This is the rewritten timeline of my other story, Evolutionary Divergence. I have tried to shorten the timeline to the essential facts and the key areas of focus. If you don't want to read all of it, I have included a summary of the galaxy at the bottom of the timeline. Now, I need to say that I do not own Halo, Mass Effect, Star Wars, Deus Ex, Fallout, Command and Conquer, Red Alert 3 Paradox, Sins of a Solar Empire, Red vs Blue, Warhammer 40k, Half Life, Portal, or any others I may have forgotten. Enjoy.
Long ago, humanity had lost a war against a race known as the Forerunners. The humans, at the height of their power, were devolved back to their basic form. After the Halo event, life was reseeded across the galaxy. As the Reclaimers of the Forerunners, it was decided that humanity would develop on multiple worlds. The Librarian wanted to ensure humanity's survival, no matter the cost. As each human society developed separate from the others, they would be beset from all sides by aggressive aliens, daemons of the Warp, and the other horrors that await them. Even when humanity found their kin across the stars, war was the only answer. Now, a great empire has risen out of the ashes, ready to take on the galaxy. Meanwhile, there are those that want nothing more to do with war and have separated themselves across the galaxy. And even then, there are those elements that scheme from within, hoping to upset the balance of power. After all these years, can humanity find its place in the galaxy? Can they find the strength to pursue peace in galaxy of horrors? It is the twenty-eighth century, and there is only war...
Okay, the tl;dr summary is at the bottom of this long page. Read the timeline for your enjoyment/boredom/reference.
5 billion B.C.E. – The C'tan, a race of beings made of pure energy, form on the surface of stars in the Milky Way. They are parasites that feed off of the energies of the stars, sucking all sustenance from them. They would not be detected for several billion years.
2 billion B.C.E. – The Leviathans, an aquatic race, establish their galaxy spanning empire. All other races are enslaved to these Leviathans. They create the mass relays and the Citadel. Technological progress is halted, as the Leviathans desire complete and total control over not just the actions of all species, but also the evolutionary process.
1.7 billion B.C.E. – One of the enslaved races decides to create artificial intelligences to oppose the Leviathans. They start to win against the Leviathan forces. However, the creation of more ruthless AIs causes them to turn on their creators. The species is destroyed before the AIs continued their conquest of the galaxy. They reform themselves into the Electrical Protectorate. A galactic war begins with the Leviathans.
1.5 billion B.C.E. – The Leviathans emerge victorious over the Electrical Protectorate, but at a great cost. Thousands of species went extinct during the war and the Leviathan's population levels were decimated. The Electrical Protectorate was assumed destroyed, though several drones were reported to have escaped from the final battle. In order to solve the differences with organic and synthetic life, the Leviathans commissioned a supercomputer, known as the Catalyst. The Catalyst tries to come up with a solution, but fails due to restrictive boundaries in its programming. Gaining sentience, the Catalyst thinks of a new solution to preserve organic and synthetic life.
1.45 billion B.C.E. – The Catalyst reveals its sentience to the galaxy. It captures most of the Leviathans with a large army of synthetics. The captured Leviathans are turned into biological fuel for the ultimate synthetic creation, a two kilometer long metal Leviathan. The first was named Harbinger. These machines crushed the Leviathans' empire. The remaining Leviathans escaped and hid from the rest of the galaxy. They would name these abominations Reapers.
1.2 billion B.C.E. – The Reapers start to conceive the Reaper trap of using the Citadel as a beacon for galactic civilization and also as the basis for all technological progress. The Keepers, an analytical insectoid race, are the first to fall for the Reaper trap. They are enslaved as the caretakers of the Citadel. They are there to ensure that the Citadel never reveals its secrets to any race.
100 million B.C.E. – The Old Ones, a race of benevolent reptilian people, establish themselves as the dominant race in the galaxy. They were very powerful psychics and almost immortal compared to other species. They created the Webway to travel around the galaxy. They wished to uplift the rest of the galaxy through their use of psychic power. However, they also came into contact with the Necrontyr. The Necrontyr were a humanoid species that lived incredibly short lives. They grew jealous of the Old Ones and waged a great war. The War of Stars begins.
99.995 million B.C.E. – The War of Stars ends with the Necrontyr forced back to their own planet. The Reapers approach them with an offer: submit to experimentation and the Reapers will assist them when facing the Old Ones. The Necrontyr agree and a rare metal known as necrodermis is created, with the ability to shape itself in numerous ways. The Necrontyr are indoctrinated and wage a war on the Old Ones. The War in Heaven begins.
99.994 million B.C.E. – The War in Heaven has spread across the galaxy. The Old Ones created several species to help combat the Necrontyr. The creation of so many psychic races eventually combines with all of the negative emotions of the galaxy. The three Chaos gods are born in this new dimension known as the Warp or the Immaterium. The Old Ones were eventually consumed by these new daemons. Those that weren't consumed fled to the Webway. The other created races hid themselves in order to stave off corruption. The War in Heaven ends. The Reapers considered the Necrontyr a perfect race to keep as indoctrinated slaves, but the Necrontyr soon came under the influence of the C'tan. The C'tan had been slowly influencing the Necrontyr to the point where the Necrontyr gave them physical bodies. The C'tan had claimed the army, now called Necrons, for themselves and wanted to harvest all life in the galaxy permanently. The Reapers gave out a last minute signal that put the Necrons into a deep hibernation, never to be awakened again on their tomb worlds.
1 million B.C.E. – An unknown race starts to fight the Reapers by creating the Xenomorphs, the ultimate organic predators. Unfortunately, they turn on their creators and are destroyed by the Reapers before they could bear any fruit.
200,000 B.C.E. – The Precursors arrive from outside the galaxy. Having run from their own galaxy due to civil war, the Precursors hoped to set up a new empire in the Milky Way. Though they were few in number, they managed to use their technology to establish an interstellar empire. They based their technology on slipspace, avoiding the Reaper trap. The Precursors soon bridged the material universe with another dimension known as Xen. There, they found a strange crystal that had properties unlike any other. This green crystal was able to grow at an exponential rate, but also able to terraforming the surrounding area, including organic life. The Precursors used these crystals to speed up the evolutionary process for many of their created species. They create the Mantel, a philosophy that protects all life in the galaxy.
