The Fall of Taryd

Part I

Taryd: the galactic fruit basket of mineral wealth. Taryd: the gold mine of vital resources. Taryd: the planet whose name is synonymous with conflict and greed, for it is here that the three mighty corporate 'nations' of Izanagi, Liandri and Axon…squabble. Like vultures they peck and fight over the planet's vast quantities of Tarydium, the mineral life-blood of humanity's fledgling empire.

In the recent months, the forces of Izanagi have made unprecedented surgical strikes against the strongholds of Axon and Liandri, leaving both reeling in shock and awe. Most citizens on this inherently chaotic planet, where corporate holdings define the lines between the three 'nations', see it as nothing more than an increase in greed on Izanagi's part, a simple matter of want and need, and, in many cases, they would be right.

However…there is, in fact, a second objective to these new attacks and seizures…because there is another force seeking to dominate Taryd and control its wealth, one which has already made its intentions clear by sending armies of alien Krall mercenaries to attack Taryd and the surrounding colonies during this most recent crisis. It is the fourth corporation, the Phayder Corporation…and from its barren, dusty home world of Omicron III, it has stared out hungrily at the riches of Taryd and known a terrible desire for power, one that has driven it to its current actions.

The four mega-corporations of the Milky Way each specialize in a particular field of goods and services. Liandri is, first and foremost, a heaving mining combine, with holdings across the galaxy and most important of all, legions upon legions of robotic servants which operate most of their mines. Axon is a techno-research firm with long-lasting contracts binding them to the New Earth Government which rules humanity and its colonies. They produce thousands of weapons and vehicles, plus a variety of other military goods every year. Izanagi is into everything that makes money, having its corporate principles based on the ancient Japanese art of Kereitsu. They have roots in everything from pharmaceuticals and food to construction and industrial machinery.

Phayder is the master of nanotechnology, micro-machinery that operates on the scale of a billionth of a meter. Such technology has revolutionized medicine, but Phayder has used it for far, far more. Their experiments with alien substance called 'nanoblack', which was the basis for their success in their chosen field, eventually led to the creation of the Necris, a race of warriors revived from death by the nanoblack's regenerative properties and filled with a twisted religious vigor which has more or less become the governing force behind the corporation. The Necris now rule Omicron 3, and, despite a weak frontage to the contrary, the Phayder Corporation as well. For this reason, Omicron 3 is now a nanoblack-corrupted wasteland of a world. The sinister substance has entered everything from the oceans to the plant-life and serves as the very building blocks from which the Necris grow, not build, their cities and palaces.

For decades now, since the Necris takeover, the Phayder Corporation has become more and more secretive, withdrawing from the greedy inter-corporate judicial battles and squabbles until the galaxy has virtually forgotten about them. Their territorial borders have been closed for over thirty years and nothing except the occasional warrior seeking fortune in Liandri's galactic blood sports has issued from them. Lately though, supply convoys passing alongside their border have gone missing and rumor has spread that Krall privateers have been seen entering and leaving their space.

Izanagi knows this and is not a company to lie still while a competitor is building a war machine for the sole purpose of extracting all their wealth with a plasma cannon. For this reason, they have mobilized their sizable forces on Taryd to overpower their current competitors and force them to form a united front, one they will hope will scare the Necris into backing off or making an unprepared first strike. Since their victory over Liandri and Axon however, Izanagi has not heard a single thing from their looming foe. Unnerved and deeply worried, Izanagi has warned its soldiers to be on guard for the inevitable response…