THE CODE OF THE STELLAR PILOT
Though grandiose, our history is written in sweat, pain, tears, and blood. The attempt to erase our differences have brought us to the brink of ruin, now these same differences unite us in the path towards curiosity, freedom, and peace in the future. Blessed is our newborn society, reborn from the ashes, blessed are we who serve its perpetuation.We stand ready to take on any mission, to halt any conflict, and to spread peace throughout the Greater Expanse, wherever it may be found.Following faithfully the code ahead, and displaying great pride and respect in being a stellar pilot. I abide by my honor, courage and altruism.
Therefore, I will act mindful of the privilege I have to serve. In taking this oath, I, [PILOTNAME], affirm my uncompromising integrity in word and deed. I hereby, sacrifice my social, economic, and personal bonds with this world that birthed me, in order to follow my duties as a stellar pilot. I hereby accept my crew as my only family, and my vessel as my only home, my body belongs to the stars, my soul belongs to the people, and my heart belongs to my crew.[...]Through this oath, I reject servitude to any master but the greatness and continuation of our people, whilst also rejecting any crowns and riches from it.I swear to seek illumination from the past, present, and future, and with my unique point of view, judge the best course of action for my family, and my people.
I accept my people, ever changing, as my protected. Lest them return to barbary or teach me anew, with patience and bravery I offer them my hand and my sword.
I accept my crew as my companions and protectors. Lovingly, I will open my arms and receive them in times of need.
I accept my vessel, the [SHIPNAME], as my home. Care for and listen to it as if it were my mother, sacred and immaculate.
THIS IS THE WAY OF GREATER EXPANSE, THIS IS THE WAY OF GREATER GOOD, THIS IS THE WAY OF THE PILOT.
According to surviving records and artifacts from the late Stellar Era, Starpilots were a subset of society created during the Golden Stellar Era, their mission was to guarantee that Hoku society persisted across time and space, serving as a moral and scientific baseline to the societies they were to interact with, safeguarding any new knowledge and re-delivering lost history and advancements.
Only a dozen generations of starpilots were ever trained over the second half of the Stellar Era, the last ones were the Winged of Kal'halel Tet, circa 550 years before the Fall of Hokushoku. Starpilots were crucial to maintain the stability and peace of the Hoku Expanse for centuries, serving mainly diplomatic and humanitarian issues that they came across.
Because interstellar voyages demanded vast reserves of energy and time, especially when carrying a live crew, the very rhythm of governance began to slow. Beaming high-intensity radio transmissions was out of the question — not only due to energy costs but for fear of detection by the then-uncontacted Dominion. Discreet communication became an art of its own.
The travel time of messengers could be severely cut down in a few ways, sending a synthetic onboard and just shooting the ship near-lightspeed, but that would also take out the *human* element of the mission, since the people on the other side would need to be able to relate to the messenger. Thus was born the starpilot out of a moral conundrum of not knowing if society would understand or even accept an artificial messenger.
A starpilot travels in groups of up to 8-12 crewmates (varies with generation) in relatively small vessels capable of faster subliminal travel than your average mining flagship. The small crew minimized consumption while preserving sanity. It also allowed experimental thrusters and kinetic bumpers to be tested in the field.
Because of the extreme speeds and preservation technology involved, their lifespan greatly surpasses those of hoku stationary in planets, granting them access to the true order and unraveling of events in history, if anything, the recorded dataset of such starships is worth quite a lot in classical technology and history.
The presence of starpilots kept internal conflicts to a minimum across Hoku space, and the sight of such démodé ships often meant that there would be no need of a conflict because several starpilots could assemble a reunion and judge what could be done for a particular colony or settlement. How they did that is partly secretive, but every generation of starpilots had pre-established routes and meeting points to make exchanges of Intel which could be cross-referenced.
The need for starpilots waned as the Hoku merged with the Arrene from the Dominion. A few pilot schools endured well into the Lower Stellar Era, more as a tradition — or a romantic vocation — than a necessity. The last time pilots saw combat was during the Fall of Hokushoku, their skill in gathering intelligence and sabotaging enemy lines proved crucial in evacuating settlers from the Expanse into the Dominion. There are rumors that a few wartime crews remain dormant in the outlands, stranded, or perhaps unable to let go of the war.
Be they saints or zealots of a forgotten age, today most remember them by their ships. The price of such derelict vessels skyrocketed after the Fall of Hokushoku, each a rare and coveted relic. To possess one became a mark of status and dominion over the Outlands.
From the Annex, level 79, Hoku History, Codex of the Stellar Era vol. IX
Last accessed 22.10.3832 year of the Prime Foundation
