Blackout
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Blackout[edit | edit source]
| Chapter 13: "Blackout" | |
|---|---|
| Major players | Universal Council The Federation |
| Vote outcome | Restriction of major trade routes in all factions |
| Major events | Drug overdose epidemic on Vargas
Discovery and seizure of the Heka-α1 drug Discovery of attempted transport of Shard fragment from Federation to Imperial space |
| Timeline Chronology | |
| Previous Chapter | Next Chapter |
| "First Steps" | "Dire Straits" |
Summary
Amidst the new developments concerning Sera Varse's expedition to Mímir and the newly-discovered Cradle, the Council's attention turned to Vargas, one of the first planets affected by the Cradle's signals. Of late, miners in Vargas had been dying off as a result of overdosing on an unknown substance. The Federation, believing that the epidemic is a result of the disrupted communications, pressured the Council to intervene directly, threatening to cease all trading operations with the Empire and Union if nothing was done.
While certain members of the Council favoured increasing the restrictions along the major trade routes in an attempt to stop the incoming and outgoing of the drug, others leaned towards a more heavy-handed approach by sending armed forces to Vargas to police the planet. However, that would also have meant redirecting a significant number of forces from the Cradle's protection unit to the mining planet. As both measures were formed based on certain assumptions made about the origin of the drug, the Council tabled the discussion and called for a vote between the two choices, with the seated Councilmembers briefing their respective factions accordingly.
With the Federation voting to send forces to Vargas to curtail the spread of the drug, and the Empire and Union both opting to increase the restrictions on trade routes instead, the Council immediately sent the directive to all faction borders, informing them of the increased measures.
Transcript
Report from the 29th conference of the Universal Council: time of ζ Sagittarii 3.32
Held on board station Ignis, in the neutral center of the Core Systems.Councilmembers for the Empire: Ji Young-Joo, Ferus Haden, Moira Craine
Councilmembers for the Federation: Áurea Adonis, Kim Lee, Elijah Burke
Councilmembers for the Union: Aish Fenix, Mandla Bankole, Haley Nguyen…Varse has been placed under supervision on station Ignis. One of our best officers, Brighton Connors, is conducting a thorough examination on her and her crew. Thanks to our research on Mímir, there is one thing that we know already: this artifact – the Cradle – can be activated. Exactly how, or what this activation will achieve, remains to be seen. Our teams on Mímir are working diligently to answer those questions.
Now, the Council must unfortunately redirect its attention to an issue plaguing the Federation’s outer systems. The mining planet Vargas was one of the first to be affected by the Cradle’s strange signals. Now that communications with Vargas have been restored, it has become clear that something is very wrong there. Miners have been dying by the hundreds, perhaps thousands, from overdosing on an unknown substance.
The Federation strongly believes that this epidemic is a result of Vargas’s disturbed communications, and has warned the Council that if nothing is done regarding this situation, they will freeze trade with both the Union and the Empire. Councilmembers of the other factions have expressed a dislike for using the entirety of the Council’s forces in this situation. Their attitude is understandable, given that the Council’s full commitment to the Kepler-7 incident in the Empire limited many of its actions in the events that followed.
It has thus been agreed that the Council will take a partial stance on this matter. Certain councilmembers are convinced the drug problem on Vargas is the result of outside influence, a chance opportunity seized upon by drug traders from either the Union or the Empire. Early toxicology reports on the miners cannot identify the drug’s immediate origin, though it appears to be most similar in make-up to the Union’s “Do-drops”.
There are others on the Council that call for a military response to the issue, believing that the mining planets need to be policed, and the drug problem solved at the site of its emergence. Their reasoning is that a strong-handed response will both discourage further trading of this drug, and enable more intelligence to be gathered as to its origin.
To account for the possibility the drug is external to the Federation, every faction would need to increase trade restrictions and inspections across their borders, a measure that would significantly slow down trade, in some places even halting it completely. The second possibility, that the drug itself is an internal problem within the Federation would require a more direct, combined effort from every faction, using both Union and Imperial expertise to regulate Vargas and investigate the drug problem in more detail. An immediate response would require several of the ships currently stationed along the route to Mímir to be relocated to Vargas until reinforcements can arrive. Thus, the vote placed before the Council is as follows:
Does the Council restrict trade routes, hoping to catch out the drug traders if they are indeed coming from outside the Federation, all the while slowing down trade in the Core Systems? Or does the Council send forces to curtail the spread of this new drug immediately, potentially learning more about its origin while lessening the defenses around Mímir and the Cradle?
Your faction contact will issue a statement shortly in your respective vote channels before the commencement of the vote, twelve hours from now.
Faction Storylines
Transmission from San’a, Valkyrie of the Federation and representative of President Lee
Good sol, Explorers – it’s good to be back, I trust Ana and Viktor treated you well while I was away. The closeness of the vote during our last conference just proves exactly how important listening to the people’s voice is in these matters. Whatever the result, the Universal Council does still strive to do right by every faction they represent.
