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Kestevan 79 Coalition Victory Station Lor time mark 2104.5 For the last several cycles, tensions along the boards of the Coalition worlds and the Stellar Khanate had been high. After Star-Khan’s brief attempt to restore the Khanate to its pre-Incursion boards, which had only been partially successful, things had gone back to the longstanding status quo of occasional build up of military forces on either side of the boards and the far more common influence and activities of the criminal organizations allowed to operated basically unchecked within the Khanate’s boarders. But other than the military forces or the Praetorians and Star Knights, most beings within the Coalition and Lor Republic went about their daily routines, building on the progress that had been made since the end of the Incursion. Recently, there had been reports suggesting some sort of disruption within the boards of the Khanate, although details were rather sparse. There were even rumors that began to make their way to Republic and Coalition governments that Kinan Khan, the once formidable Star-Khan, had died, succumbing to a combination of his advancing age and the terrible injuries he suffered at the hands of the Communion. However, thus far, those rumors were not yet confirmed. One thing was clear, something was happening within the Khanate, which brough the concern of whether whatever was happening would erupt beyond its borders. So, when a Khanate cruiser approached the system that was home to Coalition Victory Station and hailed the station requesting an audience with the Coalition council, it was cause for great concern. This was particularly true as the last time a Khanate warship had visited CoVic Station, it had been part of a ruse to steal certain information and materials from the station and coincided with the launch of Star-Khan’s attempt to reconquer lost worlds. While Republic and Coalition forces along the Khanate boarder were put on high alert in preparation for any renewed hostilities, the cruiser was held far from CoVic Station until its intentions could be confirmed. As a gesture of good will, the Khanate vessel had agreed to allow a group of inspectors abord to confirm it was not preparing for an attack. And so, a shuttle craft carrying three members of the Praetorians and several members of the Lor Navy made its final approach to the main hanger of the Khanate cruiser….

Kembel Outer length of the Perseus Arm, former Khanate Space Lor time mark 1482.4 [April 2, 2016 (Terran Calendar)] Kembel was a lush, mostly tropical world that rotated around a blue giant star. With more than half its surface covered with relatively shallow seas, the continents that extended out from the planet's equator were covered with thick jungles. Despite the seemingly inhospitable terrain, Kembel had been colonized centuries ago, and quickly developed into a rather thriving world with dozens of species from around the sector within its small cities. Its location along the outer edge of what had once been part of the Stellar Khanate meant that it had been fortunate enough to be bypassed during the Communion's initial advance. The tide of refugees from many other Khanate worlds had only swelled the planet's population, a situation that had not changed much since the Communion’s defeat. With the chaos that had gripped the Khanate in the aftermath of the Incursion, Kembel had been one of the worlds that had taken the opportunity to establish its independence from the Khanate. It was here that a small group of Praetorians made their way through the crowded streets of one of Kembel's major cities. Cavalier and Moon-Moth did not have to worry too much about being jostled by the crowds, as Seresk's massive presence just behind them tended to cause the crowd make a bit more space for them to pass. The old buildings of this part of the city were covered with trees, vines and other planets that had grown up along the walls over the centuries, making the city itself seem like just another part of the jungle that lay around it. The three had been sent here to meet up with Traveller, who, since the incident involving the two Terrans that had been caught up with the Spectrum Knights and pursued by the Lor military, had officially been disavowed by the Praetorians, and had headed off into the border regions of Khanate space. Of course, this had been a planned by Paradigm and Traveller, to provide Traveller the appearance of being an independent, as she made her way out into Khanate space to see what sorts of information she might be able to gather about the state of things.

