The Caestus (pronounced sēzdəs; "says-tuhs") was a heavily-modified FL-05 "Whale" light freighter and the personal starship of the Perrvox former Jedi Galadeon, who at some point came to view the vessel as his own home. Previously owned by CenterTech Industries, the company whom Galadeon worked for, the vessel was eventually given unto the former Jedi in hopes of increasing his proficiency in the field of architectural science, and as a form of gift in exchange for his devoted services. At some point in time, it also became the home of Syrin Arkanius, a CenterTech-created clone with whom Galadeon shared an overall friendly relationship.
Description[]
This is my home; the memories I have made with the people whom I hold dear lie here. I'm never alone.
—Galadeon
The Caestus.
A reliably steadfast ship with a stellar reputation among the galaxy's toughest roamers and space-faring customers, the Caestus was constructed by Fluentum Shipwrights at some point prior to Galadeon's departure from the Jedi Order and wound up in the possession of CenterTech Industries throughout the course of the Clone Wars. As CenterTech Industries had no need for such vessel, the Caestus had remained unnamed and unused for quite some time, and although the vessel was impressively nimble and durable, the lack of care ultimately resulted in the vessel being just another one of dusty and old ships that CenterTech had no use for.
When in Galadeon's possession, he came to view the vessel as more than a mere ship meant to fulfill transport necessities or an apparatus through which he could improve his architectural capabilities. The Caestus became a substantial part in Galadeon's life in that it fulfilled the gaping holes that had been left by his gruesome experiences in the Jedi Order. One may raise the question how a lifeless vessel could fulfill such a significant role; the answer lay behind the fact that Perrvoxes were capable of seeing things beyond what the normal eye could see. As a way to cherish such a blessed gift, the vessel was named after a mythical creature that hailed from his homeworld whose existence had yet to be proven, which symbolized Galadeon's perpetual love for his homeworld and the secrets it held.
Subsequent to its modification, the Caestus became what was basically a highly fortified armory. At the behest of Galadeon himself, the previously unarmed vessel was armed to fulfill its role as the former Jedi's peaceful habitation. With a host of powered weapons at its disposal and the availability of various upgraded defense and stealth systems at its side, the Caestus was proven to be powerful enough to even cripple an entire Imperial light cruiser and adversaries of the same caliber in more than one instances, as showcased by the results of Galadeon's rather frequent run-ins with Imperial occupation throughout the galaxy.
Modifications[]
A compact ship with an exceptional potential, one of the Caestus' most notable features that Galadeon deemed worthy of note was its particular proneness to modification. It had virtually limitless possibilities and functions in accordance to the way it was modified, suiting Galadeon's needs as the Perrvox opted to cruise through the galaxy as opposed to permanently staying within the boundaries of a certain location, which prompted him to modify the ship so that it could be something worthy of being called a "home". He implemented over a hundred upgrades and customizations with the technology provided by CenterTech Industries, and although most of the modifications were done by CenterTech Industries at his behest, the process still took them more than a year to thoroughly finish.
Among the upgrades Galadeon implemented was an upgrade on the vessel's weaponry and defense systems. As it was re-constructed in a way Galadeon could properly call it "home", the former Jedi necessitated the usage of extreme weaponry and defense systems so that his "home" could be saved from potential destruction. The Caestus was well equipped with a plethora of highly advanced weapon systems that could be located throughout the exterior of the ship. These weapons were a powerfully augmented version of the weapons produced by CenterTech Industries with improved capabilities and increased efficiency. The weapons could be controlled directly from the cockpit by a pilot or by an astromech droid via a socket exclusive to said droid should there be no one available to man the weapons personally, which was mostly the case. A large portion of the vessel's exterior was scrupulously fortified with a fair balance between ultrachrome and quadanium alloy, and the entirety of the ship itself could be safeguarded within deflector shields generated by a couple of significantly upgraded deflector shield generators. To go along with its impressive weaponry and armor, the Caestus was additionally equipped with stunning stealth systems that often aided Galadeon tremendously in escaping various near-death situations.
The Caestus also had an automatic weapons-handling system installed into its computer that could automatically detect and engage hostility in any form should Galadeon be too busy or tired to make his presence known in the cockpit. Said system was programmed solely by Galadeon himself, which had a database of nigh countless information that was kept updated on a routinely basis, allowing the system to accurately deduce whether those who dared to move within the range of its radar were hostile or not and the method of engagement. The system was also granted access to the ship's automatic navigation controls and stealth mechanics.
