Author Topic: Background History for Astra Imperia Universe  (Read 2720 times)

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Background History for Astra Imperia Universe
« on: December 04, 2010, 04:47:49 PM »
History
The 21st Century

2024 – World War III sparked by a nuclear detonation in NYC by radical terrorists. The United States responds by launching massive invasions into Middle Eastern countries. The conflict overflows into Europe when another terrorist group detonates another nuclear bomb in London. War continues over the next 18 years, reducing most of the Middle East to uninhabitable wasteland.
2036 – Professor Tadeo Hirugachi of CalTech postulates a theory of Warpspace which states that above normal, or N-Space is a highly condensed space, which would allow a vessel to travel interstellar distances in times much less than that in N-Space.
2045 – The United States, Canada, Mexico, and most of Latin America merge to form the North American Federation (NAF).
2049 – World War III having been the final death knell to the old European Union, the European countries form the Commonwealth of Greater Europe (CGE).
2054 – China annexes Taiwan over the protests of Japan and the NAF. Over the next 10 years, China slowly annexes most of South East Asia. They rename themselves the Middle Kingdom.
2060-2080 – Increased tensions worldwide spur military development. The major powers begin fielding armor and artillery using lasers, rather than projectiles. The drawback to these units is their limited range in atmosphere. Military satellites and stations around the Earth use lasers exclusively.
2075 – Professor Tadeo Hirugachi, with the aid of the NAF Space Authority (NAFSA), constructs a primitive warp drive, which is installed in a probe. The probe is launched from an orbiting station aimed for the outer system. The probe returns to N-Space after six hours and sends back images of Pluto, before the power plant goes critical and explodes, destroying the probe.
2079 – Russia, with its remaining economic power begins to construct three Sleeper ships in orbit. These massive, slower-than-light ships are constructed as generation ships, to hold a small population that will increase as they voyage between the stars.
2086 – Russia’s first generational sleeper ship, the Novaya Muscovy, leaves Earth orbit, heading for 61 Ursae Majoris, approximately 30 light years from earth.
2090 – An associate physics professor at the Max Planck Institute, Wilhelm Jacobs, develops a primitive form of magnetic shielding. This shielding is able to withstand a mega-joule laser for approximately 4 seconds before collapsing. Unfortunately, the shield requires the dedicated output of a small fission plant during that time.
2093 – The countries on the Indian subcontinent are annexed in a brief war by the Middle Kingdom.
2095 – The second of Russia’s generational sleeper ships, the Novaya Petrograd, leaves orbit, heading for 82 Eridani, approximately 20 light years from Earth.
2099 – The countries of Northern Africa form the Saharan Commonwealth. Four months later, headed by South Africa, the remainder of the African continent coalesces under the flag of the Republic of Africa.

The 22nd Century

2100 – 2108 – Continuing tests by the NAFSA of a viable warp drive continue. A number of warp probes are sent out to Pluto and Alpha Centauri. Continuing issues with the fission plants destroys each probe soon after reemergence into N-Space.
2105 – The South American continent forms the Republica de Bolivar.
2109 – Work by the Max Planck Institute continues on the magnetic shielding developed by Wilhelm Jacobs. The duration of the shielding nears 30 seconds, but the power requirements are still ruinous.
2112 – Japan and Australia, along with the remnants of SE Asia that the Middle Kingdom has not annexed combine into the Pacific Federation (PacFed).
2115 – The final Russian generational sleeper ship, the Novaya Rostov, leaves Earth orbit, heading for Alpha Mensae, approximately 28 light years from Earth.
2124 – A PacFed scientific consortium develops a superconducting material that requires minimal cooling. This ushers in an age of quantum computing as computer speed and capacity increases exponentially.
2137 – NAFSA establishes a permanent base on the far side of the moon. Initially with a population of 20 scientists, the population grows to over 1000 in the next 10 years.
2140-2160 – Continuing NAFSA warp experiments and better superconducting materials allows a warp probe to successfully emerge, re-enter ‘Warpspace’ and return to Earth. Scanners on the NAFSA moon base detect a phenomenon as the probe emerges from Warpspace. This phenomenon becomes known as ‘Emergence Waves’. James Van Klaiburn, lead researcher on the NAFSA team, theorizes that proximity to a planetary body somehow hinders the vessel entering Warpspace. Experiments conducted reveal that a distance of approximately 128,000km is necessary for unimpeded entrance into Warpspace. This limit becomes known as the Van Klaiburn Limit, or the VK Limit.
2157 – The Republic of Africa attacks and takes over a good portion of the Saharan Commonwealth. Small skirmishes continue for the next 3 years.
2163 – The Saharan Commonwealth, with aid from the Commonwealth of Greater Europe attacks and regains its former territories. Attacks continue deep into the Republic of Africa.
2164 – The Republic of Africa enlists the aid of the Middle Kingdom, which launches an attack against the CGE. The CGE invokes its mutual defense treaties with NAF and PacFed. War continues for the next 20 years.
2179 – The Middle Kingdom launches a limited nuclear strike against PacFed targets. The PacFed retaliates destroying a dozen major Middle Kingdom cities.
2180-2188 – Gradual escalation leads to a decimation of the world’s population. Fighting slows to a gradual halt, as economic and industrial infrastructures are unable to sustain hostilities.
2195 – Representatives of the world powers meet in Birmingham, England Province, CGE. The Birmingham Accords lead to the formation of the Terran Confederation.

