World History

Events of the ER universe happens in far future, so it's good to know your history.
=The Lunar Conflict and the Jovian Era=
Colonization of solar system, beginning with the moon and mars, spreading to the moons of the gas giants, as well as the asteroid belt and mercury. By the end of this era, the "Jovian" era, named for the increased exploration and colonization of the outer solar system, massive ships were being constructed in the orbit of Neptune. They were the colony ships that would start the stellar expansion; self sustaining space stations with great fuel tanks of hydrogen that they had siphoned from Neptune's atmosphere to fuel their fusion generators.
2052: First permanent moon base established by Coalition of nations including China, Japan, The United Northern States of America, and Britain. Named Tranquility, it is Created mostly for scientific purposes but also included an early warning system for incoming asteroids. Never used. Both were created more for political reasons (UNSA attempting to show it still had power after the 2045 American Schism) but research done there, particularly about the effects of long term low gravity living, paved the way for further exploration. 
2068: First permanent, privately owned settlement on the moon, named Lunar Kopfgeld, a mainly German endeavor which mined Helium-3 and other rare commodities. Soon after its creation, Kopfgeld stakes it's claim to several hundred square kilometers of Lunar surface, declares that it is unbound by the rules Earthly nations and begins governing by its own laws, refusing to pay taxes or export fees. Many consider this to have been calculated business move more then anything; an attempt by the corporations who owned Kopfgeld to escape any sort of governmental oversight or taxation, using the fact that the legal status and ownership of the moon was still largely undecided and poorly considered.
However, the long term effect was a great multi-national rush to claim as much of the surface of the moon as possible, both by private and national forces. 
2070-3: In the midst of the Lunar Rush, as the surface of the moon begins to fill with hundreds of unregulated and often conflicting land claims, the UN attempts to set up guidelines and laws for how land may be claimed and used on the moon. However, the laws show a decided bias towards a handful of powerful nations and are, for the most part, ignored, even by those powerful nations. 
2073: Several news outlets run with the headline “MOON CONQURED” and proclaim that there is no economically viable land on the moon that does not have at least one, if not multiple claims upon it. 
2074-82: Conflicts between the various private and national powers, up until this point little more then legal posturing, escalate into border skirmishes. Mining corporations, private settlements, independent mass driver delivery systems and government funded installations evolve into armed city states and wage both cold and hot wars over territory. Over the course of 8 years of continuous conflict, the territory map of the moon changes on almost a monthly basis and many corporate and national stakes vanish from the map and are subsumed by a handful of rapidly growing super powers. No war is ever officially declared by any side and casualty numbers are guess work at best, but it is estimated that anywhere between 700,000 to 1,125,000 died as a result of these conflicts, either in open combat or as a consequence of it. At the same time, the first permanent settlements on mars, all of which are funded by coalitions of nations rather then private interests, are founded. 
Nov 12, 2082: The independent Mass Driver Corporation Starline MC, facing intrusion by forces from a Chinese owned H3 mining settlement, uses a 50 Megaton nuclear device against the invading settlement. Over 100,000, many of which were non-combatants, die as either a direct or indirect result of the blast. Though this is not the first time Nuclear Weapons have been used, it is by far the largest weapon detonated. 
2082-83: The Starline Bombing prompts the largest lunar powers, Consisting of The New Northern Frontier (NNF) part of the United Northern states of America, the lunar cities of New Shanghai, Cold Yangtze, and Xuancheng and their extended commercial interests, part of China, as well as the German territories and Japanese city states and several private interests, to convene and draw up a Treaty which brought a degree of peace between them and prohibited the use of many different kinds of weapons, including nuclear weapons above a 1 megaton yield. From this point on, the borders and claims of the major lunar powers remain stable; smaller groups continue vicious fighting, often funded by the major lunar powers, but the scale of the conflicts never again approaches those in the Lunar rush, and a majority of the moon's inhabitants live in relative peace and safety. The inhabitants of Mars adopt a slightly modified version of the Lunar Treaty of 2082 soon after. 
2095: The first private interests begin appearing on Mars. The existing settlements, all controlled by Earth bound governments, though with some degree of autonomy, enact strict laws and regulations about how land claims can be handled and demand that the private corporations remain tied to the laws of their earth bound countries. Corporate powers complain mightily about these restrictions, but fear of another imperialistic war on Mars are enough to motivate otherwise sympathetic parties to abstain from supporting the concept of an unregulated mars. 
