Escalating Hostilities

In 2760, a crew of missionaries and emissaries were sent from the Martian colonies to meet with Sol Council leaders and AEGIS representatives in Bastion. They issued their statement of demands for its rights and aired their grievances, which were met with a compromise that would create peace. The missionaries stayed within Bastion to expand their culture and knowledge while the emissary crew left to return home.
In a horrible stroke of bad luck, their shuttle experienced a malfunction before reaching escape velocity and failed to exit the atmosphere. An automated emergency SOS was sent out from the ship before it crashed, alerting Bastion to the crisis. Bastion officials recognized that if the emissaries did not return, it might be seen as an act of aggression. A rescue team was immediately dispatched to locate them.
After nearly a year of searching, the craft was discovered but it was all for naught. The craft disintegrated and there were no survivors. The team turned around and headed back home, but they weren’t alone. They were followed by something that shouldn’t exist - a GenTech Hunter. It tracked the crew all the way back to Bastion, but did not engage and was not noticed. This reconnaissance mission would begin the era of a new threat.
On the eve of 2799, Mars sent a message to New Terra: a barrage of ultra-long range missiles were launched from the red planet, impacting Luna's surface and obliterating the Crisium Colony. This solidified that interstellar war had arrived.