Attention, pilots! It's time to improve your fleet strength! Lucas Horn from the station ‘New Eden’ reports that his friends have once again arrived in fringe sectors — the independent traders from the cruiser ‘Scotland’.

Only for one day, January 31, they offer all pilots a 30% discount on Stingray ship components! They can be purchased directly from the ship tree.

Stingray is one of the most unique Federation fighters. Flying this fighter lets you enjoy firm controls at high speeds. Advanced design comes with impressive power and accessible technologies. Entropy Generator allows removing durability from enemies by distorting space-time. Only Stingray can do this.

Special offer is valid for a limited time and ends on February 1!

Sincerely,
Star Conflict Team

Pilots! We continue to share the latest features that will appear on the game servers in the upcoming updates. Among them are new modes, events, and of course, ships!


Soon, the next “UMC Archives” event will become available to all pilots. It will include a special battle pass, consisting of only one stage and lasting approximately one month. The event itself will run in parallel with the main Battle Pass “Secrets of the Precursors” and will end on March 14.

All pilots who complete the new event and unlock all 30 cells in it will receive a new Imperial ECM interceptor “Cor Vulnus”, as well as the modules and weapons of this ship, for free. And those who additionally buy pass packs will get additional bundles of resources, seed-chips and ammunition. You will be able to find them in most of the Battle pass levels. We will share more details about the contents of the levels with you during the start of the event.


With the start of the event, all pilots will have access to the new ship “Cor Vulnus”.

At the very beginning of the Invasion, Robert Sanderson worked in one of the Empire’s numerous shipyards as a lead engineer. In his spare time he was designing a small rescue ship to build a single copy to give to his wife Valentina Vega, a doctor on the “Drake” with the personal name “Alexander von Werner”. Considering the huge need for these ships during the Invasion, the scout cruiser was unable to undergo maintenance and repairs for months.

In 4615, “Alexander von Werner” arrived to conduct a human evacuation of New Babylon, which was being infected by the biomorph virus. The cruiser’s drive beacon allowed it to bring enough evacuation ships to evacuate fifty million inhabitants in four days, and a part of the planet's administration was temporarily accommodated on the “Drake”. As it turned out later, this was a mistake. On the fifth day, New Babylon fell out of orbit and the Legion fleet declared its blockade. On the same day, an infestation of the Liu-virus broke out on the “Alexander”. The culprit was a revenant, who was able to disperse the virus into the ventilation system. Valentina Vega was able to find a way to recalibrate medical equipment to eliminate the surface contamination of the spacesuits of people living in compartments that were not affected by the diversion.

Thanks to the work of Valentina, it was possible to save 70% of the ship’s crew. But as she was preparing decontamination equipment for another run, another revenant, who was among the humans picked up from the planet, attacked Valentina. The guards managed to eliminate him, but the doctor’s spacesuit was damaged and her lung was burned through. After injecting herself with anesthetic and sealing the wound with biohermetic, Valentina continued to rescue the crew.

The Legion evacuated healthy people and the doctor, but Valentina died of complications on the way home before she could send a letter to her husband. Robert took the death of his wife hard, but completing the project became a matter of principle for him. However, the Galaxy no longer needed purely civilian ships, so Sanderson developed weapons and electronic warfare systems for his brainchild, and he approached this task with all the persistence of a man creating Legion ships.

In 4622 Robert was able to assemble the ship’s prototype, naming it Cor Vulnus. The ship turned out to be unique and effective enough to get Gabriel Hugot’s attention. The aristocrat negotiated with Robert Sanderson and started production of the new interceptors at his shipyard. The UMC was able to negotiate the ability to purchase some of the manufactured ships. The queue for purchase is booked for months in advance, so mercenaries looking to acquire a “Cor Vulnus” in the near future should get the attention of Gabriel Hugot or Robert Sanderson.

What will make the “Cor Vulnus” ship special? Its weapon will fire up the systems of the enemy ship so that they can’t shoot properly, and the special module will make your enemies think only about you.

You don’t have to wait for long! Stay tuned!

Pilots, the weekend begins! Time to prepare your fleet for new victories!

