Thousands of years in the future, the Systems Commonwealth is a constitutional monarchy based in a distant star system called Tarn-Vedra. Mankind is a part of The Commonwealth. The Commonwealth spans the
Milky Way,
Triangulum, and
Andromeda, with Tarn-Vedra near its core. The Commonwealth is at war with the Magog, a predatory humanoid species with bat-like faces that is dedicated to war. Peace talks led the Commonwealth to cede a key world to the Magog, that of the Nietzscheans; in response, the Nietzscheans secretly attempted to usurp control of the Commonwealth. Dylan Hunt is the captain of the Commonwealth ship
Andromeda Ascendant. Its computer is a powerful
artificial intelligence which can emit a holographic interface persona in the form of a woman, called "Andromeda" or "Rommie". Caught by surprise in the first engagement of the Nietzschean uprising, the crew evacuates. The
Andromeda, with Hunt aboard, is caught at the edge of the
event horizon of a
black hole,
freezing both in time.
Three hundred and three years later, in CY 10087 (approx
5167 AD), the crew of the
salvage ship
Eureka Maru locates the ship. The Systems Commonwealth has fallen, and the era known as
The Long Night has begun. Hunt recruits the salvage crew to join him in an attempt to restore the Systems Commonwealth and "rekindle the light of
civilization". The salvage crew comprises its leader,
Beka Valentine, a con-artist and expert pilot; a super-genius engineer named
Seamus Harper (rescued from Nietzschean-enslaved Earth by Beka) who can plug his mind directly into computer systems;
Trance Gemini, a mysterious alien of unknown origin whose innocent demeanor hides a surprisingly old soul, and
Rev Bem, a Magog who has adopted a non-violent, Taoist-like religion called
The Way ("Rev" being short for "Reverend"). The salvage crew's beneficiary brings along an insurance policy in the form of a Nietzschean mercenary named
Tyr Anasazi.
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