Solar System – Planet Earth
The expansion of mankind into the solar system marked the beginning of a new chapter in human history. Rapid development of technology following access to vital rare metals and minerals in the asteroid belts culminated in the development of Superluminal Technology.
In 2159, the Sagan Trans-solar Astro-lensing Radio-optical Space Telescope Project (STARSTEP), a vast constellation of space telescopes using the sun as a gravitational lens, was deployed beyond the Kuiper belt. Hundreds of thousands of new worlds were discovered in unprecedented definition, including a collection of stars beyond the Cygnus Rift that were rich with habitable worlds. The most surprising revelation came from mounting evidence of civilized sentient life on a planet only 893 ly away, designated Starstep-15c. Traces of non-natural carbon emissions along with metal concentrations in its atmosphere closely matched that of rapid medieval development in early 12 century earth.
Shortly after the discovery of Neostyrinium and the Saturn Station Seven incident, the first Superluminal Star Ship under Commander Marlin Gaddell was sent to plant a flag on the surface of Proxima-Centauri b in the year 2181. Thanks to the remote Neostyrinium prospecting technology developed by Calin Resource Sciences and the development of Slipspace communications, the first extrasolar exploratory expedition, the Kepler-Cygnus Superluminal Mission, sets off toward the Cygnus Rift in 2195. The initial expedition involved the ship Cristóvão, fitted with a giant radio-optical telescope and led by Commander Edwin Allstrund. The Cristóvão made several scientific stops including Starstep-89, Kepler-186 and Kepler-22, stopping outside each target star system and carefully examining from a distance to quantify risks and scientific potential. By combining the use of stars as astronomical lenses with Synthetic-Aperture-Lensing (SAL) techniques, detailed analysis of systems could be made light years away. The SL capabilities of the Cristóvão allowed their single telescope to be jumped almost instantaneously across several points, capturing light and radio signals as though the telescope’s collector (aperture) was light years big.
The crew eventually rendezvous with a second ship carrying military and engineering teams and supplies, the Pantaleão, at Starstep-13b. The planet, life-bearing yet free of any sentient civilizations, was subsequently named after Dr James Calnerin, the scientist who discovered Neostyrinium and lost his life at the Saturn Station Seven incident. Shortly after the settlement was established, a mysterious alien aggressor invades from the skies. Despite their ominous approach and superior firepower, they were quickly defeated, and the antagonists would eventually become known as the Traxens.
Humans turned their attention to radio signals emanating from nearby Starstep-15c, what would soon be revealed as the Fel homeworld, but the proposal to approach the system became controversial given the recent attack. Eventually, recognizing the Traxens were not in any way related to the system and planet in question, a decision is made to establish lines of communication. Shortly after, first contact is made with the Fel. After months of discussion and dealing with the considerable language barrier between the two species, a third ship arrives from earth, the Gabriel, carrying a diplomatic crew that meets up with the Cristóvão near an orbiting space station above the Fel homeworld of Celnur-Faal. An alliance is eventually struck between the two civilizations, leading to the joint mission that would ultimately see the formation of the United Systems and the Stelerean Constellation.
Despite mankind’s role in establishing the United Systems, no political consensus could be reached amongst the most influential of human’s governments and only a handful of solar system nations ever became members. Despite this, many humans migrated into the Constellation during its rapid expansion. As the growth of earth’s expatriates rapidly outpaced that of their origin home world, the bulk of the human populace now exist and work within the Stelerean Constellation, many having never set foot on the origin world of their pre-interstellar ancestors.