PROLOGUE

A few decades into the future, humanity has achieved interplanetary travel and colonization. We had finally come together under one unified government, taking into consideration the needs of the people, instead of the needs of our own greed.

Hunger, homelessness, and disease, they were all cured in a matter of years, as once destitute countries began to communicate and work together. Humanity as a whole was able to propel ourselves into the next stage of evolution as a unified Utopian society, where everyone had the ability to achieve their own dreams and happiness.

I wish these were the words I could write, I wish so badly that people could see that others were struggling and in desperate need of help. Humanity had fallen so far into the void that we needed to reach out and grasp at any handhold we could find. That handhold came in the form of an ethics free Corporatocracy, that chose to put their needs above those of humanity.

Corporations across the globe had embedded themselves so deeply in everyone's lives that by the time they had seized control we had no way of fighting back. Of course that didn't stop us from trying, humans have never been to keen to sit back and be controlled. Unfortunately in this world, money can buy happiness and well, we didn't have a lot to spend. The ones at the top did though, and that money was able to buy their way through a full scale global war.

Every nationality and race came together to fight for something more than just their freedom. We were fighting for something that burned deep inside compelling us to keep moving forward, if not for ourselves, then for those who come after. Our children wouldn't live under the thumb of a government who saw us as a means to an end.

The war only lasted a year but the effects were irreversible, we had lost the fight and our only option now was to survive.

The next decade was the worst in human history. With corporations set in as the only form of government, they were free to work people as hard as possible with little to no relief and, in no time they stripped our planet of it's natural resources in an effort to start over among the stars. Not a lot is known about the years after the war as the history books are written by the victors and, the victors children needn't be bothered with the bloody details. No, they would grow up knowing their ancestors fought the misguided lower class and now lead them as shepherds up into the heavens. After all without them they were nothing more than savages, aimlessly beating sticks and rocks together. All that is really known about this time, is that humanity was able to achieve more than we ever could in a millennia thanks to the ability to throw human life at experimentation and labor.

When the dust had finally settled a few companies came to the "aid of humanity" promising to lead us into the stars and rebuild. Among the first was CytoSynth Pharmaceuticals who led the charge in changing human physiology to survive in the harsh environments of the planets they needed to inhabit. Anything from life support systems, to bone density and muscle strength, and even temperature adaptation to colonize the our new homes.

Soon after another company called Star-Lance Industries unveiled their new Robotics Integrated Gear systems, or R.I.G. for short. An exoskeleton that was designed to be armored or modified to fit any need, on whatever harsh planet humanity needed to colonize. They could provide the wearer with a cocktail of experimental drugs that would allow them to work for days on end without sleep, food and water. They made hundreds of different models and applications for use in every situation you could imagine.

After only a decade a company called Terra Celestial Solutions unveiled their plans to begin colonization of space. Beginning with Mars, they worked with the other corporations in setting up their patented domed cities across the red planet. Their goal was to make a new Earth, complete with a habitable atmosphere and the ability to sustain life on it's surface. Of course this was only partially true.

Each city worked off of a class system that kept it running. The upper echelon maintained and supported the development of all the research each colony was responsible for. They had a Utopian city on the surface, with shops and restaurants run by AI and robots, giving them the ideal society humanity struggled to find on Earth. They had leisure activities like sports, movies, and music, with only a few at the top even aware of the horrors below their feet.

The "Lower Class" as we were referred, lived below the cities, down below the leaky plumbing, in the dark and cold depths of of the colonies. We were all crammed into communal housing provided by the corporation in charge of their planetary mission. It was required to be the bare minimum to save money and resources where possible, and the guidelines set forth by the main corporations insisted we be given only what was required to survive. We were replaceable after all.

By the time the utopia above us had been established, the lower colonies had devolved into terrifying prison like ghettos with no way of escape. We could do and become whatever we wanted down there so long as we reported for our shift and didn't try and leave our imprisonment. Unfortunately humans pushed this far will devolve into something else entirely, something almost akin to the CEO's holding their boot across our necks.

Districts and gangs became common place down in the lower levels of every colony. Black market medicine, food, and even work started to become an every day occurrence, pushing people to do things to each other they would have never considered. As deeply terrifying as it is, there is a freedom in letting go and being swept out with the tide. Doing what everyone else does just to survive, it robs you of your empathy and compassion, and lets you forget. The uppers knew this of course and used it to their advantage, supplying the lowers with cheap or defective supplies and equipment. Continuing to line their own pockets and make sure we couldn't make any advancements that would lead to a rebellion.

