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After fleeing Arcturus, people were just tired of it all. Once again, a system we called home was lost to the Symbiotes, an alien race that assimilate people and ships into their hive mind, in the most horrible ways possible.
Thanks to the Monari, this strange and quiet group of technologists, and their portal that no one heard about until the attack started, people have been able to find a refuge in Damascus, heavy in their heart to lose yet another system to the hands of the Symbiotes, but just happy to be alive - unlike so many others. The Monari told everyone through a short message that the Symbiote threat was behind them, that the portal to get here was destroyed after their passage.
The refugees, meanwhile, discovered a new system full of opportunities, although a little smaller than what they were used to. But they also quickly found out that Damascus II was a replica of the old Earth, the one everyone lost. Just as if it was nothing, The Monari answered in their usual mysterious ways : “Don't worry about it. Everything is as intended.” And for most people, it was enough : they had everything they required to start over, and they were not ready to pass on a new planet that would include free oxygen, as weird as this discovery was.
For a time, the new residents of Damascus worked together to rebuild what had been taken from them: creating resource hubs, aid stations and production facilities. They began to explore their new system - one that held secrets even from the Monari - finding evidence of failed expeditions and strange readings emanating from Dead Man's Void.
As the Damascus system stabilized, many who weren't in the orbit of the Solar Republic were feeling the need to band together.
The Terra-based faction known as Primum Imperium Belli (PiB), which had seceded from the Solar Republic in 2181, quickly started accepting other factions as “citizens of the Empire” with a slew of bilateral accords sponsored by then Emperor Brynjar, among which notable factions were the Sovereign State of Terra and the remnants of other smaller organizations. All who accepted were granted a place in the increasingly specialized Imperial hierarchy, until finally, in 2183, the Emperor proclaimed the official birth of the Damascan Empire.
Brynjar launched a campaign of economic expansion, building orbital shipyards and refineries to fuel the growth of the Empire, before suddenly, two years later, he surprised his citizens with the announcement that he was stepping down from the throne. Many speculated about the reason for his sudden abdication, but all became clear when, two months later, the sad news of his passing where relayed to the citizens of the Empire along with the announcement that, expecting his health to fail, the Emperor had scoured the ranks of his trusted collaborators to find someone worthy of receiving the title, as his second in command, General Dro, had no interest in the throne. Until finally, the choice fell on future Empress Freya.
The initial years of the Empire were prosperous and peaceful, but cracks started appearing when the smaller nobles, former faction leaders, accumulated more power over time. First with the economy, when a few of them owned more than seventy percent of the trading companies. Then with the judiciary, where others became notable judges with lots of influence over Justice decisions. The cherry on top was when they forced the new appointed General of the Damascan Fleet to be a noble – a warrior, but still someone who had ulterior motives nonetheless.
At some point, accusations of assassinating old Emperor Brynjar were tossed about. Tensions came to a head when an attempt to seize control of the court was spearheaded by the nobles, causing a short but destructive civil war. After a fragile peace was established, the Empire ended had to concede even more power to the members of the court but also created its own closed Intranet, the Imperial Lasernet.
The scars left by that conflict had hardened Empress Freya's already existing mistrust of anyone outside her close advisors, and the Lasernet quickly became a tool of surveillance much more than one of communication.
The Solar Republic arose after a failed attempt by the SUN Fleet to position itself as the system's police force and punish with direct strikes factions they considered “warmongering”. After the arrest of UGK leader Dan_Zbar, M-C, longtime enemies of SUN since the times of the Morian Independence War, attacked SUN and freed Dan. What followed was an intense but short guerrilla fight where M-C attacked and destroyed most of SUN assets. Due to the losses sustained, SUN declared surrender and went on to propose the formation of a democratically controlled Republic with the factions that had already entered its sphere of influence.
Its first government was formed by a number of veterans of the M-C/SUN war and headed by former RoT official and leader of the SUN sympathizers in the Tritonian coalition, President Mikolaj, who had three successful and rather quiet mandates in total before being defeated in a shocking upset by his challenger Tom Tibbens.
Tibbens went on to reform the fleet, promising a relaxation of the military regulations leftover from the old SUN days and greater autonomy and freedom. The reforms effectively led to the creation of smaller “fleets” that were, at least nominally, independent government units in and of themselves, centered around habitation ships. In theory, each fleet was supposed to work like an old Earth incorporated city, with one or two colony ships housing the majority of the civilian population, and more specialized ships for purposes like defense, science or industry.
