The newly-commissioned Starship Independence departs from Earth on her maiden shakedown cruise, travelling first to the Cathedral Sector Deep-Space Live-Firing Range to test-fire the ship's weapons, then onto Collapsar 47, a known stable black hole to calibrate the ship's sensors. Along the way, the starship will make a goodwill tour of nearby systems including Alpha Centauri, Vulcan, Tellar, Bollus, Parcaeus and Diona Prime.