Routine Salvage
Elysium. A Gaia world rich in minerals and platinum group metals, the planet attracted the attention of the Gena Mining Corporation and brought a corporate colony ship containing 400 individuals in the year 2663. Within six months a jump gate was constructed at corporate expense to move the riches more rapidly back to the core systems, and visits from ships with a spike drive became increasingly rare. A mere two years into mining, the small population just fully settled onto their planet, the universe came apart in the Scream.
Thanks to the human-friendly biosphere of the planet the colonists were able to dive into agriculture and prevent themselves from being erased, but the lack of scientists led to much lost knowledge. As machines broke and replacement parts rapidly dwindled to nothing, technology regressed backwards to a level equivalent to the end of twentieth century Earth before the colonists were able to halt the slide towards the dark ages. Over the ensuing six centuries the population grew to half a million citizens, and the population shifted to a caste system as distinct focuses emerged.
Six hundred years after the Scream, Elysium society is divided into four castes: Agricultural, Mining, Planetary Security, and Industrial. While there are no restrictions on movement of individuals between castes, a strong sense of family tradition leads most to continue in the professions their family has worked in for centuries. Each caste has its own scientific branch, focused on advances which will benefit its own caste.
Scientists within the Industrial caste have been building rockets for a century to explore the derelicts orbiting the planet, and in the past six months the government decided it is time to begin salvaging what they can from the various vessels. Individuals from all castes have been drawn to high-paying work offered as members of salvage crews. The Industrial caste pays well for intact salvage, and crew members receive a percentage of a salvaged part's worth. This has led to at times aggressive competition between crews, as well as numerous accidents and fatalities caused by lack of attention to detail or poorly maintained equipment.
