[@Eldritch Puppy]

The KDD always has a unique vibe. Like a well-meaning bazooka.

Obviously they’re approved, but it does feel like there's a plothole in your history. Specifically, how would the KDD not detect or realize that the Shards are from their own moon? Even if they never surveyed the system, and even if hundreds of years went by without anyone doing a study on the local moon, they have telescopes, yeah? It's a part of their night sky. Were the Shards underground, maybe? There's something similar happening with them not detecting the dangerous radiation on their planet.

Speaking as a writer, it sort of feels like you're saying the KDD wouldn't see these things for dramatic effect when they're revealed. I think a better solution would be to acknowledge that they knew about the radiation and Shards and simply didn't have the resources or ability to deal with it yet, or maybe they weren't willing to pull a xenocide until the Shards struck again, or maybe the government was not organized enough to get good weaponry in space until the Second Directorate 

But that's a minor gripe in the end. Everything else is gucci. We have our slightly standoffish jocks back.