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-
-  ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-	The Osirion Project - STORYLINE
-
-  ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-	This file contains ideas for the universe background, the factions and 
-	the storyline. 
-
-	SPOILER ALERT!
-
-
-  ------------------------------------------------------------------
-	FACTIONS and PLACES
-
-
-	HOUSE LINDBLADE (protected by the Lindblade military)
-
-	- Lindblade system
-		planet Lindblade
-
-	- Burton system
-		planet Burton
-		Trent outpost
-
-	- Dover system
-
-	HOUSE PRAETORIA (protected by the Praetorian Guard)
-
-	- Praetoria system
-		planet Praetoria
-
-	PROTECTORATE (protected by the Ordinators)
-
-	The seat of the Council and the capital of the central planets.
-	Location of the Allied Intelligence Network headquarters.
-
-	- Protectorate
-		planet Corona
-
-	INDEPENDENT COLONIES (protected by the Colonial Militia)
-
-	An alliance of systems independent from the central planets.
-	
-	- Ghant system
-		planet Ghant
-		Alexandria outpost
-		Battleship custodian
-
-		planet Seymour
-		Regula station
-
-	- Brogha system 
-		planet Brogha
-		Cantor observatory
-
-	- Antwerp system
-		starbase Helianthos (guards the border)
-		Buccaneer's Den pirate base
-		planet Antwerp?
-
-	NEUTRAL SYSTEMS
-	
-	- Finnmark (Joint Miners Association headquarters)
-		planet Finnmark
-
-	- East End
-		Ensor station
-
-	CORPORATIONS
-
-	- Micron Corporations
-	- AMTEL Tech Conglomerate
-	- Joint Miners Association
-
-	BORDERWORLDS (not claimed by any lawfull faction)
-
-	Worlds destroyed during the war.
-
-	- Kor Glaven system
-		planet Andros
-		planet Corthio
-		battlefield remains
-
-	- Anarian system
-		Anarian nebula
-		Galileo research station
-		battlefield remains
-
-	- Karelian system
-		no Planets
-		Karelian nebula
-		border station
-
-	TSU-KHAN EMPIRE
-
-	- Kiana system
-		Kiana Prime
-
-	Note on names:
-
-	Before the war, the systems controlled by the Great Houses were
-	referred to as the 'Colonies'. The term 'borderworlds' was used
-	to refer to independent systems.
-
-	Since the war, the term 'Borderworlds' is used to indicate
-	systems destroyed during the war, while the term 'colonies'
-	is generally used as abreviation for the 'Independent Colonies'. 
-	The Protectorate and the systems controlled by The Great Houses
-	are usually referred to as 'the central planets'.
-
-  ------------------------------------------------------------------
-	TIMELINE
-
-	Exodus			-5300 years
-	The Year of War		 -300 years
-	The Karelian Incident	  -50 years
-
-
-  ------------------------------------------------------------------
-	HISTORY OF THE YEAR OF WAR
-	from the House Lindblade historical records
-
-
-Reaching for the Stars
-
-	History of mankind is a tale mostly written in blood and fire. Although
-	there are few written accounts of the events before the Exodus, it wouldn't
-	be hard to imagine why the Homeworld would have been abandoned in the first 
-	place: wars for power, territory and resources would be commonplace 
-	for almost five millenia to come.
-
-The Year of War
-	
-	For the Tsu-Khan, this war was no different. Around 300 years ago, 
-	The Empire had depleted most of its natural resources and had launched 
-	an ambitious project to find a suitable new homeworld.
-	
-	At the time, most of the human population was ignorant about the presence
-	of alien lifeforms in their galaxy. The scant pieces of evidence that did 
-	exist were kept secret by the political leaders. The Colonies were controlled
-	by several Major Houses, each with their own agenda's and changing alliances.
-	None of the House Lords had the motivation to order a thorough investigation
-	into a mad man's testimony of outer world creatures.
-	
-	The war came without warning. In the Kor Glaven system, on the edge of known space 
-	and outside the jurisidiction of the great houses, two new colonies 
-	had been founded. The settlers were finishing the construction of their 
-	hyperspace jump gate, to connect the system to allied borderworld systems. 
