The Timeline

The beginning of our galaxy, very soon after the birth of the universe in a phenomena commonly known as the "Big Bang".

At this time, there is archaeological evidence that a pan-galactic era of civilization decline and extinctions began.

The Ordu presumably go extinct as their homeworld's biosphere finalized a long slide into collapse. While the Ordu had interstellar capabilities, there are no indications that they possessed colonies and may have chosen to die alongside their world's ecology.

A Nyryloth vessel crashes on a small moon, a single occupant survives for a period of time afterwards and carves a variety of strange euphemisms and mathematical equations into nearby rock formations.

The Cochiesee on the planet known today as Sepulchre seal the fifty kilometer deep tunnels they used to create their underground vault-like city. It is unknown as to how long the Cochiesee survived in this lair.

Surviving records show that the Proximar Elitariat empire is defeated, after centuries of pan-galactic conflict, when their homeworld is destroyed. Remaining Proximar forces are being hunted and it is assumed none survived.

By this point there is no evidence that the galaxy supports any living civilizations. This is an arbitrary point marked one hundred thousand cycles before the oldest known written records of a living civilization (the Ukaros).

During this period there is no evidence that any interstellar civilizations existed. All evidence (and lack thereof) would seem to confirm that no intelligent species from the first Epoch survived into this Epoch. Many civilizations living today can trace their origins to this time.

The Ukaros civilization can be observed and they have begun using crude symbols to track basic information on stone tablets.

The Ukaros civilization unites under a single great family. While the exact family that rules their people will occasionally change the planet will generally remain under unified rule. Exceptions to this occur but are brief and punctuated by extreme violence and repression of the masses.

The Ukaros complete "The Great Work" a millennia long building project that expands their planet's arable land significantly. This results in a surge of population growth, industrial expansion, and scientific discovery.

The Ukaros Dynasties experiences an age of unprecedented technological advancement and begin exploring space. They soon develop basic slower than light interstellar travel technology.

The Ukaros discover life on another planet. This inspires them to begin colonizing other worlds by sending large-scale "seed ships" carrying hundreds of thousands of Ukaros in stasis. To this day lost "seedlings" can be encountered and such ships are considered extremely dangerous to board, as doing so typically wakes any surviving passengers. Such passengers typically do not have knowledge of other species or the translation software to immediately communicate with their would be boarders.

Terrans begin to form the earliest foundations of civilization. It would be quite some time before they would become important on a galactic scale.

The various Tothk civilizations finish exterminating the last vestiges of their cousin species... the Rothk. With the extinction of the incredibly aggressive Rothk, the Tothk begin to develop larger and less militant societies and surpass "bronze" age technological development soon-after.

Ukaros discover a primitive alien civilization, dubbed the "Tal-Daruu" or "Little Ones" and it does not take long for the Ukaros Dynasties to decide to conquer them. Conquest proceeds swiftly and meets little resistance. Tal-Daruu effectively become household slaves to the wealthiest members of the family clans.

The Lythians begin expanding and colonizing other star systems using slower than light drives. Lacking the technology or physical ability to induce stasis, these ships are generational communities.

The Ukaros discover the Tothk, who are industrialized and possess atomic weaponry. The Ukaros launch a failed invasion that lasts seventeen cycles and results in a unified Tothk people who now possess interstellar technology.

The recently formed Regime of Tothk has developed interstellar travel, established several fledgling colonies, and begin to launch fleets to seek and destroy any Ukaros they encounter. The first such encounters begin and centuries of conflict follow. The extremely slow nature of interstellar travel precludes either side from achieving any lasting victory.

An unidentified probe orbits Aquiloo, informing the Aquilarans that life exists beyond their planet and inspiring them to begin exploring space. They quickly learn they are boxed in by the warring Tothk and Ukaros.

The Aquilarans in their bid to leapfrog their neighbors discover the existence of spatial conduits or "Starways". This allows the Aquilaran Hierarchy to bypass hostile territory and begin colonizing other worlds. They quickly encounter many less advanced civilizations.

Tothk and Ukaros discover Aquilaran colonies and their new strategic advantage in drive technology and launch fleets against them. The so-called "Triadic War" begins and the Aquilarans barely manage to keep these two powerful empires at bay using their more advanced but numerically outnumbered fleets.

The Novari homeworld is destroyed in a super nova and the surviving Novari begin emigrating from their home system using slower than light drives. Lacking the technology or physical ability to induce stasis, these ships are generational communities.

Terran scientists of one nation state successfully land a small expedition on their moon as a demonstration of their superior technical and martial prowess.

The Aquilarans encounter the Fulgar and trade technology for desperately needed materials to continue their participation in the Triadic War. The Fulgar secretly steal the Aquilaran Stardrive technology and begin exploring the galaxy and trading Stardrive technology to other civilizations.

The Fulgar encounter the Novari migrant fleet travelling at slower than light. In a rare act of measured generosity, the Fulgar trade Stardrive technology in exchange for the Novari navigational charts.

The Minzari Communes having purchased FTL technology from the Fulgar, successfully send out their first vessels and make contact with the Tothk, Fulgar, Aquilarans, and other races. The Minzari call this the "First Offering" as they freely gave any race they encountered specially curated copies of their finest philosophical texts.

Ukaros and Tothk forces have gained Stardrive technology. The Aquilarans, now losing the war, lures the bulk of all three fleets into a massive battle of attrition over Fuldoon; homeworld of the Fulgar. Fulgar infrastructure is severely damaged and all three aggressors fleets are crippled beyond repair. Economically exhausted all parties agree to end the Triadic War. The Fulgar are granted a neutral status as brokers and merchants.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the galactic powers, the Zrenrakka arrive at the outskirts of our galaxy and begin searching for new planets to colonize.

