The HPA Saga
The Huge Plasma Accelerator Saga, or HPA Saga, is a fan-fiction chronicle set in the FFE universe following the Azure Sunset, a Long Range Cruiser controlled by Norman Mosser and his crew of criminals, which has a stolen Huge Plasma Accelerator on its front weapon mount.
It is written through the point of view of its multiple authors, whose own characters unwittingly get caught up in what was to become known as the "HPA Sarrghhaa", consisting of 7 books.
Contents
Azure Sunset
The Azure Sunset is a Long Range Cruiser owned by Norman Mosser. It is infamous throughout the Galaxy as the only non military ship to house a Huge Plasma Accelerator, albeit a recalcitrant one.
The ship which became the Azure Sunset was first christened in 3294 as the Abraham's Son. The ship had a long and successful career as a cargo hauler until Mosser purchased it through several front companies. Mosser immediately began alterations to the ship. First on the list was adding a weapon mount capable of holding the Huge Plasma Accelerator he had just stolen. The systems and wiring to support the weapon were next in line. Standard armament was also added, as well as several Mosser-esque additions such as clone vats and specialist medical facilities. The front third of the ship is taken up with the HPA, while the rest of the ship is utilitarian.
The ships superstructure was weakened when it was pulled from hyperspace as it fled the Achernar system. The ship was never fully repaired and remains in a weakened condition.
Norman's crew
Although many of Mosser's legendary missions involved him alone, as his schemes grew, his need for hired help grew. During the incidents of the HPA 1 saga, his crew included the following people:
- Sam Kemper - Norman Mosser's right hand man. The two have been friends for many years and Sam has diligently followed Norman everywhere.
- Mary Darkes - Mary is second in command and runs the Azure Sunset.
- Benzedrine Moore - An Engineer and mechanic, Moore suffers from slight space madness and alcoholism.
- Annalise Berihn - A weapon loving lady, Annalise is from Diso and has worked with her aunty Jannah on the Long Haul Outpost. Tall, seductive and dangerous, she has the complete package.
- Roj Warfturn - This man is worth 250,000C to the Imperials.
- John Anders - An electrician by trade before joining Mosser's crew, he is the most stable of the crew.
- Lucky Wal - Mans the astrogation and sensor stations.
The Huge Plasma Accelerator 1
| The Huge Plasma Accelerator 1 | |
|---|---|
| The Capitol Incident | |
| |
| Author | Elite Fans |
| Country | UK/AUS/NZ/OTHER |
| Language | English |
| Series | The HPA Saga |
| Genre | Science Fiction |
| Publisher | FrontierAstro |
| Release Date | 2006 |
| Media Type | Electronic |
| Pages | |
| Preceded by | |
| Followed by | The Huge Plasma Accelerator 2 |
The Huge Plasma Accelerator 1 is set around the year 3307.
Participants
- Norman Mosser (and crew)
- Jake Sommersby (and Jecht)
- Leif Ericsen (and crew)
- Nomura
- Red Ravens (and Bec, Dreyfus, Marcus etc.)
- Frantic (and some mysterious organisation)
- James K. Winston (and Mack)
- Jannah Berrinh (and Leila Berrinh)
- Rowan Weston
- Ocker (and a band of tyrants)
Plot
Norman steals a Huge Plasma Accelerator from the Federation and installs it on a Long Range Cruiser named the Azure Sunset. Working with the bastard Prince Marcus, Norman devises a plan to assassinate the Crown Prince by destroying Fort Donalds, a space station orbiting Capitol (Achenar 6d).
Alliance Intelligence hire a rogue named Red Ravens and his co-pilot to track the HPA. Once they realise what the HPA's target is, they rust to Fort Donalds and thwart the plan by making Marcus's android sabotage the Azure Sunset.
The Imperial Navy arrives at Fort Donalds and in the ensuring battle, the damaged Azure Sunset escapes. Aided by a mysterious organisation, the Azure Sunset evades Imperial tracking and is repaired at a hidden base where the engines are upgraded to Imperial military spec.
The failure at Fort Donalds takes its toll on Norman, and he decides to go on a side trip to find Raxxla. He abandons the Azure Sunset, which is programmed to make random hyperspace jumps to keep in hiding. The random number generator is held by Mary Darkes's brother on Earth.