-	Unfortunatly, the Tsu-Khan Empire had located a suitable planet just 
-	a few parsec away.
-	
-	The Andros colony was the first to fall. It didn't take the Tsu-Khan 
-	battle group very long to destroy the defenceless setlement. 
-	By the time they arrived at the Corthio colony, the colony had scrambled 
-	any battleship it could find to fend the invasion. The Colonial fleet was 
-	no match for the superior Tsu-Khan ships. In a few hours, the battle was over, 
-	and the Corthio colony had been reduced to ashes.
-
-	The story repeated itself across the Borderworlds. These independent worlds were
-	usually inhabited by pacifist who had escaped the turmoil of the central planets
-	or had a mutual understanding with one or more of the great houses. The Tsu-khan
-	did not care, and the majority of the Bordesworlds was utterly obliterated. What
-	remained was a few primitive settlements scattered across the smoldering remains
-	of the Borderworld planets.
-
-	The relations between the Borderworlds and the Major Houses were strained with
-	conflicts of interest. The central planets usually didn't care unless some economical
-	or strategical advantage was involved. Slowly the Houses got drawn into the the war,
-	and after almost a year of hostilities most of the House Lords found their armies
-	involved in a full-scale war. A war, they realised, they couldn't win.
-
-	With the Borderworlds out of the way, and the Tsu-Khan fleet at the border of every
-	Major House, there wasn't much they could do to oppose the Empire. In this darkest
-	of hours a secret meeting took place that turned the fate of history. On a small,
-	neutral planet, near the centre of the Colonies, a number of small ships met in secret,
-	each ship carrying one of the remaining House Lords.
-
-The Alliance
-
-	This small planet used to be the stage for the House Council, by then a long forgotten
-	tradition, where the Lords of the Major Houses used to work out their differences
-	with dialog, or discuss current events. In the years before the Great War, this
-	tradition had been neglected and oposing views were usually solved with a friendly
-	border skirmish followed by royal monetary compensation.
-
-	These times were over. This war wasn't about money, power or territory.
-	It was about survival and it was clear by now that none of the Major Houses possessed
-	sufficient strength to fight the Empire on its own. A new alliance was formed and it
-	was decided that it should not only include the Major Houses, but also any independent
-	system that was still capable of fighting. The Lord of House Lindblade, who's
-	territory had been on the front line since the beginning of the war, and considered
-	as moderate amongst the House Lords, proposed to assemble a fleet in the Lindblade 
-	system to prevent the Empire from gaining a foothold in the Central Systems.
-
-	Within days, the largest fleet in human history had united under one banner. Out of fear,
-	out of hope, but most of all, out of desperation. A news reporter from the era described
-	it as ".. an overwhelming sight of the End of Times, but unlike the descriptions of
-	Armegeddon in the Ancient Scripture, a sight with a sense of honour and dignity ..." 
-	and ended his report with the question if they really had any chance against such
-	a formidable enemy. Battleship after battleship graciously drifted in formation,
-	and everyone on board, from crewman to captain, knew this had to be the final stand.
-
-	When the Empire's vast intelligence informed the Tsu-Khan Emperor of this unexpected
-	turn of events, humanity's fate seemed sealed. The orders where quick and decisive:
-	regroup the fleet and prepare to engage the humans. Once dispatched it would
-	take care of the alliance fleet and end human opposition once and for all. The war
-	would be over soon and the Alliance's systems would under the Empire's control.
-
-	It is said that even the smallest person can change the course of the future, and in
-	this case, it was a lonely scientists in the Anara system. His work involved
-	the meaning of life, the universe and related subjects, and ignoring the dangers
-	of the war was his way of dealing with the situation. His latest experiment required
-	him to pilot a tiny and almost unpowered vessel into the Anarian nebula, where
-	he could conduct measurements of the small variations in the local hyperspace field.
-
-	He was performing another scan of the sector when suddenly his instruments went off
-	the scale. To his amazement he suddenly found himself on the edge on area where the
-	alien fleet had decided to regroup and refuel before they sneaked into Alliance Territory.
