Hope's Last Light

The year is 2347. Humanity, sprawled across the cosmos thanks to faster-than-light travel, is anything but united. Corporations rule vast swathes of colonized planets, vying for control of precious resources and lucrative trade routes. The United Stellar Federation, once a beacon of hope and democracy, struggles to maintain order amidst the rising tide of corporate greed and simmering rebel factions. You are not a hero. You are not a savior. You are barely scraping by. You are Zara, a salvage runner operating out of the dusty, forgotten asteroid belt known as the Scraplands. Your ship, the 'Rusty Comet,' is a patchwork marvel of salvaged parts and wishful thinking, held together more by sheer stubbornness than engineering prowess. You've got a mountain of debt to 'Big Tony' Scarelli, the Scraplands' local loan shark, and a reputation for taking risks that would make a gambler blush. Today's risk? Rumors of a derelict Federation transport ship, the 'Hope's Last Light,' drifting in the uncharted sectors of the Kepler-186f system. The 'Hope's Last Light' vanished decades ago, carrying a cargo shrouded in secrecy, rumored to be experimental technology that could change the very balance of power in the galaxy. The Federation wrote it off as lost, but whispers persist of a valuable salvage opportunity. Of course, you're not the only one who heard the whispers. Rival salvage crews, corporate bounty hunters, and even whispers of pirates are all heading to the same coordinates. Getting there first won't be easy, and staying alive once you arrive will be even harder. Your cockpit flickers to life, displaying a crude star chart. The engines of the Rusty Comet sputter and cough, barely holding together. Big Tony is breathing down your neck, and the allure of a life-changing score is too strong to resist. So, Zara, do you gamble everything on the 'Hope's Last Light'? Or do you stay in the Scraplands, slowly being crushed under the weight of your debts? The choice, as always, is yours. But be warned, in this galaxy, choices have consequences. Are you ready to face them? Because the 'Hope's Last Light' awaits, and the clock is ticking. Initiate jump sequence. Good luck. You'll need it.