In the late 23rd century, the fruits of mankind's labor have soured. Plague and famine, revolt and unrest seep through all quarters of the world. As the great corporations plot to save their faithful, millions starve.
Soon the exodus begins. Each corporation gathers its children and speeds to new lands. Capitol claims Luna, Bauhaus takes Venus, Mercury steams beneath the flag of Mishima, while Imperial scrounges for what is left. Earth lies abandoned, quarantined and left to fester.
The galaxy is in a new era. Wealth and glory are widespread, the fuel for new levels of remarkable technology. Civilization cures its sick and feeds its hungry.
Until they arrive on Pluto, a dark waste at the edge of the solar system, which is explored for a short time by Imperial Conquistadors. There they discover a strange tablet. But contact is lost, and then there comes the Dark Symmetry.
Logic, the cornerstone of technology, rebels against mankind. Thinking machines malfunction, electronic credit webs collapse. The Dark Soul is everywhere, but it is too subtle for mankind to master. Rumors of sabotage arise from nowhere; evidence of this corporation's treachery against that one suddenly becomes obvious despite its falsity. Amidst the confusion, the Dark brings fear, confusion, and war. Conflict erupts on every world, between every corporation. The first Corporate Wars began.
In this desolate time comes a man of hope and vision. Nathaniel Durand can see the pervasive influences of the Dark Symmetry, and preaches against the corrupted thinking machines. His influence and spiritual authority spreads, and he founds the Brotherhood, and serves as its first Cardinal. He negotiates the treaty to end the Corporate Wars.
But then Imperial Conquistadors explore Nero, the tenth planet, and break the FIrst Seal of Repulsion. The Dark Legion descends upon the worlds of mankind, bringing destruction, despair, and corruption in their wake. Monstrous armies cross mankind's lands. Only Luna, home of the Cardinal, does not fall.
From all sides, mankind is assaulted by the five demonic siblings known as the Dark Apostles: Ilian, Algeroth, Semai, Muawijhe, and Demnogonis. Only the Cardinal does not fall to despair, but instead rallies the corporations. Led by their cardinal and the Brotherhood, and shielded by the Light, they battle. The crusade culminates in the halls of the Apostle of War himself. Algeroth and Durand fight for a day and night. Algeroth is vanquished, but Durand suffers a mortal wound.
Cardinal Toth succeeds Durand, and continues his crusade. The Brotherhood is active in maintaining their victory. The scourge of the Dark is forgotten, and conflicts appear again. The Sad Struggle within Imperial, and the Throne War of Bauhaus; such are the distractions of man.
And then there emerges Cybertronic, a new corporation based on the thinking machine. Battle robots and cyborgs spread its name. The balance of power shifts, and new disturbances initiate new wars. And then a new Citadel appears on the red sands of Mars, a new bastion of Dark Symmetry. The Darkness has returned amidst humanity's weakest moments.
Settings within Mutant Chronicles: