Mare Delfino
How you survived: Survive? That's a good joke. We thrived on the wars. Everybody needs PMCs now and then for the work they cannot do, and when there is war, you can be sure that we'll have plenty of jobs. We took to the seas early which saved us from a lot of the chaos that was going on around the world. By the second war we have grown enough that we could feed and arms ourselves without the need of others, and we wouldn't be bothered by anyone on international waters. Now that the gates have been discovered, we have the perfect opportunity to begin our trade yet again on a different world and make a big buck.
Ships:
Pelorus Jack - The flagship of the fleet, the Jack is a heavely modified Kiev-class "heavy aviation cruiser", which has already undergone several changes in ownership. It's latest one was it's purchase by the Mare Delfino, which is where it serves currently. Refurbished to be a mobile operations center, the superstructure has been expanded slightly to allow the mounting of more modern sensory equipment, and to make space for a sizeable hydroponics facility. Otherwise, the flight deck has been left pretty much untouched since there was no need for expansion, and it's 2 dual purpose gun mounts have been replaced with 4 RAM missile system. Since it serves as a home base and flagship for the Mare Delfino, it has several distinct modules: The forementioned hydroponics, a sizeable workshop that takes up most of the internal hangar which can manufacture small arms and other related equipment, and service aircraft and other vehicles with tools and materials produced in-house. The cannibalized aircraft hangar is a shy image of it's former self, but it houses most of the Mare Delfino's equipment and vehicles. Beside the workshop, a small recycling facility handles the trash created by the crew and repurposes most materials to allow for several months of sustained sea travel. Finally, the original steam boilers of the ship have been replaced with a license built A1B nuclear reactor, which now provides the electricity for the hulking beast of a ship.
Risso - A repurposed container ship, the Risso is a ship nearly the size of the Jack. With plenty of space on it's deck, it has been heavely repurposed to fill the needs of the fleet while on the ocean. She is equipped with a large farmspace, hydropnics facility and a small ranch where pigs and chickens are kept. Added superstructure runs along the entire ship in the form of an elevated platform made of cargo container that separates the greenhouses. Behind the bridge the remaining area was left untouched and it serves it's original purpose of storing cargo for the fleet. Below the deck lies most of her engineering, and a small prodcution facility where food is canned or refrigerated for future use. Fuel for the other ships is stored inside a large fuel tank at the front of the ship. She might not look much, but the Risso is an important logistical part of the fleet, where life never ceases to slow down. Most civilians and off duty crewman work here day and night.
Dusky - A former Russian icebreaker vessel which retained most of it's original functionality. The vessel is already suited for long range travel and can house many people. Most of the soldiers and engineering crew reside here. There are dedicated relaxation areas here which serve to ease the sailors who are off rotation from the Pelorus Jack or Orca. Most of the ship serves the one purpose of feeding and entertaining members of the Mare Delfino, as well as housing a small number of related families who work as the only civilian crew members aboard all four ships in utility roles such as janitors and chefs.
Orca - A Zubr class LCAC, the Orca is a ship you wouldn't expect in a fleet. Technically a hovercraft, it usually rests in tow behind the Risso, unassumingly floating on the water. But at a moment's notice, the Orca can escort the fleet at an unprecedented speed: cruising atop the water near 60 knots, it is twice as fast as most potential naval threats, and can deploy quickly to respond and deter agressors. It features a large inside hangar bay which is what the Mare Delfino use for transporting their away teams and hauling supplies to the fleet.
Technology:
The Mare Delfino aren't going to revolutionise the world with some advanced technological discovery. However they do know how to make good weapons. A variety of domestically produced guns and equipments bolster their arsenal, known for their reliability and effectiveness. There is a simple mindset for the fleet: create what you can, take care of what you cannot. Over the years the fleet has gotten exceptionally good at doing repairs on large vessels and vehicles, and the structurally sound hull of the age old Pelorus Jack stands as a testament. From guns to light vehicles almost anything can be produced in the workshop of the Jack using their own materials and machines, and as long as necessary resources are avaible, there isn't much that cannot be built there.
Military might:
Since the Mare Delfino isn't associated with anyone, and has less focus on all that "saving mankind" and more on that "making fat dosh" and "surviving", their military presence is more than what you'd expect of other fleets who ferry thousands of settlers. A measely 238 soldiers make up the fleet's core defensive and offensive force, but they are well equipped and full of fighting spirits. This might seem like a lot, but since the entire fleet is so small, there is a tight bond between the soldiers. Having sat out the 4th World War, but benefitting from both the 3rd and 4th, there is plenty of experience to go around. Salvaging was the name of the game when everybody else was about surviving. Thought the
Long Fare was a lot of things apart from pleasant, it did help to restock the wounded arsenal of the fleet. Around the mediterranian, along with many other tidbits of weaponary and loads of supplies, the fleet has looted a Namer APC, 3 BTR-90s, a BTR-90 Krymsk and a VBM Freccia IFV. Another interesting find was a disabled M60 patton they found in Syria which is currently a static placeholder inside the workshop, with no means of repair. A similarly ill fated italian MQ-1 was picked up, and thought it has been restorted to working order, it lacks any armanents. Thought no more salvagable ground vehicles were found later in the war, when combat became more devastating than before, there were other encounters. A distress call from the Admiral Kuznetsov resulted in the salvaging of an operational Mig 29K. Near the coasts of Indonesia, the fleet came across a recently downed JH-7 floating on the sea, abandoned by it's operator, which was quickly returned to the flight deck, and then repaired with spare equipment. The final acquisition of importance was near the west coast of the US. They repaired downed Z-9 that was heavely damaged, but after cannibalizing parts from others crafts they managed to get it back to working order.
