It’s 1000 years from now, and the universe is expanding. Space Travel is well established.

The Solar Federation is the primary governing body of the Sol system. The Solar Federation is a far future intergalactic, inter-species government that was, at a point in the past, a shining post-capitalist, post-scarcity utopia, but which in recent days has begun to fall in to disrepair at the edges, with recent leadership taking on a decidedly authoritarian attitude.

The starship Jupiter’s Ghost and its crew are part of an organization called The Space Corps. The Space Corps is a volunteer, non-military organization. 

At one point in the past they were an official Government Agency that did disaster recovery and relief missions, helping to relocate people, rebuild settlements, etc. These days, with the Solar Federation crumbling, and bits of it exposing an undercurrent of fascism, The Space Corps is more of a mutual aid organization. They help, where they can, when they can.

The Jupiter’s Ghost was the flagship Space Patrol battle cruiser for 15 years. It was refitted into an exploration vehicle ~10 years ago. It is the largest and fastest ship in the Space Corps, but it is starting to show its age. This means that things break down often, and the engineering team is more or less constantly repairing something. 

The Jupiter’s Ghost has a crew of roughly 160. 15, or so, are Cadets who are volunteering with the Space Corps to log Star Hours for academy credit. The rest are scientists, engineers, and explorers, and occasional religious folks that think they’ll find god in the stars.

The Space Corps Occasionally works alongside the Space Patrol (the “Peacekeeping” arm of the Solar Federation) and/or the Solar Guard (the domestic branch of the Space Patrol, which serves the Sol System specifically.) But, you know, begrudgingly and antagonistically.

Space Corps vehicles are often retired military craft, refitted for civilian exploration. Most of their weaponry is removed (with the exception of basic lasers, which all interstellar vehicles carry to help prevent damage from space debris.) They have heavy shields, extensive scanners, advanced medical equipment, shuttles, and an array of technologies, including communication, fabrication, and transportation equipment. 

Because Space Corps ships often operate in deep space, far from any members of the Space Patrol, interacting directly with previously un-encountered and potentially hostile civilizations, (see Aliens) and occasionally venturing near contested expanses, they do maintain a basic armory of blasters and stunners on board. The armory is rarely required, but most members of the ship are combat trained, because they can’t trust anyone else to protect them.