The Rembrancer Fleet

“Millions of soldiers kept fighting the Jred War, the bot legions kept fighting even after the big bang. Most are gone, but some still fight. Some say that even fleets kept fighting in the void, without their human crew. I’ve heard tales of a fleet of black ships ‘round here, flying around the sector, not talking to anyone. Maybe those ships are bots too.”

- Unknown

Summary

According to some, a fleet of ancient Sol Sector Warships, bereft of a human crew, drift silently in the void, pursuing some unknown objectives. This fleet, alleged to operate in the Jred Frontier is believed to jump from system to system, stopping long enough to refuel before moving on. Few claim to have seen this fleet, and fewer still claim to have contacted it. Many believe that this fleet is just a phenomena of a robotic fleet continuing to fight the Jred Scourge as their land based counterparts do, though the elusive behavior of this alleged ghost fleet, makes this claim somewhat difficult to believe given the preponderance of Jred infested worlds in its alleged area of operations.

Historical Basis

“This unit has been engaging Jred entities in theater for 145.292 days. Jred entities continue to exist in operational capacity. Reserves of slaved units are critically low. This unit will continue to engage Jred until new orders are given by appropriate authorities, or until supply of slaved units is no longer capable of further operations.”

- Medusa Command Bot AGI797810

During the Jred Scourge, the Stellar League military, and especially the Sol Sector Forces made increasing use of robots to make up for staggering and ultimately unsustainable human losses. The Robotic legions towards the end of the Scourge counted in the billions. Though most of these cybernetic units were destroyed in The Great Cataclysm, many remained operable and continued to fight Jred lifeforms. Over the centuries most combat robots have been destroyed, or simply broken down after many years without routine maintenance. Some however, continue to fight to this day, carrying out orders from long dead commanders to engage and destroy the Jred.
Though the overwhelming majority of robots in Stellar use were for planetary operations, Sol Sector warships too had ship’s brains installed en masse, and many were operated autonomously as casualty rates became unsustainable. Though the overwhelming majority of these ships were destroyed in the Great Cataclysm or successfully recalled by the Union of Sol, at least one hundred and fifty warships could not be accounted for in the aftermath of the Cataclysm. Many believe that these warships are still around continuing to obey their old orders. Indeed there have been more than a few sightings of ghost ships, bearing the old Sol Sector markings seemingly operating normally but apparently bereft of any human crew. Though there have been no confirmed sightings of an entire fleet of such ghost ships anywhere within Civilized Space.
In spacer rumor however, such a battlegroup, one that calls itself the Remembrancer Fleet, is operating somewhere in the Jred Frontier, continuing a task that nobody alive is aware of. Most who claim to have encountered the Fleet have observed that the fleet moves quietly from system to system, rarely stopping for more than a few days, and never more than a week or two. This fleet is allegedly performing a secretive mission that it was issued during the height of the scourge and kept performing long after its end. These rumors are especially common in certain areas of the Jred Frontier, but alleged encounters have happened virtually everywhere coreward of the Sol System.

Variations & Mutation

“Yeah I saw the Ghost Fleet. Admiral’s a real swell guy... er... bot... but he’s very secretive”

- unknown spacer

The legend of the Remembrance Fleet varies from telling to telling. Aside from the central conceit of a fleet of automated Sol Sector warships moving around the Jred Frontier, details vary wildly. The most common telling is of a small cruiser squadron that actively avoids contact with any outside party, operating close to the outermost available gas giants, and staying far away from what major inhabited systems exist in the Jred Frontier. In this telling, the Fleet will attempt to dissuade any observer from engaging further and may in fact fire upon those who stray too close to it.
Others claim that the Remembrancer Fleet, while trying to stay away from civilization, is perfectly willing to entertain guests. Many claim to have encountered the fleet, and met its digital admiral. In these tellings, “Admiral Francisco” is a fairly amiable fellow, but highly secretive about his mission, becoming much colder and more confrontational when asked. In these tellings it is said that the visitors to the fleet who press too hard into its business are never heard from again. In some versions of the story snoops are simply blasted out of the nearest airlock, in other, more sinister versions of the fleet such uninvited guests are turned into cyborgs forced to work as semi organic repair drones repairing the ships of the fleet as punishment for their curiosity.
Others still claim to have been helped by the fleet. A handful of veteran spacers have claimed that when their ships were in dire straits a mysterious fleet of black warships arrived to provide aid. In these encounters, the Fleet will dispatch any threats the spacer might be facing, and take their ship in for repairs, with the same “Admiral Francisco” being an amiable, if secretive host while the work is done. Once the work is finished however, the host kindly asks the guest of the fleet to leave, and the two never cross paths again, though in some stories the Admiral will leave a parting gift in the form of spare parts, or some other assistance to the crew that they had just helped.
Others still report that a mysterious person with curious mannerisms and an immaculate uniform bearing the markings of the Stellar League can be found in trading posts around the Jred Frontier. This person is always looking for exotic ship parts, or rumors of old military bases, excited to hear about any new finds. These stories say that the stranger appears more or less human, but is always strange in a way that is disturbing at times. The stranger is rarely, if ever seen in the same place twice, though their arrival usually coincides with the discovery of Stellar league anchorages, supply depots, and fleet yards, usually in ruins, but sometimes with a treasure trove of advanced technology, spare parts, and refined fuel untouched by the Jred Scourge.

Cultural Reception

“The black ships of the void are implements of the savior. They smash the red devil, and make clear our path to the promised lands”

- Castrist Proverb

Those who believe in the Remembrancer Fleet believe many different things about its nature. To some, the arrival of ghost ships is a bad omen, and they believe that disaster follows in the wake of the Ghost Ships. In more extreme tellings, the ships themselves are akin to the grim reaper of Earth legend, brought in to escort the souls of many dead to the next life. Other's particularly Castrism believe that the Remembrancer Fleet is an instrument of divine salvation. They believe that the Ghost Ships destroy Jred wherever they go, clearing the way to salvation. Most however, believe that the Ghost Fleet is something altogether more mundane, exactly as they are, robotic ships following their last programming, though many follow in the path of sightings, as it is widely believed that the fleet travels between various shipyards, and depots, and therefore could link vast treasure troves yet untapped.

In Art

“Have you seen a group, Of drifting ships of black, They may be in a loop, Or looking to go back.”

- Spacer’s poem

Many people across the Jred Frontier are obsessed with the concept of the Stellar League’s ghosts. On worlds heavily infested by the Jred, ancient combat robots are frequently a final line of defense for the human population. On other worlds the husks of dead ships are stark reminders of a half forgotten war between mighty titans that shattered the galaxy in their battle. On others still, descendants of the League’s forces are established as warlords maintaining some semblance of control under the old banner. As a result, many are intrigued by the concept of an entire fleet of warships, intact, but empty. The Remembrancer Fleet has been the subject of an extensive series of Holobooks owned by SSE, as well as a fair few films. A documentary series was slated to be produced tracking down and recording the fleet but was canceled under mysterious circumstances. In most cases however, the Remembrance Fleet lives on in sailor’s tales passed from one spacer to another.