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Levian Bay

1.

Deployment Orders: Operation Rain Shadow

Lore

Soldiers of the Dominion, today you march for glory!

Our landing zone is at the edge of Levian Bay in an area the locals call Seaspine Point. We have many Dominion citizens occupying the area, but dangerous locals and the accursed Exiles are violating our sacred right to this world. It is here that
we begin the fight to take this planet from those traitorous scum!

Primary mission objectives include:
– Support for the Artemis Zin expedition to Star-Comm Station.
– Securing the Star-Comm Station facility.
– Elimination of local threats including natives designated Pell and Skeech.
– Logistical
support for DRED weapons researchers.

Standing orders:
– Defense of Dominion citizens with lethal force.
– Claiming uncontrolled territory.
– Kill orders against any and all Exiles.

Levian Bay is where it all begins, soldiers. The gods have offered up their own world to we proud inheritors of the Eldan legacy. Now we must prove we are worthy of this gift and defend it with our very lives!

General Kezrek Warbringer

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Levian Bay

1.

Meeting the Caretaker

Lore

[This appears to be an in-progress script for a holo report describing Artemis Zin’s first meeting with the Caretaker avatar found in Star-Comm Station. It’s sure to be the subject of an upcoming broadcast.]

This is Lady Artemis Zin, recording live from the surface of the mysterious planet of the gods, Nexus! In just a moment, we’ll be taking you inside a massive
Eldan communications facility in Levian Bay. But first, I’d like to introduce you to a new friend of mine. He calls himself… the Caretaker.

I first heard of the Caretaker in initial, highly classified reports the Exploration Society received from the Dominion expedition first dispatched to claim the planet. He – for he definitely appears male – is a holographic AI construct that appears to be present in many Eldan facilities on Nexus. It
is believed, and claimed by the construct himself, that he was created to manage and maintain the Eldan’s many diverse operations here. But you know me, viewers. Pat explanations have never been my cup of Altraxian tea, so I decided to go straight to the source.

One thing the initial reports didn’t mention? The Caretaker is quite charming! He is also frustratingly elusive, despite an outward demeanor that
appears to be completely helpful. Clearly, he has been programmed with safeguards that do not allow him to reveal too much of what he refers to, incessantly, as “the Project.” This is not the first time I have come across this term, and I doubt it will be the last.

Charming or helpful, the Caretaker may be the key to my search for the Elder Cube. If my research proves correct, Star-Comm Station in Levian Bay contains this
amazing relic, and it, in turn, is the key to understanding what the Eldan were trying to accomplish on their world. Already we know this planet is covered with extensive complexes and still-functioning systems designed to create and manipulate life, but to what end? How did they accomplish their great works? And where have they gone? To where, exactly, did the gods ascend?

I cannot guarantee it, but I believe the
answers to these questions start with the Caretaker.

It is fortunate that this Caretaker appears to be fully functional. I have heard many reports of malfunctioning Caretakers who have proven to be quite dangerous, but it’s my belief even the most broken Caretaker node may be repaired with enough knowledge. Perhaps I will have the opportunity to test this belief at Star-Comm Station.

Kevo, as usual, is skeptical.

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Levian Bay

1.

Rocks

Lore

[This specialty publication is designed to appeal to the baser instincts of a largely Granok readership.]

FEATURED CONTENTS
ROCK TALK: Your rockin’ correspondence…..002
IGNEOUS NIGHTS: Pictorial…..006
INTERVIEW: Krag Studrock rocks our world!…..012
METAMORPHICA: Lava-hot fiction by erotic powerhouse “Rocknonymous”…..022
CHIPS, FLAKES, AND GRAVEL: All the news and pix that wouldn’t
fit…..036

——————

ROCK TALK

Long time reader, first time writer.

Been a fan of Rocks for a long time, especially the letters page, but never thought I’d have any kinda experience worth writin’ in about, ya know what I mean?

