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''Our sacrifice is always worth it.'' - '''58.54% of the votes'''
''Our sacrifice is always worth it.'' - '''58.54% of the votes'''
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Other relevant reports:<blockquote> </blockquote></div>




Line 3,875: Line 3,876:
We will be all the better for them.
We will be all the better for them.
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= Chapter 26.1: Quantum Limit =
===The Future is Now===
''Transgalactic report 72.2.513, Trace Chavos, Universal Council''<br>
''Held on board station Ignis, in the neutral center of the Core Systems.''
…has been carried out, yet how far back any negative attitude or action within the Universal Council will be considered a transgression is something the factions must answer for themselves.
On to an issue of such enormity that it will soon decide the fate of humanity. Three months have passed since the allocation of the exceptional Quantum research budget. Progress towards scalable travel through the wormholes has yielded a number of promising developments but the bleeding edge of Quantum technology development is a costly place to be. Xaomeng Dynamics knows this first hand with their incredible work on a Modular Quantum Reactor. Their request for additional Quantum is understandable and worthwhile.
The Council redirected XD to approved Federation organs responsible for Quantum allocation in line with regulatory guidelines. They were denied. In fact, every lab attempting the breakthroughs needed to make wormhole travel a reality has been denied their requests for additional Quantum throughout the Core Systems.
A Council probe into all three factions’ Quantum reserves revealed that supplies of surplus Quantum have depleted faster than reported. It appears for some time now, all factions have in fact been dipping into Quantum already allocated for other uses. This has completely upended all previous peak Quantum forecasts.
Quantum’s scarcity has both propelled human expansion throughout the Milky Way and at the same time posed a challenge to it. The expansion of humanity into the stars has always only been possible while balanced against Quantum’s scarcity. Though frontier exploration continues to yield new Quantum reserves, the pace of exploration is not enough to counterbalance the speed at which Quantum is currently being used.
Of course, there exist other means of power generation throughout the Core Systems, but even centuries after its discovery, nothing comes close to the impact of Quantum. Our everyday lives are touched by it in both small and large ways. It makes FTL travel possible and powers this and other stations like it around Core space.
The hard truth is that without Quantum, large sections of faction space will be functionally cut off from each other. Different factions will experience this fundamental shift in existence differently, but without swift and concrete action by the entirety of Core space, the future is uncertain. It is feared that not just criminal groups, but well-established clans and tribes, corporations, and Houses will begin to use such dire times as the justification to take what they need because necessity demands it. We are looking at a possible fragmenting of the interstellar order and the very real prospect of war.
We cannot allow this to happen.
Thus, the vote placed before this Council is as follows: Do we halt sanctioned Quantum research and begin systemic Quantum austerity measures? This will help to slow the coming chaos in order to legislate a new normal of reduced Quantum consumption in Core space while not completely upending our current way of life. This leaves research into wormhole travel rudderless and could fuel a Quantum black market that the IQR cannot manage.
The alternative choice is to double down on Quantum research by pulling every bit of Quantum necessary from all sectors to break through to the vast reserves of Quantum on the other side of the wormholes. The benefits of this are obvious, but we risk walking the knife’s edge of a second Quantum-fueled war by asking too much of too many in a time of rising interfactional tensions.
For further details, consult your faction story channel.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Federation Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Now is the Time'''<br>
''James Huxley, VasTech CEO''
Good day to you, Explorers.
The gall of Federation corporations to still deny their Quantum reserves are in the red. I’ve built my career on saying what others can’t say and certainly don’t wish to hear. My own company’s position was riding the edge of the Quantum bubble just like everyone else, without my knowledge of course. My head of finance has since been fired, as will many I can imagine. The added value to portfolios was so rock solid that it’s hard to find a successful corporation that has access to Quantum that isn’t…strategically reporting their allocations.
VasTech will have full transparency going forward. We will take a significant hit in future earnings projections from the updated reports. The hit won’t be immediate, but the seabed has shifted and the tidal wave is coming. The only way to stem that civilization shifting tide is to put all we have into Quantum research to achieve legitimate wormhole travel.
We are close. So damned close. Even if we only accomplish traversing the wormholes with class-E single passenger vessels, the Quantum available on the other side is more than enough to rebalance Quantum stocks faction wide. The risk to reward ratio is clear in my mind.
I’m doubling down on Quantum research and I’m not alone. The alternative is to watch all we’ve built fall to pieces. And if that happens, you be damned sure the Empire will sacrifice every bird they know of in celebration of our downfall. As Federation citizens, I don’t think there are any who would let such an unprogressive future happen if they had the chance to stop it.
We have that chance now.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Empire Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''To Conquer is at the Heart of Any Imperial'''<br>
''From the Chambers of the Ministry of Honor''
Imperial subjects, hear me now.
His Grace has seen fit to inform you all to not let the Universal Council tell the Empire what it does and does not have in terms of Quantum supply. Our supply is how it has always been, sufficient for our engineers to shine the light of the Empire out into the listless masses that make up the other factions.
What you are to know is simple: The wormholes will be conquered by Solas Craine because there is no greater frontier that lies before the Empire. Cast aside this nonsense of austerity. The austerity that exists in the Empire already comes from the pure dedication to honor and service to His Grace. This fills Imperial subjects with more than what is needed in a well lived Imperial life.
The wormholes will be and must be conquered. The Emperor wills us to do this, regardless of what the other factions wish to do with the Quantum they either do or do not possess.
Imperium superet astra.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Union Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''We are Never Unprepared'''<br>
''Aboard the Bastion, the Vox Assembly''
Brothers and sisters,
I’ve seen it first hand, here in my own tribe, with my own idiot brother, what Quantum can do to people. Throw ’em sideways and make ‘em think there’s nothing left but what the Quantum can give. But the rest of us are made of stronger stuff. I wish it weren’t true, for all the damned trouble it has caused, but we’re lookin’ at a future with less and less Quantum. Some knee jerk idiots will whinge and howl that unless we stop growin’ or stop reproducin’, everything we’ve built will be worthless. They ain’t Union.
I say screw all this wishful nonsense of Quantum on the other side of the wormholes. The Union does just fine with or without it. Always has. Let the Federation and Empire do what they will. They’ll tear themselves apart before they get to us. They fear scarcity but we were born in it, molded by it. We will go on building and pushing the frontier of Core space while the Federation implodes and the Empire cuts its own damn nose off to save its face.
Double down. Don’t double down. Either way, the Union will come out of this paradigm shift the way we always have, stronger and as the better parts of humanity. The real parts. Oh, and never forget this, we have the Bastion if all else fails.
