The Story So Far
The Precursors did not vanish. They built a machine — a Verdict Engine — designed to evaluate civilisations that reached a certain level of spacefaring capability and judge whether they deserved to survive contact with what lies beyond the Void. The engine has been dormant for six thousand years, slowly charging. The relay stations were its test — and humanity's factions spent centuries fighting over them instead of cooperating. The Engine has registered a preliminary verdict: Failed. You have one chance to change it.
Missions
- 01
Into the Deep
Navigate the treacherous subspace corridor to the Ancient Machine's outer shell
- 02
The Wardens Awaken
combatDefeat the automated guardian fleet protecting the machine's core approach
- 03
Speaking Precursor
puzzleDecode and interface with the Verdict Engine's language protocol using all collected codex entries
- 04
What Will You Show It
choicePresent humanity's case to the Verdict Engine
- 05
Preliminary Verdict
Receive the Verdict Engine's preliminary judgement and survive its response
The Choice
At the climax of this chapter you decide present humanity's case to the verdict engine. Each option branches the campaign down a different faction path.
Present evidence of inter-faction cooperation you have brokered
Consequence: verdict pending positive, all faction rep +500
Present the sacrifices made defending others throughout your journey
Consequence: verdict pending hopeful, personal legacy +200
Defy the Verdict Engine's authority and demand it stands down
Consequence: verdict pending contested, engine combat phase unlocked
Codex Entries Unlocked
Completing this chapter unlocks the following lore codex entries for your archive.