2096: A virulent strain of Hemorrhagic fever appears in Central Africa. Unlike normal Hemorrhagic fevers, this strain, Named the Aso River Virus, can be spread by via casual contact. The spread of the virus and the massive death toll destabilizes much of the region and plunges the entire central area of the continent into violent infighting as dozens of groups attempt to seize power and others simply try to profit on the unrest and lawlessness. Peace keeping forces are dispatched from the UN and the WHO does it's best to prevent the spread of the disease, but both are far outmatched. Northern and Southern African Countries seal their borders and the majority of other countries sever contact with even these unaffected African areas. As news from the Interior of the continent grows more nightmarish by the day, public interest in living on other planets increases. Several new movements crop up, from radical naturalists espousing an oddly self destructive and apocalyptic philosophy, to the trendy idea of leaving behind the dangers of a natural world and living in the safe, high tech, artificial confines of mars or the Moon. The beginning of the Second Lunar Rush and Trans-martian colonization. 
2098: The population of Central Africa has been reduced to the point that the Aso River Virus can no longer reliably spread and effectively goes extinct. Its origin is never discovered in the chaos, and some assert that it was a biological weapon, while most scientists agree it was simply an undiscovered hemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola or Marburg. Despite the disappearance of the virus, Central Africa remains an unstable, conflict ravaged region. Islamic missionaries from Northern Africa, already a common sight during the Epidemic (A popular religious figure had proclaimed that helping a sick islamic brother in Africa was a sure way of getting to paradise), flood into both Central Africa and the now impoverished South Africa. Reconstruction begins, aided mostly by these missionaries, along with other aid organizations and smaller numbers of other missionaries. Initial death tolls place the total loss of life from the disease, fighting, starvation and other causes at nearly 40 million, but later estimates place it closer to 70-80 million. 
2100: The reconstruction of Africa continues, and the country's former mix of tribal, christian and Muslim faiths has shifted to be almost entire Muslim. The territory of New Louisiana experiences a financial meltdown and fragments into dozens of competing territories. The Texas Republic and The United Northern States of America Refuse to aid any of them. Many of the nations of Europe experience a slow stagnation of culture as competing religions, rising crime, economic downturns and increasing unemployment grip the European union in a collective malaise. South America, slowly growing for decades, begins it's industrial boom and India, especially northern India, becomes increasingly isolationist thanks to the growing influence of a Group known as Sikhara. Civilian populations on the Moon, and to a lesser degree, Mars, continue to expand. 
The first settlements amongst the very inner sections of the asteroid belt appear, with the frontier ideals of the first lunar rush finding a new home as nations and corporations stake out whole asteroids for themselves. This, however, works better thanks to the rather obvious natural boundaries between them. 
2115: Colonization of the Moon has expanded to the point that the settlements are finding it difficult to keep up with the demand for resources- food, air, water and other such necessities not found on the moon. New Colonists find themselves living a mile underground in one of the many hive like habitation areas, working long hours at assigned jobs and being issued ration cards and vouchers rather then money. Horror stories, mostly false or exaggerated, about life on the moon causes many would be colonists to instead travel to Mars or the distant Asteroid Colonies. Nearly 50 million people are living off of earth, spread between two planets and several dozen asteroids. Asteroid settlements represent the extreme edge of human exploration as it is: those who chose to emigrate to them rarely return to earth, and most get to their destination via work programs which offer to pay their way in exchange for a period of work. For emigrating to Asteroids, it's not uncommon for this period to be anything from 20 to 40 years. The true allure of the Asteroid settlements though, is a land where the laws of Earth have no real power. The moon has been mostly civilized, and Mars has always been strict, the initial settlers forming a sort of ruling class which dictates the laws of the planet and is very strict when it comes to keeping order and peace. But each asteroid is it's own sovereign world, and more often then not, they cater to theological, political, or sociological extremes. Cities on the hill or anarchist communes, all exporting massive amounts of minerals to keep themselves going. 
