Tersia Prime is a Fourth Sphere planet that was on the edge of revolution and that now has been aquaformed by the Nameless after a Nightstalker incursion and fierce battles between many factions occured.
About
The revolution has begun! See here!
According to early RebNet reports, Professor Hiraku Kaneko's research for Mazon Labs seem to be closely connected to the events unfolding on the planet.
The Fight for the Planet
Designation: Incursion from the Void. Tersia is haunted by the appearance of the Nightstalkers, who seem to randomly appear out of thin air in the middle of a fight!
Designation: Infiltration. At the beginning, open warfare doesn't seem like the best option and even bigger engagements are conducted carefully. Using the cover of Tersia’s dust storms, a daring attacking force attempts to seize several objectives right under the enemy's nose. However, they must first slip past a line of vigilant sentries.
Designation: Psychic Break. On Tersia Prime, the veil between the known world and the void frays dangerously thin, particularly around sites of great significance to its inhabitants. These places radiate with an otherworldly glow, piercing the darkness of the nether like blazing beacons. To the lurking horrors within the void, they are irresistible, drawing them ever closer with a sinister pull.
The psychic link that the Asterians use to control their marionettes and cyphers is particularly susceptible to the whispers of the Nightstalkers, while the Matsudan’s honourable nature grants them a degree of protection from the psychic intrusions of the Nightstalkers.
Notable Locations
Mazon Polar Facility: A snowed-under research facility hiding many secrets and possibly experimental technology makes this an obvious target for any faction. Fighting around the polar cap makes things difficult though, as biting winds slow down approaches from strike forces and smaller teams alike!
GCPS Outpost Tersia Prime: This military fortification is one of the holdouts for human troops from where they are able to rally their forces and retreat to from the missions on various parts of the planet. A highly sought after zone, the forces of the GCPS and Enforcers alike can use the artillery batteries to their advantage.
Tersia Mining&Refinement: Headquarter of the Tersia Mining Corp., this industrial complex was cut from the power supply and fights in the dead of night make stealthy approaches the most viable tactic.
Crater Mine #T44: Belonging to the Tersia Mining Corp., the deep digging made the area rather dangerous. Hazardous Geysers erupt, leaving behind toxic clouds amid the industrial equipment in the desert.
Corlon City Spaceport: After weeks of battle and incurring nightmares, the frightened population is in panic and trying to flee from the planet, disregarding the fierce fighting and crowding the dense city zone. Some factions now have to strike more precisely as they can't risk to massacre the civilians.
Rebel Encampment: The makeshift Rebs HQ is a dusty, urban area dominated by it's industrial buildings. In the last days of the old Tersia, it was one of the first bigger locations to get hit by the Nameless' waterforming, where Tsunamis hit the battling forces, crushing them under enormous waves.
Containment Protocols: An ever increasing number of specific 'red zones' has been established around the surface of Tersia Prime. Who is enforcing it and for what reason is unknown for now.
The Ongoing Revolution
It is a period of great uncertainty. The NAMELESS, an ascendant military power, aquaform swathes of new territory in the outer regions of the Galactic Co-Prosperity Sphere.
Elsewhere, whole planets disappear following an incident at MAZON LABS, known for taking great risks in the name of profit.
And on worlds such as TERSIA PRIME, revolution stirs with fresh attacks on corporate hubs.
The galaxy is primed to explode into a new era of war, and all it will take is one lone mercenary to light the fuse...
Revolution Part 1
It had all been hush-hush, nudge-nudge, wink-wink...
Tonight was the first official gathering. The others were calling it the 'Tersia Miners Front', but as he carefully laid and attached the detonation wire to explosive charges now nestled in the quarry wall, he couldn't help but think maybe the 'Miners Front of Tersia' was a better name.
Still, it was something. Something different and exciting. Something to belong to. He didn't particularly share the others vitriol against "Galacto-Corporations", and it seemed to him the GCPS presence on Tersia was far from over-bearing.
No, he actually quite enjoyed his job; the long stints of silence in the cold neon light below the planets surface getting ready for the next blast wave. He enjoyed the dull shock of the explosive charges followed by the settling of rubble ready for collection and processing. He'd give his customary nod to the extraction teams driving their rusted yellow diggers to scoop up the blasted rock and move onto the next tunnel, to more silence.
He didn't feel he belonged though, not to Tersia Mining Corp. The others in the TMF however - they wanted him there. They were full of passion and ideas and...life. They spoke of better futures for all Human+ kind - something about production seizing up and "Burger Seas" that he didn't quite understand but excited him nonetheless.
There would also be free drinks.
***
He lived, as most of the miners did, in one of the countless pre-fab buildings dropped in place a mile or so from the mine itself. A sprawling, cuboid half slum where the ground level pre-fabs were a mix of hole-in-the-wall mini bars, diners, cafes, shops and bookies.
