Invasion
In April 2571, every single colony across
Union territory was suddenly and unexpectedly invaded. Portals opened on each planet, and hordes of creatures spilled through, numbering in their thousands.
Terra and Phoenixspire received the harshest invasions. While the Union forces were successful in defending their colonies, the result was catastrophic.
Civilian casualties numbered in the billions and colossal damage was inflicted to military hardware, technology and infrastructure. Investigations found that the energy signature emitted from the portals matched the readings taken on the planet Acheron.
Acheron
Acheron was a world that had mysteriously appeared in space within GSU territory eight years prior, prompting Union forces to land on the planet and establish bases for research. Attempts to contact the planet were futile. Upon further investigation, it was found that each portal had been generated by specially designed and purposely placed bunker-like constructs. These generators had been created by a corporation known as Meteor Enterprises, which was a government contractor that had research bases on Acheron.
Note: This was the same company that was infiltrated by Gavin and co during the NIA’s Persecution of Supernatural Races.
Sacrifice
Meanwhile, the Celestial Descendant
Sam'anar took notice of the attack and realising that something ancient and sinister was brewing on Acheron, decided to intervene. He enlisted the help of the Aspect of Time; Jack Chronis.
Together, the two of them attacked Acheron with the aim of destroying the planet. While they were successful, the resulting explosion of red cosmic energy contained within the crust of the planet killed both of them immediately. Simultaneously, the sudden release of so much red cosmic energy caused spatial anomalies to occur, wherein the fabric of reality was distorted and ripped open.
The Mist
These anomalies generated unstable portals that appeared in sectors across the entire Milky Way. What remained of Sam’anar and Chronis’s residual energies leaked through these unstable portals and quickly flooded the galaxy in the form of a red Mist.
Cataclysm
The Mist proved to be highly destructive of almost everything it came into contact with. Entire planets were rendered uninhabitable, artificial constructs such as ships and stations were dissolved and attempts at warpspace jumps through the Mist were unsuccessful. What used to be Acheron was replaced by a large planet-sized portal made out of red cosmic energy.
In the end, only a few sectors survived, one of which included the Union sector. What remained of the Serpentum Imperium managed to escape to this surviving sector, and an agreement was reached where the Union would hand over half of their planets for the Imperium to occupy.
With the rebranding of the Imperium to the Dominion, the Union-Dominion sector received refugees in the form of remnant factions from across the galaxy. These remnants settled down and joined either the Union or Dominion halves of the sector.
A Decade Later
Ten years after the Acheron Cataclysm, both factions were struggling to maintain stability, with the Union being worse-off due to the complete annihilation of its navy. However during the decade, rebuilding efforts and methods to economically stabilise the sector were well underway.
However, with the threat of the Acheron portal still looming in the sector, both Union and Dominion platforms stationed there and their civilian and military personnel anxiously anticipated the threat of oncoming Demonic invasion. And this anxiousness was well founded...
