Pathfinders

This stone, carved at the molecularly level, stands as testament to the claim of this planet, laid by the human Pathfinder, Karrel Thane, ID#2366C2185498A79846213654981.

A pre-Visitation concept, now popularized by penny dreadfuls and other such adventure stories, Pathfinders were a force within old Earth's attempts to fully colonize the stars.

Pathfinders were charged with finding the most notable points of interest out in the sea of stars and reporting them back to colonial authorities. Reading contemporary reports, the ones that survive, gives the era a distinct impression of exploration bordering on piracy. Fame, riches, and whole planets were competed for amongst the pathfinders, with the most notable ones becoming powers unto themselves. It is this usurpation of their purpose that likely led to the eventual phasing out of such a caste of individuals.

It's often thought, in the unexplored reaches of the galaxy (that is to say really anywhere these days), there are likely small empires of humans that were started by the Pathfinders and now just live out their lives on the sea of stars, unaware of Earth and its many dramas.