Z’zor
Not long ago, Corporation explorer-ships made contact with a new race inhabiting the furthest reaches of the galaxy� To say that they have disturbed a hornet’s nest is a major understatement, but it’s nevertheless a quite accurate description of the events that followed�
The vessels themselves were attacked with a fury without precedent and destroyed…
and so was the military rescue fleet sent by the Corporation… and so were the adjoining systems, whose population paid the ultimate price for the Corporation’s insatiable desire to expand its domains�
Now a massive containment operation is in place, but all attempts at cordoning and blockading the Z’zor homeworlds are
proving fruitless� This is an enemy that is different from anything the Corporation or indeed any of the other races has faced before – much like bees that are defending their colony, the immense swarms of the insect-like Z’zor never stop their attacks until they have eliminated the enemy or have been themselves completely wiped out�
They cannot be reasoned or bargained with, nor can they be bribed� In fact all attempts at communication have been ignored and the unfortunate envoys and their escorting troops had to fight desperate battles against an apparently endless mass of enemies�
And yet, these are no mindless beasts� In many occasions they have shown signs of cunning and intelligence in both the grand
Rebs
The absolute and iron-fisted imperialism of the Corporation has turned humanity into the arch-enemy of many of the other intelligent races that populate the galaxy� A secret Resistance movement has formed; its ranks swelled by vengeful freedom fighters, survivors of races whose worlds have been annihilated, disenchanted Corporation personnel, and everybody else that has grown to resent the Corporation’s expansionism�
After only a few centuries, this organization has grown to encompass two different levels� On one hand, it has a vast network of operatives that attempt to undermine the authority of the Corporation from the inside through sabotage and propaganda� On the
other, a small but effective rebel armed force has recently initiated a campaign of ambitious hit-and-run actions against Corporation outposts�
Calling themselves ‘The Rebs’ (which originally was a disparaging term used by Corporation troops), these heterogeneous volunteers form an army that is as eclectic in weaponry, fighting style and technological level as in the number of different races that compose its ranks� What the Rebs lack in cohesion, however, they more than make up in motivation, as they are convinced they are fighting a long war of liberation to eventually rid the galaxy from the Corporation, or the
‘Evil Empire’, as they often call it�
strategy of their invasion plans and the battlefield reactions of their many and differently specialised fighting creatures�
And dumb animals don’t build spacecraft…
Asterians
Even before Man began its space age, there had been reports of mysterious beings and fey creatures appearing to a few individuals�
Such sightings are common in the culture of all of the races that inhabit the galaxy, not just the human race�
Stories abound in the entire Milky Way about abductions of single persons or entire communities, the disappearance of ships into some sectors of space, or even strange incidents where a ship has arrived to a spaceport on autopilot, without its crew�
The most extreme cases have seen the populace of entire planets or even the personnel of military outposts and bases vanish, leaving behind only the tiniest signs of resistance� The Corporation’s best scientists have studied this evidence on a galactic scale�
Compiling this information for centuries and
analyzing it, they have managed to prove the existence of an alien race using a technology so advanced that they can easily appear to have supernatural powers�
Any attempt at capturing them, or merely communicate with them has led to hopeless chases, where the pursuing Corporation craft have quickly lost trace of their elusive quarry, and always in regions of space surrounding a black hole� This has led to believe that the so-called Asterians must make use of these singularities to travel across the galaxy, possibly inhabiting a different dimension on the ‘other side’� Innumerable probes have been launched into these black holes, but no useful data has ever been retrieved� The mystery of the Asterians remains unsolved, as more and more systems report attacks by unidentified aliens that hit and disappear before reinforcements can be brought to bear�
*** ClAssIFIeD MessAGe TO CORPORATION CeNTRAl ***
FAO heAD OF BIO-WeAPONs ReseARCh – New Czechia
source: Intelligence unit Tau eridani – en route to Bio-Weapons Research Outpost 51�
Mission: investigating sudden loss of all communication from maximum-security laboratory�
As we approached system 51, we had a report that an escape shuttle from the laboratory had reached the headquarters of the 35th Marines Batallion stationed on Tallaxia� Two days later we lost contact with the Marines and soon the entire planet went silent�
We changed course and are now orbiting Tallaxia in stealth mode� Information from the surface is confused and contradictory� All settlements on the planet’s surface show sign of conflict� several ships have left the main starports and are heading for nearby systems�
suspected outbreak� We will continue to monitor the situation� We advise interception and quarantine or destruction of all vessels leaving Tallaxia� We request an enforcers long Patrol detachment to blockade the system� If the outbreak is confirmed, we will be forced to Disinfect the planet and its moons� Awaiting authorization to deploy Disinfection assets���
end of transmission