Hudson Ronald of tribe Light Hammers
Our will is unbreakable
</div></div>
<code>For further details, consult the archives:</code> [[Lore Codex|📖║lore-codex]]
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4 ; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid black; width:39%">
'''Voting Results'''
'''Results of the vote concerning Core Systems' Quantum research'''
''Transgalactic report 76.2.513, Moire Craine, Universal Council''<br>
The final vote is in favor of doubling down on Quantum research to make wormhole travel a reality. Orders for the collection and immediate distribution of available Quantum to key research labs is underway. Prototypes of the Modular Quantum Reactor, Quantum core warp drive shielding, and a new class of ship are on track to begin yielding the results needed to move through to field test models. Barring any major catastrophic setbacks, projections to wormhole traversal currently sit at 6 to 8 weeks. Factions are asked to remain steady in their Quantum resource support, regardless of how low stocks become.
Halt research - '''1 (Empire)'''
Accelerate research - '''2 (Federation, Union)'''
'''Empire:'''<br>
''Terminate Quantum research -'' '''50.77% Imperial favor'''<br>
''Conquer the wormholes -'' '''49.23% Imperial favor'''<br>
'''Federation:'''<br>
''Implement austerity measures -'' '''35.77% of the votes'''<br>
''Maximum increase to Quantum research -'' '''64.23% of the votes'''<br>
'''Union:'''<br>
''End Quantum research -'' '''36.62% of the votes'''<br>
''Speed-up Quantum research -'' '''63.38% of the votes'''<br>
</div>
= Chapter 26.2: Quantum Limit =
=== After these vote results... ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Federation Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Federation Ingenuity on Display'''<br>
''Novum Group Special Report''
Following the momentous vote to accelerate Quantum research, Xaomeng Dynamics, along with a number of labs slated to support XD’s research, spared no Quantum in the pursuit of the first portable Quantum energy source. This new Modular Quantum Reactor, consisting of Quantum cells inside a Quantum core, has scientists all throughout the Core Systems picking their jaws up off of the floor. Market values held steady despite the uncertainty expected in the coming days and weeks in large part thanks to this revolutionary development.
Soon after the announcement of the new breakthrough, MIEB Chief Engineer Stacey Deux was reported to have been working very closely with XD and a number of Union and Empire labs on a parallel joint project. A new multi-purpose power suit capable of withstanding the life-threatening effects of Quantum exposure during wormhole traversal has also been developed. Rumors continue to circulate about the suit’s potential to redefine space exploration and profit margin records.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Empire Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''The Stars Belong to the Empire'''<br>
''From the Ministry of Honor''
In the days following the unenlightened vote to accelerate Quantum research, House Voden received every ounce of Quantum it requested. A smaller percentage was afforded to Yanus-IX, which has a long and honorable record of completing many projects other Houses do not have the stomach for. His Grace’s silence on the progress of House Voden’s VKV Quantum core shielding is the reason for the music in every Imperial’s heart. Celebrations are already being prepared. The success of the Empire’s part in humanity’s endeavor to conquer the wormholes is merely a foregone conclusion.
Rumors of Xaomeng Dynamics’ success in the development of a Modular Quantum Reactor spread like wildfire amongst Imperial scientists. On top of this, the new technology barely out of the womb has been combined with work from a number of Union and Federation labs to develop some kind of power suit capable of wormhole traversal and so much more. Imperial assistance also played a part but specifics on which House contributed has been censored.
Minister Venthe Etruscus
Sic itur ad astra.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Union Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Factions United'''<br>
''Vox Assembly, The Bastion''
In the days after the collective vote victory, not just Quantum, but the best in materials on offer throughout Union space were slapped down on a golden plater for Saruken XII scientists and engineers. The steel in their backs and resolve to get on with the work that needed to be done was hammered and fusion welded into a new ship class designation, Thorne class. It was successfully tested the same day it came out of the ship assembly gates at the La Lande wormhole. It’s currently a class-E sized single occupant ship, but Saruken XII engineers are already at work on a Class-D size ship, though with an increase in Quantum core drive size, a different set of challenges awaits them.
The party drinks weren’t even half empty at Saruken XII when talk of a parallel joint project including Imperial and Federation labs caught everyone’s ear, especially after Sera Varse’s name was dropped. A new multi-utility power suit, capable of being outfitted for exploration, battle, and much more, has been developed. It’s using what has been hailed as a first generational shift in Quantum energy tech, called a Modular Quantum Reactor. Bets were placed on exactly how the most powerful source of energy known to humanity was captured in a device capable of being carried by humans. Information on the new super suit is still scarce but word has it that it shields the wearer from the effects of Quantum sickness while barreling through the wormhole.
Sethra Goodrun
Eyes and hearts to the future
</div></div>
= Chapter 27.1: Prometheus =
===The Pressing Need for Ronaen Alloy===
''Transgalactic report 3.3.513, Trace Chavos, Universal Council''<br>
''Held on board station Ignis, in the neutral center of the Core Systems.''
…Quantum was enough to make the breakthroughs needed for wormhole ship design and the unexpected development of the Explorer Suit.
We are still learning everything we can about this suit and the exact bounds of its potential. In Sera Varse’s communique to us, which we are attempting to track, she says initial visuals of the suit will be available soon once it has been fully calibrated and that the designs will be made open source to all factions. Ms. Varse and her team combined a modification to Xaomeng Dynamics’ reactor based on her own Quantum suit, and Ronaen alloy from an unnamed Imperial source to create the first Quantum powered multi-utility super suit.
Unfortunately, the work was carried out with a disregard for lawful protocol that has all but destroyed Ms. Varse’s career with the Universal Council. It appears she was successful in recruiting MIEB Chief Engineer Stacey Deux to her cause, who used her MIEB security access as a Council representative to steal XD’s reactor plans. Apparently, Ms. Deux believed faction politicking would never allow for the suit’s development if it became a public enterprise. We have demanded they both turn themselves in at once.
Upon news of this reaching the Empire, House Voden declared a halt to all Ronaen alloy exports. Mathias Voden was clear in his ultimatum:
My House’s charitable scientific work in this endeavor is finished. His Grace has been dishonored and thus it is honor that forces my hand. I speak of course of the Federation and their reactor design serendipitously finding its way to Sera Varse, a known traitor to the Universal Council, her own faction, and accomplice to Captain Montez. Hedging bets is what the Federation likes to call it, I believe. I call it obvious and vulgar. Not another ounce of Ronaen will be provided until recompense is made in an honorable fashion.
We know this Deux is formerly an employee of Tonocom Defense, and thus I place the blame squarely on their shoulders. If Tonocom can bear the burden of giving House Voden five percent of their high yield Quantum sites on the other side of the Mimir wormhole for a year, House Voden will consider it an honorable act and provide all Ronaen requested…at market value, of course. If not, the Empire is more than willing to rely on our own Quantum from frontier exploration here in Core space.
Sic itur ad astra.
With the continued relative silence from Imperator Craine, House Voden has gained enough support throughout the great Imperial Houses to actually enact this export ban.
