Ex Astris, Scientia / EAS

In 2154, a small group of scientists and explorers decided that they no longer wanted to beg governments and universities for credits just to break even, and created Ex Astris, Scientia. EAS’s original base of operations was a large mobile drilling and refinery platform in the liquid seas of Terra. Funding came from the sale of computer time, knowledge, and discoveries to neighboring nations, and members tended to supplement their meager salaries with freelance contracts. This allowed them to operate independently of any particular governing body, although they were still constrained by international treaties. They became, essentially, a separate country. Upon the commercialization of spaceflight, EAS gradually shifted their operations to the final frontier. However, in the twilight before the advent of the jump drive, the newer spaceborne platform disappeared without a trace, leaving behind the scientists not on board at the time. EAS members searched for decades, contracting government and for-hire search parties whenever possible. Afterwards, the group’s membership dwindled and splintered into factions, each claiming to be the original Ex Astris organization. Some factions have continued EAS’s original work, while others continue to search for any sign of the originals. And with each passing year, the flyers of the space lanes encounter less and less of the latter.