Carter Armstrong

Carter Armstrong
Biographical Info
Status	Alive
Gender	Male
Home System	Sol
Allegiance	Independent
Occupation	Aegis Core Chief Administrator

Carter Armstrong is the Chief Administrator of Aegis Core, a division of Aegis based in Sol that oversaw operations within the Core Systems. In June 3304, when Aegis Core was still based in Socho, Armstrong coordinated a campaign to gather materials to repair Core Systems starports that had been damaged by the Thargoids in the course of the Second Thargoid War. In September 3307, amid the independent inquiry into Aegis's conduct in the Alexandria incident, Armstrong brushed off claims made by Salvation that the Thargoids were preparing to attack the Cornsar system, but unfortunately for the citizens of Cornsar, Salvation's prediction was later proven correct.

Following the resignation of Professor Alba Tesreau, the discharge of Admiral Aden Tanner, and the departure of other Aegis members over the course of the independent inquiry, Chief Administrator Armstrong became the de facto head of what remained of Aegis's leadership council. He was tasked with overseeing the demobilisation of Aegis's personnel and assets after the organisation was ordered to shut down on January 18, 3308. When it later came to light that the Alexandria had been sabotaged and raided by a private military force with ties to Azimuth Biochemicals, Armstrong declared this absolved Aegis of the Baumann Report's accusations of negligence, but his request to reinstate Aegis in order to counter the threat posed by Azimuth was denied.

Timeline

02 MAR 3308

• The leaders of Aegis have formally petitioned the Alliance, Empire and Federation to reform the anti-xeno organisation. Although all three superpowers are in the process of building their own taskforces to replace Aegis, they have been unable to assist against a recent surge of Thargoid incursions. Chief Administrator Carter Armstrong gave a statement to the press: "Surviving members of the leadership council have submitted an appeal to reverse the decision to disband Aegis. The essence of our case is that the superpowers are currently distracted by various internal situations, but the Thargoids care nothing for our politics and must be met with a unified show of force. Aegis support ships have recently been repurposed by other crews in several regions, including the Dan, HIP 12314 and Nauni systems. But they could have been operated officially by our trained personnel, if only we were allowed to do our job. In addition to the increasing Thargoid threat, the rediscovery of the Alexandria in the Wregoe TC-X B29-0 system proves that Azimuth still exists. This sinister group slaughtered four thousand people to obtain Guardian artefacts, and we have logs proving it performed unlicensed xenological research in recent years. Aegis could provide centralised opposition to these criminals as well as defending against alien attack."

07 FEB 3308

• Shutdown procedures for the anti-xeno organisation are continuing, despite Aegis's warnings that Azimuth has returned. Conrad Sterling reported on the situation for Vox Galactica: "We now know that the Alexandria megaship was targeted by a hostile force that could be Azimuth Biochemicals, the 200-year-old corporation which owned the Adamastor and Hesperus. In the face of this new evidence, Aegis leaders have petitioned for it to be reinstated. Even while accounting for this new evidence, the Baumann Report has exposed a litany of organisational failures within Aegis. There is still a broad consensus among politicians that the organisation should have done more to repel the Thargoids. Many senior military figures have switched focus to Aegis's controversial rival Salvation, despite his mysterious nature. As one Imperial Navy admiral succinctly put it: 'Salvation's methods have proved more effective in counteracting the Thargoid threat.' The issue of military staff defections also appears to have been resolved. Alliance, Federal and Imperial fleets have opened channels of secondment, allowing naval crews to voluntarily take positions aboard Salvation's vessels without resigning their commissions. However, one of Aegis's requests has been authorised. There will be a public ceremony to posthumously award medals of honour to Captain Jacob Morales and the four thousand people who lost their lives aboard the Alexandria."

