The Ananke Conference

On behalf of the Galactic Syndicate of Planets, I would like to welcome you all to this summit, an opportunity for all citizens of the Seven Systems – not just those gathered here today – to grow and learn from each other.

– An excerpt from the welcome speech made by Nuri O’Callaghan on Day 1 of the conference.

• The GSS Ananke was a space station formed as a collaborative effort between each of the Seven Systems.
• The ship was designed to host a pan-galactic conference in the name of unity.
• A variety of factors led to rising tensions both on-ship and otherwise, leading to mass panic when the comms went dark.
• The ship exploded on the eighth day of the conference, becoming the trigger point for a war that engulfed all seven of the Systems.

OC note: all information on this page will be available as print-outs in session.

The Ananke conference was meant to be a nine day conference dedicated to galactic peace and prosperity, as well as an opportunity for every planet to show off their native achievements. Over fifty thousand people were invited, and thousands of stalls, exhibits and panels were held. However, despite the optimistic vision, fate decreed that this was not to be. After heightening diplomatic tensions on the first few days of the conference, the comms went dark on the fifth day and, a scant three days later, the ship itself blew up.

Many people credit the Ananke conference, and subsequent explosion, with being the trigger point that started the War. Even those who primarily blame other diplomatic tensions cannot deny that the revelations made at the conference must have played a significant role in making the War happen when it did.

Among the many scientific marvels displayed at the conference was an experimental time travel device known as the Chronos Machine. While, to all appearances, a functioning time machine, the Chronos Machine was limited in that it could only send people back to locations and periods in which a very specific set of conditions hold. The one reliable cause of these conditions is a Chronos Machine (or similar device) being switched on.

The replica of the machine created in recent years appears to be able to send people back to any time that the previous iteration of the machine was switched on. Aside from extremely limited test conditions, the machine appears to have been switched on every day of the conference, except day one.

The GSS Ananke ship consists of nine main areas, one for each of the Seven Systems (containing both their respective exhibition space and accomodations), one for the GSP, and one as the common space for everyone (this is where the main hall and main conference room were located).

While many events on the Ananke remain a mystery, prior to the comms blackout the conference was heavily covered by news networks. These are some of the major events that took place over the five days we know about.

In addition, the CHRONOS team were able to set up a telemetry system which bypassed use of the main comms system. While the information they were able to broadcast is rudimentary, it gives us an idea of some of the things which may have happened to the Chronos machine after the blackout.

By the time it rolled around, the summit had been almost a decade in the planning. While it passed between hands multiple times, the woman who ultimately wound up in charge of the project was Sonya Ionescu, head of the organising committee.

Ionescu led a team of a few thousand people to run the conference. This included both the core team running the ship from the centre and a number of liaisons with individual systems. It was estimated that a small army of cooks, cleaners, engineers and administrative staff would be needed to keep the conference running smoothly. Tragically, it appears that this estimate was a lowball one.

Some scientists from the CHRONOS project were on the ship. The team was a small one, led by Hesiod Jones and Delilah and Hussein Al’Maktoum. As the first public demonstration of the Chronos Machine, the team attracted a fair amount of attention as the tests appeared to run smoothly, producing the predicted results. The results of the tests were relayed back to the core team until the comms were cut on day five.

While the tests attracted a reasonable amount of attention, of more note was the appearance of a few people, notably including a ‘Kendall Stone’ who appeared to be from the future. While some doubted the veracity of his claims, many more believed them and a general belief in the Chronos machine’s power spread throughout the station.

Some of the interest in the machine was notably commercial in nature. Interest from groups such as Kedalian corporations, the Kybele government and the Eunomian government was generally seen as positive, before a bidding war on the machine and the technology behind it broke out on day five of the conference. The team’s efforts to defuse the situation were proven to be unsuccessful, considering the riot that ensued.

The conference also served as an exhibition of the cultural and scientific achievements of the Seven Systems. Demonstrations, talks, panels and suchlike were common throughout the conference, with topics ranging from Achelian mining technology to a history of Cheimeran dance.

The best teams from each system's Model Galactic Syndicate were invited to the summit on the Ananke Conference as a way of fostering interplanetary links between the youth. Model Galactic Syndicate was a popular educational competition simulating the negotiations which took place in the actual Galactic Syndicate prior to the War.

