TIMELINE

2020    Cavius base established. Mining of Lunar subcrustal resources starts.

2037    Beginning of large-scale geneering on humans; improvement to immunology system, eradication of appendix, organ efficiency increased.

2041    First deuterium-fuelled fusion stations built; inefficient and expensive.

2044    Christian reunification.

2047    First asteroid capture mission. Beginning of Earth’s O’Neill Halo.

2049    Quasi-sentient bitek animals employed as servitors.

2055    Jupiter mission.

2055    Lunar cities granted independence from founding companies.

2057    Ceres asteroid settlement founded.

2058    Affinity symbiont neurons developed by Wing-Tsit Chong, providing control over animals and bitek constructs.

2064    Multinational industrial consortium (Jovian Sky Power Corporation) begins mining Jupiter’s atmosphere for He3 using aerostat factories.

2064    Islamic secular unification.

2067    Fusion stations begin to use He3 as fuel.

2069    Affinity bond gene spliced into human DNA.

2075    JSKP germinates Eden, a bitek habitat in orbit around Jupiter, with UN Protectorate status.

2077    New Kong asteroid begins FTL stardrive research project.

2085    Eden opened for habitation.

2086    Habitat Pallas germinated in Jupiter orbit.

2090    Wing-Tsit Chong dies, and transfers memories to Eden’s neural strata. Start of Edenist culture. Eden and Pallas declare independence from UN. Launch buyout of JSKP shares. Pope Eleanor excommunicates all Christians with affinity gene. Exodus of affinity capable humans to Eden. Effective end of bitek industry on Earth.

2091    Lunar referendum to terraform Mars.

2094    Edenists begin exowomb breeding programme coupled with extensive geneering improvement to embryos, tripling their population over a decade.

2103    Earth’s national governments consolidate into Govcentral.

2103    Thoth base established on Mars.

2107    Govcentral jurisdiction extended to cover O’Neill Halo.

2115    First instantaneous translation by New Kong spaceship, Earth to Mars.

2118    Mission to Proxima Centauri.

2123    Terracompatible planet found at Ross 154.

2125    Ross 154 planet named Felicity, first multiethnic colonists arrive.

2125–2130    Four new terracompatible planets discovered. Multiethnic colonies founded.

2131    Edenists germinate Perseus in orbit around Ross 154 gas giant, begin He3 mining.

2131–2205    One hundred and thirty terracompatible planets discovered. Massive starship building programme initiated in O’Neill Halo. Govcentral begins large-scale enforced outshipment of surplus population, rising to 2 million a week in 2160: Great Dispersal. Civil conflict on some early multiethnic colonies. Individual Govcentral states sponsor ethnic-streaming colonies. Edenists expand their He3 mining enterprise to every inhabited star system with a gas giant.

2139    Asteroid Braun impacts on Mars.

2180    First orbital tower built on Earth.

2205    Antimatter production station built in orbit around sun by Govcentral in an attempt to break the Edenist energy monopoly.

2208    First antimatter-drive starships operational.

2210    Richard Saldana transports all of New Kong’s industrial facilities from the O’Neill Halo to an asteroid orbiting Kulu. He claims independence for the Kulu star system, founds Christian-only colony, and begins to mine He3 from the system’s gas giant.

2218    First voidhawk gestated, a bitek starship designed by Edenists.

2225    Establishment of a hundred voidhawk families. Habitats Romulus and Remus germinated in Saturn orbit to serve as voidhawk bases.

2232    Conflict at Jupiter’s trailing Trojan asteroid cluster between belt alliance ships and an O’Neill Halo company hydrocarbon refinery. Antimatter used as a weapon; twenty-seven thousand people killed.

2238    Treaty of Deimos; outlaws production and use of antimatter in the Sol system; signed by Govcentral, Lunar nation, asteroid alliance, and Edenists. Antimatter stations abandoned and dismantled.

2240    Coronation of Gerrald Saldana as King of Kulu. Foundation of Saldana dynasty.

2267–2270    Eight separate skirmishes involving use of antimatter among colony worlds. Thirteen million killed.

2271    Avon summit between all planetary leaders. Treaty of Avon, banning the manufacture and use of antimatter throughout inhabited space. Formation of Human Confederation to police agreement. Construction of Confederation Navy begins.

2300    Confederation expanded to include Edenists.

2301    First Contact. Jiciro race discovered, a pre-technology civilization. System quarantined by Confederation to avoid cultural contamination.

2310    First ice asteroid impact on Mars.

2330    First blackhawks gestated at Valisk, independent habitat.

2350    War between Novska and Hilversum. Novska bombed with antimatter. Confederation Navy prevents retaliatory strike against Hilversum.

2356    Kiint homeworld discovered.

2357    Kiint join Confederation as “observers.”

2360    A voidhawk scout discovers Atlantis.

2371    Edenists colonize Atlantis.

2395    Tyrathca colony world discovered.

2402    Tyrathca join Confederation.

2420    Kulu scoutship discovers Ruin Ring.

2428    Bitek habitat Tranquillity germinated by Crown Prince Michael Saldana, orbiting above Ruin Ring.

2432    Prince Michael’s son, Maurice, geneered with affinity. Kulu abdication crisis. Coronation of Lukas Saldana. Prince Michael exiled.

2550    Mars declared habitable by Terraforming office.

2580    Dorado asteroids discovered around Tunja, claimed by both Garissa and Omuta.

2581    Omuta mercenary fleet drops twelve antimatter planetbusters on Garissa, planet rendered uninhabitable. Confederation imposes thirty-year sanction against Omuta, prohibiting any interstellar trade or transport. Blockade enforced by Confederation Navy.

2582    Colony established on Lalonde.