The Turtle Skull Fleet
Previously a major privateering threat based in the Vesta Belt of the Kamchatka system, and the driving force behind the formation of the Triad Systems Alliance. These days, a shadow of their former power, a large portion of their forces retreated from the Asmara region. What remains are isolated strongholds, few and divided, but still threatening to merchant ships passing through the system.
Driven from their home system, the main bulk of the fleet is thought to have retreated to the Gironda Strip. The fate of the infamous captain Angélique Delacroix, effective admiral of the corsair fleet, is still unknown to this day.
The Fleet was known to be very loose in its structure. It was largely held together by the rule of its admiral, the other captains of the fleet respectful of her leadership and ability. The captains of the largest ships in the Fleet would report directly to Angelique, and in turn the captains of smaller vessels would swear loyalty to those subordinate captains, and so forth. With the disappearance of the admiral, the collapse of this structure was inevitable.
In the modern day, the remains of the fleet are split into four factions, each with a single stronghold buried somewhere in the Vesta Belt. They continue to cause trouble for federal and private ships alike, and skirmish among themselves for territory. They tend to recruit from the shadier parts of the belt, such as Chelyevsk.
History
The first sightings of the dragon turtle insignia came in the early days of the reformation era. Just as the worlds of the Asmara Region were recovering from the Silence, the Turtle Skull Fleet began their incursion into the largely unoccupied outer systems and asteroid belts of the Asmaran Arm. They founded a stronghold in the belts of Kamchatka, where they could mine large amounts of ore for their fleet, and remain hidden from any prying eyes. They would harass any ships attempting to pass through Kamchatka, and it was largely known among the early civilisations of the region that the Fleet was not to be trifled with. It was when the Fleet began to overstep into the triad stars that they made their last mistake. Rallying its neighbours, Uman, Doha, and Tangah formed the Triad Systems Alliance, pooling their resources to muster a fleet on par with the Turtle Skull's numbers. The following war lasted fifteen years, its battles grueling and hard fought. First pushed out of their front line in Uman, then into the strongholds of Kamchatka. The Fleet was fierce, but the Alliance was ultimately more well equipped. Wave after wave of reinforcements forced the Fleet deeper and deeper into the asteroid fields of Kamchatka, until the Alliance assaulted the Fleet's main foothold - an asteroid station named "Station Provenance" (Provenance Station). After a brutal battle, what remained of the Fleet was forced to retreat toward Torres. Alliance ships gave chase, but in the following months, it became clear that the majority of Fleet ships had scattered, believed to have left the Asmara Region entirely. The fate of the Fleet's admiral after the battle of Provenance is unknown, the wreckage of her flagship never found, and conflicting chatter captured during the skirmish seeming to disprove a retreat. The Alliance, and later the Federation, would continue to patrol Kamchatka and the greater Asmara Region in search of Turtle Skull Fleet presence. What little remained hid themselves carefully, striking only when profitable, forming the relatively small privateering presence that is seen in modern day.
Type
Illicit, Pirate Crew
Alternative Names
La Flotte du Crâne de Tortue
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