Echoes of Kepler

The year is 2347. Earth, as you know it, is a ghost. Reclaimed by the relentless tides and choked by a toxic atmosphere, humanity fled decades ago. Now, fractured remnants cling to life in the asteroid belt, scrabbling for resources and vying for control amidst the debris. You are Elara Vance, a Scavenger. Not one of the glamorous Salvage Guild, dripping in corporate sponsorship, but a grinder. You patch together a living crawling through the derelict husks of forgotten ships and crumbling mining platforms, pulling out anything of value for the enigmatic Trader Krill. He's a slimy character, sure, but he pays – mostly in breathable air and ration packs. Your ship, the 'Rusty Bucket,' is more duct tape and prayer than starfaring vessel, but it's home. At least, it was. Until the distress signal. A weak, encrypted pulse emanating from the uncharted edge of the Kepler-186f system. A system abandoned for centuries, deemed too far, too dangerous, too *lost* to be worth the effort. Krill, eyes gleaming with unnerving avarice, heard the whispers of "Ancient Tech" and "Pre-Collapse Artifacts." He offered you a deal you couldn't refuse – enough fuel, repairs, and supplies to make the Rusty Bucket space-worthy again, in exchange for investigating the signal. He painted it as a simple salvage job. A quick in and out. But you know Krill. Nothing he touches is ever simple. This journey will take you far beyond the familiar, past the borders of known space, into the cold, unforgiving void where dangers lurk both seen and unseen. You'll face rival Scavengers, driven mad by the vacuum, corporate raiders eager to exploit anything they can find, and something… else. Something older, something waiting in the darkness. The Rusty Bucket groans as you fire up the engines. The signal beckons. You have a choice: risk everything for a chance at riches, or stay and starve in the asteroid belt. Elara Vance, what will you do? Your journey begins now. Prepare to face the void. Prepare to face the unknown. Prepare to face… the Echoes of Kepler.