-the stars are spinning, faster and faster-
In a remote rocky canyon, a pair of Flavian and Drokhmox outlaws run from a strafing-run as Carvanian government fighters roar overhead. In interplanetary space, a Psilocybe ship trails a Rurrican space-probe, peering through the metal skin to analyse the simple components beneath. On a moon in the [Olc-1] system, beneath a damaged biosphere dome, a group of armoured Varyn soldiers attempt to preach the message of the Crusade to bemused gathering of Yuma workers.
-faster, faster, faster-
On the verdant world of Hooyah, a group of heavily-armed, power-suited Hlur-Baiheen swing down from the forest canopy as they attempt to rescue a Syru biologist from a horde of ferocious scythe-armed predators. Without warning, a Skitarii warship suddenly arrives in orbit of planet Tacci, weapon turrets extended, with a fleet of freighters and construction vessels following close behind.
-into the blinding light-
A squadron of Jaar’ar dropships plunges through the atmosphere of Schreikne-Quil, through a sky torn by nuclear fireballs and the long black teardrops of burning debris, backlit by an unending strobe of heavy beam weapons.
-and the abyss-
A lonely old Hurunn in a dishevelled space suit opens the door to his lander-capsule and bounces out onto a dusty, skyless plain, somewhere in the [kar-101] system. The ornate shell of a Kul’Hari explorer ship descends overhead, like a creature from another universe...
GT-4: From Dust to Dust
Tripartite Tension
With considerable effort by scientists and engineers of the Laddar colony, the
Tarnakkian Empire is able to work out a form of light-pattern communication with the mysterious
Psilocybe. Both sides agree to withdraw from the star systems they claim as theirs; the Tarnakki warship leaves the vicinity of Lagimae, in return for Psilocybe withdrawal from Laddar. As far as Emperor Honnan and the Tarnakki hierarchy are concerned, verdant Lagimae is the Psilocybe home planet; the world of Semilancea and the true scale of Psilocybe civilization remain unknown to them. Nonetheless, there is considerable concern about these aliens, with their highly-maneuverable spacecraft that have shown an ability to hide from Tarnakki sensors. The Emperor approves a military build-up to defend Tarnakki space from the potential threat.
Explorers of both sides reach the galaxy’s northern edge...
While Tarnakki colonists fail to establish a foothold on the icy, mineral-rich world of [DM-3a], Tarnakki explorers at the [Mer-44] system find a wet, swampy world thriving with bizarre, colourful, primitive plants and crawling creatures - with many new tastes and scents to explore. Imperial astronomers had detected chemical signatures of life from this system, but the findings exceed expectations. The atmosphere is however dangerous to unguarded Tarnakki lungs, not least because of toxic spores and other biological debris, but an initial wave of colonists is not far behind the explorers.
Meanwhile, Psilocybe explorers survey the complex planetary system of [Mer-2B], where a colony is established on a binary planet of ocean and terrestrial worlds, both of which have been cross-pollinated with life. The smaller world is of more interest; it has land continents, low gravity, and towering, tangled forests of segmented, colonial plant-forms which make use of flotation sacs to rise up hundreds of metres from the surface, hosting vast swarms of flying creatures and being easily adapted as scaffolds for Psilocybe homes.
At the other end of Psilocybe space, colonists arrive in the
Rurrican home system, setting up a monitoring base in the outer reaches - on a cryovolcanic world known to the Rurrican stargazers as Huacacca. Despite a fuel-cell explosion wiping out much of their first settlement, the Psilocybe persevere and eventually establish an outpost from which to monitor the atomic-age Rurrican civilization; the Rurricans remain consumed by a very expensive, three-way arms race, poised on the brink of nuclear conflict - and apparently unaware of what lies beyond their planet, though ‘UFO’ sightings and tales of alien beings are on the rise...
The span of Psilocybe settlement now forms a huge arc across the galactic north-west. But with more colonies than any other civilization, there is a logistical challenge - and there are still not enough freighter flights to go around. Priority is put on essential supplies and life-support; industry and resource output is hampered somewhat.
Pirate Sunset
The Pirates plaguing [Oro-2a], a desert moon that now comes to be known as
Oriad, are swept away by combined actions of
Carvania and the
Drok Imperium. Carvania sends an interstellar warship and a wing of aerospace fighters from Niao, which rendezvous with Drokmohx troop transports arriving from Tazo. There is difficulty coordinating their forces, combined with lack of experience, which is not helped by Carvanian officers seeking to make a name for themselves; confused engagements take place both in orbit and on the ground, with a distinct lack of glory on all sides. But in the face of overwhelming force, the pirates are forced to abandon their brazen attacks and to disperse across the system, causing few casualties to government forces.