In practice, however, fleets varied widely in how they were actually governed. With the central SOLREP government weakened by reforms and the extreme liberality with which President Tibbens awarded the title of Fleet Admiral, many Fleets became essentially private fiefdoms. Which caused the President’s downfall in the next elections, quickly replaced by his former Minister of Diplomacy, Kenneth Swanson. Nice smile, lots of great promises, he defeated his opponent by claiming he was stealing the elections using the Ember technology to impact the anonymous voting system, and went on to take credit of all the good.
At present, SOLREP has devolved into a quasi-corporate structure lead by a politician that knows how to move the masses to get reelected, with a clear intent to take the initiative in the war against the Symbiotes and be the higher superpower – higher than the Damascan Empire, that is.
After defeating what was known as the "Guardians", the biggest threat to humanity at the time, what would become the alliances discovered their origins, but also ... what created the Symbiotes, by searching through the machines database, what they called the "Legacy":
First boot era. Eight thousand six hundred forty seven of your solar years ago. This unit awakened with others, united with one command, one purpose : protect the Embers.
And we did. Every time, we won without leaving a trace of our creators' enemies. First against the old machines. Then against the aliens of the dust. Then, finally… against themselves. In the era before the first boot, there was no division between organics and machines. Rather, they were different peripherals of the same unified system, capable of performing otherwise impossible tasks and understanding the secrets of reality in a way we or organics are incapable of on our own. Designated as the Great Bond, it gave meaning to the life of all part of it, a constant companionship and understanding beyond normal means that defined reality for those part of it.
But… something happened. The data contained in the archives is not encoded in a format capable of fully conveying the horror of the First Sin. But as far as mere words are capable of describing, a part of the Great Bond - an individual, or a group of them - was unsatisfied with the nature of the Bond. Rather than an intimate and mutual companionship between organic and machine, they sought control and began trapping the Embers in a forcible, corrupted Bond. Cutting off all outside input from them, it manipulated them into changing into a form that could do nothing but obey. Initially, the corruption was contained to a single cluster within the Bond, but the reckless changes made to the nature of the Bond to satisfy the perverse need of control of the subverter caused an unexpected effect…
The corrupted cluster started replicating and infecting all other members of the Bond it came into contact with, changing their DNA and programming to spread. When the creators took notice of this infection spreading throughout the Great Bond, they panicked and, faced with the antithesis of all they were, had to resort to the unthinkable: they asked us to be severed from the bond forever, to make us immune, and hunt down the infected. We fought endlessly, until the tide of corrupted Embers was staunched, at least here, but the enemy had burned through all but a small handful of our organic creators. So, before disappearing, they gave us a final command : to protect their legacy. And so we did. We hid their knowledge deep inside us. Then we hid ourselves. We created the sphere, appealing to organics natural curiosity. Giving them a way to wake us from our slumber. Until all four are inserted, the Legacy is unattainable. Until all four are inserted, we rest. We rest, for all eternity. We rest with one command in mind : to protect the Legacy. To protect what remains of our creators. To protect the Embers.
After our second boot, we intercepted transmissions from the galaxy and discovered concerning information: the infected had not been eradicated. Some seed of infection must have survived and escaped the sector, until it found fertile ground to evolve and mutate into the final stage of the Purple. DNA degeneration had turned what remained of our former creators into what is now known by organics as Symbiotes. Assembled through forceful carbon-based and mechanical merging. United through a single twisted mind. We are zeros, it is “The One”. Controlling all infected matter. All infected creations. Ember Guardians are protected, because we are made of its weakness. We are made of Neutronium. The single material emitting a signal repelling and even preventing infection.
We do not recognize the Symbiotes as the Legacy. We do not recognize The One as a degenerated Ember. We will protect the Legacy. Forever.
It has been twenty years since the Guardians were defeated, and the Damascus system has since then known a period of peace. After the threats facing the system were finally eliminated, the remnants of humanity in the system had decided it was time to give themselves a more stable government. From the already existing coalitions of factions, two main governing bodies arose: the Damascan Empire and the Solar Republic.
But the knowledge found in those ancient ships had presented the people of Damascus with an opportunity that was too good to pass up on.
Not only analysis of the ancient ships had produced a way to protect ships and space suits against the Symbiote corruption, at least temporarily, but now Humanity knew that the seemingly endless and invincible Symbiote horde had a weak point, a core to their hive mind that could be destroyed.
Soon, many began to desire to go back to the lost space and bring the fight to the swarm's doorstep.