The Huge Plasma Accelerator 2
| The Huge Plasma Accelerator 2 | |
|---|---|
| Deathwreaker | |
| Author | Elite Fans |
| Country | UK/AUS/NZ/OTHER |
| Language | English |
| Series | The HPA Saga |
| Genre | Science Fiction |
| Publisher | FrontierAstro |
| Release Date | September 2007 |
| Media Type | Electronic |
| Pages | |
| Preceded by | The Huge Plasma Accelerator 1 |
| Followed by | The Huge Plasma Accelerator 3 |
The Huge Plasma Accelerator 2 is set around the year 3309.
Participants
- Norman Mosser and crew)
- Mack Winston (and Maria Hengist-Duval)
- Cmdr. Maegil (and Emu)
- Vasquith de Havilland (and Michael Veruz)
- Kim Stenson
- The Spartacus Brotherhood
Plot
After having found Raxxla, but not disclosing what he found, Norman returns to inhabited space with new plans for the Azure Sunset. He enlists the help of his old friend Sam Kemper. Unfortunately, two other clones of Norman show up, each wanting to get their hands on the Sunset.
A drifter named Vasquith de Havilland and his co-pilot stumble upon the Azure Sunset during one of its random jumps. As the investigate further, mysterious ships appear and attack them. De Havilland retreats into the ship itself. There he works out the random number generator for the hyperdrive and kills the pilots of the mysterious ships. He escapes into hyperspace, but is chased across the Galaxy. Knowing he will never be safe, de Havilland decides to use his information of the Sunset to buy protection from Norman Mosser.
The Mosser's battle each other, pulling others into their wake, including a anti-slave group known as the Spartacus Brotherhood. After a battle with the leader of the Spartans, Norman reclaims the Azure Sunset and goes to hidden base for repairs.
The Azure Sunset was being tracked however and both the Federation and Empire send in fleets to destroy the Azure Sunset. In what was to become known as the Battle of Rocky Fields, a mortally wounded Azure Sunset manages to escape into hyperspace.
The Huge Plasma Accelerator 3
| The Huge Plasma Accelerator 3 | |
|---|---|
| Tides of War | |
| Author | Elite Fans |
| Country | UK/AUS/NZ/OTHER |
| Language | English |
| Series | The HPA Saga |
| Genre | Science Fiction |
| Publisher | FrontierAstro |
| Release Date | 2007- |
| Media Type | Electronic |
| Pages | |
| Preceded by | The Huge Plasma Accelerator 2 |
| Followed by | |
In the Third Saga, the Sunset limps back to a drydock belonging to the same organisation which helped Norman at the end of first saga. When there, Frantic takes command and indicates they will use the Sunset to destroy INRA.
The Azure Sunset is found to be mortally wounded and the HPA is non-functional. While Norman and Sam go to Alioth to find a new LRC for the gun, de Havilland goes to find replacement parts for the HPA.
Weapons
- Federal Marines - Special Issue Carbine
Based on the civilian Laser Carbine, the Special Issue was repowered by the Armonitions Corporation. The resulting laser pulse is shorter, but has a higher energy level and a faster refire rate. The recoil is almost completely compensated for. A folding stock and a more utilitarian look gives the Special Issue an almost spectral look. It is cheap and lightweight, but easily damaged and no good as a bludgeoning weapon. The barrel especially is prone to damage.
- L&F Detective Special
The Lance and Ferman Detective Special is a small, lightweight laser pistol with an average power output of 1 kilo-watt. Its small stature belies a robust weapon that will work in all environments. It is a discreet weapon that can be easily hidden, a must for detectives on the beat. Although not prone to malfunction, such an event is usually disastrous to the weapon. The main drawback of the Detective Special is the low power output.
- Colt .45 "Peace maker"
The Colt Single Action Army handgun, also known as the Colt Peacemaker or Single Action Army, is a single action revolver holding 6 rounds of ammunition. It was designed for the US cavalry by Colt's Manufacturing Company and adopted in 1873, and it was perhaps the most prolific pistol in the wild west.
- CCH "Ambassador"
In 2056, Churchill Combine Houver produced a weapon they called the "Ambassador". A stepping stone between the traditional pistol of the 20th century and the true railguns of the 22nd century, the "Ambassador" was a true hybrid, combining the chemical power of a bullet with the electrical power of a railgun. A new, smaller bullet was produced, which fitted into a large magazine. Although fired like a normal bullet, magnetism was used in reloading, allowing a simpler, cheaper gun, but also a dangerously high refire rate. The same Magnetism suite was used to give Molecular spin to the bullets. The nanoscale vibrations allowed deeper penetration of the target, including Spectra and High Powered Body armour.
