Vanguard for Victory 2.2: Mechinations of Madness!

Last time the vanguard were welcomed to the greater milky way galaxy by monks of the Astrologic Armada, protectors of the Lore Republic. Our heroes were detained for the crime of violating the Ancient Frontier, a massive array of space mines surrounding the Forbidden Zone... what aliens call the solar system containing Earth. The heroes succeeded in making a few allies of the monks and repairing their ship. As they were in the process of fleeing the Lore vessel the Astrologic Armada vessel was attached by the Mechination, tens of thousands of insane robots designed for one terrible purpose, the creation of more of the Mechination using sentient minds and the technology that protects them. Will our heroes turn around to save their recent captors, or will they leave the monks to a fate worse than death. Time will tell as we begin...