HuEOS 289. 1777 Du-ε. LuY 911. For decades, these three planetoids drifted unnoticed on the inner periphery of the Homeric Belt of the Human Edge, locked in a complex gravitational interaction known as a hierarchical multiple system. Put off by the potential for chaotic orbital collisions, asteroid miners left the trio untouched until after the rediscovery of Dawn when the Ammonia-rich mantle of LuY 911 was revealed after an asteroid strike. Rechristened as Huey, Dewey, and Louie after a second, more optimistic assessment of their orbital stability, the rush for mining rights was swift, merciless, and well-catalogued by a critically-panned yet groundbreakingly iconic OXYD! sensadocumentary series (“DISASTEROID!” Season 3, now available to rent or own). Now, all three planetoids are hotly contested property split between the myriad factions of the Human Sphere, and as always—everyone’s got an agenda.

As a virtually solid chunk of frozen ammonia crystals, Louie is considered the golden child of the three twin planetoids, sporting mining colonies backed by the Nomad nation and PanOceania. With sponsorship from the Whole Protein corporation, a colourful group of Ariadnan entrepreneurs have taken advantage of methane harvested from nearby gas giants to establish a productive Kemi-Tec chemical plant on over-colonized and ice-rich Huey. Twins Huey and Louie form a reasonably stable core for the multiple system—circling each other in a tight central orbit. The third twin, Dewey, swings around the others in a wide and occasionally chaotic oval. Based on an analysis of abundant and therefore worthless carbons, mining company prospectors have given it a hard pass. Not everyone shares their lack of enthusiasm though. Dewey’s super-dense surface shields a pock-marked, cavernous interior from all possible scans, giving the third twin a (valid) reputation as a smuggler’s moon.

However far away these planetoids are, they were still affected by the shift in the power dynamics of the Human Sphere after the wake of Concilium Prima. Two colonies of miners were absorbed into the Corregidor Nation after a bloody riot over oxygen shares. Inspired, the Ariadnan chemical workers joined the Ariadnan Workers Union, breaking exclusivity to open competitive negotiations. Pirate activity increased tenfold as corsairs fled the core systems for the Human Edge, necessitating a response from the beleaguered O-12 security forces—the skirmishes are both ongoing, and shifting in the pirates’ favor. A series of disappearances in Huey’s civilian sector show an alarming correlation with missing and miscounted Silk shipments. And now, the Combined Army have arrived with a peacekeeping force—to what end, no one knows.

As the old ammonia miners’ saying goes, “life is like a hurricane.” The only question is: are we in the eye, or moving out of it? Find out this season—on DISASTEROID! Season 5, only on OXYD!

July 2024 Missions

Every major Infinity faction has lore- and player-driven objectives that advance the narrative of the campaign. To reflect the myriad objectives and the various alliances, grudges, and machinations between various factions, simply find your faction and your opponent’s faction in the table below to see what mission you are playing.

For example, if you’re playing Haqqislam and your friend is playing PanO, you choose the mission in the first column of the first row. If your friend is instead playing ALEPH, you have multiple choices: anything from the first three columns in the first row! If either or both of you is playing NA-2, have a look at the NA-2 Employment Permits.

	Critical Mass	Supply Raid	Engineering Deck	Last Resort
		Black Spot	Sensor Field	Dead or Alive
			The Brawl	Blockade Runner
				Holographic Havoc

Eagle-eyed readers will note that some mirror matches are allowed, but we’re trying to discourage that for lore reasons. If you have an option to play a non-mirror match that would be preferred.

July 2024 Faction Lore and Objectives

ALEPH

When presented with great terror, human beings default to one of two instinctual reactions: Fight, or Flight. In the same way, the situation we find ourselves in now, with the Combined Army and its EI and its VoodooTech embedded into the heart of our civilization, evokes that same response. But we are not human and are not wont to allowing instinct to control us. Proximity has granted us a unique opportunity to choose a third option. We will fawn over our aggressors. We will feign cooperation. We will bow our heads, and in secret, learn their methods, decipher their technology, and when the time comes their sufficiently advanced technology will not be like magic to us but like music.

We must only bide our time.

Ariadna

The Ariadnan Workers’ Union has fast become a fixture in the mines and colonies of the Human Edge… to the Stavka Intelligence Department: Black Sky Subdirectorate’s great delight. By injecting operatives into the AWU, Black Sky hopes to further infiltrate the other G-5 nations’ outposts and tighten their hold on planetoids and asteroid belts rich with vital materials key to Ariadna’s space faring future. However, an intel leak threatens to expose the entire operation. Before the operation can be compromised, Ariadna must investigate the leak, secure their operatives, and if necessary, establish control over these sectors by force.

Combined Army

When the dust settled on Concilium, the Combined Army moved to take immediate steps to mollify their new allies in the Human Sphere, chief among them ALEPH and O-12. By protecting these two factions’ beleaguered and understaffed territories on the Human Edge, they hope to solidify their promises of goodwill and cooperation, securing allies in the Human Sphere for years to come. However, outside questions are rampant and pervasive: Are these acts actually goodwill, or just a mutual weakening of enemies while using a neutral government as a shield? Only the EI knows, and it’s not sharing details with outsiders.