31 JAN 3308

• Information recovered from the Alexandria has prompted Aegis to insist that it was not responsible for the loss of the megaship's crew and cargo. The wreckage of the Alexandria was recently located in the Wregoe TC-X B29-0 system. There were no survivors, but fragments of the commanding officer's log were found. Chief Administrator Carter Armstrong published this statement on behalf of Aegis: "The logs made by Captain Jacob Morales tell a bleak tale. The Alexandria was deliberately sabotaged to leave it stranded and powerless. They were met by an unidentified group posing as a rescue team, who slaughtered most of the crew and hijacked the Guardian artefacts. The survivors later made a desperate attempt to initiate the hyperdrive, which sadly led to their destruction. We can now prove that the Alexandria's loss was not caused by negligence, as claimed by the Baumann Report. In reality, the megaship was snared in a trap laid by an organised quasi-military force. Furthermore, Captain Morales discovered that the raiders worked for someone they referred to as 'the Witch'. That name was mentioned in logs discovered at HIP 22460 regarding Project Seraph – vile experiments perpetrated by Azimuth researchers to install human test pilots into Thargoid vessels. This evidence suggests that Azimuth Biochemicals has survived in some form over the last two hundred years, and remains focused on aggressive xenological research. Aegis must be reinstated immediately to counter this dangerous organisation before more lives are lost."

22 JAN 3308

• *Pilots' Federation ALERT*
  The Aegis megaship Alexandria, which vanished in hyperspace seven months ago, has been found in the Wregoe TC-X B29-0 system. A select group of independent pilots located the Alexandria following a search instigated by Professor Alba Tesreau, former head of research at Aegis. She was forced to resign as a result of the Baumann Report, which was instigated by the controversial loss of this megaship. In June 3307, the Alexandria was pursued by Thargoid vessels due to a considerable number of Guardian artefacts held on board. It initiated a hyperspace jump to the HIP 30944 system to offload its cargo but never arrived. The megaship was assumed to have been hyperdicted by the Thargoids, resulting in the death of all four thousand crewmembers. According to on-site witnesses, the remains of the Alexandria are currently scattered across the planetary rings of Wregoe TC-X b29-0 AB 2 A. Ships are investigating the debris, but so far have not reported finding any survivors or Guardian relics. Chief Administrator Carter Armstrong made a public statement: "Losing the Alexandria was as tragic as it was mysterious, but we now have an opportunity to learn what happened. Aegis should remain operational until a full analysis has been completed and we can understand the cause of the megaship's destruction."

18 JAN 3308

• The Alliance, Empire and Federation have accepted the Baumann Report's recommendation to permanently shut down Aegis. The independent inquiry's findings on the organisation's failings will result in Aegis being immediately shut down. However, Chief Administrator Carter Armstrong has cautioned that "full demobilisation of staff, ships and resources might take several months". Senator Denton Patreus has successfully obtained senatorial approval for an increased military budget, to allow the Imperial Navy to directly take on the role played by Aegis. Fleet Admiral Tayo Maikori likewise confirmed that the Federal Congress has ordered the creation of a new naval strike force. On his own authority he has also commissioned an investigation into Salvation, following Ram Tah's testimony regarding the nature of the anti-xeno superweapon. Admiral Nikolas Glass, who was recently appointed to the Council of Admirals, stated that the Alliance Defence Force and Sirius Navy will work in conjunction to fulfil Aegis's purpose. Xenological research laboratories set up by Professor Alba Tesreau will now transfer their work to specialist departments in the Holloway Bioscience Institute, Imperial Science Academy and Olympus Village University. In 3304 the Thargoids made targeted strikes against Aegis's labs, but all three institutions have made assurances that the new locations will have the highest security.

