Star Atlas Never Alone Mission 2: The Search For Etira Lore

All the lore from each quest in the Star Atlas Never Alone Campaign Mission 2 is below. Lore was written by Star Atlas and has been arranged for ease of reading.

Preparing for a New Adventure 🧭- Step 1

You wake up extremely well after a long night of sleep.

Maybe it was the after-effect of that weird space caravan show you watched yesterday, or maybe it was simply the fact that you don’t need to rush, going from battlefield after battlefield trying to salvage goods any longer.

Either way, you felt good.

To further increase your mood, you could see the sun shining in Volant Station from the window of your apartment, making it a most pleasant day. You realize you are hungry, so you go after another eternally hungry being, your companion Saand, so both of you can go eat breakfast and plan for the day.

You knock on the Punaabs door, but there is no answer. “He is probably already eating, dam rascal.” You thought to yourself, and a side smile runs over your face. You walk down the corridor to the elevator while watching the cleaning drones work their magic, making sure everything is in order for the guests.

As you enter the elevator and are prepared to go down, someone calls out for you to hold the door, which you oblige. A hurried Sogmian couple thanks you for your kindness by showing the palms of their hands, as it’s their custom, and quickly come back to talking with each other in their very musical native language.

You can’t help but smile. A memory of your past tries to find its way to your thoughts, but you knew that one crewmember dealing with his past was already enough, so you dismiss the lingering memory and walk towards the halls of the hotel.

As predictable as a Sogmian vow, Saand was there, already eating. You reach out to the Punaabs table and are met with a salutation: “Whots up Boddhi?” which spilled a bunch of nutty nut crumbs over the table.

You smile and share with Saand your incredible night.

The Punaab tells you about how he also feels rested, even after spending a couple of hours thinking and talking with the A.I on his bracelets. He emanates energy, discussing how your team quest is progressing well and how he is almost sure Etira is actually a planet hidden somewhere in the galaxy.

You listen to your friend and start discussing the next steps of how this journey should play out. The two of you managed to amass quite a bit of wealth after your scavenger hunts. Especially because the price of resources escalated after the embargo of the medium zone planets toward the Council of Peace, so you both don’t need to worry about ATLAS for the time being.

“That’s actually awesome because we need to find a planet on an enormous galaxy. We need to be smart about this. Otherwise, we would just waste our resources.” You point out while trying to think about the best way to learn about Etira.

“What about we revisit the Lumikir?” Saand suggests, now without any food in his mouth. “Last time, it wasn’t of much use due to the lack of clues, but now at least, we have a name, right?”

“That’s actually not a bad idea.” You comment while immediately thinking about everything you would need to do to reach Lumikir.

“Of course it isn’t. I’m a genius” Saand replies, liking his pawns.

“All right, genius, we need to do some planning and preparation for that trip.” You reply, while your face shows how much of a genius you actually think Saand is.

“I still have some stuff to do here in Volant Station. Could you get us started while I finish creating some photos for my channel? I also have my appointment on the racing track in a couple of days.” The Punaab begs you, doing his best to look cute.

“No way you are leaving me with all the heavy work while you go play around Volant Station.” You reply, surprised by the Punaab audacity.

“Preeeettyyyy pleaseeee.” Saand asks again, moving his pawns together.

“For Iris Mother’s sake…” You reply, turning your back to Saand and going back to your room to do some planning.

“May the Cosmic Currents flow ever in your favor.” Saand says to you with a solemn face, copying one of the catchphrases of his favorite sitcom.

The Shadow Cabinet 🧭

It’s time to move on the quest to find Etira.

You and Saand make your way into the harbor of the Volant Station to check on your lowbie and make sure everything is set for the long journey.

As you close into the main lobby, you see that there is a group of people watching a holographic display transmission. Saand pokes you, and with a nod, you two change rotes to check in on what’s over the news.

To your surprise, the one over the screen is Chior.eldr, one of the most influential leaders in the galaxy, even after his retirement from the direct control of his many industries. The old ustur had been away from the public stage for a while now, and his sudden appearance couldn’t help but install in you the presentiment that something big was going on.

And you were right.

The ustur called for a vote over the situation of the Convergence War, to establish limits on the Council of Peace army’s activity and regulate the rights of the medium zone population over the conflict.

“As an emergency measure, I also would like us to vote on a cease-fire for negotiations, effective as soon as the Council DAO has approved the motion.” You could hear the Ustur saying in the transmission.

