OCM:Elysium

Origin
There was a need for a ship nimble enough to fly through the asteroid fields that surround Outcast space yet strong enough to ward off more of the dangers that are brought to bare against the Outcasts. Most diplomatic missions were previously sent in either a Sarissa when urgency was not an issue or a Storta when time was short and speed essential. The Outcasts had nothing between that could be deployed in either case.

While powerful and still used in the most dangerous of diplomatic missions, the Outcast Battleship and Dreadnought were slow going in asteroid fields where maneuverability is critically reduced. While nimble enough to speed through most asteroid fields, the Outcast Destroyer does have a few design flaws that make it vulnerable to certain styles of attack.

In 817 A.S a diplomatic mission was dispatched to Bretonia in a Storta and nearly failed due to an unexpected encounter with a Kusari Naval Forces patrol. Brigadier Antonio Lopez contemplated the issue for a year as events unfolded with Gallia making itself known to the rest of Sirius. In the latter part of 818 A.S. Brigadier Lopez contacted Miguel Sanchez while working on Corsica Outer Sanctum. They discussed the issue and need for a new class of ship that would better survive skirmishes while on sensitive diplomatic missions.

The first prototype, Necrosis Prime, was built up from the Maltese Hammer, a Storta nearly destroyed in the Omicron Eta system. In 818 A.S., after more than 7 months, the prototype was finished and ready for tests in space. The initial trials were successful and the Elysium was ordered built from scratch, following the new design.

The Elysium was finished and space-worthy in the early months of 819 A.S. For the first 6 months the crew ran shake down missions getting used to flying the new battlecruiser class ship, including one mission into New York that resulted in a successful battle against the [ICE] faction of Bounty Hunters. Testing a Cloaking Device installed in Omicron Alpha, they were able to slip into and back out of Liberty without detection by border defenses.

After returning from the Liberty mission the crew were debriefed and logs were thoroughly examined. Meanwhile the Council of Dons appointed Domínguez Banderas to the Elysium as the primary Ambassador at Large. Ambassador Banderas has been charged with strengthening the Outcast Alliance. His duty includes keeping current allies close and working to improve diplomatic ties with other factions across Sirius.

The future of the Battlecruiser
The Council of Dons have kept the original prototype, Necrosis Prime, in Omicron-85 where they have gone over the ship in detail with the original design team. They have since ordered a refined set of blueprints be drawn in hopes to add the ship to the battle fleet.

With the Independent Miners Guild utilizing a similar size ship against the Outcasts in the Taus, this new Battlecruiser should prove advantageous in keeping the IMG at a distance. There is also much hope that the ship will prove useful against Corsair and Gallic cruisers.