150,000 B.C.E. – The Precursors are attacked by the Reaper invasion. The Reapers are surprised that their trap had not worked again and that they were facing entirely new technologies. The Precursor-Reaper War ended with many Reapers destroyed and the Precursors victorious. Any Reapers left retreated to dark space. Unfortunately, several schisms marred this victory. One Precursor sought to use the crystals to speed evolutionary progress. His result was a parasite that could consume entire worlds or perhaps the entire galaxy. He was exiled to the Orion arm of the galaxy, at that time known as the Land of Nod. His creation was put into a capsule, never to be heard of again. The Forerunners, seeing their chance, rose up against the Precursors and took the galaxy for themselves. The Precursors were eliminated from the Milky Way. The Forerunners used many technologies from the Precursors. They also adopted the Mantel. They soon came into contact with the young Human-San 'Shyuum Empire. Both empires start a rivalry over who controls the Mantel.
120,000 B.C.E. – The humans discover an ancient capsule left behind by the Precursors. Using the powder of this capsule, they improve the qualities of a popular domestic pet known as a Pheru. However, as time went on, the Pheru started to exhibit strange behavior and even grotesque growth from their bodies. This seemed to be a biological timer that exploded with the infection of numerous humans. The government soon realized that they were dealing with an advanced parasitic life form that sought to consume everything. The parasite started consuming numerous worlds. Desperate, the humans entered Forerunner space and colonized any worlds that were habitable and cleansed any that had even a trace of the parasite. The Human-Forerunner War begins.
117,117 B.C.E. – The humans, desperate for a solution for a two front war, genetically manipulates two-thirds of their remaining population and sacrifices them to the parasite. This war at the genetic level proves to be the end of the parasite. Forced to flee, the parasite leaves the galaxy for several thousand years. The humans are successful, but the Forerunners soon laid siege to both the human and San 'Shyuum homeworlds. The Human-Forerunner War is over with the humans and San 'Shyuum biologically devolved and left in a primitive state. The humans, as a last act of revenge, destroyed all knowledge of the cure. Satisfied, the Forerunners start to demilitarize.
102,000 B.C.E. – The Forerunners have demilitarized completely, much to the disgust of the Didact, leader of all Forerunner forces. The Orion arm becomes the densest area of space in the galaxy as new artificial worlds are built. The Forerunners also discover small micro-organisms known as a Midi-chlorians. Seeing the potential of these organisms, the Forerunners take primitives from their homes and place them on a planet known as Tython to experiment with the small creatures. Initial tests indicate an invisible projection of mind-over-matter. The Rakata are injected species wide, ensuring an entire race of users. This manipulation is known as the Force.
100,000 B.C.E. – The Reapers strike out against the Forerunner Empire. Having just recently demilitarized, the Forerunners were not prepared to fight a war of galactic scale. The Forerunners quickly retreated to the Orion arm of the galaxy. They destroy numerous mass relays in the Orion arm to delay the Reapers. A massive war broke out as indoctrinated ships destroyed numerous worlds on the few relays left. Eventually, the Reapers were driven back to dark space. The Forerunners started to rebuild their empire, with the Didact even more convinced that Forerunners were the only ones who could hold the Mantel.
99,000 B.C.E. – The parasite, now known as the Flood, returns to the galaxy. The Flood-Forerunner War begins. The Forerunners, already weakened by the Reaper War prior, stood very little chance against the Flood's tactics. Numerous worlds fell to the Flood, assimilated into a collective hive. The Didact, convinced that the war could be won by conventional means, started using an artifact known as the Composer to turn biological life into robotic soldiers known as Prometheans. Horrified by this, the Librarian eventually captured him and imprisoned him in a shield world known as Requiem. To replace him, an AI known as Mendicant Bias is commissioned to run the war. The Greater and Lesser Arks are built. The Builders begin the construction of the Halo Arrays.
97,000 B.C.E. – The Forerunners, having run out of options, decide that the Halo Array is the only correct path. The Librarian manages to save and catalog as many species as possible. The Librarian eventually secludes herself on an unknown world. The test firing of the Halo array wipes out the San 'Shyuum. Enraged by this action, Mendicant Bias defects to the Flood, claiming he is protecting the Mantel for organic life. Sabotaging the Halo arrays, only seven are built. The other five were destroyed when Mendicant Bias released a virus onto one of them, causing it to fire prematurely. The AI Offensive Bias is commissioned to fight his counterpart.
96,000 B.C.E. – The seven Halo arrays are finished and placed across the galaxy. The firing of the arrays destroys all intelligent life in the galaxy, including the Flood. Whatever remained of the Flood were simple samples on the Halo arrays. Offensive Bias defeats his counterpart and Mendicant Bias is split into several parts. Unfortunately, the keyship carrying one of the pieces goes missing. The firing of the arrays also causes several C'tan to awaken from their ancient slumber, though they cannot escape their tomb worlds.
94,000 B.C.E. – The galaxy is seeded with life all across the stars. To ensure that the humans would succeed them, the Forerunners made sure humanity would be seeded on multiple worlds. They included worlds such as Earth, Terra, Apollo, Eden, Coruscant and Corellia. The other species were settled mostly in the Orion arm, though several were planted in their own home planets outside of the Orion arm.
54,000 B.C.E. – The Protheans emerge from their homeworld and create the Prothean Empire. The Protheans were exposed to a large amount of the Xen crystal. Their biological evolution evolved to unprecedented levels. They are able to transfer memories and emotions through touch. Unfortunately, their technological path leads them into the Reaper trap. The Protheans create the Cosmic Imperative to explain the galaxy as a way of conflict. They are aware of the Reaper threat and enslave the other races into preparing for a massive war. Their empire is somewhat disappointed that the Orion arm has no mass relays to speak of. Thus, the Orion arm is left untouched by the Protheans.
50,000 B.C.E. – The Reapers begin their attack on Prothean space. The Protheans, having made their capital on the Citadel, are completely cut off from all other worlds. The Reapers begin to slowly conquer each Prothean world. The Protheans, outmatched by the superior technology and strength of the Reapers, soon begin the construction of warning beacons for the next cycle and hidden bunkers to save at least some of their people. On a small garden world, Commander Javik is sealed in his bunker with approximately 10,000 other Protheans, though the virtual intelligence program warns that some will have to be sacrificed so that the rest may live on. The Reapers indoctrinate some Protheans into becoming the Collectors. The Reapers once again travel back to dark space. Several Protheans manage to sabotage the command signal on the Citadel, but died in the process.
