Interlude 1

The 21st century was a time of retrenchment and repair. Earth's population peaked - briefly - at 10 billion before the die off started in earnest.

Global warming and environmental poisons ruined the land. Once fertile areas became wastelands as weather patterns shifted, while former deserts bloomed. Cities originally far inland suddenly found themselves with a sea view. Diseases ran rampant - immune to the available antibiotics - through a population on the brink of starvation. Killer gangs, youngsters with the empathy and pity burnt out of them, roamed the cities.

A planet is a hard thing to ruin though. The world's people threw themselves into the efforts to stabilise the environment. It was a long, harsh time, of effort, death and unsung heroism.

It was just enough.

The Earth of 2250 still follows the same orbit. It is slightly warmer than before, with significantly less land area. Raw materials are mined mainly from the other planets. Manufacturing carried out mainly in orbit. The population of 2 billion left on the planet are healthy, with immune systems "supercharged" by biochemical treatments, which also decrease fertility. All life is precious. Too precious to risk in hostile environments. Thankfully, the Ghosting process provides workers in virtually indestructable bodies. 

But the Ghosts slowly go insane, despite all efforts. By 2307 they are gone, with no replacements manufactured. All but one...