Tonocom CEO, Donel Gladson, flatly refused the demand and added, “If we are forced to do so by an unlikely Council vote, House Voden should remember our forces were victorious against the formidable Ojin-Kai on Morn, and that we are not unfamiliar with conflict outside of Federation space.”
Without Ronaen, wormhole exploration is dead in the water while faction Quantum stocks continue to dwindle. Thus, the vote placed before this Council is as follows:
Do we force Tonocom Defense to pay a small percentage of their future Quantum deposits on the other side of the Mimir wormhole in exchange for the needed Ronaen alloy? This risks retaliation by Tonocom which could spark off a larger conflict between the Empire and Federation.
Or, do we force sanctions on the Empire as a whole, leaving the Imperial houses with no choice but to supply Ronaen alloy to all recognized groups and organizations committed to wormhole travel. This risks increased tensions between the Empire towards the other factions, the form of which could be retaliation here or on the other side of the wormholes.
For further details, consult your faction story channel.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Federation Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''False Claims'''<br>
''Donel Gladson, Tonocom CEO''
I hope the day finds you well, Explorers
I will get straight to the point. We are not responsible, in any way, for Chief Engineer Stacey Deux stealing designs from Xaomeng Dynamics and taking them to Sera Varse. We have put out a warrant for her arrest and a motivation inducing bounty as well. I like to cover all my bases.
The Houses have united to back House Voden’s claim against my company and to force us to take a hit to our Quantum prospects for a year. That’s a direct attack on the sovereignty of a Federation corporation. According to Federation law, if that attack is carried out, defense of assets is well established in the legal framework.
Diplomacy is always preferred to military action as far as I’m concerned. The Union’s silence on the issue is unfortunate, but sometimes a mob isn’t all on the same page at once. I gather their long-standing unresolved issues with the Empire will push the vote in our favor. It has before.
Sanction the Empire, Explorers. That will be all.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Empire Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Legacy'''<br>
''From the Chambers of the Ministry of Knowledge''
Imperial subjects,
Take this day to thank the Emperor for your lives and the position he has put House Voden in. There should be no doubt in any Imperial’s mind what to vote for.
Ronaen is the Empire’s shield and the pinnacle of our science. I have devoted my life to it’s study and all that it makes possible. If you take away the Federation’s Nexus, they would be crippled, their economic engine ground to an undesirable bloated stop. The Union’s Bastion? Take it away, and what are they but scavengers looking to others with the same simple ideas of building in the grimy dirt of a Union world. Take the Oracle away? Do so, and we still have Ronaen armoring our Praetor soldiers and encapsulating our pilots in a way that lets them dance through the sky like no other faction could hope to do.
For those who would put anything above the honor of His Grace, anything above the legacy of the Empire, I say still your mind. Breathe in the air about you and be still. You were born of the Empire, and this vote ensures you will die with honor when your day comes.
Minister Mathias Voden
Imperium superet astra.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Union Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Sera Sera Sera'''<br>
''Aboard the Bastion, the Vox Assembly''
Brothers and sisters,
I don’t know whether to knock her out and drag her to the Vox, or shake her damn hand. That’s Sera Varse for ya. Here she comes, rattlin’ all the wrong cages in the Federation and Empire, and what do you know, she pulls the greatest technological feat since FTL travel out her back side.
Say what you will about her methods, and there’s sure as hell a lot to say about ‘em, good and bad. But damn it, if she don’t scream Union at ya, you ain’t Union. Imagine that tech, that crazy breakthrough to carry a Quantum reactor on your back, sittin’ there on the Council floor for weeks or months of naggin’ back and forth about what to do with it. Who to build it. Who to supply needed materials. What corporation or house needs to blah blah blah. We’d be shit out of luck and jolly well fucked if Sera didn’t do what she did.
Now, Ronaen…That’s a wrinkle I think she didn’t plan for. Seems like both House Voden and Tonocom are lookin’ to come out the winner or go down swingin’ if they things don’t go the way they want. Sure as hell gonna be a show, if ya like that kinda thing.
Mongrel Lars
Heads held high
</div></div>
<code>For further details, consult the archives:</code> [[Lore Codex|📖║lore-codex]]
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4 ; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid black; width:39%">
'''Voting Results'''
'''Results of the vote concerning Core System Ronaen alloy supplies'''
''Transgalactic report 6.3.513, Moira Craine, Universal Council''<br>
The final vote is in favor of forcing Tonocom Defense to pay five percent of their future high yield Quantum deposits for one year to House Voden effective from the first date of official mining activities. Sites have already been relayed from Tonocom’s Resource Management Division. House Voden has chosen to wait for more accurate estimates on Quantum yield after mining operations are established. A tightening of security around the Empire-Federation border has been detected, the first increase of its kind in some time. In an attempt to assuage the tensions that have spiked between Tonocom and House Voden over the past few days, IQR units have been assigned to locate both Sera Varse and Stacey Deux. Their location remains unknown.
Force Tonocom to pay - '''3 (Empire, Federation, Union)'''
Force sanctions on Empire - '''0 ()'''
'''Empire:'''<br>
''Honor demands payment -'' '''66.86% Imperial favor'''<br>
''Impose sanctions -'' '''33.14% Imperial favor'''<br>
'''Federation:'''<br>
''Make Tonocom pay -'' '''54.91% of the votes'''<br>
''Thrust sanctions on Empire -'' '''45.09% of the votes'''<br>
'''Union:'''<br>
''Demand Tonocom pay -'' '''55.48% of the votes'''<br>
''Force Imperial sanctions -'' '''44.52% of the votes'''<br>
</div>
= Chapter 27.2: Prometheus =
=== After these vote results... ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Federation Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Federation Surprise Vote Fuels CEO Row'''<br>
''Novum Group Special Report''
Tonocom’s CEO, Donel Gladson, calculating and straight to the point as ever, has released a flurry of daily media posts in response to the surprise vote last week. Gladson has submitted evidence that PMG Security’s CEO, Glenn Prestt, and former VasTech CEO, Victor Huxley, conspired to gain control over the Mímir wormhole. He has claimed they were directly responsible for the devastating anomaly shockwave event and since have continued to undermine overall Federation interests.
In Gladson’s own words:
“An attack on a corporation is no different than an attack on any other faction’s planet. If Federation citizens are so uninterested in supporting their own, I submit that the citizenry is woefully under-informed. In this democracy, if that is what we still have, I will make it as clear as day that the blood on Prestt’s and Huxley’s hands proves them ill-equipped to continue representing their corporations, let alone the Federation.”