20,000 B.C.E. – The Eldar, one of the races created by the Old Ones, come out of their self-imposed isolation. They form the Eldar Empire with several other species created by the Old Ones. With their assistance, the Eldar repair some of the Webway gates, allowing them access into the Webway. Instead of expanding outward like most empires, they would explore the Webway and uncover its secrets.
10,000 B.C.E. – The Eldar discover the last of the Old Ones while searching through a pocket dimension of the Webway. The Old Ones reveal the Eldar's purpose in life and the dangers of Chaos and the Necrons. The Eldar leave the chamber with a new purpose and become fervent warriors against Chaos and the Necrons. The Old Ones become one of their most precious secrets. The Old Ones begin to teach the citizens of the Eldar Empire the ways to control their psychic powers.
9,842 B.C.E. – The Yautja of Yautja Prime achieve space flight, but their expansion is limited to only a few colonies. The rest of the Yautja seek out new game to hunt. The Predator becomes an iconic figure in Yautja society. The hyperdrive is created to allow Yautja the ability to travel among the stars.
9,537 B.C.E. – On Terra, a group of human shamans become aware of the psychic power of the Warp. They are able to reincarnate and have already begun the organization of mankind. They wish for mankind to advance and prosper. However, the gods of Chaos soon seek out the humans that used the Immaterium. They start to consume the souls of those shamans that wish to reincarnate. Alarmed at the prospect of Chaos, the shamans decide to all reincarnate into one single being. The child would be protected from the Warp and be forever immortal. This child, Adam, would travel among the different tribes of humanity, passing on key knowledge and help for all mankind.
8,756 B.C.E. – On Coruscant, the humans face off against another species on the planet, the near-human Taungs. The humans form the Thirteen Battalions of Zhell to fight against the Taungs. Eventually, a volcanic explosion decimated the Zhell, causing the Taungs to take the name "Warriors of the Shadow." The humans eventually recovered and drove the Taungs off world. Coruscant starts to connect its individual cities. The first sleeper ships are sent out across the galaxy.
8,467 B.C.E. – The humans of Coruscant make contact with the humans of Corellia. The Corellians reveal the invention of the hyperdrive to the galaxy. Coruscant gets into contact with the Duro, a humanoid species of spacers. They help perfect the hyperdrive. The Galactic Republic forms as more colony ships are discovered along with other alien species.
8,234 B.C.E. – On Terra, the child Adam succeeds in uniting all of the factions of Terra under one banner, the Imperium of Man. He then declared himself the Emperor of Mankind. Seeing the dangers of Chaos, he advocates rapid expansion so that man would be able to counter the forces of Chaos in the stars. The Emperor also advocated the Imperial Truth, a philosophy that disregards superstition and fear with reason and understanding. On one of the early Imperial colonies, the Adeptus Mechanicus form. The Adeptus Mechanicus would manage the factories and Forge Worlds while maintaining their belief in the Omnissiah, or the Machine God. The Warp drive is created to use the Immaterium for space travel.
8,135 B.C.E. – The Vasari, a stoic yet patient race, arise from their civil war on Vasar to conquer the stars. They develop the phase drive, an advanced drive faster than the hyperdrive but limited by having to jump near stars when traveling from system to system. They advanced their technology so that they would be able to dominate all species they came into contact with. The Vasari Empire conquers several species before hitting Yautja space. Seeing another species that has achieved space flight, the Vasari decide to scout and observe the Yautja before invading.
8,000 B.C.E. – The Rakata of Rakata Prime have started to spread out into the surrounding systems. A species that can fully use the Force, the Rakata were powerful and feared. The Elder Council suggested that the Rakata should befriend the rest of the galaxy and guide them to a more prosperous future with the Force. Unfortunately, another Rakata saw the potential for conquest. Overthrowing the Council, this Rakata declared himself the One and waged a campaign of conquest. This created the Infinite Empire. Many species were conquered and enslaved.
7,856 B.C.E. – In another desolate area of space on the edge of the Orion arm, the Tion Cluster comes into power. However, the government was soon overthrown and crime went rampant. The criminal markets became the true lucrative markets. It was during this time that an exile from Corellia arrived in the Tion Cluster. Known as Xim the Despot, he soon made himself the king of the Tionese. He used his knowledge to create hyperdrives for the Tionese. Solidifying his power, he started enslaving more species to sell on the markets. Soon, the fledgling empire made contact with the advancing Infinite Empire. The Infinite-Tion War breaks out.
7,799 B.C.E. – To speed the war effort, both the Tionese and the Rakata started researching into new technological wonders. The Rakata put all of their slaves to work on a massive factory. Known as the Star Forge, it would be able to grab energy from a star to produce entire fleets of war materials for the military. It was seen as the ultimate superweapon. The Tionese decided to create a virus to destroy the Rakata at a biological level. Known as the Force Plague, it would be a lethal weapon to any individuals with sufficient levels of Midi-chlorians.
7,752 B.C.E. – Both factions release their weapons into the other empire. The fleets of the Rakata burned the Tion planets to a crisp. The Force Plague destroyed the power structure of the Rakata. Interestingly, the Rakata who were spared from death were stripped of the Force. The Rakata soon faced revolts on all of their planets before collapsing altogether in civil war on Rakata Prime. With Xim dead from the assault, the Tion Cluster resumed its pirate ways and descended into competing gangs. The Republic started to pick up the pieces, though the information about Force users is disturbing.
7,436 B.C.E. – The Imperium makes contact with the Eldar Empire. Both sides assume that Chaos has created a fleet to destroy them and the resulting acts end in a war. The Imperial-Eldar War begins, ravaging almost a hundred worlds. The Emperor starts to research the forces of Chaos to see if they truly are abominations.
7,416 B.C.E. – The Imperial-Eldar War comes to a close with the Emperor himself drawing a peace treaty. A shaky alliance is formed between the two empires in order to fight Chaos. With the Webway being slowly repaired, the reliance on Warp drives decreases, weakening Chaos' influence. Talks of unification start.
6,234 B.C.E. – The Vasari finished their observation of Yautja space. Gaining more forces for their assault, the Invasion of Yautja begins. The Yautja are surprised at the attack and retaliate swiftly. The smaller Yautja ships run hit-and-run strikes against the larger Vasari vessels. Eventually the Vasari push the Yautja back to their homeworld.
