"Tell me, Master- how many more do I have to sink?"
Rider
USS Enterprise
Also Called: The Gray Ghost, The Big E, CV-6
Homeland: Newport News Shipbuilding, Virginia, United States
Origin: Historical Fact
Alignment: Lawful Good
Hidden Attribute: Star
Armaments: Grumman F6F Hellcat, Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless, General Motors TBM Avenger
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STR: C
END: B
AGI: C
MNA: D
LCK: A+
NP: B++
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Class Skills
Magic Resistance: D+
Class Skill of Rider. Grants protection against magical effects. Differing from the resistance effect which merely rejects magical energy, this ability cancels the spell entirely. At D+ rank, it can automatically cancel single-action spells. Against water-based spells, the skill's effect is strengthened.
Magic was a rarity by the time of the Second World War (though it did still exist), and Rider was launched only four years before the conflict began. However, due to the blessings of Columbia and her nature as a ship, the rank of her Magic Resistance is increased against magecraft of the water element, allowing Rider to brave even the roughest seas.
Riding: -
The signature class skill of the Rider class, denoting their ability to ride mounts and pilot vehicles. This skill has been lost due to Rider's
Voyager of Sea and Sky skill.
Personal Skills
Voyager of Sea and Sky: EX
A skill encompassing the talent to sail vessels recognized as ships. Because the ability of a leader is also required, this unique skill as the effects of both
Charisma and
Military Tactics.
Voyager of Sea and Sky is a variant of the skill specialized toward commanding an aircraft-carrying vessel. Grants the user ranks in
Clairvoyance and
Weather Observation, allowing them to quickly assess the weather and conduct aerial operations no matter the condition of the battlefield.
Rider was one of the first US ships to receive radar, and made good use of it. In 1943, she became the first american carrier to launch a night attack, using only her radar to guide her aircraft to their target. As a servant, Rider is able to find a way to get her planes airborne, no matter how bad the weather may get. This skill also allows her to more easily grasp the nature of enemy weather-based abilities.
Air Support: A+
A powerful airstrike attack that is used to support tactical operations. In Rider's case, this skill allows her to manifest her air wing- F6F Hellcat fighters, SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers, and TBM Avenger torpedo bombers. She controls these planes mentally, and can deploy them for combat or reconnaissance. The attacks of Rider's planes are extra effective against naval vessels of all kinds, from sailing ships to submarines. If she were to encounter another servant like herself, one embodying the spirit of a ship, her planes would deal extra damage to them as well. On top of that, this skill also allows Rider to deal bonus damage against flying enemies, as gaining aerial superiority is one of the prerequisites for carrier operations.
Rider is, to this day, the most decorated aircraft carrier in history. With her planes and guns, she downed 911 enemy aircraft, sunk 71 enemy ships, and damaged 192 more. A carrier's aircraft complement is a part of it, a necessary piece to complete the whole, and USS
Enterprise is no exception.
Affection of the American Goddess: B+
Affection of the American Goddess is a skill that denotes one who is loved by the spirit of Columbia, the pseudo-deified personification of the United States. Other than LCK, all parameters are ranked up. Additionally, Rider receives the effects of the
Manifest Destiny skill, at A rank. As Rider remains within a country (or its seas), territory boosts granted to other servants will gradually lessen, and Rider will begin to receive greater boosts in contrast. However, the boosts will not equal those she would receive in her homeland. With enough time, this skill can automatically siphon mana from the country's leylines.
In October of 1942, following the loss of her sister ship USS
Hornet, Rider was left as the only American carrier operating in the entire pacific theater. She held this role until the summer of 1943, when the new
Essex and
Independence-class carriers were sent to back her up. During those late months of '42 and early months of '43- arguably the high point in her career- the ship's crew put a sign on her deck that read 'Enterprise vs Japan'. In the records of the Throne of Heroes, it is an indisputable fact that the Pacific War was fought between the United States of America and Imperial Japan. And yet, for a time, the war was also one between Enterprise and Japan. For those few months, it was as though the ship was the embodiment of her country's fighting spirit.
"Fate protects fools, little children, and ships named Enterprise."