His particular apartment was the highest in a stack of 5, almost directly in the middle. A perch where he could look out into the Tersia evening and at the red coloured star casting it's twilight rays over the red dusty planet.
As he slowly trudged the flights of steps up to his home, he tried to process what had happened at the meeting.
It started out simple enough. He went to the time and location, said the password, did the handshake. The gathering had taken place behind a Musk-rat vendor, a small courtyard surrounded by stacks on all sides, but not overlooked by windows or walkways.
He recognised one or two from the mine, another few from around the colony, but his attention was immediately drawn to an impressive figure whose presence dominated the small space. A man, human, clad in some sort of advanced armour that whirred and hummed as he moved. His entire right arm was bionic, presumably linked to an injury that had also damaged his right eye, now covered with a black patch.
From there though, it was a blur. He remembered the small space filling up, the gathered throng stood shoulder to shoulder as they listened to the armoured man talk. He remembered that it felt rousing - everyone around him cheered and whooped at the things this Tersia Revolutionary said.
Something about Mazon Labs?
He stepped out from the final staircase into the corridor leading to his apartment door. A light dimly illuminated the walkway, hanging dislodged from the ceiling.
As it flickered and blinked occasionally, he thought he saw a shape move just beyond the radius of the lights glow. He tried to focus on it, but couldn't. Besides being tired from a days work in the mine, the free drinks at the TMF gathering had also blurred his vision. He shrugged, and entered his apartment.
Slumped into a single berth cot, the world now beginning to spin, he tried to remember the final minutes of what the armoured figure had shown them.
There were images...sounds? Something projected onto the wall. He had struggled to see over taller people in front of him all jostling to look. He heard the crowd collectively gasp a few times.
Where he caught a glimpse he couldn't parse what he saw. Something like security-cam footage, but out of focus. Limbs? Dark shapes?
Sleep eventually came, but not easily.
Asterian Transmission
Revolution Part 2
He awoke with a familiar pounding headache, and the promise to himself that he’d never drink again. Or was the pounding on his door?
It was still night, which on Tersia was filled with a dark red, almost black light. He arose from his cot, sheets half stuck to the saliva around his cheek and fumbled for the light switch.
Hmm, no power.
He stood, holding his head and trying to stop the dizziness. Maybe it was just his hab block – electricity not being the most reliable of energy on outer sphere worlds. He fumbled in a side drawer and found a weather worn but still functioning flashlight, then checked the breaker – a grey box by the apartments single door.
Breakers all good, must be block wide.
With no power, he had to manually slide his door open and step into the corridor beyond. Down the hall was his neighbour – was it Bill? Fen? He wasn’t great with names.
He rapped on his neighbours door. “Hey, er, just checking if you have power?” he said, voice raised.
There was no reply.
He went to knock a second time, but stopped – something in the shadow further into the corridor…moved? He heard a sound like a low hiss. He whipped the flashlight round to see what was there. “Hello?”
There was no reply.
And nothing in the corridor either. Just the same dislodged light hanging, swinging slightly from the ceiling.
It was then he heard the distant but unmistakable sound of an explosion, far enough away to not be close, but close enough to raise alarm. He rushed back into his apartment and over to the single broad window that faced out and looked over the eastern side of the Tersia pre-fab slum.
For as far as he could see, the streets were dark. Dark, except for spots of orange light that underlit rising pillars of smoke. Fires.
Were it not for the lingering buzz he still had, panic might have set in then. Instead, he sank more into confusion. Pre-fabs we mostly metal, purposefully hard to damage let alone set alight.
It was the choice to open his window that made the panic set in. As soon as he could hear the world outside, he could hear the screams, the chaos, even light gunfire.
He closed the window tightly, closed his eyes and pretended he may have misheard as his apartment fell to silence again. A flash and subsequent room-shaking boom forced him to open his eyes again as he saw purple flames lick into the sky a mile or so away.
With his back against the wall, he slid down until he sat just below the window, clutching the flashlight.
A loud knock on his apartment door caused him to jump.
“H-hello?”
There was no reply.
Another knock, then another, more of a smash, then three more, and more. For a moment he thought he heard growls and that same hiss from earlier in the corridor.
The battery on his flashlight died just as the sliding door gave way, bent inwards in a final massive blow.
In the brief instant before he returned to darkness, he saw and moreover felt, a writhing mass of talons pounce across the room towards him.
“Oh shi-…”
Mercenary Part 1
2 Terran Months prior to Tersia Prime Event.
The mercenary held up the containment data-cannister.
“Severe Cognito-Hazard?” he rumbled to the squat black market dealer in front of him.
The dealer licked his dry lips, eyes darting back and forth behind round dust goggles. “Ah, ignores that – the cannister’s being reused. That datas though, now that’s hot cargos. Very…incriminating…”.
The mercenary looked from the dealer and back to the cannister. He took out a small hand held device and used it to scan the data inside, which caused it to blink rapidly red.