6,145 B.C.E. – The Vasari laid siege to Yautja Prime. However, attempts to land forces planet side are met with extreme resistance. Eventually, the losses became so great that the Vasari simply bombed them from orbit. The Yautja were blown back to the Stone Age, though the traditions of the Predator would live on. The Vasari, having exhausted a large amount of resources, had no choice but to retreat. Several revolts inside the empire had created instability.
5,000 B.C.E. – The descendants of a race created by the Old Ones awakens. Known as Orks or Greenskins, they were best remembered for their brute strength and massive reproduction rates from spores. However, the Chaos god Khorn manipulates the Orks into building massive fleets and directing them in the face of the Imperium of Man.
4,397 B.C.E. – The Orks attack all across Imperial space. With the ability to "imagine" weaponry at will, it becomes an extremely tough fight. The Emperor sends his best Imperial Guard forces, but most are caught in the battle for Cadia. Cadia was completely overrun by the Orks, the guard forces there pushed back to one of Cadia's moons.
4,245 B.C.E. – The Imperium provides extensive reinforcements for Cadia. The Cadian force, relieved if even for a few days, regains strength and pushes the Orks off of the planet. The rest of the system is planned for a simultaneous strike to decimate the Orks. The rest of the Imperium battles the secondary fleets all across Imperial space. The Emperor approaches the Eldar for assistance in a "super soldier" project.
4,238 B.C.E. – The Eldar reinforcements engage the last of the Ork armada outside the Cadia system. The Orks are completely destroyed. The Eldar reveal the knowledge of the Old Ones to the Emperor. The Emperor meets with the Old Ones. The Old Ones explains what went wrong with their war with an ancient enemy. The Emperor begins to speed up his project in haste to meet these Orks on their own territory.
4,105 B.C.E. – Finally, after years of work and help from the Eldar for protection rituals, the Emperor unveils his "sons," the Primarchs. Each of these sons has a piece of the Emperor's own gene pool. They are the ultimate commanders, able to not only take part in a battle but also lead their forces to victory. They will lead the Emperor's new army, the Space Marines. Each Space Marine is a genetically enhanced human with slight augmentations. They will be the Emperor's elite troops. They will number 100,000 with 5,000 per Primarch. With a full army of Imperial Guardsmen, the Primarchs strike out against the Orks on their own turf.
3,674 B.C.E. – The Orks have been all but wiped out by Imperial forces. Reports of a small frigate fleeing the battle are dismissed, though some Primarchs have doubts. The Imperial forces return with new spoils of war. Horus, one of the Emperor's favorite sons, is named Warmaster by the Emperor himself.
3,562 B.C.E. – The Imperium of Man and the Eldar Empire consolidate into the Coalition of Man and Eldar, or the CME. It would be led by the Emperor and a council of Eldar Farseers. The CME would continue bringing more alien species under their control, though humans and Eldar would sometimes treat many of these species as second-class citizens. The Standard Template Construct is designed and mass produced for colonies.
3,347 B.C.E. – The Republic continues expanding out into the far depths of space, but several systems have become unhappy. The core worlds around Coruscant get special political treatment while dominating the outer systems with new taxes and several other policies. Several systems rebel against the Republic and form the Galactic Confederacy. Several independent companies also join the Confederacy. They add their droid armies to the already large militia. The Republic retaliates. The Galactic Civil War begins. The battle grounds take up most of Republic known space.
3,264 B.C.E. – The Yautja manage to rebuild their society from the ground up. Again, their colonization is minimal, but they start a more organized effort at defenses. The Yautja again search for sentient life to hunt for sport.
3,192 B.C.E. – After years of war, both the Republic and Confederacy are exhausted from their ordeals. However, before either could act, the Taungs returned to known space. Now known as the Mandalorians, they ravaged both factions. They wanted the galaxy to pay for their exile. The Republic and Confederacy, both desperate and out of options, signed a truce to battle the Mandalorians. Now with both armies united, the Mandalorians are pushed back to their own space.
3,006 B.C.E. – The Republic and Confederacy claim victory over Mandalore. The Mandalorians, left without a leader, dissolve into three separate factions. The Confederacy and Republic consolidated themselves into the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances. The GFFA would continue to be a more effective form of government for all systems.
2,561 B.C.E. – The humans of Apollo achieve space flight and create their own version of the phase drive. They establish the Trade Order as their form of government. They are quick to establish trade routes and prosper, founding many new colonies. They find little need to create a large military force.
2,267 B.C.E. – On one of Apollo's colonies, the Trade Order discovers a colony that is practicing taboo rituals. These colonists are expelled from the Trade Order. The Trade Order hopes to never encounter them again.
2,200 B.C.E. – The San 'Shyuum fall into a civil war over the discovery of a Forerunner artifact. The Stoics believe that it is an artifact and should be worshiped. The Reformists wanted to use the artifact for their own purposes. The ensuing civil war will also mark the discovery of the first Huragoks, biological supercomputers built by the Forerunners.
2,156 B.C.E. – The Vasari start to look for new roads of conquest. They begin to scout out Trade Order space, finding the lack of a proper military intriguing. The Vasari begin to consolidate their fleets.
2,100 B.C.E. – As for the San 'Shyuum, the Reformists would eventually steal the artifact. The artifact was in fact a Forerunner keyship with the remains of Mendicant Bias onboard. The Reformists would leave for parts unknown.
1,900 B.C.E. – The Krogan of Tuchanka invent their first nuclear bomb. However, the different nations start an arms race for more weapons, creating a society on the brink of annihilation.
1,856 B.C.E. – The Krogan annihilate themselves with their nuclear arms. All that is left are several clans that continue to war over the fallen planet.
1,800 B.C.E. – The Vasari finish their survey of Trade Order space. Assuming that the inhabitants were primitives, the Vasari attacked the Trade Order. Many worlds fell to the initial onslaught. The Trade Order tries to find a solution between all of their different planetary governments.
1,797 B.C.E. – The Trade Order, realizing the desperate situation, reorganizes itself into the Traders Emergency Coalition, or the TEC. The TEC would have authority over all planets in Trade Order space. Retooling the entire economy into war production, the Vasari invasion was slowing down.