-	The small vessel, barely powered and only slightly larger than an emergency life
-	support pod, used the high levels of radiation in the nebula to elude the Tsu-Khan
-	sensors and send a warning message the Alliance Fleet.
-
-	With the help of the detailed scientific information about the nebula, the Alliance
-	managed to jump right on top of the unsuspecting Tsu-Khan fleet. Within minutes, 
-	the Imperial Flagship, primary target of the assault, had taken massive damage and was
-	burning in the flames of explosive decompression. It was at the heart of the fleet
-	when it exploded, and most of the heavy fighters and cruisers were hit by the shockwave
-	and the massive rain of high-speed metallic debris behind it. Some managed to retreat
-	to Tsu-Khan space, most fell victim to the united firepower of the Alliance fleet.
-
-	News of the victory spread through the Colonies like fire, and the battle became legendary
-	before the Alliance fleet had even returned home. 
-
-
-  ------------------------------------------------------------------
-	PROJECT::OSIRION
-	Allied Intelligence Network classified documents
-	
-
-Project Osirion
-
-	During the war, many great houses conducted experiments in search for
-	advanced technologies to aid in defeating the enemy. One of these
-	experiments was called 'Project Osirion', an experiment involving
-	a new type of hyperjumpdrive, which could work independent of hyperspace
-	jumps holes and cross enormous distances in the blink of an eye.
-
-	The requirments on ship design for this experimental drive unit were
-	outrageous to say the least. But facing imminent defeat, no effort
-	was spared to gain even the slightest advantage. In less than 6 months
-	a new ship was constructed and equiped with the experimental drive unit.
-
-	The ship was an impressive sight: several hundred meters of neutronium-enforced
-	carbosteel, thousands of metric tonnes of superconductors and optronics,
-	a monument to human ingenuity and an instrument to survival.
-
-	This ship was christened 'Osirion'.
-
-	The ship's first test flight was a major event. Most secret projects did not
-	generate a lot of attentention, but this flight was a higly anticipated by
-	the top brass from all parties involved, military, political and corporate alike.
-
-	The ship had left the construction yard as planned and had almost arrived at
-	departure point on the edge of the star system when suddenly all communication
-	was lost. Extensive investigations after the incident have never revealed the
-	source of the malfunction, and everything that happened after this point is the
-	result of long-range sensor telemetry.
-
-	The ship arrived at the departure point and the flight continued as planned.
-	A few moments later a massive energy discharge was registered, indicating
-	that the experimental jump drive was activated. Unfortunatly, the order
-	to return to the point of departure after the initial jump, seems to be a part of
-	the plan that never got executed. The ship had literally vanished into thin air.
-
-	The top brass was very upset.
-
-	
-The Karelian Incident
-
-
-The Tsu-Khan Empire
-
-
-  ------------------------------------------------------------------
-	PROJECT::OSIRION
-	Protectorate Top-Secret documents
-
-What really happed to the Osirion
-
-What really happed after the death of the Tsu-Khan Emperor
-
-Tsu-Khan Empress and the War Generals
-
-The Empress' niece
-
-  ------------------------------------------------------------------
-	PROJECT::OSIRION
-	STORY
-
-I. Business
-
-	Alexandria outpost, jewel of the south, or queen of the wasteland,
-	as some higher placed officials like to call it off-the-record.
-	They were probably right too. The wasteland probably referred to
-	planet Ghant, a lifeless chunk of rock holding the outpost in 
-	a stationary orbit. Unless you had some pressing matters to handle,
-	this was a part of space you would rather avoid. The only kind of
-	people you could find here were people doing business and people 
-	who needed to dissapear from public appearance. Or both.
-
-	The local custom was to mind your own business, and that was exactly
-	what I was looking for: minding my own business. My life on the central
-	planets had become far more complicated than I had planned for and it
-	was time for a change: I managed to get a loan from the local
-	planetary bank and spend it on the aquisition of a small transport
-	vessel.
