Since before recorded history, we have gazed up at the stars and dreamed of all the wondrous possibilities that might exist beyond the heavens. The moment that the Apollo 11 spacecraft touched down successfully on Earth’s moon in 1969, the Human race was given a glimpse of a future where eventually nothing would be beyond our reach.
During the latter half of the 21st century, advancements in new propulsion technology, such as nuclear fusion engines, allowed Humans to explore and eventually colonize our home system of Sol. Concurrently, electro-magnetic shielding was also developed to protect ships and their crews from cosmic radiation, solar flares, and minor debris while traveling in space.
By the early 22nd century, gravity generators were invented to provide artificial gravity for the passengers onboard most large vessels. This breakthrough technology was soon incorporated into all new ship designs; making centrifugal-force models nearly obsolete. Major corporations had, by this point, established numerous bases on the Lunar surface, five permanent colonies on Mars, several mining operations throughout the main asteroid belt, and a handful of outposts on many of the outer planets’ moons as well. Communications between these settlements continued to be problematic due to time delays until the development of tachyon wave transmissions which gave them the means of sending and receiving transluminal signals across these great distances.
In 2153, the development of the FTL drive made it possible for the transport vessel, ULYSSES, to reach the Alpha Centauri system in just over a month and establish the Human race’s first interstellar colony. Over time, further advancements in propulsion technology increased velocities even more and, within the span of two generations, an assortment of new worlds were colonized throughout the stellar neighborhood. As these colonies became less dependent on Earth, many of these brave pioneers began to rise up in support of their sovereignty. This led to a long and bitter civil war which ended with three different factions seceding from Earth’s corporate empire.
Despite all of the struggles and the hardships; in less than three centuries since first landing on the Moon, the Human race has permanently colonized thirteen other star systems, encountered other sentient species, and explored over 50 light years beyond the periphery of Earth.