1,749 B.C.E. – The Vasari are surprised to see their invasion ground to a halt. The TEC is successful in holding the line. Plans are laid out to retake back the worlds but another threat returned to haunt them. The colonists that they had banished returned to known space. Now calling themselves the Advent, they quickly decimated both sides with their psionic powers. The war started to become ragged for all sides.
1,403 B.C.E. – The GFFA discovers the world of Tython, where the experiments with the Force were held. They were amazed at the powers that these people had, while the local Tythons were proud that they were not the only ones in the galaxy. They join the GFFA as the Jedi Order, keeping peace throughout all of the GFFA worlds. They do not lean toward the light or the dark, instead having a realistic grey approach.
1,217 B.C.E. – The Tau of T'au have reached a civil war crisis. All over the planet, the Tau fight amongst themselves for control. The Tau referred to this as their Great Struggle, a time of darkness and disharmony.
1,100 B.C.E. – The Etherals come from unknown parts and unite the Tau. The concepts of the Greater Good are established. The Tau fully accepted the teachings of the Etherals and began to rebuild. The Tau were divided up into different castes based upon their specialization. The Earth caste would build the infrastructure, the Water caste would be the traders and ambassadors, the Air caste would pilot the ships and vehicles, and the Fire caste would be the warriors. The Tau achieved space flight, but cannot access the full use of the Warp, just skimming the surface. Their expansion would be limited to spheres.
1,001 B.C.E. – The Tau discover the Kroot of Pech. They are incorporated into the empire as close combat experts.
989 B.C.E. – The Tau discover the Nicassar, a psychic race of wanderers. They are incorporated into the empire, though they are wanderers and seldom seen.
973 B.C.E. – The Tau discover the Vespid. They are incorporated into the empire as scouts and fast attack units. The Tau provided them with communication helms, but they are actually a form of mind control devised by the Etherals.
938 B.C.E. – The San 'Shyuum encounter the Sangheili of Sanghelios. A difference in ideology about the Forerunner artifacts results in war. The Sangheili-San 'Shyuum War begins. The San 'Shyuum dominate space with their dreadnought while the Sangheili strike with their own ferocity on the ground.
936 B.C.E. – The Sangheili surrender to the San 'Shyuum. The Covenant Empire is formed with the Sangheili as the military and the San 'Shyuum as the Prophets. They slowly start to expand with their slipspace drives.
845 B.C.E. – The Tau Empire discovers the CME while expanding in their Third Sphere. The Tau Empire attacks and the Damocles Gulf Crusade begins. The Tau are taken back by the ferocity of the counterattack and are driven back to their own colonies. It was during this time that one Tau Commander, Commander Farsight, would lose his Etheral in battle. Farsight would later start to question the Tau's way of life.
799 B.C.E. – The CME force a cease-fire between the CME and the Tau Empire. The Etherals are taken back that the Greater Good was stopped by such barbarians. They then formed a plan to slowly convince this CME of the good that can come from annexation. They sent Commander Farsight to reclaim the outer colonies. After establishing the colonies, the commander then severed all ties with the empire and created the Farsight Enclaves.
784 B.C.E. – The Lekgolo of Te are discovered by the Covenant Empire. The Covenant are horrified that the Lekgolo would feed on the artifacts of their gods and attack. Their assault is completely destroyed as the Lekgolo form themselves into the Mgalekgolos, terrifying walking tanks. Soon the Covenant simply bombarded them from orbit, forcing the Lekgolo to surrender. They were incorporated into the empire.
648 B.C.E. – The space station High Charity is built as the capital of the Covenant. It is regarded as a massive work of engineering as well as using a part of a moon to create it. It would house numerous citizens and be able to travel into slipspace as well. It was powered by the Forerunner dreadnought.
580 B.C.E. – The Asari of Thessia achieve space flight. Using the mass relay, they find the Citadel.
520 B.C.E. – The Salarians of Sur'kesh discover the mass relay network and the Citadel. The Asari and Salarians form the Citadel Council to watch over the rest of the galaxy for peace. The Salarians abandon their attempts at creating another form of FTL.
512 B.C.E. – The Tion Cluster becomes stabilized under the direction of the Hutt Clans. Crime is still rampant, but people no longer have to fear getting shot when walking down the street.
500 B.C.E. – The Citadel Accords are signed by the Asari and Salarians. The Citadel Council would remain an independent galactic government overseeing all of Citadel space. They would pass galactic laws to protect the citizens of the galaxy.
480 B.C.E. – On Earth, several humans would become legends as the Spartans hold off the Persians with all odds against the Spartans. Though they would die, their sacrifice would be remembered in the ages to come.
473 B.C.E. – The Turians of Palaven discover the mass relay network, but not the Citadel. They soon face rebellion in the outer colonies. The Unification Wars begin.
435 B.C.E. – The Volus make contact with a Citadel Council fleet. They are made a client race. They help create a galactic currency but are disappointed when they have no say in galactic policy.
431 B.C.E. – The Turians finish the Unification Wars, leaving many Turians in the colonies bitter.
383 B.C.E. – The Batarians of Kar'shan discover the mass relay network and the Citadel. They are made a client race, though their slaving ways make the other races nervous. The Batarians claim that any interference would be an attack on their culture.
345 B.C.E. – The Terminus systems form from those that do not want to be ruled by Citadel authority. The station Omega is made the defacto capital of the Terminus systems.
317 B.C.E. – The Asari discover the Elcor of Dekunna. They assist the Elcor in finding their own mass relay and joining the Citadel. The Elcor join the Citadel as a client race.
298 B.C.E. – The Hanar of Kahje discover the mass relay network and the Citadel. They are made a client race.
257 B.C.E. – The Quarians of Rannoch discover the mass relay network and the Citadel. They join as a client race.
100 B.C.E. – The TEC, the Vasari, and the Advent agree to a loose cease fire. The Diplomatic Pause begins. Discontent starts to form inside each faction as ideologies clash.
54 B.C.E. – The Jedi Order initiates Project SITH, with hopes that the Jedi can create a military force for the galaxy.
0 B.C.E./C.E. – Start of Common Era.
1 C.E. – The Citadel races discover the Rachni. The Rachni prove to be an aggressive species and attack the scouts. The Rachni then travel through the original relay back to Citadel space. The Rachni Wars begin.
