In the far future, civil war has erupted. Or perhaps just normal war. Dozens of factions began warring after an unsteady era of peace, which followed a long period of exploration and expansion into the galaxy. Alliances were forged and re-forged, factions rose and fell, enemies became friends and then enemies again. Fighting is pretty much the only constant left in the galaxy.
In the midst of that, two major factions happened to send out ships to claim a certain planet at the exact same time, and now they're going to fight over it. It seems that everyone brought the exact same ships and equipment and everyone has an even chance of winning the battle.
Given that this is supposed to be happening in the midst of constant war and chaos, I'm not exactly sure what's "first strike" about it, but so it goes. This is the backstory for Gunship: First Strike, a board game in which players take control of powerful gunships and battle for control of the planet below.