Our heroes returned from the crashed ship where they set off the self-destruct accidentally and began negotiations with the Pact Worlds. After managing to negotiate a pretty good deal, the negotiator for the Veskarium landed at Triumph, and sent a standoffish message to the characters.
Our heroes promptly told them to screw off and went with the Pact Worlds. Totally unrelated (truly, the ambassador was assassinated by Pahtra assassins, prompting the Veskarium to cut all funding and ties to Triumph for not being able to protect their representative.
Now, only to wait for the Culling Tide to roll in ...