[Abe Sargent]

The Timeline, Up Until Now


2028 - Spurred by a new technological boom, China lands a mission on the Moon.
2031 - USA lands its first mission on the moon in decades, in competition with the Chinese.
2032 - The Chinese announce a 5 year plan to land a mission on Mars
2039 - Delayed by two years, the plan finally succeeds when China lands three people on Mars
2040 - Early in the year, the US lands a mission on Mars as well. Various countries and corporations allied with USA and China gain various space technologies as China and the US begin to economize the space race in order to go faster. The various developed Asian nations begin to enter spheres of influence. Singapore and Pakistan fall under Chinese sway. United Korea and Japan are under US. China uses the space race as an excuse to invade and take Taiwan in one week, and the US is unable to stop it. Observers claim the Second Cold War has begun.
2042 - The European Union, not wanting to be left behind, begins funding and building a Mars program of their own. Several other nations ally with China or the US including some nations in Latin America splitting. Australia and New Zealand agree to assist the European Union and a launch site is built in the Pacific. Nations like Venezuela and Colombia ally with China, while Argentina and Mexico join the US.
2045 - China establishes the first permanent base on Mars.
2047 - The US does as well.
2048 - The European Union’s mission to Mars is put on hold when mechanical errors lead to an explosion in space after their shuttle was launched. Sabotage is suspected, but unconfirmed.
2049 - Africa and other nations, like Brazil, India and Russia and the Arabic nations of the middle east except for Turkey, who joined the EU plan - seeing themselves left out of the three way pie for space dominance, sign a treaty of alliance to explore new possibilities of joint space exploration. Russian experience and Indian technology and Middle East economic power join Brazilian industry. Africa contributes little to the project.
2052 - The EU finally lands a shuttle on Mars. Both US and China bases have more than 100 people in each. Land is being claimed quickly. The alliance of leftover countries has claimed land as well, but no one believes they have merit, since there is no presence on Mars yet.
2053 - US lands the first permanent military detachment on Mars. The human brain is mapped out so well that scientists now know where everything goes.
2055 - After many years of political infighting and failure of trust, the alliance of left over countries falls apart, with no base ever built. While a few nations get gobbled up by the three major alliances, the rest simply are unable to catch up.
2056 - With many nations once developing now close to developed, the number of nations purchasing large numbers of oil and needing vast amounts of plastic and fossil fuels is reaching an all time high. Production of many of these materials is dwindling. Nations that were once giant guzzlers of the world’s resources, such as the US and China, have switched over to much more economically friendly power supplies and infrastructures.
2057 - Cloning of humans is developed.
2060 - The EU finally establishes their first base on Mars. By now, each of the US and China bases are at over 1000 people.
2061 - The human genome is sufficiently developed that scientists can determine the hair color, eye color, potential diseases, and more of a child while in the earliest stages of the womb.
2062 - The first manned expedition to the Asteroid Belt is successful by the US.
2063 - With the economic benefits of decades of space research making the quality of life for the main nations and their economic benefactors massively better, the nations left outside the three alliances begin to rattle their sabers. The rift between the haves and the have nots is increasing massively. While fossil fuels and cars are the lifeblood in Africa, parts of Asia, the middle east, and some parts of South America and Russia, other nations have very developed economies. In America, a vehicle guides itself perfectly to the destination, while the passengers inside relax, talk to others, and work. Metal chip patches applied to the skin are methods of communication with anyone else who has one, and many are wearing the newest chip inside the ear itself, which provides perfect sound. Sounds inside the ear can be very quiet, and thus non-damaging to hearing, while providing a sound that sounds even better than reality. They are able to send frequencies for all media. The Internet has developed into a virtual reality landscape with people putting up castles, houses, disco clubs, and more. Users can enter these commercial places for money. The more money you have, the better entertainment you can afford online. Interface is done through neural connections in the patch or chip.
2065 - Several African nations have begun to be swallowed up by nearby nations. Three nations are annexed by militaries - Djibouti by Somalia, and Burundi and Rwanda by Tanzania and Kenya, respectively. The other major alliances do not care, and do not stop them.
2066 - The first mining colony is established on Asteroid 57842, otherwise known as Big Rock, by the Americans. The EU finally brings military forces to Mars. China launches a program to land on asteroids in the belt.
2068 - In the past three years, many more African nations have been gobbled up neighbors. The only nations left are South Africa, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, Egypt, Morocco, Libya, Nigeria, Mali and Madagascar. The Central African Republic is still around as well, but it has changed its named to Aksum after annexing Ethiopia and South Sudan. The remaining 11 African nations now encompass major areas of the continent, and use bloody tactics to quell the many tribal and ethnic rebellions. Cleansing that makes Rwanda look like a baby bath begin in several countries. No one cares enough to tell them to stop.
2069 - After having no general meeting all year long, the United Nations is formally disbanded.
2070 - China establishes a mining colony on Asteroid 298364, otherwise known as Ganges. The USA has been prospecting many nearby asteroids and has mapped out locations of interesting minerals.