• 50% discount on off 30-day Premium License
  
• +50% credits in battles
  
• x3 first victory bonus

We remind you that a Premium license grants all pilots greater rewards for each battle. And when the battle ends, pilots with premium licenses have two additional trophy search attempts, which means that the chances of getting new and unique equipment increase!

The license allows pilots to receive a greater reward:

• +100% to credit gain;
  
• +100% to experience gained;
  
• +50% to monocrystals from missions;
  
• +2 post-battle trophy search attempts.

Boost your fleet! Let's win together!

Sincerely,
Star Conflict Team

Pilots! UMC announces the start of ‘Gold Battles’. Every pilot can earn up to 500 Galactic Standards for winning battles!

• 50 Galactic Standards for the 5th victory
  
• 100 Galactic Standards for the 10th victory
  
• 150 Galactic Standards for the 15th victory
  
• 200 Galactic Standards for the 20th victory

Good luck in the battles, mercenaries!

Sincerely,
Star Conflict Team

Helicon

• Added a bonus of 30 pts. hull resistance to thermal damage.

Tai’Kin

• Hull durability increased by 30%.

“Langmuir” launcher

• Rate of fire reduced from 450 to 400 shots/min.
  
• Damage increased by 12.5%.

Phase suppressor (regular version)

• Added to esports weapons.

“Tracer” plasma gun

• Projectile speed increased from 5000 to 6000 m/sec.

“Torch” launcher

• Range increased from 2800 to 3200 m.

Plasmer

• Initial spread reduced from 3 to 2 deg.
  
• Cloud duration reduced from 7 to 5 sec.
  
• Cloud damage per second increased by 36.4%.

Coil mortar, Boarding coil mortar

• Spread reduced from 1.5 to 1 deg.
  
• Damage increased by 10%.

Plasma minigun

• Spread growth rate reduced by 30%.

Guided thermosphere

• Projectile rotation speed increased from 25 to 50 deg/s.

Fuse blaster

• Cooling time reduced from 4 to 2 sec.
  
• Damage increased by 50%.

Th'ak'Len

• Projectile speed increased from 3500 to 5500 m/s.

Pirate pulse laser

• Critical damage bonus reduced from 70 to 60%.

Weapon “S-5607 Tide”

• Time to overheat increased from 6.3 to 7 sec.
  
• Damage increased by 20%.

MIRV launcher

• Projectile speed increased from 1800 to 3000 m/s.

“Kai” fission launcher

• Shard speed has been reduced from 16575 to 13650 m/s.

Weapon “Plasma inductor”

• Firing range reduced from 3200 to 2600 m.

Phaser

• Damage increased by 5%.

Overheating laser

• Heating acceleration effect increased from 8.3 to 16.6%.
  
• The number of effect stacks reduced from 12 to 6.

Energy smite

• Energy drain increased from 35 to 75 pts.
  
• Projectile speed increased from 5000 to 7000 m/sec.

Thermo-launcher TL-5

• Cooling time reduced from 3.5 to 2 sec.

Plasma burster Mk-3

• The penalty for overheating reduced from 3 to 1.5 sec.

“Thanatos” railgun

• Damage increased by 10%.

Mass Driver NY

• The parameters have been brought to the level of a regular mass driver:
  • Maximum spread reduced from 0.9 to 0.4 deg.
    
  • Cooling time reduced from 2.5 to 1.5 sec.
    
  • Damage increased by 8%.
    
  • Firing range increased from 2950 to 3600 m.

Cruise missile

• Rotation speed increased by 20%.
  
• Torpedo flight speed increased by 20%.

Echo cannon

• Critical damage bonus increased from 50 to 75%.

Anomaly torpedo

• The amount in the cartridge increased from 2 to 3.

Thi’Lith Beam

• Damage increased by 10%.
  
• Range increased by 350.
  
• Critical damage bonus increased from 10 to 25%.

“Fury” plasma gun

• Damage increased by 25%.
  
• Critical damage bonus increased from 50 to 75%.

Laser “Apotheosis-4”

• Critical hit chance increased from 5 to 15%.
  
• Critical damage bonus increased from 50 to 75%.

Techs phase shield

• The amount of energy received increased from 35 to 110 pts.