As a result, trade route soon returns to full flow, and a fresh wave of Flavian colonists arrive Oriad and its sister moons, raising concerns of overcrowding in the habitats. The remnants of the pirates have plenty of time and opportunity to melt away into the numerous bi-species settlements of the moon system; it is rumoured that the Carvanian government has even offered an amnesty for skilled pilots in return for service in their fleet. Drokmohx troops nonetheless begin a systematic sweep to round up the outlaws of either species.
Carvania at this time also sees some major tech breakthroughs, particular in the area of power generation. Combined with superior numbers of settlers, and the presence of their fleet overhead, the Carvanians threaten to gain dominant influence over Oriad - but for now this is offset by the imposing presence of Drok Imperium troops on the ground, as well as the ongoing fascination the Flavians have for Drok culture and spirituality.
The Drok Imperium, meanwhile, is not content to rely on the Carvanian fleet, and is busy constructing warships of its own - causing some concern about an impending arms race, or worse. Yet trade between the two species is profitable, and brings a steady trickle of Carvanian technology to Drokmohx society. While attitudes are increasingly complicated, they remain cordial for the most part.
Both powers are meanwhile exploring and expanding in other directions; a Carvanian ship is almost destroyed by asteroid debris in the [Mer-60] system, at the very edge of the galaxy, but not before leading settlers to the cold, arid, mineral-rich planet of [Mer-60b]. The Drok are also busy exploring the moons of the giant planets in the [Yrt-55] system - unbeknownst to them, edging close to Tarnakki space. Only one of three Drok colonial ventures at this time is a success, and that despite the unfortunate timing of a giant super-volcano eruption; on the arid planet [Wu-1b], the Drokmohx colonists tough it out and establish a mining base while a large swathe of the surface is buried in debris, and the whole planet is chilled under a blanket of stratospheric ash.
This regional bubble is burst as a Carvanian explorer arrives at the thriving Sehoum colony of Junthala - and the shared realisation that there are more powers in this galaxy, after all.
The next time God blinks, what will he see?
Carvania and the Sehoum, each drawing on their previous alien contacts, are able to open a line of communication fairly quickly.
The Carvanians find a civilization in transition; the Outer Space Exploration Corporation (OSEC) has now been superseded by the
Sehoum Censorate as the diplomatic and governing body of almost all Sehoum-Baloum, the first time that such unity has been achieved. OSEC remains in command of interstellar exploration, but the move has not come without some bloodshed and rumours of high-level purges and imprisonments back on Almoth. This new alien contact only adds to the uncertainty.
Junthala is growing fast, with a thriving mining sector and major biosphere-farming projects making use of the polar seas. But as Carvanian aliens orbit overhead, it is also a world that has become host to anarchist communes born from the more eccentric ranks of Sehoum-Baloum society - seizing abandoned lander modules, rigging their own hydroponic farms, digging illegal tunnels, and generally refusing to pay taxes. Local authorities lack the means to evict them, but for now the anarchists have negligible impact on profits.
The work of OSEC continues, not without setbacks; while explorers probe the spectacular environs of the huge red giant star [Sax3], an aerospace shuttle crashes onto the sprawling planet [Res-88], destroying a life support station and forcing the first effort at colonisation there to be abandoned; a board of inquiry finds that a landing computer had not been properly calibrated for the planet’s high gravity.
Meanwhile a joint OSEC-
SCEDA expedition, with a newly-repaired OSEC explorer ship, arrives in the [Res-88] system. Initial results are disappointing; the strong signal of organics turns out to be from the thick atmosphere of a large planet - at the boundary of being a gas-giant - with vast clouds of microbes suspended high above a hot chemical ocean; not particularly habitable for either species. But the explorers find other planets of interest in the system, and Sehoum settlers soon arrive on the neighbouring world [Res-88c]; an icy, volcanic world that has been strewn with metal-rich ejecta following a massive impact on its primary moon in recent geological time; the moon still has a partly-molten crust and hangs in the sky with an eerie red glow.
SCEDA, meanwhile, takes the lead in cultural and scientific happenings on the canyon-world Aldeks. Among a new wave of Rozu settlers, esteemed scientists and botanists arrive from Sureya on a mission to study and preserve what they can of the hardy native organisms. Other settlers arrive on a mission to ease growing tensions on the planet, with substantial funding from SCEDA to build new infrastructure for both Rozu and Sehoum habitats. A joint science expedition to the neighbouring ocean planet [NRA-44b] also brings back fascinating new discoveries about the intelligent life forms living beneath the stormy waves.
