View source for Comm-Link:Galactic Guide - Caliban System

To the youth of today, [[Caliban system|Caliban]] has always been a [[Vanduul]] system. They don’t remember it as home to millions of [[Humans]], but only as a place where Vanduul [[harvesters]] chew through worlds we were forced to abandon. Still, everyone has heard the stories of the [[Fall of Caliban]] in 2884. The frantic planet-wide evacuation. The panic-stricken public making matters only worse. Events that so shocked the Empire, many will always remember where they were when they first heard the news of the system’s loss.

Almost overnight, 500 years of Human history was gone. Now, the lives of those who occupied [[Crion]] exist only in historical records and the memories of those few who survived. For many today, this one tragic moment defines the system, yet Caliban is so much more. Its vibrant and tumultuous history dates all the way back to . . . well, we don’t precisely know.

=== Uncertain Beginnings ===

In 2341, hauler [[Ashley Ghan]] sold the location of the Caliban System to the [[UNE]]. Ghan was on a supply run in [[Nul system|Nul]] when an [[outlaw]] pack sprang a trap. Overmatched and under fire, Ghan quickly spooled her [[quantum drive]] and jumped. While running scans to make sure she wasn’t being pursued, she discovered an [[anomaly]] that ultimately turned out to be the [[jump point]] that took her to a new system.

In an instant, Ghan became an Empire-wide hero. Caliban, named after Ghan’s father, was only the sixth system discovered by Humanity. Yet despite offers to discuss her discovery with luminaries from the scientific community and capitalize on endorsement deals, Ghan quietly collected her reward and then disappeared.

When UNE pathfinders charted the system a shocking discovery was made. A Human structure already existed on [[Caliban 4f]], a moon of [[Caliban IV]]. Even though the building was poorly constructed, its location was expertly selected. Inside were crates of precious ores that would have required painstaking excavation, along with other clues leading experts to believe that it had been there for years.

News of previous Human activity in the system incited skeptics to call Ghan’s story into question. Dozens of people came forward to claim it was their shack, and thus their names should be added to the history books and money added to their accounts. Yet none had the jump data to prove it. Conflicting rumors swirled, with some claiming Ghan betrayed her former pirate crew, while others believed she was an elite [[infoagent]] cashing out and changing careers.

Eventually, Ghan came forward for an exclusive interview with [[Lynn Gal]]e. Viewer traffic to watch the live event was so intense it crashed a number of older networks around the Empire. Though demand was high, the interview did little to resolve the controversy. Awkward in an obviously rehearsed way, Ghan stuck to her story and denied being anything but lucky. For her, the discovery was apparently a blessing that had become a curse.

Public interest gradually abated, and attempts to uncover the shack’s history were unsuccessful. Still, Humanity’s first mysterious imprint on the system was not forgotten. All official government paperwork lists 2341 as the first recorded jump into Caliban, and “Unknown” appears next to its discovery date.

=== Progress & Peril ===

Following the system’s (re)discovery, the UNE immediately set to terraforming Crion (Caliban II). The public interest in the system was overwhelming, so once the planet was cleared for habitation, it wasn’t long before millions called it home. Life was normal in Caliban until February 18, 2617, when the large jump point connecting it to Nul collapsed. Thankfully the system still had a stable connection to [[Oberon system|Oberon]] and wasn’t isolated from the universe. Eventually, a small jump point reformed between Caliban and Nul, and has been there ever since.

[[File:Lostsquad-vanduul-scythe-res.jpg|left|thumb]]

Still, the incident shocked and scared many residents. Crion’s population steadily decreased for decades as some worried the system would suffer the same fate as [[Oretani system|Oretani]]. The ominous event cast a pall over the system, but no one could have imagined the horrors to come. In 2681, the Vanduul arrived on Caliban’s doorstep.

The attacks initially began as small raiding parties, but as time went on, skirmish after skirmish built to a final battle of a scale unseen again till the recent [[Battle of Vega]]. On July 7, 2884, a Vanduul clan lead by a massive [[Kingship]] slipped by sensor beacons and entered the system. The attack was swift and ruthless. Despite the Navy’s|Navy best efforts to defend the system from the ruthless invaders and the brave heroics of the men and women of the fabled ‘[[Lost Squad]],’ in the end, Humanity had no choice but to retreat in the face of overwhelming force. The system has been under Vanduul control ever since.