In the first few days of the conference, the MGS delegates were frequently seen interacting and socialising with delegates from other systems. This was widely publicised, as it was seen as an optimistic sign for the future. On the second day of the conference, they notably took over a slot in the main area and gave a talk about peace. A Cheimeran delegate, Esota Clayborne, gave a memorable interview stating a hope that Cheimeros would end its isolationist policies and start opening up to interplanetary culture. The response of the older Cheimeron delegation is not recorded.

The MGS also presented what had the potential to be a groundbreaking new forum for interplanetary cooperation, though tragically the comms were cut before the implications could be fully discussed, and all driving members of the initiative killed in the explosion.

One of the most significant announcements of the conference wars the Kedalion-Eunomian weapons deal. The two nations had a longstanding alliance, and the deal was not necessarily unexpected. However, when it was revealed to the Systems as a whole by an enterprising Kybele journalist known as Jem, the scope of the deal was seen as a large and immediate threat.

The details of the deal were never revealed to the public due to the Kybele comms cut on day four of the conference. Whether this is related to the complete failure of the comms on day five is unknown, but it is known that Selas in particular took the deal as a threat and immediately strove to make protective alliances against it. This could be to blame for some of the worsening tensions within the War.

There were rumours of a fungi-based Selasi bioweapon being smuggled onto the Ananke. The GSP were informed of this, which resulted in a full-scale search of the Selasi Petal. No trace of bioweapon was found. The Selasi delegates protested heavily at this act of mistrust, but the seeds of doubt were planted and it is difficult to tell how much this rumour affected the attitude of the Systems towards Selas in the aftermath.

It is known that during the later stages of the war, Selasi agents released a devastating fungal contaminant onto the surface of Eunomia, perhaps lending credence to the idea that such a weapon was brought onboard.

Princess Eusenia, daughter of the ruler of Eunomia, was present on the Ananke as an ambassador of peace. However, on the fifth day of the conference, she was the subject of an assassination attempt on live television, stopped only by the heroic sacrifice of a Visionary called Augustine. The culprit was identified as a Selasi agent and his confession broadcast to the galaxy before the comms were cut. This is generally agreed to be one of the motivating factors causing Eunomia to go to war with Selas.

The following is a report compiled by Mirza Ruan, general secretary to the CHRONOS team. It summarises known events on each day of the conference.

• 11:00 The ship is declared open. Delegates from across the Seven Systems start to arrive.
• 13:00 A light lunch is provided in the central zone to encourage delegates to mingle.
• 15:00 Opti Automation Solutions, in a display of incredible organisation skills, open up their demo lab, allowing conference attendees to test out the latest generation of Optis in a simulated environment, and see how they perform in various situations.
• 19:00 A welcome dinner is provided. The food was themed around traditional Cheimeron cuisine. A number of delegates announce hitherto-unreported shellfish allergies at the revelation of the meal, consisting mostly of shrimp paste and algae. The Cheimerons present were reported to express surprise at how good the food was.
• The Chronos Machine was not switched on, although it attracted a fair amount of attention form curious delegates. The scientists noticed some minor technical issues with the machine, but these were quickly resolved.
• Delegates with exhibitions set them up and ensure that everything was running effectively to open the next day.