I am also glad to be able to fully participate in this conference’s vote, as my experiences on Vargas outweigh everyone on station Ignis. Although, I will freely admit, I found it disheartening how few councilmembers seemed willing to take this into account – even Áurea seemed unusually despondent. I hope to find you Explorers a more attentive audience.
When I arrived on Vargas it was absolute chaos; everything I’d heard about communications being gradually restored was a gross overstatement. Only half, if not less, of the planet had any coherent communication with each other, and the rest were all black spots – nothing came in, or out.
The only consistent message from the ships looming above the planet was our production goals. Of course, I do – and did – understand the necessity for clear instructions in dire moments, and put all my efforts into encouraging the miners peacefully. Unfortunately, these attempts often brought resistance, some of it violent. Keeping profits up was not easy; I’ve done things I’m not too proud of, but that’s the job of a Valkyrie. We keep the Federation safe, and that means the entire Federation.
So yes, I have watched this drug problem grow – it was better than the alternative. This was a crisis situation, so we had no other choice than to police where we could, while keeping our production goals in mind. And, while I’m glad that we are finally able to address it, I cannot help but feel we will be playing into someone’s hands no matter what. The Federation will be able to recover from trade restrictions, but… our citizens, the people we—the people I’m supposed to protect won’t like it.
Good luck, Explorers, and as always – stay vigilant.
San’a
A directive from Ji Young-Joo, emissary of the Emperor
Greetings, Imperials! It is a shame we were not able to welcome these new Union members into our fold during the last vote; I believe we had a particularly… extravagant welcome lined up for them, were they to arrive. But still! Our Mendacian division has informed me this vote may end up playing out fortuitously for us after all. We shall just have to wait and see. Let the grace of Imperator Solas – may he outlive the stars – be upon us all.
As for Imperial military affairs, Ivona Craine has taken time from curtailing another Vulpis Oculi revolt on Chysme to visit Eden Lycanis and attend to the current governess, Gloria Morell. Gloria is preparing to hand over the reigns to Marcia Lycanis, as a show of good faith towards the house regarding its newfound compliance. Lady Morell will be returning to station Ignis before the next conference, on her route to the Imperial capital.
These current issues around Vargas have caused us no end of concern – if the Federation could just fall to its knees we would all be better off for it. Slavish devotion to substance is no different from slavish devotion to median mediocrity, no? Federation exceptionalism, hah! These miners are clearly not exceptional people, and thus asking them to perform exceptional tasks can only lead to ruin. No, things are far better when citizens are comfortable in the place where they belong.
Then, the Federation has the gall to demand we restrict our trade as well! Simply because of a problem caused by their own promises of success! Yes, this may perhaps be the first vote in a while to which the answer is so plain. For are we to relinquish the ease of access to exotic spices and far-off delicacies, simply because the Federation cannot control their drug-hungry proletariat? I think not. After all, as I have mentioned before, no force would be foolish enough to attack Mímir. Not when all the factions are watching. The problem stems from the Federation, and as such the issue should be dealt with within the Federation.
Sic itur ad astra.
Comm from Haley Nguyen, Union member and Vox representative
Well, San’a certainly remembers how to make an entrance. Trust a Valkyrie to get in a shouting match on her first day back. I’ll fully admit Mandla went a bit overboard; I mean, invoking Union combat rites during a conference is going a bit too far. Though I really have no right to say that, do I? Anyway, they’ve both calmed down now, and we’ll probably hear a formal apology from them, sooner or later.
Not that I’m gonna stick around for that. Apparently, Mercer’s crew are having a little difficulty with this latest Ojin-Kai raid. I’ve been curious to see exactly what he’s doing that’s got him such a high success rate, so I guess I’ll finally get to see that for myself. Bastion should be picking me up a few hours from now.
Before I go, though, I just want to say this whole Vargas situation stinks of Federation shit. They push their workers far beyond their limits to keep their bottom line up, and they’re surprised when they turn to drugs to cope with the insane working hours expected of them? I would’ve hoped Kim would have more sense than that, but I suppose even the Federation’s good eggs are held down by Corpos.
Mandla mostly had a problem with the trade restrictions being enforced for every faction. I understand where he’s coming from, but having the Federation be the only faction affected just wouldn’t work – it’d give us too much power over them.
Problem is, while some of our Union systems are fully self-sufficient, a lot of them will run into problems with these trade sanctions. The Federation has the Nexus, which lets them co-ordinate large-scale ops like these, but us? Developing and fringe planets in the Union aren’t going to have it easy. The Bastion can provide some assistance, but that’s going to spread our supplies really thin. Sending in the ships from Mímir is by far the safer option, but can we really risk losing at least half of the Cradle’s defenses?
I’ll have to leave that up to you, Explorers. Depending on how we vote here, I might be gone for the next conference; not sure if Aish’ll be taking over, I know she’s been pretty busy lately too. In any case, make sure to talk it through with your fellow Union members before you vote.
