Hercules V

The Hercules V is a prime example of Terran engineering. At the time of its creation, it was a vast improvement on the systems used within the ITI-C06 series, outclassing the old series in speed, durability, sustainability, and weaponry.

— From the Hercules V Plaque in the Cerberus House Spacecraft Memorial

Nickname

Herc 5

Designation

ITI-C07-HERCV

Design

When designing the new ITI-C07 series ships, the lead designers opted to go for a sleeker look in the hopes that such a design would attract more pilots to the Intergalactic Terran Initiative Pilot Programme. The Hercules V would be the first ITI-C07 series ship designed and crafted. Later models in the series were actually clunkier in design.

They started out with a kite shape for the main body of the ship. After that, parts were added or cut based on the needs of the engineers. In the end the Hercules V with a kite shaped main body at the back, a kite shaped command center to the front, and a wing on either side of the main body. The thrusters were placed at the back of the ship, protected on the left and right by the main body itself, and linked to the engine room on the underside of the ship.

by SunlanceXIII

Test Runs

In 2756 EY (5295 UGY), the Hercules V was finally ready for testing. The ship underwent a vigorous series of tests to make sure that it could withstand prolonged space travel and attacks from some of the Earth’s most powerful weapons systems. They also tested the ship’s speed and maneuverability. The Hercules V’s held the record for fastest Terran vessel until 2998 when the Skyfall series was tested.

Not even the other ITI-C07 series ships built after the Hercules V could beat it’s record. That alone separated the Hercules V from the rest; the public adored the ship and every pilot with any sense wanted to be the one to drive it.

By 2758 EY (5297 UGY), the engineers were happy with the ship's performance and they signed off on it’s completion.

//--- New Message ---//

//--- Saved ID: Giochi S. ---//

Hey superstar! I scored 5 tickets to the Fleet’s annual airshow, so how about you, me, and the boys head over to Chatau’s Landing next month to check it out?

Now, I know what you’re thinking - “G, why the fuck are you planning on risking our lives on a military show of passive aggression towards the OF, we’re wanted criminals, remember?” - but superstar this one’s worth it. Rumour has it they’re firing up the Herc V. Can you believe it? That beauty’s been outta commission for over a century. For real superstar, this ship’s legendary - imagine being the lucky bastard flying it!

Luckiest Crew in the Galaxy

To those in the ITI, being assigned to the Hercules V was the best ship assignment one could receive. Media outlets on Earth affectionately dubbed them “the luckiest crew in the galaxy” which led to the crew being adored by the public. They were the biggest celebrities around. That fame only grew when the ITI announced that the Hercules V would be one of the first ships to make the relay jump from the Milky Way to the newly discovered Cerberi galaxy.

Captains

Over the ship’s 53 years of service, the Hercules V has had seven different captains. Those captains were:

• Patrick Teague (2758 - 2763 EY / 5297 - 5302 UGY)
• Astrid Ziegler (2763 - 2773 EY / 5302 - 5314 UGY)
• Farid Nasri (2773 - 2780 EY / 5314 - 5321 UGY)
• Victoire De la Cour (2780 - 2786 EY / 5321 - 5327 UGY)
• Harriet Bancroft (2786 - 2794 EY / 5327 - 5335 UGY)
• Taichirō Nakamura (2794 - 2799 EY / 5335 - 5340 UGY)
• Gerard Pinches (2799 - 2811 EY / 5340 - 5352 UGY)

Although Gerard Pinches had the longest captaincy aboard the Hercules V, Astrid Ziegler is the more well known of the two, which often leads to her incorrectly being attributed as having the longest captaincy.

Crew

The Hercules V had a very consistent crew over it’s 53 years of service. Most changes were retirements (and their replacements), with a handful of transfers for those that broke protocol or had issues with other crew members. This made getting assigned to the Hercules V very difficult and only added to the elite status that the ship had garnered.

In the early years, vacancies for the Hercules V were posted on internal ITI servers - this led to those servers crashing and a lot of ITI staff would wait with baited breath on the vacancy screen, hoping that their lucky day would be right around the corner. By the time the ITI merged with Terra Novus, vacancies stopped being posted and the captains of the Hercules V would reach out to high ranking Terra Novus officials or the captains of other ships for recommendations.