From the dawn of its civilization on Terra, humanity's boundless ambition propelled it into the cosmos. The discovery of the Spike Drive on January 17, 2273, an engine enabling faster-than-light travel through subspace, ignited an era of unprecedented expansion. This revolutionary technology, refined by al Mualim, allowed humanity to etch its mark across the vast spiral arms of the Milky Way, leading to the rise of mighty empires and flourishing civilizations.
By 2801, the galaxy continued its vibrant, if sometimes unsettling, evolution. On May 5, 2801, a botched experiment on Gelime transformed Dr. Edward Nelson into a vampiric entity, leading to his escape and the first known "Subject Zero." However, this era of prosperity was violently cut short on September 7, 3200, by The Sundering.
This cataclysmic event, a metadimensional energy wave from the Veil Nebula known as "The Scream," instantly annihilated all Spike Drive ships and burned out every psychic, severing interstellar travel and communication. The mighty Terran Empire collapsed, plunging humanity into "The Silence"—a nearly millennium-long dark age characterized by technological regression, societal collapse, and relentless conflict, leaving countless worlds isolated.
Nearly a thousand years later, humanity began to stir once more. On September 12, 4002, the Red Sun Dominion's Veil Nebula Expedition made a pivotal discovery at Tenebris Post: vital pre-Sundering Spike Drive schematics. Crucially, logs revealed that Tenebris Post had accidentally caused the Sundering itself, a catastrophic truth the Dominion suppressed. Leveraging this rediscovered FTL technology, the Red Sun Dominion resolved to end their isolation, reforge the Terran Empire, and assert military dominance over their region.
This ambition materialized on December 20, 4005, with The Crimson Dawn, as the Red Sun Dominion's flagship, the Unconquered Sun, successfully reactivated a pre-Sundering Spike Drive. This breakthrough shattered a millennium of system-bound confinement, initiating their aggressive Imperial Restoration Mandate and transforming the Dominion into Sector 36's primary threat, sparking a new era of expansion and an arms race. Their grip tightened further on September 21, 4049, with The Red Sun's Harvest program, systematically conscripting citizens for brutal labor in the Don System's re-education camps. Grand Inquisitor Thorne expanded this penal colony into a crucible for ideological purity, escalating from punishing dissidents to a widespread dragnet seizing anyone with anti-Dominion sentiments.
The dangerous stretches of the Sundered Spiral were still being charted, as exemplified by the esteemed exploration ship, the Stellar Venture. However, on June 24, 4110, its voyage tragically ended when a crewmember's treachery handed the ship to the ruthless Andromeda Aegis, an enforcer of the Red Sun Dominion. The Stellar Venture faded into the abyss, whispered to harbor invaluable star charts. As the Red Sun Dominion's oppressive "Harvest" program intensified, pushing more individuals into the Don system's osmium mining camps, discontent within its ranks swelled.
On May 15, 4151, through a series of clandestine meetings, disgruntled members splintered off to form The Mortal Veil. Despite being severely outnumbered, Heldra Vance's strategic brilliance enabled this new faction to acquire a fleet of Red Sun ships and a massive cache of technology. The Mortal Veil established their headquarters in the Vini Nehana system, opposing the Red Sun's mission to re-establish central authority.
A few years later, on May 20, 4158, the Red Sun Dominion extended its manipulative reach further. Renlo Dannis, a mid-level bureaucrat for the Trade Constellation, was contacted by a Red Sun Agent with an offer to become a double agent. Upon his refusal, his daughter Seren Dannis was taken to the Meristine Work Camps in the Don System, forcing Renlo into reluctant cooperation under threat to his daughter's safety.
On October 31, 4159, a small, unknown band of mercenaries, later dubbed "The Killers of Hele," became instrumental in a devastating chain of events. Disguised as wealthy collectors, recently released Red Sun Dominion prisoners infiltrated a Trade Constellation stronghold on Echo Station in the Hele system, retrieving the Star Seer's Compass for the android GH 23. After escaping aboard their dubiously acquired ship, the Mistfortune's Gambit, they returned to find Hele ravaged by an AI war, initiated by GH 23 using the Compass. Siding with the Trade Constellation, the mercenaries ultimately detonated an EMP, causing catastrophic civilian and infrastructure losses but nullifying GH 23 and its AI army, cementing their notorious reputation.
A month later, on November 20, 4159, the crew of the Misfortune's Gambit landed on Verohka to refuel, only to find the planet under Red Sun-instigated lockdown. Amidst the chaos of a riot, they encountered Renlo Dannis, who, desperate to save his daughter Seren, offered them aid and a reward to rescue her from the Meristine work camps. True to his word, Renlo distracted a Red Sun Dominion Cruiser, allowing the Misfortune's Gambit to escape. Just six days later, on November 26, 4159, the Red Sun Dominion unleashed its ultimate weapon. Having acquired and assembled the Starkiller Relic, they tested its destructive power on the Fat system, a Mortal Veil colony populated by clones—a technology the RSD deemed "Maltech." The weapon caused the entire system to collapse into a black hole, wiping the system from the map.
As word of the Killers of Hele's involvement in the Hele war spread, the Red Sun Dominion retaliated against their allies. On December 2, 4159, negotiating with the Trade Constellation, the Red Sun arrested and transported anyone affiliated with "The Gears"—a black market smuggling operation allied with the mercenaries—including Thorne Balesworth and Grel Toffa, to the work camps on Meristine in the Don system. Later that month, on December 19, 4159, Zorvan Skale, the lone human survivor of Echo Station, attempted to sell GH 23's core. Using the "Misfortunates" as decoys, they smuggled a package to Blackpoint Station. The "Misfortunates" found the real core, which then sent a signal to The Mortal Veil, igniting a brutal race between The Mortal Veil and the Red Sun Dominion for the powerful AI technology.
The new year brought further unrest to the Don System. On January 9, 4160, the Red Sun's chilling project at Research Camp T7—integrating AI and cloning to create a superior biological enforcer known as "The Behemoth"—turned disastrous. The creature broke free, but an unknown hero contained and killed it before it could escape the facility, preventing wider chaos. Meanwhile, the resistance against the Red Sun gathered momentum. On January 11, 4160, insurgents Chaz Blarth and Yan orchestrated a tram hijack to infiltrate The Nexus Processing Hub, rescuing the eccentric tinkerer Grel Toffa, whose expertise was vital for completing the Malek's Call device.
A coordinated uprising quickly followed on Meristine. On January 14, 4160, Seren Dannis, stepping up as leader, spearheaded a critical mission to cripple the Red Sun Dominion by targeting an osmium cache at Meristine Spaceport. That same day, other insurgents triggered a sonic device, The Cacophony of the Call, summoning a massive swarm of Maleks to Work Camp A2, overwhelming Red Sun defenses and inciting a prison riot. The climax came on January 15, 4160, with "Thorne's Last Stand." Thorne Balesworth led a desperate rebellion, sacrificing himself to allow his allies to flee, a pivotal act that ignited a sector-wide "Free Stars" movement, proving the Dominion could bleed. The next day, January 16, 4160, fugitives allied with local resistance launched a daring two-pronged assault—unleashing a bio-engineered insectoid swarm and assassinating the Warden. With Seren Dannis's help, they detonated the Meristine Ignition, destroying a vital spaceport and crippling Dominion logistics, igniting a wider rebellion despite the ensuing anarchy.
Currently, the Red Sun Dominion, armed with its new Starkiller weapon, plans to use it to expand their reach, eventually taking over the entire sector, setting the stage for even greater conflict.
