The shadowy leader of the House Vagrant Fleet. Almost nothing is known about The Vagrant, and when they make an appearance before the captains they wear a vacc suit that completely obscures their features. As far as the pirates are concerned, however, The Vagrant’s word is absolute law.
Overview[]
Much of the early history of Acheron Rho is incomplete and fragmented. What remains ranges from a blend of historical records and popular legends to outright falsehood and fairy tales. What few confirmed records exist, however, confirm that the word “vagrant” has a connotation with piracy far predating the fleets operating out of Shān. While “House” Vagrant exists as a collective, the historical records attribute the name to a single captain, widely regarded as the first great outlaw of Acheron Rho.
Oddly, The Vagrant is the least grandiose of this legendary figure’s titles. The Dread Admiral, The Last Fang, The First Anger and a number of other honorifics appear in re-tellings depending on where and when the story is told. All sources agree, however, that at some point in the sector’s early history a handful of powerful warships emerged from the southern rim and cut a path of destruction across Imperial Space.
The Vagrant That Was[]
Though no hard archaeological evidence has been found linking it to The Vagrant, the most commonly told origin is that their fleet was comprised of the last remnants of an ill-fated constellation ship, the Lupus. While the constellation ships carrying the ancestors of the Noble Houses were settling the worlds that would become known as the Imperial Core, the Lupus arrived damaged and further away from the more favorable worlds.
When the colony inevitably began to fail, they sent requests for aid to the more stable colony worlds. In the wake of the first contact wars, these requests went unanswered, and the Lupus settlement collapsed less than two decades after its foundation. The common version of the story claims The Vagrant was one of the colony’s leaders, and their armada the remnants of the fleet that would have spearheaded Lupus expansion had the colonists survived.
First appearing in the Sig system, The Vagrant and the ships under their command began an ongoing guerrilla campaign against the core worlds that lasted well over a year. It took the coordinated efforts of Crux, Aquila and Serpens to finally catch The Vagrant’s raiders in a trap and drive them from the heart of Acheron Rho. Pursuing the remaining ships to the Helesco system, the Crux flagship was able to deliver a crippling blow to The Vagrant’s vessel just before it attempted a spike drill. The Vagrant’s flagship was never seen again, and the historical record concludes that damage caused their vessel to tear itself apart in transit.
The Vagrant That Is?[]
In recent years, communication from the worlds of the southern rim has included rumors of the natives of Shān uncovering some kind of ancient wreckage on the planet’s surface. According to the captains of House Vagrant, it contained a functioning cryo-pod that was centuries old, the inhabitant still alive. The planet’s isolation and hostile populace made any attempts to confirm the rumor next to impossible, but the phrase “The Vagrant lives” has become increasingly common in communications between captains, and the ostensible heads of the newly-formed “House” Vagrant all claim to report to a single superior.
This ruling body, the Seven of Six, state that they are first among equals only because they have been selected to advise this unknown figure. Unconfirmed eyewitness reports speak of a figure wearing an old, ragged vacc suit that completely obscures their features, seated upon a throne carved from starship hull plating. The Seven of Six deliver all motions to this figure, and their word is final when it comes to directing the pirate fleets. Whether this figure is truly The Vagrant or simply an elaborate hoax, none can say.