Governments and ethnic groups were forgotten, but soon replaced by new allegiances and affiliations, as new communities formed. As in the period after WWII, the tough times brought super-fast developments; as the economy recovered, the underworld gained more power. The widening gap between rich and poor created a boom in criminal activity, in the period later termed the Roaring Twenties. The period saw the rise of numerous criminal syndicates, specialising in illegal activities such as drug-dealing.

As time passed, the planets and satellites became independent states, and a new generation grew up with no memories of the Earth. Gate technology became a trusted part of everyday life, and a necessary tool for the people. Interplanetary crime fell under the jurisdiction of the Inter Solar System Police (ISSP), an organisation which also introduced a bounty-reward scheme. Once registered, bounty-hunters were licensed to bring criminals to justice in exchange for high rewards. This created a new class of bounty-hunters (the “cowboys”) – it is estimated that there are up to 300 thousand “cowboys” chasing criminals around the Solar system.

2071: love it or leave it.