Starfield:Vanguard Orientation Hall

Government: Vanguard Orientation Hall (view on map)
Console Location Code(s)
Unknown (?)
Planet
Jemison
Location
New Atlantis
Controlled By
MAST

The Vanguard Orientation Hall is a museum located within MAST Tower. It is accessed by an elevator from the Vanguard Exam Center or from the central MAST Tower elevator. The hall is broken up into multiple sections, each with a series of murals and an accompanying voiceover about a section of the United Colonies' history.

People

Patron

Magazines, Slates, and Terminals

Item	Type	Collection	Description	Location
The Narion War	Terminal
Vanguard Registration	Terminal

The End Of Earth

• 

  In 2150, humanity learned that Earth's magnetosphere would collapse sometime in the next half-century, eliminating all life on the planet.
  In response, the nations of Earth rallied together to begin the search for a new home among the stars.

• 

  Decisive action was required. But the secure transport of an entire civilization would demand a new kind of cooperation, a new kind of courage, and a new kind of union. Thus, in 2159, the United Colonies were formed to make that journey possible.

• 

  Just one year later, the Galileo, the first of many colony ships, touched down here on Jemison, beginning a new era of human history:

• 

  The age of the United Colonies.

"Today, the United Colonies stretches from rugged Cydonia on Mars in the Sol system, to the bustling Den spacestation orbiting the star of Wolf."

"Together with Gagarin and New Atlantis in Alpha Centauri, these three systems form the nexus of galactic commerce, culture, and industry that is the modern United Colonies."

"The only part missing - is you. By joining the Vanguard today, you can begin earning your place in the galaxy's greatest society!"

...	Companion	Comment
	Andreja	The exodus from Earth meant more than just the beginnings of the United Colonies, but still. A tremendous undertaking.
	Barrett	In that moment, humanity changed forever. Nothing would ever be the same. They must have been scared out of their minds.
	Sam Coe	What a load of UC propaganda.*sigh* Still, I can't imagine living through all that. With the load [sic] literally falling apart all around you.
	Sarah Morgan	The effort and planning it must have taken to evacuate literally the entire planet. Can you imagine? The logistics alone must have been mind-boggling.

New Factions Rise

• 

  From their foundation, the United Colonies strove to provide all their citizens with opportunity, security, and peace.

• 

  But there were those among the UC that still wanted something more - independence.
  So, in 2161, the UC issued the Centaurus Proclamation, granting UC citizens the right to settle distant worlds and form their own sovereign powers.
  But to accommodate those citizens who wanted only independence, in 2161, the UC issued the Centaurus Proclamation, allowing settlers to form their own sovereign colonies.

• 

  It wasn't long before the first new faction - the Freestar Collective - was formally organized in 2188,

• 

  later followed by House Va'ruun, revealing themselves to the universe in 2230.

...	Companion	Comment
	Andreja	[¬Varuun?] I am beginning to find this presentation reductive and annoying. [Varuun?] Of course this has nothing positive to say about House Va'ruun. I should expect no less from the United Colonies.
	Barrett	Well, this is certainly an interpretation.
	Sam Coe	Finally the UC deigns to acknowledge the Freestar Collective. Really, big of them.
	Sarah Morgan	The result of the Centaurus Proclamation has always left me torn. So much conflict arose as a result. Was it worth it?

House Va'ruun

• 

"It was only in 2230 that the faction known as House Va'ruun first made contact with the rest of the Settled Systems."

"In 2230, another new faction - House Va'ruun - revealed itself to the galaxy."

"In 2230, not long after the end of the Narion War, another new faction - House Va'ruun - revealed itself to the galaxy."

--

"Founded by the passengers of a colony ship that had left New Atlantis and disappeared four decades earlier, House Va'ruun was a faction unlike any other."

--

"A theocracy dedicated wholely to the beliefs of its isolationist founder, Jinan Va'ruun, House Va'ruun initially made overtures of peace towards the rest of the Settled Systems."

"A theocratic union of noble households founded by isolationist Jinan Va'ruun, House Va'ruun initially made overtures of peace towards the rest of the Settled Systems."

--

"But the sudden appearance of a faction of strength and size to rival their own shocked the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective."

"The sudden appearance of another great faction shocked both the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective."

--

"They claimed their only intention was to spread the word of their god - the Great Serpent."

"House Va'ruun's claim that they were simply trying to spread the word of their god - the Great Serpent - was initially taken at face value."

--

"But none could have guessed that this worship might take the form of a bloody war - the Serpent's Crusade."

"None in the universe guessed that this worship might take the form of a bloody war - the Serpent's Crusade."

Freestar Collective

• 

"The Freestar Collective was initially founded in 2188, when the citizens of Akila banded together with the pleasure city of Neon in mutual defense."