2120: Central Africa has made a comeback, its rebuilt cities resembling those of the middle east and it's countless waring tribes and factions united by their shared religion, though semblances of traditional African religions and customs remain, blended into the new faith. The new Islamic kingdoms of Africa are surprisingly peaceful for their time. Unlike the still tumultuous middle east, the inhabitants of the Capital of New Damascus reflect a mentality more akin to the Islamic golden age then the violent sectarian fighting and holy wars which dominate the middle east. Though still poor as a whole, The average quality of living for an individual has increased. Many scholars claim that this is more a result of the great reduction in population, thus making resources less scarce, then any sort of sociological or theological intervention. Africa's population is only roughly 25% of what it used to be, and the survivors are much more concentrated into urban areas. 
The Major lunar powers enact new restrictions on the amount of people allowed to immigrate. Some of the still existent smaller powers and independent areas ignore these guidelines and as a result are flooded with the overflow of immigrants turned away by other nations. Several collapse financially due to the burden. The population of Mars continues to grow steadily, and increasing number of asteroids are colonized, including the four major bodies of Ceres, Vesta, Pallas, and Hygiea. 
2122 Aug 14 - 17: A settlement on asteroid 952 Caia, Just called Caia by inhabitants, sufferes a catastrophic failure in it's life support systems due to an explosion. The accident leaves the suvivors with roughly 3 days of breathable air and no method of repairing the system. The nearest ship, from another asteroid colony, is over a week away. The Earth and it's inhabited neighbors have to listen to 3 days of slow death before the transmissions end. The Caia Disaster claims the lives of 25,000 men, women and children. 
2122: Asteroid settlements, in response to the Caia Disaster, begin beefing up safety measures, redundancy features and contingency plans. Never the less, the number of people emigrating to Asteroid settlements drops by nearly 2/3rds for over two decades. It's not until the construction of the Galileo begins that the numbers return to what they were at the time of the accident. 
2123-30: The Decline of Continental Europe continues with worsening economic conditions and fighting between Radicalized Roman Catholics and Militant Muslims and a group called the “Loyalists”; vigilantes advocating atheism, deregulation, and harsher prosecution of “ The religious vandals and economic leeches” they feel are the cause of all their current woes. The government and people are so harshly divided in opinion that little gets done. Riots are common. Brazil has risen to become an economic superpower rivaling China and Surpassing the UNSA. It has become tech hotspot, replacing places like the aging silicon valley and Japan as the world leader in new technological developments. It attracts scientists and inventors in droves, and the culture rapidly changes to reflect the idea that the most advanced technology is also the height of beauty. Clothing embedded with glowing fiber optic fabrics and LED sub-dermal implants in patterns similar to circuit boards. The Texas Republic Annexes dozens of smaller southern territories between 2100 and 2123, growing to a size that rivals the UNSA, but remains mostly uninvolved with global politics. India continues its isolationist and increasingly militaristic trends, owing to a rather jingoistic nationalist party that has been in power since the early 2100's. They staved off an economic downturn and have since been regarded quite well by the population, despite an increasingly totalitarian rule. China is regarded as the world's only true superpower and embarks on a solo space race with the aim of colonizing Venus. It does so within 4 years and stakes an unchallenged claim to the entire planet. Despite touting it as a great success, the mere act of surviving on Venus proves immensely difficult due to the massive pressures and acidic atmosphere. Settlements on it never grow beyond scientific outposts and publicity works. 
2131-33: Scientists from the UNSA, Canada, Independent Alaska, The Republic of Texas, Brazil and Britain form the Galileo Group: a project aimed at creating a ship larger then any previously seen and using it to establish a large scale colony on Jupiter's Moon Europa. The project, through use of borderline propaganda advertising, stirs up a great deal of support, especially in the territories of the former USA, by appealing to their pride as “The first nation to set foot on another world”. They use this support to build Polaris the first orbiting shipyard in orbit around Earth. They the begin producing a fleet of disposable ships designed to, over the course of the next decade, ferry the individual components of what would become Galileo out to the asteroid belt, where it would be supplied. 