Galadeon's room.
Since the vessel was previously used to fill the role of a transport vehicle, Galadeon had to re-arrange the entire factory schematics of the Caestus so it could comfortably house spaces as featured in regular homes, which Galadeon often referred to as "rooms" as opposed to "cabins". The Caestus had two decks, both of which were roughly equal in size, although Galadeon saw to it that the upper deck was modified to be larger. The upper deck saw more function than its lower counterpart and housed the majority of spaces Galadeon utilized to perform his daily activities. These spaces included a cockpit that governed a large majority of the ship's controls which hovered over the frontmost windows. Galadeon's personal room could be located directly behind the cockpit, which had an emergency computer through which Galadeon could interface to indirectly control the ship; aside from this, most of Galadeon's personal needs and belongings as well as his daily supplements could be found inside his room. As per instructions from CenterTech Industries, the upper deck also included Galadeon's workspace, which housed his personal studies and spaces where he did his work. The lower deck housed a fairly large cargo hold which Galadeon used to store miscellaneous items, which was empty most of the time.
Galadeon's workspace.
As a way to cope with the solitude that came with his decision to live aboard a vessel coupled with his deeply-invested interest in art, Galadeon had personally installed a great variety of extraneous and often art-related customizations that could be found throughout the length of the Caestus, regardless of whether said customizations were inside or outside the vessel. The first and foremost of these customizations was present on the exterior of the ship; although the paint job remained largely untouched, Galadeon had implemented an intricate mold design on the sides of the ship that was more or less similar to the tattoos present on his body, patterned with turquoise paint. It could be said that the design somewhat strayed from its source, although this was due to the extreme difficulty of implementing such design. Additional decorations in the form of colorfully soft fluorescent lighting could be found inside the vessel; they were mostly present on the ceiling of the lower deck and could be found hanging atop and along the edges of the cockpit controls. The spaces on the upper deck featured a number of neatly placed display cases that varied greatly in terms of size and design. These display cases housed a wide variety of exceedingly invaluable treasures and a few of the most worthless trinkets in the galaxy that Galadeon kept as a memento of the adventures he had been on throughout the course of his life. Such objects included Galadeon's severed padawan braid, the scattered remains of his first lightsabers, and a phase I clone trooper helmet. A particularly large display case in Galadeon's room was used as a self-sustaining aquarium that exhibited an exotic variety of aquatic faunas. Additionally, the cockpit was equipped with a sound system that could blast loud pieces of music across the entire vessel by way of large, high-quality speakers attached to the ceiling of the vessel's spaces.
History[]
Origins[]
At some point prior to the Clone Wars, the Caestus was constructed by Fluentum Shipyards as one of the very first units of the FL-05 "Whale" light freighter model. At this time, the incorporated materials and modern technology used to assemble the ship caught the attention of space-faring customers and those who sought to own a starship of their own. A unique feature of the FL-05 "Whale" model, its particular proneness to modification which made it easier for starship owners to modify and re-arrange the systems of the vessel should the need for an upgrade arose, placed the model high above others of its peers. In mere days following its publicity, those who wanted to own such a vessel had already begun completing the transaction process of purchasing said ships.
The Caestus, one of the very first units to be ever produced by the Deuvius engineers, was purchased by a prideful bounty hunter who sought to build a reputation in which the vessel would be used a symbol of his might. Immediately following its construction, the Caestus was shipped by way of a somewhat sizable Deuvius-built carrier with an automated navigation system with numerous destinations spanning across the galaxy and accompanied by a cargo-handling droid, since the engineers were stretched far too thin to escort and deliver the ships themselves. This proved to be their undoing; as the number of customers who sought to own the ships legally rose, so did the number of criminals who sought to own the ships through their dark ways.
When the carrier began its journey to deliver the purchased ships with the Caestus aboard it, a Deuvius smuggler, who was tasked to attempt and hijack the carrier in order to bring the shipped delivery vessels to his employers, made his move. The Deuvius, who was previously a part of the Fluentum Shipyards, utilized the information he gained when he was one of the engineers and was promised a handsome amount of credits if he was successful in stealing and smuggling the ship into the hands of his dirty employers. The smuggler's schemes, however, did not go as smooth as he had envisioned; he lost control of his ship and crashed into the carrier's navigation system, severely destroying his own ship and the carrier's navigations beyond repair. Ironically, the Deuvius broke his connections to the engineers because he had secretly contracted a form of heart disease and took the job of smuggling the ships in pursuit of wealth in order to free himself from this curse. Although the Deuvius survived the crash, he was put under worse circumstances due to his heart disease and the destruction of his ship. In a last ditch effort to flee, he took one of the FL-05 "Whale" models and escaped the carrier, leaving it to drift aimlessly into deep space with the Caestus and a great number of other ships still aboard.
A few weeks subsequent to the accident, a female Vannian who, happened to pass by the carrier, made the decision to secure and attach the carrier onto her ship, which was large and powerful enough to carry the carrier, and bring the vessels aboard to her superiors. The Vannian was an architect employed by CenterTech and its department of architecture in a mission to one of its clients on a far away planet. Following the Vannian's immediate consultation with her superiors, it was decided that she was to assume ownership of the carrier and the vessels aboard it; in the end, the purchased vessels never made it to those who bought them. Under the new and rather temporary ownership of the Vannian, the ships were left unattended due to her strict schedule that made her incapable of taking time to tend to the ships, leaving them crushed by the ravages of time.
A gift[]
In an interesting turn of events, a young Perrvox under the name of Galadeon who sought to find a new "home" for he had lost his a year earlier was introduced by the same Vannian who found the carrier into the world of modern architecture and its artful applications. Interested in the concept of rebuilding things that had been broken, the young Perrvox happily took his enormous leap into a new world he had never been to, in which he could finally find something he could call a "home". Whether by coincidence or orchestrated by the will of the Force itself, the young Perrvox, who was actually a former Jedi who had resentments against what the Jedi Order had become, found himself talented in this particular aspect. Interested in seeing his quick development, the female Vannian took Galadeon under her wing and offered to give him one of the ships in her possession if he proved to be a valuable asset to her and the company she worked for.
Eventually, Galadeon constructed his path into the world of architecture impressively; this piqued the interest of not only the female Vannian, but her superiors as well. As promised, the female Vannian gave one of the ships in her possession–an FL-05 "Whale" light freighter unit–on which Galadeon could begin his work independently without her assistance. The young Perrvox happily accepted the gift despite its rather run-down condition at the time and, under the guidance of the female Vannian, began modifying the vessel that he had renamed the "Caestus". Under the new ownership of Galadeon, the vessel became an exceptionally outstanding ship that stood high above those of its peers with its new modifications which were continuously implemented by CenterTech Spaceworks and Galadeon himself.
Era of the Empire[]
It's that wretched ship again!
—An Imperial officer, upon seeing the Caestus re-approaching an Empire-controlled territory
A full year following Galadeon's first cruise with the Caestus, the vessel saw numerous actions as the young Perrvox had frequent run-ins with Imperial occupations. Despite how powerful Imperial occupations were, under the command of Galadeon and the upgraded modifications of weaponry and armor at its side, the Caestus proved to be more powerful and strong enough to overcome even the strongest among Imperial forces. The vessel also saw use as Galadeon's "home" and his personal work space, aboard which the young Perrvox lived. At some point in this era, Galadeon met and welcomed Syrin Arkanius within the walls of Caestus, who also came to view it as his own home.
Behind the scenes[]
The name of this ship is a derivative of "Cetus", a constellation which refers to a mythical sea creature of the same name in Greek mythology. This and the model of the ship with "Whale" in its name refer to the author's deeply-invested fascination of aquatic fauna and myths of the same category. Furthermore, the front part of the model's name, "FL-05", refers to the author's favorite number: five. The image depicting this ship is taken from the same ship that a young Rey saw leaving Jakku in her vision from Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. Originally, the author had planned to have a modified YV-929 armed freighter as the primary design for Galadeon's ship. This idea was later scrapped and the design of the ship was changed to the one drawn by Samize over on DeviantArt, but due to unforeseen circumstances it was changed once more to the current one. Details of the drawing can be viewed here: http://samize.deviantart.com/art/Star-Wars-Ship-340336812.
Appearances[]
- Star Wars: Alliance Civil War (First appearance)