“I didn’t expect that.” Saand said with genuine surprise.

“Me neither.” You replied.

The transmission changed to a Punaab reporter, which said.

After accruing the necessary interest by the Council of Peace citizens, Chior.eldr proposal will be submitted to the voting, and if it passes, perhaps, we will see the end of the war in the middle zone.

“I wonder what Vaor Scarka should be thinking about this now…” you said almost as a whisper while you watched the backstage battle unfold in the politics of the Council.

The Story of The Medium Zone 📡

Before you realized, you were already on the floor, barely holding onto your knees.

Saand quickly raised his laser gun, but you managed to stop him with your arm.

“It’s ok, Saand. I deserved this, I think.” You said while catching your breath after the punch in your stomach made you fold in two.

After punching you, Virtin lit up his cigar once more, blowing the green smoke over to the cold air of Smids.

“It wouldn’t hurt to have called.” Virtin said smiling, and raising you to your feet with a single pull.

“I learned my lesson.” You replied, and now properly hugging the big guy.

“Virtin, this is Saand. A crazy and ever-hungry Punaab who Iris put over my path. Saand lost his memories in a ship crash, so I’m trying to help him regain them.

Saand, this is my old friend Virtin, a big idiot, as you can see, but with an even bigger heart. His family created fimbul, so you have his grandpa to thank for the lowbies and airbikes you so much love.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Saand. I hope this guy has not been too much of a hassle to you.” Virtin said while raising his hand.

“Nah, my boy is a great side kick, keeps my laundry done, and is great at social media.” Saand laughed while extending his hand back.

Bottoms up! 📡

You have been a regular client of the Bounty Bar for a while now. The place mixes good drinks with a good atmosphere, where captains and bounty hunters from all corners of the galaxy respect the neutrality rules of the house, exchanging jobs and information you wouldn’t find elsewhere.

You call Carmonayole, the Punaab owner and mixologist expert, and ask him for the usual Blo Dyoni, the house specialty, and your favorite drink. While you wait, you tell Saand about the long story of the place as an informal symbol of civility between members of different factions.

An ancient MUD song starts playing, The Platter — Sixteen Tons. Ahhh, that’s what you needed, a Blo Dyoni and good music. You feel relaxed like you have just left the springs on planet Vanqty.

Saand asks you for a sip and is instantly in love with it, and he asks the owner to share how to create something like that.

Carmonayole smiles, happy for his brethren’s interest, and starts teaching Saand the secrets of a good drink while preparing him a Blo Dyoni.

You three make a toast, and after emptying his glass, Saand declares to the whole bar: “We are going to make a drink worth of the Bounty Bar!” Raising your hand together with his.

Everyone in the bar raises their glasses, cheering the daring initiative.

“By Iris secrets….” you send a silent prayer while noting how easily Saand can get drunk. “Well, it doesn’t hurt to try, right?” You think to yourself.

Light, Camera, and Action 💥 Step — 1

You can feel the tension in the air as the pilots get ready in their positions to start the race. Per the rules of the competition, everyone had a single shot at advancing to the next bracket, and to do that, you needed to have one of the top two over eight contestants.

Then, the pilots who qualify move to the next bracket, where, once more, only two would advance until the last eight pilots would race for the grand prix. It was a brutal competition where no mistakes were allowed.

No use thinking about that, you realize, and you had a mission of yourself to perform while Saand was racing. The Punaab asked you to film the entire event using the sophisticated drones that the Volant Station made available for their visitors.

These state-of-the-art devices were recognized as the best civilian recorder in the galaxy, and the MUD must have spent their fair share of ATLAS to make those available for tourists of the Station.

Saand would never forgive you if you messed this up or filmed him from the wrong angle, so you had to focus.

Your photographer career started now.

Border Control❓

“Name and Reason for your journey.” The MUD border control worker asked Saand.

“Saand, and I’m on a journey to recover my memories.” He replied, dead serious.

You immediately sigh. “Iris Dusk, take this Punaab…” You whisper to yourself.

“Sorry, officer, you know how the Punaabs are.” You interject before the conversation completely derails.

“We are going to Lumikir to study the origins of Akenat and uncover clues about the Profound and High Punaabs relationship. Our friend here wanted to make our research sound a little more exciting than it truly is” You apologize with a smile, hoping the lie you created on the spot doesn’t raise any suspicions that could delay the two of you.

“The two of you don’t look like academics at all.” The guard replied, scanning the two of you from top to bottom.