“I will have it”.
“Excellents, excellents. That’s, er, fifty-five thousands?”.
The mercenary made a few taps on the same scanning device, beeping with each touch.
“Done”.
A similar beep emerged from the dealers shabby over coat. “Pleasure's all mines.”
***
Lacing the cannister with a network bomb-hack was more difficult than the mercenary had anticipated. Something about the security Mazon Labs had put onto the data was unusually strong, bolstered by many layers of protection and obfuscation. Whatever data was held within was evidently extremely important to Mazon; just the right amount of incriminating to gain the rebel’s trust.
With a satisfied sigh, the Mercenary watched as his data interface switched from a warning orange glow to a bright green success blink. The payload was ready, and more than enough to take down the local Reb-Net.
Now all he had to do was find Ector.
Mercenary Part 2
2 Terran Months prior to Tersia Prime Event.
Days had passed with no word from Ector, and Blaine’s patience was wearing thin. The unsettling silence from Tersia Prime hinted at something more sinister than the contract he’d taken to sabotage the local rebel cells. This job was already risky enough without the Council of Seven being involved; without knowing if his plan had worked, and thus his contract fulfilled, he was stuck. So he was taking an unusual, direct approach—and he hated it.
He’d been drifting in Tersia Prime’s orbit for almost an hour now, watching the amber-coloured globe spinning serenely below, peaceful against a backdrop of stars. But Blaine knew better than to trust anything by outward appearance. His sensors were running nonstop, searching for any signs of unusual activity. A faint blip caught his attention - a small craft was leaving the planet’s atmosphere. Blaine’s fingers tapped at the archaic controls, tuning into the ship’s short-range comms frequency.
Before he could hail it, a streak of blue light ripped through the darkness, obliterating the tiny vessel in a flash of debris and fire. Through the explosion, Blaine caught a brief glimpse of a cloaked cruiser, angular and vast, before it vanished back into the shadows.
"Asterians." Blaine muttered, watching his scanners confirm his suspicion before the huge ship disappeared from his screen. They were here, and keen to remain hidden.
He adjusted his trajectory and descended into the planet’s atmosphere while keeping an eye on his sensors for any threats. Nothing. The Asterians were only attacking vessels trying to leave. His curiosity piqued…now having a mystery to solve.
***
Blaine landed in a wide abandoned street, close to Ector’s old signalling site. It was not the most refined of landings: the near miss with the Asterian’s main gun had fried many of his sensors, and he would have to find a way to refuel. Looking around, he may be better off trying to find another ship entirely.
The outpost was made up of tall industrial buildings, stained by the orange dust that blew in the wind, metallic to the taste. He wandered along the desolate streets, once bustling with activity but now silent. Rubbish swirled in the breeze, and darkened windows hinted at eyes peering cautiously from the shadows. Moving with purpose, he scanned the alleyways, senses attuned for flickers of movement, and something soon caught his eye.
A small security camera on a street corner whirred and turned slowly in his direction – a small red light blinking above the lens. Blaine looked up at the camera and stood in the centre of the empty road with folded arms.
Ten minutes passed before a familiar figure appeared. Ector, dressed in his shining armour, grinned wolfishly as he approached from out of the shadows. He had the slick look of a former Dreadball player with the confidence to match. Blaine prepared himself for a possible attack, mentally mapping out a range of counters and responding strikes. Instead, when Ector’s arm flew out it was with an outstretched palm.
"We’ve got ‘em boss." Ector said with a grin.
Blaine grasped his hand. "Be more…specific."
Ector’s eyes gleamed. "Mazon’s on the run! That data you sent, it’s how we’re going to bury them. Turns out, they’re into some seriously dark stuff, who’d have thought? We’re picking up allies left and right now – cells I didn’t even know were here."
As they walked through the quiet streets toward the HQ, Ector filled Blaine in. Mazon’s horrifying experiments had been released on video, and the creatures they’d unleashed—the Nightstalkers—were now on Tersia Prime. The entire planet had fallen into chaos as rebel cells tried to contain the monsters that came out of nowhere and wrought havoc before vanishing back into thin air. The local Rebs had seen the data tapes and were blaming the recent communication blackout on the Nightstalkers’ incursions. Clearly, they hadn’t linked it to the virus in Blaine’s data package…
When they reached the entrance to the HQ, an old refinery complex, Ector rapped on a massive metal door. Blaine was greeted with cheers and backslaps from the ragtag group he’d intended to betray. A rare surge of anger flared within him, at the mysterious Councillor for convincing him to take the job—and at himself for being so obviously used as a pawn. The cheering mob around him had no idea what he’d almost done, and he intended to keep it that way. He could use them to strike back after all, if they could somehow make it out alive.