After the Explorer Suit’s open source designs were released, many questions were raised as to how to approach manufacture and distribution. Given the complexity and enormous potential of the modified modular Quantum reactor that some are calling the “Sol Frame,” a universal design approach to the Explorer Suit is being pushed for by many throughout the Core Systems. A number of additions and improvements are slated to be applied to the open sourced “Varse model.” There is still no consensus on Ms. Varse’s role in the development of the Explorer Suit. Many officials see her as a criminal while she is simultaneously lauded as humanity’s hero by the vast voting public.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Empire Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Imperial Starships Honor House Voden'''<br>
''From the Ministry of Honor''
Ronaen alloy production has begun and exports are already underway. However, the supply is being tightly controlled. True Ronaen is still reserved for Imperator Solas himself and his Praetor Guard, though they have been seen escorting the Keepers of the Imperial Mint, House Aurelian, who deal in the limited granting of Ronaen for alloy production.
House Voden celebrations were very Voden-like; proud, reserved, and to the point. Though Lord Mathias protested, a flotilla in low orbit of massive floating monuments to the Empire’s past, each hundreds of meters in diameter and pearl white, took position over the sprawling landscape that was bestowed to House Voden by His Grace long ago. There was not a window shuttered nor a cloud in the sky that would dare sour such a show of respect. Imperator Solas was again nowhere to be seen, though his hand interlaced the very fabric of Imperial spirit on display.
Imperial prospectors poured over the available Quantum deposit data. Planets designated for Tonocom use revealed a rich number of deposits on not just one planet, but every planet surveyed. Different classes of planets did not seem to affect the quantity of Quantum available save two, both of which were planets with moon systems—these seem all the richer in the precious material. With an unshakable confidence that is characteristic of House Voden, the two planets with their own moons were selected for recompense of dishonor to His Grace.
The latest probes have not yet returned and more are set for launch soon. Some theorize there are even higher yield planets waiting amongst the stars.
Minister Breckard Morell
Sit imperium superstes astra.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Union Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Huzzah to the Night Stars and Sera Varse'''<br>
''Vox Assembly, The Bastion''
The Night Stars broke down into brawls amidst heavy celebrations upon receiving and reviewing Sera Varse’s modified open source design of the Explorer Suit. Her location is still unknown. The IQR showed up in the middle of the mayhem and attempted to interview individuals from Sera Varse’s tribe. Their stay was brief and fruitless, though a Union member of the investigative unit was pulled into the fray. He was seen smiling soon after.
The IQR agent reported his “findings.”
“One bowl is designated for drinking. After it’s plunged into a large open barrel of a Night Star rice wine equivalent, the bowl is offered to anyone of the holder’s choosing. The person on the receiving end cannot refuse the drink and must finish it at a pace that appears slightly uncomfortable. Then, they stand and return to the barrel for another dunk into the drink and the pattern continues with multiple barrels, bowls, and bowl holders. Many tribes and clans prefer harder alcohol, but I’d say it does the job just fine.”
After the open source designs were released, we saw first hand that the modifications done by Sera Varse to the Quantum reactor, now being called the “Sol Frame,” were on another level. Only she could’ve pulled them off. In terms of manufacturing, a universal design used by all faction labs makes the most sense considering the complexity and insane potential of the suit. With this standard set in place, the scientists and engineers can get down to what they do best, designing the hell out of component parts that will take full advantage of the Explorer Suit as a platform.
Sethra Goodrun
Eyes and hearts to the future
</div></div>
= Chapter 28.1: Contagion =
===Contagion===
''Transgalactic report 15.3.513, Trice Chavos, Universal Council''<br>
…this fresh emergency demands that this Council step away from the brisk pace of development of the Explorer Suit.
The revival of Vargas, the Federation mining world affected first by the Cradle’s signal and then by the Ojin-Kai drug Heka-α1, has been anything but swift. Its infrastructure never fully recovered despite the Union’s best efforts. This has been facilitated by decreased investor confidence and an extended food shortage that recently developed into a full-blown famine. Independent actors, led by the activist group Social Justiciar, managed to gather enough to purchase shipments of food from the Empire. That should have been the end of it but it was not: a contagion swiftly spread throughout those who have partaken in the food since it first arrived planet-side. This disease, UC epidemiologists reckon, is a plague in its early stages of development. Already it has claimed its first victims. Already it has spread beyond only those who have eaten the food of Imperial origins.
The time to act is now.
What possibilities lay ahead for the Council?
We have the doctors and biologists and epidemiologists necessary to send to Vargas and tackle the plague itself. We have on our side powerful medicine that the struggling physicians on Vargas haven’t had access to, some of the finest specialists in Faction space, even the medical nanotechnology developed by the Federation’s Hygeia Systems in partnership with Quinn Anders of TANUS Robotiks. If the plague can be contained, it will be. Yet this would carry with it tremendous risk–if our tools prove short for the job, if our medical personnel fail to contain this plague or to synthesize a cure for it quickly enough, the results could be catastrophic. More than a hundred years have gone since the last time our factions suffered a truly devastating outbreak–but many living still recall the horrors and deprivations of those days.
The alternative is to prioritize finding the source of this plague. Whether by accident or by intent, someone in the Empire released a potent biological hazard. If this is an accident, the Empire must make certain it never happens again. If it is, however, intentional–the guilty parties must be brought to account. Further, we may assume that whoever did this must have also synthesized a cure. If we can trace this hazard back to its original source, we may resolve this before many more lives expire on Vargas. Yet we would be operating under an assumption, no matter how reasonable. The possibility of success is by no means certain. We would, of course, send medical and food provisions via unmanned vehicles–but would avoid the risk of letting the plague loose. Witholding specialists from active duty would also decrease the effectiveness of the tools we have of combating the disease. As it stands, Council ships have blockaded the planet for any civilian ships trying to leave, and will continue to do so until this body has reached its decision and the threat has passed.
The worst of the Cradle’s interference may be long gone from Vargas, but the destabilization ringing out from its effects may still be felt. It is up to all of us to pave the course forward.
For further details, consult your faction story channel.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Federation Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Fictions'''<br>
''Blagoi Shulka, StarLight Opinions, Novum News''
The Union was once supposed to have aided Vargas’s economic recovery. I say this falls under the purview of that vote. It is the Union that obviously failed in their commitments; it is the Union that should risk loss of life and limb as they resolve what surely would’ve been a non-issue if they had only done their job right. What can you expect from them, though?
Obviously, those who represent our great faction in the chambers of the Universal Council disagree with this assessment. Independent humanitarian organizations are pushing the narrative that the Federation is leaving its citizens to die of famine; but that, I say, is simply not true. We provide them with work, we provide them with opportunity, we provide them with everything they need to reach their full potential–it’s not our fault they can’t pull their weight.
This growing plague planet-side illustrates exactly why the Federation’s highest ideals are self-determination and self-actualization–count on someone else’s help and you’ll inevitably get burned for it. Now, we are all forced to step in because someone particularly helpful has let loose a plague that might grow beyond Vargas. I don’t know about you, but I try to avoid the sniffles when I can; this, I hear, is a hint more serious.
