Starflight 2: Trade Routes of The Cloud Nebula - Story - Plot

Plot

Events in Starflight 2 occur some years after those in Starflight and in a different part of the universe. Following the destruction of the Crystal Planet at the conclusion of the earlier game, the spacefaring corporation Interstel bans the use of the spaceship fuel Endurium. The Spemin, one of the alien races encountered in the original game, subsequently acquires powerful new spaceship technology and a seemingly unlimited supply of a new fuel substance called Shyneum from a mysterious source. Boasting of the tactical advantage their spaceships now possess over those fielded by Interstel, the Spemin demand that humanity become their slaves or face destruction. Interstel manages to trick a Spemin into revealing the location of a continuum flux leading to the general region of space from which they obtained these technologies. Although Interstel successfully establishes itself in this region by constructing a space station called Starport Outpost 1, it needs the player's help to "find the source of the fuel substance known as Shyneum and acquire the technology the Spemin possess." The game begins with the player in command of a poorly equipped spaceship docked at Starport.

A major subplot involves earning enough money to provide all crew members with the maximum level of training and equip the player's spaceship with the best available weapons, shields, armor and engines. Much of the game consists of trading goods from one alien culture to another, exploring planets for mineral resources and alien lifeforms that can later be sold, and seeking uninhabited earth-like planets to recommend to Interstel for possible colonization. Discovering artifacts that enhance the spaceship's capabilities in various ways is also a significant part of the game.

Unraveling the main plot is largely a matter of discovering ways to befriend the various spacefaring alien races to get them to reveal clues through conversation. Interaction with these alien races involves numerous minor subplots which occupy the player throughout much of the game. Eventually the player travels back in time to retrieve a data cube constructed by an ancient, technologically advanced, alien race called the Leghk which contains the secrets of the Spemin's new technology. The data contained on the cube enable engineers at Interstel to outfit the player's spaceship with the sophisticated armaments needed to survive a journey into the heart of the Cloud Nebula to confront the hostile Umanu and Uhlek. Winning the ensuing battle opens access to the Shyneum Planet, the source of the new fuel substance.