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Noble Phantasms
"I can't give up now, there's too many counting on me! Time to shoot down the red sun! Spectre of the Sea, Reaper of the Sky
Gray Ghost Sundowner
Spectre of the Sea, Reaper of the Sky
Gray Ghost Sundowner
Rank: B++
Type: Anti-Army
The one ship that most nearly symbolizes the history of the United States Navy in World War II- this was the nature of CV-6, USS
Enterprise. There have been nine ships to bear the name, from a Continental Army Sloop captured during the American Revolution to a colossal nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. This Noble Phantasm draws on all of them.
Upon True Name Release, Rider summons a vessel with the appearance of CV-6, the USS
Enterprise of World War II, a
Yorktown-class Aircraft Carrier. But the ship's size is greater than it was in history, well over a thousand feet long- this monumental size is taken from CVN-65, the nuclear-powered USS
Enterprise that entered service in the 1960s. The planes that Rider conjures with her
Air Support skill can be summoned on the ship's flight deck, and can be launched and recovered with ease. Aside from the aircraft, Rider's ship can defend itself with a number of 6-inch naval guns- these weapons were not mounted on it in history, but were fitted to USS
Columbia, a Light Cruiser.
Gray Ghost Sundowner has gained these weapons due to the goddess Columbia's influence on Rider's saint graph. Like most other Ship Noble Phantasms, Rider can summon pieces of the vessel for attacking enemies or defending herself. She can use portions of the flight deck along with her
Air Support skill to launch and recover planes, conjure pieces of the hull to block enemy attacks, or manifest the ship's weapons to fire on enemies that get past her aircraft.
When fully summoned, the ship is constantly wreathed in a thick gray fog, fitting for a vessel nicknamed 'Gray Ghost' by her enemies.
Gray Ghost Sundowner's unique ability, outside of being a powerful ship NP, is born from the legend of 'Enterprise vs Japan'. The legend of 'a ship that fought a nation' has been crystallized into this Noble Phantasm, and the effects are twofold. First, Rider's
Manifest Destiny skill is constantly active around the ship whenever it is summoned. Second,
Gray Ghost Sundowner's power will grow to match the strongest entity Rider considers as her enemy.
This ability may seem overpowered, even to the point of being a cheat skill, but it has its limits. The first is that the amount of extra power that
Gray Ghost Sundowner can use has a cap. The ability is gained from the conflation of 'America vs Japan' with 'Enterprise vs Japan', and fuelled by the Authority of Columbia. Columbia, however, is a young goddess and can only give so much strength to those she blesses.
Gray Ghost Sundowner's peak power is highest when Rider is near either America or Japan- the two countries with the greatest connection to her legend.
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Background
There were many Enterprises that served in the US Navy, from its humble beginnings all the way into the present day. CV-6 was the seventh ship to bear the name. USS
Enterprise was launched in 1936, and would be one of the only three American aircraft carriers commissioned before World War II to survive the war. She participated in more major actions of the War against Japan than any other United States ship. These actions included the Attack on Pearl Harbor, where 18 of her SBD Dauntless bombers arrived over the harbor during the attack, and continued through the Battle of Midway, the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, the Guadalcanal campaign, the Battle of the Philippine sea, and the Battle of Leyte gulf. Enterprise earned 20 battle stars, the most of any US Warship in WWII. On three occasions during the war, the Japanese announced that she was sunk in battle, earning her the nickname 'Gray Ghost'. Despite efforts made by the public to preserve her as a museum ship,
Enterprise was scrapped in 1958.
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Personality
Rider's personality is formed from all of the sailors who served on her, from the lowliest ensign to the most venerable captain. She is a perfect soldier, dutiful and dedicated to the protection of her country, yet also passionate, even fiery at times.
Her determination and perseverance have no limit- one could say that the notion of 'giving up' is unknown to her. She is one who continues to press forward, no matter what the world throws at her. This was the determination that carried her from Pearl Harbor all the way to the end of the war.
Rider has always remembered her sisters, both of whom now rest at the bottom of the sea. They are the reason that she never stopped fighting, even when she was the only carrier left. To give up and admit defeat would be an insult to their memory- not just the ships, but the men who went down with them.
