The Containment War

When the Taurian Campaign continued to drag on, Star League shifted the priorities of the station from medical research to biological warfare. At first, it looked into developing countermeasures, but shortly after the shift, the station commander and head researcher began looking into developing weapons.

Eventually, the research turned out a version of hemorrhagic fever. Making it airborne instead transmitted by contact. There was no countermeasure for it or antidote. When the other department heads realized he had taken their research and twisted it and was going to hand it over to SLDF Intel, a fight broke out.

It started as a disagreement with the Research Department and the Station Commander. The researchers had refused to follow the orders of their department head and hand over the data and samples. In a heavy handed response to the refusal, the Cmdr. sent marines to seize it.

Several of the researchers had barricaded themselves in the labs, refusing to follow the order. When it was discovered that they were about to destroy the data and samples, the marines were ordered to breach the labs. In the ensuing struggle, several of the samples containment were broken.

An immediate attempt to quarantine the sections of the station exposed was made. However, as it became apparent that the containment wasn't working, and an infection started to spread. Two camps formed, one made up of those that knew how important it was to not let the virus escape, and those that wanted to leave the station before they became infected.

As attempts to quarantine failed, even when marines from the ships were involved. Soon panic set in and two camps formed, those that didn't think they were infected wanting to leave and those that knew that they had to contain everyone, even it meant them dying. In the end, the fever was stopped at the station by the Vesuvius Protocol, a series of automated AI managed programs designed to purge the station with fire while keeping containment. The virus and every other living thing on the station was incinerated.

This would not be the end of the conflict however. The three SLDF ships assigned to the station would be lost as well. The *SLS Vespidae* (a **Dart-class** Light Cruiser) had separated from the station before the protocol was initiated. It was uncertain if their marines had been exposed to the fever. The Vespidae was moving to the jump point at the system's edge when it was confronted by the *SLS Actias Luna* and the *SLS Agema Mittrei* (both **Bug-Eye-class** scouts). Both ships had also separated from the station and upon realizing that the infection could spread outside the system moved to prevent the *Vespidae* from leaving.

The battle was brief, as the *SLS* *Vespidae* savaged the *SLS Actias Luna*, destroyed only 200,000 kilometers from Station 331. However, it was able to get a single hit on the *Vespidae*, a lucky shot that damaged the KF Drive and the reactor shielding, letting radiation flood through the ship. Even those lucky enough to get to escape pods died from the radiation poisoning unable to get far enough away fast enough.

The *SLS Agema Mittrei* was able to fire a shot that set off a chain reaction of explosions that left the larger vessel crippled before itself moving to the jump point. It's captain intent on getting closer to the IS to transmit a report to warn SLI of what happened.

However the *SLS Agema Mittrei* would never be able to send that message as a mutiny occured with various crew members insisting the ship go back to Terran Hegemony space. The captain, knowing that his crew had been exposed, opted to scuttle the ship and its crew. In the chaos of the wars, the station would be forgotten about and it wouldn't be until 2796 that it would be found.

The station was accidentally re-discovered by a Comstar Explorer Corps ship. The *CSV Navi Aura* found the *SLS Agema Mittrei*, adrift around a uncharted system. The ship was powered down, it's reactor having gone offline to a malfunction that could have been only could have been the work of the chief engineer. All of the ships doors and hatches were opened to space. When Comstar Teams explored further, they found the logs revealed that this was done on purpose. The captain had opened them to stop a mutiny by his senior officers. A computer command was given to disable life support and prevent emergency hatches from closing. The crew was either sucked out into space, frozen, or suffocated. Some were found in sections that had managed to close their hatches manually to have take their own lives.

Using the navigational information available, the *CSV Navi Aura* was able to jump into the Torkra system. There they found the *SLS Vespidae*, drifting heavily damaged, all aboard long dead. As the *CSV Navi Aura* moved farther in it found the wreckage of the *SLS Actias Luna*. When the *CSV Navi Aura* came within 2000 km, the automated system within the station came on and transmitted a single message:

VESUVIUS PROTOCOL ENABLED::CONTAINMENT BREACHED::DO NOT APPROACH

Comstar immediately went to work deciphering the meaning behind the message while moving more personnel to the system. Over time, they learned the Project Head had managed to weaponize a version of hemorrhagic fever. They learned of the fight that ensued, and how the station AI activated the Vesuvius Protocol, a series of programs designed to purge the station with fire while keeping containment. The virus and every other living thing on the station was incinerated.

After prolonged clean up efforts, Comstar was able to occupy the station and recover some of the research. They were also able to get the *Vespidae* and *Agema Mittrei* restored. Keeping the same secrecy, only the those with the highest clearance knew of the station now code named: Alfheim.