Autonomous battle station

• Delivery drones:
  • Search radius for damaged allies increased to 3500 m.
    
  • Trigger threshold increased from 40 to 50%.

Autonomous drones

• Energy consumption decreased from 616 to 450 pts.
  
• Drone damage increased from 219 to 438 pts.
  
• Turret:
  • Damage increased from 1263 to 1894 pts.
    
  • Durability increased from 5000 to 7500 pts.
    
  • Spread removed.
• Void drone:
  • Damage increased from 758 to 1137 pts.
    
  • Durability increased from 2000 to 3750 pts.
    
  • Spread removed.

Return crystal

• Teleportation radius increased from 150 to 200 m.
  
• Beacon durability increased from 2500 to 3500 pts.

Warp-reflector

• Working range increased from 3250 to 4000 m.
  
• Damage for one charge decreased from 12500 to 10000 pts.

Federation Energy router

• Max speed and rotation speed bonuses increased from 30 to 40%.

Cluster rocket

• Target search radius increased from 2000 to 3000 m.
  
• Warhead flight speed increased from 650 to 780 m/sec.
  
• Warhead rotation speed increased from 60 to 90 deg/sec.
  
• Warhead explosion radius increased from 150 to 200 m.
  
• Warhead damage increased by 20%.

Targeting complex “Attila”

• Speed and maneuverability bonus increased from 20 to 30%.

Repair drone operator

• Drone preparation time reduced from 30 to 25 sec.

Emergency landing

• Cooldown increased from 18 to 25 sec.
  
• Shield strength increased from 30,000 to 45,000 pts.

“Stranglehold” complex

• Projectile rotation speed increased from 10 to 30 deg/sec.

“Constellation” generator

• Cloud size increased from 150 to 250 m.

Hull converter

• Passive hull repair increased from 119 to 240 pts./sec.

Energy-compensating projectile

• Reload time reduced from 48 to 40 sec.

Med Evac

• Recovery radius increased from 750 to 1100 m.

Stasis mine

• Reload time reduced from 40 to 30 sec.

Gravitational defense projector

• Minimum range reduced from 2500 to 1000 m.

Swarm control

• Recharge time increased from 35 to 45 sec.

Mobile pulsar

• Deals damage to enemy drones and structures.
  
• Range increased from 550 to 750 m.

Missile swarm

• Missile flight speed increased from 400 to 900 m/sec.
  
• Missile rotation speed has been increased from 75 to 120 deg/sec.
  
• The number of missiles aimed at the target increased from 2 to 3.
  
• Energy consumption reduced from 750 to 500 pts.

Nano-devourers

• Damage increased by 100%.
  
• Passive hull recovery increased from 35 to 55 pts./sec.

Target highlight mode

• Initial damage increased from 124 to 164 pts.
  
• Final damage increased from 1240 to 1640 pts.

“Squall” launcher

• Explosion radius increased from 50 to 100 m.
  
• Missile rotation speed has been increased from 75 to 90 deg/sec.
  
• Reload time reduced from 35 to 30 sec.

“Hunter” tactical system

• The module’s range increased from 2000 to 3000 m.

Inhibitor drone

• The drone’s durability increased by 3 times.

Isotope harvester

• Recovery coefficient increased from 1.25 to 1.5.

Phase demodulator

• The module’s range increased from 2000 to 3000 m.

Mine network

• Mine lifetime increased from 12 to 20 sec.
  
• Mine field radius increased from 400 to 600 m.
  
• Damage increased from 2825 to 3500 pts.

Crystal drone

• Drone active time increased to 40 sec.

Quark-beamer

• Base damage increased by 100%.

Alien intuition

• Damage bonus decreased from 55 to 40%.
  
• Recharge time increased from 27 to 45 sec.

Regenerating shield

• Auxiliary shield charge increased from 4060 to 8120.

Boarding charger

• Pulling speed increased from 220 to 440 m/sec.

Repair projector

• Maximum rank decreased from 17 to 16.

Cluster torpedo

• The module is now in the group “Suppressor Class modules”
  
• Recharge time increased from 54 to 57 sec.

Defence algorithm

• Hull repair increased from 2250 to 3500 pts.

