When the Vaadwaur came to the Meronia Cluster, many bowed to the Supremacy for they had no other option, but on Altadenia III, they fought back. Altadenia III was a mineral-rich world, a priority for the Vaadwaur, and to force compliance, and to set an example for others, they implemented a blockade around its capital city and then set it ablaze, preventing anyone from leaving as its historic city center, its residences, and its commercial sites burned to the ground, those trapped within consumed by the raging inferno too. It had the desired effect, and the rest of the planet quickly submitted to the Vaadwaur.

Now that the Vaadwaur are gone, the USS Pacific Palisades has been dispatched with the Archanis detachment of the Corps of Engineers to begin the process of rebuilding, but as the crew quickly realizes, it won’t be as easy as simply clearing some debris and erecting new structures. Hidden in the ash are hazardous toxins that prove quite complex to remediate, and emblazoned within the minds of the survivors is a trauma hard to escape.