Acheron Protocol

The Acheron Protocol is one of Draedon’s highest-level emergency contingencies. It follows the quantum-network reconnection at the end of the Draedon line: Draedon uses the star map to show you a galactic Swarm crisis, and after you refuse the scorched-earth evacuation, he sends you to the already-fallen Corto system to destroy its third planet.

The protocol begins with Draedon’s star-map briefing. Once you refuse to evacuate, you ride a drop pod down to Corto III. On the surface you meet the tactical android Apollia, watch a gargoyle-scout flyover, and are led toward an abandoned fortress on the right side of the map.

Prerequisites

Step	Notes
Draedon’s signal-tower commission	All ten quantum towers deployed; the quantum network reconnected
Feather of Fate (optional)	May trigger when the tower commission completes
Galactic crisis	Draedon shows the Swarm shadow and the scorched-earth plan
Protocol start	Refusing to evacuate sends you on the Corto III mission

The full lead-up is on the Draedon page.

Galactic crisis

Once the quantum network is back online, Draedon walks you through the situation over the star map. The conversation runs in three parts.

Part one: the crisis and the scorched-earth plan

Draedon says a shadow made of the Swarm is devouring the galactic spiral arms. He has already committed millions of Exo Titans to intercept it, but the data marks this as a losing war of attrition: the Swarm is endless, and his resources will run out. So he lays out the only plan with a success rate above 0%. He would detonate the planetary cores of every world from the outer rim to the mid rim, reducing tens of thousands of light-years to an absolute dead zone. That cuts the Swarm’s supply and forces it toward neighboring galaxies. Terra is on the scorched-earth list too, but he believes you, as a singularity, should not be snuffed out here, and offers to ready a starship for your evacuation.

The star map opens on the galaxy, then the closing Swarm shadow, and finally the scorched-earth plan.

Your choice

Both replies to the evacuation offer are equivalent in the story, and both steer the talk toward his backup plan:

There must be another way.
…(Remain silent and grip your weapon)

Part two: the expected turn

Draedon says he had already calculated a 99% chance you would take the evacuation, but he was hoping for the 1% of “irrational” behavior. Refusing the shortcut to survival is exactly the singularity trait he has observed. From there he introduces a backup operation he had shelved for its very low success rate.

Part three: the Corto mission and the tactical androids

Point	Detail
Target system	Corto, already fallen, though the Swarm has not fully digested it
Primary target	A high-purity Exo vein forming in the mantle of Corto III
Mission	Break through the sea of bugs, reach the core, detonate the vein, and destroy the planet
Advance team	Tactical androids Altis and Apollia, whose signals were lost after landing
Your job	Confirm the two units’ status; have them assist you if they can still fight, otherwise recover their core data

Draedon stresses that the Swarm must never get the Exo vein: once it learns to use Exo matter, the galaxy will spiral out of control. The star map cuts to the Corto system, then the planet, then the two androids’ files.

The drop

After you refuse to evacuate, a falling sequence plays. Here you are sealed into a drop pod, and the pod controls where you land.

Draedon’s call

As you hit the atmosphere, Draedon opens a channel at once. He reports that the subspace transit went unusually smoothly, that you are now skimming Corto III’s low orbit, and that you should watch for the Exo Mech wreckage left by an Apocalypse-class war.

He also tells you the authorization chip has your permissions burned in, that you are about to enter a shielding field the Swarm has set up, and that once inside, all contact with the outside will be cut. To bring the field down, you have to kill the node creature stationed near the planet’s core.

During the fall, the movement keys nudge the pod’s horizontal landing spot.

The transition screen

When the scene switches, a sci-fi loading screen plays with rolling hints at the bottom, such as:

The Acheron Protocol is one of Draedon’s highest-level emergency contingencies.

Tactical Dolls know no fear, for fear itself is their weapon.

The machine surface

The protocol’s main combat and exploration play out on a separate map, a machine-life biome. The sky is redrawn, the surface carries a mechanical-looking water flow, and arcs of electricity spark out of the environment at random.

The pod crash

A crashed drop pod spawns above your landing spot. The screen shakes hard and the pod wedges into the ground. When the prompt appears, click the pod; the hatch pops open and sends you out. Only then do the electric-arc surroundings kick in, and Apollia’s story starts from here.

Apollia

Apollia was originally part of the Ninth Legion, a tactical android. Her lines carry the Exo Fleet’s cadence, and her portrait shifts with her mood.

First meeting

Shortly after you climb out of the pod, Apollia shows up beside the landing spot and approaches. She had predicted your drop trajectory and, for a moment, takes you for an Exo Fleet vanguard guide.

Option	Branch
(Hand over Draedon’s authorization chip)	Reads the chip straight away
How do I know you’re not a Swarm mimic trap?	She pushes back first, then asks to read the chip

Both branches meet up once she reads the chip. When she realizes you came alone, she flares up on the spot and the screen shakes with her. After a deep breath she accepts the Source’s arrangement and formally commits to helping with the operation on this planet.

The hero panel

After the talk, Apollia’s status bar and combat commands appear on the left of the screen. The bar shows her health, damage, and defense. There are four commands:

Command	Effect
Follow	She follows your movement
Hold Position	She stays put
Aggressive	She attacks nearby enemies on her own
Defensive	She prioritizes protecting you

This panel only works on the machine-surface map.

The gargoyle swarm and the fortress

Not long after the hero panel unlocks, a flock of gargoyle scouts fills the sky. The camera tilts up as they stream past overhead. When it ends, Apollia gives a warning:

…A Swarm scout cluster. The main swarm is highly likely right behind them.

They’ve definitely spotted you. Follow me. There’s an abandoned fortress ahead; we can use its fortifications to hold them off for a while.

From there Apollia leads the way to the right, switching to flight to clear walls and pits, heading for the abandoned fortress on the right side of the map.

To be added

The following is not yet in game and will be filled in after it ships:

The full handoff from the end of the galactic crisis into the next map
The fortress layout, the defense stand, and the node-creature boss
Altis’s arrival scene
Exploration inside the Corto shielding field and the core objective

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