Arcs:Empire/Alignment War Arc

A NOTE BEFORE YOU READ THIS ARTICLE:

The Empire/Alignment War Arc was originally written in 2013. As of this writing (3/20/23), it has been approximately ten years since this story arc concluded. Unbroken's lore has changed much in this time. As such, much of what follows this note is no longer canon. Among other inconsistencies, the original version of the Empire/Alignment War Arc does not properly characterize Ferkanid Trinalak II, does not portray the Qualdron Alignment as the religious cult-state the current lore depicts it as, and relies on an outdated concept of the Corruption. However, the general plot beats of this draft are still relevant, and a potential canonical rewrite of this arc will adhere to much the same story structure as the original. Because of this, and for posterity, this summary is considered valuable to the Unbroken Wiki.

The Empire/Alignment War Arc, sometimes called simply the Alignment Arc, was a story arc written and co-ordinated by Bryan. The arc, as its name suggests, focused on the war between the Empire of Namine and its splinter-faction of rebels: the Qualdron Alignment. Midway through the arc, the scope expanded to the resurrection of the Corruption and the Empire of Namine's subsequent crusade to eliminate both the Corruption and the Qualdron Alignment.

Synopsis

The Empire/Alignment War arc starts with the reformation of the Empire of Namine. Opposed to the prospect of rejoining the Empire, the Qualdron Alignment--a radical offshoot of the original Empire of Namine--declares war on the nascent Second Empire.

For a solid month, the Qualdron Alignment is silent. Vespid assumes that the Alignment has bigger problems than the Empire of Namine, but is proven incorrect upon a declaration of war from the Qualdron Alignment. Shortly after the war declaration, Ashderian Regime sensors picked up a small grouping of Acid Rain fighters on course to Namine. Cursory scans revealed them to be heavily modified and under the banner of the Qualdron Alignment. Vespid ordered Venom Squadron to be deployed in order to dispatch the Alignment scouting party. Venom Squadron made short work of the scouting party and were called back to Namine in order to await further orders.

Further orders came, sending a large Empire fleet to Qualthrine--the capital city of Qualdron--in order to retrieve Qualdron Alignment battle plans. Vespid chose to personally assist the fleet in the Midnight Stalker. Vespid specifically requested Thisposa to stay on Namine (as he was afraid she would become injured). As Vespid joined the fleet, Thisposa activated her cloaking device and boarded the Stalker. Vespid landed and elected to assist an infiltration squadron to break into Qualthrine’s citadel--the location that the Empire of Namine determined the Alignment’s battle plans to be. As Vespid and the infiltration squad moved through Qualthrine, Thisposa provided covert coverfire with a sniper rifle (Vespid took note of this, mentally thanking the “unknown sniper” multiple times).

After facing heavy resistance, Vespid and what survived of the infiltration squad broke into the citadel. Thisposa snuck in behind them, just in case. As Vespid (being a former AI programmer and therefore experienced with computer systems) began to copy the citadel’s database, the rest of the infiltration group was slaughtered by a small detachment of Qualdron Alignment elite guardsmen. As guardsmen closed in on Vespid, Thisposa decloaked and dispatched them from behind. Vespid, shocked to see Thisposa, engaged in a brief argument with her. The argument was short-lived, as Thisposa explained that she was the one providing coverfire. After Vespid came to the realization that Thisposa was more than capable of handling herself and apologized to her, he began to finish downloading the battle plans. Vespid finished the download, so he and Thisposa began to move to the exit. Just as they were nearing the door, it opened to reveal a barrage of enemy troops--far too many for Vespid and Thisposa to face on their own. As Pulse Rifle blasts grazed their armor, the pair sprinted towards a window and crashed through it. 

Vespid and Thisposa glided down from the shattered window and made a mad dash back to the Midnight Stalker. Once they boarded, Vespid called off the attack; the Empire had what they came for. The Empire’s fleet retreated back to Namine, where Vespid sent the Alignment’s battle plans to NGC. Less than a day later, Vespid was awoken early in the morning by an urgent transmission from NGC, demanding that he come to NGC HQ as soon as possible; the Tribunal and NGC officials had made a shocking discovery about the Alignment battle plans.

When Vespid arrived at NGC HQ, a Tribunal official explained that the Qualdron Alignment had set up an encampment on Angen-2--a long-abandoned Empire of Namine colony planet that was responsible for the creation of the Death Plague: a virus that was able to kill those infected and bring their bodies back as aggressive “zombies.” The Alignment was revealed to be experimenting with a strand of the Death Plague, hoping to resurrect the virus for use as a biological weapon. The NGC revealed their plan to retaliate: infiltrate Angen-2 and plant a nuclear device in the sole city on the planet in an attempt to wipe out the Alignment’s encampment there as well as any and all traces of the Death Plague.

