By 2821, humanity had achieved the dream of reaching the stars, not through virtue but by sheer happenstance. The last remnants of humanity fled their devastated world aboard the great colony flotilla, driven by violence and the aftermath of their own catastrophic actions. Preparing for a 3,000-year journey, the survivors were faced with the challenge of maintaining unity. However, within just six years, the fragile order aboard the flotilla began to fracture. Cooperation gave way to greed, as only the powerful, who had secured their places through ruthless means, could guarantee their survival. Humanity's existence seemed poised on the brink of annihilation a brief atomic flash, followed by nothingness.
It remains unknown whether the scattering of the flotilla was the result of a miracle, coincidence, or alien intervention. What is clear is that the flotilla was abruptly dispersed across a portion of the galaxy. The exact nature of the scattering is lost to history, those safely secured in hibernation survived the phenomena and only a handful of ships crews survived. Whilst estimated 2% of the waking crews across the countless flotilla vessels survived. The descendants of the flotilla recount countless stories in myriad tongues, recovered from damaged cameras and battered sensors of their vessels. The universe, once a coherent expanse, was transformed into a turbulent tableau of writhing, coiling stars a spectacle both beautiful and terrifying. The stories diverge from there. Some speak of fiery apocalypses, where survivors crash-landed on unfamiliar worlds, struggling to rebuild civilization amidst strange beasts. Others tell of paradisiacal worlds, with gentle descents into welcoming seas, enchanting prairies, or sublime forests. Regardless of the narrative, all survivors were isolated and struggled for survival.
Humanity, ill-equipped to settle a single world, let alone thousands, faced immense challenges. Many died as isolated survivors fought to sustain their existence. Various solutions were attempted, many failing and some proving cruel. The scattered colonists often preyed upon one another, claiming to restore society while prioritizing their own survival. In these dark times, despotism offered relief for a few, while the majority suffered. Eventually, conditions improved, as they must when they can't get any worse. The drive for survival gave way to the desire to prosper, necessitating the development of systems such as law, commerce, taxation, and education. As societies grew, they developed increasingly complex political systems, becoming more prosperous over time. Those less affected by the scattering, who preserved their knowledge and technology, were the first to return to the stars. Among them were the Venti Republic, the Lunar Union, and The Temple.
The Temple made a significant breakthrough by discovering faster-than-light travel. Observing strange lensing effects at the edges of solar systems, they uncovered a vast web of interconnected tunnels in contorted spacetime, known as "Corridor Space." These corridors connected star systems and led to enormous alien constructs called "Pillars" vast megastructures of unknown origin, their mass measured in stellar quantities and their length in light-years. The Temple’s discovery allowed them and the Venti, who discovered their own Pillar, to chart much of the galaxy, reconnecting the scattered remnants of humanity into a region known as the Cluster.
The Venti and the Temple vied for influence over the Cluster and the Pillars, expanding their territories to secure their ideologies. Proxy wars on the borders and a centuries-long arms race frequently threatened to ignite open conflict. The Lunar Union, after centuries of warfare with neighboring systems, discovered their Pillar was only partially active. Unaware of the Venti and Temple, they were isolated until the Enazcan, fearing reprisals for their role in the Union’s war, fled into Corridor Space. Their pursuers encountered a Venti merchant fleet and a Temple warship negotiating with the remnants of the Enazcan fleet above the independent world of Cahil. This led to an eight-month skirmish on the planet and surrounding system, with all sides misinterpreting the encounter as an elaborate ambush.
The conflict only ceased when the fleets of the three superpowers arrived, revealing the true nature of the encounter as contact between lost colonial powers. The Cluster expanded threefold that day, and the realization of humanity’s vast and divided nature was sobering for the superpowers. The Passoma Accords, named after the Temple Cardinal who died acting as a translator, were signed. The superpowers publicly recognized each other’s territorial claims and guaranteed the sovereignty of several independent worlds and smaller interplanetary nations. Yet, conflict persisted behind closed doors with espionage, insurgency, and proxy wars becoming more efficient as influence shifted among the three superpowers. Militarization increased tensions, pushing the galaxy closer to war.
The discovery of a fourth Pillar and the vast expanse of the Frontier estimated to be 2 to 10 times the size of the Cluster set the stage for new conflict. The Frontier contained numerous habitable worlds connected by various corridors. The Union seized the gateway to the Frontier, seeking to limit the expansion of the other powers. This strategy was effective until internal instability within the Union, an extremist attack on the gateway world of Castigor, an economic recession, and pressure from other superpowers led to the formation of the LaGrange Nations Assembly (LNA). The LNA, designed as a homeland for the O’Neily people space-dwelling populations afflicted by conditions preventing them from living in planetary gravity became a preferable alternative to any single superpower controlling the gateway. Now, a colonial race for the Frontier is underway, with factions, private enterprises, and hopeful colonists competing for dominance.
Tensions are at a boiling point in 2821, with predictions of escalating conflict. The Armournauts, mercenary pilots and soldiers known for their Mobile Ordinance Armours, are poised to exploit the turmoil. Over the past century, they have proliferated, indicating the commercialization of high-end military hardware. Armournauts now field fleets of combat-ready spacecraft, rivaling even the naval battle groups of the superpowers. They are both revered and reviled by civilian populations and governments alike, who employ them to advance and protect their interests. With their growing influence, an adage has emerged: “The first shot of the next war won’t be fired by a nation, it’ll be sold by an Armournaut.”