Over the next few hours, Blaine met with the growing number of cell leaders that had gathered to this place, listening to their stories of how their world had fallen apart. They described the horrors they’d witnessed, how entire villages had vanished overnight, and of the remarkable resilience of the survivors. It was almost dusk when the last group filed into the HQ. Led by a woman with a commanding presence, they moved with more precision than the others, and Blaine recognized her manner and bearing immediately. That was a reunion that could wait.
As night fell, Blaine gathered the leaders and presented his plan. He pulled up a holomap of the area, showing a four-day trek from their current location to Corlon City’s spaceport. "This planet cannot be saved," he began, his voice grim. "The Nightstalkers are here. Asterians won’t let anyone leave, but we will try anyway."
He paused, then continued. "You have been fighting here for a long time. This is not a defeat. There will be other fights. Other planets. More people to…liberate. You must survive, so listen."
They pressed in closer, hanging on his every word. His plan was simple, but bold: make their way to the spaceport, commandeer every small craft they could find. If they were fast, and small, and in enough numbers, then most of them would evade the cruiser’s main gun. There was surprisingly no panic from the assembled crowd. They had accepted long ago that not all of them were going to make it.
***
The following morning, there was a quiet sadness in the HQ. As Blaine wandered through the crowds he saw their weariness, but also determination. Some shed tears as they packed their belongings, mentally saying their goodbyes to the world they’d fought so hard to liberate. In others, he could see the fire in their eyes – hungry for a new challenge. They formed disorganised squads, discussing their escape in hushed tones.
Just as they were about to move out, a massive shadow fell over the building, blocking out the light from their rattling overhead windows. They all looked up as dark, organic shapes in the sky drifted slowly overhead.
Blaine tightened his grip on his blaster. "Nameless," he murmured. ‘That’s…interesting.’
Ector glanced at him, unslinging his weapon with a dark smile. "Time we got this show on the road."
He shepherded the Rebs into loose formations as they left the HQ. Once outside, they navigated the abandoned streets and picked their way through dust-blasted vehicles and the everyday remnants of old, ordinary lives. Above them, the large ships continued to pass – heading for the distant mountains. The Rebs fell in line behind Ector, some moving with more confidence than others. They were far from professional soldiers, but for now, they were all he had.
They headed toward Corlon City with their makeshift army, dusty wind whipping at their heels. Blaine knew what the Nameless did to planets like Tersia Prime, and they were now on borrowed time. But if they kept moving and fought like hell, they might just make it off-world.
And if they somehow survived, they’d bring the fires of rebellion to every damn Sphere of the GCPS.
Doomsday Part 1
0710hrs - Solar Day 274 - Tersia Prime - Low Orbit
The Asterian plan has succeeded beyond all doubt. The Nameless have taken the bait, and Tersia Prime—once a vital frontier colony—is entering its final days.
The massive Ul-Ug’urub vessels drift into low orbit, sleek and unnervingly silent. They hover above the polar icecaps and jagged mountain ranges, casting immense shadows over the barren wastes. The settlements of Tersia's weary colonists lie beneath, worn thin by two months of unpredictable Nightstalker raids. Hollow-eyed and desperate, they lift their faces to the heavens, wondering if the end has finally arrived.
The ships are a sight both magnificent and grotesque, spiny surfaces bristling with strange weapons, armoured in chitinous plating that shimmers like the exoskeleton of a monstrous insect. Trailing behind, vast tendrils snake through the sky — creature and machine fused in bizarre union. But for all their menace, the ships simply float in the sky, strange and still.
Across Tersia's plains, strange sounds reverberate —low hums, eerie clicks, and sorrowful groans forming a haunting symphony. Are the ships…talking to each other? Charging weapons? No one knows, and the atmosphere is thick with tension. The clock is ticking down for Tersia Prime, and each second feels like a lifetime.
2120hrs – Solar Day 278 – Tersia Prime – Matokar Mountains
On the evening of the fourth day, it begins.
In the desolate foothills of the Matokar mountain range, the miners at the outpost glance nervously at the sky. In a blinding moment, brilliant shafts of light start to rain down from the hovering Nameless ships, illuminating the distant peaks. Intense beams ripple across rocky summits, creating a hypnotic dance of light and shadow. After all the bloodshed and horror, this moment of strange beauty feels like a breath of calm before the storm.
But it's not just the light shifting — the mountain itself is changing. Colour drains from the peaks, surfaces now darkening beneath the pulsating glow.
Then with a gut-wrenching shudder, their rocky features begin to liquify – every crack, shelf, and boulder in turn. What was once vast solid matter is melting into a great, inky wave, descending with impossible force.
The miners should run, though they don't. They're transfixed, caught in the surreal, awful majesty of it all. The skyline is slowly collapsing into a great cascade, descending in torrents toward the plain below. The first waves don't quite reach the village—but larger ones are coming. Many, many more.
