Editing Defiant (starship)

{{vehicle
|type={{cat tag|Spacecraft}}
|universe=[[Skyward Universe]]
|books=[[Skyward (series)]]
}}
{{quote
|We were nomads among the stars then... We were a community made up of communities, traveling the stars together. Part mercenary fleet, part trade fleet. Our own people.
|[[Gran-Gran]] telling [[Spensa]] of the ''Defiant's'' fleet{{book ref|sky1|45}}
}}

The '''Defiant''' is a battle cruiser{{book ref|sky1|1}} and the biggest spaceship in a small, independent, nomad fleet of humans.{{book ref|sky1|45}} It crashed on [[Detritus]] after being targeted by the [[Superiority]] and attacked by the [[varvax|Krell]],{{book ref|sky1|45}} at the conclusion of the third [[Human War]].{{book ref|sky2|29}} It is said to be larger than [[Igneous Cavern]].{{book ref|sky1|1}}

== Fleet ==
{{quote
|She could make them travel the stars, one of the few who could... The distance between stars is vast, Spensa. And only someone with a specific ability could engage the engines.
|[[Gran-Gran]] talking about [[Spensa's great-grandmother]]{{book ref|sky1|45}}
}}
The fleet is comprised of one main ship, the ''Defiant,'' four smaller ships, the ''[[Yeong-Gwang]]'',{{book ref|sky1|8}} the gunship ''[[Antioch]]'',{{book ref|sky1|7}} and two others, as well as thirty [[starfighter]]s.{{book ref|sky1|45}} These ships are made up of a combination of trade and mercenary vessels.{{book ref|sky1|45}} The ''Defiant'' is the only ship in the fleet that is capable of [[cytonic]] hyperjumps, with the other ships attaching themselves to the ''Defiant'' before the jump occurs.{{book ref|sky1|45}}   

The ship's hyperdrive and engines are controlled by a cytonic. The ship can move without a cytonic, however, its FTL capabilities would be inaccessible.{{book ref|sky1|45}}

The fleets crews are multicultural{{book ref|sky1|14}} and made up of many divisions including; command, scientists, engineers, marines, and gunners. It is unclear whether the many cultures that can be found within the fleet are dispersed across the ships or whether different ships originated from different countries on [[Earth (Skyward)|Earth]]. The engineers of the ''Defiant'' are treated as outsiders by the rest of the fleet's crew due to their cytonic abilities. As it was known by members of the fleet that the Superiority also possessed such abilities, this similarity likely further alienated the engineering crew.{{book ref|sky1|27}} As the engineers were the first to be able to explore space, this distrust may also stem from jealousy.{{book ref|sky1|45}} It was rumored that the engineers were in collusion with the Krell, which may have further fueled tensions between the engine crew and other sectors of the fleet.{{book ref|sky1|44}}

== History ==
The ''Defiant's'' fleet were not involved in the third Human War, however, were targeted by the Superiority none the less.{{book ref|sky2|28}} During the war, the ''Defiant'' found it increasingly more difficult, as well as dangerous, to contact space stations and planets, and as such did not know of the Superiority or the Krell at the time that they were attacked.{{book ref|sky1|45}} When the war ended, the Superiority deemed humanity to be too brutal, uncivilized, and aggressive and ordered that all human fleets surrender to their authority.{{book ref|sky1|epilogue}} The people of the ''Defiant'' considered themselves separate to the humans involved in the war, and when they refused to surrender, the Krell were sent after the ''Defiant'' and its fleet to capture and contain the group.{{book ref|sky1|epilogue}}

{{sidequote
|I was terrified, in my little heart, because the ship kept shaking from their fire. We were in chaos... I stood in the alcove, watching the red lances of light, and could hear the stars screaming. A little frightened girl by a bubble of glass.
|[[Gran-Gran]] describing the day of the crash{{book ref|sky1|45}}
|side=right|size=350px
}}
The day the ''Defiant'' crashed, the engineers and scientists, mutinied against the command and military staff aboard the ship, after the Krell had surrounded the fleet and begun to attack the vessels. At some point during the battle, an explosion occurred on the bridge. The captain called down to the engine room, giving [[Spensa's great-grandmother]] her commands, however, she disobeyed. She brought the fleet to Detritus, using her cytonic abilities, in the hope that the fleet could use the planet's defense system as protection.{{book ref|sky1|45}}  However, the jump Spensa's great-grandmother made proved to be beyond her capabilities and she died.{{book ref|sky1|45}} Fired upon by the planet's orbital defense platforms, the fleet barely made it through Detritus's outer shell before it crashed onto the surface of the planet, destroying its engines.{{book ref|sky1|27}}

The electronic archive of the ''Defiant'' survived the crash, however, was destroyed, along with a majority of the senior leadership and professionals of the fleet killed, when the Krell dropped the first [[Lifebuster]] bomb, not long after the humans arrival at Detritus.{{book ref|sky1|17}} Following this event, the people of the ''Defiant's'' fleet formed separate colonies based on the duties they performed in the fleet, living in groups of less than one hundred people to avoid detection, until they were unified during the [[Battle of Alta]].{{book ref|sky1|1}}{{book ref|sky1|17}} Different populations settled in different caverns with the marines colonizing [[Vici Cavern]]{{book ref|sky1|8}} and the crew from the ''Antioch'' settling in [[Bountiful Cavern]].{{book ref|sky1|7}} The distinctive lifestyle features of these different caverns may extend back to the original groups aboard the ''Defiant''.

== Legacy ==
Some technology, such as [[light-line]]s{{book ref|sky1|3}} and holographic projectors,{{book ref|sky1|9}} survived the crash, as well as the subsequent destruction of the fleets electronic archive, however, much of the knowledge possessed by the fleet was lost.{{book ref|sky1|3}}{{book ref|sky1|27}} Some information of [[Earth (Skyward)|Old Earth]] survived, including histories and philosophical writings, and is stored in the archive building at [[Alta Base]].{{book ref|sky1|37}} Before the crash, light-lines were used by the engineers while they worked on ship machinery in zero gravity.{{book ref|sky1|14}} Schematics of starships also survived the ships destruction.{{book ref|sky1|6}} 

Knowledge of cytonics, both human and Superiority usages, has faded as time has passed, however, rumors of such abilities have persisted through to present day.{{book ref|sky1|27}} While the humans of the ''Defiant'' were aware of artificial intelligence, it is unclear if they themselves possessed this technology or the knowledge of how to create AIs.{{book ref|sky1|27}} If this was technological knowledge that the crew of the ''Defiant'' once possessed, it has since been lost to time.{{book ref|sky1|27}}

Knowledge of the mutiny is suppressed, where possible, by modern day officials, who believe that it would cause division if it became wildly known.{{book ref|sky1|44}}

== Trivia ==
*Descendants of the engineers are known as the Motorskaps, based off the old words for engine crew.{{book ref|sky1|1}} It is unknown if the original engine crew of the Defiant were also known by this name.
*The people on Detritus call themselves Defiants after the flagship of the fleet.{{book ref|sky1|1}}

== Notes ==
<references />
{{complete}}
{{Skyward}}