Treads Upon the Night

### Width

5 Kilometers wide at bow approx., 3 Kilometers abeam at main hull approx., 6 Kilometers abeam at superstructure approx., ( 8 Kilometers at fins approx.)

### Acceleration

1.8 gravities max sustainable acceleration

The **Treads Upon the Night** is the Imperial Gloriana-class Battleship that served as the flagship for the Primarch Niklaas of the Fire Keepers Legion during the Great Crusade and Five Ruins. This Gloriana class Battleship began as a ruined relic of the Dark Ages of technology, floating in the asteroid fields around the Fire Keepers solar system.

Once Niklaas and his Legion had been reunited and the Primarch returned to the stars, he recognised the potential of the ship they encountered drifting through space. The old name for the craft was long lost, it's fragile form torn asunder by a forgotten war and hurled into an asteroid field to be dismantled slowly, impact by torturous impact. Niklaas reclaimed what remains he could recover, eventually conceding to have the wreckage worked upon by his sons, guided by the plans made by their father's own hands.

## **History**

Complications arose as the work continued, the Gloriana's powerful engines and reactor being of a type almost lost to posterity, even in the technology rich days of the Great Crusade. Despite the immense size and power of said components, the vessel seemed incompatible with the Obsailes manner of construction, the armour plating piled upon the ancient hull making the craft unwieldy, and unstable.

When Niklaas reviewed the almost completed craft, along with its still non functioning main weapon, he was said to purse his lips and furrow his brow in frustration, even his superhuman mind struggling to fathom the mysteries in front of him. When he recommended the craft stripped down of the armour and the weapon connected directly to the overpowered main reactor, in defiance of usual mechanics safety protocols and avoiding the now standard safety mechanisms, his Legion, not to mention the Mechanicum experts he had flown in, were more than surprised, some even going so far as to whisper the Primarch could be in error.

The second iteration, that how now been renamed the "Treads Upon the Night" bore no recognisable traits of its unique Obsailan heritage. It was a smaller, sleeker design than any that had come before it, the main reactor and oversized engines giving it unrivalled speed for a craft of its size, at the expense of durability.

The main armament, with the near unlimited power of the reactor, was finally operable, if unwieldy. The Plasma Spear was a potent weapon, capable of puncturing through the spine even another Gloriana at point blank range. The ship had become the perfect iteration of an ancient Obsailan proverb - The Glass Cannon.

Niklaas was said to look upon his and his Legion's work, and was ultimately displeased. He was stated as to say that a craft of this class couldn't rely on screening units to make its attack run, and worked tirelessly to improve its defensive capabilities. Even its smaller size, dwarfed that of larger ships, making it a clear target amongst a fleet. Knowing it would be the focus of an enemy assault, Niklaas locked himself upon his quarters within the craft for two weeks.

Working tirelessly, not stopping to rest, he made the plans for his final upgrade. The Mechanicum were of course displeased by his final decision. Niklaas argued that the idea was sound, and was said to have use a number of 'legal' leverages to have the final upgrade approved.

The result was that the handcrafted technology that made Niklaas' Terminator armour so superior to his Brothers was finally maximised in its use, upscaled to the utmost limits. The final result was the first "Enhanced Void Shield Array', dubbed the Bastion Armament. The void shields were of a potency unheard of within the Imperium, a fortification with no weight, a shield with no drawbacks.

Or so was the plan. The disadvantage with the Bastion Armament was the same that had prevented Niklaas's improvements upon the first terminator suits becoming widespread, namably power requirements.

The enhanced defence, power hungry main armament, and superior engines became a curse, as much as a blessing. Even a reactor from the peak of technology had its limits, especially when such power hungry devices had to be routed directly into the reactor, in expense of safety and control mechanisms.

The reactor could only power two of the three oversized devices at any time. If the Bastion array and the engine's superior speed were being used, the Spear of Obsailes, the Plasma Spear, could not be fired.

To make a successful attack run took as much discipline as it did planning. The Tread of the Night must draw forward, using its superior speed to close with a foe, it's point defences and fighter escorts screening it from bomber runs, the Bastion Array rendering it impervious to any attempt to slow it down.

At medium range, the lances would open fire, stripping shields from its foes in preparation. The Spear of Obsailes was potent, but mostly against the metal hulls of enemy craft, and somewhat wasted upon a void shield.

At the final moment, the mighty engines would stall, as power is redirected, their mighty roar reduced to a stuttering whine, the barest reserve of power remaining in them to keep them from cooling down and requiring lengthy warm up procedure. Such a tactic required the manual intervention of the crew, as safety and automated procedures had been removed to make such a feat possible.

As the engines stutter, the main armament warms up, the power growing as the Spear of Obsailes glows blue, the very barrel becoming luminescent, the light growing in intensity, even as the speed falls. As the craft comes to a stop, the Spear of Obsailes opens fire, the enemy craft being cored through by a beam of true heat, the beam itself with a diameter the size of a small cruiser.

After the discharge, the engines stutter. With a few final flashes and moans, the reactor redirects the power, the engines roaring into life, the Tread Upon the Night finally moving away from the cored husk.

## **Technical Characteristics**

Classification: Gloriana Class Battleship

Design Template: Zulmoxite

### **Dimensions:**

Length: 16 Kilometers bow to stern

Width: 5 Kilometers wide at bow approx., 3 Kilometers abeam at main hull approx., 6 Kilometers abeam at superstructure approx., ( 8 Kilometers at fins approx.)

Height: 4 Kilometers at prow, 3 Kilometers at main hull, 6 Kilometers at superstructure.

   Mass: 75 Megatonnes approx.

   Crew: 1,000,000+

   Accel: 1.8 gravities max sustainable acceleration. (Improved Plasma Drives)

Other Features: Training Decks, Mausoleum, Dreadnought Hangar, Apothecarium, Manufactorii, Teleportation Decks, Sanctum, Secondary Command Deck, Redundant Life Support Systems, Workshop, Legion Recreational Spaces, Amphitheater.

### **Systems:**

Enhanced Plasma Drives

Enhanced Void-shield Generators

### **Armaments:**

#### **Prow**

Fire of Obsailes Super Melta Beamer

Power Ram

#### **Dorsal**

3X Quad Barrel Lance Turrets

2X Disruption Macro Cannon Turrets

#### **Port side**

2X Heavy Fusion Beamer Batteries

3X Torpedo Tube Arrays

#### **Starboard side**

2X Heavy Fusion Beamer Batteries

3X Torpedo Tube Arrays

#### **Ventral**

3X Quad Barrel Lance Turrets

2X Disruption Macro Cannon Turrets