Aldeks remains the most heavily-developed colony world in the galaxy, outstripping Oriad, Lagimae and Mylos - although none of these worlds yet know about each other.
Even while a beautiful new diplomatic vessel, unofficially dubbed the ‘Spirit of Sureya’, is being assembled in orbit of the Rozu homeworld, relations - and trade profits - between the two races reach a new high, as does the range of planets within reach. With the establishment of the Sehoum Censorate, and its open acknowledgement of intelligent alien life, questions are now asked about the right of migration and settlement between the two races outside of Aldeks. There is also a campaign calling for research into the
bonding of Sehoum symbionts with Rozu bodies - though highly controversial, and potentially impossible due to the vast differences between the respective alien biologies, there is a growing list of Rozu suffering from neurological problems who are willing to volunteer themselves.
Meanwhile, as SCEDA reaches into the galactic south - establishing another biological research base among the strange symbiotic forests of [Gex-91a] - it again hits logistical issues, with dangerously-overloaded freighter flights now leaving Sureya. The Sehoum Censorate can offer little help as it is also at carrying capacity with its freighter fleet.
Beyond the Nebula
In the galactic south-east, the
Yuma Confederacy and
The Beast’s Crusade clash over the moons of the giant planet [Olc-1b]. As a fresh wave of colonists arrives from both sides, a Yuma warship arrives carrying a small army of specially-bred warriors to defend their holdings in the system. There has been no breakthrough in communication between the two sides; the local Yuma aristocracy are simply unable to understand the messages being sent from the Crusader ship, which is trying to enlighten the aliens in their ignorance of
The Beast. Aggressive maneuverings are made by the Crusade captain as the Yuma warship closes in. Weapons are fired first by the Yuma. Battle begins...
With a technological edge, and some fortunate weapon aiming, the beam weapons of the Crusade ship rapidly disable the Yuma vessel, leaving the smouldering hulk to tumble and fall into the swirling atmosphere of [Olc-1b]. Yuma troop-landers make it to some of the nearby moons, but they are closely followed by Crusade troops, now with unopposed orbital laser support. The firefights mostly take place across barren, cratered, airless landscapes, offering little cover from overhead fire. Almost all of the Yuma warriors are killed, along with many of the new Yuma colony workers. It is a total victory for the Crusade, but not without losses; their warship is raked by Yuma projectile hits, and many Varyn troops are also killed or injured. For both sides, it has been their first - chaotic, merciless - taste of warfare in space.
As the Crusade expedition regroups, and salvages what it can from Yuma military hardware, it does not attack the remaining Yuma settlements, but continues to try to ‘educate’ them; the original mandate of the Crusade expedition is to colonise, not conquer. The realisation gradually dawns that the average Yuma worker is not fully sentient, and neither are the Queens which they faithfully serve, but that real power lies with a small subset of their species - sentient drones, who make up the aristocracy, and now prove elusive; any of their kind in the [Olc-1b] system are now either dead or in hiding.
The Yuma intelligences on Grand Hive make whatever they can from the scattered reports that filter back from [Olc-1b]; the new danger close to home is most unwelcome. While a new planetary defense grid is brought online, the remaining Yuma warship and its warriors remain on the defensive. Yuma colonists meanwhile continue to venture to the [Sass-17] system, which is for now safe from alien presence.
There are mixed reactions among the Crusade leadership back on Dry Sea; some are eager to escalate the conflict, others are wary of what it might entail, especially as a Yuma explorer ship is sighted near the vulnerable colony of [Dak-8b]. The Crusade is meanwhile busy with a shipbuilding program, preparing a second expedition; regardless of the Yuma situation, there are surely many more worlds to explore among the surrounding stars...
Galactic East-Central
The ancient, frozen remains of a former gas-giant in the [DM-55] system, sparkling in the dim light of a burnt-out star, are now walked upon by amphibious bipedal beings in space suits who were born light-years away; they are colonists from the
Flallorean Collective. In another nearby system, as the explorer ship
Hubrin flies among the interesting moons of the giant blue planet [Kat-1a], the surrounding space is noticeably full of bright stars in all directions; these Flallore are now just a metaphorical stone’s throw from the galactic center. Images of the explorations stream back to an enthusiastic audience on Desmong.
The Flallore make several significant tech breakthroughs, particularly in the field of material science and construction methods, developed with future space station projects in mind.