16 SEP 3307

• *Pilots Federation ALERT*
  The Cornsar system has been attacked by Thargoid forces, causing severe damage to two starports. Direct assaults against Chadwick Port and Ito Market stations have resulted in over ten thousand casualties. Local reports state that Thargoid vessels have also appeared elsewhere throughout the system, placing millions more lives at risk. The anonymous figure known as Salvation recently warned that Cornsar was in imminent danger of being invaded, having been alerted by his new xeno-detection network. Aegis could not verify Salvation's claim and saw no evidence of any Thargoid presence. The system's ruler, Marshal Noah Sharrow of the Allied Cornsar Constitution Party, transmitted this message: "This is a call to any pilots in the vicinity of Cornsar. We urgently need ships to defend our people from the Thargoids, and to rescue civilians trapped within Chadwick Port and Ito Market. This is a grave emergency!" Aegis has released a brief statement: "We can confirm there is a Thargoid presence in the Cornsar system. Unfortunately most of our operations and personnel remain suspended due to the public inquiry, so we cannot contribute to any anti-xeno efforts." There has been no further communication from Salvation, despite his accurate prediction of the attack.

14 SEP 3307

• The anonymous figure known as Salvation claims that Thargoid forces will shortly launch an assault in the Cornsar system. The following message was received by all major newsfeeds: "This is Salvation. Authorities in the Cornsar system must evacuate the local population immediately. I believe a Thargoid invasion of the system is imminent. I became aware of this danger while developing a new interstellar xeno-detection network, which will be far superior to Eagle Eye. Although the network is not fully complete, we cannot dismiss this report as a false reading. Cornsar must act now." Carter Armstrong, a chief administrator with Aegis, delivered an official statement: "Aegis cannot validate this claim. There is no indication of a Thargoid presence in the vicinity, and Cornsar is too far from their known territories to be a viable target. As most of our operations are suspended due to the public inquiry, we cannot dedicate any resources to investigate further." There was also a response from Marshal Noah Sharrow, who governs the Cornsar system on behalf of the Allied Cornsar Constitution Party: "We have no interest in the games of one-upmanship between Aegis and Salvation. Nor do we believe for a moment that the Thargoids would go out of their way to harass us."

22 JUN 3304

• Three starports attacked and damaged by Thargoid forces have now been restored to full functionality. Carter Armstrong, chief administrator with Aegis Core, told the press: "When we requested help to repair Thargoid-hit starports, we hoped the galactic community would be generous, but they exceeded our expectations. A colossal influx of materials has enabled us to repair two stations in the core systems in record time. I'm pleased to announce that Armstrong Enterprise in the Bhal system and Beaufoy Vision in the Nauni system are now open for business. Keeping these starports operable allows us to honour those who lost their lives in the Thargoid attacks. Enormous thanks to everyone who participated." Senior Engineer Lilith Galloway of Aegis Research, who coordinated a parallel project, released a similar statement: "Here in the Pleiades, survival is never guaranteed. But Reed's Rest in Merope has endured, thanks to the galactic community's incredible support. This is what we do when things get tough – we rebuild and come back stronger." All three starports are now fully operational and providing a range of services.

08 JUN 3304

• The campaign by Aegis Core to fund the refurbishment of starports in the core systems has now ended. A large quantity of construction materials were delivered to Dantec Enterprise. Carter Armstrong, chief administrator for the project, announced his thanks: "The galactic community has really pulled through for us. These materials will be put to good use in repairing the damage caused by Thargoid attacks. We'll soon have these starports restored and offering the high-quality services you'd expect." Pilots who made deliveries for this initiative can now collect their rewards from Dantec Enterprise in the Socho system.

01 JUN 3304

• Following Thargoid strikes on the fringes of the core systems, a new initiative to restore damaged starports has been announced. Chief administrator Carter Armstrong spoke on behalf of Aegis Core, which is coordinating the campaign: "We've set up this fund to reassure citizens that normality will continue, no matter what. I would like to appeal to the galactic community to restore services in the core systems to their previously high standard." An open order has been placed for construction materials, which will be shipped to the affected starports and used to make repairs. Pilots are asked to make their deliveries to Dantec Enterprise in the Socho system. The campaign begins on the 31st of May 3304 and will run for one week. If the final target is met earlier than planned, the campaign will end immediately.