Editing Backstory

- Main Page; [[Travellers In Thieves World]]

==Captains Log ==
Captain E.S. Finegan - Final Entry.

It all started with ''Freya''.  The first discovery of a colonizable planet with humans already on it.  Up until then every planetary claim was either a mineral planet or habitable but unpopulated by sentient life.  Freya shook up the existing ruling class structure.  New nobility entered into the political system via the existing nobility on ''Freya''.  It couldn't have happened at a better time as far as the existing nobility was concerned.  Too many old houses had lost their fortunes on badly placed colony bets, frivolous spending or general mismanagement.  Here was a way to marry old noble houses into new money within the existing social order.  Thus began the great colonial gold rush.  Since then five planets have been found with human civilizations either currently or previously existing.   

Doctor Myral of Oxford Ancient Studies provided our destination.  While combing through old pre Atomic Era records Dr. Myral came across the data records from a deep space probe.  The notes associated with the probe said the probe had malfunctioned and the data corrupted.  Dr. Myral took a deeper look and found data was not corrupt.  The probe had passed through a wormhole, an unknown phenomena at the time, making it appear the data was corrupt when in fact it was not.  Recorded by the probe was an inhabitable planet with conditions viable for unassisted human living designated ''Voyagers Hope'' by Dr Myral.  Dr Myral entered into an exclusive agreement to sell the location of ''Voyagers Hope'' and the probe travel route to The Azul Group.   

The Azul Group is lead by The Earl of Latimer - Jonathan Blackgar , Wilhelm Diamond Head of the Morgan Transplanetary Bank and Amil Zolish former Director of Intelligence for the Federation of Aligned Planets.  The Azul group outfitted the expedtion with three Mercenary Cruisers, one Patrol Cruiser,  one Laboratory ship and a Subsidized Liner.  Various minor investors have provided Scout ships, a Safari ship and at least on Yacht.  

An undetected meteor storm hit as we exited the last jump.  I had the misfortune to watch as the entire Azul group fleet was destroyed by meteors.  My ship the ''Cruel Mistress'' has been rendered inoperable.  Radiation shielding has failed completely.  What little crew that survives has been exposed to lethal levels of radiation.  

I'm putting this message in a broadcast beacon in hopes that some of the slower ships arrive late enough to miss the storm.  Find ''Voyager Hope''.  Tell my wife and children my final thoughts were of them.  I'm sorry I won't be home for Christmas.   


One last note.  Dr Myral went missing shortly before the expedition left.  I suspect members of the Azul group had him killed to prevent competitors.  In any case it that was their goal it failed.  Reports of the probe and planet have begun to surface in fringe news agencies.  The Azul group has been having some success at limiting impact of these reports but the word will leak out.  It's only a mater of time before another expedition arrives.  Move quickly to negotiate a claim and rights to settle.  

May your luck be better than mine,
Captain Ephram Salvador Finegan