"The Freestar Collective was founded in 2188 when the citizens of Akila joined together with the pleasure city of Neon in mutual defense."

"The Freestar Collective was founded in 2188 when the independent settlers of Cheyenne joined together with the pleasure city of Neon in mutual defense."

--

"The Collective and the United Colonies lived peaceably for years."

"But in 2194, after the deployment of a UC medical starstation in orbit around their world, the citizens of Narion also requested to join the Collective."

"But when the UC deployed an unrequested medical starstation - The Clinic - around the independent world of Narion in 2194, local citizens begged for Freestar support."

"But with the deployment of a UC medical station - The Clinic - around the independent world of Narion, unruly local citizens begged for Freestar annexation."

--

"The resulting rise in tensions between the Freestar Collective and UC culminated in the Settled Systems' first intergalactic conflict - The Narion War."

"UC and Freestar Collective fleets were deployed to the system - both factions claiming self-defense - and were soon drawn into open conflict."

"The UC and Freestar Collective both deployed fleets to Narion, claiming to act only in the interest of defense, but were soon drawn into open hostilities."

--

"Despite a decisive victory by the UC, the Colonies permitted the citizens of Narion to join the Collective, forming the basis for the fiercely independent union that persists to this day."

"Despite a decisive victory by the UC, Narion was permitted to join the Collective under one condition - no faction ever lay claim to more than three star systems."

"A decision that would lead to great strife in the years to come."

"The galaxy's first large-scale space conflict - The Narion War - had begun."

--

"The Narion War was humanity's first great struggle among the stars."

"The Grav Drive's ability to instantly teleport a ship behind enemy lines meant any planet in the galaxy could become the front line in a moment."

"For years, this led to a cat and mouse game between the Freestar Collective's canny but undisciplined fleet and the United Colonies' great navy."

--

"However, the UC military's organizational advantage eventually proved too much for the young faction."

"The Freestar Collective fleet was finally cornered and crippled by superior UC forces in 2166."

"But the United Colonies was merciful in the resulting negotiations, permitting the Narion system to join the Freestar Collective, as it stands to this day."

NB: Many deleted lines were moved to the nearby kiosk.

The Serpent's Crusade

• 

  Beginning in 2240, House Va'ruun forces declared all-out war on the rest of human civilization, initiating the "Serpent's Crusade."

• 

  Over the next twenty-three years, thousands of Freestar, UC, and independent souls were killed by agents of House Va'ruun in the name of their serpent god.

• 

  It was only with the death of their founder in 2263, and the succession of his heir, Jarek, that House Va'ruun finally sued for peace.

• 

  There remains, however, select members of House Va'ruun who refuse to recognize the cessation of hostilities their leaders established. Even after House Va'ruun's mysterious disappearance, these Zealots remain a threat to all who encounter them, their pacification a goal of all space.

Conflict Among the Stars

• 

  Of the many conflicts between the galaxy's factions, none was more brutal than the recent Colony War between the UC and the Freestar Collective.
  Of the many conflicts that occurred between the great galactic factions, none was more brutal than the recent Colony War.
  Set off by the unauthorized Freestar colonization of Vesta's Pride in 2308 - a direct violation of the Narion Treaty - the Colony War spread quickly across the galaxy.
  Triggered by Freestar Collective action on the world of Vesta's Pride in 2308, the Colony War quickly spread throughout the galaxy, with both sides deploying every weapon of war at their disposal.

• 

  Both sides deployed every tool at their disposal: armadas of warships, mechanized combat platforms - or "Mechs" - even bioengineered alien creatures - the infamous UC Xenoweapons.
  Massive battle fleets, devastating Xenoweapons, and crushing mechanized combat platforms became commonplace as the war raged on.
  Massive battle fleets, devastating Xenoweapons, military clones, and crushing mechanized combat platforms became commonplace as the war raged on.

• 

  It was only in 2311, at the Battle of Cheyenne, that the scales finally tipped. The Freestar Collective, utilizing their civilian fleet as a human shield, successfully crippled the superior United Colonies Navy.

• 

  After their shocking victory against the galaxy's greatest navy, the Freestar Collective offered terms of peace, which the Colonies, out of an interest in staving off any further human costs, accepted.
  The galaxy has been rebuilding ever since.

...	Companion	Comment
	Andreja	I suspect many in the Freestar Collective would take issue with the way the Colony War is represented here.
	Barrett	Omitting the verifiable facts about a conflict only ensures a repeat performance.
	Sam Coe	This... "History" is really starting to piss me off. All of it is spun so much it's basically lies.
	Sarah Morgan	The Colony War was a horrible conflict that irreparably wounded the Settled Systems. There were times I felt that it would never end.

