The Human Continuity Project (HCP) is a private organization that seeks to ensure the longevity of the human species. Supported early on by the United Nations, and now by most of the interstellar powers, the HCP is at its heart an independent entity and has repeatedly refused taking sides in disputes or to favor any one governing body - cementing its position as a party interested only in the proliferation of humanity.

The HCP has seen many victories throughout its millennium-long existence. The Project pioneered both the genetic engineering and cryogenics fields that are so prevalent throughout human space and oversaw the initial advancements in colonization technologies through the settling of the "Core Worlds" during the Seed Project.

While the Seed and Deep Seed projects were important beyond measure to the continued existence of the human species, the HCP has taken on a new series of fail-safes that further secure man's turbulent future, most notably the Continuity Vault program. Working through "Continuity Vaults" and similar DNA "Arks" assembled by multiple star-nations, the Human Continuity Project asks that each nation provide at least one to ensure the future of the human race. Each Vault and Ark are set at strategic places throughout human space so that the destruction of a single planet, or even a series of worlds, will not allow any specific genome to come to a permanent end.

Table of Contents

• History
• Structure
• Objectives
• Operations

History

The Human Continuity Project was founded by the sons and daughters of those who fought and died in the First Stellar War between Mars and Earth. From then on it has been regarded rather amicably and reverently as a neutral organization with no political ties other, focusing instead on its goal of protecting the integrity of the human species. The establishment of the organization was one of the first major acts of the Intersystem Alliance

While initial ventures usually revolved around spreading humanity throughout the stars, after the initial Seed Project the subsequent Deep Seed Project turned its goals towards ensuring the continuity of all Earth-based life. During this time, between the Seed and Deep Seed projects, the significance of the Continuity Vaults began to be constructed, some located on planets while others resided in uninhabited space stations or hollowed-out asteroids and small moons.

Following the success of the Deep Seed project, many of the star-nations did not see a reason to continue significant funding of the Human Continuity Project, as only a galactic-scale cataclysm could bring about the destruction of humanity once a full quarter of the galaxy had been colonized, and many of the new star-nations, with newer technology and better FTL capabilities, had it within their own power to do much of what the Human Continuity Project had been doing since its inception.

The Project shifted its focus largely until the 34th Century, doing more work to try to improve humanity itself by improving on the genetic code and the human body as a whole. Indeed, much of what is used in technomancy, more specifically a fair portion of biomancy, is based on centuries-old research by the Human Continuity Project. On a much different scale, the Project also shifted focus during this time to try to break the code to travel between dimensions, to no avail as of yet.

After the ISA-Leon Quasi-war, the Human Continuity Project saw that humanity once again held the power to destroy a fair portion of itself, and many felt that the galaxy was growing too small for those who lived in the quadrant; by the 34th Century, the Human Continuity Project was once again large enough to delve into large-scale colonization projects, sending hundreds of thousands of colonists to both NGC 0627-15, the "Snickers" Galaxy, and Andromeda.

Structure

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Objectives

The Human Continuity Project is intended to ensure that, no matter what, the Human race survives. At present, their mission is not completed, as humanity has yet to step outside the bounds of the Milky Way galaxy in sustainable force; that is, were the galaxy itself to be destroyed by the interference of another galaxy or powerful force. Many seek to cross dimensions and realities, should the original reality Humanity calls home come to fail.

Operations

SEED PROJECT

The original Seed Project consisted of an initial wave of colony ships from Earth, Mars, and the Jovian League beyond the Sol System in what became known as the Astrum Diaspora. These initial colonies founded much of the present-day Intersystem Alliance and the Core Worlds. These ships were often slower than those that would follow in the Deep Seed project, so many of these colonists found themselves soon outstripped technology-wise by following ships arriving soon after, taking less time to travel the same distance.

DEEP SEED PROJECT

Following the initial boom of humanity throughout the worlds known as the "Core Worlds," a second migration followed as each of the initial planets began to prosper, able to send out their own fleets of colony ships. What followed was the Deep Seed project by the Human Continuity Project; this new wave of colonies formed much of the remaining known galaxy.

CONTINUITY VAULTS

Continuity Vaults, modeled after the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, are heavily reinforced bunkers. Each contains a seed of nearly every plant known to mankind, along with the genomes of several thousand species of animals stored in numerous sorts of databases, as well as hard copies, printed in tungsten, of the human genome, ensuring its own longevity. These vaults are located on every planet of over 100,000 in population, funded by the Human Continuity Project. Every planet with a population of over a billion has at least three of these vaults in various climes and Continental-plates. Some cities choose to pay to have their own individual vaults, should a cataclysm wipe out most of their planet, a local vault is available for access to any survivors.

Each vault is intended to be able to be a "restart," as such, excess seeds of common plants and grains are stored to be able to feed a small town's worth of people for a great deal of time, and each includes a full set of textbooks, educational materials, and instructions on how to generate much of the technology known to the human race.

ADAM & EVE SEQUENCE

As part of their genetic experimentation, the Human Continuity Project generated a hundred different male and a hundred different female genomes, genetically dissimilar enough to prevent issues with inbreeding, but close enough to "perfection" that any line of humanity generated from these individuals would be able to last for tens of thousands of years in impeccable genetic health. Many of these deviate from true humanity to allow for survival in harsher climates or disease prevention. These sequences were added to most Continuity Vaults.

Galactic laws and ordinances prevented the actual birthing of these sequences as living humans, though these efforts have paid off in modifications in humans prior to and even after birth.