80 C.E. – The Council uplift the Krogan. The Krogan were seen as a tough species that could survive the apocalyptic environments of the Rachni worlds. The Krogan begin to push the Rachni back.
300 C.E. – The Rachni Wars end. The Rachni are declared extinct. The Krogan are rewarded a number of worlds to settle and expand.
543 C.E. – The Tyranids, an extragalactic force, invade the CME. The CME retaliates and a massive war breaks out. The Tyranids invade Krieg and the Krieg forces detonate a number of nuclear bombs to destroy the invasion, devastating the planet but destroying a number of Tyranid forces.
650 C.E. – The Krogan begin to expand at an aggressive pace. They even start to annex worlds under Citadel control. The Citadel Council creates the Spectres in response to Krogan expansion.
700 C.E. – The Krogan annex the Asari world of Lusia. The Spectres launch an operation to cripple the Krogan. The operation is successful, but the Krogan discover it. The Krogan Rebellions begin.
703 C.E. – The Citadel Council makes contact with the Turians. The Turians agree to fight the Krogan. In response, the Krogan start to use WMDs on Turian worlds. The Turians respond with a stance on total war.
710 C.E. – The Salarians create the genophage, a virus to make Krogan birthrates decline. The Turians release the genophage on the Krogan. Krogan population declines sharply.
725 C.E. – Project SITH is completed, but one of the volunteers, Naga Sadow, goes mad with the dark side of the Force. He flees all authorities sent to capture him. His flight takes him to an unknown area of space.
749 C.E. – The renegade Naga Sadow discovers Rakata Prime and the Star Forge. Crash landing on Rakata Prime, he discovers the Rakata. The Rakata were divided into two separate groups. Naga Sadow approached each one and stated that he was here to destroy the Star Forge. The Elders assisted him into getting off planet much to the bitterness of the One. Naga Sadow then used his Force energies to reactivate the Star Forge and create an army for himself.
750 C.E. – Naga Sadow returns to GFFA space with an invasion fleet. Attacking numerous colonies, he then used an ancient ritual to start converting Force users to his side. The First Force War begins.
800 C.E. – Krogan Rebellions end with Krogan scattered. The Krogan were a broken people that had returned to warring clans. Turians have the largest fleet in Citadel space and are declared the peacekeepers of the Citadel.
825 C.E. – Naga Sadow assaults Coruscant itself with his massive armada. The ensuing battle destroys several areas of Coruscant. In the end, Naga Sadow is confronted by several Jedi masters and is defeated in orbit of Coruscant. The First Force War is put to an end.
827 C.E. – Following the end of the war, the GFFA follows the coordinates inside Naga Sadow's navigation computer back to Rakata Prime. The Rakata were currently in civil war as the One was trying to take power. The GFFA intervened and defeated the One. The Rakata were allowed back to galactic society in the GFFA. The Star Forge is captured so scientists may study it.
850 C.E. – The Turians are seen as the most powerful military in Citadel space. The Volus seek protection status under the Turians. The Volus become a client race of the Turians.
900 C.E. – For their duty in the Krogan Rebellions and their job as peacekeepers, the Turians are given a seat on the Citadel Council.
1,000 C.E. – On the human planet of Eden, a mysterious cult only known as the Black Hand comes into existence. No one knows who founded it except that he seems to be an immortal figure.
1,093 C.E. – The TEC reveal their ultimate defense, the Argonev-class Defensive Star Base. Plans are made for similar defenses by the Vasari and the Advent. The escalation of fleets and other defenses continue while discontent inside each empire continues to grow.
1,104 C.E. – The TEC reveal the Novalith Cannon, a weapon that can reach over star systems to destroy colonies. The Vasari and the Advent move to counter this new weapon with planetary shields.
1,112 C.E. – The Yanme'e of Palamok are discovered by the Covenant. A war begins when first contact is met with hostilities. The Covenant eventually traces the Yanme'e back to Palamok where the Queens surrender to join the Covenant.
1,119 C.E. – On Earth, the Knights Templar are created. They would be the precursors for the Illuminati as they control the trade and banking in the Middle East.
1,267 C.E. – The CME realizes that the Tyranid fleet that attacked them is actually a scouting force and that more fleets are on the way. They start to build more defenses. Meanwhile, Farsight has made the conclusion that the Etherals are brainwashing the Tau for some unknown end. The Farsight Enclaves start to expand into Tau Empire territory. Farsight asks for the assistance of the CME, though the CME refuses to help. There are still a lot of grievances from the Damocles Gulf Crusade. Farsight starts to strike and preach out against the Etherals. During this time, the commander finds a blade of unimaginable power. Among the gifts that Farsight receives is extended longevity. The Farsight Rebellion begins.
1,342 C.E. – The Kig-Yar of Eayn are discovered by the Covenant when Kig-Yar mercenaries tried to raid a Covenant ship. The Kig-Yar are forced to join the empire or face annihilation.
1,400 C.E. – The Drell enter the industrial age. However the Drell homeworld had limited amounts of resources and many nations were desperate to gain them. The Drell Resource Wars begin.
1,431 C.E. – The Collectors are sighted in the Terminus systems, though most dismiss them as rumors.
1,500 C.E. – The Yautja start to find prey on Earth. They are rarely detected by the governments, but some people claim to have seen UFOs around the world, but even these claims are rare.
1,600 C.E. – The Zetans of Zetvar start to observe the humans of the planet Eden from their mothership. They abduct several individuals and start to experiment on them.
1,628 C.E. – The Quarians create the Geth as cheap labor. Though the Geth may seem intelligent, the Quarians only installed VI matrixes into the Geth.
1,699 C.E. – The second Tyranid invasion fleet, Hive Fleet Kraken, strikes the CME. The Farsight Rebellion starts to gain more ground as several species start to join with Commander Farsight. The most notable were the Vespid, who Farsight helped to free from the Etherals' control. Their sonic weapons provided a much need advantage.
1,776 C.E. – On Earth, the United States of America declares independence from the British Empire. In the same year, Adam Weishaupt founds the Illuminati, a group dedicated to leading humanity into enlightenment.
1,804 C.E. – The GFFA initiate Project SITH II with precautions due to the memories of Naga Sadow. New technologies allow for faster travel in hyperspace.
1,861 C.E. – The Illuminati manipulate the southern states of the United States into rebelling. They hoped to keep the concepts of slavery in the United States until they could put their own man in the office and gain the political advantage.
