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SITE LORE
FAMOUS GHOST SHIPS
OF THE GALAXY
FAMOUS GHOST SHIPS
OF THE GALAXY
Space travel has been a fact of life among the peoples of the Galaxy since prehistory. Long, long ago, primitive starfarers first sent their own kind into space aboard crude chemical rockets, daring to explore beyond the confines of their own worlds.
And ever since those earliest days - likely even before - there have been tales of ghost ships.
Perhaps the oldest known ghost ship is the Capsule of Barancar, a specter which haunts the shipping lanes near a planet in the Tion Cluster. The capsule is reported to be a tiny vessel, no more than 8 standard meters in length, clunky and primitive in construction. Legend tells that it dates from the very earliest days of the planet's settlement, or perhaps from some older, earlier time; it is said to be a lost exploratory mission, launched on an accidental trajectory which placed it in an orbit from which it could never return. Ships which travel alone have reported encountering this spectral craft, and comm officers on the night watch have reported receiving faint, desperate distress calls, sometimes the pleading of the trapped crew, and at other times the resigned monologue of the last doomed survivor, cursing those who left him and his comrades to die in space.
Ships that attempt to intercept the capsule are never able to reach it, and those who attempt to respond to the distress calls report strange occurrences aboard their own vessels. Occasionally, those who attempt to render aid or comfort simply disappear themselves.
Ghost ships of all shapes and sizes are a phenomenon which is reported across the Galaxy. From the remote interstellar wildernesses of the Outer Rim to the busy shipping lanes of the Core, beings have seen phantoms of the stars. Sometimes they are spectral revenants, glimpsed from afar. Other times, they appear as real and whole as any vessel, seemingly displaced from some other time or place, only to vanish back from whence they came.
Collected here are a few of the better known ghost ships known to prowl the stars.
THE FLYING ALSAKANI
The Flying Alsakani is a specter which is said primarily to haunt the Perlemian Trade Route, although she has been reported across the Galaxy. The legend of the Alsakani appears to originate either during or immediately after the series of trade wars which were waged between the planets Coruscant and Alsakan during the early years of the Republic.
The Flying Alsakani was reportedly an Alsakan merchant cruiser which sailed the Perlemian many thousands of years ago, commanded by one Captain Willem Vanderdecken. The legend goes that Vanderdecken sought to shave time off his ship's voyages, and decided to forge a shortcut through a hazardous nebula which the Perlemian proper had bypassed. He was warned by his crew that to attempt such a course would be folly, but Vanderdecken was confident in his skill to the point of arrogance, and chose to ignore them all.
On the following voyage, the Flying Alsakani and all aboard were nearly lost in the nebula, the crew mutinying to make the ship turn back. Back in port, Vanderdecken dismissed the entire crew, hired a new one and set out again, determined to conquer the nebula.
Neither Vanderdecken, his crew, or the Flying Alsakani were ever seen alive again.
It is said that the luminous phantom of the Flying Alsakani will appear to ships which are lost or in distress. Its appearance is widely regarded as a portent of doom; some superstitious crews have even been reported to fire on the ghost in an attempt to drive it off, which appears to have no effect.
If hailed, the Alsakani will attempt to send messages to be delivered to the encounterer's next port of call, usually addressed to beings long dead; attempts to deliver such messages are said to result in misfortune.
THE KRISTAN
The Kristan is an unusual ghost ship, one which - to those who have encountered her - is quite a bit more tangible than many other spectral vessels. She is immortalized in a popular space shanty, the lyrics seen below.
Jayme Dawson was the Captain of the Kristan and her crew,
And he flew and fought the Kristan in the war when she was new.
Now the Kristan was the tightest ship 'tween here and Shalyvane,
And the crew of Jayme Dawson was the same.
On patrol in a Rim sector, keeping watch upon a sun,
They were jumped by three light cruisers though they were no match for one.
As they came to general quarters and they sent out the alarm,
Dawson's crew was sure they'd finally bought the farm.
Now they say that Jayme Dawson was no man to cut and run,
And they say that when he fought, he had the fury of a sun.
They say he made his bargain with some power of the night,
that he sold his soul to win his final fight.
No one living saw that battle though the fleet was quick to leave.
When they reached the site they found a scene no sane man could believe.
Dead in space lay three light cruisers, cut to ribbons all around,
But no sign of Dawson's Kristan could be found.
There are tales of the Alsakan, and old Vanderdecken's pride,
There are tales of the Rakata and the dark Force they abide,
But the tale that chills my spirit, more because I know it's true,
Is the tale of Jayme Dawson and his crew,
Yes, the tale of Dawson's Kristan and her crew.