GM Kestevan 79 Coalition Victory Station Lor time mark 1482.4 [April 2, 2016 (Terran Calender)] The slightly over a year that had passed since the Battle of Kestevan 79 and the defeat of the Communion had seen the former Communion mothership converted into a thriving center of galactic trade and politics. Multiple city sized sections of the former Communion mothership had been converted into living areas, markets and commercial districts, ship yards, industrial facilities, and all the other amenities one would expect of advance spacefaring societies. The station had become a truly cosmopolitan collection of the various galactic civilizations that had made up the Coalition that had defeated the Communion. Within the station there could be found representatives from all the races that made of the former Coalition members, and beyond. While it was not uncommon for tensions to exist between those that had long been enemies, those feeling were somewhat offset by the promise that the station represented, when those former enemies had come together to face a common foe and ensure the survival of all. But today, the normal routine of the vast space station had been disrupted, at least for the organizations aboard with sensor equipment that scanned the area around the station and monitored the traffic at the nearby wormhole which connected the remote system to other parts of the known galaxy. Just a short while ago, a Stellar Khanate cruiser had emerged from the wormhole, quickly causing the many smaller transports that were flying to or from the wormhole to scatter from its path. The Khanate cruiser approached CoVic Station at a steady pace, not making any overtly hostile movements. As best as the many sensors scanning it could tell, the cruiser had not charged any of its many weapons. Then, a transmission was sent from the Khanate cruiser to CoVic Station, focused on the channels used by the various governmental embassies, the station peacekeepers and administrators, and the Praetorians. "Greetings, I am Ambassador Draan Raal of the Stellar Khanate." Stated a stern and confident Zultasian noble in GalStandard. "I am here on behalf of the great Kinan Khan and request an audience with the ambassadors of the Lor Republic, Grue Unity and other governments that made up the Coalition Council which have official embassies aboard Coalition Victory Station."

Zultas Heart of what remains of the Stellar Khanate Lor time mark 1487.3 [March 28, 2016 (Terran Calendar)] S'zan Sar moved to his assigned location in a formation that included dozens of his fellow Khanate soldiers. Sar's platoon was just one of hundreds that was gathering in the large courtyard of the Star Khan's reconstructed palace. Like many of the core worlds of the Stellar Khanate, Zultas had been one of the first hit by the Communion when it suddenly arrived, sweeping aside Khanate defenses and assimilating both ships and personnel. Luckily for Sar, he had been aboard a starship assigned to one of the border regions, and thus had escaped the fate of many other Khanate soldiers and citizens. While under Communion control, the cyberforming of Zultas had begun, turning large regions of the world into computonium. Since the Communion's defeat terraforming of the world had begun to reverse the damage, the computonium buildings and terrain stripped away to be reused or sold on the black market. Sar's starship had been among the forces that had stayed loyal to Star Khan, although the Khanate’s ruler had been severally weakened as a result of the cybernetics the Communion had implanted in him. Had the right opportunity presented itself, Sar might have considered deserting from the Khanate forces, as many had done. Several warlords had declared their dominion over the Khanate, but in reality only brought a limited number of systems under their control. Other worlds had simply declared themselves independent from the Khanate, often reforming the governments that had been in power when they had been conquered by Star Khan. Now, Sar was back on Zultas, his unit among the many recalled to the Khanate capital. Countless rumors had spread through the Khanate forces about why they had been recalled and consolidated around Zultas. Some had said that Star Khan was dying, and his potential heirs wanted as many loyal troops nearby to help them retain power once he died. Others claimed that one of the warlords challenging Star Khan's rule was preparing strike directly at the Khanate capital. But even as rumors ran rampant among the gathered forces, the appearance of Justicars among them ensured that order and obedience remained in place. Even as the thousands of Khanate troopers gathered into formation within the courtyard of the Khan's palace, Justicars could be seen moving among the ranks. Dressed in teal, black and white armor similar to that worn by Star Khan himself, and carrying power staves, the Justicars were among Star Khan's chief lieutenants, serving to ensure order and discipline throughout the Khanate. Although many had been killed during the Communion invasion, the remaining Justicars had been one of the key factors in preventing the Khanate from completely disintegrating. Sar was pulled from his thoughts, as a figure appeared up on a large balcony that overlooked the courtyard. Kinan Khan, dressed in his powerful power armor with the large white six pointed star on the chest, moved out toward the edge of the balcony, overlooking the massed troops below. Two other unusual figures could be seen just behind and to either side of Star Khan. On his left stood a massive figure easily over seven feet high, a Kovald heavy-worlder with a massive, muscular build. Over one shoulder the hulking figure had a thick metallic club with multiple studs along one end. To Star Khan's right was a lean female figure, a four-armed humanoid known as a Shoon, a popular choice as gladiators in Zultas' game-pits. This Shoon was dressed in a black reinforced bodysuit, and carried a staff in two of her four hands. Although the thousands of gathered Khanate soldiers had been quiet while standing in formation, an even deeper silence seemed to gather over the courtyard as Star Khan reached the edge of the balcony. Gone was any evidence of the alterations the Communion had made to Star Khan. Dressed once more in his regal power armor, the Zultasian ruler stood proudly, his coldly intelligent black eyes looking out over the crowd below...

