In 2043, an alien probe is detected in our solar system. Attempts at a peaceful first contact fail and a missile barrage is launched at earth. Earth's ABM systems successfully destroyed all but one missile, and its sheer power of destruction prompted the world governments to invest significant effort into combating this threat from the stars. Within several years, great technological leaps were made and space travel was significantly improved upon. Battlefleets were assembled and dispatched across the vast distances of space to combat the alien menace.

Enter 2119. Earth is losing the war. Fearing extinction, Earth built gigantic seedships or "arks" to propel people and the sum of human knowledge across the stars. One of these seedships, the UNS Calypso, is sent to Beta Caeli, which is the farthest star attempted yet. 15 years later a second seedship, the Tauntalus, is dispatched to the same destination in order to better the chances of human survival. The Tauntalus is equipped with a more advanced engine and thus will reach the star some 21 years ahead of the Calypso.

You are the captain of the Calypso. You've just been awakened from stasis and your ship is orbiting the most habitable planet in the system. There is no sign of the Tauntalus. All you have are some 5000 colonists, past radio transmissions and a few key advisers to help you colonize this new unfamiliar solar system.

The gameplay includes building and maintaining bases on alien planets and space stations, managing resources, exploring the planet, and the research of new scientific discoveries.

Your success in managing your colony and the progressive, branching storyline will ultimately determine whether mankind survives, or is lost to the ages.