Table of Contents

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.

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

The Conference

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

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).

What we know about

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.

The GSP and organising committee

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.

The CHRONOS team

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.

Following the bidding war, the machine came under threat from several different and unexpected corners as a group of Briareons sought to acquire the machine for their own ends, governments made various other attempts and a group of Eunomians actively attempted to destroy the machine. It is believed that this last act was what led to the station’s destruction.

Exhibitions and demonstrations

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 Model Galactic Syndicate Ananke Summit

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 all driving members of the initiative were killed in the explosion. The scheme was as a result, never implemented, though it was later discussed.

The Kedalion-Eunomian weapons deal

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. 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.

The Selasi bioweapon

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, though an anonymous tip suggested that the weapon was actually in a separate section of the ship.

This suggestion is supported by the later disease outbreak on the ship, where a biosample carried by a Selasi reunificationist was released, resulting in the contagion rapidly spreading throughout the ship.

The Eunomian assassination plot

Princess Eusenia of Eunomia was onboard the ship, nominally as an ambassador of peace. However, broadcasts made on day 5 revealed a different story, showing the princess to be part of a plot to instigate war. The cornerstone of this plot was to stage her own assassination, framing Selas for the attack. This plot failed.

A Day-By-Day Breakdown

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.

Day 1 – 1262.22

Day 2 – 1262.23

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

A number of systems, in response to the news that the Ananke will explode, send out ships in the hopes of collecting any survivors. As even the fastest ships take at least 2 days to arrive, hopes are low.

Day 7

Day 8