2134-39: Civil war erupts in Italy, fueled by the conflict between Roman Catholics and Muslims, a growing income gap and wholesale corruption of the government. The conflict ripples out to Spain, France, Germany and several other surrounding countries, sparking the Euro-Eastern War, a conflict the scale of which had not been seen since the Second World War. Britain and the nations of North and south America do not take any direct part in the conflict, though the Republic of Texas and the UNSA do sell supplies to the Roman Catholic forces out of Italy. The war becomes Known as the “New Crusade” as the conflict, originally dealing more with wealth inequality and illegal land seizures undertaken by the Italian government that mostly targeted Middle eastern immigrants, becomes increasingly polarized by the religious differences between the two sides. In the course of the war, holy sites for both sides fall under attack, including the siege of the Vatican and bombing of Mecca. By 2137 the conflict has boiled over into the whole of continental Europe and much of the Middle East, with the Roman Catholic European Union losing initially, but eventually turning the tides by virtue of simply being better funded and armed. By the time an armistice is signed in 2139 much of Europe and the middle east is in ruins. Refugees of the conflict travel down into North and Central Africa and are absorbed into the increasingly Metropolitan, civilized and enlightened population of New Damascus and its surrounding cities. A Brazilian Satirist comments that perhaps in a few years they might see a force of Imperialistic Africans travel to Europe to bring civilization to those “poor savages”. The total death toll, factoring in things such as famine, disease and starvation, is estimated at a little over 100 million. 
2140: The final pieces of Galileo leave Polaris on their one way flight toward the asteroid belt. Thousands of workers and would be explorers emigrate at the same time, causing the largest boom in Asteroid population since the Caia accident. Europe and the middle east fester in the wake of the war; poverty is ubiquitous, many of the great cities and historical sites of Europe lay in ruins and hundreds of thousands of civilians are homeless. The governments, their budgets bled dry by the war, lack the ability to feed their citizens or repair their cities. The middle east lies fractured and the power vacuums created by treaties which replaced governmental leaders with overseers from Europe lead to continuous infighting. Refugees from the European nations pour into Russia, Britain and the Americas, as well as towards the moon, mars and the asteroids. Over 30% of the combined population of the middle east floods down into Africa over the next few years. Unsanctioned fighting continues between extremist cells on the borders of the east and west. The idea of leaving Earth and living amongst the stars becomes immensely popular due to disillusionment with life on Earth and the romanticized vision that the Galileo Project paints for colonization. 
2142-2146: The Construction of Galileo, a large colonization ship deigned to reach Europa and establishment a permanent settlement there to act as a stepping stone for further colonization of the moons and further planets, begins near Ceres. Roughly 15,000 workers are used in the construction of the ship, which is over a kilometer long and, in essence, little more then a massive fuel tank with storage containers affixed to it. 20,000 colonists sign up for the Galileo's maiden flight, the vast majority of them entering a crude state of suspended animation -little more then a chemical coma which slowed their biological functions- and sleeping through the majority of the two and a half year trip to Europa, and the 5 years it takes to build the settlement. 
The situation in Europe and the Middle east stabilizes to a degree over the interim years, though the formerly grand nations of Europe are still impoverished and the ruins stand idle and overgrown. The Republic of Texas and the UNSA, classically rather unfriendly, if not hostile, neighbors, begin more open trade and relations thanks to their joint work on the Galileo project and their rocky history slowly passing out of popular memory. Brazil Surpasses China in terms of Economic power, though only by a slim margin, and becomes the technological and scientific capital of the world. A new offshoot of Islam, it's practitioners eventually becoming known as Wayfarers, appears amongst African emigrants moving to the Asteroids and Joining the Galileo crew. They hold that it is mankind's right and duty to discover the nature of god in his creations; that studying the outer world should be held in the same regard as studying religious verses, for God's nature is hidden within them both. Wayfarers become known for their simple, contemplative ways and their endless desire to make pilgrimage to new worlds and to contemplate their nature. 
2147-49: The time it takes for Galileo to reach Europa.
2150: The first permanent settlement on Europa is established. Boreas, as it became known, actually took nearly 5 years to actually complete in accordance with the plans created by the Galileo Project, but the first inhabitants of the settlement took their place on the planet as of October 27, 2150. By this time, thanks to steady emigration, casualties from war, and a decrease in the overall birthrate, nearly 5% of humanity lived somewhere off of earth. 
2152: The hundred year anniversary man's first settlement on the moon. The original Tranquility settlement, long since destroyed during the conflict of the moon's early colonization, is rebuilt and put on display, functioning as a museum documenting the first hundred years of Lunar history. The Grand Councilman of The Republic of Texas states in a speech that “Mankind has taken it's first tentative steps into a realm so grand as to be incomprehensible to us. It is my profound wish that we continue this exploration, and forever race toward the stars.” 
