Union's End

Duchess Destil Pando has seized control of star system Abed by cutting off Union's access through its interstellar Blink station. Pando is an ambiguous figure who paints herself as a rebel of the people, but it remains to be seen what will happen if she succeeds in cementing control, or if she will reopen the Blink.   Her control is very real on her home colony planet of Abed-3, a.k.a. Greatstone (so named because it is the only rocky planet in a system of gas dwarves and gas giants). It is more theoretical on the mining planet Abed-6, a.k.a. Saoting Mining Outpost, which is ultimately owned by Harrison Armory, and whose trade supply is now cut off as well. Some remaining Union Navy troops are stationed on Eritea, an icy moon of Abed-6, but appear safe while Pando's stretched resources disallow a siege. Lost in the political upheaval are reports of isolated colonies in the system "going dark" without warning and without distress signals. So far, these have been small communities beneath even Duchess Pando's notice, but rumors are spreading.   In this low-population colonial setting, pirates and mercenaries were always outsized players, but privateers are capitalizing on the chaos on behalf of Pando and Union alike, targeting hard and soft targets alike. Travel to the next Blink station at system Melchior, a prosperous Union colony, is a 16-year one-way trip without the benefit of Blink Gate Phu Tạo, so control of the Blink is crucial for control of the system.