2071 - The US begins the terraforming of Mars by initiating the melting of the polar ice caps. China wanted to use another method, and there was a battle to see which one could start first. The US won, and now everybody must get behind their method.
2072 - After seeing the terraforming of Mars, the colonization of the asteroid belt, and more, a fleet of four Idraxian trader vessels arrives in the Sol system. There is a battle between the three powers to trade with the fleet, and the Idraxians solve the problem diplomatically by sending one each of their vessels to meet and trade with the three major alliances, and keeping the fourth one back. The Idraxians introduce humans to the idea that they are not alone. Wars on Earth stop virtually overnight, including the ethnic cleaning of Africa. The Idraxians trade the knowledge of hyperspace travel for a large quantity of the remaining nuclear material, fossil fuels, and precious metals in the ground as well as that already mined. With little raw materials left, the colonization of the asteroid belt begins to become a priority, as the alliances see mining the belt as the next wave of economic freedom.
2073 - The Second Cold War Ends, and the relations between the alliances warms.
2074 - After two years of reflection, a new religion is founded, the Church of the Sun. This church unites several faiths, and preaches new teachings in the wake of the alien visitors. The Idraxians arrive again for more trading.
2076 – After several incidents of the uncanny valley problem, the alliances sign an accord that neither they, nor their corporate allies, will continue to make robots that look like people. However, unknown to any others, SimTek continues research into making robots that perfectly resemble and act like people.
2079 - By the end of the decade, more than 10 additional mining colonies have been established by the three alliances in the Belt. Several asteroids have already been stripped clean by the nations. Sciences in things like Xenobiology and Astrogeology are becoming essential courses at many colleges and universities.
2084 - The first hyper drive engine is built by the US. They attach it to an explorer vessel, the USS Discovery, and send it out.
2086 - The Discovery returns and gives information about nearby star systems, mostly devoid, but they found more planets then had initially been suspected and discovered in many of them. They found no intelligent alien life. One system - Epsilon Eridani, had two planets that appeared to be stripped clean, however.
2087 - The Chinese launch their first explorer ship, the Zhang He. The US reequip theirs and send it back out again. Discovery is never heard from again.
2088 - The Zheng He makes contact with a group of Talasian monks. They return with the Talasians and Earth meets its second alien race. These Talasians are of a religious bent, and were on a pilgrimage, with a severely damaged ship the Zheng He helped to repair. They reveal various secrets about the nearby area, since the Idraxians would not give much information - they were traders and the price was too high. The Talasians tell of a major galactic power nearby Earth - the Concordat. The Talasians are viewed as prophets to the Church of the Sun. Several Talasians stay in the Sol System as missionaries and spiritual guides.
2089 - Scientists discover how to send communications through hyperspace, allowing ships and colonies virtually instant communication when within a few light years. With this discovery, production of explorer ships slows as it can be incorporated into them. Europe’s base on Mars developed a fault, and they all have to be evacuated to the US and China bases. Sabotage is suspected.
2090 - A group of Terrorists calling themselves the Prophets of God launch an attack on a grounded space shuttle in New Zealand and destroy it.
2092 - Another vessel is launched by the US alliance - The USS Victory, a ship with a more military bent. The first energy projectile is created in a lab setting , but it will take years of research to weaponize it.
2093 - The Idraxians return, with a huge fleet. They flee through the Sol system, and tell the Earthlings to prepare for the worst, but none wants to purchase the information as to who or when.
2094 - After a long stint, the Zheng He returns from its second voyage with many discoveries, including various industrial materials that puts China ahead in the industrial game. Invasive plants from other worlds begin to enter the Chinese ecology from damaged biospheres and hydroponics.
2095 - The Victory returns at the beginning of the year, damaged and defeated by a ship of unknown configuration. They refused communications contact and simply opened fire on the Victory. This was roughly 45 light years away in a system called Sirius Beta.
2097 - After two years of repairs, the Victory is ready to launch again. Two more vessels leave this year under the Chinese flag. The Liu Bei and the Shou Lung join the Zheng He in exploring the region.
2101 - Having developed much industry in the decades of federal contracts, several company consortiums begin completing merchant vessels. They move between Mars, the asteroids, Earth, and other alien outposts in the nearby area that the explorer vessels have found. Europe finally fields its first explorer vessel, the Cutty Sark, after they were set behind by terrorists. The Church of the Sun claims 500 million worshippers. Earth passed 20 billion people, and nations like the US have begun forced relocation programs to send people to states with fewer populations. With global warming a fact, states like Alaska are more comfortable, and Canada is making more of the world’s food than any other five countries combined.
2102 - A small colony of Galataches are discovered in a nearby system by the merchant vessel Enlightenment, and trade begins. The various alliances establish embassies on the colony world. Several diplomats and merchants are taken on Galatach ships to their home world and welcomed as envoys of Earth.
2103 - The terraforming of Mars is sped up by the introduction of nanotechnology drones, finally ready from the lab for work in the field.