(instrumental interlude)
I was second mate on Hera's Dream, a freighter of the line.
We were shipping precious metals from a far-out Rim-world mine.
It was on the second watch of that most uneventful flight,
When the pirate ships appeared out of the night.
Well I thought our fate was settled, for they had us four to one,
And you can't fight bloody pirates when your freighter has no gun.
So we stood by to be boarded by a party yet unseen,
When another ship appeared upon our screen.
First we thought it just a pirate, but the vector was all wrong.
Then we thought it might be rescue, but the signal wasn't strong.
When she didn't answer hailing, we all felt an unknown dread,
For we saw her shields were up and glowing red.
Now the courage of that single ship is shown by very few,
But we never knew a ship could fly the way the stranger flew.
Never fearing guns or numbers, like a great cat to its meat,
The stranger then attacked the pirate fleet.
And the strangers beams burned brighter than all beams I'd seen before.
And the strangers shields were harder than the lode from any ore.
As the battle rent the eather, while we watched and shook our heads,
Four pirate ships she cut to bloody shreds.
The pirate ships were cut to bloody shreds.
Just as quickly as it started then the fighting was all done.
For the pirate fleet was shattered and the stranger's ship had won.
Though we tried to call and thank her, not an answer could we draw,
Then she dropped her shields and this is what we saw.
There were thirty holes clear through her and a gash along one side,
And we knew that when it happened every soul aboard had died.
Then we got a faint transponder, and we read it and we knew,
The fate of Jayme Dawson and his crew.
She was the Kristan, and a grave for all her crew.
Then she turned as if to leave us, but instead began to fade,
First the hull, and then the bulkheads as we cowered there afraid,
And there are 20 men who'll swear with me, the last to slip from view,
Were the bones of Jayme Dawson and his crew.
Dead white bones of Jayme Dawson and his crew.
There are tales of the Alsakan, and old Vanderdecken's pride,
There are tales of the Rakata and the dark Force they abide,
But the tale that makes my blood run cold, 'cause I know that it's true,
Is the tale of Jayme Dawson and his crew,
Yes, the tale of Dawson's Kristan and her crew.
(Song is to the tune of Dawson's Christian)
And he flew and fought the Kristan in the war when she was new.
Now the Kristan was the tightest ship 'tween here and Shalyvane,
And the crew of Jayme Dawson was the same.
On patrol in a Rim sector, keeping watch upon a sun,
They were jumped by three light cruisers though they were no match for one.
As they came to general quarters and they sent out the alarm,
Dawson's crew was sure they'd finally bought the farm.
Now they say that Jayme Dawson was no man to cut and run,
And they say that when he fought, he had the fury of a sun.
They say he made his bargain with some power of the night,
that he sold his soul to win his final fight.
No one living saw that battle though the fleet was quick to leave.
When they reached the site they found a scene no sane man could believe.
Dead in space lay three light cruisers, cut to ribbons all around,
But no sign of Dawson's Kristan could be found.
There are tales of the Alsakan, and old Vanderdecken's pride,
There are tales of the Rakata and the dark Force they abide,
But the tale that chills my spirit, more because I know it's true,
Is the tale of Jayme Dawson and his crew,
Yes, the tale of Dawson's Kristan and her crew.
(instrumental interlude)
I was second mate on Hera's Dream, a freighter of the line.
We were shipping precious metals from a far-out Rim-world mine.
It was on the second watch of that most uneventful flight,
When the pirate ships appeared out of the night.
Well I thought our fate was settled, for they had us four to one,
And you can't fight bloody pirates when your freighter has no gun.
So we stood by to be boarded by a party yet unseen,
When another ship appeared upon our screen.
First we thought it just a pirate, but the vector was all wrong.
Then we thought it might be rescue, but the signal wasn't strong.
When she didn't answer hailing, we all felt an unknown dread,
For we saw her shields were up and glowing red.
Now the courage of that single ship is shown by very few,
But we never knew a ship could fly the way the stranger flew.
Never fearing guns or numbers, like a great cat to its meat,
The stranger then attacked the pirate fleet.
And the strangers beams burned brighter than all beams I'd seen before.
And the strangers shields were harder than the lode from any ore.
As the battle rent the eather, while we watched and shook our heads,
Four pirate ships she cut to bloody shreds.
The pirate ships were cut to bloody shreds.
Just as quickly as it started then the fighting was all done.
For the pirate fleet was shattered and the stranger's ship had won.
Though we tried to call and thank her, not an answer could we draw,
Then she dropped her shields and this is what we saw.
