Story

Chapter 1:

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Chapter 1.1 The Catalyst	Chapter 1.2 Station Ignis	Chapter 1.3 Panopea Transmission
During the 17th conference of the Universal Council, reports of disturbances in the Nexus-powered communications networks of three Federation planets were relayed to the seated Councilmembers. The interference was said to follow a consistent pattern of blips, and miners on the planet Vargas - the most remote planet of the three - were also alleged to have heard whispers in the interference. Federation reports state that, despite the withholding of information by Spyrecorp, the disruptions in communications had also already led to several casualties on Vargas.	Moving under Commander Varse’s direction was the investigative fleet - comprising radiographers, Quantum researchers and extra-Core experts from all three factions - headed by the flagship Panopea, accompanied by a small military protective detail. At the time of the fleet’s departure, Commander Varse’s team had already begun tracking the signal’s source, with Varse estimating that it would take a day before the fleet reached the source.	On Commander Varse’s third transmission aboard the Panopea to the Universal Council, she reported that the fleet had successfully tracked the signal to its source - a solar system comprising fifteen planets and two stars. Upon entering the system, the fleet’s equipment detected high-density deposits of Quantum located in all the system’s planets, which also seemed to support flourishing ecosystems housing a wide variety of alien flora and fauna.

Chapter 1.1 The Catalyst

During the 17th conference of the Universal Council, reports of disturbances in the Nexus-powered communications networks of three Federation planets were relayed to the seated Councilmembers. The interference was said to follow a consistent pattern of blips, and miners on the planet Vargas - the most remote planet of the three - were also alleged to have heard whispers in the interference. Federation reports state that, despite the withholding of information by Spyrecorp, the disruptions in communications had also already led to several casualties on Vargas.

The seated Councilmembers subsequently deemed it necessary to send an expeditionary fleet to investigate the mysterious signal; however, as manpower was already stretched thin with the evacuation of the victims from Kepler-7 after the Pinnacle incident, the Universal Council could only afford to send one fleet. The Council thus put the nature of the fleet - whether military or investigative - to a vote, with the seated Councilmembers briefing their respective factions.

With the Empire voting to send a military fleet to meet the signal with appropriate force, and the Federation & Union both voting to send an investigative fleet to carry out further tests on the signal, the Council moved to send an investigative fleet to track the signal to its source, helmed by Union member Sera Varse

Chapter 1.2 Station Ignis

Moving under Commander Varse’s direction was the investigative fleet - comprising radiographers, Quantum researchers and extra-Core experts from all three factions - headed by the flagship Panopea, accompanied by a small military protective detail. At the time of the fleet’s departure, Commander Varse’s team had already begun tracking the signal’s source, with Varse estimating that it would take a day before the fleet reached the source.

Chapter 1.3 Panopea Transmission

On Commander Varse’s third transmission aboard the Panopea to the Universal Council, she reported that the fleet had successfully tracked the signal to its source - a solar system comprising fifteen planets and two stars. Upon entering the system, the fleet’s equipment detected high-density deposits of Quantum located in all the system’s planets, which also seemed to support flourishing ecosystems housing a wide variety of alien flora and fauna.

Chapter 2: The Crimson Wolves

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The Crimson Wolves

Report from the 18th 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, Moira Craine, Cael’an Ashuret
Councilmembers for the Federation: Áurea Adonis, San’a, Kim Lee
Councilmembers for the Union: Aish Fenix, Haley Nguyen, Mandla Bankole

The following is a transcript of the briefing on the relevant vote for those involved in the Explorer program:

…once the initial recovery vessels have been sent out, the Council will, indeed, decide on what actions to take regarding the incoming Quantum shipments from Sera Varse’s expedition. Thank you for your concerns, President Adonis.

The Council is pleased to report that the situation in Kepler-7 is progressing smoothly. The Imperial Forge World is halfway toward being evacuated, and the waves of Quantum energy from the Pinnacle – the Union mercenary ship orbiting the planet - appear to be decreasing in frequency. It is only a matter of time before our research fleets are able to approach the wreck and investigate the cause of the Quantum Drive’s malfunction.

Unfortunately, there is now another issue within the Kepler system which demands the Council’s immediate attention: due to the unrest around Kepler-7, other planets in the system have been targeted by a group of pirates known as “the Crimson Wolves”. Their supposed leader, Montez Lycanis, is a disgraced Imperial noble now styling himself a “pirate lord”. The Crimson Wolves’ ships have mainly been employing guerilla tactics to avoid further detection, and many of the Empire’s Forge colonies have already suffered severe losses. Since the Kepler system remains on the border of Empire and Union territory, policing these actions falls under the Universal Council’s jurisdiction.

