Prologue

"-And in other news, today Alterra has confirmed the reports that the colony assessment ship Degasi has gone missing in the arm of the Ariadne galaxy. The Degasi's last known position was near the star 4546, where it was to start scouting the system for viable terraformable planets. It's unclear yet how Alterra will respond to this missing ship, but it is expected that search and rescue ships will be deployed to the Ariadne arm to search for the ship."

"Alterra has confirmed today that among the noteworthy crew aboard the small scouting ship was one of their own shareholders, Adrian Tepes. Tepes was reportedly serving duty as a biochemist for the small crew, getting some personal experience in the field before finalizing his degree. Tepes Industries has been reported to be in talks with Alterra to expedite a crew and a ship to find the Degasi in the near future."

"A statement released by Alterra has confirmed that while they have done their best to send several ships out in search of the missing Degasi, the lack of final position has made the search much more widespread and chaotic. Though they remain optimistic, it seems as though the ship may simply be lost in the darkness of interstellar space."

"Several ships have returned from their search for the Degasi empty handed, and with no good leads. The last known position of the Degasi was scrambled due to local interference from the star 4546 and while the nearby planets are currently being checked, most captains were reported as saying the ship was, in all likelihood, simply gone."

"While not ruling out the chance of pirates having attacked the ship, Alterra has been forced to pull most of the SnR teams back due to instabilities in the local phastegate network cause by localized solar storms. Two ships remain out in the Ariadne arm of the galaxy, but after six months, it's not looking as though the Degasi will be found."

"Eight months after the Degasi was declared missing, Alterra has been forced to pull in all their ships to avoid a major solar upset in the Ariadne galaxy arm. No sign of the ship or its missing crew has been found in the widespread search."

"A rescue ship still on the hunt for the missing Degasi sent out a distress call not long after reaching the the area of star 4546, citing multiple pirate activity. They were swiftly escorted back to safer territory, and Alterra has requested aid from several other Trans-govs in the hopes of clearing out that sector so that it may continue its search for the missing ship."

"Today, Alterra announced that due to various dangers within the Ariadne arm, they would no longer be able to send search and rescue ships into the area. While this elicited some protests from the families of the missing crew on the ship, Alterra promised that as soon as they were assured of the safety of the galaxy, they would return their efforts to tracking the lost ship."

"Several ships sent out by Tepes Industries to scour the Ariadne arm of the galaxy were reported destroyed by pirates today. The Tepes Industry ships had, according to information acquired anonymously, been sent there to seek the missing Degasi colonial assessment ship, now missing for two years. While there is no information on who or what may have destroyed the ships, it has been known that the Ariadne arm has a nest of pirates that lurk on the fringes of occupied space. Our thoughts and hearts go out to the families of those missing and dead crews as they pass into the night."

"The furthest reaches of inhabited space are due to expand, as Alterra Corp launches a newly-constructed capital ship, carrying a phasegate bound for the Ariadne Arm.

"The Aurora will travel from spacedock on the edge of Alterra space, making hundreds of consecutive phasegate jumps through nine different trans-gov authorities, and arrive on the far side of the Ariadne Arm in three months' time. From there the command crew will pilot the ship beyond the final phasegate, arriving in the next solar system approximately 18 months later.

"There, the elite team of engineers will begin a 6-month construction project on the new phasegate, a multi-trillion credit investment. In the absence of existing infrastructure in the region, the vessel is equipped with advanced thermal and nuclear power facilities."