Blue Scimitar

From FABT

Blue Scimitar
BlueScimitar.pngThe Blue Scimitar during its service in the Silver Phalanx and in SP colors.

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Alt text
Production information

Manufacturer:

Meratus Arinnius Nyx

Line:

A7716

Model:

A-61 Attack VTOL

Class:

Gunship

Operator(s):

Silver Phalanx
Blue Suns

Technical information

Length:

28m

Width:

11.6m

Height/depth:

17m

Max acceleration:

120 kilometers per second

Engine unit(s):

Four mass effect thrusters: two on the rear tail and one on each wing.

Power plant:

1 Element Zero engine

Shielding:

Kinetic Barrier

Sensor systems:

  • Radar
  • LADAR

Armament:

Crew:

  • 1 pilot
  • 1 co-pilot (optional)
Usage

Commissioned:

12 December 2116 CE

Destroyed:

11 August 2185 CE

Role(s):

Air support
Ground attack aircraft
Command and observation aircraft (under the Blue Suns)

Era:

Asari Cycle
Pax Galactica Era

Affiliation:

SilverPhalanx.jpg Silver Phalanx

Sticker,375x360.u3.png Blue Suns

 
"Me? Pilot this? Ha! No, Tarak doesn't let anyone else fly her: she's his."
Ghalle Cathka when asked why he doesn't fly the Blue Scimitar in August 2185 CE.

The Blue Scimitar, formerly known as the Creed during its service in the Silver Phalanx, was a A-61A Mantis gunship operated first by the Silver Phalanx and later by the Blue Suns, where it became the personal gunship of Krefin Tarak, commander of the Blue Suns' Omega chapter. Built and commissioned in 2116 CE, the gunship was bought alongside thirty others by the Silver Phalanx to supplement their air fleet, and this gunship in particular was named the Creed. The Creed would go on to see combat in numerous battles fought by the Silver Phalanx against other PMCs and militaries, fighting in no less than 146 separate engagements of varying size. The gunship would obtain a sizable amount of battle damage during this time, requiring constant repairs and upgrades as time went on, although many of its smaller scars were kept as it gave the gunship a unique character. The Creed's service came to an undignified end in 2178 CE when it was indefinitely grounded as the Silver Phalanx PMC declared insolvency, and later bankruptcy, and was forced to break up into several smaller PMCs, with its sizable air and surface fleet of vehicles being broken up and either sold or claimed by the numerous splinter PMCs. The Creed would ultimately be purchased by a batarian named Krefin Tarak, who only a year before had risen to command the entire Omega chapter of the Blue Suns PMC. Renaming the gunship Blue Scimitar and repainting the vehicle in the blue and white color scheme of his organization, Tarak made it his personal aircraft, not allowing anyone else to pilot the gunship. He would upgrade it with stronger kinetic barriers and an improved fuel tank for extended flights, and proceed to use it during combat as a command aircraft, as well as a recreational vehicle that he would on long extended flights, as he had grown up wanting to be a pilot and used the Blue Scimitar to engage in this favored hobby of his. As a result of this purchase, the Blue Scimitar got a new lease on life, and continued to see extensive use from 2178 CE to 2185 CE.

In 2183 CE, the arrival of Archangel and his squad brought new chaos and change to Omega, leading a personal crusade against the criminal and mercenary elements of the station in an effort to root them out and destroy them utterly, and this campaign placed the Blue Suns squarely in their sights. The Blue Scimitar saw even more use during the two year period in which the fighting was at its heaviest, Tarak constantly out in the field at the helm of his gunship to protect his assets, men and business from the threat Archangel posed to it. Despite his best efforts, the Blue Scimitar did not change the tide, and it would ultimately become the only aerial asset the Blue Suns had left on the station by 2185 CE, and one of the few vehicles they had left at all in their arsenal. After an attempt on his life at his own home almost cost him his life, Tarak finally snapped and set in motion a plan to eliminate Archangel's squad once and for all, but as a result of his refusal to place himself in danger due to his newly found paranoia, his gunship would remain grounded, largely unused until Tarak felt his plan was ready, leaving the Blue Suns with no air support, something which deeply worried them. Forming an alliance of convenience with the Eclipse and Blood Pack out of necessity, Tarak executed a plan to locate a member of Archangel's squad, squeeze the location of their base out of them, and then ambush and kill all of them. The ambush proved successful, with Tarak finally taking to the air in his gunship once Archangel himself had fallen into their trap, with Tarak leading the joint assault on Archangel from the Blue Scimitar. This stage of the attack however was not as successful, resulting in heavy casualties for the alliance and Tarak himself almost being killed, with the Blue Scimitar suffering severe damage from its fuel tank being ruptured, forcing Tarak to make an emergency landing and ordering all his forces to withdraw before they were completely massacred. The damage to the Blue Scimitar was severe, leaving it grounded for a week as Ghalle Cathka made repairs to it and Tarak made plans for a new plan to finish off Archangel while keeping him under siege.

Finally, in 11 August 2185 CE, after accruing an army of freelancers as cannon fodder and able to execute his new plan, Tarak launched his fresh assault. Unbeknownst to him however, Cathka had failed to finish the repairs on the Blue Scimitar, and while she was once again combat effective, Commander Shepard and two other members of the Normandy Squad, posing undercover as freelancers, had killed Cathka and sabotaged the gunship's chin gun, jamming its heat dispersion system that would lead it to quickly overheat without warning if used for any length of time. When Tarak's plan started going awry, with Archangel reinforced by the Normandy Squad and routing both the Eclipse and Blood Pack, killing their leadership in the process, he finally lost his patience and ordered a squad to accompany him in his gunship while more attacked Archangel's position directly, with Tarak dropping off troops along the walls of the hotel while he provided air support. His assault would ultimately fail, and while Tarak would score a direct rocket hit on Archangel, mortally wounding him, the sabotage on his chin gun would cost him precious time, allowing the Normandy Squad to finally bring down the gunship with a well placed missile, destroying the Blue Scimitar. Tarak was not able to eject in time, and was killed in the ensuing explosion.

Service History[edit | edit source]