In the depths of the Delta Quadrant, the Orion crew embarks on a high-stakes observational mission to study the Virellans—a pre-warp civilisation on the brink of reaching for the stars. Three powerful nations—Selvar, Arven, and Iskari—race against time and each other to claim Mariv, a habitable moon that promises untold resources and prestige. As tensions flare and ambitions soar, Orion’s crew must walk a razor-thin line between silent observation and the lure of intervention. 

When Captain Mo’Lee-Krabreii sends an undercover away team to the surface, they find themselves entangled in a volatile web of political intrigue, sabotage, and desperate gambits threatening to ignite a war. With history in the making and the fate of a species hanging in the balance, the crew of Orion must ensure the Virellans’ first steps into space don’t become their last.