Committing more people sounds like a bad idea to me, but then again, I’m no doctor, only the voice of reason in these tumultuous times. Much better to find the one responsible for spreading this filth onto the food Federation bucks purchased from the Empire. But then, I know how badly those bleeding Union hearts would love nothing but to play the martyrs and throw their lives away to right past wrongs–so if their medical personnel want to do that, they might as well…long as none of them make it off the planet once this plague gets a whole lot worse.
I can’t make heads or tails of this one, folks, except to say we shouldn’t have had a problem like this to begin with, not if the Union had done its job properly and certainly not if the Empire’s vaunted control over their subjects was anything but fiction.
I’m not telling you how to vote–but we’re all reasonable folks here.
Regardless…let’s see how this plays out, shall we?
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Empire Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''It Is Not So'''<br>
''From the Chambers of the Ministry of Honor''
What a fine mess this is. To think the Empire might poison those who come begging for its aid, who pay for it through their noses. There is no honor to such a craven act. Worse yet, it shows the continued undermining of our mission of keeping the peace with the other factions. We must be swift in uncovering who did this and swifter still in punishing them. I call for the Universal Council to aid our own internal investigation with all that is available to them.
While I understand the Federation’s plight, it is time to face up to the facts. Vargas is a lost cause and has been for a long time now. The planet’s inhabitants failed in their attempts to rebuild what was lost following the Cradle’s interference, and all that followed after–the UC may yet cure some of its population, once we have found the disease’s origins. But it is my expert opinion that any survivors should be taken from this accursed rock and used more fittingly by their Federation. The cosmos is too big a place for lost causes. As for the rest…let their deaths have meaning, at least.
If only the Emperor were not silent, if only his voice could be heard to condemn these petty acts, this unnecessary violence. But it is not so.
Walk in the Imperial Light.
Breckard Morrell
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Union Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Compassion'''<br>
''Friends,''
News out of Vargas is disconcerting. The threat of a viral outbreak first throughout the Federation and then throughout all of known space awakens fear in my heart–as it should awaken fear in yours.
Does the Union bear responsibility for any of this? Only insofar that we dared not persuade the miners of Vargas to throw off the yoke of economic oppression tied around their necks by the Federation. If this had been done, the miners of Vargas would never have known the deprivations that led to famine, and the poisoned Imperial stock that followed. They knew hunger and now know disease because the Federation failed them, because the mining corporations they gave their lives to abandoned them at the first sign of trouble.
We aided the people of Vargas once before. We must do so again. But how? This is what the vote boils down to.
My answer is this: human beings, so close to death, appreciate nothing so much as a show of dignity. A medical servitor, no matter how advanced, cannot provide such dignity. Compassion is a human trait; let humans administer it. Let medical experts–the brightest among their profession–stem the flow of this disease; we do not have the benefit of making mistakes or risking a protracted investigation when the people of Vargas need us to find them a cure now. .
But that, friends, is merely my understanding. It will grow and be informed by your own. Remember: countless lives can be averted if we make the right choice. We must act now.
Sethra Goodrun
</div></div>
<code>For further details, consult the archives:</code> [[Lore Codex|📖║lore-codex]]
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4 ; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid black; width:39%">
'''Voting Results'''
'''The Solvent'''
''Transgalactic report 19.3.513, Trice Chavos, Universal Council''<br>
The Universal Council is set to begin deploying medical personnel within the hour. This won’t be an easy fight, but we are prepared to wage it as long and as hard as necessary. The people of Vargas will receive the aid they so desperately need in this time of crisis. For its part, the Empire has promised to work with Federation investigators to discover the origins of this plague.
Commit medical personnel - '''3 (Empire, Federation, Union)'''
Investigate the plague’s origins - '''0 ()'''
'''Empire:'''<br>
''Dispatch medical personnel -'' '''53.22% Imperial favor'''<br>
''Pursue the biological hazard -'' '''46.78% Imperial favor'''<br>
'''Federation:'''<br>
''Send in the doctors -'' '''57.2% of the votes'''<br>
''Track down the outbreak’s origins -'' '''42.8% of the votes'''<br>
'''Union:'''<br>
''Trust in the doctors -'' '''66.22% of the votes'''<br>
''Find whoever did this -'' '''33.78% of the votes'''<br>
</div>
= Chapter 28.2: Contagion =
=== After these vote results... ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Federation Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Every Faction’s Part'''<br>
''Admiral Lyra Montain, Station Ignis, Universal Council''
Fellow Federation citizens,
I have been asked to update you on the latest, and so I shall. Federation meds have been dispatched planetside, following the unanimous vote by all three factions. Antiviral drugs, antibiotics, and analgesics make up the crux of medicine dispatched. More and more of the late cases have been developing hemorrhagic fever–the strongest analgesics the Federation has to offer will provide immense relief even to those who have little chance of recovery. Along with the meds, state of the art devices which will aid our investigation of the disease. This is only the initial wave of supplies dispatched by UC forces. Further medicine will be provided by the long-standing partnership between pharmaceutical corporation Trifecta Remedy and the healthcare experts from Hygeia Systems.
As for the medical personnel that will administer the treatments and take the good fight to our invisible enemies, it is largely made up of Union doctors. Imperial epidemiologists, meanwhile, are hard at work figuring out what makes this disease tick. The blockade over Vargas will hold until we see concrete long-term solutions to this outbreak. As for the UC personnel, anyone who wishes to leave may do so - given that they spend a three-week period on one of the quarantine ships provided for this purpose by the Federation.
President Kim Lee has joined the relief efforts planetside, to the consternation of many public officials both within her sector and outside it. Myself, I’ll say: good for her. A politician with a spine–never thought I’d see the day.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Empire Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Students of Death'''<br>
''From the Offices of the Minister of Honor''
The Federation has used its ill-gotten gains well for once, providing their citizens and the misguided Union children willing to take the brunt of the danger for the Council with a fighting chance. As for the Empire, we have taken the initiative to prove the potency of Imperial science. None understand viral outbreaks as well as the Imperial scientists of House Haden do. They have made a sport of studying death. If there are answers to be found, they will find them.
Minister Etruscus, meanwhile, has taken it upon himself to discover how the outbreak came to be. I have it on good authority he will allow nothing to stop the investigation into this matter. My colleague is like a rabid dog with a delicious morsel just out of reach—the initiative does him honor.
Breckard Morrell.
Sit imperium superstes astra.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Union Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Take Pride'''<br>
Friends,
Compassion is strength. To all those who might not believe this, now is the time to show it. The factions have voted as one, unanimous in the common human desire to aid those who are suffering. This is a moment to take pride in, and a time of light to remember in dark days ahead. So many of our brothers and sisters of the Union have taken to carriers and freighters capable of shipping us to Vargas. Quantum is a little tight, so we’ve had to pull together–but that’s the Union way, and traveling a little more snuggly don’t worry the Redeemers or my own Co-Operative none.