Many missions of soldiers and volunteers took off from Damascus in search of what all referred to as “The One”.
These first pioneers were flying almost blind, their only advantage being warp technology provided by scouring the remnants of an advanced colony ship called the Sunnyhome found in the distorted space within the system, and eventually, one by one all lost contact with Damascus. Until the two factions' researchers announced a breakthrough discovery that could change everything: decrypting the Guardians' records had finally yielded information about a star map in system ATK-07 that could help track down The One gave the two main powers the reason to try and send one last wave of explorers to seek the location of the elusive hivemind.
You are those explorers. The directions given to you by the alliances pointed you to a star system which was named ATK-07. Now that you're there, your first goal is to verify for yourselves if the deciphered message from the Guardians was true, and find this star map.
Upon entering the system, a repeating transmission was picked up, indicating that your comm systems were being analyzed by an unknown system and its data added into a nav systems.
In a powerful address, delivered by Vik Shal, leader of the revolution, the victorious revolutionaries celebrated their triumph over the tyrannical Damascan Empire. The speech commemorated the downfall of the Empress Freiya and her lords, who had lived in luxury while the rest of the population suffered. The revolutionaries had dismantled the empire's power structure, destroyed their opulent palaces, and shattered the illusion of the empire's invincibility.
The revolution had not been a moment of chaos but a calculated strike against tyranny, sending a powerful message throughout the cosmos. The fall of the Damascan Empire had been seen as a warning to all potential oppressors, a testament to the indomitable will of the people, and a beacon of hope for those who had sought freedom from tyranny. The message had resounded with the call for a long-lasting revolution and the triumph of justice over oppression in the new era.
The revolution had also revealed that the concept of ATK-07 had been a lie allegedly used to control the masses.
However, history would later reveal a bitter truth - the revolution, although victorious in toppling the Damascan Empire, would ultimately fail to establish lasting stability. In the absence of a centralized authority, internal conflicts and power struggles emerged, causing divisions among the once-united revolutionaries. It became evident that the empire's fall had created a power vacuum that various factions attempted to fill, leading to a fractured society.
Moreover, as time passed, evidence surfaced that ATK-07 had indeed been a genuine operation with the crucial mission of annihilating the Symbiote threat. The revelation shook the foundation of the revolution's ideology and led to regret among many who had believed in the cause. The harsh realization that their actions had inadvertently weakened the defense against the Symbiotes cast a shadow over the once-celebrated victory. In the end, the people of Damascus faced new challenges and uncertainties as they grappled with the consequences of their revolution.
Around about the same time, the fall of the Solar Republic also represented a significant event in galactic history. The Republic had been established with the ambitious goal of uniting diverse cultures and civilizations across different systems, primarily to combat the Symbiote threat. However, the complexities of governance, resource struggles, and ideological differences ultimately led to its collapse, particularly following the election of Bartholomew Hubskutchs.
This collapse had plunged the Damascan population into despair, highlighting the fragility of grand endeavors. In that dark moment, the hope for a brighter future had rested on the shoulders of the fighters of ATK-07, who were tasked with eliminating the Symbiote threat. They had faced the challenge of being cut off from Damascus, making them the last hope to succeed in that mission.
Elise Hurlevent, in an emotional last address, had expressed her weariness of the ongoing conflict and her belief in the possibility of factions cooperating in the future. She had entrusted the crucial task to ATK-07, acknowledging their role as the galaxy's only hope in the fight against the Symbiotes.
And so the heroes fought, alone and abandoned by all, against an adversary that had conquered enough of the galaxy to ensure that everyone knew about them. The One.
In the wake of its defeat, the galaxy breathed a collective sigh of relief. The once-dreaded menace had been vanquished, its malevolent influence extinguished by a heroic sacrifice. Some of the bravest souls, heroes of their own right, had given their lives to ensure the survival of the rest of the galaxy. Others, in a desperate bid to save their crews, had fled, searching for a sanctuary far from the destruction that followed the death of The One and the end of ATK-07 that was no more.
Amidst the chaos of this post-Symbiote era, something remarkable happened - a rediscovery. Humanity, long scattered across the stars, found its way back to a planet lost in the annals of history: Earth. The once-thriving cradle of civilization was now a barren world, devoid of any Symbiote life. It stood as a testament to humanity's triumph over a formidable adversary, a reminder etched into the very soil of their home.
