Aranell Research Initiative

## Summary

The **Aranell Research Initiative (ARI)** was an illegal expedition of the Nere System by MilkCo in between 2825 - 2827. In the public front, the program was developed to aid in the mapping of Aranelli heritage sites in the dense Cascanan, Ardanian, and Titanian rainforests. However, the true purpose of the ARI was to survey and exploit the rich natural [ARANELLCRYSTAL] on the surface of all 4 continents. The fleet was constructed by AES over the course of 15 years and was staffed by nearly 1600 employees upon its completion in 2825. 9 ships were dispatched total, with only 7 finishing their mission and making the return trip to Earth in 2827. Of the 2 ships which failed atmospheric entry, the MKF Columbus crashed due to pilot error during warp, and the MKF Cortés' hull failure was never properly investigated due to MilkCo's resulting power struggle. 267 employees and researchers were either considered MIA or confirmed dead due to the founding of the ARI.

## History

### Planning

The MilkCo Overseers' Council began discussing a purely academic initiative in 2809. Their plan's original goal was to aid ground expeditions in mapping and documenting the thick rainforests of the planet. In 2811, changes were made to the ship manifest to include specialized storage for the [ARANELLCRYSTAL], which is when many reports say the focus of the ARI was diverted from academic to exploitative. AES, despite manufacturing the fleet of 9 ships, was most likely unaware of the true purpose of these containment units.

## ARI Fleet

The fleet included 8 Scout-Class vessels and 1 Goliath-Class Central Command Station. Aboard each scout vessel were 5 piloting crew, 1-2 AES Ship Technicians, 5 general maintenance crew, 2 human archaeological experts, 2 aranelli archaeological experts, and 10 various historians and researchers. The Central Command Station, *MKS ALASKA,* was completed on January 13, 2825 on Luna's Orbital Construction Platform B. Built into the *Alaska* were a number of state-of-the-art projects; a specially constructed starship hangar capable of fitting 12 Scout-Class Ships, 3 different research sectors- each with their own time zone, employee barracks for up to 1800 people, and storage of up to 120,000 tons of [ARANELLCRYSTAL]. The 8 expeditionary vessels themselves were constructed inside the station, and were escorted to the edge of the Sol system by 4 heavily armed Knight-Class vessels. The MKS *Alaska* was staffed with approximately 1600 crew members and researchers.

The following list will state the class, name, original range, and current status.

### Scout-Class

*MKF* *Cortés* - Northwest Cascana. Retired due to catastrophic hull failure in 2825 (collision with planet).

*MKF* *Mowzen* - Southern Cascana. Held in reserve after project end. Bought by Mowzen Family in 2833.

*MKF* *Pizarro* - Ardania. Held in reserve after project end. Seized by planetary authority in 2833.

*MKF* *Cabral* - Northern Titania. Held in reserve after project end. MIA since 2833, believed to be stolen by former MilkCo CEO Mike Randrel during company breakup.

*MKF* *Champlain* - Central Titania. Retrofitted as [ARANELLCRYSTAL] transport after project end. Retired due to catastrophic hull failure in 2832 (collision with meteoroid during transport).

*MKF* *Cartier* - Southern Titania. Held in reserve after project end. Donated to the Aranell Museum of Natural Sciences in Reya, Calico in 2826.

*MKF* *Columbus* - Western Aurora. Retired due to catastrophic hull failure in 2825 (failed atmospheric entry).

*MKF* *Erikson* - Eastern Aurora. Sold to private investor after project end.

### Goliath-Class

*MKS* *Alaska* - Permanently stationed in low orbit. Seized and destroyed by planetary authorities after MilkCo breakup.

## Execution

The *Alaska* entered warp on April 21, 2825, with its fleet of Research Scouts following on May 1. Due to pilot error, the *MKF Columbus* collided with Research Wing Alpha's auxiliary gravity ring. Due to the extensive damage to the *Columbus*, it drifted into the atmosphere and was unable to deploy its reentry shield. Many of the 25 crewmembers aboard the *Columbus* may have survived the initial collision, and were instead killed upon reentry. 212 employees aboard the *Alaska* were killed, and 98 more were injured. The injured were shuttled back to Earth using the *MKF Erikson, and the deceased were cremated back on their home planets*. The *MKF Cortés*, on the other hand, only showed up an hour later, already damaged. Reports claim that its propulsion systems were non-operational, and it was unable to fix them before it entered the atmosphere. Much of the crew survived, with 17 crewmembers managing to escape the atmosphere in escape ships. One pod and its assigned passengers were unable to successfully reach orbit.

MilkCo established contact with the survivors shortly after they landed. Though the company originally claimed that there was no contact made as the passengers were dead, inside reports revealed that contact was made within minutes. The ship's lead researcher told *Alaska* that her colleague had learned of a plot to illegally exploit the planet's resources, and that the captain attempted to restrain her. The crew mutinied, and accidentally caused significant damage to the ship's systems. After the re