Mistwalker

The Mistwalker is a vast Sojourner-class spinship classified as a Class-9 or possibly Class-10 vessel, putting her at more than twice the size of the greatest Imperial dreadnought. Her identification code is LMSJ-0041. She has a cigar shape and relies on rotation rather than a suppression field for artificial gravity; the closer to the central axis, the lighter the gravity, and the bridge section beyond the forward conference room has no gravity at all. Her interior consists of a great cylinder whose rotation generates gravity along its inner surface. A fluorescent light shaft runs along the center of the drum, acting as an artificial sun, held in place by spoke-like towers of glass and gray steel. The light beam is no more than a mile above the interior surface, with the far side of the cylinder no more than two miles away.

The interior contains a full city with buildings, terraced gardens, trees, and canals choked with algae. Streets run on the surface of the cylinder in all directions, including along the opposite side overhead. The ship is so large it seems almost uninhabited at times. The central hold features a beam of false sunlight, warm air, and trees, with a vast docking port and multiple airlocks. A long sun runs the length of the mighty bay, casting a false day. The ship has a gray city at its heart.

The launch bay lies at the bottom of the ship several levels below the central hold, up against the outer hull, with large bay doors designed to open on the void. The bay houses dropships and heavy artillery in cradles above catwalks, including twelve massive battle platform tanks in one hold section alone. The ship also carries Armored Mobile Platforms (AMPs) -- Interfaced-design suits four meters in size controlled by neural lace. The AMP pilots fit inside the torso, and the suits reconfigure for flight by tipping prone, with weapons systems in the arms and shoulders. The ship's landing craft are egg-shaped. The ship also carries cephalophore one-man craft described as resembling a headless angel with guns for arms, flown by the dragoons.

The stern is built for nuclear impulse with approximately three hundred feet of solid adamant. The Gadelica is docked within the Mistwalker's ventral hold, with the Ascalon nested inside the Gadelica. There are approximately thirty ships of the Mistwalker's class in the Grand Army. A precisely detailed model of the Mistwalker is displayed in Lorian's collection.

From the exterior, the Mistwalker has a cigar shape with a smooth outer hull and castellations in the center section. Pieces of the outer shell flake off. Tripod legs extend from the hull, each as large as a house. The ship bears Latarran livery in black and gold on the dragoons who emerge from it. Lorian's Roundtable dragoons are identified as Latarran dragoons, their unit designation called as 'GAL' followed by a number.

The Mistwalker was taken fighting the Exalted at Abziri. She carries a total complement of which three thousand are Interfaced troopers under 2Maeve.

The Mistwalker serves as Lorian's flagship and leads the incursion battle group in a high polar orbit around Vorgossos. The Gadelica is kept in the Mistwalker's hold for the journey from Latarra to Merope. Calen Harendotes chooses the Mistwalker to lead the surface incursion, and Lorian selects the Interfaced as the assault contingent. Secret planning meetings for the Vorgossos operation take place aboard the Ascalon, the Gadelica, and the Mistwalker. Hadrian departs from the Mistwalker at the start of the operation on Vorgossos. The Mistwalker is driven off by enemy defenders during the battle but returns when Hadrian signals.

Hadrian awakes aboard the Mistwalker after his death at the hands of the Cantor Samek, which is when he first begins hearing the celestial music he associates with the Quiet. After the destruction of the Vorgossene fleet, Hadrian attempts to hail the Mistwalker on a tight beam, but Aristedes does not respond. The Mistwalker eventually broadcasts on all frequencies with Aristedes demanding Hadrian explain himself. The Mistwalker turns and opens fire on the Imperial missile swarm to defend Demiurge, joined by the rest of Lorian's battlegroup of more than a dozen capital ships and half a hundred frigates. Their combined fire destroys the Imperial missiles alongside Albedo's efforts.

Hadrian later addresses a telegraph message to the Mistwalker, noting that for all he knows the ship may be destroyed and Lorian dead. The message is sent via telegraph -- described as a proton in a telegraph array -- that taps its reply to a receiver.

The Mistwalker arrives in the Gododdin system near the heliopause. Dragoons bearing Latarran livery in black and gold emerge from the ship. The Mistwalker is visible turning above Dharan-Tun during the battle. After Ushara's destruction, Cassandra reports that Lorian has brought the Mistwalker in close to Dharan-Tun and is waiting in orbit.

The Mistwalker departs Ywain orbit and engages Miudanar with atomics after Hadrian warps to Cynon. The ship picks up Hadrian's telegraph transmission, and Lorian relays his location to Cassandra's shuttle.

The Mistwalker survives the supernova at Gododdin by shuttering its fusion engines and riding the shockwave long enough to cycle the warp drive, jumping a couple of light-days from the system. The ship sustains significant damage -- primary and secondary comm arrays are destroyed -- but Lorian's engineers manufacture replacements aboard. At the rendezvous following the supernova, the Mistwalker appears as a cigar-shaped ship with a smooth outer hull and castellations in the center section.

The Mistwalker departs from the rendezvous not long after Ramanthanu's burial. Its fleet translates to warp in flashes of Cherenkov radiation.

Lorian Aristedes serves as Supreme Commandant and commander, leading Roundtable Fleet. 2Maeve commands the three thousand Interfaced troopers aboard. First officer Amatorre communicates battle orders from the ship during the Vorgossos assault. The dragoons aboard fly cephalophore one-man craft.