The year 2181 was dominated by the "Private Mining Act" approved by the parliament, a law that authorized the estabilishment of new private colonies with mining purpose in the US systems.
Several civilian mining colonies was soon estabilished in asteroids and moons of the Sol and Alpha Centauri Systems. This liberalization open enormous wealth possibilities mainly for private shipping lines that lurks for transport and cargo contracts for mining equipment.
The survey situation of the four systems revealed that, apart for Sol, the remaining three, holds dormant jump points that can be exploted and searched for minerals and colonizable spots.
INTERLUDE
28 March 2181
Pax Astra Building F2, Starfleet Headquarters - 4th Floor
10.00 AM
The conference table of the "Green" room have all but one seat occupied by US personnel that speak quietly waiting for the last one.
After five minutes the door opens and the chairman of the US Parliament, Ryan Chadwick, enters the room, followed by the military salute of three fourth of the presents.
"Thank you and please sit down" said Chadwick, taking seat at one end of the table. Opposite to him was sat Michael Jenkins, the highest authority and head of the starfleet.
"I was called three days ago for this meeting for the approval of the Horizon Mission, the exploration of the three linked but unknown systems, Admiral Jenkins can you explain to my colleagues?" and it indicates the two men sit on the left and on the right of him. They was the governor of Stygies, Graig Schwing, and Solaria, Elliot Barton.
The admiral started.
"Yes Chairman, welcome all to this meeting, as Chairman Chadwick said in the last year we planned a mission to explore the nearest jump points and we decided to start from the two presents respectively on Barnards Star and Luyten Systems. The plan consist of the exploration from our two newest survey vessels of the jump point and the system linked to them."
"Why leave out the Alpha Centauri one?" said governor Schwing.
Replies the admiral: "Because due to the recent civilian activities related to the liberalization of mining contracts the high traffic of starship can give us problems"
Gov. Schwing: "Is it a secret operations?"
Adm. Jenkins: "Not properly, but we will prefer to gave it a low profile"
Gov. Schwing: "Reason?"
Adm. Jenkins: "You know, the colonization of the four sectors was relatively easy, took some time but we didn't find particular problem, and when I said problem I refer to the ruins on Hope. We didn't know who built them, and there are enough rumors about alien lifeforms that can cause problems. So the better choice is to make the news public only when the situation in these systems will be completely under control"
Survey Officer of the Starfleet, Luc Renoir, set in.
Cmd. Renoir: "We think that with our instrument, in less than two years we will be able to map all the system space, both gravitationally and geologically. We theorize also that these systems, that are, in fact, Ross 154 and Epsilon Eridani, will have jump points too."
Chr. Chadwick: "The reason of the presence of the two governor so is definitely linked to the secrecy right?"
Commander Kan Yutsuko, the Logistic Officer of the Starfleet, intervene.
Cmd. Yutsuko: "Exactly Chairman, we planned to launch the two vessels from Stygies and Solaria, they'll reach the jump points without any escort, and as soon as they finished, we will set up for the construction of the relative jump gates with jump comm relays"
The Jump Communication Relays was a net of buoys that will continously travel at high speed the jump gates, allowing the exchange of data between one part and another. With this system the communication between sectors was reduced to a very short amount of time, with a maximun delay of circa ten seconds.
Adm. Jenkins: "Here are the two commanders of the two Galileus Class Survey vessels, the Galileus and the Columbus, respectively Commander Stephanie Parry and Commander Dion Merryweather, they will depart from the Earth Orbital Docks the next week."
Cmd. Merryweather: "Excuse me sir, nobody tell me that we will not be escorted, I can say that I'm really worried about, we didn't know what await us on the other side of the jp"
Cmd. Parry: "Me too.. and I didn't like it if I must be honest"
Adm. Jenkins: "I know but currently the battlefleets are doing a joint training and as I said earlier we wish to keep a low profile. Anyway, on the other side you have the full decisional authority to take any necessary precautions"
Cmd. Merryweather: "But Admiral, the Galileus class didn't mount any weapon systems"
Adm. Jenkins: "Commander please be confident. I know better than you what class holds what weapons but I don't expect to find any sort of super-evil-entities on the other side of the points. Assuming that nobody come from them in the last millennium."
At this point the Communication office of the fleet, COmmander Madison Ryan take the point.
Cmd. Ryan: "We send in both the jump points a Recaptor Buoy, a new device that i sent on the other side of the jp and after three days it returns back. It holds no information or signs of intelligent activities, so we are confident about the success of the mission."
Elliot Barton, the governor of Solaria speech.
Gov. Barton: "So it can be even beneficial for the wealth of both Luyten and Barnards Star to have linked a colonized system, thinking that we will be between the system and the Earth"
Adm. Jenkins: "Exactly, the foundings of new colonies will be good for everyone."
Chr. Chadwick: "It seems fine to me, I approved the mission and I consider this meeting finished."
The next months, the vessels departed from their respective launch planets. Columbus enters Ross 154 while Galileus enters Epsilon Eridani.
7th April 2183
The gravitational survey of Ross 154 was finally finished by the SS Columbus. The time of the survey of the new system was defninitely underestimated by the Starfleet high command, but the survey revealed another jump point where the Columbus was diverted, after a refuel at Stygies, mainly because there aren't any planets or moon orbiting in the system.
15th May 2183
Epsilon Eridani was finished surveyed for the gravitational part, the Galileus was assigned to execute a geological survey of the only two planet present.
27th May 2183
The Columbus enters the newly found jump points on Ross 154 discovering the new system of Gliese 832, another empty system.
1st Semptember 2183
The first civilian mining colony outside Apha Centauri and Sol was estabilished on the 16th moon of the sixth planet in Luyten 726-8A system.
The SS Galileus finished the geological survey of Epsilon Eridani, it will explore the next jump location of the system.
5th October 2183
The SS Galileus discovered the Tau Ceti System.
12th October 2183
Admiral Jenkins in a public conference announces the "Horizon Mission" discoveries. Stock market register an exponential increase of shipping companies' stock prices.
INTERLUDE
11th December 2183
USS SS Galileus - En route to Solaria for refueling, ETA 20hrs
18.00 Earth time
The "incoming transmission" panel alerted the communication officer Adam Sayez of the USS Galileus of a transmission from the Starfleet.
Off. Sayez: "Commander, we received a transmission from the Starfleet"
Stephanie Parry was the commander of the Galileus since the meeting in Pax Astra that started the Horizon Mission.
Cmd. Parry: "Okay Sayez, give me access"
As soon as she replied, the blue monitor on her left show an order from the Admiral Jenkins that as soon as the gravitational and geological survey of Tau Ceti will be finished, the Galileus will have to return to Earth, finishing the "First Phase" of the mission.
"Thank god" thinks Parry. After two years of exploration of the system in the so-called "Left Arm" of the galaxy, she can return back home and bring her crewmans back. But she was dubious about the "First Phase", nobody tell her about a second one.
Off. Sayez: "Sir, we also receive the news of the finishing of the digging operation on Hope, it seems that the site was the ruin of a city inhabited by an unknown species of sentient beings..."
Cmd. Parry: "Impressive, so it's true, somebody live there in ancient times.. I think that our discoveries are nothing compared to this.."
