Chaos erupted on the planet of Sharhelund III, the only inhabited planet in the Sharhelund system, when a research vessel fell out of orbit and burned up in the atmosphere. The ship, the Restless Spirit, is believed to have struck another ship in a low orbit accident, leaving all of its gyroscopic and engine systems wrecked. Without those systems it appears to have fallen out of orbit and fragmented on re-entry.
More disturbing, however, is that the Restless Spirit was conducting research on several highly contagious and lethal viruses. One of these viruses is believed to have escaped into the atmosphere of Sharhelund III after its cryogenic capsule splintered from the crashing vessel and was broken open on impact. Winds surrounding the crash site carried the virus to one of the nearby cities where many hundreds of cases have already been reported, with the fatality list growing slowly but steadily.
Medical officials have along with government representatives announced a state of martial law in the affected regions, with a zero-tolerance curfew being held up with the threat of lethal force. “We expect the casualties to rise before we can fully contain this. However, we have our top groups working on decontaminating as large an area as possible. If anyone experiences symptoms correlating with this virus they are advised to isolate themselves and alert the medical teams who will pick them up for treatment as swiftly as possible.”
Given the extreme situation and the curfew being maintained, head investigator Obbet Rember II is appealing to the public to help with the investigation surrounding the failure of the Restless Spirit. “This ship should not have crashed. It was top of the line in every respect. I call on all capsuleers to help us resolve the issue. We currently cannot spare any ships, as they are all shuttling supplies to the stricken areas. Anyone with any information is asked to contact me directly.”