Space Rangers 2 certainly has a fiction driving the gameplay, but there's very little direction involved. All rangers start on a ranger base in their race's home solar system (like the Sun system for humans). After being told the basics of the situation and running through an optional short tutorial, the game is pretty much open for interpretation. Players looking to make some quick money can start dealing in trade between systems and planets. Other rougher types can simply fall off the radar and begin assaulting civilian ships looking for some quick cash. Those looking for more direction can land on friendly planets (and depending on your race and class, some will be very unfriendly) and pick up delivery, protection, or combat missions from local governments. Any of these really are viable solutions to becoming a better ranger with a more powerful ship.