THE GALACTIC EMPIRE HAS FALLEN AND IS
NOW DEAD. THE MILLIONS OF WORLDS IT HAD
ONCE HELD IN IT'S IRON GRIP HAVE NOW
BEEN LEFT TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES. MOST
DETERIORATED INTO ANARCHY AND SOME EVEN
DIED. SOME, HOWEVER, MANAGED TO RETAIN
THE FORMER GLORY OF IMPERIAL TIMES, BUT
THESE WORLDS ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN,
AND ARE HARD TO FIND, OWING TO THEIR
ISOLATION FROM THE GROWING DECAY AROUND
THEM. IT HAS BEEN THIS WAY FOR AS LONG
AS ANYONE CAN REMEMBER, AND THAT AMOUNTS
TO HUNDREDS OF YEARS. THE LATEST
ESTIMATES SAY THE EMPIRE COLLAPSED
AROUND 900 YEARS AGO, IN THE 12,105TH
YEAR OF THE GALACTIC ERA.


NOW, THE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS OF THE
PLANET EARTH, THE ONLY WORLD IN THE
GALAXY TO HAVE BEEN INDEPENDANT OF THE
GALACTIC GOVERNING BODY THROUGHOUT THE
12,000 YEAR GALACTIC ERA, ARE SENDING
OUT INTO THE GALAXY THE FIRST FEW
TENUOUS THREADS OF A SECOND EMPIRE.
FOR 200 YEARS, MEN EQUIPPED WITH LATE
MODEL IMPERIAL VESSELS HAVE BEEN
SEARCHING THE GALAXY FOR PLANETS STILL
RETAINING WORKING GOVERNMENTS, AND SO
FAR, 12 SUCH WORLDS HAVE BEEN FOUND,
AND ALL HAVE JOINED THE FEDERATION THAT
WILL ONE DAY RULE THE GALAXY.


     ENTERING THE STARSHIP NWI4000



     THE PLANET ORION-ZETA-7 IS AN
     E-TYPE PLANET WITH A NITROGEN-
     OXYGEN ATMOSTPHERE, TYPICAL OF
     AN ARTIFICIAL TERRAFORM AROUND
     8000 YEARS AGO.

     PREPARE TO DISPATCH SHUTTLE TO
     COLLATE DATA ON THE PLANET AND
     ITS MOON...


     DATA ON MOON:
     DIAMETER:
      3000KM°

     ATMOSTPHERE:
   NONE

     MAIN ELEMENT:
  SILICON

     GRAVITY:
       0.04

     TEMPERATURE:
   -100dC TO 50dC

     COLONIES:
      ONE, DESERTED
     SHUTTLE IS NOW IN LOW ORBIT
     ABOUT THE PLANET, AND IS READY
     TO ENTER THE ATMOSTPHERE...

     SEARCHING FOR LANDING SITE...

     SHUTTLE IS NOW ABOUT TO LAND
     ON THE PLANET...

     ALERT...ALERT...ALERT...ALERT


     CONTACT WITH REMOTE SHUTTLE
     LOST. EITHER SHUTTLE HAS BEEN
     DESTROYED OR DEACTIVATED BY A
     STRONG ELECTRO-GRAVITIC FIELD

     ANOTHER CRAFT IS APPROACHING
     ON A HYPERBOLIC ORBIT FROM THE
     PLANET.

     VISUAL ID:
   UNKNOWN

     IR SIGNAL:
   IMPERIAL FIGHTER



           TO BE CONTINUED...



 THAT IS NOT DEAD WHICH CAN ETERNAL LIE
AND WITH STRANGE EONS EVEN DEATH MAY DIE

              HOWARD PHILLIPS LOVECRAFT
QUARTZ SENDS OUT ITS GREETINGS TO THESE
PEOPLE:
       LSD
       SEPULTURA
       ETC
       ETC
       ETC
       ETC
       ETC
       ETC HI JASON,
         WELL, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT?
I THINK ITS RATHER GOOD CONSIDERING THE
LUCK I HAVE HAD WITH IT. THE SMALL MOON
LOOKS A BIT PLAIN NEXT TO THE SHINING
SPLENDOUR OF THE PLANET. WOULD YOU TOUCH
IT UP A BIT? THE OTHER PROBLEM IS WITH
THE SO-CALLED SHADOW ON THE ROCKS. THERE
IS NO SHADOW BECAUSE I DECIDED TO OMIT
ALL THE SHADOWS FROM THE INTRO. INSTEAD
I PUT IN A REFLECTION OF THE LOGO ON THE
WATER AS IT ROTATES. PUTTING A SIMILAR
SHADOW ON THE ROCKS WOULD BE DIFFICULT
BECAUSE THE REFLECTION IS A SIMPLE
COPPER COMMAND, AND IT REFLECTS ABOUT A
FIXED HORIZONTAL LINE, NOT THE JAGGED
BASE OF A GRAPHIC. SORRY.   RANX.



SELECTING STAR SYSTEM...
         ORION ZETA.

RECORDS SHOW THAT ORION ZETA
SYSTEM TO HAVE SUPPORTED HUMAN
LIFE DURING THE GALACTIC ERA.
LAST EXPEDITION TO SYTEM:
          12,096 GE.

PSYCHO-HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF
THE OLD IMPERIAL WORLDS IN
THIS GALACTIC SECTOR SHOWS THE
PROBABILITY OF AN ANARCHIC
PLANET IN ORION ZETA SYSTEM:
            86.5%

          ORION ZETA

DISTANCE:-
       1600 LT.YRS

SPECTRAL TYPE:-
  O-9

PLANETS:-
        11

HABITED PLANET:-
 7

ELEVATION:-
      178d

LONGITUDINAL:-
   275d


CALCULATING JUMPS ...
READY TO ACTIVATE HYPERDRIVE

    HYPERDRIVE ACTIVATING



STANDBY TO DROP SURFACE PROBE:                             
DROPPING SURFACE PROBE NOW: