The Human Race

## Origins

Modern **humans** (*Homo sapiens*, ssp. *Homo sapiens sapiens*) are the only extant members of the subtribe Hominina, a branch of the tribe Hominini belonging to the family of great apes. They are characterized by erect posture and bipedal locomotion; high manual dexterity and heavy tool use compared to other animals; open-ended and complex language use compared to other animal communications; and a general trend toward larger, more complex brains and societies.

Early hominins—particularly the australopithecines, whose brains and anatomy are in many ways more similar to ancestral non-human apes—are less often referred to as "human" than hominins of the genus *Homo*. Several of these hominins used fire, occupied much of Eurasia, and gave rise to anatomically modern *Homo sapiens* in Africa about 315,000 years ago. They began to exhibit evidence of behavioral modernity around 50,000 years ago. In several waves of migration, anatomically modern humans ventured out of Africa and populated most of the world.
The spread of humans and their large and increasing population has had a profound impact on large areas of the environment and millions of native species
worldwide. Advantages that explain this evolutionary success include a relatively larger brain with a particularly well-developed neocortex, prefrontal cortex and temporal lobes, which enable high levels of abstract reasoning, language, problem solving, sociality, and culture through social learning. Humans use tools to a much higher degree than any other animal, are the only extant species known to build fires and cook their food, and are the only extant species to clothe themselves and create and use numerous other technologies and arts.

## Modern History

Until about 10,000 years ago, humans lived as hunter-gatherers. They gradually gained domination over much of the natural environment. They generally lived in small nomadic groups known as band societies, often in caves. The advent of agriculture prompted the Neolithic Revolution, when access to food surplus led to the formation of permanent human settlements, the domestication of animals and the use of metal tools for the first time in history. Agriculture encouraged trade and cooperation, and led to complex society.

The early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Maya, Greece and Rome were some of the cradles of civilization. The Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period saw the rise of revolutionary ideas and technologies. Over the next 500 years, exploration and European colonialism brought great parts of the world under European control, leading to later struggles for independence. The concept of the modern world as distinct from an ancient world is based on a rapid change progress in a brief period of time in many areas. Advances in all areas of human activity prompted new theories such as evolution and psychoanalysis, which changed humanity's views of itself. The Scientific Revolution, Technological Revolution and the Industrial Revolution up until the 19th century resulted in independent discoveries such as imaging technology, major innovations in transport, such as the airplane and automobile; energy development, such as coal and electricity. This correlates with population growth (especially in America) and higher life expectancy, the World population
 rapidly increased numerous times in the 19th and 20th centuries as nearly 10% of the 100 billion people lived in the past century.
With the advent of the Information Age at the end of the 20th century, modern humans live in a world that has become increasingly globalized and interconnected. As of 2010, almost 2 billion humans are able to communicate with each other via the Internet, and 3.3 billion by mobile phone subscriptions. Although interconnection between humans has encouraged the growth of
science, art, discussion, and technology, it has also led to culture clashes and the development and use of weapons of mass destruction. Human civilization has led to environmental destruction and pollution significantly contributing to the ongoing mass extinction of other forms of life called the Holocene extinction event, which may be further accelerated by global warming in the future.

## The Start, The Middle, and The End Of The War

The Human Race first encountered The Empire in 2038, 40 years before the Beginning of '**A Cloak of Iron Red**'. Mass Panic followed the discovery of the Military Power, as the discovered vessels were clearly armed. One single armed vessel shadowed Washington DC, Moscow, London, Paris, and other important Capitals. After 2 weeks of tense, nervous attempts at opening communications with the vessels, these, without warning, opened fire on the military units surrounding the sites. Soon after, a US base established on the surface of the Moon was attacked as well, and hundreds of transport cruisers unloaded their cargo of troops all over the World. Over the course of 7 years, over 7 billion people were killed in the brutal War, which almost lead the Human Race to extinction. The first country to fall was, suprisingly, the United States of America, although Guerilla fighters remained active until the planet was finally purged of humans in 2049, 4 years after the official end of the War. Brutal combat with Imperial forces started 4 days after The Empire landed its armies, and a couple thousand humans even joined forces with Imperials in acts of treachery and betrayal towards their own. The Imperial Armies ravaged through the land with utmost velocity and ferocity, unhindered by weather, lack of supplies or sleep, outdoing the human armies' combined might. Only 7 years after the beginning, on the 30th of January, was a surrender demand publicly sent to the remaining leaders of the Human Race. All remaining Humans were ordered to board the multiple vessels of The Empire, and were subsequently taken to the **Housing Stations** (Two at the time), although not all Humans adhered to this, and a large number stayed behind, commiting acts of guerilla warfare and acts of disruption towards Imperial forces in whats now known as the **War of Twigs and Bushes,** also known as **The Hidden Campaign.** After the War, it took the survivng humans a long time to get settled in their new homes, and get accustomed to the fact that they were the last humans alive. Rumours spread through the **Housing Stations** that cults dedicated to old human societies are taking root, plotting against the Imperial Regime.