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Listing 95. The story of the EAS Astraea. The Ship motto being Purity. This ships been thru a lot of history. Astraea was commissioned at the end of the Dilgar War. Captained by Captain William Drexler. She saw service again after repairs and allocated to the defense and logistical transport of Alien technology on attachment to the Helios 7 Station before the Earth Minbari War. With this said, Astraea would be tasked with providing cover for the Janus Light Ship missions and training. Upon break out of the E.M. War, Astraea was the most capable ship to lead the Janus Light Ships to sneak attacks deep into Minbari Terriroty, helping change the direction of the war to favor Earth. She was honored with the nickname “Lucky” as she earned her way to Combat Squadren Leader for missions based out of Helios 7. Her record take downs were high and thus met the nickname entirely. During a desperate fight on the Minbari Side in a campaign to push closer to the Minbari Home World, Astraea was struck multiple times in an anticipated unlucky attack. 1/2 her crew were killed as 3 Minbari Cruisers with modified stealth technology ambushed the ship, first taking down her firing control systems, blowing out fighter launch bays, disabling 2 out of 4 engines and dishonorably distroying her escape pods and leaving her for dead. This was not the Minbari stated intent. The ship was to be jumped out of Hyperspace adrift by the Minbari as a warning to a growing staging area for the upcoming attack Astraea was reconning for. Reinforcements arrived withdrawing the 3 Minbari ships away but with the compiling Rush of the 3 ships and only a quick observation of Astraea, they assumed she was down with all hands. Captain Drexler took advantage of the opportunity and stripped supports from the inside of the ship for Damage control teams to reinforce the hull after putting out fires and ejecting 1/2 the ships munitions as the ship was susceptible to structural failure caused by the attack were munitions were held.

Drexler took 5 days to bring the ship up to navigational control. Avoiding Hyperspace in favor of taking the long route back to a staging area. Her guns were made somewhat operational and as a testimate to the fortitude of the surviving crew and Nova Design she was awarded the distinguished battle cross upon arrival. This directly aided in the surrender of the Minbari to the Humans in a substantial way earning Drexler and his crew the Distiguished Service Cross and Silver Minbari Star. At the end of the war Astraea was deemed no longer able to sustain any future engagements and placed into the Breakers Yard for total dismantlement, disarming and total scrapping. The Ship at this point was still capable of action and became an Earth Force defining story to the robust design of the Nova Dreadnought.

Public outcry to save the ship delayed its dismantlement, and breakers yards crews refused to board her, and she was felt to be severely haunted. The ship was holding up the line and placed along side the line, rather than in it. The new crews even being dared to board it in a newbie hazing prank. Captain Drexler was dishonorably discharged after his public statements offered to ISN against the creation of the Babylon Project, and then stripped of his medals after refusing to backdown from campaigning for The Veterins Against Purity anti Alien movement. The once War hero was now being demonized as an incarnation of all that was wrong with society and not receiving the support the now struggling Veteran deserved.

During the brief Babylon Prime Crisis, she was among one of the ships stolen from the breakers yard, but officially never being spotted again and deemed lost in Hyperspace due to the partially stripped down systems, hull and sub systems. This was a mistake as Drexler and his crew were eventually noticed as missing and presumed in hiding. Earth Force previously launched an investigation into the missing ships during the Mars Riots and destruction of Babylon Prime; and now had to add Drexler and his surfing crew to the Wanted list after discovering copies of the Systems package designs for Babylon Prime in his Apartment on Mars. Yet still, only one ship was left unaccounted for. President Santiago was alerted to the possibility that Astraea was still at large and possibly crewed by the Renegade Ship. With Museum Ship status refused, Medals torn away the can do attitude resumed aboard the ship in hiding awaiting her last mission. President Santiago sent a scrambled Gold Channel Warning to Babylon 3 but was not able to make contact with the Station. Earth Force quickly tried to raise the Babylon 3 Security Detachment Ships with also no luck. All near by ships were ordered to immediately withdraw from current training excersises with the Omega and Hyperion ships and ordered to Babylon 3.

Upon arrival the emergency detached ships found the wreckage of the Astraea having mortally damaging her security detachment ships, and a twisted Nova Class Dreadnought still spinning with the Station being rammed directly into the Stations Forward Blue sector.
Jamming pods had been deployed from the Astraea upon arrival, her oversized cannons were no match for the smaller detachment ships. Babylon 3 Down was broadcast in the Clear and for an all ship warning to clear the Epsilon Sector as it was a clear and present threat that the fusion reactor could go critical after seeing carbon scored cannon shell impact damage to the armored shell around the reactor. Radiological alarms sounded as a search and rescue crew cut thru the hull of the still rotating Station and all attempts to mount a rescue were canceled. Babylon 3 had indeed been sabotaged and nearly destroyed.

The Astraea would go down in history as a reminder that the Ships that leave. The battle still arrive home with the battle, and that the Lyon can be pulled from the jungle, but the Jungle cannot be pulled from the Lion. Addressing veterans was not handled properly. To much pushing for a peaceful future had abandoned the men and women who had made it possible. And as a result President Santiago stepped down and handed over his Presidency to now President Clark to fulfill the rest of his term.

This model captures the looks of a war torn yet rehabilitated vessel seized amongst dismantling. Its story is to raise awareness to helping those Veterans returning home, and to close the books on Babylon 3 and pave the way for a totally reengineered Babylon 4, a Station with Engines to avoid a future combat conflict. Hence the phrase, lest we forget. In this story, they were forgotten.

-JH