For a quick recap of vehicles:
- 3+1 BTR 90
- Namer APC
- VBM Freccia IFV
- M60 Patton (crippled)
- MQ-1 Predator
- Z-9 Transport Helicopter
- Mig 29K
- JH-7
History:
Back in the 20th century, when the Soviet Union disbanded, some ingenious soviet soldiers had the idea of starting a PMC. However the new laws and geopolitical situation didn't allow for such a thing. They travelled to Italy, a country not known for it's military might, and bought up a small crumbling company: the Mare Delfino. They left the name unchanged for a variety of reasons, including having a shell company for military purchases, and began building up their operation. At the time the company was made up of around 20 men, and they mostly offered protection for different clients. Fast forwars and the 21st century saw many combats even before the 3rd and 4th world war. The Mare Delfino grew a lot off of these smaller wars, often dabbling in arms dealing and intelligence work. As the company grew, news of the Italian company spread. News began to spread about the founders of the company, and there was a fear of potential backlash if it was found out that soviet veterans aching for war were operating a PMC. This is the direct reason for the purchase of the
Pelorus Jack from a chinese owner. A lot of the ship had to be refitted, but it proved to be a suitable platfrom for operations. Acquisitions of military gear were made during these times, and the Mare Delfino had a sizeable rotorcraft arsenal as well as a seaplane for scouting.
Then all hell broke out when the 3rd world war began. Through most of it, the Mare Delfino offered it's services for various sides, but it lost most of it's holding during the war. By the end, apart from the Pelorus Jack, there were no ships left in the fleet, vehicles in the hangar or aircraft on the deck. What they did have was money. So they went on to buy many assets from different sources, and amass a fleet capable of staying out of ports and still operate at full capacity. This is Azure Armada, the same fleet that now roams the seas. It was many peaceful years that followed, and the fleet flourished on the high oceans. It was during this time that the Jack was outfitted with a nuclear reactor.
The 4th world war caught the fleet in Italy, on one of the rare resupply runs that they had to make yearly. At first nobody thought people would be as insane as before, and the armada planned to sail to Israel and look for contract work. But the jack was stuck in drydocks for a week as the crew had to make some repair work on the hull. By the time they arrived, the middle east was a disaster zone. This marked the beginning of the "Long Fare", the fleets trip around the world during the 4th world war. They stayed for a few weeks and salvaged a variety of vehicles from the battlefields, and did a few jobs here and there, but as the situation got worse, they decided to sail back to Italy for a finaly goodbye and then leave for the high seas.
By the time they reached the ports of Sicily, the war has engulfed the area, and they were forced to continue without stopping. On their way around Sicily, they picked up a squad of Italian troopers, alnog with whom they received their VBM Freccia and MQ-1. It didn't take lnog to convince them not to go back and instead join them.
Once the fleet left Gibraltar, they decided to head south for safer waters. The decision ultimately proved to be right: the northern sea turned into a massive battlezone soon after. It was during this time that they received the distress call from the russian carrier, which had received a disabling hit. After jam packing their fastest ship with supplies, the Orca, a small group left to help whoever they could. The battle still raged on as they approached, but the carriers was seemingly left behind, sunken halfway already. With the help of some of the remaining crew of the ship, including it's captain, they ferried supplies over to the Orca alnog with the Mig 29K. After they returned to the fleet, they spent several months near the horn of africa, and visited the Antarctica a few times for respite. It seemed like this was the only peaceful palce on earth left. Then they sailed for the Indian ocean, where they spent nearly 2 years in the tropical waters, rarely having to resupply, As the war got worse, the fleet sailed out for the Pacific, during wich they had many close encounters. Ultimately, on their way tohrought the south chinese sea, they salvaged the JH-7 and helped out a few stranded souls who joined them.
By the time this ragtag bunch of international soldiers reached the west coast of the US, the war was pretty much over. They ransacked the devastated cityscape of the west coast, looking for any military gear to reuse. They spent several months cruising around the area, until taking the long route around Canda to arrive back in the Atlantic. This is where the news of the gate's opening found them, and they sailed out for the new world soon after with nothing left to loose: they stay here where nothing is left, or they could go and visit a new world with endless posibilities.