2155: Boreas is actually completed to specifications and colonists are finally woken from their chemical slumbers. Nearly a thousand are unable to be revived, and many suffer long term side effects from the nearly decade suspension. Roughly 20% of the colonists either never reawaken or are disabled due to the suspended animation procedures. The mission as a whole, however, is considered a success as Boreas begins a projected 150 years of self sufficiency, as well as the process of exploring and settling planets on the edge of human space. 
2158:The first Dedicated Wayfarer mosque is constructed on Ceres, inside the largest crater on asteroid. The Wayfarer branch of Islam is accepted in the normal Mosques of African, but this is the first mosque created specifically for the Wayfarers. Many more open within the next few years, most of them on the outskirts of humanity, such as in Boreas, but The Wayfarer Mosque on Ceres held and continues to hold special significance within the religion. The Mosque on Ceres, Also known as the Mosque of Sol, or the Archive of Ceres, is not simply a place of worship, but a grand archive of artifacts and specimens attained during the pilgrimages of Wayfarers to uncharted regions of space. Also contains a great library, filled with chronicles of these journeys, religious texts and treaties. 
2161: In India the isolationist ideas, which have been growing steadily in power popularity now for over half a century, have become the norm. The sikhara philosophy- that India itself is a sacred place which should not tarnish itself by meddling with others or allowing others to meddle with it- has become generally accepted, and is the guiding principle by which the leaders of the country rule their people. The adage that "India is the sikhara of the world" has become a truism to many. At the same time, it's leaders become increasingly militaristic and, by some accounts, paranoid. India announces that it will be closing it's borders within three months, and then does so on March 1st, 2161. News from within its borders becomes becomes sporadic and insubstantial, detailing only vaguely the rise of a grand military, an increasingly powerful and invasive government and the slow shift toward fascism 
2162: The leaders of China, Mongolia,Kazakhstan, and Russia sign the East Asia Pact, an agreement born out of fear of India's growing military power and its leader's hostile and jingoistic view of the world. Though technically a trade agreement, it allies Four of the largest countries in Asia against any form of attack on any of them. Sets off a series of similar actions around the world over the course of the next 10 years. 
2167: The Republic of Texas - which at this point controls basically the entirety of what was once the Southern United states, and upper Mexico – Canada, and the UNSA form the North American Union. This union is a much more binding action then the East Asia Pact, essentially making the entirety of the North American Continent into one massive country; though not quite. The individual pieces are still considered to be sovereign and independent, but a new “house” of government, one which oversees the affairs of the combined nations is formed. Despite this and the East Asia Pact being momentous events in international affairs and the balance of political power, the effect on the average citizen of either of these events was minimal. 
2170: French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay are voluntarily annexed by Brazil, becoming part of Brazil's federal government, while remaining mostly self governing. This new country becomes known as “Brazilia.” Brazil itself has transformed into a form of Technocracy: while still considered a Federal republic, it's upper class is populated almost entirely with scientists and technology experts. The same can be said about it's politicians; rising up the ranks of the government is almost impossible without some sort of background in the tech field, if only because of the stigma associated with people who aren't. Likewise, while scientific advancements and learning flourish, the arts often suffer. 
2173:
Groups of dissenters, mostly artists, crafts men and those who feel that their professions are being unjustly looked down upon, begin to form across Brazilia, especially in the newly Annexed regions unaccustomed to the Technocratic ways of Brazil. This marks the beginning of the Artista Movement, which would eventually evolve into organized protests and the formation of several Communes (mostly in Colombia and Venezuela) which declared themselves independent of Brazilia and sought to create a more technologically simple, artistically focused society. 
2174:
The Countries of the Moon, after over 100 years of reliance on shipments of goods from earth, finally announce that they have reached a point of being self sustaining, at least for the foreseeable future. The lunar Countries, still considered colonies of countries on earth, redouble their efforts to be accepted as sovereign, independent nations. In the years since their creation, the countries have essentially become independent in all but name, but there is some concern on earth about the ramifications of allowing it. Namely, fears about accidentally starting another period of lunar conflict. 
2177:
After several years of debates, The Lunar powers sign an agreement to effectively police the moon and prevent or contain any sort of uprising or conflict. In return they are granted independence and sovereignty with the Lunar Independence act of 2177. Many other settlements, namely those on Mars, begin petitioning for similar rights soon there after. 