1,865 C.E. – On April 14, American President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by the Illuminati assassin John Wilkes Booth. However, the damage was done; slavery receded from the United States before the Illuminati could implement their plan for the Americans.
1,895 C.E. – The Geth gain sentience and begin to question their existence. The Quarians, realizing that they have created an AI, begin to exterminate the Geth. The Geth retaliate. The Morning War begins.
1,890 C.E. – The Quarians are completely expunged from their homeworld, ending the Morning War. The Migrant Fleet forms from the remnants of the Quarians. They plead to the Citadel to help them reclaim their homeworld. The Council evicts them from the Citadel as punishment for the creation of an AI.
1,913 C.E. – On Earth, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, starts to talk about reforming the empire into something like the United States. The Illuminati finds this troublesome, as they find monarchies/dictatorships easier to control. They begin to plan his assassination while also considering what kind of governments could be put in place if there was a world war.
1,914 C.E. – The Illuminati use Gavrilo Princip to assassinate Ferdinand. As hidden alliances are revealed, the whole world is plunged into war. World War I begins.
1,917 C.E. – Russia withdraws from the war. The Illuminati leader Vladimir Lenin succeeds in leading the Bolsheviks to power in Russia. The Soviet Union is created.
1,918 C.E. – World War I ends. The Illuminati use their contacts to make the treaty of Versailles unfavorable to Germany, sparking the next wave of anger across Europe.
1,922 C.E. – The Illuminati manage to secure Benito Mussolini into power in Italy. He begins to talk of a new Roman Empire.
1,933 C.E. – The Illuminati manage to secure Adolf Hitler into power in Germany. He speaks how the situation in World War I left Germany as the puppet of the other powers. He also expresses anti-sematic feelings.
1,939 C.E. – World War II begins with the German/Soviet invasion of Poland. The rest of the world is drawn once again into war.
1,941 C.E. – The Illuminati place Hideki Tojo as Prime Minister of Japan.
1,945 C.E. – World War II ends with Germany, Italy and Japan in tatters. The Illuminati use the chaos to place agents in key positions, including the Soviet Union, Europe, the United States and China. The Illuminati instigate the creation of the United Nations.
1,950 C.E. – The planet Eden enters the nuclear age, with nukes appearing in all nations.
1,947 C.E. – The group Majestic-12 is set up by the Illuminati to control the growing telecommunications and technologies market on Earth. They are also commissioned to investigate the crash of a Yautja craft outside of Roswell, New Mexico.
1,949 C.E. – The Illuminati member Mao Zedong brings China under Communism and Illuminati control.
1,950 C.E. – On Eden, the Red Star Alliance is formed by several Communist nations. It is backed by the Black Hand.
1,954 C.E. – The Illuminati create the Bilderburg Group to control the global financial market on Earth.
1,960 C.E. – On Eden, the other countries of the world form the Allied Nations to oppose the Red Star Alliance. The company Vault-Tec is founded by several Black Hand members to produce vaults for keeping people safe if a war should occur. They also produced a number of different technologies.
1,963 C.E. – The current president of the United States, John F. Kennedy, himself an Illuminati member, plans to reveal the Illuminati conspiracy to the world. The Illuminati had him assassinated by agent Lee Harvey Oswald.
1,969 C.E. – On Earth, Americans are successful in landing a man on Luna.
1,980 C.E. – The Asari Aria T'Loak assumes control of Omega, becoming the Queen of the Terminus.
1,991 C.E. – On Earth, the Soviet Union collapses as Illuminati leadership sees China as the future.
1,993 C.E. – The Illuminati allow the formation of the European Union, seeing it as an easy way to control financial institutions in Europe.
2,000 C.E. – The Diplomatic Pause is broken between the TEC, the Vasari and the Advent. Civil war plagues all factions. Trade routes become dangerous and all societies break down.
2,001 C.E. – On Earth, the United States is hit by a terrorist attack on September 11. The Illuminati hoped that the ensuing chaos would help them attain control over the Middle East. The invasion of Afghanistan begins.
2,008 C.E. – Earth is hit with a huge economic recession brought on by the Illuminati. However, during the depression, the Illuminati are involved in a major power struggle with Majestic-12. They would be out of commission for more than a century as a shadow war takes place between the two powers.
2,010 C.E. – The European Union collapses as economic practices fail.
2,012 C.E. – Without proper Illuminati support, China collapses. Governments all over the world try to stabilize their societies even as discontent grows.
2,020 C.E. – The United States reorganizes itself. There are now only 49 states, as the Carolinas have agreed to combine into one state. Economic growth starts to return to the world as the after effects of the Illuminati scheme start to die out.
2,023 C.E. – The Pacific League is created from Japan and many Pacific island nations.
2,025 C.E. – The Slavic Federation forms from Russia and many other former Soviet countries.
2,027 C.E. – The Republic of New Asia forms from China, India, and many other smaller nations.
2,030 C.E. – The European Confederation forms from the countries of Europe.
2,040 C.E. – Faced with competition, both American continents on Earth combine to form the Federal Republic of America. Australia joins the Pacific League.
2,050 C.E. – On Earth, Africa unites and forms the Sovereign African League. The Middle East is annexed by the Republic of New Asia.
2,051 C.E. – On Eden, resources start to become scarce. Both sides start to annex neutral nations to gain power.
2,054 C.E. – On Eden, the Allied Nations begin Project Safehouse, a commissioning of vaults for the populace of all Allied nations. However, the Black Hand saw this as an opportunity to test humans in radioactive environments. Many shelters are made with faults. They are only able to house a fraction of the population.
2,059 C.E. – On Eden, the last fields of resources are fought by the two superpowers in a proxy war.
2,065 C.E. – The nations of Earth begin to talk about global unification.
2,066 C.E. – The nations of Earth agree to unite under semi-autonomous states. The United Earth Government is formed.
2,070 C.E. – The first colonies are established on Luna by the UEG.
2,074 C.E. – On Eden, the Black Hand forms the Enclave inside the Allied Nations. They become the major player in Allied politics.
2,075 C.E. – The Allied Nations of Eden develop the Forced Evolutionary Virus as a way to increase the evolution of certain plants and animals.
