Sins Of A Solar System - Prologue

In the 16. century, a massive wave of colonization of unknown and unconquered land began, but as the world was charted and explorered, the pace dropped, and eventually, the colonies were left independent. In the decades which followed the decline of colonial power, the idea of another rush for colonies were nigh unthinkable, but then the impossible happened.

    In the year 2054, star surveyers, satellites, space shuttle crews and mere people looking to the skies, witnessed a short visit of a non-terrestrial craft. Footage from various shuttles and maned satellites displayed the brief appearance of a ship in low Earth orbit, coming and going without a warning or a trace. It was as though it had never been there, but it had. This forged the simple question: How?
    The very appearance of a ship from beyond the stars contradicted the laws science, which meant the laws were either flawed, or dispendable. In the year 2056, the first theory on the matter was published by Bastian Kirkhill. He suggested the possibility of a second layer of the world, in which the laws of science were alternate from those in our layer. A nether world side by side with our world. A spirit world.

    At first the idea was rejected, but as time passed by, more and more began to explore this new concept. If there indeed was another layer, then how could it be accesed? Entrance to the other realm was achieved in 2059, with the invention of the soul anchor. A device capable of passing to the second layer and keeping the portal open for others to pass, but how this first voyage was done few knew. Some said a sacrifice of hundreds of souls were necessary, though nothing were ever proved. Nevertheless, a connection to the second layer was established, and the era of space colonisation began.

    Refinement of the mechanism capable of contacting the original soul anchor was swift, and by the year 2065, more than ten years after the appearance of the alien ship, det first Ghost Drive was installed on a space craft. The drive was capable of converting the ship to the second layer, thus enabling unlimited speed. Though expensive, the Ghost Drives were widely used by various Earth nations in order to reach the farthest parts of the solar system. Explorations of the astroid belt between Mars and Jupiter led to the discovery of the regions rich source of minerals and valueable metals. The colonization race began, again.

    Spearheaded by the ships now known as Ghost Ships, the Earth nations quickly claimed the ring of floating ressources, and the first self-sustained space settlement appeared. It was an age of wealth and prosperity, both on Earth and in the out world, but clouds were forming on the horizon.
    As the population of the colonies grew more and more used to the life among the stars, resentment against the rulers of Earth grew. Talk of rebellion and independence spread, and by the mid of the 22. century, the first colony rejected its shackles. The colony of Callahan broke its bound with the motherland on Earth, and soon further riots led to independent space nations. As most of the fleets were siezed by the rebels, Earth involuntarily accepted the independence of the colonies.
    By the year 2164, the ring of astroids were finaly devided into five factions. The original Callahan Federation, the Outer World Empire, the United Colonies, the Solar Alliance and at last the Space Wolves, a pack of colonies severing all bounds to Earth and even those to the other colonies, isolating themselves.

As it had happened on Earth centuries ago, the free colonies were slowly accepted as sovereign nations, and peace settled once more upon the solar system.