Crystal destabilization

• Damage increased by 30%.

Shield generator overcharge

• Debuff duration decreased from 8 to 3 sec.

Magnetron “Aigul-65”

• Damage increased by 100%.

Adaptive maneuver booster

• Range increased from 1250 to 1750 m.

Cruise engine modification

• Afterburner acceleration bonus increased from 100 to 130%.
  
• Maneuver penalty reduced from 20 to 15%.
  
• Afterburner maneuver penalty reduced from 67 to 50%.

Dual shields

• Range increased from 1500 to 2000 m.

Emergency jump

• Teleportation penalty decreased from 20 to 10 sec.

Virtual particle condenser

• Recharge time decreased from 25 to 20 sec.

Thermoprojector

• Shield recharge speed bonus increased from 28 to 38%.

The entire universe is hidden in the smallest particle of cosmic dust, and every ship that is born in the fires of solar flares carries a tiny portion of the universe.

The path is not predetermined, it reveals itself to the ship just as the constellations reveal themselves to the astronomer’s sight. It cannot be captured with all the weapons of the galaxy, it can only be learnt by embracing infinity.

In the infinity of space, where the battlefield spreads beyond the Earth’s horizon, Dao becomes not just a philosophy but a guiding star. It teaches that no ship can travel faster than the speed of light, but in the winds of speed, being torn between stars and black holes, each pilot discovers their own, personal path.

Understand Dao, and then your ship will become a part of the constellation, and you yourself will become a part of the infinite harmony of the universe.

---

Pilots, “Secrets of the Precursors” event will take place in two stages. There are 40 levels in each stage. Only the owners of a special Pass will be able to unlock all levels, but the second and every fifth level will be available to all pilots.

To get the reward, you need to unlock the desired stage. In order to gain access to the next reward, you need to complete all the previous stages. You can join a stage at any time when the stage is available.

The event will last for three months. During the entire period, all pilots will be able to earn the special game currency in battle — Xenochips.

• Xenochips can be obtained for completing any tasks as an additional reward.
  
• Xenochips are added to the game for a limited time, and after the end of the event they will be withdrawn from the game and from the accounts of all pilots. Make sure to spend your xenochips before the end of the event!
  
• Xenochips can be spent on special rewards during the event.

To gain access to all rewards, pilots must purchase the “Secrets of the Precursors. Stage two” pass. The pass can be purchased in the official project store.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2679160/Star_Conflict__Secrets_of_the_Precursors_Stage_two/

The pack includes:

• Access to additional rewards in the “Secrets of the Precursors. Stage two” event.
  
• Upon receipt, the next level is immediately unlocked and all rewards of the unlocked levels are available.
  
• 7 days of premium license.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2679150/Star_Conflict__Secrets_of_the_Precursors_Stage_two_Deluxe_edition/

A special version of the “Secrets of the Precursors. Stage two” pass. The pass can be purchased in the official project store.

This pack includes:

• Access to additional rewards in the “Secrets of the Precursors. Stage two” event.
  
• Upon receipt, the following 15 levels are immediately unlocked and all rewards of the open levels are available.
  
• 30 days of premium license.
  
• The ability to unlock three additional levels in the next “Secrets of the Precursors” battle pass.

[expand type=details]
Pack contents:

• Additional cell. A crate with rare earth metals.
  • Contains 10 Rare earth metals.
• Additional cell. Free experience.
  • Contains 25000 pts. of free experience.
• Additional cell. Monocrystals.
  • Contains 7 monocrystals
• Additional cell. Xenocrystals.
  • Contains 7 xenocrystals.
• Additional cell. Credits +50%.
  • Contains a bonus of +50% credits for 24 hours.

[/expand]

---

The prototypes of the first Salamander-type frigates were developed in 4623 by a group of engineers who had once left the “Outpost” Shipyard and set up their own private company. The “Blackwood” shipyard, known for its quality, was chosen as the production contractor.

The ship’s main feature is the use of numerous unique systems developed from scratch specifically for Salamander. The complex of this equipment seriously increases the engineering capabilities of the frigate. The outline of the ship captures the image of frigates of the past from the Federation civil war.

