Infinite Falling

Before mankind could fly we gazed at the stars in wonder, dreaming of the day when men would stand among them. And finally with centuries of trials and errors a man was finally able to escape our green prison.

We learned from our mistakes, discovered that the void beyond our sky was inhospitable, but still our species persevered against the impossible challenge. Until finally, we proved that living on earth was no longer a fact of life, but a matter of personal choice.

With the completion of the International Space Station we proved and learned that man could live in zero gravity for extended periods of time with a proper diet and routine to keep him conditioned for return to gravity. But the ISS was only a testing platform. The first truly sustained orbital living facility wasn't completed until 2056, and was known as the Exodus Jump 01. It was comprised of several rings that consisted of a habitat ring, an agriculture ring (mostly hydroponic gardens), and an impressive 25 mile diameter mass accelerator reactor ring. The core of the station consisted of warehouses, laboratories, docks, ship construction yards, and the central computer systems. In total the station was planned to support 2,000 people permanently and still have room to rotate visiting crews. The main goal was to give humanity at point outside our atmosphere to conduct all further astronomical activities.

With the completion of Exodus Jump 01 was the announcement of the creation of the Earth Federation. A collection of first world countries who would maintain joint control over the ExoJ station programs and exclusively fund and oversee all future projects that would utilize these stations. Countries not a part of the Earth Federation who wished to use the stations for their own space program developments were allowed to Rent assets and space so long as they also complied with the strict oversight regulations.

The next place humanity made their presence permanent was our own moon. Though not primarily for the sake of scientific discovery, instead the Earth Federation moved most of their most environmentally devastating mining practiced to the moon where Environmental Protection Advocates had no reason to complain about their activities. After all, nearly all the metals and minerals that can be found on Earth can be found also on the Moon, and some of them are more abundant, like Titanium.

By 2100 the Earth Federation consisted of 15 world powers, had completed five ExoJ stations and had a working economy in deep space. They were ready to concur the rest of the solar system without any real resistance.

Their first goal was the mineral rich asteroid belt beyond Mars. A few thousand mining refineries and living facilities were built, but the structures proved to be almost as dangerous as the environment outside the facilities. Safety and labor disputes erupted, the Earth Federation simply cut ties with any operation that demanded better compensations and living conditions, expecting that the operations would return without resistance rather than face abandoned deaths in space. However, many of the mining operations survived and in the end many of them turned pirate, living off the logistical support intended for the operations that remained loyal to the Earth Federation.

With conflict in the belt countries on earth not a part of the Federation began to question the Earth Federations actions, but as tensions rose the Earth Federation turned Mars into a penal colony and shipped thousands of violent prisoners and insurgent rebellions to their new home in an act of blatant tyranny. Full scale world war erupted on earth for the third time, yet between the years of 2173 and 2190 the Earth Federation relocated several dozen small countries, with a population just over 1 billion to Mars and took total control over the rest of the world.

Martian colonial survival during this time was less than 10%, but humans are both stubborn and resourceful and still managed to make the final colonization process a success. And while the colony was patrolled by the Earth Federation they we allowed to live as an independent government. Surprisingly it was the belt miners who did the most to save the colonists by dropping ice asteroids into the martian sky to raise the hydrogen levels high enough that people could breath outside and plant life could be supported. The landscape remained frigid, but survival was possible.

The year is now 2200, and the Sol system is recovering from the messy affair of WW3. The Earth Federation is undoubtedly the strongest player in the system boasting control over the only planet naturally suited for human life. Mars is still in a colonial state and life is hard, but they are already following earth's example and construction of their first space station has begun. And lastly the mining operations were abandoned in the asteroid belt have converted themselves into nomadic fleet people who live by mining the asteroids they live among, salvaging every piece of tech they can find, and recycling everything they own to survive.