LANGOSTA NEBULA, PARTHA EXPANSE – The recent crisis at the Al-Leyan Exile colony saw decisive resolutions on multiple fronts thanks to the crew of the USS Astraeus.
In orbit, Acting First Officer Lt. Christopher Caldwell, supported by his bridge crew including LtCmdr. Tim Alentonis, Lt. Wyatt Ral, Ens. Hana Wright and Federation Ambassador Charta-Von, coordinated with Capt. Ket Raga of the Traditionalist warship AMS Kuraĝa in a joint effort that successfully neutralised the hostile drone blockade.
Concurrently, a surface team led by Acting Captain LtCmdr. Lael Rosek-Skyfire with LtCmdr. Esa Kiax and Lt. Divya Tam, apprehended a covert agent and in doing so revealed a horrifying plot involving viral explosives orchestrated via mind control by the ancient entity known as La Tirano (which translates to Tyrant).
Reflecting on their adversary, Lt. Divya Tam stated, “La Tirano was clever. It caused confusion and laid a thread of mistrust between the ship’s crews and the colony. Fortunately, enough people realised the manipulation and, even in an armed chase, we managed to save the lives it was using as pawns.”
Throughout the incident, Lt. JG. Alix Harford directed teams of medical personnel, including Ens. August Winslett, Ens. Shivara and science officer Ens. Sulok, to treat colonists suffering from both physical injuries as well as from the all-pervasive telepathic attacks linked to La Tirano, attacks which were discovered to affect both of the Al-Leyan factions as well as non-Al-Leyan telepaths aboard the orbiting Astraeus. Reflecting on the complex challenges, Winslett added, “Between a telepathic virus bomb, and a terrorist, we were kept fairly busy on the Al-Leyan Colony. We did manage to isolate the virus and Sulok is still studying it to see how it can be prevented in the future.”
The confirmation of La Tirano’s return triggered a significant political shift with Al-Leyan Exiles and Traditionalists agreeing to an unprecedented, albeit potentially temporary, truce between their factions. This fragile unity focuses their combined strength against a resurgent and ancient threat.
With the blockade lifted, the hostile agent neutralised and the source of the threat to the Al-Leyans identified, the Astraeus mission concludes, and whilst a temporary peace has been achieved, the looming threat of La Tirano remains, a threat underscored by Acting Captain Rosek-Skyfire. “We all have a common enemy now,” Rosek-Skyfire stated. “This entity has proven to be not only dangerous to Al-Leyans, but also non-Al-Leyans. This is a threat that the Federation takes very seriously. We are continuing to work with the Exile and Traditionalist governments in hopes of finding a way to stop this enemy from gaining a further foothold in the Expanse and beyond.”
Further information will be provided as this story develops.
Written by Christopher Caldwell