There were thirty holes clear through her and a gash along one side,
And we knew that when it happened every soul aboard had died.
Then we got a faint transponder, and we read it and we knew,
The fate of Jayme Dawson and his crew.
She was the Kristan, and a grave for all her crew.
Then she turned as if to leave us, but instead began to fade,
First the hull, and then the bulkheads as we cowered there afraid,
And there are 20 men who'll swear with me, the last to slip from view,
Were the bones of Jayme Dawson and his crew.
Dead white bones of Jayme Dawson and his crew.
There are tales of the Alsakan, and old Vanderdecken's pride,
There are tales of the Rakata and the dark Force they abide,
But the tale that makes my blood run cold, 'cause I know that it's true,
Is the tale of Jayme Dawson and his crew,
Yes, the tale of Dawson's Kristan and her crew.
(Song is to the tune of Dawson's Christian)
The Kristan is a space-borne revenant, and one of fairly recent vintage. The first tales concerning the Kristan and its crew come from the early years of the Saber Wars. The vessel in question is often described as an old Republic Navy frigate, scarred with horrific battle damage.
The Kristan is said to intercede on behalf of lone ships caught by ambush. She is said to appear out of nowhere, destroy all attackers and then disappear. None who have fought against her have ever lived to tell the tale, and none who have been aided by her have come away unaffected...
THE SURVIVORS
Frequently, the history of the Galaxy is one of fire and horror. In the distant past, before the great concordance between worlds created by the Republic, conquering armies rolled over the face of the Galaxy. Empires rose and fell with regularity, and great battles were fought, often with little regard for what they destroyed in the process.
It is thought likely that the entities rather ironically dubbed "the Survivors" come from this era.
The Survivors are not a single ghost hip, but rather a category of such. They have been encountered all over the Galaxy over thousands of years, with some known accounts even predating the Republic. Invariably, the phantoms take the appearance of archaic transports, often in poor repair and occasionally in small groups, though they are as likely to be encountered alone.
Unlike many ghost ships, Survivors will actively try to communicate with other vessels, transmitting on ancient comm frequencies. The messages are often desperate; pleas for food, fuel and medical supplies, or hyperspace jump vectors to the nearest habitable planet. The messages claim that the ships are carrying large numbers of refugees, telling tales of a nuclear holocaust consuming their planet of origin, a world which no longer seems to appear on modern charts.
If invited to take on supplies, a Survivor vessel will turn and make for the offering vessel, accelerating to almost ramming speed but vanishing before impact. If given hyperspace coordinates, the vessel will turn to leave, but vanish before making a jump. When scanned, the vessel will register as being highly radioactive.
THE EMDEN
The Emden is a ghost ship known primarily to military spacers, and most often encountered by them. Taking the form of an enormous spectral cruiser, the Emden is most commonly reported to be seen on active battlefields, or among retreating fleets.
No real origin for the Emden is known, though theories abound. Some believe it is the spirit of a warship destroyed in some long-forgotten war. Others believe it is an amalgamation of history's beaten navies, the literal specter of defeat.
The Emden, as it most often appears, is little more than an insubstantial, translucent image. The type and configuration of the vessel appears to differ depending on who sees it, but it is almost universally of heavy cruiser class or better.
The Emden is said to only follow lost causes, joining the battle line of a fleet destined to lose an engagement. The ship does not appear to engage in combat, and shots fired directly at it seem to pass right through.
To superstitious spacers, the presence of the Emden in a battle is an ill omen indeed.
THE FREEBOOTER
The Freebooter is a ghost ship which, at first glance, does not appear to be anything of the kind. Like the Survivor, it is less a single vessel than a classification of such. Freebooters are almost universally of an archaic class of light freighter, usually of the "tail-sitter" type which lands and takes off using its drive engines rather than repulsorlifts. Moreover, the type is seldom encountered in space, but more often in remote ports and on space stations.
Freebooters do not land, and do not take off. They will simply appear in a bay or on a landing pad seemingly when no-one is looking, and no-one will be able to recall when or how it got there. Their crew will tend not to be seen, except for the captain, who may come into a local cantina late at night. The captain is always human, with sunken eyes and pale skin.
One day, the ship will simply be gone. As it came, so it will leave; no witnesses to its departure.
Beings are cautioned not to board one of these vessels, no matter what the captain may offer. Those who board such a vessel are never seen again.
Sightings of Freebooters are most often explained away as particularly secretive smugglers, bounty hunters or even slavers using an elaborate scheme to acquire new stock. Even so, the wide dispersion and consistency of Freebooter encounters make them hard to entirely dismiss.