Celestial Expedition I - Conclusion
06 Dec 2022Annie Satevis
30 NOV 3308After receiving the news regarding the Taranis Maelstrom and the subsequent Thargoid invasion, I called for an all-hands-on-deck meeting to discuss these events with the crew, and to determine what our next course of action should be. The choices were simple: continue on with our expedition, or return to the bubble. The reasons behind each choice, however, were not as simple.
I started the meeting by presenting the argument for continuing with the journey. When we embarked only a couple weeks ago, there was significant concern about the safety and well-being of everyone aboard because we were venturing out into the unknown. Now, with the Thargoid invasion in full swing, there is some merit in the argument of staying away from the civilized worlds - what are the odds that the Thargoids will try to track down a single fleet carrier in the entire galaxy? Plus, we could still choose to contribute to the fight in our own way by exploring more systems, searching out more Earth-like worlds for potential colonization, and conduct more xenobiology scans to advance humanity's scientific research in ways that may allow us to counter the Thargoids and curtail the invasion.
I then presented the other side of the argument - head back and join the fight directly. I cautioned the crew by saying that I was not interested in putting the Celestial Avenger in harm's way unless there was a high percentage chance that doing so would save millions of lives. With that said, I proposed that we could station the fleet carrier near the affected systems and provide access to all, offering safe harbor as well as repair/refuel/rearm facilities for anyone needing them. Phoenix and I would likely focus on rescue missions in the affected systems - evacuating refugees and casualties to rescue ships as often as possible. Neither of us is particularly inclined to risk our lives fighting the Thargoids directly, but we're both resigned to the possibility that it will likely happen someday soon, and we need to be prepared for it.
With a quick (and nearly unanimous) voice vote, the decision was made to return to civilized space and do whatever we can to help.