In the silent depths of space, in a quiet sector between Vizzard and Thindor, a ship floats quietly. Far from the prosperous trade routes, few will ever come this way. For those who do, a simple subspace beacon provides a short message.
"Here lies the ship that shaped the galaxy. The Empire is as strong as those who serve it."
It's not much of a ship to look at, particularly given modern technology. Small, slow, and barely armed - it mounts only a pair of antiquated coherent light weapons, and a couple of large, inefficient impulse-type engines. A faint visual distortion suggests some sort of energy field, keeping space debris away from the worn and pitted hull.
"The first Empire warships were commissioned at the close of 2256 (old reckoning). State of the technological art, at the time, the mark 1 'Beam Fighter' represented the culmination of millions of man-hours of research, and thousands of hours of precision manufacturing. Only ten or so of the initial design were completed, in the months leading up to the Korxian campaign."
Ah, the Korx. History claims they were a militant, boastful, arrogant species. It's hard to believe, given the subservient and menial role they play in modern Empire society. Though they are better off than the Altarians….
"When the Korxian campaign began, several tiny Empire 'fleets', composed of a few of these Beam Fighters and backed by several primitive troop transports, met the numerically superior Korxian fleets. The paired Impulse drives (rev III) gave the mark 1 Beam Fighter a mobility edge, while the twin Laser cannon (rev III) punched through alien hulls."
Strange to think of such primitive technology as being state of the art, much less superior. Modern private commercial craft are an order of magnitude faster, and basic navigational shielding would stop anything those cannon could output.
"While successful, attrition reduced the numbers of available Beam Fighters, while Korxian vessels seemed endless. A desperate push saw enough resources accumulated to upgrade four mark I Beam Fighters with newer technology. Dubbed the mark II, the new Beam Fighter carried somewhat heavier Laser cannon (rev V), and mounted an experimental new technology - the Deflector Screen. On the strength of these four ships, and their experienced crews, the Korxian Empire was crushed, and the survivors brought under Imperial sway.
"When the first Altarian conflict began, the mark 2 Beam Fighter was the shield between the aliens and the heart of the Empire, and propelled the expansion of Volkorian borders to encompass several new star systems. When our allies, the Drengi, surrendered their homeworld into our hands, thereby starting the second Altarian conflict, a fleet of mk 2 Beam Fighters was first to arrive to defend the world of Korx. And when the Arcean Incursion began, the mk 2 Beam Fighters were there. No longer the principal line ship, these now-aged craft still served a crucial role, striking at transports of alien infantry and blockading enemy trade routes.
"When the wars were ended, and the Empire spanned the stars, the few remaining Beam Fighters were decommissioned. This memorial preserves the original Beam Fighter, first of its kind, first to be upgraded, and first into danger.
"The Empire is strong."
