The Halo Stars

The universe is not a friendly place. It doesn't know mercy or compassion. It doesn't care that a trillion stars vanish from the void every day. So why would it care wherever your meagre existence manages to endure or not?

— En'simar, Xsi-Shin Explorer

In the far reaches of Andromeda there lies a region that has occupied the nightmares of many a being. So old that few can comprehend it still existing. So mysterious that even other galaxies seem more familiar in comparison. It is the Galactic Halo, the place where sanity comes to die.

Edge of Oblivion

An ancient formation of stars that encircle the outer edge of the Andromeda Galaxy, the Halo Stars are the last stellar clusters one encounters before entering the eternal night of the Intergalactic Void. Extending approximately 325,000 light years around the galaxy, these clusters of stars are intermixed with a shroud of Dark Matter that reaches even further in the space between galaxies.

Malignant Shine

Great Unknown

Few dare to venture out into the unknown region that is the Galactic Halo. And even fewer manage to return. The Halo Stars are a mystery, even by the standards of the relatively unexplored Andromeda Galaxy. Even those who venture near them can't seem to escape their malignant influence, speaking of strange whispers in the void, unexplained phenomena and shadows that move unnaturally in the Halo Stars' pale light. And that is without taking the natural hazards of the area into account, Radiation Belts, Dark Matter Imbalances, Flash Voids and more. They all make a journey into the unknown more than a little risky.

Life on the Fringe

That even the Halo can hold life is no secret. Those that have dared venture in or live near the pale stars have often reported signs of alien intelligence in the twilight. Ancient Plagueships of unknown design drift amongst the stars. Ruins of impossible design lie silently under the pale shine of the Corpse Stars. Attacks on border systems occur on the occasion, although there rarely are enough survivors to make a report. All manners of strange and hostile alien life seem to hide in the twilight of the frontier. Wherever they emerged there, were driven to the Halo by their enemies or even came from beyond the Galactic Void is simply unknown.

by Buwaneka Saranga

To this day, only the Xsi-Shin are known to undertake excursions into the Halo, although for them it is probably more out of despair than curiosity. The rest remains vary, content with shielding their realms from whatever may lurk out in the wilderness. A wise move indeed, for any and all contact with the Halo Stars seem to only end in one way: doom and madness for the unlucky souls that dared.

Before you even entertain the idea of such an insane expedition, I'd like to remind you that even the goddamn Krigan do their utmost to avoid that cursed place.

— Confederate Admiral Francine Donnager

Alternative Name(s)

Deadzone
Twilight Ring
Sriii'Nartha

Type

Galactic Sector

Alien Existences
Only a handful of the species living among the Halo Stars are known to the wider galaxy. And one look at the list is enough to make a visit there even less appealing.
From the enigmatic body snatching Tek'kani, the utterly alien Ōtsutsuki and most vile Arabate to the mysterious Infernals, the list short as it is, contains some of most feared and reviled species known.
Calamity
As if the dangerous nature and seeming abundance with hostile life weren't reason enough to avoid the Halo, there are a number of mysterious incidents connected with the region.
From the Day of the Nevertide and the Harrowing of Besskar to the doomed final voyage of the infamous CNEV Galtried, the list of unnerving events related to the Halo is a long one indeed.

by David Edwards