Sol System

Lore & Background

The Sol System is the birthplace of human space exploration, with humanity first reaching Mars in the 2050s. The invention of the Grav Drive in 2156 allowed for faster-than-light travel, but Earth's magnetosphere had already begun destabilizing in the late 2140s, making the planet uninhabitable. This forced humanity to use the Grav Drive to settle other star systems, beginning with the first jump to Alpha Centauri in 2156. The first permanent colony, New Atlantis, was established on Jemison in 2160. The United Colonies was founded in 2159, and New Atlantis became its capital in 2160. In 2189, the Freestar Collective broke away from the United Colonies, and around 2310, the Colony War erupted between them. Twenty years after the Colony War, an uneasy peace exists. The Sol System, while no longer the political center, remains a key part of United Colonies space, with Earth now a scarred world and Mars a historic site of early human expansion.

In Their Own Story

The player character, a space miner working for Argos Extractors, is commissioned by Constellation to locate an Artifact with strange gravitational effects buried underground. After extracting the Artifact, the player experiences a vision propelling them through time and space. They then travel to New Atlantis, the capital of the United Colonies on Alpha Centauri's planet Jemison, to deliver the Artifact to Constellation's Lodge. From there, the player joins Constellation in their quest to locate more Artifacts. The player may also join factions like the UC Vanguard, a volunteer force dedicated to protecting United Colonies space. The Sol System, as the origin of humanity, is a backdrop to these events, though the main story focuses on the Settled Systems and the search for Artifacts.

Reader's Guide

The Sol System is part of the Settled Systems, a region of space extending outwards from the Sol System for approximately 50 light-years. It is under the control of the United Colonies, which was founded in 2159. The system includes Earth, now uninhabitable due to its destabilized magnetosphere, and Mars, where humanity first explored in the 2050s. Players can land on more than 1,000 planets and an unspecified number of moons and space stations across the game, with landscapes procedurally generated. The largest city in the game, New Atlantis, is located in the Alpha Centauri system, not Sol. In Sol, players may encounter UC Vanguard patrols and can engage with the system's history, though specific gameplay details about Sol are not provided in the source. Players should be aware of the United Colonies' presence and the historical significance of Earth and Mars.

Did You Know?

• Humanity first explored Mars in the 2050s, according to the game's setting.
• The Grav Drive, invented in 2156, enabled faster-than-light travel, but Earth's magnetosphere had already begun destabilizing in the late 2140s.
• The first Grav Drive jump to Alpha Centauri occurred in 2156, with the first permanent colony (New Atlantis) established on Jemison in 2160.
• The United Colonies was founded in 2159, with its capital New Atlantis established on Jemison in Alpha Centauri in 2160.
• The Colony War between the United Colonies and Freestar Collective occurred around 2310, twenty years before the game's main events.