“You have no idea how many times we hear this, sir. It’s all your fault, Saand, for not dressing properly” You fake anger towards the Punaab. “Nevertheless, it’s indeed true sir. We just came here from Carvum, that’s where we got the invitation to come here. You will see that our travel log has the confirmation of that information.” You are raising your A.I bracelet to show him but got dismissed with a wave of a hand.

“All right, all right.” The guard replies. “Just make sure to take more care with your tales, Punaab. The galaxy is dangerous right now, and everyone is on high alert. It’s not the time to make jokes. Move along.”

“Thank you, officer.” You reply, dragging Saand away before the inevitable reply would come.

“Not a single word, Saand. Not a single word until we are inside our ship.”

“Freaking prejudice against Punaabs, that’s what this is.” Saand murmured to himself.

It’s not that simple…❓

“Friend, who would you say is the most powerful group in the galaxy right now?”

Saand’s question made you turn your head over to the back seat of the ship, where the Punaab chilled, reading the latest volume of CORE while the two of you transversed the space in your rote to Lumikir.

“Where did this come from?” You replied to the Punaab, realizing that he was also chewing some sort of gum.

“I was just wondering. In the days of old, things were quite different, we didn’t even have the Council, and there were some pretty powerful groups as well, so I was wondering how quickly the status quo can change.”

You laugh at the philosophical reflection of the Punaab and reply. “Are you looking to overtake the power Saand? Perhaps start the first Punaab intergalactic empire?”

He raises his eyes from the comic.

“An empire run by me would be even better than any crazy story the Miereses could come up with. Wait, what if I’m actually a member of the nobility of Akenat that lost his memories?!” The Punaab said while bringing his pawns over his head, dropping his comic.

“There hasn’t been a king in Akenat since before the Convergence War, Saand. Keep it steady, bro.”

“As if a peasant like you would know anything.” He replied, genuinely offended that you disregarded his potential noble origins so quickly and raised his comic once more.

Trying to lighten the mood, you go back to his original question.

“I think that it’s pretty safe to assume that the Council of Peace is the strongest organization in the galaxy right now.” You reply, getting your eyes back to the path forward, filled with a myriad of stars and light.

“That’s the common assumption, yeah.” Saand replied. “Yet, the Council seems far from being monolithic right now, given the reactions to Vaor’s decisions. Meanwhile, there are millions of other groups in the galaxy. I always like to imagine that the true powers of Galia live hidden from public sight.”

“Like the Photoli, huh?” You reply. In all honesty, no one knew much about the Photoli’s true might. It was general knowledge in the galaxy that some of them were nearly as strong as gods of mythology. Yet, there were no records of this kind of Photoli ever exerting their powers towards destruction, and they were assumed to be forces of good in the galaxy.

“Yeah, those guys are a mystery. But there is so much we don’t know. I mean, how come no one ever came back to the cataclysm after the Convergence War? What hides beyond our medium zone? Those are the kind of mysteries that I would like to explore one day!

“Haha, it’s not that simple, Saand.” You replied, laughing. “Going after the Cataclysm is nearly impossible. All the supply lines built to reach that place were destroyed after the Convergence War. Even then, no one knows for sure how to find it or enter. Unless you know where Timpo and his device are.” You make a small banter with your friend.

“I know! That’s what makes it a worthy pursuit! One day, let’s go there together, friend.” He said, looking at you through the rear view of the Lowbie.

“You crazy, Punaab. You better pay me well then.” You smiled while the ship slowed down, arriving in another star system on your way toward Lumikir.

Reminiscence❓

“Welcome to planet Smids.

This is a neutral planet and a demilitarized zone, so make sure to respect the local laws and policies. We wish you a pleasant stay!” A soft A.I voice welcomed you to the agitated harbor of your first stop on the path towards Etira.

Smids was famous over the whole Galia Expanse as one of the most prominent harbors in the medium zone. It was in this place that the Fimbul industry was created by the legendary MUD craftsman, Ben Y, as well as where the tragedy that split his family, and company, happened.

“So, any ideas of where to go now? I’m kinda hungry.” Saand said, chewing one of his endless nutty nut bars.

“Yeah, we are going to visit an old friend today. It’s been a while since the old lowbie got some proper maintenance. She deserves some pampering after fighting Jorkvis and dodging burning debris.” You replied, leading the way across the familiar streets.

