THE GREAT MOTHER MISSION

TIME FOR ANOTHER HISTORY LESSON

In 2180, the United Nations proposed that a multi-national, multi-corporation expedition should travel to learn the fate of the Far Spinward Colonies and reconnect them to the Middle Heavens. Recession, and the recollection of the abundance in the old colonies, made this a mouth-watering prospect to the UA, 3WE, and UPP alike—the Great Mother Mission was established by the United Nations Interstellar Settlement Corps (UNISC), under the command of a UN bureaucrat, Governor Kholwa Abantu. Naturally the Interstellar Commerce Commission (ICC) were to be well-represented, to ensure fair play and all safety protocols were stringently followed.
A colossal Deucalion-class colony ship—the UNCSS Ìyánlá—was launched in 2182, with its four Magellan-class support ships: the UNCSS Umsindisi, UNCSS Solovetsky Island, UNCSS Chimata-no-kami, and UNCSS Typhoon. With the addition of three Throop Rescue and Recovery CM90V Corvus-class salvage vessels, the flotilla was ready to sail.

THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE GREAT MOTHER MISSION

The expedition’s total crew complement is 185
Senior Flight Officer, Captain Tadesse Kondwani
Ìyánlá’s flight crew: 35
Administration, corporate and ICC representatives: 50
UNISC Peacekeepers, security drawn from the 3WE, UA and UPP: 40
Magellan SEV crews: 10 per vessel, total 40
Throop Corvus crews: 6 per vessel, total 18
Colonists in cryosleep: 10,000
Human embryos in cryopreservation: 12,000
Enormous stores, including various seeds and livestock

WEYLAND-YUTANI

The senior W-Y corporate on board is Director Kamal Vartouhi, but day to day running of Weyland-Yutani’s affairs, and the colony ship UNCSS Ìyánlá, are overseen by a Platinum Edition reissue of the Walter series synthetic, called Gaius.
Most of the Far Spinward Colonies were established by the old Weyland Corporation and had fallen under the authority of the 3WE before the Isolation. Director Vartouhi naturally wants to see these outposts returned to the fold and ensure that Weyland Corporation’s centuries-old investment finally pays off but is less concerned by this than the 3WE seems to be.

“GREAT PARTNERSHIP”
“We are blessed, all of us here today, to see what humankind can do when we put our heads together in cooperation, rather than bang our heads together in confrontation. The Great Mother Mission has brought about ‘the Great Partnership,’ the partnership of all the supernations and mega-corporations, working together for the good of humankind. Together you will find the lost colonies, restore their people, banish the isolation and bring our lost brothers and sisters back into the family of humanity. The Great Mother Mission is a beacon of collaboration and friendship—an example to all of a better future, standing not arms versus arms, but arm in arm! Godspeed Ìyánlá!”

— On the eve of launch, the Secretary General of the UN gave an address to the people of Earth:

UNITED AMERICAS

More than anything, the UA joined the expedition to keep an eye on their rivals, and now enemies, the UPP. The news of the Frontier War back home has not immediately opened hostilities within the Great Mother Mission, thanks to the mediation of Governor Abantu. But tensions are simmering and the UA leadership, under Valentina Berezi, keep trying to provoke the UPP into doing something stupid.

THREE WORLD EMPIRE

The 3WE is focused on two things: bringing their former colonies back within the fold before they can be incorporated under the UNISC and keeping a lid on the growing support for the break-away New Albion Protectorate (NAPRO). Under their mission leader, Colonel David Buston, they will jealously guard their interests as former overlords of the Far Spinward Colonies, and seek to suppress, and eventually crush, the NAPRO sympathizers within their ranks.

UNION OF PROGRESSIVE PEOPLES

The UPP, always wary, long suspected that the other nations were conspiring to exclude them from the riches to be found amongst the Far Spinward Colonies. To avoid that outcome their mission leader, General Nurlan Ozolinski, has taken steps to secure the new frontier for the UPP alone.

INTERSTELLAR COMMERCE COMMISSION

Laboring under the disdain of every space-faring organization, the ICC sees this expedition as the perfect time to re-assert their authority. As such, the ICC inspectors are under orders from their chief, Superintendent Jim Busby, to get into everything being done by the expedition—they will be especially stringent about quarantine protocols for items or specimens that may be of extra-terrestrial origin.

THROOP RESCUE AND RECOVERY

Throop Rescue and Recovery is a highly regarded private company under the leadership of Alecto Throop. TR&R has been contracted by the UN to provide support operations as part of the Great Mother Mission and brings three Corvus-class ships at the expedition’s disposal. Throop answers to Governor Abantu. TR&R can be called in to rescue the PCs should they become stranded.

THE MINOR CORPORATIONS

Hyperdyne Corporation (under Director Pereira Abrams), Omni-Tech Resources (CEO Kim Bak) and the Kelland Mining Company (Prospector General Lee Taylor) are all signed on for the Great Mother Mission. They see this as the chance to elevate their companies into the big leagues and will scrabble for resource rights and contracts as hard as anyone.

THE NEW ALBION PROTECTORATE

Not officially represented on the Great Mother Mission, there are several members of the 3WE who openly sympathize with the New Albion Protectorate’s position.

Related Historical Events

• 2186
  The Great Mother Mission arrives
• 2183
  Launch of the Great Mother Mission