In the south, as fresh colonists arrive on planet Ferron, relations with the
Hlur-Baiheen remain frosty; there are no initiatives by either side to change that. A Flallore warship continues to patrol the
Dolak system, as their neighbours assemble a new warship and fighter squadron in orbit of Seeoo.
The Hlur-Baiheen have somewhat better relations with the Syru beings of the
Iqatha Andu. A trickle of trade begins between the two civilizations as communications are worked out. Nonetheless, the Sovereign sees fit to construct defensive batteries to defend her substantial colony of Mylos. Maintaining only a single exploration fleet, the Iqatha Andu is able to pump large funds into colonisation and development. However, their efforts at this time are only half as successful as hoped; numerous accidents and planning problems cause delays, but a new industrial colony is established on the metallic world of Etros. Meanwhile, the Syru explorer ship arrives at the star known as Korabos to find a giant, stormy water planet with spectacular cloudscapes - a world that be quite a challenge to colonise.
In the meantime, Hlur-Baiheen settlers arrive at the moons of the [Kar-2] system, now dubbed
Lurmee, and its primary moon of
Hooyah. Despite fierce natural predators, and many biting, stinging and nerve-agent deploying life forms - something that has so far deterred any serious Sryu settlement - the Hlur-Baiheen population increases rapidly, spearheaded by the aggressive ‘Hlur-Guayeem’ faction. Fighting for their existence in a hostile ecosystem, and suffering dozens of casualties, the settlers show no qualms about laying waste to large swathes of the landscape in their explorations - though for now, they remain small scars in a sprawling wilderness.
The explorer
Hreegur ventures beyond the mysterious
Queeoo anomaly. Having previously survived a barrage of nuclear missiles unscathed, it now suffers a reactor burnout as it ventures too near the highly-magnetic white dwarf [DM-1]. The crew are able to cannibalise other parts of the ship and manage to avoid spiralling into the star, leaving the ship damaged but functional. Meanwhile, the
Hmeeur finds a world at [Zan-81] that seems to stare back with a sinister red eye - an eccentric orbit gives the planet a seasonal sea of liquid sulphur at the equator. Despite the extreme range of conditions, it has atmospheric pressure comparable to Seeoo and an abundance of metals and minerals that raise its potential for settlement.
With its warships still under construction, the Directorate cannot yet protect any Hlur-Baiheen heading to investigate Queeoo up close. But this doesn’t stop independent colonists travelling there, taking up the offer of transport into the outer system. Again, rusty old missile defences are triggered into action, and the arrivals run a gauntlet of nuclear explosions...
[secret explorations intensify]
Gunboat Diplomacy
The
Skitarii Mercantile Conglomerate devises a bold new scheme to dictate terms of trade with both the
United Tac and
Hurrunn Agreement; the construction of a large trading station in orbit of planet Tacci, under the shadow of Skitarii weapon turrets. No permission is sought from Tacci world government, and the Tac are helpless as the Skitarii warship and engineering flotilla arrive unannounced, and essentially assume control of space around their homeworld. The only vessels the Tac have at hand are transports, and a second diplomatic-contact vessel that is still under construction. There are ripples of alarm throughout Tacci, but their civilizational sense of naivety is not fully broken; the Skitarii make no overtly aggressive moves, beyond ‘requesting’ incoming freighters to dock at the station as it gradually becomes operational.
The new station does make it easier for large freighters to unload cargo, and even Hurrunn vessels begin to arrive, albeit with a distinct sense of caution. The first formal contacts between the Conglomerate and the Agreement are held on the station, in a frosty and business-like atmosphere; while the military-industrial complex seems to be gaining influence in Typhomorpin, the Skitarii are also constructing several new freighters, ready to expand their trade routes from their new base at Tacci.
Tac explorers meanwhile survey the [Tac-22] system, finding debris left over from Qui’Kho explorers of several years previous; for now the artefacts remain a mystery. Tac colonists also arrive on the newly-discovered, icy, slushball planet of [Dax-4a] and bolster the existing colony of [Zen-9b]; the uncertain situation on the homeworld now convinces many more Tac to try out life in the colonies.
Nearby, a Hurrunn explorer ship surveys the [Dax-3] system, finding a volcanic world that has been devastated by a large asteroid or dwarf-planet impact within the last million years. Where parts of the old crust remain intact, Hurrunn geologists discover layers of fossils of exotic ancient creatures, and even signs of tool use and artificial structures. To the philosophers among the Hurrunn, it appears to be a warning of how fragile the existence of complex life can be...
