The Voyage of the Achoris

[Xah]

When a minor, human-standard, A1 Client made the proposal to the Nexus Exploration Board, at the time it was viewed as just another typical request. It was quite common for Clients to apply to be assigned the exploration rights to the next unoccupied universe discovered, usually as a way of claiming the resource rights as a side benefit. The United Terran Federation was relatively unusual in that it hadn't yet invented or obtained FtL of its own, and part of its request was to open up its crew to other compatible Client species and make the whole thing a joint endeavour. The conceit of the idea piqued the interest of the Board, and it began asking for expressions of interest through other explorative-inclined Clients.

The outcome of this was the Joint Exploration Agreement, which sought to increase inter-Client relations by crewing an exploration vessel with a multitude of Client species, and assign an as-yet unexplored universe for said ship to discover potential resources and even new Clients. Initial interest was limited, to say the least, with most Clients either uninterested in sharing the riches of virgin universes, or wary of the complexities in ships with crews consisting of many, very different species.

The UTF were the first, as it was their idea to begin with, with one of their most advanced ships being used as the vessel. As it lacked FtL of its own, appropriate technology was donated by the Morthanveld and their fast FtL 'Dip' drive. The spinoform species recognised the difficulties in taking part directly, due to its extreme physiology, but wished to see Client interactions improved. Theoretically, the technology was stand-alone and unable to be reverse engineered, but when the UTF completed its first successful FtL jump just a few months after the technology donation, suspicion grew that an exchange had been made, something denied by all parties involved.

The possibility, even however slightly, of gaining access to advanced technologies, brought more Clients in; a number of 'standard human' clients were all but inevitable given the widespread nature of the physioform, but also more unusual species such as the gestalt Talik. Candidates were interviewed, and the crew finalised. Final preparations made and the ship had a send-off with a lavish ceremony and much publicity. The initial location in the universe was a binary system, with a number of worlds, both rocky and gaseous, but nothing of note. The mission was to complete a circuit of nearby systems in a program lasting three standard years, with the Owners adamant that, although they were confident there were no technological species in said systems, everything else was unknown. Once the expedition left the initial system, the Owners would consider the endeavour entirely on its own, with minimal remote monitoring.

The ship, named the 'Achoris' after an old UTF mythological figure, broadcast its farewell and engaged the FtL. Promptly vanishing from all known detection.