SS Lady Luna

The SS Lady Luna is a long serving passenger liner, currently operating with the shipping line, Cygnus Lines. Entering service in 2516 with the Selenite Group, she was one of the most luxurious and fastest space liners of her day with a capacity of over 7,000 passengers. One of four Sister Selene-class ships, she is the final surviving member with her three sisters either being scrapped or destroyed during the war. Requisitioned for UNSC service, she would be refitted as an evacuation vessel, assisting in the rescue of hundreds of thousands of people during the Inner Colony Sieges. She would serve during the Siege of Sol, evacuating people from Luna and taking damage during her second run from Sol. Post-war she would relocate refugees under the UEG Refugee Resettlement Initiative. Finally in 2556 she would be removed from government service and put up for auction. Cygnus Lines would buy her and refit her once again as a passenger liner, running a line between Sol and the Cygnus-side colonies.

Career
Constructed by Arlan-Rowland Fabrications over Luna, Lady Luna would be the third of four ships in her class meant for the Selenite Group. A consortium of Luna-based ship operators. Completed in 2515 and setting off on her maiden voyage the next year, Lady Luna would run the Eridanus Spine, from Luna to Tribute and then to New Constantinople, ferrying tourists and migrants between those three worlds. Distinctive for her blue-green color scheme, she was a popular ship both to travel on and to spot when docked.

Initially little changed when the war started. With most of the fighting restricted to the distant reaches of the Outer Colonies, Lady Luna would continue to run her regular route. In 2537, however, New Constantinople would be attacked and glassed. Combined with the deteriorating situation, the UNSC requisitioned Lady Luna and her sister ships as support ships. In Lady Luna’s case she was refitted as an evacuation ship. Over the course of the next 15 years, she would participate in the evacuation of dozens of colonies, moving hundreds of thousands from doomed worlds towards safety.

Lady Luna was in dock at her berth over Luna during the first attack by Regret’s fleet and would quickly see the onboarding of many thousands of people from Luna, leaving for Ballast on the 21st at near full capacity, successfully leaving shortly before the arrival of Covenant reinforcements. Arriving at Ballast in record time, Lady Luna would unload her refugees, refuel, and leave for Sol the next day. While she was in-transit Covenant reinforcements had arrived and furious fighting had broken out across the Sol system. Exiting slipspace on November 15th, Lady Luna would emerge into one of the largest battles of the Great War.

Taking two days to travel to Luna, a trip that usually took a quarter of that time, she successfully dodged Covenant forces. Distracted either by Home Fleet or securing East Africa. Her usual berth over Luna had been destroyed, instead docking on Luna itself at Lunokhod in Mare Crisium. Getting in had been relatively easy; however, Covenant forces would begin to turn their attention towards Luna during the 17th after reinforcements following the Forerunner dreadnought arrived.

A trio of corvettes would move over Mare Crisium blocking Lady Luna and other ships’ path. The Jiralhanae commander began to indiscriminately bomb Lunokhod and other cities in Mare Crisium. A plasma cannon would hit the berth near next to Lady Luna, destroying the ship and showering her with splinters. Hoping to finish this assignment quickly the Brute commander moved in close to the Lunokhod space port to destroy any means of evacuation. This was a mistake as MAC batteries built into the lunar surface were now within range. One of the corvettes was destroyed instantly and the other two were severely damaged. The Covenant wounded and pulling back, the evacuation ships began to leave. The damaged corvettes would take several long-range shots; however, Lady Luna was the largest target and took a hit. Surviving only due to her bulk, although nearly 600 people would be killed in this single hit. Rushing to get out of Luna’s influence, the evacuation group would successfully make a blind jump out of system before moving onto the relative safety of Ballast.

Arriving at Ballast on December 1st, she would be put into the repair dock. Should Earth fall, Ballast would come soon after it and she would be needed in that evacuation as well. She was just finishing repairs when news from Earth arrived and of the alliance with the Schismatics. With the war over, Lady Luna’s fate was somewhat uncertain. The Selenite Group had taken massive losses during the war and had gone bankrupt. Although some of its companies would be saved, none were able to take the ship. Transferred to the UEG Refugee Resettlement Initiative, for a few years she would ferry refugees from worlds to new colonies or worlds in a position to settle them. Before being decommissioned and laid up in 2556. She would be auctioned off and sold to Cygnus Lines, a new shipping line transporting people and goods to the Cygnus Verge colonies.

Undergoing significant refurbishment, Lady Luna would return to her original role as passenger liner. Running the long line between Luna, Atlas Moons, New Jerusalem, and New Reach. Unthinkable when she was first built, new slipspace drives made such a long route economically feasible. She continues to serve this route into the 2560s. Despite being far past her prime she remains a popular and reliable ship in spite of her age.