympus Shipyard when the *Invictus* was decommissioned and then-Vice Admiral Harris offered Blake the ship for 150 million credits. The ship was automated, and luxury fittings installed by Harris as a gift to Blake

### Port Heracles, The Haunted Tactician & The Stalker

After receiving distressing news from Calara at Port Heracles about her condition, John & Alyssa set off for Port Heracles to reunite with her and to get the bottom of her problems. When they arrive at the station they find that although she is starting to look better she shows signs of PTSD. After a confrontation with her former OIC and signing off on transfer papers and a AAR, Calara joins the *Invictus* as it's resident Tactical officer.

### Karron & The Mechanical Savant

The *Invictus* rapidly becomes both a home to John and his small crew, and also a robust means for them to accomplish their goals. The ship quickly proved itself on its first mission under John's command, a trip to the mining colony of Karron to purchase more of the valuable mineral Tyrenium. On the way there, the crew used the destructive power of the ship to save a Heavy Freighter that was being boarded by pirates. The Point Defense/Tertiary Energy Gatling Lasers also provided excellent fire support when John and Alyssa were betrayed by the treacherous mine owner Seb Mortimer.

### The Chendar Pirates, The Kirrix & The Shapeshifter

After Lieutenant Calara Fernandez located the base of operations of the pirates at Chendar, the *Invictus* moved to assault the base. After destroying a number of smaller ships, it moved to interdict an escaping Kirrix hive ship, loaded with prisoners taken by the pirates and sold to the Kirrix as brood fodder. The *Invictus* was able to disable the ship, and withstood a boarding attempt by the insectoid species. After boarding and eliminating the Kirrix threat, John and his crew jumped the *Invictus* into Hyper warp in pursuit of the remainder of the pirates.

The *Invictus* caught up with the pirates in the Iota-Carinae system. Unfortunately, the ship was caught in an interdiction trap by the pirates, but were able to escape the trap by taking cover in the icy rings of Iota-Carinae Alpha. The crew managed to reverse the trap, utilising the *Invictus*' speed and manoeuvrability to disable the Heavy Cruiser *Stalingrad*, in addition to destroying several Destroyers.

After shielding John's stolen Kirrix dropship from the Stalingrad's self-destruct explosion, the *Invictus* was then tasked with transporting the recovered prisoners to Port Heracles.

As a reward for his actions against the pirates, Blake was awarded with a state-of-the-art Raptor Gunship at Olympus Shipyard, which was subsequently docked within the *Invictus*' hangar bay.

### The Ashanath-Drakkar Raider Conflict

The *Invictus*, however, was not invulnerable, and this was brought into stark relief while en route to Ashana. Drakkar raiders interdicted the ship, destroying the FTL drive and then boarding the *Invictus*. It was only through the intervention of Jade's newly awakened transformation abilities and John's Progenitor side that allowed them to fight off the boarders. The timely intervention of the Ashanath then provided distraction enough for Lt. Fernandez to unload the ship's Mass Drivers into the Drakkar cruiser's engines in a devastating blow, with a follow-up strike with Beam Laser and Laser Pulse Cannon blasts. The Ashanath then towed the *Invictus* to Ashana.

As a result of Blake's treaty with the Ashanath to assist against the Drakkar, the *Invictus* received it's first major upgrade and refit, with Dana Blake incorporating and modifying the offered Ashanath technology to optimum benefit for the Assault Cruiser.

The efficacy of the upgrades were soon proven in an ambush of a Drakkar Cruiser, easily destroying the ship with only cosmetic damage to the *Invictus*' armor plating. The second ambush of two cruisers was equally as effective, the *Invictus* only sustaining minor damage and a quickly-repulsed boarding action.

The final confrontation came in the Kappa-Indarran system, where the *Invictus* served as a base of operations while John, Jade, Dana and Alyssa Marant infiltrated the Drakkar Battleship there, sabotaging half of it's power regulators. The Battleship subsequently exploded, destroying its two cruiser escorts as well, ending the Drakkar incursion into Ashanath space.

### The Doctor and the Dragons

After a brief trip to Jericho, in the Epsilon Eridani system, the *Invictus* was tasked with transporting the crew to Port Medea, in the Iota Leonis system, to allow them to meet with and recruit Doctor Rachel Voss. Unfortunately, the ship exited hyper warp in the middle of an attack by the Kintark.

After dropping off Jade in the Raptor to intercept a wing of bombers targeting a group of Terran Heavy Transports, the *Invictus* gave chase to a second wing of bombers. The bombers were destroyed thanks to the remarkable marksmanship of Lieutenant Fernandez, who utilised manual targeting of the Beam Lasers and Laser Cannon to annihilate the entire wing. It then attempted to intercept a wing of dropships, destroying two before docking with the base and disembarking John and Alyssa to stop the boarders.

A distress call from Jade drew the *Invictus* into battle once again, however. Again uncannily accurate shooting allowed Calara to save Jade and the Raptor from destruction by firing on and destroying her pursuing fighters with Beam Lasers.

After John, Alyssa, and the newly met Doctor Voss reboarded the ship, the *Invictus* then proceeded to draw off the rest of the attacking force. John and his crew demonstrated the fearsome destructive capabilities of the ship, destroying the fighters, bombers and cruiser that was defending the Heavy Carrier *Karlan'toh*. After this display, Prelate Jarganth, in command of the Heavy Carrier, surrenders.

As a result of the conflict, Dana is able to reverse-engineer and enhance Kintark heatsinks, providing a sizeable boost to the destructive capability of the *Invictus*' laser weaponry.

Afterwards, on the vacation planet of Oceanus, Alyssa is able to replate the entire ship with the double-shaped white variant of Invictium armour, dubbed Alyssium, further increasing the defensive capabilities of the ship.

## Upgrade History

### First Refit: Ashanath

Chapter 27

 Ashanath Tachyon Drive
 Incorporation of Modified Ashanath Tachyon field technology to Mass Drivers
 Single-shaped Invictium armour with energy-absorbing capacitors
 Security doors
 Laser gatling turrets
 Pop-up barricades
 Grav-tube elevators

### Requisitioned Maliri upgrade: Geniya Trading post

Chapter 43-44

 Targeting system (Fire Control System)
 Shield modulator
 Sensor array
 Triple-shaped white Alyssium Armour

## Capabilities

1. ↑ Discord Q&A Session 3/4#Topic 6: Invictus (With Deck Plans)
2. ↑ Chapter 105
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Chapter 99
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Chapter 75
5. ↑ Chapter 108