The Battle of Niira

• 

  Few settled worlds were left untouched by the Colony War.
  The Colony War at its peak reached across the galaxy, from Mars on the UC side, to the Freestar Collective worlds of Vesta's Pride and Piazza.
  But nowhere could the viciousness of modern warfare be seen more clearly than on the Freestar planet of Niira.
  But nowhere could the viciousness of contemporary warfare be seen more clearly than on the Freestar planet of Niira.

• 

  Initially occupied by invading United Colonies forces as a forward operating position, repeated attempts to take and retake the planet by Collective forces led only to devastation.

• 

  Swathes of the world were transformed into scorched husks, a nightmarish testament to the depths of human ingenuity and human cruelty.
  The world was transformed into a nightmarish testament to the depths of human ingenuity and human cruelty.
  Waves of combat robots, advanced Mech platforms, and devastating alien weapons ultimately left the planet a scorched husk of its former self.

• 

  And today Niira remains a continuing reminder to the horrors of unfettered war.

The Terror of Londinion

• 

  In the midst of the Colony War, a different kind of tragedy struck the UC city of Londinion.
  A newly constructed but critical supply center for the United Colonies' war effort, Londinion found itself overrun by one of the galaxy's most mysterious predators - the Terrormorph.
  A critical supply center for the United Colonies' war effort, the city found itself overrun by one of the galaxy's most mysterious predators - the Terrormorph.

• 

  A rare but pervasive threat to all human-settled worlds, Terrormorphs swept over the city seemingly out of nowhere, on a scale never before seen in recorded history.
  To this day a rare but pervasive threat for all human-settled worlds, Terrormorphs struck the city without warning.
  Valiant efforts by the UC military slowed the onslaught, but the creatures proved unstoppable.
  Valiant efforts by local military slowed the onslaught long enough to attempt an evacuation, but the creatures proved unstoppable.

• 

  Ultimately, the decision was made to destroy the Londinion spaceport - sealing off the city, the outbreak... and its citizenry from the galaxy at large.
  To prevent the outbreak spreading further, the decision was made to bomb Londinion's spaceport, sealing off the creatures - and the city - from the galaxy at large, and leaving the people of the United Colonies grief-stricken.

• 

  The tragedy of Londinion is mourned by the UC to this day.

The Armistice

• 

  After the devastation wrought by the Colony War, the UC and Freestar Collective came together to ratify a treaty that became known as "The Armistice."
  After the devastation of the Colony War, a collection of rules were implemented to keep such an event from ever happening again. The terms of "The Armistice" were stringent.
  Both sides agreed to a vast reduction in standing forces and that Xenoweapons and Mech warfare would be outlawed.

• 

  All related research was sealed away, accessible only in cases of dire emergency.
  All related research was archived and kept under guard, accessible by mutual agreement, and only in cases of dire emergency.
  All related research was archived and kept under lock and key, watched vigilantly by a union of Freestar and United Colonies forces.

• 

  But the Collective had another demand - that the active commanders of the UC military stand trial for their actions.

• 

  The United Colonies, in the interest of peace and galactic security, agreed. In 2311, three United Colonies senior officers were found guilty. Commander Henry Durant, General Indira Rastogi, and Fleet Admiral François Sanon, known better as "Vae Victis." All were sentenced to death for their actions, bringing the Colony War to a close and returning peace to the galaxy at long last.

...	Companion	Comment
	Andreja	After everything, it is almost impossible to believe that the Armistice happened. But I admit I am glad it did. The Settled Systems have benefitted.
	Barrett	It was a scary time, to say the least. The Armistice was the only way we could survive... until the next terrifying weapon, anyway.
	Sam Coe	Well, they got this right at least. The Armistice was a necessary move. To make sure the next war doesn't wipe us out for good.
	Sarah Morgan	I was a strong supporter of the Armistice. All of the terrible weapons that both sides used against one another... it had to end.

Vanguard is Born

• 

  It was into this new world that the Vanguard was born.

• 

  An official branch of the UC Navy, the Vanguard is the United Colonies' volunteer fleet,

• 

  serving a myriad of security, logistical, and reconnaissance roles.

• 

  And after a sufficient length of service, UC citizenship is guaranteed to every Vanguard member. Open to all captains, regardless of origin, the Vanguard is leading the charge to protect and support the citizens of the United Colonies, wherever in the galaxy they may be.

UC Citizen

• 

  No one is born a United Colonies citizen; only through service to the UC can one hope to earn one's citizenship.

• 

  But the UC prides itself on taking care of its people. Cost of living controls mean citizens pay less than their foreign counterparts for needs big and small.

• 

  All citizens are issued a grant upon joining to get themselves on their feet. And only UC citizens have the opportunity to purchase property, getting the chance to live in one of the most beautiful cities in the Settled Systems.

• 

  By joining the Vanguard today, you too can begin earning your place here, in the heart of galactic civilization - as a citizen of the United Colonies.