Where did this all begin?
With the advent of the timequake ships, mankind spread so rapidly out into the galaxy that chaos and corruption soon became the order of the day. So Union Fleet was formed to defend and protect mankind from his worst enemy — himself. To keep the peace, Union Fleet enforced the laws on all of the planets of the Union. For the most part, the people of Union Fleet were good and decent folks. For the most part, this all worked just fine on all of the civilized planets, but in the Outworlds … well, that was another story. In the Outworlds, where civilization was thin, evil thrived.
***
The year was 5634 when Union Fleet first discovered that the quadrant around the Benaran Nebula had 73 planets, rich in natural resources, perfect for human habitation. Union policy was open settlement. Union policy was equal opportunity for all.
Amongst the many fine people of Union Fleet were some who were not. Overcome with greed, they formed an evil syndicate. The goal of the Syndicate was to hide its evil behind doctored star charts, and bogus laws, biding its time. The Syndicate infiltrated Union Fleet to the highest levels.
When Union Fleet finally opened the Benaran sector for human habitation, only 21 planets perfect for human habitation were correctly shown on the star charts. The other 52 were cleverly hidden on doctored star charts and known only to the Syndicate, code-named Betto. Onto some of the Syndicate’s worlds, they settled the Mercs, their own private armed force. But the best of the worlds, they kept to themselves.
The Syndicate hid behind interplanetary corporations and infiltrated the ranks of Union Fleet itself. In this way, the Syndicate thrived for many years. It grew fat, and rich … and powerful. The Syndicate used their Merc forces to protect the guilty and their ill-gotten gains.
When Union Fleet finally discovered the evil that was done, the Syndicate refused to loosen its evil grip. Its Merc forces waged a war to end all wars, slashing lives asunder, destroying families, leaving only sadness and chaos in its wake. Union Fleet came very close to losing that war, but after many hard-fought battles, and way too many lives lost, victory was finally at hand with the Merc surrender on Zari-Kuut.
Over Union Fleet’s strong protests, self-serving politicians prematurely declared the war over, then wrangled for power amongst themselves while the Merc forces simply scattered back into the outworlds. The Mercs once more hid behind the Syndicate’s doctored star charts, biding their time.
To make matters worse, the illusion of peace left Union Fleet with no choice but to sell off its huge surplus of ships and reduce its ranks. Millions of veterans suddenly found themselves alone on the outside, embroiled in the chaos that ensued…
This is where the first story begins, in all this chaos.
(or click on the picture)
Or Return to my Home Page.
Or use the Menus to navigate.