As the drama unfolds at Tacci, the first diplomatic-contact vessel of the Tac is already on a formal visit to Hmmaia, homeworld of the Hurrunn Agreement. Its arrival helps to swing the prevailing mood on Hmmaia and shift the Agreement back on to a more outwards-looking mindset; after months of gruelling negotiations in council chambers deep underground, which see several reshuffles of the Agreement hierarchy and almost lead to total collapse of the current system, the leading kinships agree to combine efforts to construct the unimaginatively-titled ‘Large Exploration Ship, Type 1’ - unofficially the ‘Nemmussannah’, although few Hurrunn can actually pronounce this name. As part of the effort, old industries in the home system are also upgraded; the project gradually becomes the largest single starship in the galaxy as it is pieced together in orbit.
The graceful form of the Tacci diplomatic vessel docks with the ‘Type 1’ as it nears completion, forming a dramatic orbital venue that attracts the some of the most influential Hurrunn from every type of kinship. The Tac are invited to send crew to join the first voyage, although its exact course is still under discussion. They also notice considerable excitement among the usually-stoic Hurrunn - the hype around the Type 1, combined with the Skitarii situation, and also news of a
new alien contact from the galactic south, all make for ‘interesting times’...
Galactic South-West
A
Kul’hari explorer ship makes a bold long-range mission to the complex trinary star [Kar-101], a system of astronomical interest. Among many small barren moons and dwarf planets in conflicting orbits, its logic circuits pick out an oddity; a shiny metal cylinder only a few metres in diameter. It is a geological / navigation station, manned by a single, very patient
Hurrun, which has not been scheduled for relief for another few years. Meanwhile, as Kul’hari settlers are setting up a habitat on the world of
Kul’ante, a Hurunn explorer ship arrives in the system, and immediately announces its presence by suffering a power surge and blowing out vast clouds of hot, bright plasma into space, along with large parts of the ship’s superstructure.
Despite the less than auspicious start, this is not first contact for either race. Contact goes smoothly, if slowly, and communications are eventually hammered out.
Along with this new wave of Kul’hari settlement, there is a policy of settling elders of the Collection among the colony worlds, to create satellite collections which will, eventually, it is hoped, reconnect with the core as they mature. In essence, it seems the powers of Principiter are allowing some decentralisation to take place, so long as it is on their terms. For now, ideas of separatism are not eliminated, but their centre shifts further out to the dramatic canyons of Kul’nostrum; expansion of the colony on Kul’verdia is slowed by unusual levels of flooding in the wetlands and troubles with infestations of native microbes.
Trade continues between the Kul’hari and the Kowlint of the
Torhennian Confederacy, although Kul’hari logistics remain stretched; the span of Kul’hari space is now second only to that of the
Psilocybe. With a small exploration fleet and no apparent enemies, there seems little to worry to Collection aside from the threat of stagnation and separatism...
At Torhenn however, with news of interstellar war in the north, and the realisation that the galaxy may not be such a peaceful place, the Confederacy orders a system of planetary and orbital defenses to be built. Mining settlements are meanwhile expanded on Arru, a desert planet in the home system, but only with difficulty in hazardous conditions. The aeroplankton-farming world of Teqel - currently being visited by Kul’hari explorers - is also earmarked for a terraforming study, and locked in arguments over its future. The Kowlint have yet to find a truly habitable planet to settle beyond long-suffering Torhenn; for now, mining of asteroids and moons seems like a good economic prospect, and funds are allocated to new freighters for this purpose.
But the Kowlint have heard rumours of beautiful terrestrial world that sounds like a ‘second home’, within the growing expanse that is Kul’hari space - a world they call
Kul’verdia, images of which now find their way to the Kowlint public. But the Confederacy makes no public comment if settlement rights have even been discussed, and it is a thorny issue with those who are now profiting from trade with the aliens.
Zhang, the picturesque
Jaar’ar homeworld, also holds an allure for the Kowlint. But here the crew of the Kowlint explorer
Perrel find themselves in a war zone; planet Zhang and the Jaar’ar home system are in full-scale alert, with threat of potential alien attack at any moment, and there is a large amount of military hardware on display as the Jaar’ar fleet mobilises for action. The Perrel does not outstay its welcome after initial line of communication is hammered out. Nor does it try to contact the
Qui’Kho, or simply of ‘enemy’, as the Jaar’ar have described existing nearby. Instead the Perrel retreats to the new forward station at
Fossel system, where it completes a planetary survey, safe from the fighting that is about to unfold...
Believe it when you see it!
so they are not in a bad position. You'd be very welcome to play, I'd also be open to them being renamed or taken in a new direction.
