Boron Prelude

The Boron Prelude is the cinematic introduction to the Kingdom End DLC. When the player approaches the gate between Heretic’s End and Barren Shores, a Teladi trader cutscene plays — establishing the Boron-Teladi trade relationship and unlocking Boron space access.

Script: story_boron_prelude.xml
DLC: Kingdom End
Sectors involved: Heretic’s End (cluster_31_sector001) → Barren Shores (cluster_602_sector001) → Watchful Gaze (cluster_601_sector001)

Setup

The prelude anchors three sectors and creates the Teladi trader fleet:

Heretic’s End (cluster_31_sector001) — staging area
Watchful Gaze (cluster_601_sector001) — destination
Barren Shores (cluster_602_sector001) — entry to Boron space

A Teladi Trader Actor is created. The setup spawns:

1× Teladi L-class container ship (tag.container, 80% loadout level) — invincible during scene, min shield 20%
5× Teladi M-class trader escorts
All positioned near the BHS Gate (Barren Shores gate)
Trade ship orientation: “look at” gate

The Teladi convoy is set to invincible during the scene via md.LIB_Generic.RequestObjectInvincibility — player can’t disrupt the cutscene by destroying the convoy.

Mission entry: “Heretic’s End Encounter”

Cue: `Prelude_Boron_Miniscene`

In-game name: Teladi trader encounter (cinematic intro)
Path/Chapter: Boron Prelude
Find in game: Player approaches the Boron-side gate in Heretic’s End sector
Prerequisites:
- Kingdom End DLC installed
- Setup_DLC_Boron complete
- Player approaches $BHSGate (Barren Shores gate)
What player encounters:
- Teladi L-class trader convoy with 5 M-class escorts at the gate
- The Teladi trader initiates conversation
  - Prelude_Boron_FirstTeladiComm — first comm call (1s interval poll)
- Approach handler tracks proximity (Prelude_Boron_Approach_Gate_Ref)
- “DND” (Do Not Disturb) handling — if player tries to disrupt:
  - Prelude_Boron_DND_CheckConditions (1s) — checks if player interference
  - Prelude_Boron_DND_Move_Away_From_Gate — moves Teladi away if needed
Where: Heretic’s End sector (cluster_31_sector001), near gate to Barren Shores
NPCs involved:
- Teladi Trader Actor (pilot)
- Escort pilots (5 ships)
Reward: Cinematic intro played; Boron space access unlocked
Chains to: Prelude_Boron_Cutscene → Prelude_Approach_Cutscene_Started
Code reference: story_boron_prelude.xml Prelude_Boron_Miniscene

Mod conflict risks — Heretic’s End Encounter

❌ Mods that disable Teladi L-class container ships (tag.container) break trader spawn
❌ Mods that change Heretic’s End → Barren Shores gate break trigger
❌ Mods that interfere with LIB_Generic.ApproachObject_Handler affect proximity logic
❌ Mods that disable invincibility requests allow player to destroy the cutscene
⚠ Mods that change Teladi-faction behavior affect trader orientation
⚠ Mods that bulk-spawn ships at Heretic’s End may collide with the prelude spawns

Mission entry: “Approach Cutscene”

Cue: `Prelude_Boron_Cutscene` / `Prelude_Approach_Cutscene_Started`

In-game name: Cinematic cutscene (no player input)
Path/Chapter: Boron Prelude (climax)
Find in game: Auto-fires after Heretic’s End encounter
Prerequisites: Teladi convoy encountered + approach trigger met
What player encounters:
- Cinematic — Teladi convoy proceeds through gate
- Player can observe through Boron space corridor
- NPC usecase abort handler (Prelude_NPCUsecase_Aborted v2) — recovery if cutscene interrupted
Where: Heretic’s End → through gate
NPCs involved: Teladi convoy
Reward: Boron arc state initialized; main Boron story available
Chains to: End of Prelude → Main story available
Code reference: story_boron_prelude.xml Prelude_Boron_Cutscene

Mod conflict risks — Approach Cutscene

❌ Mods that disrupt cutscene system break the prelude finish
⚠ Player-control mods during cutscenes may break NPCUsecase abort handling

After the Prelude

Once Prelude completes:

Player can access Boron space via the now-revealed gate
Setup_DLC_Boron is signaled
Main Boron story becomes available (Ch0 / Ch1 entry conditions)

Code references

Concern	Cue
Setup ships (Teladi trader + escorts)	`Prelude_Boron_Setup_Ships` (v2)
First Teladi comm	`Prelude_Boron_FirstTeladiComm`
Approach detection	`Prelude_Boron_Approach_Gate_Ref` (refs LIB_Generic.ApproachObject_Handler)
DND handling (player interference)	`Prelude_Boron_DND_*` cues
Cutscene	`Prelude_Boron_Cutscene` + `Prelude_Approach_Cutscene_Started`
NPCUsecase abort recovery	`Prelude_NPCUsecase_Aborted` (v2)

Boron arcs overview
Boron main story — what follows the prelude
Boron epilogue — late-game culmination
Game starts catalog — gs_boron starts

The Boron Prelude is X4’s “welcome to Kingdom End” moment. Cinematic-heavy, with invincible convoy protection. Your mod’s interference with cutscene systems or Heretic’s End is the most common failure mode.