Blade-Wing Of Zama

Ships and Crew:

The Cruiser: The Blade-Wing of Zama is Zero's "insurgency-suppression" ship and primary base of operations. It is named after the moon of Zama, where Palaven made peace with the colonies and ended decades of bitterness that had endured after the Unification War. While no faster than the typical cruiser, the Zama's shields and armor are some of the best in the galaxy, its weaponry is top of the line, and it carries a platoon of hardened turian marines, an entire fighter wing, and Zero's Corvette, the Black Harrier.

The Corvette: The Black Harrier is one of the most brilliantly and deviously designed vehicles in Council Space. Though (usually) lightly armed, its armor can deflect any known small-arms fire, its shields are comparable to the toughest frigates', and it is one of the fastest ships in the galaxy. In spite of the exacting specifications, the real genius of the Black Harrier is its modular functionality. The Harrier can be refitted to look like anything from a rich socialite's stellar limousine to a hard-bitten mercenary's fast-entry attack craft. When not in disguise, the Harrier's twin GARDIAN lasers are supplemented with a small battery of missiles and a mass effect shockwave cannon. This cannon is experimental and currently requires a biotic gunner, but when it works it can knock frigates off-course.

Zama's Lady: Once, Dimizi Rasan was a huntress for a red sand syndicate. Embittered by the treatment she faced from her own people as the orphan daughter of two asari, she embraced her role as an feared outcast. She was also brilliant, wielding formidable biotic powers and impressive engineering skills. When her syndicate began to merge with Eclipse, a Spectre took notice - Scipio Armax. He broke up the deal and the syndicate. Dimizi was the highest-ranking survivor, and something she said in her furious, spiteful rant about her empty life and his smug certitude touched the turian. He petitioned a dubious asari court for custody of the warrior; they were uncertain, but acceded to his request. That was 2168.

In 2183, Dimizi is a respected agent of Council justice, first officer of the Zama and Zero's right hand. They've both long since lost track of how many times each has saved the other's life. While Scipio has reconciled with his siblings, he considers Dimizi his closest sister, and the feeling is mutual. In the Blade-Wing's halls, no one dares question Scipio publicly lest Commander Rasan tear them a few new orifices.

On the other hand, they've been heard to argue like varren behind closed doors. No one says it in the common rooms, but the entire crew knows Dimizi thinks Zero's too soft and that it's going to bite him in the cloaca some day. She's also not sure about his vocal support of the Systems Alliance. Dimizi has no problems with individual humans, but she feels that their government has become too powerful too quickly, and encouraging raging egomaniacs like Udina is going to get the entire galaxy in trouble at the rate the Council's going.

For all their disagreements, though, Dimizi's loyalty to Scipio is obvious as a clear sunrise. Zoe to his Mal, Spock to his Kirk, anyone who dares hunt Zero Armax had best be prepared to be hunted in turn. "Zero is the poster child for overcompensating. He was a slacker. I addicted people to poison," she has noted to more than one new recruit. "I owe him more than my life. So behave."

Interestingly, while the rest of the crew respects Zero, they're mostly loyal to him through Commander Rasan. She learned the proprieties and protocols of virtually every Council species and speaks respectfully to all of them, unless the guns are out. As a result, the crew calls her "Lady Dimizi." Most would follow her into a Reaper's maw. Zero once quipped that maybe he should make her captain of the Zama; she replied, deadly serious, never to say that again, even as a joke. Touched, he said she was "Zama's Lady" instead. While everyone agrees that Zero is the Zama's captain, most everyone agrees that regarding the ship herself, the Lady is in charge.

As an aside, Dimizi has absolutely no interest in Scipio in "that way." As she once noted, "Turians are pointy where they should be round and have sandpaper tiles instead of skin. Plus, you know, anaphylactic shock, ew."

The Mad Genius: Armax Arsenal makes some fine weapons, but they're best known for their armor. While their polymers can't quite match the sheer toughness of Colossus brand, their legendary Predator line has the strongest personal shields in the known galaxy. This genius for mass field design extends to larger equipment, and one of their finest minds is Elenus Qui'in, turian engineer and master of shield calibration.

It's unfortunate that he is also an archetypal example of the fine line between brilliance and instability. More at home in simulstim than physical reality, Elenus is not good at relating to others through non-technical means. Cerneria once dryly noted that Elenus' native language is calculus, which isn't that far off. He can keep the engines running and the weapons on line in a pinch, but in combat he typically mans the barrier systems. Thus far, no assault has ever penetrated the Zama's shields, and Elenus intends to keep it that way. (He insists the same would be true of the Black Harrier "if Scipio were not determined to challenge the very laws of physics whenever he goes for a joyride!")

The Eyes and Ears: Ulirilonis, or "Uli" for short, is the hanar systems operator for the Zama, making it chief of communications, sensors and countermeasures. While it leaves most of the comm-tech details to its volus subordinate Vila Tenic, Uli itself takes personal charge of the sensor suites and the ECM/ECCM systems. Uli explains itself as having an extremely rare hanar talent for multitasking, able to use its bioluminescence with astonishing speed while controlling all of its tentacles with fluid grace, allowing it to deal with multiple issues simultaneously with skill that surpasses VIs. This doesn't stop Uli from taking advantage of VI subroutines, making the Zama's sysop one of the most effective in Council Space.

No one really knows how Uli ended up serving on the Zama except Zero and Lady Dimizi. They just returned from an operation on Therum with it following them silently. Most of the serious money is on Uli being one of "Zero's strays," perhaps a hanar heretic or thief rescued from rivals by the legendary Spectre. Regardless of the truth, Uli's not talking, and Zero and Dimizi just direct questions to the hanar.

Uli's gender (or lack thereof) is also a matter of some speculation (and rampant humor) among the crew. As all hanar do, it refers to itself exclusively in the third person. Uli once made an offhand comment about an "asari colleague," though, and the crew was off and running. Zero laughs off such questions, Dimizi sentenced the last non-com who brought it up with her to a week's KP, and Uli doesn't seem to even understand the question or its purpose.