Year: 2204 – Location: Deep Space, Destination: Epsilon Eridani System (Reach Candidate World)
Mission Codename: Daedalus-1
With Pioneer One's success behind them, the UEG authorized the first true interstellar mission: Daedalus-1, a long-range slipstream jump to Epsilon Eridani, 10.5 light-years from Sol. Chosen for its stability, stellar proximity, and most of all, a promising Earth-like world now designated Reach.
This wasn't just a survey—it was a signal to all humanity: we are no longer bound to one star.
Unlike Pioneer One, UNS Reach Gate was purpose-built. Double-framed with reinforced slipstream lattice armor, it housed the second-generation HELIOS Core (Version 2.1), fusing AI-VI architecture from Horizon Industries with the Shaw-Fujikawa array.
A skeleton crew of 16, two HELIOS-linked androids, and a full core AI managed the journey. It was sleek. Efficient. Human purpose embodied in metal and plasma conduits.
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Launch Day – UEG Observation Tower, High Earth Orbit
"Slipstream aperture stabilizing. Mark 12 seconds."
Tobias Shaw and Wallace Fujikawa stood side-by-side. Shaw's fingers tapped a slow rhythm on the rail. Fujikawa, muttering equations, never looked away from the interface.
Elisabet Sobeck stood nearby, silent but watching. Her team's VI had ensured HELIOS-2 could manage the immense predictive demands of sustained interstellar transit.
The Reach Gate disappeared in a single shimmering collapse of space-time. Transit took only 5 Days—but they had crossed 10.5 light-years.
The ship reemerged in the Epsilon Eridani system.
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Epsilon Eridani – Orbit of Reach
Log Entry 001 was received by SolNet relay 8 hours after jump completion:
"Log Entry – Reach system stable. Planetary scans indicate terrestrial world in primary orbit—designated Reach. Thin ring system visible. Temperate biosphere likely. No artificial signals detected. Beginning orbital survey."
The crew's tone was calm—professional—but the awe beneath their words couldn't be missed.
After a one-week survey and limited atmospheric probe descent, the team deployed planetary beacon packages. No direct landing—yet.
Confirmed readings:
Gravity close to 1G.Atmospheric mix within safe range.Active weather system.Microbial life present.Dense mountain ranges, plains, rivers. A true Earth analog.The UNS Reach Gate returned to Sol—intact.
HELIOS-2 reported low degradation. No psychotropic anomalies among the crew. No FTL sickness symptoms beyond mild spatial fatigue.
The jump had been a total success.
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Classified After-Report – ONI, UEG, Horizon
"Reach confirmed viable. Recommend status elevation to Strategic Colonial Target."
"Slipstream jump corridor between Sol and Reach is stable. Recommend relay gate infrastructure investment."
"Construction of additional interstellar vessels approved. Begin colonization feasibility assessments."
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Public Statement (UEG Press Office)
"Our first deep space exploratory vessel has returned from humanity's next great frontier. A promising world awaits."
No names. No jump data. No HELIOS.
But everyone knew the truth.
Humanity had reached for the stars—and found Reach.
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Year: 2205–2210 — Planet Reach, Epsilon Eridani System
Classification: Strategic Colonial Development Zone Alpha-1
The first human boots touched Reach's soil in mid-2205. UNSC colonial engineers, planetary climatologists, and terraforming specialists disembarked from UNS Pioneer's Light—the first manned landing module.
They named the landing zone New Elysium Cradle.
Cold winds, towering mountain ranges, and long stretches of fertile plains awaited them. With active biospheres and a stable climate, Reach required only minimal atmospheric modification.
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By 2206, Reach's role had shifted from "colonial outpost" to UNSC Strategic Headquarters Candidate. The Unified Earth Government, in collaboration with ONI, pushed a motion through the Colonial Expansion Committee to classify Reach as a Fortress World.
"We do not merely settle Reach. We fortify it, elevate it—make it the strong arm of Earth among the stars."
— Vice Admiral Harlan Reece, UNSC Strategic Deployment Authority
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The Trinity Directive: Reach's Core Pillars
Civilian Uplift Zones:
Manassas, New Alexandria, and Epos were among the first planned cities, designed with advanced infrastructure from Horizon Industries.Cities were divided into civil-industrial grids—each with embedded emergency bunkers, subterranean transport systems, and food independence modules.Schools, hospitals, and atmospheric parks formed the cultural heart.
Military Infrastructure:
Construction began on CASTLE Base, to serve as ONI's strategic black site and research hub.The Visegrad Communications Array and Olympia Military Academy were commissioned.Shipyards and armories would follow, integrated into Arid Plateau Command, Reach's central UNSC garrison.
Slipstream Logistics Nexus:
A slipstream relay gate was under construction in high orbit.The UNSC commissioned the first dedicated interstellar relay station—Eridani Translight Dock Alpha, which would become a gateway for future colonization.The first civilian colonists arrived in 2207. While military presence was strong, they were promised peace and prosperity. Subsidies for families, tax waivers for industry, and education initiatives seeded early growth.
Reach felt like a new Earth—but it was born under watchful eyes.
Elisabet Sobeck's teams constructed smart agriculture belts, environmental stabilizers, and autonomous city expansion systems. The cities grew fast—but not chaotically. Harmony between concrete and climate, automation and life, was maintained.
"Reach's civilian architecture is fully dual-use compliant. Civilian power grids can be redirected to military sectors within minutes. Horizon's auto-construction drones are under UNSC override protocols. This colony can survive siege, orbital assault, or biological disruption for up to 4 years independently."
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2210: Declaration of Strategic Colonial HQ
The UEG formally recognized Reach as the UNSC's Colonial Headquarters, with relocation of numerous command departments from Earth projected over the next decade. The announcement was kept low-profile but confirmed what many already suspected:
Reach is not just a home. It's a shield.