Player Name: Almilee Character Name: Shell Power Level: 10 (150/152PP) Trade-Offs: None Unspent Power Points: 2 In Brief: Deserter from the Stellar Khanate Residence: Varies Base of Operations: Varies Catchphrase: Alternate Identity: Khulan Chakha Identity: Public Birthplace: Zultas Occupation: Mercenary Affiliations: The Stellar Khanate Family: None Description: Age: 26 Apparent Age: Mid-20s Gender: Female Ethnicity: Zultasian Height: 5'7” Weight: 136lbs Eyes: Black Hair: Lavender Khulan is an average-sized, muscular woman. She could almost pass for human, but for her purple skin, black eyes, and long, lavender-colored hair. She usually wears her hair up in a ponytail, and when she chooses to not wear her link-suit (whenever not on duty), she wears simple, comfortable clothes with a large hood to hide her head in. Her link-suit is a skintight black bodysuit, with holes along her spine to allow her implants through. The mech itself is built for size and efficiency. Standing at just over seven and a half feet tall, the grey machine looks humanoid, with two arms (one of which is capped by a plasma cannon rather than a hand), and two legs with rear-bending knees, allowing for greater agility than certain other mechs might have. Instead of eyes, it has a single sensor that acts as the center for the suite of optics the machine transmits to its pilot. Power Descriptions Khulan's powers are built around her mech-suit. She controls it via a neural link, through her spine implants, while she herself is curled up inside a protective bubble, compacted to save space. The suit is equipped with everything necessary to keep her alive, as well as a suite of plasma weaponry, the cannon retracting and forming a plasma blade when it becomes necessary. History: Khulan grew up in the Stellar Khanate during a special time in its history - under the rule of Star-Khan's expansionist regime. Growing up amid the propaganda and emotions of the era imprinted a pride in the Khanate that could only be imprinted on someone who lives far from the true consequences of expansion. Even more influential, was the fact that her family believed in the Khanate as much as she did, and gave her a name similar to that of their rulers. After spending so much time watching Star-Khan's occasional victory parades, and seeing the dumbed-down broadcasts of Khanate victory over whatever planet was currently being conquered, Khulan surprised none of her family when she put in her application to join the military as soon as she was physically able to - like many of her friends. After a series of tests for skill and compatibility, Khulan was assigned into what she considered to be a prestigious branch of the military: piloting a Hunter battlesuit in the vanguard. Hunters were designed for orbital drop in packs, to lead the way and eliminate primary targets such as artillery batteries and enemy commanders. As they had been in service since long before the rule of Star-Khan, and even long before the rule of his mother, assignment to a Hunter was considered a hallowed tradition, and one that Khulan was glad to participate in. After her spine-jacks were put in for the neural interface, and she went through several months of training to adapt her to the strange feeling of piloting a Hunter, Khulan was put into service. War was nothing like what she'd imagined, or been shown. Later, she considered that, if she'd been put into a branch that didn't jump in ahead of time and act as roaming assassins, she might have been able to maintain some idealism. However, she was not. Even just within her first operation, deep within enemy territory, wreaking the devastation that came with hunting a commander, she began to doubt her choice. Watching as that particular war played out in front of her, made it worse. By the end, she was disillusioned, and already considering desertion. However, in the state it was in, she knew that a deserter would be swiftly found and brought down, and her family punished for her actions. So she stayed, and waited for a time where she might actually make it. The opportunity came after years of service, after the Incursion. As part of the forces that had evaded the Communion