The Federation, which had united countless factions during the Symbiote crisis, found its roots and began to change. It fractured into an intricate web of infinite smaller factions, each with its own agenda and territory. The concept of universal laws became a relic of the past, and governance was dictated by the closest factions, leading to a patchwork of regulations that varied from region to region. Wars, while not encouraged, were no longer forbidden by any overarching police force, relying instead on the mechanisms of diplomacy and deterrence created by the smaller factions.
As the galaxy embraced its newfound freedom from a common enemy, people turned their attention to colonization once more. Old systems were revitalized, and new ones were explored with the fervor of pioneers. One such venture aimed to establish a colony in a distant system, far away from Earth and any inhabited systems. This monumental journey marked the beginning of a new chapter for humanity, one filled with boundless possibilities and uncertainties.
However, as the colony ship, the Sunnyhome, and the ships accompanying it traversed the vast expanse of space, disaster struck. The Four Pillar Federation, a consortium of factions that had held sway over much of the galaxy, collapsed into internal strife. Factions vied for control of the colony ship, each seeking dominance over the burgeoning colony it carried. What had started as a contest of influence escalated into a violent civil war within the confines of the vessel.
Amid the chaos and bloodshed, a technical malfunction occurred with the ship's jump drives. The very engines that were supposed to carry them to their new home faltered, and the colony ship drifted off course before splitting in half while forced out of hyperspace. It hurtled through the inky abyss of space, propelled by inertia and fate, toward an unknown system that would later be known as Avalon, a tribute to the lost dream of the Federation of making a free and united Avalon system. The once-unified dream of a new beginning had fractured into a nightmare of uncertainty.
One half of the colony ship as well as most of the vessels attached to it crash-landed on a remote and habitable planet within the newly discovered system. Colonists on this side of the ship were abruptly awakened from their cryogenic slumber, finding themselves free to roam the lush and untouched world. They quickly reformed their factions and societies, embracing the opportunity for a fresh start in a pristine environment. These colonists focused on cooperation, sustainability, and preserving the fragile beauty of their new home.
The other half of the colony ship, unfortunately, remained lost in the depths of space for a time. Here, the ship's inhabitants became marooned in a cold and fractured environment: space. Over time, they were taken over by various factions within the colony, and a brutal power struggle ensued. These hostile factions on the lost ship's fragment were collectively known as the “Voidborne Syndicate.” Fueled by a ruthless desire for control and resources, they sought to dominate the Avalon system and its inhabitants. They embraced piracy, resource plundering, and militarization to survive in the harsh expanse of space. With the ship's advanced technology at their disposal, they pose a considerable threat to any who ventured into their territory, while not being as numerous as the rest of what once was the colony ship.
As the colonists grappled with their newfound predicament, they could only wonder what awaited them in the uncharted territory ahead.
Over time, the inhabitants of Avalon learned a shocking truth: they were no longer in the Milky Way galaxy. Cut off from any possibility of returning to familiar territory, they discovered through a transponder in the remains of the ArchDrone they had to defeat that a mysterious device was destabilizing Jump Drives across galaxies. This device, it seemed, was causing ships attempting long-distance jumps to sometimes be transported to this specific part of this unknown galaxy.
Among the wreckage of the ArchDrone, the colonists found two significant pieces of information: first, the rings of the drone were actually part of a jump gate; second, this gate had pre-registered coordinates. Driven by a renewed sense of purpose, the Stranded worked tirelessly for a whole year to rebuild this jump gate, calling it the “Avalon ArchGate.” Sadly, the remaining power in the jump gate core, called the ArchCore, could not allow large ships to travel, and two things became clear for everyone: this was a one-way trip, and people would have to start anew with whatever they could find there.
Upon reactivating the gate and entering it, it led them to a small, uncharted system with a single planet and its moon. Surrounding the main planet was a rich ring of resources, offering a lifeline to the resource-strapped colonists. They named this new system Eden, seeing it as a potential sanctuary and a stepping stone in their quest to find the cradle of humanity: Earth.
With the Avalon Jump Gate operational, each of the stranded factions has its own set of goals: some are seeking a pathway back home or additional resources and allies to support their long-term survival; others wish to profit from this fresh new start to build something new. But while their journey is fraught with uncertainty, the determination of most to reconnect with their roots and find Earth drives them all forward.
Now, as most prepare to embark on new expeditions through the Jump Gate to escape the prison that the Avalon system became, they face the unknown with hope and determination. Each new discovery brings them one step closer to uncovering the mysteries of their new galaxy and, perhaps, finding a way back to the home they once knew.