The year is 2451. Man has reached the outer limits of explorable space. The secrets of reversing gravity and diminishing inertia have been unlocked. Genetic manipulation has allowed the elimination of disease and developed a more perfect human being. Practically every asteroid has an outpost; practically every point in the solar system is within reach of the Interplanetary Network. With the resources of an entire solar system at their command, humanity has reached a golden age of prosperity.

Nah, just kidding. Humanity is just as it ever was - a few men and women at the top of the food chain, and most everyone else doing the dirty work that needs done. Countries formerly defined by a small patch of land on a single planet now have intangible borders that wander throughout the solar system. Bitter feuds and competition for resources drives the colonization of uninhabitable rockballs. Machines do much of the heavy lifting, but a human operator is still required to make the best use of them. Artificial intelligences exist, and are treated with varying degrees of rights depending on the country that rules over them; this has resulted in several small pockets where AIs are in fierce contrast with humanity. The sheer number of unclaimed asteroids tumbling around the cosmos has made many independent contractors decide to set up shop and declare their own micro-countries. Space stations orbit the sun, the planets, and the moons, serving as waypoints for travellers, trading centers for merchants, and rest areas for the blue-jumpsuit men of the cosmos.

Fragment Station is in an orbit around the planet of Mars. It was first established in 2089 by SciComm Unlimited as a research outpost and resupply point during exploration and terraforming of the Martian terrain; it is one of five major Mars orbiting stations, and serves primarily as a waypoint between Mars and its moons (Phobos and Deimos), as well as a stopover for interplanetary trips from Earth to the outer planets. Fragment Station is a place where anyone can find a job, at least if they're not too picky about who they take work from. Contractors, in particular, are always in high demand, and the job boards are seldom lacking for work that needs doing - whether as mundane as escorting a tourist or as crazy as conducting a small-scale war against an asteroid baron.

While many people are perfectly content working a single job day-to-day, sometimes, you need more hard currency for the finer things in life. That's where the Contractors come in. Sign up with a Contractor corporation, and you get matched to jobs that meet your skills; in some cases, a preliminary interview is required, and in others, you are simply given your orders and expected to carry them out if you want to get paid. Most good corporations hire out to multiple Contractors, to ensure that no Contractor gets to know too much about their internal operations.

Legally, Contractors are considered subject to the same laws as anyone else… in theory. In practice, the weight of the law depends on who your friends and enemies are. A few well-placed bribes can keep your record squeaky clean… and a few bad rivalries can make your life hell, regardless of what you may have actually done.