Humanity abandoned Earth a long time ago. They also abandoned the concept of "need," around the same time they abandoned the concepts of "free will" and "democracy." Governed by an all-knowing Artificial Intelligence known as The Mainframe, the inhabitants of Aster have come to value rank more than anything: and the rank you will have for the rest of your life is decided when you're fourteen. Toriel, a young resident of Base Scorpio, has always known he was destined for great things. His lifelong dream has always been to be named an Authority, the highest position a person can hope for. When his dream comes true, however, his long held desire to bring Base Scorpio back to the top becomes far more complicated with the introduction of James, a pesky Fish who may just prove to be his equal-- or his better.