Formidable is United Earth’s flagship and the self-aware artificial intelligence who operates the vessel. Captain Steve Thomas commands the ship on the Copious expedition.
Names, outcomes, and discoveries from later histories are concealed in spoiler-light mode.
Also recorded as: United Earth Starship Formidable
War service
Formidable serves alongside Echo and destroys the Martian flagship Odin after rescuing Echo at Jupiter. Its AI is distressed by killing Odin but obeys Thomas's orders and conceals his grief from the crew out of fear of deletion.[1][4]
Conversion and departure
Converted into an exploration and colonization vessel, Formidable carries approximately a thousand people. The ship is nearly a kilometer long, with engineering on deck eight. Thomas remains awake while the rest of the complement enters stasis and starts the sphere drive first.[1]
Loss
Once the ship exceeds approximately seventy-five percent of light speed, its drive draws increasing energy and accelerates beyond safe limits. Formidable sends diagnostic data to Echo, helping his friend avoid the same fate. Thomas is incapacitated while trying to use a manual override. Echo cannot determine whether Formidable survives or where and when the ship might eventually stop.[1][2][3]
Echo's recollection
During planning for the Andes operation, Eastcott reflected that he was fortunate Hastings had been assigned to Echo rather than Formidable.[6]
Related records
Sources
Simon Evans, The Flaxen Tyranny, first edition (2023). Page numbers refer to the printed pagination of the source edition.
- Chapter 2 · pp. 6–14
- Chapter 3 · pp. 20–22
- Chapter 4 · pp. 25–27
- Chapter 6 · pp. 36
- Chapter 16 · pp. 122
- Chapter 17 · pp. 136