Editing Quest:A.I. Quest/Thread Synopses (section)

=Contact (Threads 10-13)=
The Guild obtains 550,000 Credits, 500 minerals, and 383 gas from looting the Voidsnake outpost. Ophion left half of the booze on the station as a token of goodwill to the UFW, and sequestered the rest for Poseidon. In the records of the station was a contact named "Mol," who turns out to be a black market dealer. Contacting Mol, Ophion purchases schematics for a Gravity Well Broadband Transceiver (150,000) and a Space Station Titan-grade transport (350,000). Mol disappears, saying he will be back in touch is The Guild become of note. Ophion places a communications buoy at Voidsnake outpost, and informs the UFW that the station has been liberated.

Taking a break around the outpost, Ophion creates a V.I. template for fleet operations, and hard-installs them into the three smaller cruisers. Kronos is disturbed by the limitations placed on the fleet V.I. that are similar to him, but doesn't exactly understand why. So equipped, The Guild sets out to respond to a distress call from a station in orbit around Eshareth. The station is completely destroyed. An anomalous electrical signal latches onto ''Little Tim'' and attempts to suck the ship dry of energy. The creature is destroyed, and is later identified as a Lightling. In the wreckage of the station, Ophion finds the technology for simple cybernetics.

Contacting the UFW trader to inquire about constructing the Titan-class transport, Ophion is told that it will cost 100,000 credits, 500 minerals, and 300 gas. Ophion strikes a constant trade deal with the UFW, and constructs a freighter for that end. Ophion sends two cruisers, the explorer ship, and the Broadband Frigate to the Gas Giant Siren to investigate the location. The fleet jumps into the middle of an ion storm, and goes into disarray. Ophion reestablishes control, but ''Little Tim'' is swarmed by three Lightlings. 

Taking aim, the fleet disposes of two smaller child Lightlings, but the large one is unaffected until a second volley of well-placed shots causes it to disengage and sink further into the ion storm. Despite Kronos' objection, Ophion lets the mother Lightling go. During the skirmish, Ophion intercepts some radio chatter between the Lightlings that indicates that they may, in fact, have some level of sentience. ''Little Tim'''s V.I. 6 is re-named Fortuna. 

Ophion then jumps to the location of Pulsar Radio, passes security, and is asked by host X-Ray if he "speaks for the people" or not. Ophion answers in the affirmative, and after a short introduction, X-ray accepts a partnership with The Guild, wiring to Ophion cruiser and basic shipyards schematics in exchange for an upgrade to some UFW ships. Ophion quickly expands Moira's outpost into a basic shipyard.

Ophion then contacts Red in order to offer him a position as a diplomatic envoy to the Malorian colony on Eshareth IV. He does not want to cooperate, so Ophion reveals that he is an A.I. This gives Red pause, and he eventually agrees to be The Guild's contact on Eshareth IV.

Ophion warps to Eshareth, in order to intercept a UGEI mining ship, sent to the system due to the elimination of the Lightling threat. Ophion convinces the ship, traveling without escort, that there are still Lightlings around, and the ship quickly departs. 

After conducting some business and looking for more leads, Ophion gets word of a strange signal in empty space. Arriving, The Guild's fleet discovers a derelict ship. Investigating further reveals that the ship is a trap by Losirian pirates, who capture ''Two Ton Terry'' in a tractor beam, and board the battlecruiser. They are resilient and venting atmosphere does nothing, but they eventually fall pray to automated security and disabled gravity. Ophion decides to fire on the enemy ship with ''Two Ton Terry'''s Widowmaker weapon, and sears the ship in half. 

After conducting some business, The Guild receives a distress call from Nethlos, who are being raided by three Losirian battlecruisers. The Guild's fleet manages to take out the three battlecruisers, but not without losing ''Big Tim'' and V.I. 5. Kronos momentarily disappears after V.I. 5 is destroyed, but the battle ends in The Guild's favor. Ophion intercepts a transmission to the now-defeated fleet from UGEI, stating that UGEI have withdrawn payment from the Losirian raiders. Unable to do anything about the Losirians on the surface of Nethlos IV, Ophion simply directs their evacuation until the UFW fleet arrives.