Natural Selection 2 is set far in the future, on the edge of human space. Humanity has spread between star systems through phase gates, and something is spreading back.
The TSA#
The Trans-System Authority is an independent body funded by the trans-system powers (governments and super-corporations that own and run the phase gates between solar systems). Its job is to enforce The Charter: disarmament, fair trade (above all, sharing the phase gates) and basic civil rights that were lost during the Great Expansion. It began as a small military force under Admiral Rathine Studaber, and its success against the far richer powers that created it earned it their quiet hatred.
The Frontiersmen#
The marines you play are Frontiersmen: TSA marines sent to the frontier when the alien outbreak began. They fight with a commander directing them from a Command Station, building bases, extractors and phase gates on the stations and colonies they retake.
The Kharaa#
The aliens are the Kharaa: a bacterial life form that infests stations, spreads its own infestation over walls and floors, and grows into everything from skulks to onos. Kharaa organisms evolve in eggs, and in NS2 a commander directs them from inside a hive.
The Ariadne Arm and Sanji#
The Kharaa appeared throughout the Ariadne Arm, the far end of settled space. The first TSA team to meet them was sent to Sanji, a Genghis Labs mining facility in the Mongolian Cluster, which later became an important Frontiersmen staging point. War correspondent turned marine Fajid Roha's account of that mission, Six Days in Sanji, is the best-known story from the war (the Sanji Survivor skill tier refers to it).
Timeline#
| When | Event |
|---|---|
| 2104 | The Great Expansion begins |
| 2200 | The TSA takes over the mining company Genghis Labs |
| 987 GST | First contact with the Kharaa |
| 1036 GST | The Kharaa appear throughout the Ariadne Arm |
| 1043 GST | Natural Selection (the first game) |
| 1046 GST | Natural Selection 2 |
GST is Galactic Standard Time.