Conclave at Charybdis

Two decades have passed since the conclusion of the Six Year War between the Hyperborean Commonwealth and the Kar-Shan Imperium, a brief but bloody conflict which ended in a shaky truce. The outlying Lemurian system was bitterly contested both during the war itself and in subsequent treaty negotiations. Today it is uneasily shared between the humans of the Commonwealth and the more warlike and strictly matriarchal Kar-Shan.

Far beyond the reach of all but the most determined Lemurian law enforcement lies the Tesla asteroid belt—home to numerous mining stations, frontier settlements and the Kar-Shan pirates, a renegade splinter group of the Kar-Shan military.

Charybdis, one of the older mining stations, has been in operation since before the war, but is now experiencing financial difficulties. Once-rich deposits are running dry and changes have been made in an attempt to keep the station profitable. Adding to Charybdis' troubles are a recent accident, which killed five workers involved in illegal mining, and the unexpected death of its aging owner, Maurice Torvalds.

Amidst these and other concerns comes a surprise invitation to spend an evening aboard the Ninandari Tircha's advanced trading vessel. A privilege seldom accorded even to the most lofty human or Kar-Shan officials, it is an immense honour for the minor functionaries and dignitaries of the station.

Guests have been informed that Tircha will be providing kir arbitration services free of charge for the duration of the evening. Given that such services are usually well beyond the means of the station's inhabitants, it is unlikely that anyone will forego the opportunity to settle disputes and make agreements.