Eridanus Twelve

The Eridanus Twelve or simply The Twelve, were a notorious small group of human pirates and art thieves active during the turn of the 26th century. The group's infamous calling card was the Babylonian numeral for the number twelve: 𒌋𒁹𒁹.

History

The rags-to-riches crew of thieves attained notoriety during the early stages of the Insurrection with their heists. While not affiliated with any rebel groups, the Eridanus Twelve were known to appear quickly in the wake of notable insurrectionist attacks. In 2493, the thieves plundered stockpiles of military equipment on Talitsa and made off with their gains on a stolen Ibis-class freighter.

Two years later, in 2495, the group struck again on Eridanus II, from which they earned their infamous namesake. Taking advantage of the chaotic fallout from the Secessionist Union's newly found grip on the Outer Colony planet, the Eridanus Twelve targeted priceless Earth artworks being shipped to Elysium City as part of a UEG cultural outreach program. The group boarded the Parabola-class freighter Loaded for Bear as it entered the Eridanus system and stole several original paintings from its cargo, including Francisco Goya's Saturn Devouring His Son, Diego Velázquez's The Farmers' Lunch, and Louis Wain's The Bachelor Party. The thieves then ejected the unharmed freighter's crew in a lifeboat marked with their calling card, leaving behind no trail of their successful Eridanus heist.

In response to the group's sensational art heist, the Office of Naval Intelligence ordered a strict media blackout and pulled Waypoint news coverage of the theft to prevent the thieves from gaining infamy during rising colonial unrest. Internal ONI communications from the period directed that once captured, the Eridanus Twelve were to be marooned on a remote, uncharted world. The Twelve eventually slipped up at a later date and were left stranded on the world of Atropos.

List of appearances

• Halo: The Eridanus Twelve (First named)