In combat, Rider is efficient and methodical. She is a thing constructed for war, so it's only natural that she should be most alive when commanding her aircraft and firing her guns. Rider takes on every new battle with utmost confidence, as would be expected from such a legendary ship.
At moments outside of battle, Rider becomes surprisingly unprofessional for a military ship. It's easy to get her to chatter endlessly about warships, warplanes, rock & roll, sports, fast food, and anything else that would be considered stereotypically 'All-American'. It's a funny thing to see from a warship- not offputting, but it almost feels... out of place?
"Sir- er, Master... we've worked together a while now, and I have something I need to get off my chest. Hear me out, please- and promise not to be upset.""My name- my real name- is Columbia. I'm really sorry for lying to you, but... I don't know, it just seemed like a bad idea to out myself and there was just never any time, but, um... now you know. This saint graph, Enterprise, would normally be a machine heroic spirit, and there'd be no personality to her. No soul, no flavor, no... life, if that makes sense. After everything she and her crew did, everyone they inspired, letting her be summoned in that state seemed... disrespectful, I guess? Like scrapping her a second time. I could have just stayed off in the sidelines and given her my blessings, but I wanted to do more. I wanted to do more for the ship that did so much for me, and for all of my people. So I put a little piece of myself in her core, so that Enterprise could live, even if it's only through me. I'm not a powerful goddess, but together with Enterprise, maybe I can be useful still. Enterprise and I, we'll both be in your care."
The true name of the Divine Spirit inhabiting Rider's saint graph is Columbia, the Goddess of America. Columbia as a semi-mythical figure first appeared in the poetry of Phillis Wheatley in 1776, and she would continue to be depicted in artwork throughout the 19th century. Some believe that she is an aspect of Libertas, the Roman goddess of liberty. Columbia has loaned her name to sailing ships, cities, songs, and even spaceships throughout history. The Statue of Freedom that tops the dome of the US capital building is generally believed to be a depiction of Columbia.
Columbia, when using the saint graph of USS Enterprise, keeps herself somewhat subdued out of respect for the ship. Nonetheless, one can easily tell that she is a goddess full of energy and love- love for freedom, love for her country, and love for all that comes from it. The 'America' she speaks of is an idealized one, the kind of idealized nation that only a person literally born from all of the positive aspects of said nation could imagine. The phrase 'all-american' couldn't be more fitting. She is the tomboy, the girly-girl, the goddess, and the girl next door. Columbia speaks of everything she loves with a fiery passion, and were she using her own saint graph, would treat the Holy Grail as a secondary concern. Her main goal would be to enjoy life and freedom as it comes. In the form of Enterprise, Columbia has incarnated herself as a warship, and therefore does have to put the Grail war and other battles above all else. Even then, she finds herself trying to steer Enterprise towards other things- she inhabited this body so that Enterprise could live, and she wants to live to the fullest.
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Quotes & Interactions
(make sure to click the last line in her Personality section before reading)
"USS Enterprise, ready to set sail, Master! Or, would you be 'Captain'... I am a ship, after all... Hm...."
"Hornet and Yorktown? I do miss them, every second of every day. Them, and every other ship that we lost in the war. But it's because I missed them that I kept fighting. I had to carry their memories- and the memories of all their sailors- with me, all the way to the end. And I had to be a good example for the crews of the new ships, of course! Who better to learn from than a legend?"
"Fighting for the thing you love most is never a bad thing. That's why I'll never take back what I did during the war. But... I don't know, maybe if I'd fought even harder, less blood would've been shed... no, no, I can't let myself get dragged down by thoughts like that! That was the past, and it can't be changed. But the future, that's something we can change!"
"Oh, oh, Master, perfect timing! Look at this model, it's an F-14! These flew off of CVN-65, the big nuclear powered Enterprise! See, there's two seats so that the pilot can focus on flying and controlling the weapons, while the guy in the back runs the radar! The wings can fold out like this for taking off, but then they come in like that when it goes supersonic, like BOOM. That's a sonic boom, nothing in World War II could go that fast even if some were close.