Like its ancestors, Salamander has excellent speed and mobility, which allows it to move quickly across the battlefield, without giving the enemy a chance to intercept it. And a special modification will seriously strengthen the ship’s shield and hull resistance at maximum speed.

Currently, the UMC has signed a contract to test a large batch of Salamander-class frigates. Every interested mercenary will be able to get the new ship for themselves and try it out in battle. There are rumours that the Armada representative office is already interested in the frigate, although they haven’t officially announced it.

Special ship part

• Required for the production of the ship.
  
• Can be obtained as a reward in the “Secrets of the Precursors” event.

“Kongmíng” control system

• Autonomous control system.
  
• Controls the “Kongmíng” autonomous drone. Operates in three modes:
  • Shield restoration mode. The drone follows its ship and restores the shield to the owner and all their allies.
    
  • Repair mode. The drone follows its ship and restores the hull for the owner and all their allies.
    
  • Defence mode. The drone remains stationary and deals thermal damage to enemy ships.

“CFER-24” nailgun

• Kinetic weapon.
  
• When hitting an ally, it enhances all shield and hull restoration effects.

“Kongmíng” manual controls

• Active module.
  
• Switches control to the “Kongmíng” drone. In this mode, the ship remains stationary and increases the resistance of the shield and hull. The drone restores the hull to all allied ships, and all enemy ships lose radar range.

“Event-24” Horizon Module

• CPU modifier.
  
• Increases firing range. Reduces damage. The “Kongmíng” drone can shoot at the enemy in manual control mode.

Adaptive polarizer “Salamander”

• Shield modifier.
  
• Increases shield and hull resistance to all types of damage when the ship is flying at maximum speed.

---

Our game universe turns 12 years old and we are extremely happy to celebrate the anniversary with you!

“Festive bundle №12”

• Sticker “12 years of Star Conflict”
  
• Sticker “Space anniversary”
  
• Sticker “Stellar epic”
  
• Sticker “A celebration in the galaxy”
  
• Sticker “The star dozen”
  
• Sticker “Across the galaxies”
  
• Paint “Festive 2024”

“Festive bundle №11”

• Sticker “Attention! Tasty!”
  
• Sticker “Cakebot”
  
• Sticker “Through time”
  
• Sticker “Make a wish”
  
• Sticker “You are entitled to a pie”
  
• Paint “Steel celebration”

• A special festive paint “Heraldic Lily” is now available.
  • To get the paint, you must complete a special task in the game.
• New unique holiday stickers and patterns are now available:
  • sticker “Battle compass”
    
  • sticker “In flight”
    
  • sticker “Ride the wave!”
    
  • sticker “Ice shark”
    
  • paint “Blue honeycomb”
    
  • paint “Fire show”

Get all the stickers and patterns in a special container bundle. To do this, you will need to go to the “Bundles” tab and select “Festive bundle”. The pack will be available for a limited time!

Festive bundle №10:

• Sticker “Mars congratulates”
  
• Sticker “Like one day”
  
• Sticker “Explosive ten”
  
• Sticker “Golden ten”
  
• Sticker “Abduction of the decade!”

In addition, we decided to launch fireworks in the Fringe sectors, of course, with your help. Now for some time you can admire the fireworks in the game and thoroughly celebrate in game modes.

For the most distinguished, we have prepared a special achievement, which can be obtained only during the holiday:

• Deal damage with a special anniversary battery of rockets.

---

These days, the game developer Targem Games, with one of its divisions being Star Gem Inc., the developer of the Star Conflict project, turns 22 years old. In 2002, a circle of like-minded people, united by the idea of creating video games, formed a company that became the biggest video game company in the Urals. We wish the company new heights and new games! Happy anniversary!

Festive bundle №20:

• Sticker “XsenoGame”
  
• Sticker “Matrix the beginning”
  
• Sticker “Hard work - big gem”
  
• Sticker “Hot twenty”
  
• Sticker “Top 20”

Thank you for being part of the community that helped Star Conflict become the game world that it is today. We thank you for these years filled with amazing events and fascinating stories of space battles.

Celebrate the birthday of Star Conflict with us!