2104 - After some smaller strikes, the Prophets of God manage to kill all of the merchants aboard a merchant vessel, land on a Chinese colony in the asteroid belt, and let loose a toxic chemical that kills everybody inside. After it dissipates, they raid the colony for supplies and weapons, and turn their merchant vessel into a space age pirate ship.
2105 - The nations left behind are now sufficiently caught up that they form a new alliance to explore the stars. Bases on Mars are now well over 500,000 strong, each, and growing daily. Tourism has caught on, and visiting and staying in Mars for one week costs around one month’s wage without regard for food and entertainment, in many countries.
2099 - With more and more hyper drive ships rolling off the spacedocks, China launches a manned mission to Callisto. Meanwhile, having discovered this plan, the US orders a planned mission to Ganymede. The Galatach government is taken over by a political party opposed to alien contact, and severs all ties to Earth.
2111 - After much research, another major medical breakthrough occurs. The genome is mapped so much that people can be given certain skills and abilities. Soon, instead of merely choosing a child‘s teeth and skin tone and hair and such, predispositions towards certain skills and intelligences can be chosen. The first manned mission to Mars succeeds by the fourth alliance of nations. The Prophets of God ship is finally destroyed by a combined taskforce of three Chinese ships.
2112 - Contact with the Concordat is made when a dark green vessel arrives in the Earth system. They issue a decree that many nearby systems have been claimed by them, and to stay away. They send a communication showing the borders of the Concordat, and leave.
2113 - The Fourth Alliance has established a base on Mars in the border between the US and China zones that were claimed. They choose to not press the issue diplomatically or militarily, and grant a 30 kilometer radius around the base to the fourth alliance. Nanotechs have accelerated terraforming by 30 years since being introduced in Mars. Ganymede and Callisto are both reached this year by the two alliances. Europe announces their intention to land and explore the dangerous Io. The other alliances secretly laugh. The Church of the Sun is now the third largest religion after Christianity and Islam.
2115 - The Prophets of God remerge with an attack on the European Mars base in the Madler crater. It fails after European Mars commandoes fight them off successfully. Another Talasian frigate arrives in system, and this is only the second time the Talasians have met with Earth. They seek a non-aggression pact with Earth, which is quickly signed by all four alliances. Africa is now fully developed, under the hands of the few remaining countries.
2116 - Merchants arriving at the Galatach colony are welcomed only by ominous silence. It is completely gone. Most believe that it was removed by the Galataches themselves, since their new party is in power, but some note the blast marks as possibly a sign of violence, rather than ships blasting off.
2119 - The Chinese introduce a new space faring vessel using all of the latest technology. It is much smaller than the first ships, packs the newly commissioned energy weapons, and has space for a crew of 10, plus cargo and supplies for long missions. The first of these is built just at the end of the year, and sent out. A small skirmish breaks out between two different colonies in the asteroid belt, but the two alliances quickly stop the fighting. Cryogenics is perfected after many setbacks.
2120 – After an explorer vessel of theirs enters a wormhole and transports a long distance away from Sol and arrives at the Vega system, a few European countries secretly fund a colony project to the second planet of Vega, where that ship has showed unusual readings. Seeing themselves behind the US and China alliances, this appears to be a perfect place to set up base and begin exploring and investigating what appear to be ruins of another culture.
2121 - A European mission lands at Io, and quickly takes off again after the environment is too hostile.
2122 - The Galatach send an envoy to Earth to ask for asylum. The Concordat has claimed their planets and is attacking them with great fervor. After some consideration, Earth declines, not wanting to foster bad relations with the Concordat. Secretly, both the Church of the Sun and the Prophets of God purchase the small Chinese vessels and send out colonization ships to see if they can establish new colonies abroad. Callisto is now a permanent base of China. Plans to set up one on Ganymede by the US are going along very quickly.
2123 - Unknown to Earth, a cloaked small fleet of Galatach vessels and people arrive from three different systems to colonize a few small colonies, sight unseen, on the outer planets and moons.
2124 - Plans for terraforming Callisto begin, Ganymede is now an American outpost. The moons are claimed in whole by China and America, instead of Mars that was split into several colonies.
2125 – The first asteroid mining colony of the fourth alliance is founded. A nearby Talasian Trading Post is invaded by unknown forces.
2128 – After the commercial success of their smaller craft, the Chinese begin working on an even smaller scout vessel with hyperspace capability, and space for a crew of three. There is little cargo space and cramped living space. The ships sports the best navigation systems available to make navigation very easy for anyone. Communications are also upgraded to the maximum level.
2129 – The number of people on Mars reaches 2,500,000. China has landed a small contingent on Europa and establishes a mining outpost.
2131 – A Talasian envoy arrives at Earth and holds a closed session with representatives from the four alliances. Secret information is conveyed, and the alliances step up the militarization of space. Nuclear missiles are made again for the first time in almost a hundred years, and added to vehicles. Each contributes to the joint development of combat satellites designed to deploy around a planet and protect it from a fleet. Energy weapon research increases massively. Many military and exploration vessels are ordered to return home and are refitted with better weapons, armor, and kept in system.

