Prologue
[Personal Log: Station Commander Brian Rouen...]
"For the past few months, a flurry of activity has centered upon the Kendai drivespace communications relay. The comm relay is a small space station in the Kendai star system, situated in a LaGrange-point orbit trailing the world Gobi, Kendai's second planet. Set in interplanetary space, the station is thousands of kilometers and several hours from the nearest outpost. Regular in-system supply runs to the station have taken slightly less than nine hours, one-way. It seems so remote...and lonely...out here. But it's comforting and restful at times too, I think."
"The Kendai station is still under construction, but thankfully its scheduled to become operational in only a few more days. The engineers and technicians on-board are scrutinizing every last piece of the equation. Once activated, the functioning station will fill a crucial gap in communications coverage, allowing the Galactic Concord to restore communication to the isolated frontier of space known simply as the Verge."
"Reestablishing contact with Verge worlds is an important event, and a number of diplomats are expected to arrive in the next few days to transmit the first messages and receive the first replies. Many are anxious to renew their ties with colonies that have been stranded there since midway into the Second Galactic War. In fact, I have my own family ancestors that settled near the Tendril system long, long ago. They have passed through a couple of generations by now...just as my family has...but still, it will be good to reach out across the stars and reunite with those that share the Rouen name."
"I plan to launch the first message-bearing drivesat at midnight tomorrow to verify that those in the Verge are still operational as well. The technology behind such devices is so fascinating, I think. It operates on the same principal that allows interstellar starships to travel across the vast distances of space, but it serves a communication need, rather than a transportation one. The drivesat will power up its tiny mass reactor, engage the miniaturized stardrive, and vanish into drivespace...a phenomenon known as 'starfalling'...although it won't actually travel anywhere like starships do."
"The satellite will then simply disperse its messages in packets toward the Verge, which will eventually intiate a response from the drivesats on the frontier. After sending all of the messages, the Kendai drivesat will then reappear...which is called 'starrising' and await our further instructions. The first responses from the Verge should return six days later, and the next scheduled drivesat's starfall should receive them. I must admit, we're all curious about what life is like out there nowadays."
"In all, the station currently controls 20 different drivesats which direct traffic from virtually every sector of the Core worlds. They are positioned roughly one kilometer away from the station, in a spherical dispersion pattern in order to provide the widest transmission range. It's our primary responsibility to safeguard those devices at all costs. Each one is worth millions of Concord dollars...and this project is a significant diplomatic event that will demonstrate the Concord's leadership role in guiding the Stellar Nations out of the catastrophe of the Second Galactic War. I'm proud to be a part of it..."