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A Brief History of The Interplanetary Mining & Transport Guild, Part 1 (reprinted from the ISIS database archives)

Originally Founded in 2019 as a joint international venture between the former United States and China, the International Space Initiative Society (ISIS) was created to fund and launch the largest space station ever built.

Funding the venture with billions of Yen from the Chinese government, ISIS created a perfect opportunity to create a self-sufficient city in space. The former United States of America contributes Near Earth space travel technologies, as well as nanotech and subspace communications. The space station was named the Human Urban Base, and came to be known as the HUB.

When the HUB was completed in 2024, ISIS turned its attention on colonizing Mars, rather than just disbanding its multi-trillion dollar operation. A fully equipped Mars expedition landed in 2028; the first tower was raised by nanotech construction in 2029. The colony was running independently by 2030. In 2031, ISIS utilized its entire fleet of space cruisers and cargo vessels to move their headquarters to Mars Colony. ISIS was also renamed the Interplanetary Mining & Transport Guild Corporation, the first organization of its kind. This move vastly expanded the Mars colony and caused a mass exodus from Earth of scientists, technicians and mining experts. This move was also considered to be the shrewdest business decision in history, since it established the only self-sufficient off-Earth human settlement that survived the Great Collision.

In 2033, expeditions to colonize Mercury (for the raw materials lacking on Mars) and Ganymede (a planet sized moon in orbit around Jupiter) were successfully launched. Within a year, the small but profitable outposts were shipping valuable minerals and ores to Mars colony, the HUB, and Earth.

Then in February of 2034, the Great Collision changed everything. In the destructive wake of collision between the Apophis meteor and Earth, the Guild came to the rescue race. As many ships as were available were sent to Earth's most desolated areas: China, North America, and Europe. The Guild transported as many as possible from the areas that were no longer habitable. For every one person saved, a thousand died.

The Guild became the literal savior of humankind in 2034. It was a tremendous responsibility for a corporation to undertake. With all governments either destroyed or in total disarray, the Guild unofficially became the new government for the human race….

Excerpt Submitted by Dr. Peter Garrity, Official Historian of the Human Urban Base Space Station (HUB)