I wish I were a young lass again, capable of running to the frontlines with the best of them. Not just Redeemers or the Co-Operative but doctors and nurses from the SNTNLs and so many other clans willing to risk their lives if it means helping those in need. This is the Union way–that the other factions embrace it shows the future is ours. Compassion will seize the day.
Sethra Goodrun
</div></div>
= Chapter 29.1: Amongst The Stars =
===Discovery===
''Transgalactic report 29.3.513, Trice Chavos, Universal Council''<br>
''Held on board station Ignis, in the neutral center of the Core Systems.''
…personnel has been everything the situation needed on Vargas. Our thoughts go with those who have lost any loved ones.
Explorers chosen from the long list of volunteers for the Explorer Program have already begun landing very small teams on exoplanet surfaces through the wormholes near the La Lande system, the Imperial capital planet, and Mímir. Initial reports tell us that Explorer Suit performance has either met or exceeded expectations in a variety of exoplanetary environments. The Universal Council and all factions salute the brave efforts of these first humans through the wormholes who have set foot on worlds so rich in Quantum that the future of humanity looks bright for the first time in a very long while. The era of wormhole exploration is underway, and we have many things to discuss.
Through the wormhole near to the Imperial capital planet, Solaris Regnum, it appears that a probe launched by Imperial Explorers attempting to ascertain the composition of a distant planet with three moons and a ring system has shown some highly unusual readings.
The Quantum is in such concentration that even in the upper atmosphere Imperial probes are beginning to experience cascading electrical malfunctions. In theory, the Explorer Suit could handle these ridiculously high Quantum concentrations. We can test this, but not with any of the Explorers currently deployed there. To make things worse, what can only be described as a Quantum-induced electromagnetic storm is beginning at the southern pole of the planet and threatens to close our window of opportunity to push the Explorer Suit to its limits and possibly beyond.
That is not all.
On the other side of the Lalande wormhole, Union Explorers have reported what appears to be a newly discovered wormhole. The Union sent probes that indicate it is in a state of flux. MIEB scientists estimate that it can be stabilized with the appropriate level of Quantum introduced along its receding edge. However, if we wait, the wormhole will surely collapse and we do not yet have the technological means to reopen a collapsed wormhole.
Where does it lead? How far will we be from Core space after traversing two wormholes? Does it have different properties from the wormholes in Core space? Can our ships traverse a wormhole we know nothing about? Could it lead to yet another wormhole? The value in discovering what lies beyond cannot be overstated.
We have two incredible opportunities about to pass us by but only one MIEB team capable of handling them.
Thus, the vote placed before this Council is as follows:
Do we send the MIEB science team to test the limits of the Explorer Suit and discover exactly what is happening on the Quantum-rich planet? If so, we will miss the window of opportunity to explore a new wormhole and the first one outside of Core space.
The alternative is to send the team to the Union wormhole outside of Core space to stabilize it, traverse it, and report what they find on the other side. Unfortunately, we will miss the chance to push the Explorer Suit platform to its limits and see exactly what potential such a planet has to offer.
For further details, consult your faction story channel.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Federation Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Everyone Will Be Watching'''<br>
''John Cooper, Editor Op-Ed, Novaros''
Good Sol, Explorers!...is what I’d like to say, but this vote is like seeing an ex-lover just a few weeks after they ripped your heart out. Here we are again, the vaunted voting public of democracy. Will we again vote to hand more wealth and unearned privilege to the Empire? Send the MIEB scientists there to plot out exactly how much more Quantum they will be getting their stuck-up hands on?
I say not this time. If we vote for the Union wormhole exploration, we get back knowledge that will benefit all humanity, not just the Empire. How much more straightforward could it be? True, we don't get anything extremely concrete out of sending the scientists to explore the newly discovered wormhole in Union space, but what if we discover one? We will know whether we can use it or not and after that, it should be all systems go, best Federation citizen to finish line wins.
I swear to the infallible record of the Nexus that if the Federation votes in favor of the Empire one more time, I am moving to the Union and will knock over every corporate ladder I can on the way out.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Empire Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''The Path Has Been Shown'''<br>
''From the Chambers of the Ministry of Honor''
Subjects of the Empire,
I am not a man of brash temperament or fiery rhetoric, as His Grace, may he outlive the stars, has more than enough voices to serve causes that require them. I am here to provide what must be provided. It is no secret to the factions that this new planet might be one that puts the Empire at an advantage in terms of Quantum reserves, though I am sure the Universal Council will try and see to it that regulations are put in place to prevent as much.
The Empire also had a large part in the development of the Explorer Suit, more so than the other factions. Testing what the suit is capable of will bring nothing but honor to the Empire. And once the MIEB scientists have left, we will have free reign to test any number of technologies on an Imperial planet.
His Grace, I am sure, wishes to know what this new planet holds for us and we can know exactly how ostentatious our Emperor’s decision to explore the wormholes really is. I say this because there are always those who need the guiding light of Imperator Solas.
The future is here and now and this planet holds the key to positioning His Light to shine on many generations to come in this new age of wormhole exploration.
Minister Breckard Morell
Imperium superet astra.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Union Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''The Frontier Is in Our Blood'''<br>
''Aboard the Bastion, the Vox Assembly''
Brothers and sisters,
The choice here should be an easy one for us. Say what you will about the mindless subjects of the Empire and their disgusting need to suck up to their Imperator Solas, but hell, that planet intrigues the shit out of me.
Don’t get me wrong now. The choice IS to explore the wormhole discovered by Union Explorers. It’s what we do. We explore and we discover. If there is another wormhole on the other side of that wormhole, well shit if I ain’t tickled pink at the prospect of venturing out further than any other humans have before us!
I might walk myself right up to Aish and ask her for the keys to a Quantum sled of my very own. I’d throw that Explorer Suit on faster than you could slam a shot of the best Union hooch! Imagine, Mongrel Lars, Explorer extraordinaire!!
It’s nice to dream. Seriously though, this shouldn’t even be a discussion. Union all the way.
Mongrel Lars
Heads held high
</div></div>
<code>For further details, consult the archives:</code> [[Lore Codex|📖║lore-codex]]
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4 ; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid black; width:39%">
'''Voting Results'''
'''Results of the vote concerning the MIEB science team mission'''
''Transgalactic report 32.3.513, Moira Craine, Universal Council''<br>
The final vote is in favor of sending the MIEB science team to test the limits of the Explorer Suit on the surface of the newly discovered Quantum-rich planet. Three class-E ships have entered the wormhole near the Imperial capital planet, Solaris Regnum, and are en route to the planet that has yet to be named. The newly discovered Union wormhole is showing signs of further collapse and is expected to be closed within the week. A lone vessel of suspected Gamayun origin is on a direct course with the shrinking wormhole and refuses to answer all Vox hails.
