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The dawn of the new millenium brought political and economical
changes that radically affected the power structures of
human civilization. With worldwide governmental failure
to effectively deal with problems such as the Year 2000
Computer Bug, the failure of the Fair Resource Distribution
Act, and the dissolution of the United Nations, citizens
around the world lost faith in the governmental bodies they
once supported.
By combining their economic clout, commercial entities
across the globe formed powerful Mega-Corporations. These
highly efficient and focused bodies of power quickly stepped
in to fill the voids left by the failed governments. Free
from bureaucratic interference, the Mega-Corps flourished,
taking over virtually all public and private programs.
The sudden and dramatic appearance of a wormhole in stable
orbit around the planet Mars astonished and bewildered the
best minds of the 21st century. NASA Corp.'s
new mission was to explore the nature of this new phenomenon.
For two years, efforts to penetrate the depths of the wormhole
phenomenon resulted in failed attempts until finally the
Sagan IV probe was able to return, intact, from the other
side.
The images it returned rocked both the scientific and religious
communities. Orbiting a distant and unidentified G-type
star was a remarkably Earth-like world. Dubbed Syren, for
its lush appearance, this new world beckoned for exploration
and colonization.
NASA Corp.'s first mission to Syren revealed a world rich
in valuable resources. Exploration began immediately, and
within a year of the Sagan IV mission the first colony was
established. The discovery of abundant, natural deposits
of Tritium-platinum, the only known catalyst capable of
sustaining a cold-fusion reaction, caused a flurry of activity,
the like of which had not been seen since the gold rush
days of the 19th century.
The Mega-Corps rushed to the opportunity to establish claims
on the rich deposits of the rare mineral. Boom towns rose
and fell as new deposits were discovered and quickly mined
to exhaustion. Syren became the new frontier, a wild and
lawless frontier as the Mega Corps battled over rights of
ownership. As greater amounts of the rich energy source
made it back to Mars and Earth, demand for tri-platinum
rose. Mines became the sites for armed conflict. Syren became
the new Wild West. Weapons were far easier to import than
the efficient system of law and order known on Earth.
New frontiers are ripe proving grounds for both new ideas
and radical fundamentalism. When the little known religious
leader, Jebediah Brightman, established his home on Syren
and announced his "Prophecy of the Coming Apocalypse,"
there was no lack of devoted followers to pick up his cause.
Brother Jebediah proclaimed it had been revealed to him
that the world of Syren faced a disaster of astronomical
proportions that would lead to the destruction of the world
in a fiery apocalypse the would consume the faithless, and
release the faithful to enter heaven. In that revelation,
the destiny of Syren was sealed.
The sudden and violent collapse of the wormhole left Syren
cut off from Earth. What little political and economical
organization the settlers had vanished when it was discovered
that the collapse of the wormhole had altered the orbit
of the world. Syren's future became frighteningly clear
as the planet drifted into a new orbit, closer to its sun.
Cut off from Earth, the power of the Mega Corps withered.
Resources were rare in the new, harsh environment. The lost
colonies quickly organized themselves into a system of clans,
battling for domination. A new world order arose and a terrible
future presented itself: The Clan
Wars!
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