The Frontier

2065

On October the 27th, the probe 'Tombstone 1' returns reports to Earth. It's data show that the globular star cluster where it rests, one hundred light-years from Earth, contains many life-supporting planets. Many of the planet's within the probe's scanning range also apparently possess great mineral wealth, including trace veins of elerium-115. Once this news is released publicly, every single major Earth corporation begins construction of deep space colony vessels.

The media liken this turn of events to the expansion of Americans into the western territories centuries before, and as a result the star cluster becomes known as "The Frontier".

2066

Come March, the three largest corporations have already launched their colony vessels, heading for the Frontier. Scores of other programs are nearing completion. Despite the vast wealth promised, many corporate leaders are cautious, fearing a third encounter with aliens. But these fears are not enough to stem the tide of eager colonists flocking to the stars. As a result, government heads and corporate representatives meet. They decide that a defensive force should be established to defend the colonies from possible alien incursion - and, it is surreptitiously noted after the Mars incidents, from each other.

F. Denman Williams the Second, son and successor of the corporate X-COM's former leader, turns command of X-COM over to the governments to a limited degree, in order that Frontier bases be established. To avoid stretching resources too thinly, the X-COM bases on Mars and Luna are sold to a private security firm known as MarSec (Mars Security). MarSec rapidly gains renown for it's ability to keep the peace with minimal casualties and disruption. Also, with the support of Denman Dynamics, a manufacturing firm maintained by the man of the same name, becomes a major player in the sale of weapons and equipment.

The first corporate outposts are established within the Frontier. Fleets of the latest freighters support the outposts and ferry raw materials and more between Earth and the outposts. As the vast majority of Earth-based organisations turn their attention to the stars, the Earth Science Corps officially becomes the Galactic Science Corps (GSC).

2067

On January the 1st, 2067, the first X-COM squadrons begin patrolling the Frontier. A very first X-COM base is established and manned with the best pilots available, drawn from every corporation, all piloting the latest Transtellar X-1A Lightning II-class fighter-interceptors. The base itself is not crewed with scientific personnel, but is fitted with a data downlink system that allows the latest science advances from Earth to be downloaded from GSC computers.

The nearby corporate outposts provide financial and material support for the X-COM base, in exchange for protection from the fleets. The corporate outposts also volunteer their services as manufacturing centres, supply depots and staging points for new pilots. X-COM's presence in the Frontier is firmly established.