There is a lot expected of a Chieftain, especially one so illustrious as the one in command of the First Expeditionary Fleet. The lives of nearly five hundred thousand Elok depend on her orders, each life capable of being extinguished in a moment's notice. For space is cruel and unforgiving: There are rarely do-overs after a mistake, and even then. too many lives are lost in the process. Threats come from many sources - Unstable pulsars, asteroid belts, even first contact, should that ever happen, can be disastrous. And trying to scrape an existence together from the void of infinity means that there can be no disasters. There simply isn't enough people to start again, should you fail.

The Elok, however, had done fairly well. Their population had stopped dropping, and had been stable now for at least two hundred years. Once survival had been (somewhat) assured, the tribal elders of the four great clans began to discuss what exactly should be done next. While the most obvious line of action, the discovery of a new world to call home, was the most sensible, other more profound ideas were shared: Perhaps they should seek assistance, and befriend another race, should they exist? Maybe the Elok's salvation could be found in the searching for the legendary Star Forge, a device that could build stars and planets? The representative for tribe Miluf’Tseu had been particular fond of that one.

After much debate, there was no definitive answer - Such matters must be thoroughly explored and argued, for a poor decision could end the Elok once and for all. One thing they agreed on, though, is that a specialized exploration fleet must be gathered, one that could be sacrificed and lost without too much pain, yet able to handle almost any situation. This was the origin of the Expeditionary Fleet - A smaller version of a Life Ship, a Reactor Ship, three heavy cruisers and some escort frigates and civilian ships. It was tiny, but it was enough. Once the fleet had been fully manned, and four Champions loaded (a precautionary measure). there was one final issue. Who should lead these ships, which carry the precious cargo of the Elok future? Who is fit enough for such an important task?

Warlord Gyuis'Naapto, of course. A seasoned commander, who quelled the Fwinzondi uprising in 1894 A.E. and lead the Mining Flotilla out of a particularly nasty singularity gravity well in1921. She was the last of the warriors, a dying breed in a society where harming your fellows is never acceptable, a hunter with no prey. Gyuis was the best choice for this mission. And she needed this, more than anything. So, she was promoted to Chieftain, and made commander of the First. Now, the hopes of an entire people was in her hands. She would either lead the Elok to a bright tomorrow, or cast them into the darkness of oblivion.

Only time would tell.

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[b]1935 A.E., unknown space, First Expeditionary Fleet, bridge of the life ship Partis' Wisdom[/b]

"[i]Preparing to leave hyperspace. Cycling down Mass Entropy Emitters, Plane Realignment in two minutes. Destination, unknown. What are your orders, Chieftain?[/i]"

Gyuis'Naapto stood, unwavering, hands behind her back and in deep contemplation. There had been worrying signs during this jump. While Elok technology today pales in comparison to their forefather's legacy, it was still quite advanced. They could know what was at the other end of jumps, to a degree at least. And what they had detected three days into the jump was indeed unnerving: An unusual abundance of solar radiation, and thousands of various, smallish objects. Most likely, an asteroid field, though there seemed to be no stars. At least, that's what the Chieftain was hoping for. Anything else... She didn't wish to think of what, or who, else.

"We are going into an asteroid field, most likely. Once we are in, I want the shield frigates to be overclocked, and extend the barrier over the civilian ships. The larger ships should be able to handle i- Wait, bring up that data stream, now!" Worriedly, the navigation technician keyed in various commands, and a hologram filled the front of the deck. The chieftain's eyes darted around the board, until she found what she was looking for: The gravitational forces were massive. Her mouth gaped, as realization flooded over her: The First was about to enter the remnants of a supernova, a very dangerous place indeed. 

While the scientists on the Research Fleet had anticipated that there was a high amount of such a thing in this region of the galaxy, this particular jump had been deemed safe. Why, then, were they flying into what was essentially a giant cosmic furnace? Was this dead star new? Why was their no warning prior? All these questions would have to wait, as something needed to be done now, lest the Fleet becoming charred hulks in the gravity well of a dead star. "Sound the alarm, notify the rest of the fleet immediately! I need those shield frigates warped in faster, prepare for our arrival!"