• 0:00 The Chronos Machine is switched on to begin its warm-up phase. A few moments after the machine is switched on, a group of 23 people appear adjacent to it. The CHRONOS scientists are initially shocked, but adapt pretty well on account of already being aware that this is a theoretical possibility. One of the strangers quickly pulls the scientists aside to give them a debrief, the rest disperse.
• 06:30-18:30 Visionary historians deliver a public lecture programme on the history of the galaxy from 0 GC to the present day. The programme, delivered in the Eunomian exhibition hall, lasts the entire day, with short breaks for refreshments.
  • The tone of these programmes is, on the whole, very hopeful, with a focus on unity and the achievements of Eunomia. Attendees at these lectures remark that the programme was, on the whole ‘very compelling’ and ‘made some good points’.
• 12:00 The Chronos Machine is turned on for its first demonstration in a central exhibition stage. Two scientists from the project are sent back with a recording device, given a message to write down by a member of the audience, and return after an hour or so. Through the whole demonstration, a box is on the stage. The recording they took shows them appearing in a lab, writing down the message, and placing the note and a chronometer into the box, before returning. On their return, the box is opened - with the note as dictated by the crowd, and the chronometer showing a time a couple years later than that on the recording.
  • Several members of the CHRONOS team, in particular a scientist called Mana Ralone, are described as looking ‘shaken’. This is put down to nerves at the first test.
• 13:45 The Achelian petal hosts a display of what is termed in the programme as ‘interpretive strip-mining’. The large rock that formed the majority of the centre of the petal is quickly hollowed out by an expert team, making more room for later events.
• 14:00 Once the CHRONOS demonstration is concluded and packed away, the team of scientists make contact with one of their interns working on the newly-built Prometheus station, Grayson Stone. They ask him to set up a secure, remote storage facility on an asteroid near the station, which he does.
  • This done, they also start work on a remote telemetry system that doesn’t rely on the station’s Zidar arrays. This information is not made public, but is broadcast to the CHRONOS team and to the remote storage facility.
• 15:00 A corner of the Kybele petal is rapidly reallocated to so-called ‘Man of the future’ Kendall Stone, who conducts an interview with the major singing groups Delta-V and Egoistic Lily and, to everyone’s surprise, a couple of minor journalists called Jem and Hiro.
  • While there is initially some doubt about Stone’s status as being from the future, the musicians seem to believe him and word quickly spreads throughout the station. This is seen as a more interesting and compelling proof of the Chronos machine than the earlier experiments.
• 17:45 The leader of the Briarean delegation, Oscar Letts, fails to appear for a scheduled slot on the main stage. The slot is instead taken over by a group of delegates from the Model Galactic Syndicate conference who deliver a programme focused on interplanetary co-operation and peace.
  • The MGS are generally received positively. Buoyed by their success and restless after a long day of social programmes, a number of members go to set up a ‘philosophy cafe’ in a corner of the Briarean petal. Drinking and discussions of a ‘better tomorrow’ go on late into the night.
• 21:45 The Eunomian delegation report a theft from Princess Eusenia’s quarters. The delegation, in particular those close to the Princess, are on high alert.
• 23:58 The Chronos machine ends its cooldown phase. The visitors, by now widely accepted to be from the future, have mostly congregated back around the machine. They disappear as the machine is switched off.

• 0:00 The Chronos machine is switched on to begin its warm-up phase.
• 05:48 Oscar Letts is reported to have tragically died in his sleep after being taken ill the previous day. His named successor is revealed to be a gerontocrat called Charlotte, notable for the floral growths on her face.
• 09:00 – 18:00 The first day of the Model Galactic Syndicate conference starts.
• 10:00 Myriad Manufacturing unveil their new rapid prototyping station, able to quickly make small batches of just about anything. Early reports suggest that the system can create and build with composite materials with any required physical properties (e.g. rigidity, elasticity, thermal conductivity, or electrical properties), but can't mimic chemical properties, or radioactivity, and the resulting prototypes would not be safe and sterile for use as cybernetic implants.
• 12:00 The Chronos machine is given its second demonstration - the same as before, but this time with a volunteer from each system's delegation (though it is noted that none of the systems sent anyone particularly important). While some dismissed the previous day's demonstration as a magic trick, the visible surprise on several of the delegate's faces helps to convince more people of what they are seeing.
  • The crowd watch eagerly for the appearance of more people from the future, despite being told repeatedly by the CHRONOS team that ‘it doesn’t work like that.’
• 13:00 – 17:00 A selection of research, hand-picked by the government, was shown on the main stage of the Selasi area. Reviews of the display were poor, with many saying it felt more like a sales pitch than an exhibition of scientific merit. Some were disappointed, saying that they expected better from a nation known to be on the cutting edge of research.
• 13:25 The CHRONOS team are seen being given a gentle talking to about the importance of data security. For some reason, the Kedalions in the room seem to find this hilarious.
• 15:16 A display of new and improved gasbag technology in the Briarean petal is met with interest at the ingenious techniques used. One of Oscar Letts’ descendents is invited to speak as a symbol of cooperation between the young and old.
  • She then reveals herself to be from the future and gives a speech about the value of both the young and the old, and the importance of interplanetary cooperation. People are more excited about the ‘from the future’ bit than the rest of what she says.
• 20:13 A break-in is reported in the Eunomian petal. Eunomian security report that it is nothing for the other systems to be concerned about.
• 21:30 Xanthe Criss, a prominent Kybele singer, suffers a wardrobe malfunction on stage. She blames it on Tulip Aster, leader of a rival group of singers, who denies all knowledge.
• 23:58 The Chronos machine ends its cooldown phase and is switched off.
• Throughout the day, stirrings can be heard within the Eunomian petal. Despite being, on the whole, a warlike people, some Eunomians are clearly interested in a more peaceful approach. Some are seen approaching Selasi delegates to encourage them to return to the fold - though they are generally met with disgust and disapproval.

