Legion Incursion

The Incursion was a quiet war waged in the shadows. The Emerald Legion may have failed at taking over the Talos Sector, but the damage they and their spies caused has left a festering wound on the alliance. Only time will tell if we can recover and heal, or if the sector will fall the infection left behind.

Secret War

The Legion Incursion describes the Emerald Legion's attempt at taking over the Talos Sector. It was a covert takeover, a war the sector didn't realize it was fighting until it was nearly too late. The full extent of the infiltration is still under investigation, leaving the true starting point unknown. While the Incursion is over on paper, the impact of it will be felt for decades.

The Unknown

The Legion's main goal was to divide and conquer. Despite their numbers, resources, and abilities, they wouldn't win a war against a united Talos Sector. To weaken the alliance, they inserted spies to gather information and sow seeds of distrust among decision makers. With planted evidence, they made conspiracies seem reasonable, and faith in the Protectorate waned.

Not all spies were willing. The Legion would abduct residents and implant a chip in their brains. These chips recorded what they saw and influenced what they did. These victims typically didn't know what had happened to them, or why they were doing things like sabotaging equipment. If they resisted, they suffered for it.

Did you know?

Many believe these tactics from the Legion inspired Cordelia Isoto in her creation of The Watcher.

The Known

While most battles of the Incursion happened in political theaters, two made more overt headlines. These were the main glimpses into the Legion's overarching strategy.

First, in 3206, they took over the Preceptor Archive on Mithorous. The Archive is isolated on an island to itself, and efforts to reclaim it required managing the risk of damaging the Archive, its innocent inhabitants, or the information it stores. Catherine Olai, then of the Protectorate, led a team in successfully ousting the Legion from the island.

Second, in 3208, was the Battle for Talmar. This was the culminating battle of the Incursion, in which the Legion's main invading force surrounded the planet Talmar. Their goal was the alien defense cannon on its surface. A collection of forces from local militia to Space Pirates destroyed this force, bringing an end to the war.

Between these two battles, we can see evidence of the Legion's attempts at taking ownership of what they saw as the biggest threats: our greatest store of knowledge, and the most powerful weapon used in living memory. Both of these places are still viewed with suspicion, despite this evidence that they may actually be our best assets.

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Timeline

3102

Estimated start date based on current information

3206

Legion takeover of Preceptor Archive

3207

Protectorate reclaims the Archive for Mithorous

3208

Battle for Talmar destroys main invading force

Information

Included Conflicts

• Battle for Talmar

Author Commentary

Future Plans

I have plans to run a short, infiltration-style campaign in which may players are part of the team that retakes the Archive from the Legion.

Aftermath

Distrust

It's impossible to measure the impact the Legion's machinations had on our political environment. The Protectorate's existing failings were what provided cracks in the alliance to pry open. However, the Incursion is blamed for accelerating this fall and ushering in the age of mistrust.
Between Legion spies and those unknowingly abducted, many struggle to trust themselves and those around them. Especially anyone in sensitive positions in research or politics. Even with spies discovered and removed, the harm they caused isn't so easily repaired.

Remnants

Though the Legion's main invading force was defeated, they maintain various compounds hidden on asteroids, moons, and other uninhabited reaches. From these places, they continue their spying, researching, and experimenting, though to what end is unknown.
These forces aren't their only ones. Their long-standing control over Rada remains, with an overpowering force protecting it. There may be other planets in the same situation we don't know about, especially since we don't know where the Legionnaires themselves call home.

Support

Not all outcomes of the Incursion are wholly bad, however. Even if the sector isn't able to provide full military support, knowing that Rada exists allows us to accept refugees, giving Radan an escape option they never had before.
The planet of Talmar has also officially been added to sector maps. The process of uplifting them from industrial-era to modern technology will be a long and cumbersome one, but access to healthcare and other resources has made a significant impact on the planet's small population.

Defense

A less certain outcome is the development of Perimeter Agency. This military branch of the Protectorate is designed to seek out threats to the sector and its people, such as the Emerald Legion and the alien superweapon on Talmar.
Whether they will live up to this plan remains to be seen. Some consider Perimeter's founding a sign of the Protectorate's death throes, a final grasping at legitimacy backed by firearms. Others hope it's a sign the Protectorate is finally willing to take a stand.

It's strange to be who I am these days. I unknowingly did things that likely killed some of our patients. My supervisor was a Legion spy, and none of us knew.
It's been twenty-odd years now. I teach kids who weren't alive during the Incursion. To them, the Legion is little more than a distant boogeyman.
But to those of us who were directly impacted... the guilt and fear will follow us the rest of our lives.

— Interview with a Legion abductee