Though it is known that the Crimson Wolves have a command ship, it has yet to make its presence known in these attacks. As such, we cannot predict where or when the pirates will strike next, and our forces will need to spread out while we attempt to locate this ship. It is likely our forces will suffer severe losses if we proceed with this course of action. There is, however, another option. Ivona Craine, commander of the Empire’s Third Fleet and 2nd granddaughter to their Emperor, has come forward saying that the Third Fleet has tracked the Crimson Wolves to their command ship. She is willing to share this information, on the condition that the Council launch an assault on the command ship with Ivona herself at the helm, and that the body of Montez, dead or alive, be handed over to the Empire. This would mean abandoning defense of the colonies in favor of eliminating the root of the problem. Thus, the vote placed before the Council is as follows:

Should the Council spread its forces out and defend the Forge colonies, or should we accept Ivona Craine’s proposal and attack the Crimson Wolves’ command ship head-on?

Your faction contact will issue a statement shortly in your respective vote channels before the commencement of the vote.

Federation Storyline

Transmission from San’a, Valkyrie of the Federation and representative of President Lee

Good Sol, Explorers! Congratulations on the first successful vote of the Explorer Program. Sending an investigative fleet has proved to be most effective, and will potentially bring in vast amounts of Quantum from beyond the Core Systems. However, what President Adonis raised during the conference bears repeating: the factions must work together to avoid a tragedy like the Sol system’s destruction, and investing this influx of Quantum into the Federation’s structured and stable corporations would be an important step towards that goal.

President Lee, who temporarily left Vargas to attend this conference, has also shared a general update on the situation there: Though the unknown signal continues to disrupt Nexus comms, the new communication infrastructure installed by SpyreCorp has significantly lessened the number of tragic accidents. Though only a temporary solution, SpyreCorp’s infrastructure has allowed Vargas to continue production, which for now is more than satisfactory.

As for the current vote, it is disheartening to see yet more resources be spent in the ongoing situation around Kepler-7. All the same, the Crimson Wolves are not a threat to be taken lightly: many of the Federation’s own systems have suffered from their attacks in the past, and eliminating the pirates’ leader would be very beneficial. The only question is whether the Empire, and in particular, Ivona, are disclosing the full scope of their intentions here. On the other hand, if the Council spreads out its defenses and holds the Crimson Wolves off, the pirates may well give up on Kepler, but might then move closer to Federation-controlled systems, forcing us to deal with them directly.

Stay vigilant.
San’a

Empire Storyline

A directive from Ji Young-Joo, emissary of the Emperor

The Emperor’s majesty shines upon you this day, Explorers! Imperator Solas – may he outlive the stars - commends you for your excellent judgment on the last vote. It is a pity the other factions are not blessed with his wisdom, nor the guidance of the Oracle. Nonetheless, this new influx of Quantum shows our Emperor’s forethought in trusting this expedition; though it may be headed by scum from an ignoble and vice-ridden Union system, no doubt the Empire will soon reap the benefits of their discoveries.

On to this bastard Montez, this pretender who styles himself a lord among peasants, and persists in using the name of the Imperial house of Lycanis even after his exile. Lady Ivona, in her grace and wisdom, has deigned to convey her prodigious strategic insights to the Council, and what do they do? They quiver, they cower; they ask you to vote! An attack on the Crimson Wolves’ command ship would allow us to put this disgrace of a noble to justice.

Even so, it has reached my ears that while the Emperor approves of his granddaughter’s candor, and has no qualms about her military prowess after the victory at Twilight Eden, his eminence urges her not to get swept up by the impulses of youth; it may still be more fruitful in the long run to ordain that the Council defend the Imperial Forge Worlds, and to engage Montez later, on the Empire’s own terms.

As before, the voting process will begin fifteen minutes from now. Your vote belongs to the Empire, Explorers. Use it well, and let the songs of the Oracle light the path toward glory!

Sic itur ad astra.

Union Storyline

Comm from Haley Nguyen, Union member and Vox representative

Hello Comrades- I’ll just say it: I don’t like this setup one bit. I’m sure some of you have also lost family and friends to the Third Fleet, so I’ll spare you the details, but safe to say I’d sooner recommend trusting a dozen venomous snakes than I would a cold-hearted monster like Ivona Craine.

Good job on the last vote though; the Vox is still undecided on how to deal with the discovered Quantum, but it’s definitely better to have it with the Council than just floating around, waiting for someone to grab it. Good to have one of our own leading the fleet too; I’ve heard amazing things about Sera from several Vox reps, and it seems like she’s more than up to the task. Apparently Casper Varse was also part of the Twin Suns’ unit manning the Pinnacle when it… you know. From the looks of it, the ship will be accessible again soon, and we’ll be able to check for survivors then.

