Hermes / HRMS

Year 2920. Where the richs are using any way to drain more and more on the system Chronos while undertaking it, a few professional and military pilots start taking on their own time and money to mass-transport people in need to some more promising places in the recently habitable systems.

In great conflicts with the UEE policy at first, the small group decided to finally get more in the ranks for a while. It would allow them to found a small but reliable corporation that focuses on long distance transports for life-sustaining goods and people. The MOTO was “One ship to transport, a bigger ship to protect”, meaning the transportation would always be secured at MAX.

But with the Vanduuls threat growing especialy around system borders, the little Corporation wasnt big enough and not making any self-profit due to the growing need of armed ships and combat pilots leaving the transportation branch to a minimum of consideration.

Year 2940, the Corporation eventually stopped any activities with the death of 3 of the founders leaving their family in great distress at Chronos in the middle of a endless fight between the outlaws and the 18th Battle Fleet.

But the 3 old men left a hidden legacy beneath the ground. An huge shed housing a fleet that was at first place dedicated to a “final quantum” capable of transporting thousands of people and capable to offer impenetrable protection.

Two of their sons, Cedrik “Cirkle” (24) and Yon “Lauff” (22) were natural born pilots, gifted at flying any old craft rebuilt with scraps or stolen cargos, trying to survive in this wreckage.

Someday, hiding from a large Pirate Corp after a “loan” of several uranium battery caps, they found a hidden tunnel leading to what seemed to be a huge cave.

Lauff found an old generator and decided to place a battery capsule in it. Light came, revealing a huge Caterpillar nose, they placed all the battery caps into most of the socket they could find and turned on all the light to discover the whole shed and the legacy from their late fathers.

After a long walk around and waiting for their hearts to calm down, they started the sheds console where a message appeared :

*We are trapped by Kronos, but he cant be defeated
We are all deads
We cant defeat a Titan
We are the messengers
We seek for Hell.
*
and an empty field to fill with 6 letters.

It was an enigma and the “OK” button was labelled “OPEN”.

- Open what ?
- This, answered Cedrik pointing the roof, a giant door with a huge painting of a huge Caduceus.

Knowing they would be able to solve it fast enough and that being two would help flying the fleet they decided to switch off the whole place for the moment and keep it secret until they would eventually find how to take advantage.

Approaching the door they used to come in, Cedrik found a little message on it.

“To our family on Chronos.
We left our stupid sons and grand-sons the fruit of 50 years of our lives, show us you arent that stupid, be the messengers.

- Erik, Sam, Elene”

It was their parents.

They knew the code since they were kids, because of the old stories their parents always told them, Mytholigy. But they wouldnt try it at that time, they first needed to help the whole “family” which meant the whole community to escape, convincing them they had a good plan.

They would need pilots first, food, a plan.

During 8 years they secretly transfered water, lyphilised food to the shed. They built a team of “Aces” and recruited any engineers who would follow them.

Year 2948.

“Its time to leave to a better Hell”

The very first mission of a not-yet founded Corporation, codename : HRMS

After a 48 hours long day, a total of 3760 people were secretly boarded on 2 Caterpillars, 1 Hammerhead and 1 Idriss, 27 Hornets, 8 Hornet Max, 2 Freelancer and a few other ships.

The two now grown men waited for everyone to be on board, then walked to the console.

“We owe you our lives, you saved so many people, we will be the messengers.”

Codename : HERMES.

In a deafening din, the monstrous doors opened, a massive powerplant started to work, loading every ships systems at the same time and displaying a Caduceus.

“To everyone, to all pilots, the journey begins, we’ve heard that on the edge of the Chronos System, the Wormhole is still open. In tight formation for exiting the atmosphere, then follow us and calibrate on our Quantum Spool.”

In a earth-shattering roar, the new-born fleet left the ground of Chronos II, then headed to the wormhole.

“Where does it leads?”

“I told you : To a better Hell… which is Stanton System. I’ve heard that its strictly controlled by the UEE but there are so many empty moons and planets there, there IS a place for all of them, and for us”.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

We are HERMES, we will deliver.