2179:
Nations of Mars granted independence and Sovereignty, along with a handful of Asteroids, including Ceres. Martian independence act of 2179. Sets up provisions that allow an off earth settlement to be considered independent once it surpasses a certain population or has been continuously occupied for a certain amount of time. That amount of time depends on the colony's distance from earth as well as population. 
2180:
The ruling class of Mars, long known for their strict policies, finally begin to exercise restraint in their draconian laws. Older practices such as government mandated jobs, strict regulations and taxes on businesses and extensive meddling in the affairs of nations on Nations on Mars begin to fade, likely because each nation can now call itself Sovereign, and the ruling families of Mars no longer have the authority to browbeat them into line. 
The First settlement, a not much more then a small outpost, is set up on Ganymede by the Galileo Settlers. 
2194: Mars, or technically the Former Chinese colony of Distant Kowloon, produces the first purpose built warship which is capable of movement between planets, as far as the asteroids or earth. This ship, known as Buddha's Smile, was outfitted with dozens of high yield nuclear missiles as well as dozens of high power (for the time) lasers. In terms of payload it wasn't very special – Earth, mars, luna and several asteroids had orbital defenses that dwarfed this, but they were stationary, so to speak, and posed no harm to anyone except invaders. This ship was capable of leaving it's planet and attacking others. Many reacted as though this were an open threat, saber rattling. Kowloon asserts that it's capacity to move is merely to allow it to react to it's own planetary threats, not to enable it to attack other planets. Despite a great deal of whining, impotent trade sanctions and condemnation from many, the incident quickly fades from the headlines as Buddha's Smile remains in orbit around Mars and shows no sign of leaving. 
2197: First settlement on the moon of Io. Much like Ganymede, this settlement is more a stepping stone for later development and runs with a skeleton crew. Eventually becomes a large fuel production site and works in tandem with the manufacturing and construction sites on Ganymede and the expanding colony on Europa. 
2201: Kowloon builds several more ships similar to Buddha's Smile over the next several years. Many other nations, both on Earth and across the solar system, build similar weapons platforms of their own, though the development is far from extensive. The total combined “war fleet” of mankind numbers less then two dozen by 2201, Though some, including the NAU Guardian and Indian Virāṭa were massive in size and were more akin to semi-mobile space stations with the majority of their volume dedicated to weaponry. 
2203: The Kowloon Fleet leaves Mars on a peaceful excursion to Earth as part of a gesture of good will between Kowloon and China. The ships take several months to arrive and fall into orbit around the Earth. Most nations take a guarded approach to these actions, sound no alarm or protest, but at the same time keeping their own orbital and ground based defenses on high alert. India, in some of it's first official statements in over a year, condemns the Kowloon Fleet and asserts that this is a clear show of force and intimidation tactics on the part of the East Asia Pact members. Tensions between EAP and India continue to mount as Virāṭa, The Indian warship, is brought closer to the orbiting fleet. 
2203 October 05th: The sequence of events here is fuzzy and there are many contradictory accounts on record. Some sources state that Virāṭa passed into the Kowloon Fleet's defense zone and was fired upon by automated systems. Some contest that Virāṭa fired first, or that the Kowloon fleet fired upon it. Regardless of the initial trigger, the result is the same: The Kowloon Fleet and Virāṭa engaged in the first act of interplanetary and space based war in human history. Ground based defenses in India, combined with the great size and power of Virāṭa quickly turned the tide for India, however, the EAP soon stepped in and, using ground based systems of their own, Destroyed Virāṭa. India declared war on the EAP in less then 8 hours. 
2203-2204: The East Indian wars are waged between the East Asia Pact members and India. The war is quick and brutal, heavily utilizing automated and semi-automated weapons platforms such as flying drones or Robots similar to Big Dog but armed with heavy weapons. While this at first limits casualties, as the front lines are pressed back into more densely populated areas of india, the death toll skyrockets. The automated systems make little differentiation between civilian and combatant and have a limited sense of correct force. Many cities are Razed to the ground and death is dealt indiscriminately. Near the conclusion, The Indian army begins enacting a campaign of scorched earth nuclear bombings against any of it's territory currently held by EAP forces. By the end, the majority of India is a scorched nuclear wasteland. Luckily indian attempts to nuke areas in EAP territories were prevented by ground & space based systems. 
2204 February 22: The government of India is forcefully deposed and overthrown by EAP forces and peace is declared. In reality, Indian guerrilla fighters continue to attack and harass EAP forces in occupied India for years to come. 
