Long ago, an ancient alien race known as the Eridians inhabited the universe. Their technological advancements far exceed anything the modern universe has been able to create thus far. The race was largely destroyed long, long ago, albeit, after they had managed to create and store their technology in treasure troves known as Vaults. Few Eridians remain in the galaxy, and those that are constructed The Guardians to protect the last remnants of their society.

Fast forward millions of years to modern times. The universe is abuzz with exploration. A small company known as Atlas encounters one such Eridian Vault on the planet of Promethea. Rumors of the Vault, filled with Eridian weaponry spreads like wildfire, fueling a universe-wide "gold rush" in search of new Vaults.

Corporations, like Dahl and Atlas (the later of which has risen to immense power thanks to their discovery of alien weaponry in the first Vault), settle new and exotic worlds, one of which is Pandora. Dahl expands it's operations to Pandora and her moon, Elpis, while Atlas extends its rule over Pandora with its elite military unit known as the Crimson Lance.

Pandora is alive. Research facilities, mining stations and trade posts spring up overnight. Little did the inhabitants of Pandora know, they had settled during the planet's seven year winter. When the summer rolled around and the local fauna came out of hibernation, a nearly planet-wide exodus occurred. Those who couldn't leave took up shelter. The planet became a lawless frontier nearly overnight, with Dahl abandoning their facilities and letting loose the criminals they had employed as workers. Atlas abandons their the top-secret Gortys Project, which hopes to control the mysterious Vault of the Traveler, and locks away various pieces of the project across their facilities all over Pandora.

At the same time, Patricia Tannis, who was employed by Dahl, had uncovered fragments of a Vault Key, confirming the suspicion that a Vault was present on Pandora. The key was stolen by bandits and spread across Pandora. Speak of the Vault swept across Pandora...

Meanwhile, on Elpis, the situation was not much better. Dahl’s military force, led by Colonel Zarpadon denounced their ties to Dahl following Zarpadon’s encounter with a Vault on the moon. The military force became known as the Lost Legion and swore to protect the Vault. Extensive mining efforts by Dahl on the surface led to what is known as "The Crackening". The moon burst, opening great chasms and lava flows. The destruction of their mining facilities and the mutiny commited by Zarpadon forced Dahl to abandon Elpis. They fled the Pandora system shortly after.

With the moon under the control of a crazed military legion and Pandora, a lawless frontier, all seemed to be lost for the system, until...