Vespid, Thisposa, Thegalet, and a small kill-squad of Empire troops donned biohazard gear and boarded a ship disguised as an Alignment vessel--piloted by Venom One and with the clearance transponders to match. Venom One piloted the vessel to Angen-2 and landed in its singular city without incident. Vespid, Thisposa, Thegalet, and the kill-squad moved through the city towards its primary citadel, dispatching still-(technically)-living members of the Death Plague as they went along.

Once they entered the citadel, Vespid prepared to plant the nuke. Thegalet stopped him, requesting to explore the citadel in hopes of finding more information about the Qualdron Alignment’s plans for the Death Plague. Vespid granted Thegalet’s request, and the group split up to scour the facility for information. Venturing into the science wing of the citadel, Vespid, Thisposa, and Thegalet discovered logs of one “Rhopalix Sivintalica”--a crazed scientist who found out that the DNA patterns of the Death Plague virus and the Corruption Virus were extremely similar. Rhopalix, shockingly, successfully modified a Death Plague strand into a functional replica of the Corruption Virus. Thegalet downloaded the logs for further analysis as Vespid decided to plant the nuke, not wanting to risk a Corruption resurgence.

As Vespid planted the nuke, Thegalet pointed out that the final log said that a single Corruption specimen was created and should have been in the same room that the group currently inhabits. As the group turned to leave, what appeared to be a Keilicaela fell from the ceiling. The group immediately drew their weapons as the Keilicaela turned around, revealing itself to be infected by the Corruption. Vespid has a violent flashback to the Fall of Namine and opens fire. The corrupted Keilicaela was barely fazed as it jumped on top of Vespid, only to be shot off by Thisposa.

The group then wasted no time in beginning their escape, moving back to the hub room of the citadel to find out that there were even more Corruption. Most of the kill-squad had become infected, adding to the morass of Death Plague victims that had arisen from their state of death. Sprinting at full speed to Venom One’s waiting ship, Vespid, Thisposa, Thegalet, and the one surviving kill-squad member managed to barely escape the horde.

Venom One ascended the ship and rocketed away from Angen-2 just as the nuke exploded, wiping out the colony and all Corruption and Death Plague within. On the journey back to Namine, Vespid expressed his hopes that the venture was the last anyone would see of the Death Plague or Corruption. Thegalet shot down Vespid’s aspirations, pointing out that, since the experiment was successful, samples of the resurrected Corruption virus were probably sent to Alignment higher-ups. Vespid dejectedly acknowledged Thegalet’s observation, and the ship arrived at Namine.

Upon Vespid’s return, a press conference was called in which he explained the disturbing findings on Angen-2, and laid out his plans for the rest of the duration of the Empire/Alignment War:

Total and complete annihilation of the Qualdron Alignment for their crimes against sentient life, as well as the extinction of the Corruption.

Shortly later, Cyonyx revealed that he had plans to develop a weapon that would be able to disinfect and destroy organic tissue afflicted by the Corruption. However, NGC scientists were still analyzing and deconstructing weaker, contained strands of the Corruption virus, so this weapon would have much time until completion. In the meantime, Lee revealed a mech platform that he had fashioned together out of android and spacecraft parts. Cyonyx admired the mech and bought it from Lee, planning to bring it from makeshift to refined.

In the downtime of cure/weapons research, Vespid, Thisposa, Thegalet, the Ashderian outfit, Lee, Cinetik, and Tartirus made a run to Ilan by Lee’s request. (See: Ilanian Arc)

Having already worked on the cure for weeks, NGC scientists had a miraculous breakthrough and discovered a cure for the Corruption virus just as those who had ventured to Ilania returned. Cyonyx scrambled to integrate the cure into a weapons platform, as well as bring Vespid to NGC-WD to view his latest project.

Within a matter of days, Cyonyx had managed to integrate the cure into a Pulse Rifle-like weapons platform dubbed simply the “Disinfection Rifle.” The Disinfection Rifle not only discharged the Corruption cure onto its target, but burned and disintegrated flesh--just to be sure. Calling Vespid and his usual group of comrades to NGC-WD, Cyonyx displayed not only the Disinfection Rifle, but the “Spinfire” mech--the projected refined version of Lee’s mech prototype. The Spinfire was equipped with a Disinfection-based Gatling gun as well as a napalm-thrower. Impressed with Cyonyx’s handiwork, Vespid commended the weapons developer and returned home.

Days later, the Qualdron Alignment and their Corruption forces made a push towards Namine, unleashing an impressively-sized fleet of Corruption-carrying vessels on the planet. While the Empire of Namine, Ilanian Dominion, and Ashderian Regime fought the Qualdron Alignment fleet in the void of space and the skies above Namine, Spinfire mech units and Disinfection Rifle-armed infantry units (along with military land vehicles) managed to successfully hold off the Corruption advance; the Disinfection technology was working, and was quite effective.

However, the Corruption gained in numbers, pushing Vespid (who was caught in the fray of the battle in New Thutria) back to his home, where Thegalet and Thisposa were vigorously defending both themselves and the house against the Corruption onslaught. Partway through the fight, a corrupted Sholaasca (a t-rex-sized insectoid monster with wings) came plowing through the forest adjacent to Vespid’s home. As it almost completely destroyed Vespid’s home, Vespid and Thisposa looked the unstoppable Sholaasca in the eye as it was preparing to grind them into the ground with its massive clawed feet.

Just as death came near, a lone Acid Rain with a strange device grafted on its underside piloted by Venom Three emerged over the horizon and thanked Vespid via comm-link for the honor of serving in the Empire of Namine. Before Vespid could respond, Venom Three’s Acid Rain impacted with the Sholaasca, exploding instantly--killing both Venom Three and the Sholaasca. As it exploded, so did the device underneath, releasing a thick and resonant expanse of blue particles. The particles settled and scattered over a planet-wide radius, quelling all Corruption forces assaulting New Thutria (and by extension, Namine). As the dust settled, an on-the-verge-of-tears Cyonyx explained that Venom Three attached a prototype “Disinfection Nuke” to his Acid Rain. Upon detonation, the bomb would both physically explode and release enough of the Corruption cure into the atmosphere to cure an entire planet. The main issue with the prototype was power--it could not draw enough of it from an independent power supply. Venom Three attached it to his Acid Rain’s power supply, knowing that purging Namine of the virus would come at the cost of his own life.

Weeks later, after New Thutria was repaired, a funeral was held for Venom Three; Venom Squadron, Vespid, and the Ashderian Regime were notable attendees. Upon returning home to recuperate, Vespid was informed by Tartirus that Joseph’s ship, the Surrendry, was destroyed by a Qualdron Alignment vessel during a scouting run; Joseph had died. Devastated by the news, Vespid withdrew into his house, only to come out for Joseph’s funeral the very same day.

A mere day after Joseph’s funeral, an irate Vespid organized an extremely large fleet to strike Qualdron once more--this time, with the intent to kill the Alignment at its heart: the dictator of the Qualdron Alignment, Ferkanid Trinalak II. The fleet--consisting of 85% of the Empire of Namine’s pool of ships, as well as reinforcements provided by the Ilanian Dominion and Ashderian Regime--arrived at Qualdron and began their assault. By then, the Alignment’s Corruption army had begun to turn against the Alignment, making them an even weaker target. The fleet engaged both Alignment and Corruption vessels as Vespid himself (along with Thisposa and a large army) landed on the planet. Vespid was given a refined version of the Disinfection Nuke that had a slimmer profile and a self-sustaining power source. Vespid’s mission was to kill Trinalak II and plant the nuke, destroying all Corruption on Qualdron (and, by extension, the galaxy).

Vespid and Thisposa began on a trek to the Alignment’s primary citadel once more, running into a rather large group of Stormbound Coalition insurgents who were overjoyed to see the Empire invade Qualdron. The insurgents agreed to hold off the Corruption and Alignment forces as Vespid and Thisposa entered the citadel and confronted Trinalak II. Vespid shot Trinalak II twice (one for each kneecap) before going on a tirade, expressing his anger at the Alignment for killing his friends. As a last resort, Trinalak II pressed a button and the interior of the citadel exploded, severely injuring Vespid. Thisposa took cover, surviving the explosion relatively unscathed. As she stood up, she saw Trinalak II propped up against a decaying wall, ready to kill Vespid. Thisposa raised her rifle at Trinalak II, putting the two at a standstill. Moments later, the PLANS (which had opened a Tearstream portal and guided an enemy nuke into it) made a miraculous comeback. Coincidentally emerging next to the citadel, the PLANS’s pilot saw the desperate situation and angled the ship’s cannons towards the shattered windows of the citadel. Thisposa saw this and took cover once more as the cannons opened fire, tearing Trinalak II asunder. The PLANS extended its boarding ramp and the pilot emerged, prompting Thisposa to plant the nuke and carry Vespid back to the ship. The nuke exploded soon after the PLANS pulled away from the citadel, curing the Corruption on the planet. With Vespid critically injured and Trinalak II dead, the fleet pulled back to Namine.

Vespid was rushed to an NGC medical facility, where he received the best treatment that could be afforded. Unfortunately, this was not enough; Vespid was saved, but ended up paralyzed beneath the waist.

During Vespid's recovery period, Joseph revealed himself to have faked his own death to grant him more time to work on his new project: a massive spacecraft known as the "Asimov." Vespid, feeling infuriated, shocked, and betrayed that Joseph would manipulate his emotions for such a petty reason, denounces Joseph and orders him out of his sight. Joseph, realizing what he has done, leaves Vespid in shame. 

Later, a shadowy figure emerged from nowhere into Vespid’s room, brandishing the Scepter of Rebirth. The figure spent all of the Scepter’s uses on Vespid, fully healing the Keilicaela. Just before the figure left, he revealed himself to be Scholiid and wished Vespid all the best in his future endeavors, thus ending the Empire/Alignment War arc.