Did you know that one F-14 squad paints a pirate flag on their tails? There was a squad that did that back in my day, but they never flew off of my deck. My squad was the Grim Reapers- cool name, right?- and they had a little flying skeleton for their symbol-" (she continues rambling for some time, even after her master stops listening.)
Astraea: "Ah, Lady Justice herself! Some people say that Columbia and Lady Liberty are one and the same, so if you think about it, you two could be the same! Sort of. Wait, you like wrestling too?! We need to hang out!"
Thomas Edison: "Oh, my goodness, you're amazing! All of the presidents giving you power at once? So lucky!"
Christopher Columbus: "I, ah, appreciate you giving your name to the Goddess of Freedom, and your determination is admirable, but... even so, you weren't entirely the hero that people thought you were. I won't let you conquer anyone else."
Edward Teach: "So come aboard, and bring alooooong all your hopes and dreams~ ...Ah, sorry, Teach mentioned some things I should watch, and I haven't been able to get the theme song out of my head!"
Voyager: "Keep sailing, little one... keep on sailing."
Bran the Blessed: "That curse, um... I think it makes us incompatible, you know? Since I'm a boat, and you don't really... do boats. Sorry, you seem nice though."
Pandora: "See, you get it! Even when everything looks lost, there's always hope- and if there's hope, you can't give up."
Skadi: "I wouldn't mind a bit of cold weather for a change... the Pacific Islands get pretty hot, y'know?"
Rudolph: "Ah, I remember the sailors singing about you during the Christmas season. I don't know how much it's worth, but... you helped them, in some small way. Helped them keep some happiness during the war's darkest hour. So... thanks, Mr. Reindeer."
Ootakemaru: "You... you're a monster. Just like those soldiers, so devoted to one thing that you can't see anything else, even when the world is burning around you."
The Great Hero's Bride: "Hero's Bride... I think I'm married to my ship. Er, I am my ship. Wait... that makes me single..."
Mithotyn: "I understand loving humans... but making all of them into gods? That's not right. People are special because they're mortal- because they're temporary, they push on just a little harder every day. That's what it means to live life to the fullest. If you live forever... can you really live?"
Mizukume: "Such a kind soul... changing your fate for the better is a noble goal. I hope it works out for you."
Aramitama Amaterasu: "When the Land of the Rising Sun fell to darkness, I stopped them- I shot down the Red Sun once. And I will do it again, even if it's a god this time. I won't let you slaughter any more."
Joseph Smith: "I guess my divinity and his are the same... sort of. All of the sailors on my deck, the admirals in their offices, and the people back home on shore believed in a ship called Enterprise, and their faith is why Columbia- why I'm like this. Mr. Smith also gained divinity through people's faith in him, but... he shares it among them instead of keeping it to himself. When you put it like that, it's pretty inspiring, actually- even if it's a little suspicious..."
Ptolemy I: "The way he takes in new beliefs, and integrates himself into new cultures so seamlessly is... a lot like America. The 'great melting pot', that's what my country has been called. It's a little funny, seeing how long that idea's been around. Oh, and speaking of melting pots, I have a book to give him! 365 ways to cook hamburger!"
Nimrod: "I am no automaton! I carry the hope of a nation inside my hull- and America is a nation that bows to no empire!"
Scylla: "Poor child, turned into a monster all because she loved someone.... love can make people do terrible things, whether it be love for another person, or love for their country. So many terrible things were born of love..."
Sarama: "A goddess who only knows her people's kindness is much like me- Columbia, that is- We who were born from all the best aspects of our people. I am confused, though... why is she so young and innocent looking, while Columbia is a grown woman...?"
Gargantua: "Master, ssshhh! I'm hiding! That innocent giant has been eyeing my hull like a candy bar she wants to unwrap... hm... maybe I need to ignore my incompatibility with King Bran and ask him for help..."
J. Robert Oppenheimer "...I wouldn't know what to say to him... the weapons built with his knowledge, my country bears the responsibility for bringing them into the world. Every Enterprise after CV-6 was nuclear powered so... he's a big part of my continued existence."
Originally Posted by Kabalisto Koga
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