3700 AD storyline : A space online game

3700 AD - A space online game

	It is the year 3700 AD and with the advent of improved space faring technologies, the Terran race has kicked off a new age of space exploration and colonization. The government of Terra has handed much of the responsibility of its space interests over to private corporations called "guilds." The guilds soon came to dominate many aspects of this new space frontier. It did not take long however, for the ambitions of these large groups to begin converging on a collision course. Conflicts over resources and territory soon lead many guilds to resort to hostility, opening up many new areas of opportunity for individuals with ambitions of their own in mind. The employment of privateers and mercenaries begins to attract a new kind of space farer. No longer is the space frontier solely for merchants and miners, but now pirates, smugglers, and warlords. The time of exploration had come to an end and the time for war and uncertainty had begun.

	Alarmed by the increasing number of outlaws in space, many merchants and guilds respond by arming up. Pirates become a major problem for traders and mining vessels especially. Times have seen an increase in armed cargo vessels and the employment of convoy services. Private firms have been contracted to build starbases around key locations like major trade routes, refueling stations, and trading posts. Having recognized the untapped potential for new revenue, the leaders of Terra implement a new tax on trade goods, which results in a rising level of smugglers. As with all economies, new and old, the black market begins to gain prominence where the means to get a desired good through normal, legal methods is lacking. Indeed it would appear that the extents of Terran vice had already laced this new frontier with their tendrils of corruption.

	The first instance of open fighting occurs shortly after the Terrans begin colonizing space. Terra started sending its criminals to work off their sentences in the dangerous conditions of the early mining colonies. The Terran government put the mining colonies under the supervision of Liandris, one of the numerous corporations. The Liandris guild proceeded to oversee extraction of Terran Metals for Terra's star fleet and was rewarded with a share of the profit from trade taxes on the precious metal. Liandris also enjoyed a monopoly over extraction and production of all Terran Metal resources. Over time however, other groups became upset by the special treatment that the Liandris Corporation was receiving and requested that the large guild be placed under some level of regulation. The Terran government did nothing. As Liandris continued to grow and exploit its advantageous position, its rival guilds grew more and more discontent. Eventually, one of the rival guilds bribed the laborers on several penal colonies to rebel against Liandris. The rebels were crushed within days, gaining widespread media attention and criticism. Right away the Liandris Corporation recognized the rebellions to be the work of its rivals and ordered retaliation against the guild that had incited the prisoners. A number of transports belonging to the Liandris Corporation's rivals were attacked. The violent response sparked a war between the powerful Liandris Corporation and the many other guilds that resented it. Terra's stance on the war remained neutral, but behind the scenes they secretly employed smugglers to run weapons and munitions to their favored guild, the Liandris Corporation.