-
-	The first day of my new life as a spaceship captain. Not the glorious 
-	life I had gotten used to, but at least a decent one with its small pleasures
-	once in a while. The small room I rented above the local bar almost felt like
-	home. After I left the central planets, I ended up on Alexandria outpost where
-	the local bartender was kind enough to offer me a job in his modest establishment.
-	He probably did it more out of sympathy then anything else, but as it turned
-	out, I'm great at doing the dishes and I always enjoyed	our conversations. 
-	That is, until last week, when I met Mister Brent.
-	
-	I never really got to know him very well but he must have remembered me from high
-	school. I was sitting at the bar when he suddenly tapped my shoulder. My memories
-	of him were vague. As he sat down, I ordered him a drink. We had some chit-chat,
-	shared a few memories of distant times, but it didn't take hime very long to come
-	to the point.
-	
-	Brent was the business type. "The rising star of the Regula mining operations,
-	overseeing all shipments of niobium ore in the Ghant system", to quote his words.
-	His phrases like "A smart man could make a fortune" sounded rather hollow to me,
-	but he did have a point. 500 runs to Regula to pay the loan for the ship.
-	Another 1500 more to get myself a ship big enough to hold a small cabin with all the
-	luxuries a simple life would need.
-	
-	Repetetive? Boring? Perfect! Add an autopilot and this life could be more relaxing
-	then a luxury vacation on an exotic planet. With this simple business but rock-solid plan
-	laid out in front of me I managed to convince the manager of the local planetary
-	bank to provide me with the necessary funds for my operation, which I quickly 
-	exchanged for Micron Corporation's latest Vector model. It's a small ship: 
-	the cockpit, a living compartment with a sleeping corner and a cargo hold 
-	just big enough to hold a few metric tons of whatever the owner had in mind.
-	All it misses is a pair of blasters to shoot the mosquitos from the windshield.
-	
-	That would have added another 50 runs to the price.
-	
-	The first two runs went smooth. Nothing unexpected. Pick up supplies at Alexandria,
-	fly all the way to the Regula mining operation station, exchange the supplies
-	for a shipment of karpax ore and head back. I had just hit the impulse drive with 
-	the third load in my cargo hold when I noticed something out of place.
-	
-	A blip. And a big one too. No civilian vessel had an EM radar signature that powerful.
-	I peered through the windows and as planet Ghant grew bigger on me I could clearly
-	distinguish a second bright spot next to the familiar one Alexandria had become to me.
-	I quickly requested the computer for an identification and it didn't take it very long
-	to come up with an answer. Battleship Custodian. Colonial Militia registration number 
-	CM-2542. It must have jumped in when I was docked at Regula.
-	
-	Curious. While the Ghant system was officialy under the jurisdiction of the 
-	colonies, nobody had any real business here. Niobium was without doubt a valuable
-	commodity, but since there was no real shortage of the oremy guess was that the 
-	military's interests would lie elsewhere. For now, I decided to ignore the matter.
-	I wasn't about to meddle into military affairs and let unfortunate circumstances ruin
-	my life again.
-	
-	Nevertheless it was hard to ignore the massive battleship looming over the outpost,
-	but I docked and went straight to the bar. The bartender looked at me as I walked in
-	and pointed me to my regular place at the bar. "I'll be right back", he said,
-	and disappeared into the kitchen compartment. As on most quiet evenings, the 
-	regular customers were kind enough to leave my seat unocupied and it didn't 
-	take the familar surroundings long to ease my exited mind into a more relaxes state. 
-	"Here you are, one cup of steaming hot chocolate milk. I'm not sure how or where 
-	you got it, but I am sure it is the real deal. No one would get it into	his mind
-	to synthesize anything without having an actual market for it."
-	
-	As usual, my bartender was right, and that was exactly why I liked this stuff, even if it
-	costed a small fortune. "But then again", he continued and turned has eyes towards the large
-	space window at the other end of the bar, "life can be full of surprises."
-
-II. Surprises
-
-	It was hard for him to hide his unsettledness. "I just had a talk with the station supervisor
-	and the commander of that battleship floating out there". "The Custodian", I replied. "I had
-	the ship computer run an ID on it". "You'd better take care of that fancy new ship of yours",
-	he said. "They were here to inform me that the Colonial Militia has decided to assign a detachment
-	to the Ghant system, effective immediately. All fleet operations in the system will be under the 
-	command of the battleship Custodian. They also dropped some kind of communication sattelite 
-	in the center of the system. God knows what these guys are up to."
