The game takes place in a fictional universe on the recently discovered planet of Nexus. The planet, once inhabited by a hyper-advanced race of aliens known as The Eldan who have all but disappeared, is fought over by two factions both hoping to control the concealed lost technology of Nexus; The Dominion, an intergalactic empire which decides that the planet belongs to them, and that it should be explored to discover the lost technology, and The Exiles, a group of refugees and outlaws who have all been driven from their respective homelands by The Dominion and have joined forces to fight them