Next came the underground and underwater colonies on the moons of Jupiter. Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede took longer to set up and execute but were essential in securing a source of water for humanity. Thousands of people worked tirelessly digging deep into the planet trying to break through to deep pockets of water and ice. No one knew how harsh the environment would be and thousands lost their lives in trial and error expeditions.

The cities there were unlike anything we had ever experienced. A vast network of tubes and tunnels snaking their way through dark foggy water beneath the surface. Large spheres jutting out of the rock faces acted as the main cities, very much akin to the domes on Mars, only the lower class had another job here. Diving deep into the alien oceans all around them in search of geothermal vents, mineral deposits, and of course evidence of life. Although kept secret from the other colonies, those living on the moons of Jupiter knew all to well the terrifying inhabitants of the alien oceans.

Pushing deeper into space, Terra Celestial began constructing the floating cities of Venus. Hiding in the dense, heavy, clouds high above the planets surface, like massive airships held aloft by a series of flotation devices, propellers, and some form of proprietary thruster system. The colonies there specialized in resource gathering from it's mineral rich surface. Sulfur and carbon present in the planets atmosphere were vital in the production of chemistry and manufacturing products. These cities were able to use the helium and hydrogen present around them as fuel for their life support systems and excavation crews.

Shortly after establishing the capitals, they began sending expeditions to the surface in hopes of finding metals and ores that could be sold to other companies. Of course the mortality rate was about fifty fifty, but indentured workers didn't have much room to complain. Even when bodies started returning… changed, as if something had crawled through their skin turning it into a surrogate home. It became so common place, workers began sending them back down to the surface with a large stick, rolling them off the balconies to the planet below. Of course CytoSynth caught wind and started requesting they be sent to their labs for further study.

Lastly came the moons of Saturn, Titan and Enceladus. These were rich in natural gases and resources essential to sustaining human life and furthering human evolution. The Organic molecules found on both planets were immediately taken over by CytoSynth Industries, using them to examine and replicate life in these harsh environments. It was also discovered later, that Titan, rich in hydrocarbons and rare gases, was needed to further their research into stimulants, advanced anesthetics, and a number of other high tech advancements.

High up above the colonies and planets though, giant space stations meandered through the endless void, dubbed "Yachts". The lowers below wished someday to gain their place into that world where they didn't have to work as slaves anymore. To the uppers above them it was the path you were on from birth. Every upper child grew up looking out of their port windows and extravagant viewing decks, dreaming of one day making it to a yacht.

The yachts were essentially private cities you needed to buy your way into but, don't worry it's the kind of price tag none of us would be able to even comprehend. Only housing the upper, UPPER echelon, it's the kind of wealth that isn't solely restricted to money, but the kind of control you have over people. The yachts are the dream that keep the worst of the worst clambering on top of each other to make and produce even more for the good of the Corporatocracy.

Finally Earth, which now stands as the first drained planet in our solar system. A husk of our home world that was stripped of its natural resource and wonder, leaving nothing but a barren rock in its place. Humans still manage to live on it's surface, though it's climate and weather patterns were erratic and deadly, you still had more freedom than the colonies. Of course it was still controlled and monitored by the corporations who all had a stake in the scrap and technology left behind. Using their power and influence to supply the terrestrials with just enough resources to get by and reap the rewards of their hard efforts.

This of course led way to a specific type of entrepreneur that didn't mind dealing with the corps above. The type of person that can bury their empathy and emotions and sell their loyalty to the highest bidder. Most of these people became what equates to kingpins, running scrap empires and dealing in black market trades behind the watchful eye of the Corporatocracy. They began running side business ventures, some even going so far as to hire their own expeditions and send them out into space, searching for a home away from their government.

The companies above weren't really interested in making permanent habitable structures on Earth, as by there projections it would rip itself apart in a matter of decades. No, they are more concerned about reclaiming the materials of war they used against us. And when the planet finally collapses the people left behind will be considered collateral damage. They know any humans left on Earth are to rebellious and troublesome to try and convert to their fold, so they just let them live in squalor until their end of days.

Deep in the corners of of each colony though, upper and lower, there are talks of a rebellion brewing. As old as the mega corporations themselves, waiting for the moment we can seize back our happiness and freedom.