Zodiacal Light

The Zodiacal Light, originally the Ultra-controlled Eldritch Child, was a lighthugger under the control of Clavain's faction up until its presumed destruction by Inhibitor machines in 2675.

History

After it was captured in the Yellowstone system and equipped with inertia-suppression machinery by Clavain and H, the vessel was taken to Delta Pavonis in an attempt to seize the cache weapons from the Nostalgia for Infinity and use them to fight the Inhibitors. Sustaining damage in the ensuing confrontation, the ship was given over to Remontoire's command while Clavain and the Infinity fled the Inhibitor-infested system with the weapons.

Hiding near the Hades Matrix to effect repairs, the Zodiacal Light managed to acquire Aura, and was upgraded with much advanced technology on its trip to the planet Ararat. Remontoire transferred this technical knowledge to the Infinity and attempted to delay the Inhibitors so she could escape the p Eridani A system. He and the Zodiacal Light were presumed destroyed.

Known crew members

• Nevil Clavain (de facto captain)
• Scorpio
• Antoinette Bax
• Xavier Liu
• Felka
• Aura (after rescue as an infant)
• Remontoire (captain, after parting ways with the Infinity)

The original Ultranaut crew is not known, only crew members post-capture are listed.

Auxilliary craft

• Armed trikes - modified civilian trikes (featured in Redemption Ark)
• Storm Bird - Antoinette Bax's civilian freighter, rearmed as a small warship, later lost (featured in Redemption Ark)
• Remontoire's 'Trident' fighter - small warship purpose-built by Remontoire for combating Inhibitor swarms (featured in Absolution Gap)

Appearances

• Inhibitor trilogy
  • Redemption Ark (2002)
  • Absolution Gap (2003)
• Galactic North short story anthology (2006)
  • Galactic North

See also

• Lighthugger - The principal interstellar spacecraft type used by humanity, the Zodiacal Light being one of many.
• Nostalgia for Infinity - Became the impromptu sister ship of the Zodiacal Light during the events of the Inhibitor trilogy.

Spacecraft
SHUTTLES AND SMALL CRAFT*
Civilian shuttles/small craft: Trike | Tug | Cutter | Spherical shuttle | Flotilla excursion shuttle
Police shuttles/small craft: Panoply cutter
Individual shuttles/small craft: Melancholia of Departure (spherical shuttle) Remontoire's 'Trident' fighter (outrigger fightercraft)
----
ATMOSPHERIC SHUTTLES**
Coalition shuttle | Flotilla delta-winged shuttle Cutter | "Claw" shuttle | Lighthugger orbital shuttle
Individual atmo-shuttles: Scavenger's Daughter | Dominatrix
----
INTERPLANETARY SPACECRAFT (LARGE SPACESHIPS)
Civilian ships: Freighter | Liner | Hospital ship | Lighthugger in-system craft
Police and military ships: Deep-system cruiser Demarchist military vessel | Conjoiner ''Moray''-class corvette
Individual ships: Bellatrix | Democratic Circus | High Catherine Nightingale | Storm Bird | Universal Suffrage
----
INTERSTELLAR SPACECRAFT (STARSHIPS)
Generation ships - Flotilla ships: Santiago, Islamabad, Brazilia, Palestine, Baghdad
Ramscoop starships - Atalanta
Lighthuggers - List (Sandra Voi, Nostalgia for Infinity, Zodiacal Light, Nightshade, Hirondelle, Petronel, etc.)
Alien starships - Void warren ("Caleuche")
----
SPACECRAFT PROPULSION
Antimatter engines | Ramscoop | Conjoiner Drive | Stealth Conjoiner Drive Dark Drive | Inertia-suppression Machinery | Cryo-arithmetic engine
----
SPACECRAFT WEAPONRY AND DEFENCES
Magnetic railgun | Boser | Ack-am | Foam-phase Munition | Pin-head munitions Camouflaging screens | Hypometric weapon | Bladder-mine
* - capable only of flight in the vacuum of space ** - double as both spacecraft and aircraft, depending on the need