Surface of Mars.

The year is 2014.

The rust-red sands of the barren planet were sent up in a cloud of red grain, as the flaming thrusters of a rocket began to touch down on the surface. Scorching the ground underneath, the rocket sent up a thick cloud of smoke as it slowly settled on the planet's surface, finally coming to a rest as the flames of the rocket thrusters began to die down. The craft remained stationary for several minutes, until a panel on the side began to move, opening like a sliding door as the chamber was depressurized, releasing the tightly-held air with a hiss like a snake. A ladder extended, slowly making its way to the sands below, and three figures began to exit. They were dressed in bulky white gear, donning helmets with large black visors and utility packs strapped to their back. The first one to exit stood at the bottom of the ladder, looking down at the sands below, which were being kicked up by the wind. With one triumphant step, he placed his boot into the sand, then the other, leaving a footprint.

The first human steps on the planet of Mars.

The commander, Jacob Hardy, surveyed the landscape, an AR-15 assault rifle resting in his arms. He turned to look at his two companions; Doctor M. Mihaylova and Qiao, the latter of which was adjusting his partner's utility pack. Qiao looked down at his wrist apparatus, which had their destination marked on a protected screen; they were very far from their destination, the walk there would take a long time. He looked up to Mihaylova, who was waving her hand in the direction they needed to go. Hardy took the lead, and the others followed closely behind. The group was sent here with a more pressing matter, to which the triumph of being the first humans on Mars was nothing. Several months ago, NASA had detected a strange object, which was moving through the Solar System on an abnormal path, with a projection that put itself on a collision course with Earth. However, whatever the thing was, it had begun to slow its approach as it got closer to Earth, almost as if it was preparing to land. The team of three was sent to assess whether or not the object was a threat- well, four, technically, but the fourth member, Evie Calumet, had been found dead only a few days prior to launch, and there was no time to find a replacement.

The journey the three would make was long and hot. Hot. It seemed impossible to Jacob. Indeed, Mars was a desert, but the planet had no atmosphere. It should be as cold as the frozen wastes of Antarctica, but yet here they were, walking across the sands of the red planet with no atmosphere, feeling as if they were crossing the Sahara. As they walked, Jacob looked down at the rifle that he carried, questioning the need for it. Why do we need this? He asked himself. They were here to determine if the foreign object was a threat, but he had his doubts about the usefulness of an AR-15 against a giant killer sphere from another galaxy. Hardy always seemed to be the quiet pacifist, questioning their need for such weapons, hoping there was peaceful, intelligent life out there in the universe. Deep down, he knew it was blissful ignorance, but something kept his positive attitude going, despite all that had happened.

"Commander Hardy!" Mihaylova's voice shook Jacob out of his trance. He turned to look, seeing her pointing ahead of them. "Contact, twelve o'clock!" Hardy turned back, and only then did he notice the massive white sphere on the horizon. It was so large, he was surprised that he hadn't seen it before M had pointed it out to him. The three of them stood there, staring at the huge shape on the horizon as dark storm clouds began to form around it, and it started to rain. Wait, rain? Hardy thought, completely dumbfounded by what was occurring- It was raining on Mars. Suddenly, the suit he was wearing made a sharp beeping sound. Hardy looked at the display on his wrist, and what he saw blew his mind more that what they were already seeing:

The suit was detecting healthy oxygen levels.

They could breathe here.

Slowly, Hardy unsealed his helmet, causing it to hiss as the suit was depressurized. Carefully and cautiously, he removed it, holding the helmet just above his head in case it was a malfunction, and he needed to quickly put it back on. Hardy took a deep breath, and realized his display was right- they could breathe now. This is incredible, Hardy thought. Whatever this sphere thing was, it was terraforming worlds on a massive scale- no, not just terraforming, it was making them habitable: Giving them an atmosphere, consumable oxygen, even weather. As the three watched, the sphere began to move, picking up speed and heading towards Earth. It's traveling. Hardy then remembered the name that Evie had given the object, shortly before her death. It's a traveler.

As the object approached the Earth, no attempts were made to stop it, and when it finally arrived- boom. A bright light exploded from the Earth, going out in all directions across the Solar System. Light- that was what they called it. It marked a new era, known as the Golden Age of Humanity. Nations and countries now stood beside one another under this new power, and with it came new advances in technology. New machines, computers, weapons, and even vehicles were created, enhanced by the Light of the Traveler. Anything you wanted could now be condensed into a small object the size of a tissue box, called engrams. They could be transported easily, and released whenever the carrier wished it. The Traveler also brought with it the Ghosts; small entities that were imbued with the Light, and could bond with a human. Death was now no longer the end, the Light allowed humans to age slower, and even be resurrected after dying.

New companies came as well; BrayTech, headed by the genius inventor Clovis Bray, were the leading developers in Golden Age technology. Under the orders of Clovis, BrayTech created an AI known as Rasputin; the solar defense system. Rasputin was tasked with defending humanity at all costs, and was given access to all the weapons he needed to do so, with a threat detection range that went as far as the borders of the Solar System. Under the protection of our new warmind, we were free to explore our galaxy unthreatened, creating colonies on other planets. The Moon, Mars, Venus- even Jupiter's ocean moon of Titan had its own colony. Then came the Exos. Amazing inventions by BrayTech that could transfer a human's consciousness into a robotic body. Now, there was no reason to fear neither death nor age, as the Exos didn't grow old like humans, and they could even be bonded with a Ghost.

However, the Golden Age would soon come to a disastrous close. Unbeknownst to humanity, the Traveler had an enemy, and it was determined to hunt down and destroy the Light and all those it shined upon. That enemy was slowly growing closer and closer, and it would eventually make it to Earth...

...and then came the collapse.