Jade, Esper on the run

The year is 2497. Centuries ago, humanity developed the warp drive, an invention that hurled it across the stars and opened the way to countless habitable worlds. At first, all of humanity expanded under a single banner, united in purpose and ambition. But as colonies flourished and resource acquisition technologies advanced, the need for central control gradually faded.

The further humanity spread, the more self-sufficient its settlements became. Dependence gave way to independence, and unity fractured. Over time, humankind splintered into a mosaic of independent nations and states, both vast and small, each ruled by its own government, charismatic leader, or petty warlord.

Despite pushing deep into the cosmos, humanity never encountered any living, intelligent alien species, or at least, none that still existed. What it did discover were the remnants of a long-dead extraterrestrial empire: desolate worlds, silent megastructures, and ancient ruins scattered across the galaxy like the bones of forgotten gods.

On rare occasions, contact with these alien relics awakened dormant psychic potential within certain individuals, transforming them into beings known as espers. In a galaxy fractured by distance, ideology, and greed, these gifted few often used their powers to carve out realms of their own, sometimes benevolent, but more often oppressive and tyrannical.

And within one such esper domain, on a seemingly peaceful world called Noitis, began the story of Jade.

Born on Noitis, one of many independent planets under the rule of the powerful esper Lord Seth, Jade lived her early life in blissful ignorance of the vast and fractured galaxy beyond her small colony. Lord Seth’s realm, the Vespa Sector, lay far beyond the influence of Earth, existing as his own personal kingdom. To Jade and her people, life under his rule seemed peaceful, almost idyllic.

But on her twenty-first birthday, that illusion shattered. Under Lord Seth’s decree, every young woman within his domain was required to undergo testing through contact with an ancient alien artifact that could awaken psychic abilities. For most, the test was harmless. They remained unawakened and returned to their lives uncha