CATACLYSM
Somewhere in the late 21st century, there was a series of cataclysmic events that wiped out a large portion of the population. Among the events included a nuclear apocalypse, but scholars talk about tsunamis, mega volcanoes, plagues, mass hysteria, EMPs, and many other things that went wrong at this time. These events are simply referred to as "the Cataclysm" for short.
Many historical archives and technologies were lost, leaving later archeologists and historians to piece things together. There's a lot of historical disagreement among scholars, so things are a little fuzzy on human history before the Cataclysm. However, this results in a lot of myth and political propaganda of previous time periods merging into history, leaving humanity with an unclear view of itself. It took many generations for humanity to get back on track, though many areas of the world remained unlivable for various reasons.
EXPANSION
As humanity recovered, we began exploring our solar system. With newer technologies that allowed us to travel between our planets with relative ease, it was a new frontier for prospecting. Mining ores, minerals, and even water from various celestial objects became the new gold rush. The new Martian colonies were eager to purchase whatever they could to hasten the arduous task of terraforming their new world. It was at the height of this time that the Signal first arrived.
THE SIGNAL
The first report of the signal was from a mining operation deep in the farthest reaches of the Asteroid Belt. Some just thought it was interference, except the repetitive pattern made it seem like a signal. Due to Good Samaritan laws agreed upon by the United Nations of Sol, they were required to investigate. Upon sending out a pod to enhance the signal (for fear that it might be a distress signal from a lost ship) it was discovered the signal was coming from deep space and was, in fact, artificial.
No one took this report seriously until other mining operations started intercepting the same signal. Even then, many dismissed it as astro-noise until a team of scientists decoded the cipher and translated it into a language. It was computer code with a message that translated to visual symbols in a consistent language. They'd intercepted a signal from an unknown alien race!
The worlds stood still on the day of the official announcement. Not only were we not alone...someone was talking to us. The signal was pointed at us from another star not far away that could feasibly have life. Space exploration had another boom after this discovery. Who were they? What could they teach us? Were they friendly? Do we need to defend ourselves? So many questions went unanswered.
It was not long before humanity decided to send messages back towards the star from whence the original signal came, knowing full well it would be years before a response could return. Except that hours after we finally sent an official response to the original signal, a new one was sent back to us...
Scientists scrambled to translate the new signal. It was shorter. It simply said, "We are en route to your location."
THE TICKING CLOCK
Humanity is ablaze with excitement. An advanced alien race was already near our solar system and on their way to meet us. People took the news in various ways. Some people were excited to meet our alien friends while others feared a race with superior technology may be planning to invade and conquer. Businesses scramble to prepare for the unknown and many people find religion really quick trying to wrestle with the prospect.
But as if this was not enough, many reports of alien encounters began flooding the networks. Most are unverified but some were questionable. People reported talking with alien creatures in their dreams or during life-threatening events. Many of these stories involved the witness claiming to be gifted with knowledge or powers to prepare humanity for their arrival. Some of these stories go unexplained, but most were dismissed as simply hysteria due to the news of the impending first contact.
That is, until people started developing psychic powers that were verifiable and revealing information that no civilian could possibly know. Many governments are having trouble verifying these stories and dealing with the already growing mess of cults, drugs, smuggling, and human trafficking that skyrocketed with the news of the alien visitors.
To help contain the chaos, the UNS have agreed to block all outgoing signals from humanity towards the Signal's Origin except those which are explicitly authorized by the highest levels of government. Since then, there has been no officially recognized messages received from the unknown alien race. At least not publicly.
A civil war was broke among the belt colonies a few years back. The discovery of the signal opened up peace talks but civil unrest has started to bubble up again. Belters, Martians, and Terrans have had trouble getting along ever since the colonies were established, but in recent years the appearance of sapient androids and superpowered mutants has caused even more paranoia and unrest.
WELCOME ABOARD!
You are a mercenary or contractor exploring the fringes of our solar system. Perhaps you're a gun for hire or maybe a traveling doctor? You could be a professional smuggler or spy, possibly even an arms dealer or criminal lawyer. Whatever you do, your work is privately contracted away from the prying eyes of the inner worlds' tight rules and autocracy. This is where you can make the real money.
At the moment, you're working for Captain Octavius Jehnko, a charismatic young man who has assured you that going into business together will be lucrative. He's quite confident and connected for someone so young, and he's supplied you with the tools of your trade and given you your own private quarters on his ship, the SS Nirvana. Despite starting your journey in debt to him, he's been amenable and accommodating and also doesn't seem to ask questions about your past. Which is good for you.
Your teammates seem about as unscrupulous as you and you get the feeling you're among rejects, refugees, outlaws, fugitives, scoundrels, and criminals alike. But the team seems to be very effective thus far.
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This message was last edited by the GM at 08:23, Sat 30 Dec 2023.