- Colt "Diplomat"
Favoured by special forces in all the major militaries, the "Diplomat" is a simple, but powerful weapon. It forgoes style and class for functionality. The resulting weapon looks like it was birthed in a junkyard, but packs a large enough punch to rival the Deathwrecker. The laser focusing and emitting crystal is the only high tech component, giving unparalleled accuracy. The Diplomat can be dropped, kicked, compacted, shot at and detonated, and will keep working. Despite the simplistic design, the cost of the "Diplomat" is high. the weapon is also unfriendly to the user in terms of recoil and hand damage; there is no heat dissipation componentry, although some can be brought after market.
- L&F Inspector Special
Lance and Ferman took the famously reliable "Detective Special" and threw some more money at it. They wanted a more upmarket weapon that was as successful as the Detective, but looked great and worked better. The resulting weapon was creatively labelled the "Inspector". Although the accuracy and looks were improved, the cost also increased, alienating loyal customers. The Inspector continues to sell, despite its only moderate success.
- "Winter Moon" katana and the "Little Moon" wakizashi
A diamond-edged duralium 'daisho' (Japanese: 'large and small') given to Maegil by his Sensei, Emu's father. It incorporates the Japanese swordmaking concept of a hard cutting edge sheathed in a softer, shock absorbing material to prevent shattering.
- Ingram 350
The preferred Federal Special Forces assault rifle, also adopted by the Spartacus Brotherhood Marines. Its standard version has a medium powered fast rate of fire, good against soft armour or massed opponents, but has a power regulator that can be set for a slower, 350KW shield piercing output. Its modular design can be converted to a carbine, a sniper rifle or an infantry support weapon and back in a moment's notice just by exchanging its modules, making it an excellent all-round weapon. Its downsides are the the '350 is rather heavy weighted on some configurations and is definitively not a cheap weapon.
- GVG
Gratuitous Violence Gun, the Imperial Army mainstream assault rifle. In an attempt to level its poorly trained conscript forces with the Federation's shielded professional soldiers, the Empire created a sturdy weapon that substituted marksmanship for sheer destructiveness. Very powerful, it has an incorporated plasma grenade launcher. Even with government-manipulated production prices, the only reason the Empire can afford these weapons as mainstream is that they usually outlast the soldiers...
- Vega Corp Deathwrecker Mk I
A weapon designed to wreck death and destruction, regardless of consequences. The deathwreaker is actually a hand held micro laser cannon, sacrificing minor things as heat exchangers, safety norms and core radiation shielding, for capacitors and yet more capacitors... 200 million were released on the market before Vega corp. was forced to stop its production on account of the law suits for personal and genetic damage, but even so it's still in demand on grittier systems. Of course, the only places you can walk around with one without being stopped by the police is where battle weapons are legal, or there's no police at all... It huge blast in a small package has another price: a power cell has capacity to fire only five times before reloading, and the lack of heat exchanger forces for a long refire time to prevent overheating.
- Vega Corp Deathwrecker Mk II
With exquisite Achenar-style design, 15% more blast and 8% larger power cells, it can go up to 300!KW, but it also incorporates a regulation switch that reduces its power and increases the power cell life. Unfortunately, the Vega corp still wasn't able to include shielding on it and keep it a hand gun, so they added a legal disclaimer on the bottom of grip; basically it states in legalese that on carrying or firing the weapon, the user acknowledges and accepts its hazards. To read it, one just needs a lawyer and a electron sweep microscope (not included, Cr1499+tax). The psychos who disable the safety interlocks usually find its 0.5MW 'sufficient' even for the most extreme uses... They also discover the meaning of 'severe radiation burns'.
- Vega Corp Deathwrecker Mk II - Mosser Special Edition
The MK II with a platinum 'Azure Sunset' sigil and an exchangeable focusing and emitting crystal capable of burning the image of Norman Mosser up to 100m. Only 300 were made, and of those, many were bought by... Mosser!
Downloads
- PDF version of the first and second books on the Elite Expanded Universe website: Selezen's website
- PDF and EPUB versions of all three books in the HPA saga: Commander Steve's website
