Age of Advancement

The **Age of Advancement** was a time period marked by humanity's rapid leaps forward in the technological field.

## Timeline

**2039**

Terry McGinnis ignores the vigilante conventions and assumes the title of Batman.

**2048**

Establishment of colonies throughout the Sol system begins.

**2060**

Humanity is in chaos. With overpopulation and political upheaval at a higher point than ever, the neo-communist Koslovic and fascist Frieden movements rise. A series of three-way wars between the two groups and the United Nations begin with the Jovian Moons Campaign.

**2063**

The United Nations Space Command is established by the United Nations to destroy the Frieden and Koslovics.

**2064**

The Interplanetary War begins. The UNSC crushes both of their enemies’ forces on Earth, and begins their campaign to eliminate them in the rest of the Sol system.

**2070**

The Interplanetary War ends with the signing of the Callisto Treaty, and the formal surrender of both the Koslovics and Frieden. In the wake of the numerous wars, the United Earth Government Alliance is formed, becoming the governing entity of the human race.

**2080**

Luna, Mars, the Jovian Moons, and numerous other locations in the Sol system are fully colonized by this point.

**2091**

Tobias Shaw and Wallace Fujikawa create the first human slipspace drive.

**2092**

Birth of the Prophet of Regret.

**2093**

A Prothean cache discovered on Mars reveals mass effect technology to humanity, propelling human science centuries forward.

**2094**

With information from Mars, humanity discovers that Charon, one of Pluto’s moons, is actually a mass relay. With its activation, Jon Grissom becomes the first human to leave the Sol system (by their own volition).

**2101**

Settlement of humanity's first extrasolar colony, the planet Demeter. Eden Prime and Terra Nova follow suit.

**2109**

Birth of Ripa ‘Moramee

Interstellar Manufacturing Company (IMC) establishes its first colonies.

IMC produces its first Titan Prototype.

The UNSC begins constructing a massive space station and an enormous military fleet in the Arcturus system, due to its strategic location as the nexus of several mass relays.

**2116**

Birth of Thel ‘Vadamee

**2117**

Arcturus Station is formally inaugurated, and acts as the UNSC’s headquarters.

**2118**

Birth of Rtas ‘Vadumee

**2121**

Human space encompasses more than 800 worlds throughout the Orion Arm, ranging from fairly well-tamed planetary strongholds to tiny settlements. Outward expansion continued, and the Inner Colonies become a political and economic stronghold, though they rely heavily on raw materials supplied by the Outer Colonies. During this period, the planet Reach becomes the UNSC's primary Naval yard and training academy. Reach is a major producer of warships and colony vessels, as well as a training ground for covert operatives and Special Forces.

Birth of Oro 'Varamee

**2122**

Birth of Tartarus

UNSC Nostromo reaches LV-426, and is reported as missing with all hands.

**2123**

Birth of Catherine Halsey

**2124**

Establishment of the human colony of Sera.

**2134**

Birth of Steven Hackett

**2137**

Birth of David Anderson

**2141**

Birth of Isaac Clarke

**2142**

The Covenant discover Balaho, and its native Unggoy. The Unggoy almost immediately surrender, and are brought into the Covenant.

**2147**

Births of Kelly-087 and Sam Gideon

**2148**

Births of Samus Aran, Jack-024, Jorge-052, Linda-058, Onyx-132, Ben-174 and John-117.

**2149**

Classified events occur on Mars. A mysterious marine in a Praetor suit fights off hordes of demons.

**2152**

Sangheili Arbiter Fal ‘Chavamee refuses to continue following the belief of the Great Journey and challenges the word of the prophets, thus he becomes branded as a heretic. As a result of Fal's actions and after his death, the title of Arbiter, once a badge of immense honor, is stripped of its former prestige and becomes a mark of shame, given only to the most spectacularly failed Sangheili warriors.

The Unggoy Rebellion occurs. Salarian saboteurs plant the seeds of rebellion in the minds of Unggoy across Covenant space. After much conflict, an Arbiter is sent by the Prophets to quell the rebellion. The Unggoy homeworld of Balaho is partially glassed by the Covenant in response to the rebellion. Its conclusion has Unggoy become somewhat respected by the Sangheili, and offered a chance to fight alongside them in battle

**2154**

Conflict ends on Pandora between the UNSC and the natives known as the Na’vi.

The Mendel-Gruman Corporation’s plans with the Wolfpack mercenaries to weaponize fauna from an unidentified terraformed world are stopped.

Doisac, the homeworld of the Jiralhanae, is discovered by the Covenant. While there was resistance, they were swiftly assimilated into the Covenant, and quickly became some of the Great Journey’s most devoted followers.

Births of John Shepard and Jane Shepard

**2155**

Initiation of the SPARTAN-II Program, and the acquisition of 300 candidates.

Samus Aran is orphaned on the K2-L when it is attacked by Space Pirates, and is then abducted by ONI for the SPARTAN-II Program.

Births of Rhodey Stark and Jeff “Joker” Moreau

**2157**

Humanity finally makes first contact with an alien race, outside of the invasions Earth has suffered. Turians attack human explorers attempting to activate a mass relay, sparking what is known as the First Contact War to humanity, and the Relay 314 Incident to the turians. A three month long campaign on Shanxi ensues. Luckily, the Citadel Council establishes peace between the two before a full-scale war could break out. The Council invites humanity to join the Citadel Council as an associate member, due in large part to being impressed by their actions, and seeking to improve relations with a new species.

Establishment of Cerberus.