Haqqislam

HuEOS 289 is home to the busy Averroes Hospital Campus, first stop for any local inhabitant suffering an acute Ammonia burn. Named for the ancient Islamic philosopher and scientist, Ibn Rushd, this is a large and well stocked research facility and hospital. The Human Edge, and space in general, is a very dangerous location, and so several non-profit corporations banded together to create a Level 1 capable trauma station in the frontiers of human territory. Since its inception, the facility has grown to include numerous research firms and projects, not just in biomedical, but in botany, geology, and astrophysics as well. It has grown into a true Haqqislamite research campus, and has a great deal of funds moving through it.

As the sprawling complex has grown in importance and size, the growth of less savory elements were bound to occur. With such a well supplied, and isolated complex, one organization of dubious background has funded a small research module. The claim is that the firm, Adeq Greenspaces, is researching the effect of certain strains of xenobotany on the human histamine and cardio system, to determine the effect of allergies on alien worlds. The security surrounding the foundations modules though are considerably more lethal than would probably be necessary though. The amount of patients going in, but not coming out is also of concern.

Nomads

One AI controlling the rest of the idiots in the Human Sphere was bad. Now, there’s two, and one belongs to the evil alien empire that killed their way into the galaxy and onto the council at the Oberhaus. How is it that no one else is outraged by this? How is it no one else gets how absolutely crazy this is? It’s unacceptable. The only answer is to provide for ourselves, like we’ve always been doing, and the only way to do that is to make sure that when these intergalactic assholes switch sides and start blasting we’re safe enough and far enough away for them to hear us shout “I told you so!” and “serves you fucking right.” And if anyone wants to go with us, well… the Nomads are always recruiting.

O-12

Humanity has always been one species, alone, trying to make it work. Now, we finally meet a second, a ceasefire has been called, and everyone’s already back at each others’ throats. Why won’t anyone listen to reason? Shattergrounds forced everyone to coordinate to keep the CRASHER teams supplied, and the Quantum Anomaly Zones under control. Now that the dust has settled, O-12 is here to lead the Human Sphere yet again—whether that’s in learning to live with our new alien allies, or taking advantage of the breathing room to coordinate our next step is up to everyone else.

Pan Oceania

Whole Protein’s new product line of Snackrah Chips is selling 0.67% below their own aggressive quarterly sales targets. In an attempt to deflect blame from their own marketing department, executives have pointed fingers at a number of Ariadnan Workers Union organizers in the Human Edge colonies. It is hoped that a series of “accidental deaths” can be organized and publicized, which will both neuter the collective bargaining power of Ariadnan workers and show investors that aggressive steps are being taken to improve profit margins.

Tohaa

In the span of the universe, a 3 body planetoid system is a common occurrence. However, the current spark of interest and activity surrounding the planetoids in the Human Edge, at a time when humanity seems to have allied with the great enemy of the EI, and our people are desperate for any sign that our kind will not pass unnoticed into history, has set a flame to the Neebab Numerologist societies. Though most view this as an auspicious sign, others go further. Having delved deep into the history of the 300-year-old anthropomorphic earth waterfowl that these planetoids are colloquially referred to as, they discovered to their delight that the 3 characters had a color scheme of red, blue, and green, but argue that the red is a color recreation error in the history books, pointing to evidence that one was originally yellow, making their colors yellow, blue, and green, the 3 most common colors of Voorne. This has sparked furious debate leading many dining halls, council chambers, and even some command bridges to become so choked with pheromonic arguments that hardly any other message can pierce the fog. Seeking to quell further disharmony, the Diplomatic Corps has dispatched Haaren Gaar to the Human Edge in order to determine what significance can be derived from these planetoids and to see that Tohaa interests are protected within the inhospitable system of the Human Edge.

Yu Jing

The Imperial Service has spent thousands of man-hours unraveling the funding behind the mercenary deployments against StateEmpire facilities during the Shattergrounds crisis. Multiple investigative threads have pointed to a hidden submondo facility on the 1777 Du-ε planetoid. There, the Yujingyu forces hope to find evidence linking the Ikari Company, Druze Bayram Security, and JSA mercenaries to their mysterious benefactors. Of course, this will also prove an opportune moment to clip these mercenaries’ wings in their lawless home territory and prove the might of the StateEmpire.

NA-2

Each NA-2 sectorial has their own secret objectives. If your sectorial is not listed here, join the NA-2 discord and demand one! Until it’s listed here, assume you do not have a secret objective for your game.

Dahshat Company

Druze Bayram Security

Foreign Company

Ikari Company

Japanese Secessionist Army

Spiral Company

StarCo

White Company

NA-2 Employment Permits

If you’re playing a Non-Aligned Army (NA-2), you can play a game as any of the major factions above, assuming you have an authorized permit (green check mark). Some NA-2 factions simply won’t work for particular major factions or major factions won’t hire particular mercenary companies, so it’s not a free-for-all of playing whatever you like for whatever faction you like. There have to be some rules.

The Japanese Secessionist Army (JSA) is a little different in that it’s technically not a mercenary faction, but it’s still subject to influence and coercion by some major factions to align military goals. We model this as “working with/for” those factions here.

Lt Cuddles has come up with a minigame for the NA-2 employment permits system as well, you can find out about it here: