Captain Irima Ironwing sounded the alarm in Hallifax last Klangiary when
an unexpected security breach occurred at the elevator beneath the city.
Her signal was swiftly answered by Qillilitli Skydrifter, Calioliahali
Skydrifter, Mmellialleh Skydrifter, Ayisdra Ysav'rai, and Intern Tem.
Soon they encountered the suspicious individual within the elevator: a
strange intruder named Rauye Rhineseer, a lucidian who had been seen
fiddling with the elevator's circuits.

Smooth-tongued and confident, Rauye provided paperwork that, at first
blush, provided her the designated clearance to enter a classified area
referred to as the Office of Sanitation and Clandestine Affairs. Once
the purview of the Minister of Peace and the Sentinels guild of
Hallifax, this location purportedly contained highly secure
communications and sensitive documents. None present had seen such a
place in the city, or indeed, were aware that such an office even
existed at all.

Considering the abrupt appearance of this Rauye and the elaborate nature
of her claims, the Hallifaxians gathered expressed skepticism about the
documents' authenticity and began to investigate them, while Captain
Irima Ironwing faithfully kept sole watch at the elevator. Various
members of the higher echelons of Hallifaxian bureaucracy were
interrogated about the sheaf of documents, until it became clear they
were nothing but a clever forgery.

A showdown ensued with Rauye Rhineseer at the Conclave, where she was
seen brazenly requesting access to the schemantics of the mysterious
office. A wrinkle had formed in her plan: the Conclave could only
authorize the passcode for this office upon a Hallifaxian's
authorization of a security protocol entitled Code Black Anomaly. When
her lies were not answered with assistance, Rauye revealed the truth of
her plans: she was one of the pirates of Teyitha Contelli's crew, and if
the Hallifaxians would not help her, she would torture Captain Irima
Ironwing until they complied.

Indeed, the brave storm trill had been captured at the elevator by
Rauye's motley crew, and the Captain's screams as they tormented her
echoed hauntingly through the city as the Hallifaxians deliberated. The
safety of the Collective, it was decided, was too important to risk on a
single life. No matter how Rauye wheedled them, they were unified and
firm in their stance: no one would authorize the protocols to enter the
Office of Sanitation and Clandestine Affairs. Rauye's pistol punished
Ayisdra for defying her in a single, fatal blow, and soon his fate was
repeated by most present. It seemed all was at a stalemate as the
Captain's cries resounded in the city.

That is, until a single trill servant could no longer take Irima's
suffering. Revealing himself as her brother, Norin, he offered to make a
deal with Rauye: if she would spare his sister, he would authorize the
protocols she requested. To the horror of all present, Norin fulfilled
his side of the agreement, and Code Black Anomaly went into effect as
the trill servant wept with guilt and shame. A race was on to outwit
Rauye Rhineseer and learn the passcode before she could.

Holograms flickered into existence in the city of Hallifax, which each
provided clues to the passcode for the Office of Clandestine Affairs.
Along with those holograms, countless hostile automatons patrolled the
city, aggressive in their pursuit of the perceived security threat as a
warning flashed for all citizens to return to their homesteads. Instead,
the Hallifaxians went to work deciphering the various clues they were
given to solve an intricate puzzle involving notable Sentinels of years
past and the high-level projects they oversaw. It was Qillilitli who
solved the integral clue to receive the passcode, granting them access
to the mysterious Office of Clandestine Affairs as well as knowledge of
the mysterious Project AEON, which involved a black cognito rock that
was Rauye's ultimate objective.

Others had gathered to join in the quest to reach the cognito rock
before Rauye, including Luce Shevat, Tikki, and Fillirriqili Skydrifter.
Their comrades agreed to officially appoint Fillirriqili as the
Subminister of Peace, allowing him the ability to call off Code Black
Anomaly and force the automatons to retreat. This gave them entry beyond
the Office of Clandestine Affairs, providing a curious tesseract cube
that, when activated, provided entry to a strange sight, and insight
into one of Hallifax's long lost histories.

Project AEON involved Xaschoc and Jhaethi Aalin, two Institute siblings
who had discovered a method of freezing a moment in time. It was a
project funded by the Holy Celestian Empire that was equal parts a
success and failure, for the result successfully locked both researchers
in time, looping infinitely for a single moment that neither could
escape. Such a risky and unstable result was dangerous, and thus was
quickly erased from history to prevent its repetition. The timelock that
had trapped the Aalin siblings was sustained by a black cognito rock
that Rauye coveted.

It was here that the tesseract cube led our companions, where they
witnessed the moment between the Aalins loop over and over again, frozen
for an eternity. Luce was the one to lift the black cognito rock,
shattering their spell as the two scientists entered the time stream
once more. Even as they shouted warnings to their modern comrades, the
Hallifaxians remained within the pocket of time, creating a paradox that
ultimately led to everyone's collective death and the evaporation of the
Aalins from the timestream. Their ultimate fate is, and quite possibly
shall forever be, unknown.

The cognito rock had, in the aftermath, changed hands to Ayisdra
Ysav'rai, who hid at the Matrix while the others met with Rauye
Rhineseer, her pirates, and a bound and beaten Captain Irima Ironwing. A
scuffle ensued, but Rauye's sharp eye and eerily accurate pistol made
quick work of any opponent. This was a battle that would have to take
place with words, not warfare.

Rauye revealed that the black cognito rock was part of a compass formed
by the Vernal God Ilaedron the Fair, and by itself, was worth quite
little to the city aside from their dubious temporal experiment. She
proposed a new deal: the life of the Captain and an old artifact that
once belonged to the city of Hallifax, in exchange for the cognito rock
that provided no value to the Collective. Indeed, she argued it might
even be in safer hands, given what happened to the Aalins. "We are
pirates," she quipped with a wink, "not mad scientists." It was a
compelling argument.

The item that Rauye offered Hallifax was a pulsating energy core, which
seemed alive as it hummed in the Captain's bound hands. Given it had
once belonged to the city, and Hallifax held no sentiment towards the
cognito rock in the wake of the tragedy it had inflicted, the deal was
eventually struck. A very pleased Rauye left both Captain Irima Ironwing
and the crystal core behind as she and her pirates departed the
now-harmonious city.

The newly received core was intensely examined by the curious
Hallifaxians. The Conclave sensed its similarity to the beings of
Continuum, and suggested it enter the care of a scientist with expertise
in bioengineering. Junior Scientist Gith'axa Lars quickly took to the
task, promising to update all present on the crystal core's behavior.
The only matter left to discuss was, then, the fate of the servant that
had plunged Hallifax into chaos.

Captain Irima Ironwing and others such as Calioliahali advocated for
capital punishment, stating that a single life was not to be held as
equal to the Collective. Yet others such as Tikki and Qillilitli
advocated for a redemptive strategy, allowing for the servant to restore
his honour. Ultimately, Norin's fate was decided by the Board of
Directors present, who determined he should be [REDACTED]. Where that
leads, what the purpose of the energy core is, and what Rauye and the
crew of Teyitha Contelli have in store, as yet remains to be seen.