The Witch Head Nebula is one of the closest ones to Sol, around 900 ly away, and it has been a popular destination for explorers ever since Frameshift Drives were invented in 3300. Over the years, it has attracted plenty of attention, colonisation efforts, and has had a significant part in the ongoing Second Thargoid War as well.

The first explorers who arrived at the nebula near the end of 3300 noted that their ships were unable to lock on to certain systems, producing "System permit required" error messages when they would try to jump to them. A firmware update issued by the Pilot's Federation soon solved this issue, and Commanders who entered the previously "locked" systems found nothing of note in them.

The next news concerning the nebula came in 3302, when Thargoid Barnacles were discovered nearby. However, as most of the attention at the time was focused on the Pleiades, and as these Barnacles didn't stand out from others found elsewhere, this received relatively little attention.

The Witch Head Science Centre was constructed in HIP 23759 during 3303, as part of an effort to construct remote asteroid bases far from the inhabited systems.

However, since the station lacked a shipyard, while others found farther South didn't, most explorers would either only visit here for a short while, or pass by entirely.

Two years later, the nebula attracted a much larger colonisation effort. When Aegis Research announced that their initiative to find new sources of Meta-Alloys had uncovered Thargoid Barnacles inside this nebula as well, all three superpowers began constructing stations, as part of the Enclave Initiative. They were immediately attacked by Thargoid vessels, but thanks to the efforts of independent Commanders, the aliens' offensive was swiftly repelled, although most starports had been damaged and needed repairs. Soon after, the Initiative increased efforts to expand the new colony's infrastructure, as new surface bases were constructed (including the Engineer Chloe Sedesi's base, Cinder Dock), material traders set up shops, new outposts were built, and so on.

The Thargoids had seemingly gone silent, and in their absence, the three superpowers' local factions soon began competing against each other, for increased control of the Enclave. Eventually, factions affiliated with the Alliance won, largely due to the efforts of Commanders.

By the beginning of 3306, fifteen systems were colonised, and Universal Cartographics gave them names, instead of their earlier standard designations.

More importantly, however, the start of 3306 also brought a renewed offense from the Thargoids, who have hit the Witch Head Nebula and the Pleiades. Initial efforts to repel them were successful, but the aliens didn't relent. Fighting went on for much longer this time around, throughout the year and beyond. However, distant enclaves around other nebulae (Coalsack, Californa, and of course the Pleaides) saw more activity from Thargoids and humans both.

That changed during 3309, when the Thargoid Maelstroms arrived in the inner systems and their invasions began.

Although the Witch Head Nebula had no incoming Titans, the aliens had still invaded in force, and the colonies were initially overrun. Even Chloe Sedesi had to flee for a time. However, as humanity gained a deeper understanding of the aliens' invasion, the Thargoids were eventually driven from the nebula: as of 3309. June, there are no systems under their control anymore, nor under attack. The damage they have done has been extensive though, and a number of systems remain abandoned.

Still, explorers who consider visiting the nebula should always keep in mind the conflicts throughout its history, and exercise caution even when things might seem safe.

Image credits: Thargoid Interceptor and Titan images from Canonn, the rest by the author