---

Pilots! From January 25 to February 26, you will find new offers in the in-game store.

The following bundles are available for purchase in the store for galactic standards:

“Holiday gifts 1” bundle

• Portrait “Catalina Blindide”
  
• Taunt: “Are you warmed up now?”
  
• Paint “Christmas festive”
  
• Title “Dream of mercenary girls”
  
• Decor “Samurai’s helmet”
  
• 50% bonus to credits for 30 battles.

“Holiday gifts 2” bundle

• Portrait “Thunder Cruse”
  
• Taunt “The onboard computer shows me your fragments here and there!”
  
• Paint “Fireborn”
  
• Title “Interstellar wanderer”
  
• Decor “Kitsune”
  
• 50% bonus to experience for 30 battles.

“Holiday gifts 3” bundle

• Portrait “Marcos Hot”
  
• Taunt “This is my gift to you!”
  
• Painting “Lifelines”
  
• Title “Fast Gonzales”
  
• Decor “Tree of wishes”
  
• 50% bonus to credits for 30 battles.

“Holiday gifts 4” bundle

• Portrait “Arne Hagen”
  
• Taunt “Don’t sleep, you’ll freeze”
  
• Painting “Orange mosaic”
  
• Title “Chimney expert”
  
• Decor “Sakura blizzard”
  
• 50% bonus to experience for 30 battles.

“Iridescent set 7” bundle

• “Pastel green 3”
  
• “Lime scale”
  
• “Green scale”
  
• “Sandy colour”
  
• “Darkening”

“New Year stickers” bundle

• Sticker “Illumination”
  
• Sticker “New Year orbit”
  
• Sticker “Don’t forget your hat”
  
• Sticker “Twinkle, little star”
  
• Sticker “What a gift”

---

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/212070/view/3976183273964977521

---

• Improved a number of texts and descriptions
  
• Fixed the issue with the “invisible” beacons in the PvE mission “Blackwood shipyard”.

Lucas Horn, the Federation's liaison with UMC at ‘New Eden’ station, says that his old friend has arrived in the fringe sectors. Captain of a free cruiser ‘Scotland’ is known for bravely sailing to the most dangerous corners of space, and he always returns with particularly valuable cargo.

Special Offer From Lucas Horn: only today, on January 24, 30% off Nightingale ship components! They can be purchased directly from the ship tree.

Nightingale is the embodiment of elegance and confidence. Show off your piloting skills! MHD generator provides increased power to your weapons if you do not neglect engine power. Speed and the ability to conceal yourself and the team are your main trumps.

The special offer is valid for a limited time and will end on January 25!

Sincerely,
Star Conflict team

Pilots, the holidays begin! Time to prepare your fleet for new victories!

• +50% experience in battle
  
• x2 experience transfer rate

Boost your fleet! Let's win together!

Sincerely,
Star Conflict Team

Pilots! You will have a unique chance to purchase a set of only those ships that you need with a discount. The offer will be available for a limited time until January 24, 06:00 GMT.

The new discount mechanism will allow you to create your own set of multiple ships by adding them to your Cart. Each additional bundle increases the discount: if you purchase two products from this list through the Cart, you will receive a 20% discount, if you purchase three products, you will get a discount of 30%, and if you purchase four products, you will get a discount of 40%. And purchasing five bundles or more will grant you a 50% discount!

• Star Conflict: Kusarigama
  
• Star Conflict: Kirishima
  
• Star Conflict: Albireo
  
• Star Conflict: Razor
  
• Star Conflict: Joker
  
• Star Conflict: Emperor
  
• Star Conflict: Relic
  
• Star Conflict: Dyrnwyn
  
• Star Conflict: Scylla
  
• Star Conflict: Object NY18

Please note! The discount is applied only when you add items from the list above to your Cart and make a single purchase. These bundles can also be purchased separately without a discount. Other bundles do not take part in this promotion.

Sincerely,
Star Conflict Team

“Over the past three millennia, people got used to living in a cage. First, the Earth was such a cage, then the Solar System. Now all the systems of the galaxy have become cages. No one even tries to find out what is hidden far from the eyes, in the interstellar void,” the man thought, looking from the observation deck at what was breaking out of the rules imposed by old ideas and thoughts.

