New Sinq Laison

Time: YC103, Nearly twenty solar years ago.
Region: Sinq Laison
Constellation: Coriault
System: Dodixie
Security: 0.9

Sinq Laison suffered terribly during the war with the Sekhmet and the evil that came to Dodixie in the year YC103. On the front lines for much of the conflict, many small settlements were ruthlessly destroyed by small Sekhmet raiding parties operating a scorched earth policy to deny any industrial use of the region or devoured by the abominations when they entered the system of Dodixie. It is testament to the hardiness of the Ardenian spirit that now it is economically one of the strongest regions in the Federation, ironically owing much of its rebuilding to the vast quantities of goods that are imported and traded at the many outposts and stations in the border region.

The region would later be home to the headquarters of Aliastra, Chemal Tech, TransStellar Shipping, and the University of Caille, among other organizations and companies. It is by far the largest region of the Ardenian Federation and home to the trade constellation of Coriault, where systems such as Botane and Aunia act as some of the most vibrant trading hubs outside of Zolarian or Sekhmet space.

This is not about what is happening currently. This is a story about what happened on that day in the solar year, YC103 of CONCORD's calendar. This was the day the Kraed were first sited in Ayenee or Eden. CONCORD had achieved an armistice, a temporary piece between the Ardenian and Sekhmet nations. Trade had slowly resumed and on this day vessels waited at the gates for clearance. Those on world and in space within Dodixie did not know it but many would die this day.

This is the account of three people who struggled to survive that day. In the end only one would see the horror end. Time started to tick down to their inevitable ends.



Tibus stood upon one of the many floating gardens and amid beautiful flora gathered from different planets in Sing Laison. "Well, well," Tibus started. "To whom do I owe the pleasure?" The director had aged visibly since the war began. He was no pilot, and thus more vulnerable to the passage of time than the other national leaders. As much as this endeared him to the mortal masses of his fellow humans, it bespoke a subtle weakness. Rumors were circulating that his health was deteriorating-slowly, but steadily-due to something that could be cured, if only he would allow himself to be cloned. Focusing on the man's face, the Inner Circle of members all projected similar thoughts: Tibus was a short-term problem, and of all possibilities the least of their worries insofar as protecting Sekhmet interests were concerned.

"Is that you, Irhes?" Tibus asked. "You know how I'd prefer to see your lovely face.", he chided. "Transparency isn't one of our virtues," she said. "I'm sure you appreciate that."

"I've always counted on it," Tibus said. "It makes the game so much more interesting. What can I do for you today?"

"Mr.Rosenthal.," she said, sternly this time. "You're aware that the development of pilot technology is illegal according to CONCORD law."



Lorin stormed into the flat without warning, purposely making her way across the small living space the station provided. "Pack your shit.," she snapped. "Or have the hired help do it for you. Just take the irreplaceable items."

"Where are we going?" Amile asked.

"Someplace far away from here," her mother answered.

Amile looked at the beefy Ardenian bodyguards standing in the open doorway. They kept their stone-faced expressions and remained separated by a small luggage carrier.

"We're leaving home for good?", she asked. "You're serious?"

Doom was coming to the Sing Laison region.

To the surrounding fleets and guarding orbital stations, it began like a whisper - a blip on a radar, a spike on a data chart - small accumulations of relativistic energy phasing in and out of realtime like shooting stars. It wasn't anything terribly alarming. This was space, after all ... little clusters of energy came and went all the time in the great vacuum. Surely it was nothing. Surely today was just like any other day.

On planet, it began with a roar - a grumbling earthquake that rocked the urban cityscape of Caithair na Solas. Buildings quaked - water rippled - the garden rings shook ever so slightly. It wasn't catastrophic. Nothing crumbled or fell over or dissolved, the city was too well-built for that. All in all, it was just a minor inconvenience, a short unpleasantry that was lived through and laughed about in the same moment. Nothing to be alarmed about.

A collective gasp went up as the quake started and was punctuated by a collective sigh as life returned to normal. It was nothing to be alarmed about yet it was not a common occurrence. At this time, on developed worlds like this one the inhabitants had complete control of the ecosphere. They could manipulate the weather and predict it with exacting detail weeks beforehand. The movement of the tectonic plates and earthquakes caused by that movement could be predicted and the pressure released to avoid damage to structures or the loss of life.

This earthquake had not been planned. Elsewhere in the city, at a place of learning a professor of geology spoke to his students about mother nature and the uncertainty principle of physics. One student, a young woman spoke up. "I meicnic chandamach, is é an prionsabal éiginnteachta aon cheann de raon de neamhionannais matamaiticiúla asserting teorainn bunúsach leis an mbeachtas a péirí áirithe de na hairíonna fisiceacha de na gcáithníní a dtugtar athróg comhlántacha, cosúil le seasamh x agus móiminteam p is féidir, a bheith ar eolas ag an am céanna. In quantum mechanics, the uncertainty principle is any of a variety of mathematical inequalities asserting a fundamental limit to the precision with which certain pairs of physical properties of a particle known as complementary variables, such as position x and momentum p, can be known simultaneously.

This was not a physics class but the professor did nod his bald head. "Go deimhin. Leathnaíonn an fiú ar scála Cosmaí. Uaireanta tharlaíonn imeachtaí a thuar. Indeed. This extends even to a cosmic scale. Sometimes unpredictable events occur." Not everything could be predicted.



The stalks of the sun flowers shook as the ground quaked. A young Melissa Magnus, age seven sat upon a swing playing with her pet Genji. She took the small blue animal up in her arms and ran for her house when the quake started.

Genji: A small monkey like pet that is the size of a house cat. They commonly have bright fur and two or four small horn nubs on their brow. They are commonly as intelligent as well trained dogs and have opposable thumbs on each limb.