The Book of Man

By the early 29th century, the apocalyptic Earth had become uninhabitable, forcing humanity to seek refuge across the stars. In the generations before the Jupiter expedition, the Sirian species — masters of portal technology — evacuated many humans through their portals and even offered one of their controlled worlds as a temporary refuge. That aid forged a pragmatic alliance: humans and Sirians became allied races, but Sirian planets and interim homes proved poorly suited for long-term human survival. As a result, human groups split into wandering colonies, each searching for a permanent world.

The Jupiter expedition, named for the renowned Jupiter-7b12 starship, was a migrant colony of a few thousand people with livestock and experimental crops, led first by Sir Oland (who died aboard) and then by General White. The Sirians steered them to Kaladorn in the Sombrero Galaxy, presenting it as perfectly habitable for humans. In truth Kaladorn held vast deposits of black diamond — essential to Sirian portal technology — and earlier Sirians had been stranded there after an attack by a native reptilian race; the Sirians used the humans to gain access for rescue and ore recovery while downplaying the planet’s hazards.

In the year 3143 (Earth chronology), following Sirian guidance, the Jupiter attempted atmospheric entry but suffered total electronic failure during descent; reactors cut out and the ship was forced into an emergency mechanical landing in a soft-rock canyon. Dozens of colonists died and critical systems — including water production — were crippled. The small group of Sirians who had accompanied the convoy slipped away in a sandstorm soon after the crash, carrying a sealed cargo and the undisclosed reasons for their involvement.

Survivors found a marginally breathable atmosphere (roughly 17% oxygen, 0.8 atm), lower gravity (~60% of Earth’s), luminous flora, unstable temperatures, a fascinating rapidly rotating moon and Saturn-like dust rings. Salvage and survival became immediate priorities: wounded were tended, cattle and seed stocks protected, and an inland river and lake were located that offered fresh water and fertile ground. The settlers established a camp named Jupitown in what they now call Moon’s Canyon.

In the months that followed, engineers worked to understand why electronics failed and why wreckage smoldered without open flame. Rumors and records of Sirian deception and the missing backpacked cargo spread among the survivors, shaping early human memory of Kaladorn. Under General White’s emergent leadership, the human community began to adapt: reclaiming human technology where possible, testing crops in alien soil, and instituting governance to bind a fragile society together. Thus the human prehistory on Kaladorn closed its first chapter — an enforced landing born of exile, alliance, and betrayal, and the slow beginning of a new settlement on an uncertain world.

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