An Introduction to the Demesne

Over a century has passed since World War Three rocked Earth and irrevocably altered the nations that emerged. The decades afterwards gave mankind access to the solar system and her resources. Despite the best efforts to prevent a slide back into conflict, it became clear, as nations staked claims on the asteroids, moons, and planets in the system, that war was on the horizon.

The unexpected discovery of Tachyon Transposition, the ability to cross interstellar distances from within the crust of a planet with a strong magnetic field and minuscule amounts of radiation, opened the Pandora's Box of the Sol System, releasing Humanity into the reaches of the galaxy. Alpha Centauri was the first colony, the only system within reach of the first Tachyon Gate. With the release valve of the colonies, an interplanetary conflict was prevented, and unity emerged for a time.

But like any colony far afield from the homeland, an independence movement arose. The freedom and self-determination that was possible on Alpha Centauri hadn't been possible for over a century, even inside the Solar System. With the bombing of the first Return Gate back to Earth on Alpha Centauri Beta, the die was cast for the next century. This singular act of defiance would define the identities of Colonials and the Old Powers, with Colonials seeking to assert their independence, and the Old Powers fighting to retain their holdings and their legitimacy in the far reaches of Human Civilization.

Throughout the interplanetary and interstellar age, Frames, mechanical suits of armor and weaponry, would become the staple combat and industrial backbone of the Colonies and the Old Powers. The successive brush-fire wars of independence across the Colonies were defined, win or lose, based on the force multipliers and flexibility that mecha provided. With bones and armor made of the advanced Iridium-Titanium alloy discovered in the early days of space industry, mecha were a class above conventional armor and infantry. Cheaper Frames tended to field conventional turbine-driven engines, able to be manufactured anywhere in the colonies with basic tools and materials. In contrast, the Fusion-driven Frames of the Old Powers and more advanced Colonies are sights to behold, using the high power output to drive powerful energy weapons and nearly impenetrable laser-based CIWS.

It's these mechanical war machines that drive the promise of Independence for the Colonies, or solidifying the grip the Old Powers have on the monopoly on violence. As more and more planets and systems are colonized, the War of Influence's frontier expands, and with it the demand for Frame pilots. Whether you march under the banner of one of the Old Powers, live on the edge as a Colonial resistance fighter, or are one of the many mercenaries making their fortunes in-between, there will be no shortage of conflict, both in and out of your Frame.