The 23rd Century

2200-2250 – Outposts are established on a number of solar bodies in the system, including Mars, Galileo, Io, and Ceres.
2240 – The first manned warp-drive ship named Enterprise leaves the solar system for Alpha Centauri. The Enterprise arrives in the Alpha Centauri system approximately 40 days after leaving Earth. The Enterprise spends six months surveying the Alpha Centauri system. The expedition returns to Earth nine months after it left, bringing back scientific knowledge and samples from the first extra-solar system humans have been to.
2245 – Plans are made for the colonization of the Alpha Centauri system.
2257 – Wonder about the generational ships launched over 100 years ago leads to the formation of the Terran Confederation Survey Corps. Three Enterprise-class ships are constructed, the Consortium, Endeavor, and Venture. The ships leave for the stars that were the generational ships destinations.
2258 – The Consortium arrives at 82 Eridani, and encounters the Novaya Ruskaya Commonwealth (NRC). The Novaya Ruskayans have a number of outposts and populations on most of the larger bodies in the system. The Novaya Ruskayan scientists have improved upon the early work of Wilhelm Jacobs and have developed a viable shield system which all of their ships mount. Negotiations begin to trade shields for warp drive.
2258 – The Endeavor arrives at Alpha Mensae. Entering the system, they find a derelict Novaya Rostov. Closer examination of the derelict shows that the ship was attacked by multi-mega joule lasers. The Endeavor returns home and plans are quietly made to begin arming and shielding ships.
2259 – The Venture arrives in the 61 Ursae Majoris system. Entering the system, the Venture is hailed by ships of the Ursae Republic (UR). The Venture is not allowed into the inner system and after two months of fruitless negotiations; returns to Earth.
2260-2300 – Continuing expansion of colonies and outposts in both Sol and Alpha Centauri continues.
2267 – In an effort to improve warp drives, the scientists at the University of Sol, Mars, develop a “Warp Anchor”. This device seems to be capable of latching onto a nearby ship and dragging it out of Warpspace. The Terran Confederation Navy (TCN) starts quietly outfitting some of its ships with the device.
2275 – Ships from the NRC colonize P Eridani.
2294 – Ships from the UR colonize DM+36 1979, which they rename Ursae Minoris.

The 24th Century

2310 – Increased commercial traffic between Sol, Alpha Centauri and 82 Eridani leads to increased incidents of piracy and lost ships. The Terran Confederation begins to patrol the trade lanes between the three systems. Commercial ships begin to travel in convoys, which leads to a number of the more successful pirates to merge operations. The biggest pirate group begins to call itself the Obsidian Blade.
2312 – Pirates from the Obsidian Blade establish a base in the Delta Trianguli system, renaming it Bolthole.
2315 – Increased patrolling leads to a number of clashes between the Obsidian Blade and the Terran Confederation Navy. Most clashes are inconclusive as the Obsidian Blade ships retreat when greatly outnumbered. The TCN has no idea where the Obsidian Blade calls home.
2320 – Continued exploration of nearby systems reveals a small number of habitable bodies orbiting Wolf 359, Barnard’s Star and Tau Ceti. Plans are made to seed the planets with colonies
2300-2350 – Continued research on Terra provides breakthroughs in weaponry. TC scientists develop a beam weapon that provides a kinetic strike, similar to a projectile weapon. TCN ships begin to get refit to include the new weapon.
2300-2350 – Limiting their expansion, and increasing their naval expenditures and research, the Ursae Republic develops a weapon they call the particle bomb, along with enhanced fission plants.
2300-2350 – Trading with the TC, the Novaya Ruskayans develop improved sensors and ECM.
2340 – Since the return of the Endeavor from the Alpha Mensae system, the TCN has kept a quiet eye on the system to see what may have attacked and destroyed the sleeper ship. After 81 years of surveillance the ship on picket, the Katana, detects emergence waves. Slowly and stealthily moving closer in-system, the Katana is able to detect a ship of a type not previously seen. The ship moves into close proximity to the derelict and remains there for nearly a week before warping out of the system.
2341 – The TCN reinforces the Alpha Mensae picket with an additional four cruisers.
2360 – The Third Reconnaissance Squadron, tasked to survey stars near the Ursae Republic’s territory, encounters a small force of ships of an unidentified type. The URN attacks the ships and destroys most of them.
2360-2400 – The Ursae Republic continues to build and maintain their isolation. Increased skirmishes occur between the URN and the aliens, now known to be the Trit’ikk’it, an insect-like race.
2375 – The TCN Alpha Mensae picket is surprised by a squadron of ships similar to the lone alien ship from 35 years earlier. The alien squadron opens fire when the picket attempts to hail them. The TCN picket attempts to withdraw, sustaining 80% casualties. The aliens are identified as Kal’Shak.
2377 – The TCN reinforces the Alpha Mensae picket and upgrades it to a full fleet under Vice Admiral James Horner. Admiral Horner also receives materiel to construct outposts on Alpha Mensae IV.
2385-2390 – A number of clashes between the TCN and the Kal’Shak are inconclusive. The population of Alpha Mensae continues to grow.
2398 – Tau Ceti reaches a population level similar to Earth’s in the late 22nd Century. Increased Tensions between the Tau Cetans and Earth lead to a separatist movement on Tau Ceti.

The 25th Century

2402 – Tau Ceti formally secedes from the Terran Confederation. Increased pressure from the Kal’Shak has a large portion of the TCN pinned down in defensive positions. The Tau Cetans forms the Taurus Republic. Ships from the TRN engage in limited skirmishes with the TCN.
2408 – The Terran Confederation reluctantly agrees to a cease-fire with the Taurus Republic.
2410 – The present.