HSS Basilisk

The HSS Basilisk was a nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed battleship operated by the Helios Private Military Corps. It featured a unique "nuclear cannon" designed to use steam pressure from the ship's reactor to launch fissile projectiles. In 2047, the ship's reactor was sabotaged by an undercover Blackbird revolutionary on a suicide mission, resulting in its destruction and sinking. Its fate significantly diminished Helios' military capabilities in the United Kingdom.

Design

The HSS Basilisk was intended to be the "crown jewel" of the Helios navy fleet, equipped with the most capable weapon systems including Archon and Entropy, extremely thick armour, and a completely self-sustaining drivetrain with the ability to go years between refuelling. It cost nearly £20 billion to design and build, with its construction taking nearly 10 years.

Sabotage

Early in 2047, a Blackbird operative infiltrated the Basilisk, posing as a senior commander. On November 21, they descended down to the power control level of the ship, enabling override mode to switch to manual control, disabling the safety system, and turning the reactor cooling system off. Then they removed the command key from the panel and destroyed it, preventing the meltdown from being stopped.

Alarms sounded on the command deck, as officers realised the nuclear cannon was inexplicably preparing to fire. This was because the meltdown had begun and pressure was reaching extreme levels in the reactor cooling loop, causing the cannon to overload. They attempted to send an officer with a spare command key to a console on the other side of the ship, but these efforts were ultimately fruitless, as right on the hour, the cannon exploded and blew apart the aft section of the vessel. It took no more than a few minutes for it to disappear below the waves.