The game takes place in a dual-arm, spiral-shaped galaxy (Hubble class SBc), in the middle of which lies a nebula – an uninhabitable cloud of gas and dust, which blocks any signal transmissions. Ships that have ventured deep into the nebula over the last thousands of years, have never seen the starlight again. Along the two spiral arms of the galaxy, in a fragile peace, six stellar powers have developed over millennia. Most recently, the nebula has begun expanding, forcing entire star systems to be evacuated, creating trillions of refugees and provoking border clashes between the powers.

Against this background, a group calling themselves the Nomads appears in the galaxy and makes contact with the powers. The Nomads appear to be space explorers and scientists, interested in researching the nebula as a natural phenomenon. The Nomads have traded their superior wormhole-travel technology against the right to create non-military research stations in systems controlled by the six established powers.