//////////////////////★↘////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//////////////////////★↘P L O T
› ★ » A breakthrough in intergalactic travel prompted a global fascination with the mysteries of space. Countries were prematurely launching stations, trying to earn their spot among the cluttering stars. While it was all supposedly in the name of knowledge, global tension rose to the point that the risk of a third world war drew sweat to everyone’s brow. After two years of negotiation between the leading space-fairing countries, Vestigo was created as single organization to unite the Earth’s most beneficial assets and expand space exploration, not in the name of a single country, but in the name of the whole human race.
› ★ » The grand mission of Vestigo was the colonization planets beyond the milky way. With humanity just recently dipping its toes into the deep waters of space, the options for inhabitable planets were few and difficult to find. A diamond in the rough rocky void was Aether, the lush garden world with vast oceans, as well as various native plant and animal species. Perhaps most important was the planet’s oxygen supply. However, no planet was perfect, and further investigation revealed that Aether's air also continued microscopic mercury particles. Scientists explained that moderate exposure to these particles at best would be the equivalent of inhaling paint fumes and at worst, be lethal. This was an obstacle that discouraged Vestigo officials and directed them to other, much less desirable planets.
› ★ » Vestigo was not the only organization with it's eyes on Aether. Ogma Research Corporation, an entity as brilliant as it is controversial, approached Vestigo with a newly patented ventilation system, one that had the ability to filter the mercury from Aether's air and make it breathable for humans. There was an outcry as Vestigo and ORC held discussions, many believing that a government organization had no business with a private corporation, especially not one with such a checkered past. After two years of uphill battle, Vestigo and Aether finally reached an agreement. The two forces agreed to partner together in developing the first human colony outside the solar system, centered around the Ogma Research Corporation’s Aether Facility and Vestigo's Toulon Station.
› ★ » Fifty years later, Aether is the most famous among the handful of colonized planets. Lacking in neither beauty or controversy, the planet now hosts a community of humans, some from mother Earth and others born among the stars. Little does any human know, their progress has been monitored by spies among them for years - and now Aether will find it's self ground zero for first extraterrestrial contact and an inter-species war. With the whole universe watching, the future of human colonization depends on the success of Aether and the people making it a home.