Prologue: An Abridged History

By the year 2100, humanity had established permanent outposts on the moon and Mars.
By the year 2200, humans were terraforming Mars, and had begun peppering colonies throughout the solar system.
By the year 2300, nearly every planet, moon, and rock which could harbor human civilization, did harbor human civilization. Hopes had never been higher, but neither had tensions. Before the end of the 24th century, the War came.

No settlement was spared from the virtually total destruction of the War, not even Earth.

Nobody knew who fired the first shot, but then, it didn't really matter. Like a monstrous black hole the War pulled every center of civilization into it. Everyone from the sweltering Railbound Terminator Communities of Mercury to the frigid United Deep Space Satellites in orbit of Neptune and Uranus were drawn into the conflict. Despite their best efforts, not even the aloof Stroider Confederation could stay on the sidelines, nor could the Floating Cities of Jupiter and Saturn remain neutral.

Most centers were destroyed so completely that not even a record of their existence would remain. They were wiped from history.

Earth was hit the hardest in numbers of casualties. With over 14 billion inhabitants, more than half of humankind still called Earth home, and over 99% of them were killed, either directly from the fighting, or indirectly through the fallout and aftermath. Mars, as the second largest population center, suffered a similar fate.

Without civilized humans to maintain them, most settlements eventually failed, and became coffins to their slowly dying populations. Some, though, were outfitted with advanced enough automation technology that they did not need humans for upkeep. Others, like Earth and Mars, possessed complete biospheres which maintained themselves.

Thousands of barbaric years passed, but eventually, civilizations rose again.