A race began with the intention of colonizing space and large sums of money were offered to Earth’s civilians toenlist in the ranks of the many armadas leaving for the outer colonies.This time became known as the ‘Young Exodus’, as most of the colonists were chosen for their youth and vigor.The call of the colonies lured many out into space to an uncertain future, but many saw the benefits over acrowded and stifling life on Earth.The colonies were initiated, some over 100 light years from Earth. However, a number of them reporteddiscovering evidence of ancient relics from a long dead civilization, which was compounded even further when theevidence was collated and the results seemed to indicate the different colonies were reporting evidence fromwhat were the relics of the same civilization! The ruins and artifacts discovered proved to be more than 400,000years old. The discovery came initially as a shock for much of humanity. Besides the many scientific/archeologicalforays to discover further evidence, many saw it as an opportunity to get rich quick, and sought to discovervaluable artifacts among the alien ruins, of which there seemed to be many. With the help of the Tachyon drive, itwas possible for small groups to begin combing the ever-expanding frontier of space for more of these valuablealien relics. A new gold rush began, led by factions emerging from the original human colonies established duringthe Great Expedition phase, who found themselves in the best position to capitalize on the momentousdiscoveries to be found amongst the ruins of the ancient ‘Mimjip’ civilization.By 2340 mankind appeared to be creating an empire amongst the stars - a source of great hope and joy amonghumanity! Earth was in the process of successfully regulating its population and its biosphere, and finally seemedto becoming, at least for the time being, a healthy global ecosystem. Except for the efforts of the ‘dissention’, theglobal economy was also largely healthy, and very few went without food or life’s necessities. The home system,although crowded, prospered well and a golden age seemed to descend for an entire generation.The independence of the colonies was not seen as a problem initially by the home system, but more a necessitydue to the logistical problems of maintaining control over them. The colonies were also motivated to declare someindependence from the home system as the support they received turned into offers of trade. This was acceptablefor all concerned - for a while. Then the discovery of the ‘Forge’ at Alpha Centauri occurred and relations brokedown rapidly. The ‘Alpha Forge’, as it became known, was an orbiting starship construction platform the Mimjipanirace had left behind. Its technology relied upon the gathering of rare elements from the local asteroid belt whichwere then shaped and tempered slowly into a near indestructible starship hull deep in the fires of Alpha Centauriitself. It was the outer colonists that discovered the forge and worked out its operating procedure, but the obviousmilitary implications of the new starship hulls became apparent quickly to Earth and the governing bodies of thehome system. Using heavyweight diplomatic and economic muscle, the council of Earth attempted to obtainpossession of the forge for itself. The whole situation deteriorated badly not long thereafter when earth’s councildeclared all members of the newly formed ‘Federal Union’ on the Outer Rim in violation of their legal obligationsand sent in a cohort of storm troopers to obtain the Forge by force. The assault was repelled, just barely, by theefforts of a lieutenant engineer Thomas Redcloud (awarded the ‘Gold Aurora’), who fixed the entire docking areato self destruct, catching the storm trooper reinforcement party off guard and allowing the defenders toconsolidate their defenses in time.After this, the Frontier Union organized the Alpha Forge with heavy artillery in case Earth tried to take thisvaluable artifact by storm again. There was no declaration of war – the Frontier Union had no army. So they hadno choice but to organize one in response to the actions of Earth, and also, the growing number of slave raids bythe Hydrissian ‘devourer’ cult on the fringes of known space that began in 2442 (ref. ‘Hydrissians’). The FrontierDefense Force (FDF) was organized and ties with the home system became much more restricted as the coloniesstrove for self sufficiency.Around this time, shortly after the century turned to the 2400’s, a new threat loomed on the horizon. The discoveryof the ‘Mimjip Pathogen’ reared its ugly head, though too late for many on the frontier. Somewhere among theexploration and exploitation of the ancient Mimjip ruins a deadly virus had been released. The virus had laindormant for many thousands of years, and was probably thought of as an innocuous infection by the ancientMimjipani race. The accidental release of this virus had devastating consequences on humanity as it lay semidormantfor several decades before it was discovered and made itself felt. By this time it had spread throughoutthe colonies and throughout the home systems. The resulting pandemic killed many millions, and has broughtmankind’s fledgling empire among the stars to its knees.5
Entire space colonies have now lain deserted for decades and much that was built has now been laid to waste.Finally, in more recent years, the Mimjip pathogen seems to have played itself out, and cases are becoming muchrarer. Perhaps only those who are naturally able to fight the virus have survived. Nevertheless, the road is nowopen for those who are brave enough, or perhaps foolish enough, to begin the process of rebuilding what waslost.This is where you come in! With enough money to buy a salvage starship, and employ a rough and ready crew,you can see the opportunities that await someone who can survive on the Outer Rim and gather the resources leftbehind from the ruins of two empires, one human, one alien.Will you accept the challenge of the distant stars and set up your own company on the frontiers of deep space?The council of Earth, the Frontier Union and Humanity needs people like you, people who have enough grit totake up the challenge, heed the call of the distant stars, and become a <strong>Star</strong> <strong>Mogul</strong>! 6
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