PROLOGUE - DISTANT SHORES
After
a long and adventurous journey, the USS Swiftsure is settling down in
her new Area of Operations. Far from the adventurous assignments the crew
was hoping for, the USS Swiftsure leaves >>Starbase
123 with a mission to spend the next few months charting and
exploring uninhabited solar systems for their mining potential.
Barely a few days into the journey, sensors detect a space anomaly warranting
some study. Moments after scans started, the anomany grows exponentially
and engulfs the Swiftsure. The starship emerges mostly intact but an incredible
distance from their last recorded position : 50 000 LY from the Federation,
in the Perseus outer arm of the galaxy.
PART 1 - FAMILY
Even
more surprising are the presence of a shrunk wormhole and a Federation
buoy. This one turns out to be the point of contact between the Carrier
Group One, led by the USS Poseidon and the Alpha Quadrant. Only weeks
ago the Poseidon, Shran and Tethys saw the newly discovered wormhole collapsing
around them as they went through it. The USS Swiftsure is now the fourth
ship to be stranded on the far side of the Beta Quadrant.
This portion of the galaxy holds wonders and dangers too (see >>
Guide to the area). From the
first mission the USS Poseidon just accomplished, the Swiftsure crew learns
that a few dozen LY away lies a twin planet to Earth. Called Terra, this
world had most of its population exterminated some 50 years ago by mechanoids
calling themselves the Xin. The last few thousand Terrans have just been
found and revived from their long stasis. Reconstruction has begun with
a condition: the Poseidon, believed to be an entity similar to the Xin,
must make sure they will not spread among the stars again.
PART 2 - NEIGHBOURS
While the Shran and Tethys remain behind to supervise the construction of a >> Translift station - a new model of transporter able to beam personnel and goods through the wormhole - the USS Swiftsure escorts the USS Poseidon to a nearby star about to become nova prematurely. Is there a link between the space anomaly, the nova and the partially collapsed wormhole?
As both ships reach the Belina system and make plans for close observation of the soon-to-be nova, the presence of a group of sentients is detected on Belina IV. The Swiftsure is sent to investigate and if possible make contact. An Away Team is despatched and discovers a group of felinoid, space faring scientists with a sharp claw or two. The Ktans came to investigate this outpost left by the Elosians when they disappeared some 200 000 years ago. The Elosians were believed to be a highly evolved species of scholars who left the outposts behind to share their knowledge.
PART
3 - MORE NEIGHBOURS
The Away Team is still busy trying to convince the distrustful Ktans that
the sun is going nova in a matter of days when a double set of bad news
reaches the Swiftsure: for some unforeseen reasons, the event is only
hours away now and a large Xin vessel has entered the system. The USS
Poseidon has already engaged them. In orbit of Belina IV, the Swiftsure
is soon targeted by four heavily armed spacecraft.
The Ktans refuse to leave the artefacts they discover behind and ask the
Away Team for their help in defending the outpost until the most important
items have been loaded on their ship.
The most important artifact among the ruins is retrieved just in time. While the Poseidon defeats the Xin starship, the Swiftsure destroys its own attackers and evacuates the Away Team. Followed by the Ktan vessel, both starships flee the solar system as instable vortices open all around them.
The Ktan concede a lease of the Elosian cube found in the ruins in hopes that Federation technology can find the means to read it. Another choice find is an egg that might contain the last of the Elosian's progeny, as well as a second cube possibly charged with its protection.
After the Shran share part of their database regarding this region of the Perseus arm, the Swiftsure and Poseidon move back to Perseus wormhole where the Translift Beta Station has been completed. The USS Swiftsure's orders to pursue her mission as an explorer and diplomat part of the Perseus Operation are confirmed.
