The Ball is in Motion

This information is broadcast via a Deep Echo Array one of a number of secret facilities. It is received using a subspace receiver tuned to the correct frequency at the correct time. The signal instructs an asset on how to retrieve this information using various codes in a code-book of some kind. An Onyx XIA would also have the ability to receive and decode such a message to look up the information in real time.

Duchess Malumnus has made contact with spliced in forces of the Galactic Empire within the Milky Way, specifically the INV Serpent and its leader, Admiral Enus Vallan, who appears to be in command of the Imperial forces in the area. The Admiral has agreed to a partner ship and is in route to our facility at Assyria Base for refit to fight Solas Tempus forces. Admiral Vallan has also dispatched a number of probe droids to contact his forces within the Schatten Star System, one of which has been discovered but self-destructed. Given the destruction of one of the probes, clandestine forces should be aware of the need for increased secrecy. It is known that contact was made with Milana Tarkiel outside of Nimbus Station and at this time there is no evidence that droids are being specifically tracked.

Onyx has provided Admiral Vallen with a coded subspace channel for secure communications.

This arc is going to need spies and people to help increase the unrest. As with a previous post there are racial tensions already present. Since the Empire is very much pro-human and anti-alien, this should go well. From a plot-standpoint, the is also the general direction, and anyone wishing to expand on that should feel free to do so. The way this is plotted to shake out is that the humans start to respond in-kind to alien anti-human sentiment.

Fresh News Area for Antagonists

Since we are finally going to start getting into a place where we’re having active play as antagonists for the story within Blazing Umbra, we need an area to keep those players informed. After our recent survey of players, it is clear that many players aren’t sure what’s going on or how they can contribute. This is going to be the first phase of an ongoing effort to keep players of both sites informed about the changes to the setting. Since these news posts are designed to be in-character and the characters not engaging in activity with the antagonist organizations such as Onyx and the Galactic Empire forces within the setting will not have access to information about what those sides are up to until things are already in motion; I have decided that there needs to be a separate place to post such information. This is analagous to the Solas Tempus COMs category only for the opposite sides.

In practice this area is going to take a while to solidify as to what is actually in it and will take some effort to get used to. As the story goes, things posted here and intended two fold, as previously stated we want to keep players informed when they can’t be on more than once or twice a month (or even longer). In addition to that, we’d like to foster creativity between players, posts here should also be seen as invites to consider how things can go and how people might contribute. Suggestions can often be replied to in one of these posts via the forum (a link to the appropriate forum topic is at the end of every post). In addition, a new topic can be started in the Phoenix Nebula section of the forum.

Disrespecting the Dead

Another person under investigation, Tal Ravis is again in the news after a video has surfaced from an anonymous source of him urinating on a dead member of the group only known as Onyx. Other sources have confirmed that this did actually occur, though it is unclear why he would take such an action.

We contacted Mr. Ravis for comment, when asked about the incident he responded:

“When operating for sustained periods of time in non-linear, asymmetric environments far from a host station or vessel, access to dedicated hygenic facilities is greatly limited or denied outright. Field experience from years of operating in the fringes of inhabited space has allowed us to come up with an adequate solution; we find that Onyx agents make for acceptable outhouse substitutes.”

While the response is direct and honest it is also disturbing, showing an irreverence to the death of a living being. Few government agencies have commented yet given the nature of the other investigations that have gone on, it does point directly to the idea that Mr. Ravis is potentially unstable.