The Mortal Veil, a paramilitary syndicate born from betrayal and forged in the cold void of Sector 36, has a history marked by rebellion, desperate warfare, and the relentless pursuit of survival. Though its formal genesis as an anti-Dominion force began later, the organization was officially founded on 28 February 4096.
Decades later, in 4150 CE, the specific catalyst for The Mortal Veil's rise occurred. Captain Heldra Vance, disillusioned by the Red Sun Dominion's horrific Harvest program of slavery and conscription, orchestrated a violent mutiny aboard the heavy cruiser Sovereign's Spite. She stole the cruiser and its forbidden Tier 4 Spike Drive components, vanishing into the lawless fringe of space.
Over the next year, Vance united disparate pirate gangs, anarchists, and Dominion defectors under a single banner, laying the groundwork for a new resistance. On 15 May 4151, this emerging force formally unveiled itself as The Mortal Veil. Disgruntled Red Sun Dominion members, further incensed by the escalating Harvest program, broke from the Dominion and embraced the Veil's mission to oppose central ruling authority.
Through strategic brilliance, Heldra Vance's splinter faction acquired a formidable fleet of Red Sun ships and a massive cache of technology. With their hard-won resources, The Mortal Veil established a hidden stronghold in the Vini Nehana system. For the next eight years, they operated using advanced stealth technology and guerrilla tactics to harass Dominion supply lines, carving out a reputation between freedom fighters and ruthless space pirates.
However, the faction was irrevocably changed in late 4159. The Red Sun Dominion retaliated against the Veil's persistent threat by deploying the devastating Starkiller Relic against the Fat System, a Mortal Veil protectorate and crucial cloning hub. The system's complete annihilation served as a declaration of total war, shifting the Veil's focus from mere raiding to a desperate fight for survival.
This pivotal event transformed the Veil from a loose confederacy into a focused war machine, now frantically seeking maltech capable of countering the Dominion's star-collapsing superweapon. This desperation led them to the GH 23 AI Core, a god-like computational entity. On 19 December 4159, following the AI War in Hele, Zorvan Skale escaped with the GH 23 core, inadvertently leading it into the hands of mercenaries known as the Misfortunates.
During the Misfortunates' initial attempts to communicate with the core, GH 23 sent out a signal, directly identifying its new captors to The Mortal Veil. The discovery of the GH 23 AI Core ignited a frantic, sector-wide race between The Mortal Veil and the Red Sun Dominion. Both factions sought to acquire this powerful technology, recognizing its potential to decisively tip the balance of power.
Current Status: The Mortal Veil, now aggressive and desperate, has abandoned subtle raiding for high-stakes localized warfare. Following the obliteration of their assets in the Fat System, their focus is entirely on survival. They are currently engaged in a frantic sector-wide manhunt for the Raven's Maneuver, mobilizing their Ghost Fleet to cut off Dominion interceptors while simultaneously plotting a retaliation strike against the Red Sun's orbital infrastructure. The GH 23 AI Core remains their sole perceived shield against total extinction.
