Kaiser Ayreon (gravship)
The Kaiser Ayreon was a gravship, developed by Babkhan–Shirerithian researchers of Project Mortis, currently in the possession of Theogiorick. Destroyed in 1726.
Shirerithian–Elwynnese history
The gravship programme was unveiled on Izillare the 4th of Fasmas (VI), 1541 developed from an industrial archaeology programme known as Project Mortis. (One of the few advantages of living in the Soloralists post-apocalyptic future).
The Kaiser Ayreon absconded to Elwynn on Izillare 20 Fasmas (VI) 1554 as a consequence of a plot that in no way entailed the Khan of Vijayanagara stealing imperial property under the unconvincing guise of an alien invasion.
For a long time after the Incident the IRS Kaiser Ayreon remained firmly grounded and out of sight in a hanger on the former Z-Site at Caligae which had become a UDF Aerodrome after Elwynnese independence. During the turmoil of those years, the gravship was essentially forgotten by the bureaucracy of the Elwynnese Union, who preferred not to address their inner fear that, after a long period without proper maintenance, the jumble of stolen, recovered and retrofitted Menelmacari and Karnalian advanced design features strapped to a fission reactor of Babkhan provenance had effectively created rather large thermonuclear device close to Caligae.
This changed when Elijah Ayreon announced to the Elwynnese Senate his visionary proposal to use the Kaiser Ayreon to mount an interstellar expedition to the twelve planets of the Yll Exuun star system. As the Elwynnese are not a space-faring nation, the expedition required the services of Natopian engineers and navigators to repair the ship and train up a crew. A number of advisers from the Omni-Tree Corporation were also involved, leading to accusations of contract pork-barrelling' being levelled at the Norse Grand Marshall, Tarjei Einhornsson.
The Zeta Yll Exûun Expedition departed in 1591 under the command of Dr Ola Hughson. It was never heard from again. A number of conspiracy theories abound, that the Kaiser Ayreon never left Micras orbit, that it was incapable of leaving the limits of Micras' upper atmosphere, that the Elwynnese Government concealed the news of its destruction en route to Yll Exuun system or finally that the Expedition, after learning of Elwynn's capitulation to Shireroth, elected to remain on Zeta Yll Exûun rather than return home to a nation that had disgraced itself. There are also those who suggest that, in choosing Ola Hughson to lead the expedition, Tokaray al-Osman had deliberately sabotaged the programme by selecting the worst possible candidate. His motive for doing so are difficult to discern but some speculate that it could have been in a fit of pique at the House of Osman GmBH missing out on the lucrative projects associated with the notorious cash-cow of a programme.
Unfortunately all most all the research data and technical drawings associated with the project to bring the IRS Kaiser Ayreon back into service were destroyed by UDF personnel at Caligae when they learned that Jacobus Loki had usurped the office of Prince of Elwynn after a bitterly disputed election, an event that presaged the end of Elwynnese independence.
Resurfacing
In 1721, the Kaiser Ayreon was identified among the ships in an alien Theogiorickan armada in the Atos system. It appeared to have human-friendly life-support systems, unlike the the other ships in the armada, suggesting it might carry human crew (perhaps descendants of the original crew). It had the flag of Theogiorick painted on its hull.
The ship was shot down by Raspur Pact forces in 1726, when it carried refugees from Theogiorick.
Flag of operation
- 1541–1561:
Shireroth (in practice, only until 1554) - 1561–1565:
Shireroth (in practice, not in use) - 1565–1571: Shireroth (in practice, not in use)
- 1571–1591:
Elwynn, Amokolia, and Hurmu - 1591–1721: unknown
- 1721–1726:
Theogiorick
