ISN - Tales from the Expanse

[Gus Givens]

by Coops on Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:36 pm

After several weeks of probing the new territory, some of the brave explorers are returning to their base camps in Sharaia with diminished morale. As they return they pass droves of new ships heading off into the unknown.

Many of these returning adventurers report that their equipment, which has to be certified by Galactic Federation Officials, before entering the portal, is not sufficient in defending themselves against the alien attackers. Those with phased shielding and kinetic weaponry, the items most recommended by the Gal-Fed officials seem to fare better, but their ships still take a beating.

With all the disheartened captains returning to Sharaia, the Gal-Fed has begun a large scale investigation of the alien ships. They are modifying the Beacons already needed by pilots to track data about the attack patterns and damage inflicted, hoping to be able to compile this new data and develop a better means of fighting the dangerous adversaries.

The danger from the Expanse has attracted some strange attention. A group of activists began to blockade the Expanse Gateway claiming that attacks on the Aliens were ungrounded and pleaded to the Gal-Fed to disallow passage into the new galaxy. The Gal-Fed quickly responded by sending in warships in a show of force. The protesters quickly dispersed. A local bureaucrat who was discovered to have issued the order to send in combat personnel later commented that any further attempts to prevent passage would be treated as treasonous and any ships involved would be given no warning before being fired upon.

Some leaders of the local planets are voicing their concerns about the safety of their beloved planets. Most notably, the owners of the settlement Falconridge in Phidarin, located not far from the Sharaia-Expanse Gateway, have stated that unless the Gal-Fed begins to develop and release to the public better, more powerful weaponry and shielding in order to protect them in the event of an Alien attempt to invade the Sphere. The Gal-Fed released a statement regarding the Falconridge petition stating that the risk of an alien attack on Sphere territory is isolated at best, but military watch-dogs have reported an increase in not only Gal-Fed, but also Alliance presence as well. It seems that the Gal-Fed is calling in favors from their allies in order to alleviate the concerns of the locals.

Until the foreign technology is further understood, the voyagers of the Expanse will certainly be at a disadvantage. But this fact has not stopped droves of the curious from tempting fate and passing into the unknown.

Reporting in from Ghoulshroud,
Akira Skyfish: ISN Reporter