New threats are looming on the horizon
The Free Fliers have successfully taken out the base of the dark-matter fiber network (DarkFiber); the heart of Aquila’s operation on his adopted home planet Eagle’s Rest.
The mission was a success, and his stranglehold on the Prime colonies has been released. Aquila and his ship are nowhere to be seen, and were not presumed to be at Eagle’s Rest at the time of the strike.
The clones have all powered down, and with his comms down, Aquila’s forces were overpowered by the Free Fliers.
The only problem is, by destroying the heart of DarkFiber, our colonies’ comms have also been sent back to the dark ages. Our reliance on Aquila’s tech was more pernicious than we had planned for, and morale is low.
Reduced to slow and unreliable long-range comms, the colonies have recalled many of the outlying trading posts and intercolonial cruisers, in an attempt to prepare for another attack from Aquila, or worse. One group, however, is seizing the opportunity to prosper in this new state of confusion and lawlessness. Intergalactic reavers have moved in, and are picking off trade vessels with gleeful abandon, knowing that by the time a distress signal has gone out, they’ll have picked the bones of their prey clean.
As if this wasn’t bad enough, the injustice of these raids has summoned the Kleroterion judgment ships like a siren song. Reports are flying around of these dreaded monoliths gliding into human territories, drawn to the criminal activity like flies to a corpse. Once they start raining down their judgment, they won’t stop until all have been cleansed, and nobody wants this, least of all our morally questionable politicians.
We have to stop the piracy ourselves; to bring order back to our colonies and to keep the Kleroterion at bay. The Free Fliers saved us once before. If they could find an elite anti-piracy squadron to crack down the pirates, we might have a chance. We’re looking for the best and most ruthless fliers out there, so all are invited to the elimination rounds, in order to find the Viper Squadron; the colonies’ toughest fighters.
The ultimate winner of the tournament will rise to become the squadron’s leader: Captain Viper, granted limitless powers to drive the reaver scum out of our territories.
While justice should be enough of an incentive for these heroes, there may also be some spoils of war available.
If you loot from a pirate, that doesn’t count, right?