Establishment of the colony of Hadley’s Hope on Acheron (LV-426).

Establishment of Charon Industries.

Births of Carter-A259.

**2158**

Humanity has a peaceful first contact with the Galactic Federation, though tensions arise when several colonies break ties with the UEGA and are absorbed by the Federation.

**2160**

50 Spartan-II children are separated from the rest to test experimental augmentations at age 11. These augmentations were, to a degree, more life-threatening than the procedures that would be used later on the other Spartan-IIs, but yielded better results. Most of these children contained Meta-Genes of one variant or another, or were extremely promising in some other capabilities. Only 24 children survived the initial wave of augmentations, and these were trained separately from the rest of the Spartans until they received their augmentations, when it was safe to train them together again. The rest ended up either killed or crippled.

Samus Aran is one of the crippled children from the initial wave. While in transit to a medical facility, the ship carrying her is disabled by the Chozo, who rescue her non-violently. A Chozo by the name of Old Bird led the rescue and escorted Samus to Zebes for rehabilitation of her broken body, and further augmented it using Chozo technology. Samus remains loyal and grateful to the Chozo for fixing her, and spends the rest of her childhood years in their care.

Births of Emile-A239 and Spartan-A21

**2162**

Humanity comes into contact with the Covenant on the outer colony world of Harvest. Unfortunately, soon after the first talks between the two groups, the Covenant’s Prophets order the immediate extermination of humanity, marking the beginning of the Human-Covenant War.

Neither the Citadel nor the Federation directly support Humanity in their conflict with the Covenant, as that would be a declaration of war in and of itself, though the Citadel begins discreetly supplying colonies with supplies and weapons. The Galactic Federation begins to pay reparations for the colonies which it took.

First Battle of Harvest. The planet where first contact occurred becomes an all-out warzone.

The Battle of Chi Ceti takes place, marking the first real ship-to-ship engagement between humanity and the Covenant. It is also the first uncontested human victory.

Ascension of the Prophets of Truth, Mercy, and Regret, the three new Hierarchs of the Covenant.

The UNSC begins purchasing Titans from the IMC, as they are seen by many as the an effective counter against Cybertronians and Covenant war machines.

**2163**

The rest of the Spartan-IIs are augmented at the age of 14, out of the 250 candidates 209 survive and pass augmentations, due to humanity’s greater experience with super-soldier programs and the first wave of augmentations performed on the other fifty children.

The Harvest Campaign begins, with a massive effort to reclaim the planet, which was still under Covenant occupation and not glassed due to excavation efforts for Forerunner artifacts.

**2164**

Ripa ‘Moramee becomes Arbiter

**2165**

Humanity continues to expand, founding more colonies and establishing trade alliances with many of the other species who recognize the authority of the Citadel Council, though the number they lose to the Covenant far outstrips their growth.

Humanity is granted an embassy on the Citadel, but tensions arise between humans and the batarians, as they compete for territory in the Skyllian Verge.

Madrigal is glassed by the Covenant.

**2168**

Harvest is partially glassed by the Covenant. Protests on Citadel in response to the glassing were unable to end ceasefire made between the Citadel Council and the Covenant Empire. The UNSC finally manages to retake Harvest in the aftermath, ending the five-year long Harvest Campaign in a UNSC victory.

Battle of the Etran Harborage. UNSC victory. The forces of the UNSC *Spirit of Fire* eliminate a Forerunner fleet reactivated by the Covenant, before going MIA.

Birth of Spartan-B312

**2169**

Initiation of the SPARTAN-III Program in response to growing threats, primarily the Covenant. Alpha Company begins training.

**2174**

Operation: PROMETHEUS: UNSC victory. Nearly all of SPARTAN-III Alpha Company is killed by Covenant forces.

**2175**

Samus conducts the Zero Mission, destroying the Mother Brain on Zebes.

Spartan-III Beta Company begins training.

**2176**

Batarian warlords, leading a band of pirates, slavers, and the like attack the human colony Elysium. The event would be called the Skyllian Blitz.

Phazon corruption on Tallon IV.

**2177**

Initiation of Project Freelancer. Director Leonard Church feels that Spartans and biotics aren’t enough super soldiers to change the course of the war, and so creates a new program. 50 commandos are trained, and the UNSC Mother of Invention becomes their headquarters.

Phazon corruption on Aether.

The legendary Vice Admiral Preston J. Cole is presumed to have made his last stand at the Battle of Psi Serpentis. Over 300 Covenant ships were destroyed in the battle.

**2178**

The UNSC, having been preoccupied fighting the Covenant, launches a retaliatory strike against the batarians on the moon of Torfan, as retribution for the Skyllian Blitz. While humans and batarians would not officially go to war, there would be near-unanimous animosity between the two.

Upon finally discovering the Space Pirate homeworld, Urtraghus, which was succumbing to Phazon corruption, an all-out attack by the Galactic Federation was launched, deep into the Terminus Systems. After subduing the planet, they would then attack Phaaze, in an attack spearheaded by Samus Aran.

**2179**

Operation TORPEDO. UNSC victory. Nearly all of Spartan-III Beta Company is wiped out by the Covenant.

Samus returns to Zebes, decimating the Space Pirates there and killing the second Mother Brain, culminating with the destruction of the planet.

**2180**

Spartan-III Gamma Company begins training.

**2181**

Samus uncovers that the Federation has been cloning Metroids, subsequently cuts ties with it, and is considered an enemy of the state. Samus is then captured by the Federation and placed in stasis aboard a space station over Earth.