Who—or what—is out there? Eons ago, your ancestors searched the black void of space for intelligent life. Their search proved fruitless. They were alone. Desolate, they used their technology to send the seeds of life to inhabitable planets across the galaxies. Over millions of years, the alien species evolved, but before the ancestors could see the fruits of their labor, they disappeared. To aid their children, your ancestors left behind a legacy of advanced technology and hyperspace gates- gifts to encourage communication and harmony between their children. But without the guide of an elder, you and your distant alien cousins must learn to communicate, negotiate, and coexist. Welcome to the Cosmic Age. The open skies of countless worlds are filled with speeding spaceships, and a panoply of alien species compete to populate the galaxy. Will your people choose to occupy undefended worlds, create peaceful civilizations, or ruthlessly conquer foreign planets? In the quest to colonize the vast cosmos, there are as many paths to victory as there are aliens seeking it. Peace, war, negotiation, betrayal—you never know what will happen in the next encounter!