“Wow, I just realized that even though I lost all my memories, I know even less about your past than mine. How crazy is that?!” Saand replied while jumping over a box that was blocking his path over a small street that you took.

The city was even more chaotic than what you remembered. It was basically a multitude of small shops, hurried and stout engineers, and a cacophony of foreign alien languages and merchants.

It seemed as if everyone was buying or selling something at any given moment.

“There is nothing too exciting to share here.” You dismissed the Punaab drama with a head shake.

“I was not disciplined enough to become an engineer and dumb enough to join the gangs. Luckily, I realized that before it was too late and started an honest life as a Captain in the medium zone, like so many others.” You told Saand as you moved towards the back of a massive workshop.

“Huh…” The Punaab was about to say something, but a sudden shout coming from the workshop stopped him.

“Iris Mother, give me patience because if you give me strength, I swear I’m going to kill you, SAYMID! HOW MANY TIMES MUST I SAY THAT THE SUBWARP ENGINE FOR THE AIRBIKE IS X-SMALL, NOT XX-SMALL?!”

“It’s true what they say: The apul doesn’t fall far from the tree.” You said, sighing.

“The what?” Saand replied in astonishment.

After a second, you heard the sound of metal hitting the floor.

“All right, you know what, Saymid? I’m going outside, and I will smoke this banka. If this air bike is not ready once I’m back, you better not be here. Because, if you are, I’m giving you to the Pobas.”

You couldn’t help but smile.

Your old friend Virtin had grown taller and stronger from the last time you saw him. The big mechanic looked dire, his body showing the years of dedication to the crafting of ships while his blue eyes betrayed his family origins from even before earth was destroyed.

For a few seconds, the two of you were immersed in what seemed to be a staring contest, neither moving nor saying anything. Saand didn’t move, watching the scene unfold.

Virtin was the one to move first.

“Ok, Saymid, you overstepped now. This banka you bought is so bad that it’s making me hallucinate and see ghosts.” He took the cigar out of his mouth and blew a cloud of greenish smoke.

“It’s good to see you in good health, Virtin. You are still as lively as the day we decided it would be a good idea to steal the governor Bitboat.” You replied, extending your hand.

“By the Cosmic Currents grace, it’s really you, Jack.” The big man rushed towards you, involving you in a hug that could break the ribbons of a Jupran Ox.

“No freaking way.” It was everything that Saand could say.

A Drink and a Conversation 💥 — Step 6

“Bro! It’s brew time! Quickly, turn on the transmission!” Saand urged, dropping his work on the SDU to listen attentively to the new episode of his favorite show.

You turn on the transmission right in time to hear the legendary Atlas Brew host make the introduction about today’s episode.

“This is the Atlas Brew lads, and today we are talking about a legendary species that lives in the imagination, and nightmares, of everyone in the galaxy. Are they real? If so, do they still exist? To talk about that, we have two experts with us today:
”Amarol, a cataclysm class member of the Gates Garrison. If you live under an asteroid or just in Yoki and don’t know what the Gates Garrison is, one could say that this is the most badass bounty hunter guild in Galia, known for having a fortress in every star system that borders the high-risk zone and accepting all sorts of jobs to hunt stuff on the other side of the fence. Welcome to the brew, friend!” The host saluted his guest, which promptly replied.

”Thank you for having me.”

”Now, let me introduce another special guest, known throughout the galaxy, for his research on our galaxy species at the Council of Peace Biological Research Association (COPBRA). Professor Argadal, thank you for coming!”

”It’s my pleasure, thank you.” The academic replied.

All right, let’s start with the main question: “ Are the Tufa real?” The host asked.
Meanwhile, Saand replied immediately: “What do you mean? Of course, they are real!” The Punaab replied without a shred of doubt.

“And how would you know that, Saand? I mean, the last report of someone supposedly seeing a TUFA happened during the Convergence War, and every piece of evidence that is currently presented about TUFAs has been dismissed as a fraud.” You replied.

“There is no way…” Saand replied, perplexed by your words.

“They are.” Professor Argadal said.

“They don’t, for at least one hundred years.”

The bounty hunter replied.

“Oh wow.” You and Saand said at the same time.

About the Author

Krigs is a pioneer in the world of Star Atlas, having founded The Hologram News Network — an independent meta-news organization that keeps players up to date on all developments regarding Star Atlas. An ardent supporter of emerging technologies, Krigs has been covering this game for over a year and believes passionately in their power to revolutionize our collective gaming experience.

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