“The universe is a corpse.
Nothing lives in all the known expanse of space save for the imagination and stubborn superstition of man as he continues to push forward through the folds of darkness. Buoyant in our search for something other than ourselves, the fear becomes more palpable that we will not find a peer, an enforcing and all-powerful entity, a check against our spreading.
With each infertile husk, forbidding giant, decaying rock, or hellacious furnace that we add to our collection, the verdict becomes stronger: we are alone.
Across the millennia, it has been said that man is something that shall be overcome. But this is a falsehood. For our species remains uncontested. And with nothing to resist us, humanity shall instead continue to relentlessly institute his own battle standards across a desolate and uncaring starscape.”
The Setting
As humanity expanded into the cosmos, the narrative of "Sector Unknown" unfolded in a clandestine sector comprising three primary star systems—Xiphos (XPH-6430), Svion (SVN-8912), and Fivo (FIV-6789)—along with several minor ones. These systems were home to the planets Maku, Nabi, Sjo, Eremtera, and Helfyr (more devlogs to come on each of these planets).
For decades, Star Frontier, a colossal trading entity reminiscent of the historical East India Company, attempted to ruthlessly exploit these planets. Operating with impunity due to the sector's erasure from all official star maps, Star Frontier unrelentingly expanded into the sector, unhindered by governmental oversight.
However, after years of over-extension, failing outposts, logistical nightmares, rampant corruption, piracy, and crippling financial losses, a fierce power struggle erupted within Star Frontier's boardrooms, light-years away. This conflict precipitated a sudden and hasty withdrawal from the sector, leaving workers, executives, and soldiers stranded on harsh, unforgiving planets, struggling to survive in a rapidly deteriorating and lawless environment.
The Return
In the aftermath of their retreat, Star Frontier remains divided. Despite continued internal bickering within Star Frontier, several paramilitary factions still operate independently within the sector. Notably, feared "sensitive operations units" have ramped up their activities, capturing former dissidents and criminals and transporting them to Hell’s Gate, a black site prison orbiting perilously close to a blazing star.
Under the command of General Benjamin Alonzo, a hard-line retired general secretly sanctioned by a group of militant stakeholders within Star Frontier boardrooms, these operations aim to prepare the sector for a possible military reoccupation. Alonzo's brutal methods and the looming threat of a military invasion—including the whispered rumors of bioweapons aimed at exterminating the planetary populations—are intended to reset the sector for a more tightly controlled second attempt at colonization.
Your Story Begins
Amidst this backdrop, you awaken aboard a prison transport en route to Hell’s Gate. The reason for your incarceration is yours to define. In your cell, you wake up to find Chalk, a cannibalistic cellmate who chillingly "suggests" using a homemade shiv to cut off unessential parts of your body to sustain yourselves during the long journey ahead.
This marks your first challenge and where your story begins...
