Bstars / BSTARS

1999

On the verge of a new millennium some extreme wealthy European families, their fortunes made by exploitation colonialisme during previous centuries, realized that the future off mankind lies between the stars. They decided to put a large portion off their wealth in helping realizing, shaping this future. Not from within the spotlights but as a backing driving force.

Located in Brussels Belgium, backing for the stars, Bstars was born.

2008

The European Union started “The ARTEMIS Embedded Computing Systems Initiative”. Bstars was one of the major backers.

2015

NASA is crowdsourcing the hunt for asteroids in Earth’s purview, and has teamed up with the proposed space mining corporation Planetary Resources. This became Bstars second major backing project.

2022

Planetary Resources mined its first space rock but it would take centuries before asteroid mining became cost effective.

2232

The Artemis, the first attempt to have a manned spacecraft fly to the nearest star system.

The Artemis was fully equipped with “Embedded Computing Systems” designed by “The ARTEMIS Embedded Computing Systems Initiative”.
The Artemis was the manifestation of a dream. A dream realized with the help of Bstars. It should have been the crown jewel of Bstars.
The Artemis disappeared. Lost, together with 27 sons and daughters of Bstars.

It could have been the end of Bstars but you can’t lose a whole generation and then just give up. They could be everywhere, they could be somewhere, they could be found!

More money was thrown at research, exploration,… The discovery of the first jump point gave hope. The more jump points discovered, the more hope faded.

2438

First contact, the Banu… traders.

After centuries of investing billions of dollars, dozens of life, it was finally payback time. Bstars became what it always intended to become… one of the first major intergalactic trading companies.

Thanks to the Banu, Bstars became finally a financial success.

2545

Through 2545, there had been a series of terrorist attacks on Cestulus, one of the main centers for trade with the Banu. These attacks were a main threat for Bstars’ trade lines.

Bstars reaction to these terrorist attacks was twofold:

1. Militarize his own fleet by acquiring a share in Aegis Dynamics.
2. Backing Ivar Messer becoming Prime Citizen.

Although questioned from the beginning by some members of Bstars, Bstars became more and more a battle force and less a trading company.

2550

Bstars takes advantage of the new government’s series of tax breaks for asteroid mining concerns. The company found immediate success.

2600…

The Messer dynasty became heavy interested in the Hades system, not in the Hadesians culture but in the ancient weapons capable of splitting a planet in two. They couldn’t make this interest public, so they assigned some civilian organzations with an a history in exploration to send a team of xenoarchaeologists to the Hades system. Bstars, with a long exploration history and known for backing scientifical projects, was a natural choice, the perfect cover up.

The first three missions brought a wealth of ancient artifacts but no military secrets. A success in the eyes of Bstars, a failure for Messer. Then things got worse, the fourth mission just disappeared, the fifth mission was a search and rescue operation but didn’t reclaime one single ship.

The sixth mission was perhaps the largest mission in the history of Bstars. The mission ended with a strange transmission “What the … it’s blue… man…”. Then nothing…

It was Bstars’ last official mission in the Hades system.

Rumor has it that Messer continued for decades searching the technology that the Hadesians used to destroy themselves, but now using highly classified military secret operations with the ghostly visage of the “blue man” as a cover up.

2772

Anvil Aerospace

Anvil Aerospace was founded. shortly after Bstars decided to sell their shares in Aegis Dynamics and put their money on Anvil Aerospace. With Aegis Retaliator being the symbol of the government’s iron hand, some saw this move as a symbolic rebellion against Messer.

2781

The Beginning of the End.

While backing Ivar Messer seems something “natural” to do, backing the Messer-dynasty became more and more a duty. A very heavy duty under Messer X, obsessed with building monuments, raising taxes bleeding an already over-taxed populace to feed his desire to see the mega-structure built.

Bstars started more and more questioning their support to Messer X, to the Messer-dynasty, to their political propaganda machine. They questioned it to openly.

On 2781-08-12, the bombs went off. It was the end off Messer X. His son Linton Messer became Messer XI. His first course of action was to arrest and execute the revolutionaries enlisted to bomb the stadium, for the crime of treason.

Bstars was on the list. Overnight, the board members were arrested, their wealth was confiscated. The next weeks, months, Bstars members became fugitives, traitors in the eyes of the mass, arrested or died in some strange accidents. The Bstars fleet was targeted by the UEE or every pirate who saw his change to “legally” obtain some new ships.

The fleet, once bold and beautyfull, the proud of Bstars, smashed to debris, scattered in deep space.

It was the end of Bstars…

2792

In 2792, anti-Messer activists began using Bremen as an operation hub to organize the overthrow of the regime.

The handful remaining members of Bstars were part of it. Painting the stars in there logo Black.

Today

Only a few people have heard about Bstars and even less knows his history. The organization has faded from history.

Today a handful descendants of the Belgian founders try to continue the history of Bstars. Starting a new history of some “Brave Little Belgians”.

Time has come to rise up from our ashes.

Time has come to fly out our fleet.

Rebuild the future!

Let our stars be bright again!

Let the Little Belgians be brave again!