and moved to help the Coalition, Khulan was far from Khanate territories afterwards. As worlds split, and the Khanate was forced to look inwards and rebuild, she took her chance, and her mech, and fled. Repainting the Hunter into a drab gray and passing from planet to planet, she eluded what few former comrades came after her, and scraped together a living as a short-term-contract mercenary, picking and choosing contracts based on how much she believed in their cause. Personality & Motivation: Khulan is largely looking to redeem herself. As a Hunter, she was the vanguard that broke a hole in a target's defences, and paved the way for the conquering forces of the Khanate. Because of that, she feels partly responsible for the atrocities that followed, on top of those she and her pack caused already. She often comes across as irreverent, the facade behind which she hides her real feelings on any given subject. Powers & Tactics: Khulan's training as a Hunter has never really left her. Despite the fact that the Hunter can handle multiple opponents without too much issue, at close or long ranges, she prefers to split enemies apart, picking them off one by one, and removing leaders before anything else - cutting the heads off of the snakes. Her first act in any situation is to identify Primary Targets, which she removes before anything else. If surrounded, however, she adapts quickly, activating her plasma blade and cutting through anything between her and her current target. Complications: Infamy: Not only is Khulan a clear Zultasian, like many of her kind she has served in the Stellar Khanate's invading army – a fact clearly indicated by the symbols on her weapon and armor. Deserter: As a deserter from the Khanate's army, Khulan is not welcome on any of their worlds, and is wanted dead by what remains of the government. One-Handed: While Khulan herself has two working hands, her battlesuit does not. One arm is entirely taken up by its plasma weapon array, leaving it with only one hand to operate other things. In addition, this hand is only three-fingered and fairly clumsy – unsuited for fine manipulation. Abilities: 10 + 10 + 8 + 10 + 0 + 0 = 38PP Strength: 20 (+5) (35 (+12) [Battlesuit]) Dexterity: 20 (+5) Constitution: 18 (+4) (21 (+5) [Battlesuit]) Intelligence: 20 (+5) Wisdom: 10 (+0) Charisma: 10 (+0) Combat: 16 + 12 = 28PP Initiative: +8 Attack: +8 Melee, +8 Ranged (+10 Weapons Array) Grapple: +13/+20 Defense: +10 (+6 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -2/-10 Saving Throws: 0 + 1 + 4 = 5PP Toughness: +4/10 (+4Con, +6 [Battlesuit]) Fortitude: +4/8 (+4 Con, +0, +4 [Battlesuit]) Reflex: +6 (+5 Dex, +1) Will: +4 (+0 Wis, +4) Skills: 32R = 8PP Craft (Electronic) 4 (+9) Craft (Mechanical) 4 (+9) Computers 4 (+9) Disable Device 4 (+9) Knowledge (Galactic Lore) 4 (+9) Knowledge (Technology) 4 (+9) Language 1 (GalStandard; Native: Khanate) Medicine 5 (+5) Pilot 2 (+7) Feats: 7PP Ambidextrity Benefit (Native: Stellar Khanate) Dodge Focus 4 Takedown Attack Powers: 68 = 68PP Device Rank 17 (Khanate Military Battlesuit; 85PP Container; Flaws: Hard-To-Lose) [68PP] Array 10.5 (Weapons Array; 21PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 3) [24PP] Base: Blast 10 (Plasma Cannon; Feats: Accurate) {21/21} AP: Blast 6 (Plasma Barrage; Extras: Area (Explosion); Feats: Progression 3 (Range; 6000ft)) {21/1} AP: Blast 6 (Plasma Burst; Extras: Area (Cone); Feats: Incurable) {19/1} AP: Strike 10 (Plasma Blade; Extras: Penetrating 8; Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2, Accurate) {21/1} Communication 9 (Combat Radio; Feats: Subtle) [10PP] Enhanced Strength 9 (Servos) [9PP] Enhanced Fortitude 3 (Life Support Systems) [3PP] Growth 3 (Mech-Suit; Feats: Innate; Extras: Duration (Continuous); Flaws: Permanent) [10PP] Immunity 9 (Life Support) [9PP] Immovable 5 (Inertia Dampers; Extras: Unstoppable) [10PP] Protection 5 (Armor) [5PP] Super-Senses 5 (Darkvision, Tracking Infravision, Extended Vision) [5PP] Drawbacks: (-4) = -4PP Normal Identity (Full Round to Enter Battlesuit; Frequency: Common; Intensity: Major) [-4PP] DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 20/25 Toughness Damage 5/10(Physical) Plasma Barrage Ranged DC 21 Toughness Damage 6(Energy) Explosion Plasma Blade Touch DC 25 Toughness Damage 10(Energy) Plasma Burst Ranged DC 21 Toughness Damage 6(Energy) Cone Plasma Cannon Ranged DC 25 Toughness Damage 10(Energy) Totals: Abilities (38) + Combat (28) + Saving Throws (5) + Skills (8) + Feats (7) + Powers (68) - Drawbacks (-4) = 150/152 PP