Now the impossible sight is becoming more real. Cold, dark liquid reaches them, soaking through their work boots. Fear stirs as the next wave rises to their knees. The third wave is waist-high and the trance is fully broken. Panic erupts.
More waves are coming, hundreds, each taller than the last as peak after peak of the skyline steadily melts into an endless tide. The once industrious outpost is now a mass of splashing, screaming crowds, until they are finally hushed by the deafening crash of an unravelling world.
Far above the chaos and panic, the Asterian Clade Ships quietly drift away from Tersia Prime’s high orbit. Their work is done here, and nothing is getting off the planet alive. Not any more.
2210hrs – Solar Day 278– Tersia Prime – Corlon City Limits
"Keep firing!" Ector roars, unloading a shotgun into the leaping Nightstalker. The beast crumples mid-air, crashing into the slowly rising floodwaters with a sickening wet thud.
The retreat is working, but barely. Step by step, they fight their way back toward the spaceport, an unstoppable tide of horrors swarming toward them. Blaine, ever the cold and practical tactician is in his element, coordinating the scattered cells in a way they have never been directed before. His rifle rests momentarily as he surveys the chaos. With a sharp tug, he pulls his communicator back up to his mouth.
"Even cells, covering fire! Odd cells, prepare to move!" His sharp eyes lock onto a desolator-wielding Grogan on his left from Cell Three, who nods back in understanding. Blaine’s deep voice echoes over the radio again. "Move!"
Gunfire once again rips into the Nightstalker horde, cutting through the writhing mass as the odd-numbered cells scramble back to the next precious scraps of hard cover, abandoned cars and cargo trucks littering the main approach to the spaceport. Ector looks around at the world slowly drowning around them—rivers of water slowly flooding in towards his friends —but he still grins like a wolf on the hunt. They’re looking less like a desperate mob now and more like a—
Someone catches his eye. The cell to his right is retreating in perfect formation. Fast, no missteps, without panic. As they pass his position, the cell leader meets his gaze with a short upward nod of recognition. Ector freezes. A ghost from his past, but unmistakable – that smile, smart brown hair, familiar dark blue armour plates over black fatigues.
"Dulinsky? You’re here?"
"Not now, Ector” she calls while running by, “save it for the ship". She splashes down into position behind the engine block of a cargo truck, one arm braced on her forward knee, and rattles off a precise three-round burst.
He’s jolted back to reality as the cold water climbs over the neck of his boots, cruelly reminding him once again that the world is ending.
2220hrs – Solar Day 278 – Tersia Prime – Corlon Spaceport
They’re not going to make it. The stragglers, physically drained from the sustained retreat, are slogging through knee-high water, trying desperately to rejoin their friends, but the Nightstalker horde is faster. A hard decision looms.
Blaine’s voice crackles through the comm-link, making the call no one else wants to. His tone is cold, devoid of emotion. "Seal the doors. Do it now."
The ancient spaceport gates groan to life, gears grinding as they strain to shake free layers of rust, and sand. Slowly, painfully, they begin to close. The rebels peer out over the flooded concourse, willing their comrades onward. The moments tick by until the stragglers are finally swallowed alive by a frenzied tide of claws, fangs, and faceless horrors crashing through red spray.
Ector dashes toward the manual override, jamming a scaffold pole into the wheel and calling for help. Together, they strain against the mechanism, muscles burning, but it won’t budge. The doors are moving too slowly. The sickening truth sets in—the Nightstalkers will reach them before the gates seal.
Erika Dulinsky steps forward, calm and commanding. She’s ex-corporation military, an officer no less, plain for all to see from her manner and bearing. Blaine watches approvingly, and leaves her to handle it. He leads half the fighters toward the parked ships, splashing through the rising water. Time to get out.
Her presence is steady, a rock in the chaos, and the rebels respond to her clear, steady orders. "Cell Seven, form up here!” As they obey, she grabs a young Sphyr by his jacket, and pulls him forcefully across to a better firing position. “Range. Two hundred meters. Rapid…fire!"
She turns, and calls out again. "Cell Nine, on me! We’re shutting those gates ourselves.” She spots a rack full of dock-worker exosuits. “Grab those loader units, and suit up. Now!"
Fighters scramble into the clunky mechanical frames, daring to hope that the wet servo motors will still work. Others lay down desperate fire out through the gate, but the Nightstalkers surge forward, barely slowed. The inky black floodwater climbs higher, creeping up toward their waists. Behind her calm facade, Erika can feel the truth.
Death is coming from all sides, her troops are tiring fast, and it’s going to be very, very close.
Doomsday Part 2
2230hrs – Solar Day 278 – Tersia Prime – Orbit
Swarms of light craft rocket out from the spaceport’s open roof, the last desperate escapees from Tersia Prime. Behind them, another massive wave smashes through the security gate, flooding the launch area with a torrent of water—and hundreds of struggling Nightstalkers. Tentacles, claws, and eyeless faces thrash and writhe amid the surging waves, submerging the loading area as electrical machinery crackles and finally shorts out.