The first thing I noticed about her was her shine. Real polish on this one, reflective in all the right places with a walk that makes a fella feel metamorphic and boulders like I ain’t
seen since the War of Gnox. I was on guard duty and hadn’t seen any trouble all night until she walked up.

“Hey there… lieutenant?” she asked me.

“Ha! Do I look like a stinkin’ Dommie? I’m just an old-fashioned merc trooper. Don’t call me ‘lieutenant,’ I work for a livin’.”

“Good,” she purred, and the moon glinted off her shiny, light-blue shoulders in a way that left nothin’ to the imagination. “Because I got a job for ya,
soldier.”

I never seen rocks move like that, but a few seconds later, guard duty was the last thing on my mind.

[The text reads CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE, but the text reader appears to be stuck on this page.]

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Levian Bay

1.

STRATEGIC ANALYSIS: Star-Comm Station

Lore

Prepared for the Widow by Agent RM-86

Initial reports indicate we were beaten to the punch on this one. I accept full responsibility for this oversight and will freely accept whatever punishment you deem necessary, my lady. It is my hope that the information I was able to acquire from the Dominion’s data networks will ameliorate the situation.

ITEM 1: We have confirmed that the infamous Lady Artemis Zin, as well as her aide, the Draken man-at-arms Kevo, are at the Star-Comm
Station facility. We believe this is definitely related to her publicly stated ambitions to discover a famous Eldan artifact.

ITEM 2: We have ascertained that this artifact, the so-called “Elder Cube,” may well be contained within Star-Comm. Unfortunately, at this time we have no reliable way of accessing the facility. We are working on infiltration for more reliable information in this regard. The best bet at this time appears to be a mechanical infiltrator, but I fear that a standard spybot –
even in disguise – would stand out amid the many Eldan constructs still functioning in the area.

ITEM 3: As the name seems to imply, much of this facility appears geared toward communication. But communication with whom? I do not believe even Lady Zin has figured this out. Yet.

[This remainder of this report summarizes the specific technical details the Black Hoods’ agents used to acquire this data and could reveal some leaks in the Dominion’s secrecy apparatus.]

Lore

– Prepared by the Exploration Society –

Based on preliminary reports, the Exploration Society has selected Levian Bay as a primary landing site for newly arrived Dominion citizens on the planet Nexus. Although much of this area is still untamed, the might of the empire will soon bring the natives to heel and reveal previously unknown
secrets of the Eldan themselves.

The primary landing zone in the area has been designated SEASPINE POINT. The Dominion military will ensure the area is secure from Exile infiltration and native attacks, an ongoing operation that will no doubt soon be brought to a glorious conclusion.

Perhaps the most noteworthy site at
Levian Bay, beyond the excellent natural harbor and highly defensible promontories, is STAR-COMM STATION. This facility, the name of which has been discovered in Eldan reference works dating back to the pre-war era on Cassus, appears to be a powerful Eldan communications facility designed to broadcast signals
across vast gulfs of space – and, perhaps, time. Until the site can be accessed internally, full details of the station will have to wait. Noted Society member Artemis Zin and her aide Kevo are leading an exploratory expedition to the facility, and results are eagerly anticipated.

Native entanglements are, sadly, to be expected, at least until military operations can eradicate all interlopers and savages. Take precautions when traveling near the small blue creatures known as SKEECH, a
nasty little species who are known to have developed a taste for human flesh since the discovery of Nexus. We have also been notified of a local PELL tribe which could prove far more dangerous. This tribe appears to be affiliated with the power of primal water, and their priests – while primitive by galactic standards – have mastered the ability to manipulate this elemental energy with great skill. They may even be able to
influence major weather systems. Caution is advised until these Pell can be negotiated with or, more likely, eliminated.

Questions? Please contact your local Exploration Society representative via approved channels. For questions specifically related to Lady Artemis Zin, please add the words “Lady Zin” to the subject of your message. No autograph requests, please.