2133 – Before many of the preparations are complete, a Concordat military fleet arrives in the Sol system and announces that they have annexed the Sol system. All citizens of the various planets and asteroids are now citizens of the Concordat. They will be moved to new worlds as slave labor to mine and farm for the glory of the Concordat. Despite being outnumbered, the citizens of earth band behind the Indian Admiral Samir Wutari with the intention to fight. Samir uses the navigational thrusters on asteroids to make them missiles which hit several passing Condordat ships and declare war. A massive armada of hyperspace and intrasystem ships fly out of the asteroid belt and tear into the flanks of the Concordat fleet, who lose several ships. They turn and destroy the Earth vessels with the ease of advanced technology.



After crushing the fleet, the Concordat’s advanced weaponry begins to systematically destroy the outer colonies, before moving into Earth.



With most of their ships destroyed, the alliances of Earth joined together for one final plan. The Talasians informed them that the Concordat has been moving through the nearby systems and scouring their systems for life. Expecting they may be next, plans were set in motion for the continuance of the human species, but the Concordat arrived earlier than they expected. Only one of the scout ships has rolled off the Chinese assembly lines so far. The scientists have been hard at work making one last hope for humanity, but just one has been created so far. They genetically engineered a near-perfect human, strong, intelligent, nimble, and attractive. This male of mixed racial heritage is given the skills and knowledge of 100 disciplines. And a very long life, massively longer than a normal human’s. Because of the amount of space this information takes, the clone, nicknamed The Century, usually referred to as Karne (century in Swahili, pronounced Car-nay), has no additional information. He does not know about a family, friends, Earth, history, geography, astrogeography, or anything else. He simply knows these 100 disciplines. To help him, 2 mentors are sent along – a captain of a merchant vessel that was commandeered and now destroyed, and knows the various alien races and astrogeography nearby better than any other human, and a teacher chosen for her ability to teach and instruct perfectly. Both mentors can show Karne how to live and what to do. 1000 gemstone chits are sent along, since those are believed to be the basic unit of commerce in many regions of space.



The Galatach colonists reveal themselves and launch a counter attack against the Concordat, and deal a lot of damage to the fleet before they are destroyed themselves. In the meantime, a few civilian ships both Earth and Galatach manage to sneak away. Earth uses this opportunity to send out the scout vessel, but they fear sending it alone, so the decision is reluctantly made to send it with an escort of the remaining vehicles, knowing it makes the ships more likely to be seen. The scout ship is being sent to Talasian space to see if they will assist in Earth’s hour of need.



Unfortunately, the escorts do raise notice and the fleet is attacked by the rearguard of the Concordat, now near Earth as the fleet turned to face the Galatach attack. Their ships engage and destroy the Earth ships, who try to cover the escape of the scout ship bearing The Century in cryogenic sleep. There are not enough, and after quickly being destroyed, attachments of Concordat ships fire on the scout ship just as it enters hyperspace.



With a destroyed navigation system, the ship jumps into hyperspace, and heads automatically to a random point. The captain tries to get the scout ship back into its path, but she fails. The scout ship jumps out at an unmarked system and suffers more damage from the jump as the special coating on the ship to protect it from hyperspace is now fully decayed. The teacher dies in the turbulence.



The severely damaged ship’s sensors manage to scan the system and the captain finds a planet that appears to have a large amount of intelligent and developed life on it. Making for the planet, the battered scout ship begins to strip off parts in the sky, but the heat shield holds and the ship crashes into the ground. The crash batters the ship badly, and crushes the front section in, instantly killing the captain, but The Century’s cryogenic chamber protects him. Sensing an atmosphere that is breathable, appears to have no toxins, and low radiation, the chamber awakens The Century, and then turns off after he is fully awake.



Karne blinks away the first rays of natural light he has ever seen. He spoke with scientists before he left, briefly, but with no detail about what was happening, just tests to ensure that the knowledge they gave him stuck. He is in the crashed hull of a small scout ship that was once hyperdrive capable. He is on an unknown planet in an unknown system with unknown aliens on it. He has no mission dossier, no mentors, and no basic knowledge – just a perfect body and knowledge of 100 disciplines.



In fire and death, The Century is born.