Across the world, the screams finally fall silent, and there is only the rush of water and the crash of waves as the last artificial lights fizzle out. The Nameless have laid claim to Tersia Prime, and the aquaforming has passed the point of no return. The revolutionaries may have lost their home, but the many greedy opportunists that came from across the stars will remain here forever - a small consolation.
On Erika’s ship, a private corporate vessel now racing into the sky, Cell Nine slumps in relief and exhaustion. Still encased in their heavy exosuits, they leave a grim trail of water, blood, and engine grease on the plush blue carpet of what was once a lavish reception bay. They look around, baffled and disgusted at the opulence of the small craft.
It reeks of corporate decadence, the kind invariably built on the backs of millions of others just like them. They look wildly out of place here, dishevelled and battered. They’re just another group of unsung heroes, lucky to be alive. As the fighters begin to help each other out of the mechanical suits, she watches them with a sudden and involuntary smile. If they ever get out of this mess, she’s had an idea…
2300hrs – Solar Day 278 – Tersia System – Open Space
On the ‘Miner’s Pride’, an ore transporter, Blaine surveys the rebels with a cold eye. Most of them are shaken, but one Yndij stands out: pale, shivering, his once-vibrant skin now dull and clammy. Blaine leans toward Ector, his voice low.
“He needs to go.”
Ector frowns. "What?"
“His fear is a beacon. Get him out the airlock before the void-filth find us. Tell the other ships they need to do the same. Keep it quiet. No panic.”
Ector’s eyes darken, the awe he once held for Blaine slowly shifting to disgust. He spits on the deck, and glances back up with an angry whisper.
“That’s A’leor. He’s been fighting for Tersia since the beginning!’
Blaine simply meets his gaze, unblinking, a hand resting casually on the grip of his pistol.
The ship shudders, and the lights flicker. Blaine stands, ornate armour gleaming in the dim light, and moves toward the bridge. At the doorway he turns, gaze lingering on the trembling Yndij before locking eyes again with Ector.
“Make it happen.”
Moving up the corridor, Blaine catches sight of movement outside the observation port. Outside, three fleshy nightmare creatures glide alongside the ship, their movements smooth and deliberate. They are almost graceful, but Blaine’s stomach tightens as they suddenly swoop heavily against the hull, gaping mouths and teeth scratching hungrily at the pressure pane.
The lights flicker again—and this time, they go out.
2320hrs – Solar Day 278 – Tersia System – Open Space
In the cockpit of her own vessel, Erika watches in grim silence as the pilot tries to steer a course through the drifting Void Rays – which switch unpredictably between graceful flight and sudden bursts of violence.
Despite the danger, there’s still something oddly calming about the stark, utilitarian design of the crew area—no opulent frills here, just cold, honest metal. The little fleet of fourteen small ships sticks close together, but it’s clear they’ve all drawn attention. So many fearful souls aboard, and they’ve all seen too much.
A far larger, even more grotesque Void Ray is attacking a distant transport and she winces a little as the ship helplessly splits open, debris and flailing bodies spilling into the blackness of space. She closes her eyes, and gently grinds her teeth, trying to make peace with their fate.
A flash. Two flashes. Her eyes snap open.
Silent streaks of large-calibre fire are ripping through space. Hot, disintegrating chunks of Void Rays bounce heavily off starship hulls as the mysterious rounds tear into them. A powerful volley rips apart the largest creature in a violent display, but the crews can’t bring themselves to cheer yet.
An enormous battle cruiser has appeared, dwarfing them all. Its hull bears a huge corporate emblem, a line of white circular motifs. Erika’s heart skips a beat. She recognises that insignia, even that ship, but something’s not right.
The vessel’s name and GCPS docking number, normally marked in vast characters, has been defaced – the metal deliberately scorched black. She sinks down into the co-pilot’s chair, thoughts racing.
The ship’s speaker system crackles to life, a cold voice cutting through the tension.
“All survivors, lay down your weapons! Repeat, lay down your weapons. Prepare to be boarded.”
Erika looks up again at the massive cruiser and its obliterated markings. Old memories fire in her brain of half-whispered schemes in an officer’s mess, boastful dreams of drunken friends quickly hushed by comrades during shore leave, and as the pieces start to fall into place she doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Those idiots, she thinks. Those fools! They’d actually gone and done it…
The Conclusion
Factions have fought for glory and riches, but with Nameless ships now filling the skies...can anyone still get off Tersia Prime alive? The future is uncertain and power shifts following the events are guaranteed, how they will unfold is to be seen...
Campaign Gameplay Additions
During the Edge of Sanity Global Campaign 2024, more and more missions or gameplay effects were added over time. These are now listed here.