The newly (and loosely) unified Terrans, having finally invented clean fusion technology, use it to establish their first large-scale outposts on Mars.

The Fulgar discover the Delnorian race, who are engaged in wide-scale planetary conflict over scarce resources. The Fulgar influence this conflict and guarantee one faction's supremacy in exchange for indentured labor, mercenaries, and a monopoly on the planet's interstellar trade going forward.

Encountering the Fulgar the Terrans purchase Stardrive technology from them. Within a few cycles they dramatically improve on the design and undergo a period of unprecedented interstellar migration. Terran colony ships and outposts can be found in every direction, some under the supervision of their government, some not.

The governments of Terra formally dissolve their official borders to form the Terran Republic. Ownership of the majority of Terran colonies is transferred peaceably to the Republic and formal relationships are established with the Tothk, Ukaros, Aquilarans, and Fulgar. Many within these governments are extremely wary of the Terrans who are spreading rapidly and possess the most advanced drive technology.

Zrenrakka fleets begin establishing select colonies on the edge of the common galactic Starways. They successfully hide their presence from the other galactic powers by choosing a location that is relatively difficult to reach.

After repeatedly warning the Terran Republic about their provocative and purportedly unauthorized colonization efforts near their borders, the Ukaros begin to openly seize or destroy Terran holdings. The Terran Republic announces the "New Monroe Doctrine" establishing a theoretical border it will defend and leaving any other colonies to their fate. Many independent colonies are officially annexed by the Republic, whilst others are disavowed and must resort to piracy and scavenging to survive.

Whilst the Ukaros have begun to push past the Monroe line, despite grim Terran resistance, the Aquilarans launch a surprise attack and use bio-weapons to destroy several fortified Terran colonies on their borders. These planets will remain uninhabitable to many species for decades to come as a result.

The Aquilarans manage to reverse engineer the advanced Terran Stardrives. In order to ensure Terran defeat at minimal cost to themselves they sell the drive technology to the Ukaros. The Terrans attempt to sell drive technology to the Tothk but are rejected. Soon the technology is available from Terran merchants fleeing the war and is widely disseminated.

Flexing their military muscle for the first time, the Fulgar Tradeholds simultaneously broker all trade away from the Aquilaran Hierarchy and embargo their most economically successful colonies. This forces the Aquilarans to recall their fleet from the Terran front. The Fulgar and Aquilarans face off for six months as the Aquilarans negotiate a settlement. The Fulgar are quite pleased with this little "revenge prank" for the "Great Gamble".

The Ukaros, growing tired of how tenacious the Terrans are proving to be, offer clemency to all Terran colonies who declare independence from the Terran Republic going forward. Many accept this offer and will remain independent after the war. The already simmering resentments between Terra and those colonies who were previously annexed explodes into widespread unrest and subversion.

The war between the Ukaros and Terrans finally ends with the dramatic bombardment of Terra by a small fleet of Ukaros ships. Despite their victory the Ukaros fleet is largely destroyed. The Tothk also declare they will intervene on behalf of the Terrans to preclude the Ukaros from continuing the fighting. The war has seen over three billion Terran civilians killed.

The Terran Republic dissolved into anarchy as everyday employees and military personnel simply stop supporting it. Some powerful industrialists, military figures, and bureaucrats step in and create a militaristic super-state. Calling itself the Terran Sovereignty the new government acts quickly to begin rebuilding Terra's fleet and cities with the goal of reacquiring all of their lost territory. Civilian unrest is largely curtailed by finally establishing a true socialist safety net and supposedly, by establishing a truly merit-based political establishment.

There would appear to be at least some truth to this, as many of Terra's wealthiest individuals find themselves bereft of political power and flee Sovereignty space, those who fail to escape find their businesses nationalized and their wealth "drafted for the cause".

In retaliation to the opportunistic use of bio-weapons by the Aquilarans against Terran colonies during the Monroe Wars, remnants of the Terran Republic fleet launch nuclear strikes against Aquilaran colonies. This act of terrorism is disavowed by the Terran Sovereignty. Aquilaran forces hunt down and destroy the responsible vessels. Aquilaran intelligence believes the Sovereignty secretly aided the rebellious fleet elements involved.

The Veygar Hordes, having completed their mercenary contract for the Ukaros, settle down on their new world of Kharn, a hostile planet given as payment for their services.

Fulgar prospectors searching for potential mining colonies discover the Zrenrakka at the edge of the Galactic Commons. The Zrenrakka allow the Fulgar to leave peacefully, but with a fierce warning not to interfere with them. Diplomatic channels between the Zrenrakka and other galactic powers are soon established. The Fulgar begin efforts to soften the discord between all major governments, spurred by their fear of Zrenrakkan military might and the possible need of interspecies coordination to counter them.

Having acted as the unofficial brokers of inter-species trade for several centuries, most of the great powers agree to standardizing certain market practices and authorizing the Fulgar Trade Commission to manage them. Galactic economic integration continues to accelerate.

The independent colony of Valhalla is annexed aggressively by the Terran Sovereignty. The first former Terran Republic colony to be reclaimed by force. This action clearly signifies to the other great powers that the Terrans are potentially ready for open conflict with their neighbors.

The galaxy is poised for renewed conflict and as the Great Powers vie for dominance with each other and the Lesser Worlds become pawns in their games.