The year 2027 brought hope to a world on the brink of environmental and political collapse.

On the last leg of its funding, NATO's United Space Mission (USM) made a discovery on the moon that changed the course of human history. A large alloyed sphere, found nestled in a crater under the lunar dawn, is revealed to be an alien artifact containing a message for mankind. As an international team slowly deciphered the artifact, the content of this message began catalyzing a huge leap forward in our sciences. Humanity was abruptly catapulted into a new interstellar age. There are those who now believe we were not ready.