Firefight Scenario - Infiltration
Using the cover of Tersia’s dust storms, a daring attacking force attempts to seize several objectives right under the enemy's nose. However, they must first slip past a line of vigilant sentries...
CHOOSING A STRIKEFORCE
Nominate a player as the Attacker and the other as the Defender.
OBJECTIVES
Set up the terrain on the table as usual. After the terrain is placed, the attacker chooses one of the long table edges as their deployment zone, which extends 12” from that edge. The opposite long table edge will be the defender’s board edge.
Next, place objectives as follows:
- One objective in the centre of the board.
- Two additional objectives, each positioned 12” from the defender’s table edge and 6” from each short side.
DEPLOYMENT
Before any units are deployed, the defender places 8 sentries on the board. Each sentry is represented by a single 25mm-based infantry model (e.g., Marine, Ghoul, Spectre, or for extra campaign narrative, a Subcontracted 'reb' trooper, etc.). The defender places the sentries anywhere within 6” of the centre line of the board. The rest of the defender’s army remains in reserve and will arrive in the round after the alarm is raised.
The attacker then deploys half of the units in their army (rounding up) within their deployment zone. The selected units must not have the vehicle keyword. The remaining units will be held in reserve and will enter the turn after the alarm is raised.
The Aerial and Subterranean Deployment keywords cannot be used during this mission.
INFILTRATION ROUNDS
The game begins with up to three Infiltration Rounds, where the attackers try to approach the objectives without being detected. No command dice are rolled during Infiltration Rounds. The attacker automatically has the initiative for the first Infiltration Round.
During the Defender's turns, the defender selects one sentry to move. Both players roll a D8. The player with the higher roll moves the sentry in any direction for the distance shown on the dice. If the rolls are tied, the sentry remains stationary. During the Attacker's turns, the attacker may activate any unit as usual.
The sentry will never carry out a shoot, steady aim or assault action. If engaged, a sentry has the following profile:
Alarm Raised:
The alarm will be raised if any of the following conditions are met:
- The attacker engages a sentry in assault but does not kill it.
- If the sentry is killed in an assault, roll a D8. On a roll of 5 or higher, the alarm is raised.
- The attacker shoots at a sentry but does not kill it.
- If the sentry is killed by Shoot or a Steady Aim action, roll a D8. On a roll of 3 or higher, the alarm is raised. Subtract 1 from the result for any actions only using weapons with the Sniper Scope or Psychic keywords.
- Any attacking unit comes within 4” of a sentry.
- The third Infiltration Round ends.
As soon as the alarm is raised, the current Infiltration Round immediately ends. The game then proceeds to regular gameplay, with the defender’s main forces arriving on the board in the following round.
STANDARD ROUNDS
As soon as the alarm is raised, four Standard Rounds are played. The Attacker will start with initiative. Command Dice are rolled as normal.
VICTORY CONDITIONS
At the end of each Standard Round, players score 1VP for each Objective they claim during a Standard Round. The player with the most VPs at the end of the game is the winner.
Psychic Break Battlefield Condition (Firefight)
On Tersia Prime, the veil between the known world and the void frays dangerously thin, particularly around sites of great significance to its inhabitants. These places radiate with an otherworldly glow, piercing the darkness of the nether like blazing beacons. To the lurking horrors within the void, they are irresistible, drawing them ever closer with a sinister pull. Usage: This condition can be applied in any objective or High-Value Asset (HVA) based mission.
Effect: Whenever a unit begins its turn holding or contesting an objective, or when it has an attached HVA, it must take a nerve check. If the check is failed, roll a D8 and consult the table below:
- Void Breach: The void tears open, drawing a horror to the unit’s psychic echo. Resolve a melee attack against the unit as if a unit of two reapers had executed a hindered charge.
- Void Quake: Reality trembles and quakes around the unit, disorienting and scattering soldiers. Reduce the unit’s advance and sprint stats by 2”.
- Ethereal Chill: A cold, otherworldly presence grips the unit, slowing their reflexes. The unit suffers a -1 penalty to all shooting attacks for this round.
- Confusion: The soldiers' minds become unfocused and fleeting. The unit gains a Pin token if it does not already have one.
- Shadowed Doubt: Whispers from the void sow doubt and distrust of trusted allies. The unit must immediately move 3” directly away from the nearest friendly unit. This does not count as an activation.
- Neural Infestation: The world spins and a coppery taste fills the air, but there are no immediate effects—at least not for the duration of the battle.
- Red Haze: The soldiers are overcome by a blinding rage. The unit gains the Frenzy keyword for the rest of the round.
- Etheric Envelopment: The unit’s melee weapons become enveloped in a purple, ominous haze. Add AP 1 to the unit’s melee weapons for this round.
