Ardenoth Command / ARCOM

Our story begins…

Nearly 500 years ago, in the year 2460, mankind made its first great colonial push from Earth. While the majority of those departing Earth were searching for fortune and prosperity, there were those of us who were simply looking for a new start. Criminals, outcasts and refugees were offered a new life opportunity, at the far reaches of what would become the UEE. From what little remains of the old manifests, the final fleet was mostly composed of veterans, scientists and engineers, which laid the foundation for the highly sophisticated and militarised coalition that would later arise.

The great exodus attracted little attention; the ragtag fleet of retrofitted colony ships and the randomly assorted squadrons of support ships were too nondescript to be seen as one big launch. Our goal was to push as deep into space as possible, find a niche, and live there; far enough away from other civilisation to operate with minimal impedance, but close enough to keep trade with the frontier colonies possible.

Pursued by previously undiscovered aliens, weakened from the journey, the fleet makes an emergency jump to a system that our scouts hadn’t yet returned from. What we discovered was beyond comprehension. An anomaly at the heart of the system, shimmering like the golden gates of heaven.

All systems failing, shields overloaded, hull integrity compromised. Chief engineer discovered a way to bypass the effects of the anomaly and restore limited function. Propulsion still offline, both surviving colony ships must make the jump we are drifting towards or we will pass into the centre of this shining sea of light.

Nearly one hundred years since the first colony ships passed the veil. A century of exploring these four systems, creating infrastructure, terraforming several of the other worlds, building cities, populating the systems and studying everything about our new home. Designated leaders of the planets in the four systems arise, and together form a coalition. Decades of research manage to compact the design for the [REDACTED] that will allow us reliable and safe passage through the golden veil for ships of any size, opening up trade and resource excursions to the outside.

Year 2581, first hostile fleet attempts to invade, pursuing trade vessels into the veil. Invaders completely destroyed by the effects of the veil. Citizens of the veil choose a proper name from words of the old Earth languages. The veil is named Ardenoth, which translates to the “Bastion of Light”. It remains our shield against hostile incursion.

A few centuries of prosperity, security, development and research. The Ardenoth veil becomes a formidable military force in this sector, making frequent incursions beyond the veil to deter attackers from our trade lanes and mining operations. Security has tightened, and development has created a way of stabilising the veil from the inside, allowing all ships to return to regular specifications. Ship-board [REDACTED] stabilisers have all been recalled for dismantling, and nav-data is being severely restricted to prevent risk of hostile incursion via captured ships. UEE is expanding its colonies to systems closer to us, giving us closer centres of trade and faster information updates on the affairs of the galaxy. High command is restricting use of Ardenoth-founded weapons and technology to the home systems after a command ship was nearly captured.

Something is wrong. High command has issued a total recall initiative and is broadcasting an SOS. Signal was lost shortly after. Jump point leading to the veil has destabilised and is abating completely. Communication relays are now cut off, with no other way to reach or contact the worlds beyond the veil.

Those of us who were left outside the veil are trapped here. No organised presence remains, all we have is the few Ardenoth citizens we have encountered. Together, we have formed a new Ardenoth Command, so that one day we might together find a new way home. For now, we must re-integrate into the UEE and survive, making new lives to pave a way back to our old ones.