The year is 2386 A. D., and humanity has seeded the stars. Forty three worlds have been colonized over the last several centuries, but due to the incredible distances, and limitations of sub-light travel, the worlds very quickly became independent of one another, forming their own cultures, governments, and histories. While it might take only months from the traveler's perspective, decades might pass between ships leaving one world, and arriving at another, limiting trade and communication immensely.<br/><br/>That all changed, almost overnight. Faster than the speed of light, a massive surge of strange energy pulsed across the known universe. No one saw it coming, and it moved so quickly, there was no time to get a message to the next world, even if it didn't wreak havoc on communications. But when the dust settled, something truly amazing had happened. This new energy brought with it<em>change.</em>Where once there were tame worlds, inhabited by humanity, there were wild worlds, ruled by people a far cry from the human stock that had been there before; orcs, elves, gnomes, and more. The native flora and fauna evolved as well, a sudden, unpredictable, overnight surge of evolution, that swept the galaxy. What's more, it brought with it a new form of energy, permeating every corner of known space; while the scientists labeled it 'extra-solar energy residue', one common name for it soon cropped up across almost all worlds that humanity owned.<br/><br/>Magic.<br/><br/>Ninety years have passed, since the arrival of magic, and it has changed the course of the universe forever. With an effort of will, a powerful enough mage can tear open a portal in space large enough for a ship to travel through, crossing a dozen light years in a heart beat. More powerful mages, or groups of them working together, can establish permanent portals, connecting the scattered colonies, and reducing a journey of years to hours. The rush to find, and capitalize upon, new worlds has begun; with the rights to a portion of all income from the trade routes, explorers are eager to stake claims on new, profitable worlds, and already, seventeen new colonies have been founded, and a half-dozen more in planning.<br/><br/>Our story opens with the crew of one of these many exploration vessels, a small ship known as the Sparrow, setting out from a safe harbor, to their newest mission, an unexplored exoplanet, on the outer-edges of mapped space. With a crew of only four, the Sparrow is a small, manueverable ship, designed for long-haul expeditions, and equipped with state-of-the-art surveillance equipment. Chartered by the ship's mage, a rather wealthy human woman, due to her past discoveries, named Milia Velvet, she has gathered some of the best in the business, both to ensure their success, and her safety.<br/><br/>Piloted by former Terran Navy scout pilot, Kerric Williams, an older, experienced pilot, who still has a penchant for hanging out in bars, and spending his pay on pretty women, and kept flying by the brilliant gnomish engineer, Gidget Quinn, the crew had been through several missions together before, though none as successful as the one that made Milia her fortune. Alas, their last mission ended early, when their scout was killed by the local wildlife, and the world was declared of minimal value. They now set sail with their newest scout, an elven woman named Ivy Crimson, a woman with a troubled past, and a good history of getting into, and out of, trouble.<br/><br/><div align="center">**************************************************************************************************************************</div><br/>"This is your captain speaking. We've cleared out of controlled space around the planet, and have a course set for the jump point. We'll arrive at the system's edge in... oh, about five hours, so get comfortable, grab some food, and we should be at our destination about that much longer after we jump. If you need me, I'll be catching up on the latest season of my favorite show up here, so don't bother me unless you've got some food."<br/><br/>The intercom closes, and Milia smiles and shakes her head. "Are you all prepared, then, Ivy?" she asks, sitting across from her new scout, in a comfortable chair, wearing a dark blue dress that goes well with her dark hair and light skin.