Debris

“All advancements in science and technology have a dark side and a bright side. Which comes first often shapes the nature of a human culture for centuries to come.”

The first planet to be destroyed was Earth. The phased particle reactor (PPR) that allowed the formation of locally contained singularities and thus the ability to warp space-time and travel faster than light travel could be used for another purpose. A singularity could be released for a split second near any massive enough planetary body and the gravitational forces would be enough to tear the planet apart. The process took days, most inhabitants died within hours.  Humanity’s brightest hour, its star spanning empire, more than fifty colony worlds, was brought down by an act of terrorism and the unstoppable path of revenge and war that came after.    

Most of that technology is lost now. It has been twenty years since the final gravity bomb was unleashed, ‘cracking’ the last human colony planet. That was the final petty strike by an Admiral, who had lost everything when Earth was obliterated. 

Now, humanity survives in the asteroid belts and debris fields of a bygone era. Pockets of civilization form around larger asteroids or old derelicts of the vast explorer starships and the mighty military vessels that once plowed through warped space. Any large body that can be patched enough to contain breathable atmosphere and is bathed in sunlight at least some of the time is a candidate for a shanty town or a mining collective.

For the most part, these small space stations and asteroid communities govern themselves. They form alliances with other local communities and trade together for necessary resources and much sought after advanced technologies. When troubles brew, from internal conflicts or from external sources such as raiders, these alliances often form protectorates and elect or select Sheriffs or Marshals to defend the community. 

The remains of the once vast and powerful colonial military has split into two factions:

• The SolCore Alliance is what is left of the Earth Defense Force and the Sol System Navy.  It considers the Solar System and the inner colony systems to be its territory. It attempts to defend its borders against the outer colonies, raiders and any extra-terrestrial threats that might arise, though none are officially recognized. The Alliance patrols the communities within its borders. Some larger communities have an officer of the Alliance assigned to them to act as a policing agent and tax officer. Such officers are not generally well liked.  
• Colonial Exploration Federation (CEF) is the remnants of the space scout and exploration arm of the military and the Colonial Rangers, a smaller Navy that used to defend the outer colonies. They patrol the outer colony region for the most part though they consider all of human colonized Space to be their territory. They are not strong enough to take on the SolCore Alliance and so limit their patrols into the inner colonies to those requested by a specific community.

Neither faction is well liked by the communities and protectorates.  Most consider them bullies who take what they want by force of arms. However, numerous small communities have been saved from unscrupulous raiders by a timely visit from a military-class destroyer or dreadnaught. The two factions are in the midst of a cold war of sorts. Spies and subterfuge as well as military might and posturing are used by both sides to assure that they are not losing the advanced technology race. Though, most factions, communities, and alliances struggle simply to maintain the complex machines and electronics they already have.   

There are still a few individually owned PPR class starships that roam the galaxy. Most of these vessels are owned by intersystem traders. The traders are usually quite popular when they visit communities. They bring news from other star systems. They often have interesting artifacts and technology to sell. They also often retain the most skilled engineers and technicians aboard their ships. Such individuals often sell their services, performing maintenance and making repairs while they are on station. 

Such traders are often a paranoid sort. Both of the military factions believe that PPR drives should be in the hands of the military. The advanced technology and starship systems are often very well kept on trader craft and are coveted by everyone. Much of the limited new technologies and innovative gadgets are developed by trader crews and are also much sought after by all who do business with them. Traders, therefore, consider themselves at risk whenever they are docked and must interact with other humans. The crews of such vessels tend to include skilled combatants, as well as engineers, scientists, navigators and pilots. Traders are always interested in employing gifted people they meet. Some rumors suggest that they are not above kidnapping those they consider valuable.   

Many communities have a ‘gold rush’ like atmosphere to them. Other than those who work to sustain food supplies or provide what maintenance they can to the old life support systems and gravity field generators for their ‘town’, the rest tend to find employment as scavengers.  Most towns have a handful of small intra-system space craft owners who take on crews to fly out and sift through the asteroid fields and debris for natural resources, derelicts and the remains of derelicts. It is not unheard of for such scavengers to find a PPR drive, a ship class railgun or some other rare piece of technology and move up to trader status. Such are the dreams of these women and men.  

But, it is a dark sky out there. Scavenging and mining is a dangerous business; asteroid paths are complex; many of the richest regions are barely navigable dust clouds and are violently contested regions for exploration. Raiders are prevalent in places where rich finds have been uncovered.

There are other dangers. There are some who say that the destruction of many of the human colonies was not caused by the human military or terrorists. In the right Bars, in the right smoky corners, when only the drunk are listening, some tell that the war that led to the destruction of Earth’s empire was a war with aliens and that the facts were kept secret by the military. Some speak of human-alien hybrids who are friends, or enemies depending on the story, and that they are still among us. More than one survivor of a doomed scavenging mission speaks of derelicts hidden in the most unnavigable parts of an asteroid field that contained alien monsters interested only in murder and human blood. But they are stories…