In the year 2490 the Class-AAA trade-freighter Lambda set off for a week-long voyage from Martian Spaceport to its destination: Ganymede (Jupiter III). The freighter carried a mammoth shipment of explosives, food and other sundries en route to a long-established mining colony on Ganymede. Lambda was mysteriously lost in transit, although it had made the journey at least a dozen times prior to its disappearance. Unsurprisingly, there was intense backlash from the Merchant's Guild of Mars which demanded to know the whereabouts of their vessel, lest mining activities cease on the mining colony, and by extension cause severe loss in profit for the Martian people. Greed is an excellent motivator and for the financially-struggling Martian colonies, a loss of one substantial shipment can mean starvation for many.
Upon the request of the Merchant's Guild and the Martian Spaceport, the financiers of the Lambda voyage demanded their shipment, along with their freighter, be retrieved and delivered to Ganymede by any means necessary. The commanders of the Spaceport hired a mock crew of rogue space-cowboys to do their bidding, in the hopes that they would be required to pay them a smaller sum of Credits than if they hired professionals. 3 weeks after the Lambda's departure, a second spaceship was sent out into deep space to rendezvous with the Lambda, wherever it may be, and you are one of the crew members aboard this second vessel.
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The men and women aboard this second vessel (got any name suggestions for our ship? Write them in you reply.) are a variety of explorers, ship mechanics, cowboys, etc., many with questionable pasts, who are hired by the Martian Spaceport to retrieve said shipment. What they find en route to Ganymede/Jupiter III is just the beginning of a grander and more sinister plot that you, in all likelihood, do not wish to be part of. But without exception, there's two weaknesses all space-cowboys have: an easy paycheck while exploring the vast frontier of the solar system.
The technology level will be expanded upon further in the OOC, but to give you a general idea, space travel has been routine since at least the year 2250. But distance is still largely a liming factor in space-travel. Not to mention the enormous costs of owning and constructing a spaceship ship; in 2490, the income gap between the labor class and the upper class is still plaguing society - only a select few have the funds (and the balls) necessary to finance exploration of the final frontier. That's where we come in.
Any questions?