• 00:00 The Chronos machine is switched on to begin its warm-up phase.
• 00:34 The Eunomian petal is reported to be on high alert. Although they remain tight-lipped to all non-Eunomians, the phrases ‘Just vanished’ and ‘shoot on sight’ are heard.
• 06:00 - 21:00 An all-day religious ceremony (open to all) is held in the Eunomian chapel. Throughout the service, alongside the sermons, there are music and dance performed by Eunomian artists sponsored by Princess Eusenia. Famous Kybele artists make guest appearances. Some see this as a gesture of reconciliation between the two cultures that are traditionally hostile to each other, others are simply confused.
  • Some of the talks are notably pro-peace and unity, and suggest that Eunomia as a culture are more open to talks than previously suggested.
• 09:00 – 18:00 The second day of the Model Galactic Syndicate conference starts. While the conference itself seems to go smoothly, the breaks are filled with what seems to be quite urgent planning. A lot of it focuses on the Briarean delegation.
• 12:00 There is another demonstration of the Chronos Machine. This time, volunteers are chosen from the (by this point quite large) audience. People ask for alternative demonstrations – but these requests are refused by the CHRONOS team, who seem rather on edge.
  • A series of informational leaflets are handed out in an attempt to forestall more questions about ‘when will more future people turn up?’
• 12:20 A Kybele journalist known as Jem (last name unrecoverable) sends out reports that expose the Kedalian-Eunomian weapons trade deal to Kybele and the whole galaxy. Despite eager inquiries made by a number of news outlets, no further reports are made.
  • It is suspected that the Kybele comms array went down shortly after the announcements. The cause of this is unknown.
  • Jem is suspected to have died in the immediate aftermath of the comms failure. Her body was recovered the next day with wounds fitting the profile of electrocution.
  • While tragic, this is also seen as further proof of time travel, as it is now clear why Jem was asked for an interview.
• 16:00 The Briareon delegation unveil a new technology, developed to allow people to survive without food. The proof of concept for this technology has already been demonstrated by the Briareons from the future who appeared the day before, and so people are broadly very impressed.
• 22:15 Selasi delegates announce that they have signed a protection and nonaggression treaty with Briareos. Some of the delegates seem reluctant to announce this, with some describing Letts, off the record, as a ‘crazed old man’.
• 23:58 The Chronos machine ends its cooldown phase and is switched off.
• Unknown to the public until after the conference, at some point during this time an official alliance was forged between Kybele and Selas in response to the Kedalian-Eunomian arms deal.