Here’s to a brighter tomorrow.
Haley
Voting Results
The Universal Council has consolidated the votes of each of the factions: Restrict trade routes 2 (Empire,Union) , Send forces to Vargas 1 (Federation)
The final vote is in favor of restricting the trade routes between the factions. Missives have been sent from the Council to the borders of each faction, informing them of the agreed-upon measures. We expect to be able to report on the effects of these changes and their implementation soon.
Backup[edit | edit source]
Summary
Following the tightened measures around the major trade routes, the three factions began to work together in a collective effort, with the Empire's Oracle predicting ship movements, the Federation's Nexus relaying that information and the Union's Bastion transporting ships to where they were most needed. Shortly after, the trade restrictions began showing results, with shipments of the drug in its non-ingested state being seized en route to the factions. Council researchers designated the drug Heka-α1, though it is more colloquially known as "Blue Skies", after the side-effect of intense light-blue halos around the irises of consumers. The seized shipments were however unable to paint a larger picture of the drug's production or origin, as they originated from every faction.
Reports from the Union have also detailed that many of their planets now faced a food shortage as a result of the restrictions, with many of the populations having to seek refuge on the Bastion. Empire reports also mention significant unrest in many of the Outer Rim planets, spurred on by the Vulpis Oculi and other splinter groups.
The Council was also notified of an unmarked and unsanctioned vessel exiting Federation space, heading for the Empire. Further investigation revealed the vessel to be devoid of crew and cargo, save for an unusual discovery - one of the Shards found in Mímir, wrapped in a lead blanket. It appeared that unknown forces within the Federation were attempting to transport the Shard fragment into Imperial space. As a result of this incident, the Shard fragment was relocated to station Ignis for the time being, with the trade restrictions still being in effect.
Transcript
The following is the Universal Council’s official report regarding the increased trade measures across the Core Systems:
Trade restrictions are gradually being implemented along each faction’s borders. Ships from the Federation, the Union, and the Empire have collected themselves into a regimented collective system, with the Oracle predicting ship movements within the Empire, the Nexus relaying this information to the Federation, and the Bastion transporting Union ships to where they are most needed.
The current measures have also necessitated a loosening of certain military agreements, allowing larger ships to cross faction borders and venture slightly deeper into the other faction’s territory. This is due to the fact that certain pilots have found it necessary to attempt to “evade” the current restrictions, often in dramatic fashion.
Alongside these arrangements, the restrictions have already begun showing returns, as some instances of the new drug have been seized already, and more in-depth analysis of the substance in its non-ingested state has begun. Our researchers have designated the drug as Heka-α1, though its users have taken to calling it “Blue Skies”, due to the intense light-blue halo that lingers around the irises after it is consumed.
There is no clear source for the drug as of yet, as the apprehended shipments – all small scale – have originated from every faction, and number too few to build a larger picture. Initial results do seem to be biased towards the drug originating from the Union, but this means very little; the battle we are fighting is one of attrition, not of immediate action.
As the borders begin to close in, the Council has already received several reports detailing the consequences of these new measures. Union planets on the fringes of the systems, particularly those that relied on metals and energy from other factions, have found themselves without food, and many are currently being housed on board the Bastion, which is nearing capacity. In the Empire, there is significant unrest brewing among many of the outer rim planets, as splinter groups of the Vulpis Oculi are making their voices heard.
Just before issuing this report, the Council was also informed of another unsanctioned vessel: a single small ship coming from Federation space, headed towards the Empire. It had no markings or affiliations of its own. If regulations had not been as strict as they were, it may very well have slipped past the Federation’s usual border patrol.
As initial warnings to this vessel did not receive any response, the crew moved to investigate. They found the ship empty, carrying no crew and no pilot. Fully automated flight systems are not unheard of, but they are not usually used for transport, as they are still too unreliable. Upon forcibly opening the outer airlock, the border patrol crew made a perplexing discovery: the inside of the transport vessel contained one of the Shards from Mímir, undamaged and wrapped in a lead blanket. Evidently someone within the Federation was attempting to send this to the Empire; but who, and for what purpose?
Regardless of the answers to these questions, the Shard has – with the approval of the current councilmembers – been relocated to station Ignis for the time being, while the trade restrictions are in effect. It is the Council’s hope that the factions encounter no more of this traffic, so that the Heka-α1 drug can be dealt with as securely and swiftly as possible.
| Expedition to Mímir: | The Catalyst • The Shard • The Crossroads • The Void • Subjugation • The Cradle • Dire Straits • Last Stand |
| Assault on the Crimson Wolves: | The Crimson Wolves • The Ides • Groundswell |
| The Morn Conflict: | On the Brink |
| The Pinnacle Incident: | Quantum Sickness • First Steps |
| The Vargas Epidemic: | Blackout |
| The Opening: | First Contact |