Destruction of the Canterbury
The nuclear destruction of an unarmed water-hauler after it answers the Scopuli's distress call.
Story so far
A stealth vessel lying in wait near the Scopuli launches six nuclear torpedoes at the civilian ice hauler Canterbury. Captain McDowell attempts a desperate burn, but the overloaded drive tears a strut and cannot evade the attack. The Canterbury becomes a vast cloud of vapor, killing its crew of roughly fifty.
The Knight is too far away to help. Its survivors, led by James Holden, identify Martian markings on the Scopuli beacon's battery and send a public accusation toward the fleeing attacker.
Appearance
The aftermath is a luminous expanding cloud of vapor and debris too small to contain anything larger than a softball, where a massive industrial ship had been moments earlier.
Role
The attack strands the Knight crew and turns a missing-ship investigation into a system-wide political crisis.
Relationships
Sources — 1 recorded facts, by chapter
- The nuclear destruction of an unarmed water-hauler after it answers the Scopuli's distress call.