• 0:00 The Chronos machine is switched on to begin its warm-up phase.
• 11:23 The GSP receive a report from a Kybele journalist known as Hiro (last name unrecoverable) that the Selasi delegates have smuggled a highly dangerous bioweapon onboard. The GSP security forces make enquiries and conduct a full-scale search of the Selasi petal, but no bioweapon is uncovered.
  • Selasi delegates make a formal protest against the GSP.
• 12:00 The Chronos machine is again demonstrated. The crowd is smaller this time, as it becomes clear that it will be more of the same from the previous days - and many people have other concerns.
• 17:45 A bidding war breaks out for the Chronos Machine in the main hall of the ship. Scientists responsible for the development of Chronos, led by Hesiod, attempt to calm people down, revealing that the machine was still in development stage and in no state for sale.
  • They further explain that even the research is not in a state that could be used by anyone but the current team, due to the high-level nature of the calculations involved.
• 18:15 The Achelian Tungsten Roses burst into the main room chanting an Achelian mining song loud enough to disrupt the crowd that have built up around the Chronos machine. It isn’t initially clear what they want.
• 18:20 A group of MGS delegates run into the main area with what look like the means to give a speech of some kind, but are unable to make themselves heard above all of the other happenings. The now-sizeable crowd in the main room spills over into side rooms, including the one where Eusenia is making a speech.
• 18:40 Princess Eusenia is the subject of an attempted assassination. Fortunately, one of the Eunomian delegation, a Visionary called Augustine, notices the shooter and jumps in front of her, sacrificing his own life for the princess.
  • Eunomian security forces move to immediately secure the room and not let anyone out. A lone figure is seen making a run for the exit, but is detained by swift action on the part of the Eunomian security forces and brought to an interrogation room.
• 18:40 Simultaneous it becomes clearer what the Tungsten Roses want - they vocally condemn Klaycorp for their corporate greed and eagerness to use inadvisable time science to increase their wealth, rather than to create art.
  • It is unclear how the Tungsten Roses plan to use time travel to create art, or whether they were just speaking metaphorically.
• 19:00 The MGS delegates are seen having a quiet argument amongst themselves, before a few of them gently hijack the stage. They thank the Tungsten Roses for their display and unveil a new plan for a youth forum that will build on the Model Galactic Syndicate to forge real change. The plan appears modest, but practical and well-thought out.
• 21:20 The Eunomians broadcast, both throughout the station and abroad, a video of the would-be assassin confessing to his crimes. He claims to have carried out the attack on behalf of the Selasi government, and ends the confession by saying the Eunomia must fall.
  • This is followed by a broadcast in which Princess Eusenia, pale and grave-faced, announces that although she would prefer to sue for peace, such a direct threat to her own person must be treated seriously. She encourages Eunomia to declare war.
  • No Visionaries are present in any of these broadcasts.
• 21:32 The main comms system collapses. It is suspected that this is due to the extensive interference by Kedalion corporate saboteurs, combined with the system overload from the sheer volume of communications trying to get out.
  • A back-up array, apparently only installed a couple of days previously, comes online. Although no broadcasts can be made, this does allow for some limited communications out of the ship.
• 22:01 A message comes through from the central GSP team reporting that there have been some minor casualties, but the majority of people are safe and the GSP security forces are in control.

• 04:30 The nearby planets of Achelia and Selas both send out probe ships to attempt to establish what happened on the ship.
• 12:54 The CHRONOS team send out an urgent communiqué relating that members of the Briareon MGS delegation have attempted to steal the Chronos Machine.
  • This tallies with readings from the Prometheus asteroid, which show a blip occurring some time around the middle of the day, suggesting that something happened to the machine.
• 19:32 A garbled message comes out. It cuts off part way through, but the signature suggests that the sender was Kybele. Most of it is corrupted, as though someone caught it on the way out.
• 20:45 The GSP send a short message declaring a state of emergency onboard the Ananke.

It is known that the machine was turned on at midnight and off at the next midnight, as had happened on the previous days.

• 08:20 The Eunomian and Kedalion negotiators send out a short message confirming that their arms deal is going ahead, with the blessing of Princess Eusenia.
• 11:06 The Selasi delegation send out a message warning their government about ‘re-unificationists’ on the ship, but said message is unclear.
• 16:34 A representative of Briareon farming contingent announce that the ship is under control again. No further communications are received directly from the GSP.

f th Information stored on the Prometheus asteroid shows an event in the machine’s readings leading to an instability growing within the machine’s core. It is known that the machine was turned on at midnight and off at the next midnight, as had happened on the previous days.

• 14:54 A message from the CHRONOS team comes out. It only says ‘Machine attacked, instability critical, tell family and team we love them.’
• 15:00 All comms and systems cut. The Ananke can no longer be found on any sensors.

Information stored on the Prometheus asteroid shows that the instability detected in the machine on the previous two days grew to extremely dangerous levels. The recording cuts out at the point where it reaches a critical level.

Events known to have been planned for this day include a closing dinner showcasing the finest cuisine from all of the systems, and a collaborative performance of cultural highlights from each system.

Investigatory ships from Selas and Achelia arrived at the last known coordinates of the Ananke. They found exotic matter which suggested that some the cause of the destruction may have been a collision between the station and an object travelling at faster than light (FTL) speeds - something that should not have been possible given the design of the station, as any FTL object should have decelerated to rest at a safe distance.