THE GREAT FILTER
It is the dawn of the year of our lord 3217.
The Galaxy wide empire of humanity is gone.
The old addage of 'don't put all your eggs in one basket' was blissfully ignored.
In 2085, humanity discovered a dwarf planet between Sol's Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud. They named it Prometheus. In 2106 They landed upon it, and in 2107, they discovered a derelict alien outpost, confirming a suspicion that humanity had long been wondering about. A cosmic phenomenon known as Dark Mass Tunnelling and the mathematics and designs, as well as chemical compounds, to utilize it for human benefit were found in the sole running hard disks in the station. Many saw it as the greatest technological leap mankind had ever found, others labeled it as an ungodly Pandora's Box.
While they would never live to find out, the latter were right in all aspects.
In 2234, it was discovered that those exposed to 'Blue Carbon' the synthesized element used to power most human ships, would develop fatal; neurological related cancers within 4 months. A fewer less than ethical elements begin to experiment with such knowledge, and it's discovered that less than 1% of those exposed develop the ability to harness dark energy via nodules in the brain and nervous system, after the finding are published, these individuals are medically labeled with 'Dark Mass Manipulation Syndrome'.
In 2278, humanity begins to depart from the tried and true Dark Mass Tunnel drives it used prior, opting to develop massive shipping and travel gates casting a field of energy to give superluminal capacity to anything as small as a shuttle. within 20 years, Dark Mass Tunnel drives are almost solely utilized by capital ships or frontier freighters.
2346, FIrst Contact with a species that is more than skeletons in a ruined biosphere. Not soon after humanity is introduced to the galaxy at large.
In 2393, Humanity no longer followed the United Nations Colonial Authority as a whole, beyond those inner core systems, powered and connected via the massive jump gates, the frontier begins to form it's own nations, governments, and hierarchy. This is seen as the peak of human achievement, and the golden age of man.
2507, the War in Heaven begins, all that is confirmed to be known during this time is that a hivemind of some kind begins to ravage the frontier colonies near the shadow of the galactic core. History during this period is contradictory and inaccurate at best.
2625, the galaxy comes crashing down around everyone's ears. Known only as the 'The Cascade' all technology reliant on the Dark Mass Tunneling, and Blue Carbon breaks, Jump Gates are rendered useless, Modern FTL drives are overloaded and detonate, and generators just, stop. Those 'suffering' Dark Mass Manipulation Syndrome are either killed or rendered insane and crippled from the event. Hiveminds across the galaxy wither and die within days, and within months, each world becomes it's own state, hording whatever tech still worked or they could reverse engineer. Those who were left within nothing regress into medieval societies or stone age tribes. By 3180, every previous alliance had fallen to pieces as the War in Heaven no longer has an enemy to fight. History outside the Frontier is almost entirely lost within a generation, and all that remains is the fractured remnants of what was.
It is now 3217, Nearly a dozen generations have passed, scrapped remains have been reproduced by those that can, tried and true reproductions are almost priceless, and the Frontier is an almost lawless wasteland in some cases.
You are a newly contracted member of the ISV Prometheus, a ship registered as a merchant vessel, but the company residing upon it providing courier, security, and exploratory services. Mercenaries of a new age.
Welcome Aboard.
