In the First Era, the Terran Mercantile Guild grew vast and powerful. It spanned nearly 500 star systems and knew no enemies but those it created for itself. Those internal enemies proved to be it's ultimate downfall. Guild historians assert that the Guild had existed for nearly a millennium before it's downfall. Crimson Dawn and other sources place it's age at closer to 500 terran years at the time of the Great Collapse.
Near the end of the First Era, a separatist faction known as the Crimson Dawn gained notoriety. They appeared wherever the Guild police and military presence was weak, and cultivated malcontent amongst Guild colonies. Arguing for increased independence of Guild colonies from the central command based at Terra, they found widespread support throughout Guild space. The Dawn argued for a decentralized government, with greater independence from Terra than had ever existed in Guild history.
Guild political leadership was not wholeheartedly opposed to independence of at least some the outlying colonies. Resource shortages were straining the economy and the newfound unrest propagated by Dawn separatists was an unwelcome nuisance. Many distant colonies had been established haphazardly, with a priority placed on growing the influence of the Guild rather than long-term colonial stability. Unfortunately for the Dawn, the Guild, and all human colonies thus affiliated, the Guild had not developed it's colonies to support a decentralized economy as was envisioned by the Crimson Dawn. All roads led to Terra, and without the support of Guild super-freighters, any rebellious colony would be cut off from the Guild economic system. Dawn paramilitary forces continued to see continually improving recruitment rates in spite of this well known fact.
When it finally occurred, the Great Collapse was thought impossible, foolish, and unrealistic. Dawn paramilitary forces ultimately resorted to a viral attack upon Guild communication systems as a prelude to conventional ground and naval assaults. These viral attacks prevented Guild forces from coordinating effective counter attacks throughout the wide-spread Guild colonies. Thus was the start of the Collapse. With many Guild fleets and ground formations left isolated, blind and confused and without support or supply lines, they were forced to surrender. Some Guild forces refused surrender, and fought honorably to the last man against Dawn rebel forces, discerning what the Dawn had perpetrated. Notable Guild holding actions which survive in modern historical records took place at Alpha Centauri A-III, Sirius B-I, Sol A-V, and Typhus A-VII. The limitations imposed by post-Collapse lightspeed communication mask an estimated 347 additional fleet and ground actions which are assumed to have occurred in accordance with standard Guild protocol at the time of the Collapse. However, aside from the colonies mentioned above, no communication has been received from any Guild colonies since the onset of the Collapse. The results of fleet actions at distant colonies remains uncertain.
On Terra, the Collapse resulted in widespread starvation and a drastic reduction in global population. Pre-Collapse Guild census records indicate a maximum Terran population of nearly 26 billion citizens. Following the Collapse and the re-establishment of the Guild during the Reformation, census records indicate an upper limit on Terran population of approximately 100 million citizens (+0/-1 million citizens). It remains a matter of speculation as to how other colonies faired following the Collapse. The loss of interstellar transportation and communication capability was perhaps the most important result of the Collapse. Colonies which had formally enjoyed profitable trade lines were suddenly isolated, and it is assumed that many, such as Terra, which were dependent on off-world food shipments, suffered greatly.
Nearly 500 years after The Great Collapse, the reformed Terran Mercantile Guild is currently working diligently to re-establish it's galactic presence. Advancements in mineral enrichment technologies have allowed Guild industrialists to exploit previously unprofitable resource deposits on Terra and other bodies in the Sol system. This has allowed for a resurgence in Guild interplanetary mining efforts. With the first interstellar survey ships in several centuries departing for distant star systems, the Guild is preparing for the possibility of an interstellar conflict with former Crimson Dawn separatists. The children of those who survived the Collapse on Terra have not forgotten the horror of that age, and hold little regard for those responsible for causing it...
