Cripple Fleet

A name given to those vessels of the Last Armada that didn’t make it all the way to the Demon Cluster, instead breaking down en route, misjumping, or otherwise falling behind.

Description / Specifications

The loss of even a single vessel represented a disproportionate loss to the Last Armada and to Terran culture as a whole.

• The name is a misnomer - ships were lost individually, and it is unlikely that any major vessels that fell behind operated together, let alone functioned as an extant fleet. The concept, however, is comforting.

A number of vessels are known to have fallen behind:

Known Losses

• Multiple Scouts
• At least 3x Armored Cruisers
• At least 6x Fast Escorts
• At least 1x Fleet Tender
• At least 2x Frontier Tankers

History & Background

The vessels of the Cripple Fleet are believed to have been lost in in the various sectors to trailing of the Distant Fringe, in the rimward parts of the Where The Stars End region.

Possible Human Settlement

Historians argue that there are very probably unknown human-settled worlds within the Where The Stars End region, most likely within its rimward parts, populated by descendants of the Cripple Fleet.

The Jannasta Expedition uncovered evidence of two extinct polities on the coreward side of the Moat Rifts.

• Bone Worlds
• Dominion of Ruins

Despite a lack of hard evidence, a number of other states are believed to exist. These include:

• Farside
• Fools Paradise
• Guardians of The Source
• League of Asclepius
• Lords of the High Realm
• The Cursed
• The Deceived

The ships of the Cripple Fleet had healthy and viable crews and carried settlers and pioneers in long-term cold sleep, large numbers of Artificial Gestation Units, vast banks of embryos, and substantial quantities of supplies. It would be very unfortunate if all were lost without being able to settle one or more worlds. To date, none of these supposed lost settlements have made any form of contact.

References & Contributors / Sources

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• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master Scout Emeritus Adie Alegoric Stewart of the IISS
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis), Captain, and Lead Naval Architect Ronald B. Kline, Jr. of the Imperial Navy