-
-	The military is always involved in business the common man would rather not know about, but I had
-	to admit, it just didn't sound right.  A battleship in the Ghant system was curious, but a 
-	more permanent presence didn't make any sense at all. I picked up the small metal spoon lying
-	next to my cup and stirred my hot milk. "I wouldn't worry too much. They've probably discovered
-	some interesting radiation in the neighbourhood and now they want to turn it into a weapon. You
-	know these kind of people, if it goes kabooom, they immediately like it." "Besides", I continued, 
-	"the system has been quiet for months. I haven't seen a pirate in ages".
-	
-	The tone in my voice couldn't hide my longing for more dangerous and exiting times,
-	but those days were over. I had chosen a new path, and I was not about to ruin my plans
-	because of a few curious events. I emptied my cup and wished the bartender good night.
-
-	I couldn't sleep that evening. I didn't know what troubled me more: the prospect
-	of my new life, the memories of the old one, or the strange events of today. When a man
-	is troubled, he has to start walking and with the silence of the night as a blanket,
-	I got out of bed and went out on a stroll.
-
-	2 am standard colonial time. Nights in space are something to get used to: without
-	the sun to rise and set, dusk and dawn become rather hollow definitions and 
-	only the clock dictates when it is time to go to sleep. Nevertheless, the atmosphere
-	of the night still permiated the station: most of the establishments were closed and
-	the sound of busy peoples voices was replaced by the quiet hum of the electrical
-	installations.
-
-	I wandered aimless through the empty corridors until I reached one of the large
-	space windows on the upper level. It was almost like the vast, empty space
-	behind it was reaching out, trying to stir something in the back of my mind.
-	I wasn't sure why but I could not shed the feeling that some event was about
-	to unfold. I turned around to head back to bed when suddenly felt a faint 
-	tremor going through the station. It was hardly noticable and most people 
-	would probably ignore it, but I knew exactly what it was.
-
-	When a ship drops from hyperspace into normal space, it will send a small shockwave
-	into the surrounding area. This is not a shockwave of something traveling through space,
-	but rather a disturbance of the fabric of space itself, with a distinct rythmn
-	an experienced pilot can easily recognize. I could have ignored it too and
-	go back to sleep, but the intoxicating effect of the mystery dragged me back to the window.
-	
-	A ship had arrived, and it had to be close. Hyperspace-tremors do not travel very far
-	and it would take one hell of a pilot to make a jump this close to a gravitational well.
-	The slightest miscalulation would have spread out his atoms over the face of planet Ghant.
-	The bright moving spot between the stars had proven he was either very good, or very lucky.
-
-	The design of the ship was unfamiliar. It looked like some kind of a patrol craft,
-	armed to the teeth and ready to defend itself if it were necessary. Fortunatly,
-	it looked like the pilot had a more quiet evening in mind. In a gracious arc, 
-	he approached the station and soaring like a an eagle he started the final approached
-	to the docking bay.
-
-III. The suit
-
-	A wise man once said: "Curiosity is mankind's greatest gift. But it is
-	also mankind's greatest curse."	I didn't have to take him for his word: 
-	I've been in situations before were I wasn't supposed to belong,
-	and me intuition told me that ship was probably something I didn't want to know about.
-
-	By now it was almost 3 am and I was almost certain I was going to regret this nightwandering
-	episode when my alarm clock would obnoxiously announce the next morning. Almost, because
-	by now I had learned that no regrets and focus on the task at hand was usually the wiser
-	course of action. Right now, the task was finding some sleep.
-
-	I turned around, walked to the elevator at the end of the corridor and pressed the button.
-	After a few seconds the doors opened with a joyfull chime and I stepped inside. "Level 6".
-	The elevator seemed to consider my request when the doors finaly closed and it started
-	moving upward. I leaned casually against the back wall, my right hand trying to catch the
-	yawn escaping my mouth.