The ISDC is a multinational organisation whose primary mission is to represent humanity's interests amongst extra-terrestrial civilisations that we now know exist. To achieve this the ISDC must develop and construct a vessel capable of interstellar travel that will allow the exploration of deep space and first contact to be made.

The nature of this mission and the threats faced both here on Earth and beyond require enormous resources and absolute secrecy. Operating under elaborate cover-stories to protect its work, the ISDC is engaged in a race against time to get into space while humanity's destiny is still its own to control.