Olympus, the Argonauts & other space-faring vessels

[horizonmods]

OLYMPUS

OLYMPUS is a military space station in the outer reaches of the Solar System. It was constructed as a pit stop of sorts between the last of the Colonies and Alpha Centauri, and thus, is capable of stabilizing itself without the benefit of a planetary orbit. For several years, Olympus was positioned near the mouth of the Styx Wormhole and helped to aid the people who came through, however it suffered significant damage during the initial GIGANTE events and, along with Titan, was abandoned. Fortunately, within the decade, new technology developed which allowed human beings to travel to Alpha Centauri without the station's help. The Styx wormhole grew dormant and thus, Olympus was no longer needed. It was put into orbit around Neptune and lay completely abandoned for almost twenty years. In 2198, however, the Styx wormhole reactivated, and people started appearing again. Eventually, this led to another GIGANTE event, and Olympus was recommissioned and refashioned as a military outpost. With the development of the ARGONAUT program in 2201, Olympus became the home to the retooled mechasuits in their fight against the inter-dimensional monsters. The ARGONAUTS The ARGONAUTS were originally designed for terraforming. They are large mechasuits each possessing a self-contained life support system. Originally designed in 2116 for the purposes of developing Titan and Alpha Centauri III, they are large, outdated, and often practically falling apart. The ARGONAUT program came about purely by mistake. During one of the many GIGANTE attacks on the Olympus station, a mechanic sought cover in one of the leftover terraforming machines. Its heavy armor and life support system allowed him to survive through the attack, even though the rest of his section aboard the station was destroyed and suffered exposure. After that incident, the terraforming mechs were refashioned into what we now call the ARGONAUTS. Like most large transports nowadays, the ARGONAUTS are nuclear powered, each containing a small reactor. Explosions and nuclear contamination is rare, but not unheard of. What truly separates the ARGONAUTS from their less sophisticated agrarian cousins, however, is the CERBERUS-piloting system. Like the mythological three-headed dog, the CERBERUS-system upgrade required the cognitive functions of multiple pilots making a co-pilot system necessary. Depending on the sophistication of the ARGONAUT, teams of up to 4 people within the unit can sometimes be required. Solo piloting has been known to happen, but generally leaves the individual a mental wreck incapable of separating himself from the computer-memory of the machine or the mental consciousness of his co-pilots. At the moment, however, CERBERUS is the only thing that allows machines the size of ARGONAUTS the speed and dexterity required to be useful against the GIGANTES attacks. OTHER SPACE-WORTHY VESSELS There are any number of other space-worthy ships in the Event Horizon universe. Some of these ships are civilian, some are controlled by the military, and some by the remaining Earth nations. Most of these ships are Freighter-type vessels intended for transporting people and supplies to and from Earth, the Colonies, and the Olympus station. Fighter Jet-style ships are uncommon and are mostly archaic in both piloting system and weaponry. With the advent of the ARGONAUT program, the Earth Alliance Military stopped seeing the point in developing that vein of defense. Every so often a Freighter goes missing between the Asteroid Belt and Saturn. Sometimes there are just hazards in space.