The Free Stars League had only been around for six months when everything nearly fell apart.
A quantum storm tore through the neutral buffer zone between the Void-Whalers, the Luminari, and a bunch of independent human colonies. The storm came from an old Maker relic that had gone wrong.
Fleets went dead in space. Habitats cracked open and vented air. Millions were stuck with failing life support, counting down the hours until they froze or suffocated.
Elizabeth called an emergency Concord Summit on the Wandering Nexus. The big ship had become the League's mobile meeting point.
Representatives from every side showed up pissed off and scared. The hall was packed. Translators worked overtime as voices overlapped.
The Void-Whalers blamed the Luminari for poking the relic. The Luminari shot back that human scavengers had triggered it first. Old grudges that everyone pretended were buried came roaring back.
