Monumental effort had gone into the first extrasolar expedition. The fleets of Exile were, while certainly spaceworthy, not frequently used to go further than their assigned orbits. Not long after the discovery of the Relic and its messages, a scramble to control the stars had erupted; while mostly an economic matter, there had been skirmishes, leading up to the nigh-unification of the many Lunarian tribes and city-states within the Sphere.

It was under that banner that colony efforts had been made and their system charted, but it was also under that banner that the rush of expansion was drained of its urgency.

The reports flowed back from across the void, arriving home to waiting ears.

Triumph, but also disaster. Of the two freighters retrofitted for deep-space exploration, only the first had been successful. The other had vanished upon its further leg of the journey. The lost lives were mourned, their halos gone forever. Not all possibilities could be accounted for, and even being aware of a problem did not necessarily prevent it from happening; whatever mechanical error or unexpected disaster had claimed the second freighter would have to be investigated. As the surviving vessel continued to explore its system and broadcast its findings back home, plans were assembled by the Sphere's council.

Travelling to these new worlds could wait. Seeing more of the universe with their own eyes was more important.