Regarding the new vote: it looks like either way the Council slices it, people are going to suffer. Of course, the workers on the Imperial colonies don’t get much of a choice. Nor do they deserve to be thrust out the airlock just so Miss Craine can fulfill her little revenge fantasy. Thing is, if we send out troops to defend them, one-third of those soldiers are going to be Union, and with resources spread this thin, it’s not going to be pretty. Do we leave Imperial slaves to die, by no fault of their own, and wipe out a potential threat? Or do we let our own soldiers go down defending Imperials? I don’t envy you right now, I have to say. Votes will open in fifteen minutes; do what you think is right, Explorers.

Here’s to a brighter tomorrow.
Haley

Voting Results

The Universal Council has consolidated the votes of each of the factions: Attack the command ship 2 (Empire,Federation) , Defend the colonies 1 (Union)

The final vote is in favor of accepting the information volunteered by Ivona Craine, and launching an assault on the Crimson Wolves’ command ship. Ivona Craine has shared the coordinates of the command ship with the Council’s forces, and command of the available military squadrons has been transferred to her. The offensive force will be setting out on immediately, as per the current acting commander’s directions.

Urgent Information

The following is a transmission from Yang Chen, captain of the Cossack.

Origin: Alder, ship of squadron Baerle-3.
Dating: Battle #1 in Kepler system: time of ζ Sagittarii 3.32
Designation: mission report

This is Yang Chen, squadron, u-um, Roche-7. Sorry, I’m… still a little shaken. Never seen anything like it. Commanding a single fleet is one thing, but a hundred- no, over a hundred ships! And with an ease that’s… it’s hard to describe. I don’t believe any of the crew used inter-fleet comms. We didn’t need to- the fleets were like a single unit.

Locating the command ship went well enough. There weren’t even that many Crimson Wolves fighters - only a dozen or so - but our offensive operation was quick, and merciless. From the moment her first command came in, there was no letting up the intensity. Again and again she had us rush the command ship, all but ignoring the surrounding fighters. We were a battering ram, single-minded, striking blow after blow against its hull. When they retaliated, we scattered, like a flock of birds, not taking a single shot.

In those moments, she’d give each ship individual instructions. The fleets fell into a rhythm, but it was never predictable, not once. Even when ships were going down around us, none of the crew panicked. There was something about her way of talking, a confidence that made you feel like you were untouchable. I don’t know how Montez held out as long as he did; Ivona’s fighter didn’t even leave the Tempest until his ship was almost falling apart. I hear she dragged him from the wreck herself. No idea if it’s true, but I wouldn’t be surprised.

When the offensive was over, it was like coming out of a trance, or waking up from a dream where everything made sense. At least, that’s how I’d describe it. I’d wager everyone was feeling something similar. That’s probably why it felt like the explosion came out of nowhere.

I can’t remember who noticed it first, just remember seeing space around the command ship warp, rushing for my helmet before the observation deck’s window shattered. Light poured in- it’s funny, I never thought of light as solid before, but that’s what it was. Solid light. Thick lines of it, bursting into the deck. I held on as much as I could, couldn’t hear anything over the rush of air. Though I do remember- anyway, after a couple seconds the light cleared, and it was… gone. The entire command ship, just… gone. The fighters around it too, I think, and some of our own. I’m sorry, that’s as much as I can remember and, I- my head hurts. Can you take me back to the-

Relevant section of report ends.

Captain Chen’s account corresponds to others that detail the events concluding the attack on the Crimson Wolves. Every single one describes this warping of space, along with a strange light, the color of which seems to vary. The exact cause of the command ship’s disappearance remains unclear. Early analysis of the spike in energy from the ship has confirmed that its Quantum drives were engaged; however, it is impossible for Quantum drives to transport multiple ships, let alone unwilling ones. Five of the squadrons involved in this attack have completely disappeared, and locating them is currently a high priority operation for the Council.

The Forge colonies in the Kepler system have suffered severe losses, as anticipated. Near a quarter of them are now defunct, and the death toll is close to a million, perhaps more. The Crimson Wolves’ fighters that attacked the colonies have thankfully retreated; most likely they have left the system, and given the absence of their command ship, it is unlikely they will reappear soon. Ivona Craine and the Third Fleet – both largely unharmed – have also departed the Kepler system, bringing the body of Montez Lycanis to the Empire’s Inner Rim. They have refused to disclose to the Universal Council whether or not Montez is currently alive.