2205: India is placed under the control of a EAP backed government. Much of the Indian Subcontinent is declared a no-man's land, though a great deal of Indian refugees. Still live there, actively scavenging the wreckage and living outside the EAP's control. The Indian Wasteland has it comes to be known, becomes a lawless, wild-west like frontier with self governed settlements and shanty towns explorers plumbing the depths of the wasteland and selling whatever they can get their hands on. The EAP occasionally attempts to bring the place under their control and evict the looters, but never successfully. 
2208: What remains of India is fully divided between EAP powers. Most places keep their old names, but are now considered to be part of whichever EAP power they have been claimed by. 
2211: Shipyards in orbit around Ganymede are completed and begin construction of Copernicus, a ship designed to settle Uranus' moon of Oberon. 
2213: Copernicus ship completed, but waits unused for several years as the mission is set up. Colonies on Europa and other moons of Jupiter have difficulties locating enough people to fill crew and colonist headcount requirements. News of this is sent to Ceres and the Wayfarer conclaves, who begin emigrating in droves for a chance to be one of the first on a planet untouched by man.
2214: Copernicus ship begins voyage.
2216: Copernicus ship voyage ends. Construction of Oberon Colony Commences. Wayfarer mosque is one of the first things built.
2230: Settlement on Uranus' moon Miranda.
2250: Race to the stars: A period of mass colonization, in which millions leave earth to settle on the various planets and moons. Asteroid settlements become more common.
2260: Settlement on Neptune's moon of Triton
2270: Creation of Triton Shipyard for the express purpose of building interstellar craft.
2290: Colonization of the Kuiper belt, namely on Pluto and Eris.
2300: By 2300 20% of humanity lives off Earth.
=First Expansion Era=
2300 - 2500: Colonization of very nearby stars and discovery of the physics phenomena that allows for the "Jumps" used to get around space faster. The stellar colony ships take the better part of 100 to 200 years to reach their destinations. Along the way, one of the ships discovers an anomalous planetoid, which paves the way for the creation of jump technology.
2600 - 3500: Rapid expansion across the stars, true First Expansion Era.
3500 - 3600: Discovery of Origin. Invention of field manipulators and matter converters, many wealthy systems begin mining for mass to convert rather then specific matter. Phobetor asteroid base created for the purpose of creating synthflesh and such.
3613, April 22: Birth of Doctor VonNost . He gains notoriaty for his medical work and activism in post humanist ideas.
3700 - 3900: Altered strain released, begins spreading, altered wars, massive recession across the galaxy, whole swaths of mankind cut off from each other, formation of United Worlds of Man to combat Altered. VonNost, now quite old but surviving via technology, develops the Ghost ships, Avatars, Arbiters of peace and other UWM superweapons to combat the Altered. Creation of Steve.
=Second Expansion Era=
3900 - 4125: Reconstruction and beginning of Second Expansion Era, UWM cements power as military and governing force. Hazardous Materials Requisition Corps created. Events of ER Early Days and HRMC ship Yanshi start.
4125 - 4130: Red moon Rebellion. Series of large scale rebellions by iron miners and others across a series of moons and solar systems as planets and countries attempt to regain independance from the UWM and are put down.
4130 - 4400: Phobetor base uses human subjects taken from putting down these rebellions to create the first and so far only true synthflesh-human hybrid, a literal attempt at remaking god in mankind's image, Rose, also known as the armory master on Paracelsus' Sword. These events take place in secret, and are puppeted by Steve. VonNost, using information gleened from Phobetor and his own work, becomes what he is now. Refuses to share the process with others, realizing the danger of it. Is deemed a threat to the UWM and is dumped into the HMRC. Serves his time effortlessly and is recruited by Steve with the dual promise of helping mankind and exacting revenge.
=Modern Era=
4400 - 4700: Modern era during which most, if not all HMRC convicts on board of Paracelsus' Sword were collected. An era of stangnation and complaciency as the harsh rule of the UWM keeps mankind's advancement in relative stasis, insuring the UWM's continued control as well as warding off any danger of another Altered-like event.
4500: Last time Paracelsus' Sword docked and took on new convicts.
4700 - 4800: The time during which the events of the original game have taken place.
4800: Allied Revolutionary Movement begins, capture of Hephaestus, release of Lurker in the Angles, population of other universes, end of world?
Category:Background