Optional Rules: Asterian Constructs Vulnerability: The psychic link that the Asterians use to control their marionettes and cyphers is particularly susceptible to the whispers of the Nightstalkers. All Asterian constructs, excluding Haniwa Marionettes and Daidarabotchi mechs, use a nerve stat of 5+ when testing for Psychic Breaks. Matsudan Resilience: The Matsudan’s honourable nature grants them a degree of protection from the psychic intrusions of the Nightstalkers. Any unit with the Honourable keyword uses a nerve value of 2+ when taking a Psychic Break check
Generic Game Events
| Events (Firefight) | Incursion from the Void - Using suitable miniatures, at the start of the game, roll a single D4 (D8 divided by 2). This is the round a single unit of either Nightstalker Spectres or Reapers enter the battle. At the start of that round, place this unit's leader model as close to the centre of the battlefield as possible in a valid position, at least 1" away from other units in play. This unit will activate before any units in the round. If neither or both players are fielding Nightstalkers, the unit will move towards the nearest unit and attempt to Assault. If one player is fielding Nightstalkers, they now control this unit as if it was their own and can choose to control it normally. |
|---|---|
| Events (Deadzone) | Incursion from the Void - Using suitable miniatures, at the start of the game, roll a single D4 (D8 divided by 2). This is the round a single model of either a Nightstalker Spectre or Reaper enter the battle. At the start of that round, place this model in any un-occpied cube using the rules for placing items. This unit will activate before any units in the round. If neither or both players are fielding Nightstalkers, the unit will move towards the nearest unit and attempt to Assault. If one player is fielding Nightstalkers, they now control this unit as if it was their own and can choose to control it normally. |
Notable Location Rules
Mazon Polar Facility:
| Battlefield Type | Snowed-under Research Facility |
|---|---|
| Battlefield Conditions (Deadzone) | Biting Wind - At the start of each round, roll a D8 for each model in play. On a roll of 1 that model reduces its Sprint value by 1 cube to a minimum of 1 for that round. |
| Battlefield Conditions (Firefight) | Biting Wind - At the start of each round, roll a D8 for each unit in play. On a roll of 1 that unit reduces both Speed stats by 2" to a minimum of 2" for that round. For example, a unit with Speed 6/12 now has a Speed stat of 4/10 for that round. |
GCPS Outpost Tersia Prime:
| Battlefield Type | Military Fortification |
|---|---|
| Battlefield Conditions (Firefight) | Mortars! - Any player who fields a GCPS or Enforcer strike force may benefit from the following once per game: Instead of making a Shoot action during a units activation, instead that unit may call for support. The controlling player may make a Ranged attack with the following profile: Shoot: 4+, Range: Unlimited, 8D, AP2, Blast(D2), Anti-tank. This attack does not require line of site, but cannot target units in buildings. |
Tersia Mining&Refinement:
| Battlefield Type | Night time Industrial Zone |
|---|---|
| Battlefield Conditions (Deadzone) | The Dead of Night - All size 2 or lower units have the Stealthy Keyword for the duration of this game. |
| Battlefield Conditions (Firefight) | The Dead of Night - All units of base size 40mm or smaller have the Stealthy Keyword for the duration of this game. |
Crater Mine #T44:
| Battlefield Type | Industrial / Desert |
|---|---|
| Battlefield Conditions (Deadzone) | Hazardous Geysers - Just before the first activation of the game, add 2 stacks that contain Gas Cloud (Toxic (2)) using the item drop placement rules. These clouds remain until the end of turn 2. |
Corlon City Spaceport:
| Battlefield Type | Urban / Industrial / Space Port |
|---|---|
| Battlefield Conditions (Deadzone) | Flee! - At the start of the game, mark a table edge. In subsequent rounds, "civilian" models emerge from this edge fleeing from an unseen enemy.
At the begining of each round add D4 "civilian" models into a cube along the marked edge, using a D8 to determine which cube. Any models above that cubes capacity are placed into any adjacent cube that can accept them. After every combat unit has been activated, move all civilian models one cube directly away from the marked edge, until they are removed from play by progressing off the opposite edge. Civilian models count as Size 1 models for cube capacity. They may not be the target of any attack from units in the factions: GCPS, Enforcers, Forge Fathers or Asterians. If an attack may cause damage to a civilian model (for attacks that target the cube) these factions may not perform that attack. |
Rebel Encampment:
| Battlefield Type | Urban / Industrial / Desert |
|---|---|
| Scenario (Deadzone) | Tsunami - This game runs for 8 rounds. Pick either side table edge that is not a player's edge. At the start of Round 2 and for each round thereafter, the entire 8 cubes along that edge is destroyed and counts as impassable terrain.
With each new round, this area of impassable terrain expands by another row of 8 cubes, until at the end of Round 8 the entire play mat is "destroyed". Any model caught in the wave of destruction at the start of the round is immediately removed from play. At the end of the game this scenario always results in a draw as all remaining models cannot escape and are destroyed; the moral winner is the player who accrued the most Victory Points. |
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