There have been three famous ships known as Darkness Ascending. All met similar fates, and now the name is considered cursed.

The first Darkness Ascending was a science vessel under the command of Captain Okaki Hontoyo, and the first ship to successfully navigate through Blank Space. Its second trip, however, was unsuccessful, and resulted in the complete destruction of the ship and crew.

The second Darkness Ascending was one of the Vermailian Confederacy’s Heterochron starships docked at Devil’s Nose Asteroid Cluster. In a surprise attack by the Ctjn Empire, the ship and its experimental weapon The Cleft were destroyed, devastating that region of space.

The third Darkness Ascending was also an experimental ship, belonging to the United Viridian Stellar Defense Forces. It was stolen by General Li’shomay, either as the result of psychological problems brought on by an infection, or because she was a double agent working for the Vermailian Confederacy, depending on which accounting you believe. In either case, Li’shomay’s trip was short-lived, as the ship flew directly into a Blank Space and was destroyed.

—Aerithnu Yenroar