The Crimson Fleet Awaekening

Former SEAF Depot Maia-3

It is now January 2185, and the rebels are deeply worried about the Illuminates’ relentless advance. What will these insidious aliens do next? What if they already know about the rebels’ presence in the Severin sector? Should the rebels abandon their current plans and try to save what remains of humanity before it is crushed by the Squids? After all, we are all human; ideological differences should be put aside in the face of extinction. On the other hand, reclaiming these sectors might be humanity’s last chance for long-term survival as the Illuminates exact their revenge on Super Earth.

In any case, the time to act is now or never. The Illuminates would need considerable time to mount a major offensive against the Severin sector, since it is effectively disconnected from Quintus for large fleet movements.

The Crimson Eclipse, accompanied by two starships procured at the Moray deep-space listening post, has now established a base at the former Super Earth deep-space resupply depot “SEAF Depot Maia-3” — officially decommissioned and stricken from records after a 2179 “logistical restructure.” There, the crew has begun restoring two newly discovered starships and two additional cargo ships, which will serve as cover vehicles for the infiltration teams posing as scientists or engineers. From this forgotten base, Operation Black Echo is being prepared.

Operation Black Echo

Communications Officer Lirael and her team have been tirelessly monitoring Super Earth’s frequencies, gathering intelligence for Intelligence Officer Mira and her operators. Their plan: pose as legitimate cargo ship crews delivering supplies to military stations once they have mapped the resupply routes in detail. It will be extremely dangerous; if caught and interrogated, capture means certain death.

The best cover is to actually deliver tampered cargo. The rebels will intercept a large shipment of electronic devices and install miniature signal amplifiers inside them. Dogs, substance scanners, and customs officials routinely screen for explosives in suspicious cases, but compact signal boosters and receivers within communication devices such as phones, antenae or internet routers are virtually impossible to detect.

The two target worlds are Tibit and Ubanea. There, the disguised cargo ships will first dock at the orbital spaceports for inspection, then proceed to the planetary surface to offload the infiltration teams. The cargo holds will contain hundreds of rigged electrical appliances — antennae, personal phones, internet routers, etc. — each containing a hidden amplifier. Once these devices are distributed through the planets’ supply networks, the master relay Red Echo-9 will be activated, sowing the seeds for widespread unrest.

The Raven-1 pilots(ie former Hawk-1 pilots) recently carried out a piracy shadow-strike mission to acquire authentic cargo shuttles. They lay in wait on a nearby asteroid along a lonely supply route where two unescorted cargo shuttles of the desired model were scheduled to pass. The starfighters disrupted their FTL jump, immediately destroyed both vessels, and ensured their communication channels went dark. Without delay — thanks to precise timing coordinated by Communications Officer Lirael — the rebels’ disguised rogue cargo ships jumped in and assumed their place in the convoy.

Thanks to flawless role-playing by the “resupply” teams, the operation succeeded in inserting agents onto both Tibit and Ubanea without raising suspicion. The amplifier control unit, callsign “Whisper Mk-II,” was covertly installed inside the Tibit Shipyards’ central docking pylon (node #171 — surrounded by hundreds of identical junction boxes).

The saboteurs will now remain on these planets incognito, monitoring public sentiment and attempting to identify and recruit potential collaborators. Vera Libertas sympathizers could be hiding anywhere in the galaxy, even in the most obscure corners like Tibit.

Futuristic slum concept: Illustrator Mark Molnar

Red Gifts from the Void

It is May 13 2185. Without warning, the Great Host of the Illuminates erupts from the galactic void and begins its inexorable onslaught toward Super Earth. Humanity’s defenses collapse almost overnight. In the chaos, Operation Black Echo is fully activated: the low-frequency subversion signal now pulses steadily across occupied worlds. It is doubtful Super Earth’s communication relays will even register the intrusion; they have far bigger problems now.

The rebels face an agonizing choice: rush to Super Earth’s aid against the common enemy, or seize this moment of maximum weakness to declare secession and carve out their own future?