Order scientists to the planet - '''3 (Empire, Federation, Union)'''
Order scientists to the wormhole - '''0 ()'''
'''Empire:'''<br>
''Demand MIEB investigate planet -'' '''66.85% Imperial favor'''<br>
''Demand MIEB investigate wormhole -'' '''33.15% Imperial favor'''<br>
'''Federation:'''<br>
''Test the Explorer Suit and planet -'' '''59.01% of the votes'''<br>
''Send MIEB to new wormhole -'' '''40.99% of the votes'''<br>
'''Union:'''<br>
''Order MIEB to investigate new planet -'' '''73.25% of the votes'''<br>
''Order MIEB through new wormhole -'' '''26.75% of the votes'''<br>
</div>
= Chapter 29.2: Amongst The Stars =
=== After these vote results... ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Federation Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Unforeseen Challenges, Unforeseen Opportunity'''<br>
''Novum Group Special Report''
Since exploration began on the other side of the wormholes, reports have come back about incredibly strange and wondrous alien flora and fauna on the planet classes discovered thus far. The Sector presidents implemented an initial set of standards for rules of engagement with the more aggressive creatures encountered. A correlation has been postulated to exist between the amount of Quantum in a region and increased aggression in these alien lifeforms.
The MIEB science team touched down on the planet surface and reported the Explorer Suit to be functioning well after some initial calibrations. This was expected and in line with the danger such a global electromagnetic storm front can pose. While readings were underway, they were suddenly under assault by a stampede of creatures.
The weapons systems available to the science team and the protection provided by the Explorer Suit were enough to get them back to their ships and to the safety of high orbit, but only barely. Had they been forced to make a stand or endure a prolonged encounter, the likelihood of mission failure would have been unacceptably high.
The Empire informed the Federation and the Union that the planet is off-limits to MIEB scientists for the foreseeable future. This was ultimately an isolated situation. Outside of this one planet, exploration continues unimpeded and Quantum is beginning to flow into Core space.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Empire Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Great Risks, Great Rewards'''<br>
''A general message from the Ministry of Honor''
Imperial Explorers continued their work prospecting a variety of planet classes regardless of what votes the Universal Council has seen fit to burden the will of the Emperor with. On every one of these planets, Explorers have discovered alien flora and fauna that is unlike anything we have ever seen. It appears that the richer in Quantum a region is, the more aggressive sentient life becomes, as was the case on the Quantum-rich planet discovered by our Explorers.
The Explorer Suits functioned well enough in the Quantum rich environment, though some calibrations were necessary to onboard systems due to heavy electromagnetic activity coming from the approaching global storm front. The window of explorative opportunity was a small one. The MIEB science team got to work on taking readings to complete their mission when they were attacked by a swarm of hyper-aggressive creatures that nearly overwhelmed them.
Their weapons systems and the protection provided to them by the Explorer Suit platform was just barely enough to get them back to their ships and to safety. Any longer and they would’ve been testing the bite force limits of the Explorer Suit.
For now, the planet is inaccessible. Until His Grace sees fit to choose a worthy strategy, the planet is also off-limits to exploration...for now. This challenging encounter the MIEB science team speaks of is an isolated and very unlikely situation. Outside of this solitary planet, exploration continues unimpeded and Quantum is beginning to flow into Core space–just as Imperator Solas foretold.
Sit imperium superstes astra.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Union Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Explorers to the Last'''<br>
Vox Assembly, The Bastion
Union Explorers have been sending back not just Quantum, but a load of precious mineral resources as well. The pace of returning these to Core space is still slow, but is already more than the Quantum available on the edges of known Union space. On these planets, Union sisters and brothers brave enough to throw on the Explorer Suit have encountered some alien lifeforms that seem to be more aggressive around Quantum.
The MIEB science team touched down on the planet without much difficulty and aside from a few calibrations done to the internal systems of the Explorer Suit, performance was not an issue…until the science team was attacked by a pack of incredibly aggressive creatures. The weapons systems and protective advancements the Explorer Suit provides allowed them to retreat to their ships and the safety of high orbit, but just barely.
Since then, the planet has been completely enveloped by a global electromagnetic storm. The surface has been declared off-limits for exploration by the Empire. After a number of newer planets have been discovered in different systems on the other side of all faction wormholes, it is becoming quite clear that this sole planet is an extreme rarity. Outside of this planet, exploration continues without any hiccups and Quantum is starting to flow smoothly into Core space.
The vessel that ignored Vox hails attempted entrance into the wormhole moments before it collapsed. No debris was detected around the closed wormhole, but we don’t know if the pilot was successful or not. The Vox was quick to put the issue aside and focus on more important concerns as Mongrel Lars was seen storming out of the Vox Assembly.
Sethra Goodrun
Eyes and hearts to the future
</div></div>
= Chapter 30.1: The Council Adjourns =
===Imperfect Timing===
''Transgalactic report 41.3.513, Trice Chavos, Universal Council''<br>
''Held on board station Ignis, in the neutral center of the Core Systems.''
…blockade is not going to remain indefinite if the current pace of recovery and research continue. Federation dispatched medicine has proven the bandage that allowed Union nurses and doctors to treat, isolate, and lower the trajectory curve of the outbreak. Imperial epidemiologists identified what they believed to be a possible exploit in the genetic code of what they have taken to calling the hemo-fever and have seen promising results from implementing an experimental gene therapy. The situation on Vargas is for the most part under control. UC staff working on Vargas have volunteered to stay and assist with eradicating this horrific plague as opposed to returning to station Ignis and complying with the mandatory three week quarantine.
Much has been learned in regard to life and planets on the other side of the wormholes. Already, we know there are six classes of planets worth looking for, as rocky ice worlds without atmospheres or gas giants are not of immediate interest in regard to the Explorer Program. The Explorer Suit, now also known as the Sol Frame, is performing remarkably well despite the challenges on the Empire’s extremely Quantum-rich planet. The attack on the MIEB science team is still being analyzed by our best astrobiologists. Whether the high levels of Quantum present at the time were solely responsible for creature aggression is still just theory, though a commonly held viewpoint among Explorers. I will say–
Yes…yes, I see. Very good, thank you doctor. It has come to the attention of the science team that their scans revealed the possible existence of an artifact fragment in close proximity to where the team landed. How the Emperor will choose to respond to this new information with his indefinite prohibiting of explorative missions to the planet surface is anyone’s guess. The Council will push for clarity on the matter as any new information on Quantum or artifacts would certainly benefit all. In the meantime, unless a vote is determined to be necessary, the planet and its treasures are an Imperial matter. We will monitor the situation accordingly.
