Goliath

Gas giant with many secrets

Sullen, mighty Goliath dominates the outer reaches of the Themis System. The gas giant’s many moons are uninhabited apart from a few research, refuelling or prospecting outposts, although there are likely secret weapons dumps left by General Gatar’s forces hidden here too, concealed by the electromagnetic flux.

Only Goliath-C has a noteworthy population – one that’s far larger than anyone suspect.

History

As with anything involving the Mohilar War, the history of Goliath-C is a mystery even to those who lived it. The following facts are widely known:

• There was a Durugh listening post on Goliath-C, monitoring the Combine naval base on Uqbar.
• When the translight corridors collapsed, the Durugh were cut off just like their Combine foes. The Goliath Durugh did not learn that their species switched sides and turned on their Mohilar Allies until the war was over and Themis was recontacted. Fighting continued sporadically even after recontact until the arrival of Princess Ishur convinced even the most suspicious holdouts to lay down their arms.

Here’s what only the Durugh know:

• The installation on Goliath-C is larger than anyone suspects; certain rock types are much easier to phase through than others, so the Goliath base is entombed in solid rock, accessible only by phase-shifted entities.
• Goliath-C – and likely other worlds in the Themis system – was inhabited by an ancient race. The primary purpose of the Goliath-C base was not monitoring Uqbar, but excavating the ruins left by this race, known to the Durugh as the Ghostmakers.
• Much of the research connected to the Ghostmakers got swallowed up by the Bogey Conundrum, which means it was closely associated with the Mohilar. Were the Mohilar working alongside the Durugh in investigating the Ghostmakers? Are the Ghostmakers the Mohilar?
• One thing they do know – the Ghostmakers were not native to Themis. They likely had other colonies nearby. Opening the translight corridors may lead to the discovery of other Ghostmaker ruins.
• The Durugh here were not informed of the plan to collapse the translight corridors. In fact, they’re not even sure it was a Mohilar Did someone else cut Themis off from the galaxy?
• The Durugh, however, were responsible for the Blight that destroyed Themis Prime’s food supply. So far, they’ve managed to conceal their involvement in this catastrophe, they fear discovery of their war crimes will restart the conflict.

Key Locations

Rhedhos Station: The Durugh listening post, once carefully concealed. Now, it’s a minor trading settlement. Deep beneath Rhedhos is a larger Durugh settlement, Oragothos – including a large military depot.

Cyrex Mining: A large mining operation, employing numerous ex-military personnel.

The Dark Zone: An especially dangerous part of the Goliath-C surface; lightning bolts and unexpected gravity surges make it perilous even for shuttlecraft. Bandits and raiders often hide in the Dark Zone.

Factions & Powers

The two key Durugh leaders are conciliatory Princess Ishur and veteran saboteur Hurux. The former’s determined to secure the Durugh’s place in the Combine – but isn’t above securing her own place in the Durugh hierarchy. The latter believes that the current peace is only a pause for the Combine to rearm before they attack the Durugh again. There’s also Durugh xenoarchaeologist Gallius, obsessed with solving the mystery of the Ghostmakers.

The other key individual is Byra Holleck, the commander of the Cyrex Mining team. Her excavations recently uncovered something that might be an alien structure…

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