The Albatross
Seemingly ageless Cosmopolitans, The Albatross are a pan-galactic peacekeeping force known
to the desperate and downtrodden. In a vast galaxy, distress calls are messages in a bottle: sent
with hope, and with the grim knowledge that, more likely than not, no one will respond in time.
No one, but The Albatross. Snapping from nearlight to realspace already in their suits, The Albatross launch from their carrier ships and engage almost immediately. Their mission parameters
are simple as they are varied: answer the call to help.
Their code nuances this basic mission. The Albatross are a first responder/triage organization,
not one to fight protracted campaigns or practices nation-building. While they might operate
some ground/overland operations, their primary theaters of engagement are air and space, both
in deep space and orbital.
Their chassis are legendary, shining silver with each pilot’s livery emblazoned across their shields
and splash plating, their banners snapping in the stellar wind from the hafts of their lances. Supported by sublight ships, fighter wings, and light ships of the line, The Albatross are a remarkable
and formidable fighting force. They are recognized by Union as an autonomous nomad state,
though they are kept in modern supply by IPS-N, who also maintain certain Cosmopolitan embassies for retiring Albatross Wings. The Albatross do not have a executive presence on IPS-N’s
board, though they do maintain diplomatic ties with Argo Navis.
As Cosmopolitans, The Albatross have served Diasporans in need for hundreds of years of realtime; As Cosmopolitans, they appear in Diasporans mythology and histories, seemingly unaffected by the passage of centuries. The “Lost Time” of interstellar travel has distanced them from
the Diasporans they serve—they are an order apart, an organization that lives on its own time.
A large order, The Albatross primarily recruit new mech pilots from internal sources. Of-age youth
who show promise are ushered aboard Albatross range-ships early on in their lives, so they may
steward older Loyal Wings and learn through apprenticeship. It is uncommon, though not unheard of, for adult recruits to join an Albatross Wing, though typically these pilots do not attain
status as a Loyal Wing unless it is posthumously awarded or achieved through considerable sacrifice.
These external offers are not given lightly: to join The Albatross one must shed their past lives,
families, friends, and homes. They will become Cosmopolitan, sever themselves from the “real”
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timeline of humanity, become apart from
the people they serve. They will, in effect,
die, and be reborn as a Wing of The Albatross.
A Wing’s charge is simple: Become the light
in an uncaring galaxy. Strike the cruel and
serve those who cry out for help. They are
seen as paragons by most, true heroes in
the fashion of ancient knights-errant, steadfast gunslingers, or folk heroes.
The current leader of The Albatross is High
Commander Lakshmi Bandhav-4796u.
Albatross pilots are called Wings, and
ranked as followed: Wing is the most common rank, typically shared by fresh recruits
and cadets. Loyal Wing is a title awarded
by nomination and approval to tested
Wings, giving them seniority and command
over other Wings. Honored Wing is a title
akin to commissioned rank, and these pilots have seniority over Loyal Wings and
Wings.
Albatross wings are organized around their
Maktebas—typically a monastic moon or
station that act as diplomatic contact points
and evergreen temporal touchstones. A detachment from an Albatross Makteba generally operates on century-long (realtime)
patrol. A Makteba usually only has one operational detachment of Wings, but there
are some larger libraries that field two or
even three.
An example Albatross Loyal Wing: Sagrada Noor bin Maktaba Al Sagrada