I move the council to adjourn sine die pending the completion of administrative duties and receipt of council mess– I apologize Councilors, updates appear to be ongoing today. I do hope lunch won’t be cold by the time we adjourn. One moment, if you please…impossible. But how could that… There are reports of Explorers being attacked…by unidentified humans wearing what appear to be suits resembling the Sol Frame…
'''END of PlanetQuest, Season two'''
A vote is upon you, Explorers. In the lead up to Season three, PlanetQuest will again continue to produce community driven inter-seasonal content. The community has shaped the narrative of this incredible decentralized storyline from day one back in December, 2021 and will continue to do so with a vote here today.
On offer for the following weeks will be two separate storylines, both with unique voting systems. The first will be “The Heir,” a new short storyline that will follow Ivona Craine’s POV and Warmaster Va-Halet on their search for the dangerous and elusive terrorist, Scintilla. The other will be the highly anticipated second chapter to Worlds Beyond. These two storylines will share their publication in alternating weeks. The question is, which does the community choose to kick-off week one of inter-seasonal content?
Thus, the vote placed before all Explorers is as follows:
Select '''The Heir''' to kick-off week one of inter-seasonal content next Monday!
Select '''Worlds Beyond''' to kick-off week one of inter-seasonal content next Monday!
For further details, consult your faction story channel.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Federation Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''The Bloody Business of Diplomacy'''<br>
''Blagoi Shulka, StarLight Opinions, Novum News''
Well, folks! It’s that time of year again, when the Universal Council adjourns and each faction enters a period of introspection. Ministers, Presidents, and Stewards will be counting their heads of cattle and wondering if they could’ve gotten more out of this whole bloody business of diplomacy, wondering all the while, “Ain’t competition a bitch?”
As for you and me? We’ve benefitted some from the Council these past several months, but I can’t help but think, we’ve been putting in a whole lot of effort for paltry returns. Who brought to justice the Neru-Gal that pillaged their way through Tribe Sunless? That’s right: the Federation. Who set up the MIEB task force and then led scientific efforts through catastrophe? The Federation, again! And what’d we get for it? A paltry Union pay-off in metals, precious and otherwise–and lots of finger-pointing. Have you seen a thing like it?
Federation heads have been leading by example: Dr. Takada, a brilliant scientist who paid for one small mistake with her life. And not only that. Her colleague and current head of the MIEB task force, Dr. Helena Barnhardt, was forced by circumstance to surrender her unilateral power and work under a frankly inefficient Council – a move that has crippled many of the Federation’s scientific fields for the sake of humanity’s common interests. And why’d she do that? Only to reassure our ‘friends’ at the Union and the Empire. Friends who have proven with their voting record that they rarely have our best interests at heart.
Seems to me we’ve been getting the short stick time and time again. Got to hand the latest Universal Council one thing, though: At least no Imperial coup materialized on their watch…Whether that’s a good thing or not, I leave for you to decide.
Regardless…let’s see how this plays out, shall we?
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Empire Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''The Voice Speaks'''<br>
''From the Gilded Halls of the Imperial Palace''
The Imperator hails you, loyal subjects of the Empire.
He has watched closely the work done in his name these past long months. He has taken note of the insults to the Empire’s honor, the times that have seen your Imperial voices muffled for the sake of naive fools and blind opportunists. These will be responded to in full, when the time comes.
The cosmos has a sense of irony, does it not? When our Imperial science was turned away, tragedy struck the vaunted FSS Skłodowska, while the Empire suffered minimal losses. Now, it is the very knowledge they turned away that holds the Explorer Suit together, that binds it with ronaen alloy plating keeping alive its wearer, no matter whether they are of the Empire, Federation, or Union.
The Imperial light is magnanimous, even when those it shines on turn away from its blinding radiance. And how the Federation and Union have tried to shy away from our truth: when they chose to meekly follow conventional research rather than embrace Alannah Simoff’s daring; when they voted to have Neru-Gal prisoners sent to the Union rather than repatriating them to face Imperial justice; when they paint every Imperial as a foe and every catastrophe they face as our design.
Despite it all, the Empire stands stronger. Do not think the work is over–this is but a step towards the Empire’s rightful place in the cosmos, one that has been fraught with hardships and slights against our Imperial might.
Know in your hearts…Solas Craine’s vision of the future will come to pass. And you, all of you, will play a part in making it so.
The Voice,<br>
Imperium superet astra.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:40%; overflow:auto;"><div style="font-weight:normal;line-height:1.6;">Union Storyline</div><div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Now and Always'''<br>
''Brothers and Sisters,''
As this Universal Council session is adjourned, it is time to look back on all that the Union has accomplished. Our choice of Stewards has been much lauded–this fresh crop of leaders to guide the Union to its destiny has and will continue to bear fruit for many years to come. We will know loss–have known it already, when one of our best and brightest, the first Steward of Information, Hayden Blunt, died with many other members of the Union onboard the FSS Skłodowska, the result of the Federation’s pride and its mistakes. We stand tall to honor her sacrifice.
We stand proud, too, over our capacity to brush off even the deadliest blows against us. Despite a heinous attack perpetrated by the Neru-Gal under direction from the one now known as Scintilla, my own clan, Tribe Sunless, stands stronger than it ever has, defiant in the face of all those who would move against progress. My tribe benefitted from the aid of the other factions; in return, when the hema-fever on Vargas broke out, they and many other members of the tribes volunteered to aid efforts to contain the epidemic.
And who could ever forget our contributions to the Explorer Suit, a piece of technology that represents the fulfilled promise of everything the Universal Council represents–the strengths of all factions combined and not a hint of the weaknesses that threaten to tear us and our peace apart.
Take pride, Union. The future belongs to us–now and always.
Heads held high,<br>
Aish Fenix
</div></div>
<code>For further details, consult the archives:</code> [[Lore Codex|📖║lore-codex]]
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4 ; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid black; width:39%">
'''Voting Results'''
'''Coming Next Week!'''
''Transgalactic report 45.3.513, Universal Council''<br>
The final vote is in favor of kicking-off week one of inter-seasonal content with Worlds Beyond 2! Join Jared, a young but hard as nails pirate accountant who came to kick ass and balance the books…and he’s all out of books. Three choices await Explorers to decide his fate, and the fate of his crew. Stranded on an uncharted alien world, he will have to use his wits and get some skillz on the quicks to not wind up lost forever or worse, eaten alive by the ferocious alien creatures that stalk him and his crew. Some have already died, how many more will be lost? Only time and your decisions will tell, Explorers…
The Heir - '''0 ()'''
Worlds Beyond - '''3 (Empire, Federation, Union)'''
'''Empire:'''<br>
''The Heir -'' '''47.88% Imperial favor'''<br>
''Worlds Beyond -'' '''52.12% Imperial favor'''<br>
'''Federation:'''<br>
''The Heir -'' '''46.3% of the votes'''<br>
''Worlds Beyond -'' '''53.7% of the votes'''<br>
'''Union:'''<br>
''The Heir -'' '''39.86% of the votes'''<br>
''Worlds Beyond -'' '''60.14% of the votes'''<br>
</div>

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