On the ground, progress is blooming faster than anyone predicted. The saboteurs inserted on Tibit and Ubanea have gone fully independent, operating as sleeper cells while awaiting final orders. The visions and dreams induced by Black Echo all revolve around seven simple, corrosive words:

“Why bleed for a planet that forgets you?”

Those words are already whispered in dark alleys, underground forums, factory barracks, and dissident circles across the inner colonies.

No one knows exactly how far the tampered appliances have spread by now. Carried by routine trade, resupply convoys, and civilian freight, the rigged devices draw power parasitically from their hosts’ batteries and may remain undetectable for years (perhaps forever).

Meanwhile, aboard the hidden outpost at former SEAF Depot Maia-3, the command staff is locked in heated debate. Is this truly the perfect moment to launch the rebellion? Their current fleet consists of only one aging destroyer (the Crimson Eclipse) and four Hawk-1 starfighters: no realistic combat advantage, only the element of surprise and the chance to strike first. Capturing Super Earth destroyers is still impossible; each seized vessel would require weeks of crew replacement and network reconfiguration, while being immobilized, before it could be turned against its former masters.

Suddenly, the comms sections is alerting everyone that something big is spotted on the radar and is commencing and FTL jump towards the Moray deep-space listening post's location. It is definitely not Illuminate; the jump vector originates from the Andromeda sector.

Socialist Propaganda: The Red Armada concept

The unknown fleet drops out of FTL precisely at the coordinates of the former Automaton Vanguard Outpost-07, where the Liberty Probe expedition took place. Within moments, an encrypted handshake request arrives from the same channel as the one used by the shuttle of the six socialists who were exiled a few months ago.

Comms Officer Lirael patches it through. The bridge speakers are on: "Greetings Sons of Anarchy. Red Marshall Karlsen here. We know your position, we just chose this as the meeting point in order not to give out your location to the Super Earth dogs. We have a gift for you, a token of gratitude. Bring your destroyer and the whole crew, because it is… substantial."

Bridge listening sceptically

Commander Kael exchanges glances with the command staff, then shrugs. “We’re in no position to refuse surprises right now. Helm, set course for Vanguard-07. Full burn.”

Minutes later the Crimson Eclipse translates into the outpost’s shadow and docks with the skeletal station. A boarding tube extends from the much larger Cyberstanian flagship.

The rebels step into a cavernous hangar lit by harsh red light. Rows of vessels gleam in perfect formation: sleek, angular, unmistakably Automaton in design.

Red Marshall Karlsen: "Welcome Crimson Armada!"

Anarchy Officer Malek: "Thank you 'comrade'. What's the occassion?"

Red Marshall Karlsen gestures to the First Officer: "Captain Yurco?"

Red Captain Yurco steps forward: "Yes! We would like to thank you for sparing us and granting us safe passage to Cyberstan. Thus, a small token of appreciation."

He sweeps an arm across the hangar.

Four heavy destroyers.

Three missile frigates.

Seven corvettes.

Nine agile gunboats.

And drifting in perfect formation above them: three squadrons of autonomous starfighter drones, matte-black and razor-edged.

Lieutenant Thorne’s jaw drops. “We… don’t know what to say.”

Red Captain Yurco: "All ships have instruction and operation manuals in human language. Crew requirements are minimal; targeting, navigation, even damage control are heavily AI-assisted. If we can commandeer them, you can too."

Commander Kael finds his voice. “I suppose this makes us even. Or puts us in your debt.”

Red Marshall Karlsen: "Let's call it even. Sufice it to say that if you change your anarchic ideas, you know which door to knock!"

Anarchy Officer Malek grins with humor: "We won't comrade Karlsen, but thanks for the offer"

Red Marshall Karlsen to Commander Kael: "Farewell"

The boarding ramp retracts. With a ripple of cherry-red FTL signatures, the Cyberstanian delegation vanishes toward Andromeda.

The rebels are left alone in the hangar, surrounded by more warships than they have trained crew to fly, staring at the instruments of their coming full scale rebellion.

Commander Kael exhales slowly.

“Well,” he says. “Now we can actually fight.”

Media: 1. Pinterest, 2. Art concept by Mark Molnar, 3. AI generated