GALARIS IV (KYDON) — The crew of the USS Artemis-A arrives amidst a tenuous ceasefire to investigate claims by both the Kobyar and Grunden governments that a third party is influencing the ongoing war.
With shore leave on Risa wrapped up nicely, the crew of the USS Artemis-A had barely finished hanging up their swimsuits and rinsing sand from their hair before being whisked away to a warzone. Responding to a joint request from the warring factions, Starfleet has dispatched the Artemis-A to act as an impartial observer on Galaris IV—unofficially referred to as Kydon.
The planet is home to two dominant species: the Kobyar, a technocratic and authoritarian civilisation, and the Grunden, a culturally rich and historically focused people. The two could not be more different—lacking any xenobiological similarity and sharing starkly opposing ideologies. Though the Grunden have achieved warp capability, their values lie in heritage rather than hypermodernity. The result has been a devastating conflict spanning several decades.
One team, led by Fleet Captain Addison MacKenzie, was received by the Kobyar’s Military Liaison, Major Oolwi, and given a tour of the capital city—an environment of near-total surveillance, with embedded cameras in nearly every surface. “I have visited several planets. The Kobyar capital is as advanced as any other. Here they appear not to be so affected by the war,” said Lieutenant Vitor Silveira, the ship’s Chief Tactical Officer. “In a way, it reminds me of… another place. The Kobyar gave us a good welcome, and I hope we are able to help both peoples.”
As some of the team prepares to visit the dangerous frontlines, others remain behind to investigate the origin of advanced technologies at play in the conflict.
Meanwhile, the second team, led by newly appointed Chief of Operations Lieutenant Vailani Zoyara, was sent to engage with the Grunden. They were met by General Kexxin, a decorated war hero of the Grunden people. “The Grundens have to do a lot with not enough,” said Ensign Tho’Bi, one of the Artemis’s newer officers. “Their engineering is highly modular and adaptable. And yet it remains in harmony with nature—camouflaged structures working with the forest canopy, ancient towers held up by a single living tree.”
The team had little time to adjust to their more rustic, battle-worn surroundings before heading out in rugged off-road vehicles known as Grunts. In a surprising moment of initiative, Lieutenant Gila Sadar volunteered to drive. “I-It’s like riding a bike, in some ways… O-Only a much smaller and sturdier one. Also, it’s a tank.”
The journey took a dangerous turn when the group encountered a massive indigenous millipede-like creature, followed shortly by a Grunden sensor malfunctioning and exploding near one of the vehicles. While General Kexxin and his second officer, Naru, downplayed the event, the Starfleet team remains cautious and quietly suspicious.
As tensions simmer beneath the surface, the hope remains that the Artemis-A crew can maintain their neutrality—and uncover the truth behind the shadowy influence escalating the war on Kydon.
Written by Vailani Zoyara