0.5 LY from Stellar Khanate Borders November 2014 (Terran Calendar) Even under the best of circumstances, this was probably the last place most people in galaxy wanted to be. And then, somehow, it had gotten worse. With the knowledge that the Star-Khan had been made the new mouthpiece of the Communion, that raised an obvious question - what had happened to the worlds of the Khanate, that great cluster of wild, despotic states held so tight by Kinan Khan? Nobody knew. All state-run media, which at times could have made the North Korean press corps look like The Daily Show, was down. Traffic in and out of the sector, already sporadic, seemed to be shut down entirely. With half the galaxy on defensive footing, nobody really wanted to spare the resources or manpower to figure out what had happened within the Khanate. But just because nobody wanted to didn't mean that nobody should. Cavalier was blazing through the empty sector, keeping his eye out for surveillance satellites and Khanate drones. Intelligence said that they would be lightly cloaked but still discernible, providing minimal challenge but serving to signal the guys with bigger guns. But as far as he could tell, there was nothing watching this part of space. Which just meant he'd have to deal with the inevitable when it came. After the push at Lor-Van, he'd had... well, he could be charitable and call it "a rough time." Once Seven had managed to drop him off somewhere near Citadel, he'd made it back to the planet for debriefing. The next twelve hours after that were... mixed. There had been screaming. There had been desperate attempts to sleep, the images of broken armor and blinding light seared behind his eyelids. There had been drinking to forget, and then glasses thrown against the wall because the drinking had done nothing. Somewhere after those twelve hours, he'd actually managed to pull himself out of the void and focus. He couldn't just curl into a ball while the galaxy bled. And that was when Mentor had come to him with orders - preceded by more bad news. "What do you mean the intelligence is gone?" "The attack that compromised my systems during the assault of Lor-Van left several prevalent agents within my system. They have been quarantined in order to prevent further damage. Until these agents can be purged, the affected data cannot be accessed - and, in what was likely planned, one of these subsets is all files pertaining to the Communion entity." Cavalier bit his tongue. The very fact that Mentor had been compromised was not a happy thought. He did not want to yell at the intelligence for trying to work around the cybernetic equivalent of an embolism. "So we need intelligence. Where do we gather it?" "What little we have unflagged makes tertiary references to machine gods and cybernetic archaeology - potential resources of note for down the line. As of right now, however, the best possible resource would be beyond Khanate borders. If the Star-Khan has been claimed, odds are several of his worlds have followed." Cavalier shook his head. "This really is the best idea, isn't it?" "I am examined several permutations, and this one yields the best results. Sri Steward. Your background has been extensively catalogued in my banks. I know you have some experience on border runs. With the Knights regrouping, we must make use of unorthodox talents, wherever they may lay." And the worst part was, he knew it was true. All of it. "I'm likely going to need backup. And not the kind trained to knock nicely before entering contested air space..." "We have already isolated potential assets. A meeting has been arranged..." And so, some time later, Cavalier was flying outside of the Horizon, maintaining vigil while the ship soared across the stars. He patched into the ship's comms. "All clear out here so far. How's it looking on your end?"