It was impossible to tell whether it was an orphan planet or a small star, since linguists and scientists couldn’t agree. A huge imperial ship and its crew watched as its satellite retreated into the distant expanses of space. It hasn’t left the orbit yet, but it was just a matter of time. However, it was as if time didn’t exist in this place, since there was nothing relative to which it could be counted.

The captain of the ship was distracted from contemplating space by the voice of the duty officer, “Comrade general, we noticed a flash of hyperspace transition according to the signature indicated in the order.”

“Great,” the captain said with a slight smile, “open the docking gateway 35-B, prepare the engines for launch. Don’t turn on the warp core. Transmit a signal in ten astronomical units, saying that I’m waiting. Locate the target, provide a live corridor to the flagship.”

The Jericho frigate flew to the indicated gateway, without turning on the weapon. The general’s enemy was flying to meet him. Soon there were echoing footsteps on the ship. The visitor didn’t take off his spacesuit, it’s hard to say whether he could have done it at all. It was almost impossible to understand where his numerous implants ended and the living flesh began.

“So, here you are,” the general took a deep breath, preparing for a long conversation, “I've been waiting for this for a very long time. However, as you understand, I wanted to see this conversation differently.”

The captain came to the table and sat down, while the guest took the opposite place.

“Yes, and I wanted to see my nameless enemy in chains,” the Jericho man said honestly, “but if you hadn’t stood in my way, I would have achieved my goal and freed them. And then we would become their servants. You know their history, right?”

“I know,” the general replied, recalling the horror he learned about the Galaxy’s previous masters, “but their tools are even scarier. I saw what happened to your ship. Even in anger I couldn’t imagine such a thing. But this is the past. We’ll have to accept their legacy to stop these creatures from awakening. Soon the Signal will enter full power. Then our fight will be lost before it starts. I hear that your agents got the Key to the gate.”

“Otherwise, the traitor would have got it,” the guest said, looking at the general opening a bottle of dry red wine, “since you invited me to this meeting, do you want to use the Families in your plans?”

“Or help you. I want to destroy them. You’ve been pursuing the same goal for the last few years. You have the Key, I have the Sleeper,” said the ship's captain, “together our fleets will disable the enemy ship’s main systems before it has time to awaken. My Third Intelligence won’t allow the Revenants to deploy any active measures.”

“It still won't be enough,” the Jericho man replied, drinking wine for the first time in many years, “We need tens, hundreds of thousands of small ships to destroy the enemy’s support fleet. Biomorphs can help their former masters. The reaction of the crystallids will be unpredictable. Besides, we won’t be able to keep the operation a secret.”

“And we won't even try,” the general said, “we will involve the UMC in the operation, there should be enough of them to close some of the gaps in the formation. We also need to get Pavlov. Most likely, he will be able to neutralize some of the enemy weapons. In the meantime, I suggest saving up strength and using all the possibilities for this.”

“Our forces may still not be enough,” the guest remarked, “But I agree, we definitely can’t delay it. If we’re late, warp storms will cover the sectors, tear our supplies to shreds, and the former masters of the Galaxy will regain their power. Only one thing is missing — blueprints of Forerunner structures and outline materials.”

The general turned on the screen and showed an image of the orphan planet’s satellite from the orbital reconnaissance probes. The surface of the celestial body was covered with gray dust mixed with ashes.

“The necessary blueprints are already there,” the captain said, “previously there was life on this planet, but judging by the sensor readings, the Precursors destroyed it completely, using some sort of terraforming equipment. Their cache is now located here. Its coordinates were listed in one of their hiding places ten parsec away from Earth. According to the same data, here you can find some of the materials we need.”

“Then we have every chance of defeating them,” the Jericho man said, “The Precursors bet everything that we’ll decide to return their power over the Galaxy to them. But I don’t understand at all why the Key exists.”

“They were not one people, just like us,” the general said, “but we’ll discuss this later. Now I’m waiting for your formal answer: will you gather the Families? Will you help me open the Precursor storage?”

“Yes,” the Jericho man replied, smiling for the first time in a millennium and a half, although no one could see this smile.