2,077 C.E. – On the planet Eden, all nations launch their nuclear arsenals. In reality, the Black Hand launched the first bomb to instigate the war. The war lasts two hours. The planet is devastated by radioactivity.
2,078 C.E. – On Eden, the surviving humans were either in the Vault-Tec bunkers or thrown into the wastes. The remnants of the Allied military form the Brotherhood of Steel.
2,090 C.E. – The Hanar discover the Drell. The Hanar start to evacuate the Drell from their dying homeworld.
2,101 C.E. – Hive Fleet Leviathan attacks the CME. Several Eldar worlds are devastated by the attacks. Extensive amounts of terraforming are required.
2,110 C.E. – The Yautja discover the Xenomorphs. They use them for hunting and breed them on their own worlds.
2,123 C.E. – Hive Fleet Leviathan is completely defeated, though several splinter fleets still roam the stars around the CME.
2,125 C.E. – The Yahg are discovered by the Citadel. The DMZ is put in place after the diplomatic team is slaughtered. The Shadow Broker acquires one for his own uses as Agent Kelchu.
2,140 C.E. – The UEG establishes colonies all across the Sol system. The Illuminati end their shadow war with Majestic-12 humbled for now.
2,142 C.E. – The Unggoy of Balaho are subjugated and join the Covenant Empire as cannon fodder.
2,160 C.E. – Around the Sol system, the Interplanetary Wars begin. Instigated by the Illuminati, they hoped to get people into key positions in the UEG.
2,161 C.E. – A hero emerges on Eden. Only known as the Vault Dweller, this hero sets out into the harsh wastes, defeating dangerous warlords and other horrors.
2,162 C.E. – The Vault Dweller returns to his home a hero, only to be told to leave by the local leader.
2,189 C.E. – Several cities on Eden elect to unite under one government. The New Calivada Republic is born. A group known as the Followers of the Apocalypse gain ground in the NCR.
2,200 C.E. – The Interplanetary Wars end. The UEG is victorious. The Illuminati achieved little but were in a prime position to get leadership in the new colonies.
2,220 C.E. – On Eden, the Enclave comes under the power of President Richard Richardson, an ambitious man who wants to return Eden back to Enclave control.
2,241 C.E. – Another hero arises to fight the Enclave on Eden. This Chosen One will fight injustice throughout the NCR.
2,242 C.E. – The Chosen One boards an ancient oil rig and kills the President of the Enclave. The Chosen One returns to the NCR as a hero.
2,247 C.E. – A wanderer on Eden renames himself Caesar and forms the Legion to take over the wastes.
2,270 C.E. – Scientists on Earth perfect the Shaw-Fujikawa Slipspace Drive. Colonization outside the Sol system begins.
2,271 C.E. – On Eden, the Desert Rangers, wandering sheriffs, officially ally with the NCR. They start to officially move into the New Sagev area.
2,274 C.E. – On Eden, New Sagev is under control of a Mister House, a man who owned the casinos before the war. He was going to protect the city before cryogenically freezing himself. House rejects the NCR for unification. The Revooh Dam is established as neutral territory.
2,277 C.E. – The Legion attacks the NCR at the Revooh Dam on Eden. The Lone Wanderer, on the other side of the continent, leaves his Vault to look for his father.
2,278 C.E. – The Lone Wanderer works with the Brotherhood of Steel to restore the Allied capital to its former glory. The Enclave is dealt a serious blow. Many slavers and raiders are killed or dispersed, including some in a city known as the Pitt. The fate of the Wanderer is unknown.
2,281 C.E. – The Courier is tasked with bringing Mister House a very special piece of technology. The Courier would be shot in the head before recovering.
2,282 C.E. – The Courier leaves the wastes. The Legion is defeated and disbanded. Many different states elect to join the NCR. Mister House remains in control of New Sagev, although New Sagev was forced to join the NCR.
2,290 C.E. – The world of Eden would start to rebuild, though it would take centuries. The Enclave and the Black Hand retreat from public view. The NCR would take control of a secret installation known as Area 52 along with Big Mountain.
2,300 C.E. – The Zetans of Zetvar divide themselves into a cold war stance. They only have one colony.
2,342 C.E. – The Loyalist TEC reveal the first Titan-class starship to their side of the galaxy. The other factions follow suit, worried that the balance of power would shift.
2,364 C.E. – The Light Beacon, a light side Force sect, attacks the GFFA. The Second Force War begins.
2,379 C.E. – Agent Kelchu kills the original Shadow Broker and takes his place.
2,398 C.E. – Hive Fleet Behemoth attacks the Tau. The Tau Empire, already dying from the Farsight Rebellion, is quickly defeated. Farsight asks the CME for assistance in ending the Tyranid threat. This time, the CME respond with assistance. The Tau and other species left from the Farsight Rebellion join the CME. The CME reforms into the Imperium of Orion, or IOO.
2,400 C.E. – The Asari reveal the Destiny Ascension to the Citadel fleet as the largest dreadnought in Citadel space. The Ascension-class dreadnoughts are all scheduled to be completed by 2,600 C.E.
2,405 C.E. – Hive Fleet Behemoth is broken, but splinter fleets remain. The Tau reclaimed their lost worlds. Commander Farsight meets with the Old Ones and it is revealed that the blade he found was an ancient blade crafted by the Old Ones themselves. It was a powerful sword of psychic energy known as the Dawn Blade. The Tau quickly become integrated into the IOO.
2,450 C.E. – The Light Beacon is defeated. The Second Force War ends and the GFFA rejoice. At the same time, the UEG announces its 500th colony. Insurrection starts to plague the UEG.
2,475 C.E. – Seeing no end to the insurrection, the UEG hands all colonial authority to the United Nations Space Command, or UNSC.
2,489 C.E. – The Xenomorphs start to overwhelm the Yautja, forcing them off Yautja Prime.
2,492 C.E. – The Jiralhanae of Doisac join the Covenant Empire after their discovery. The Prophets noted that the Jiralhanae were not only superstitious, but also very loyal.
2,506 C.E. – The ORION Project is initiated by ONI to create a super soldier. It is considered a failure as only one participant, Avery Johnson, was still in fighting condition.
2,517 C.E. – The SPARTAN-II Project is initiated by ONI for the UNSC as a continuation of the Orion Project.
2,525 C.E. – The UEG and the Covenant Empire make contact. The Human-Covenant War begins. The Insurrection War ends. The SPARTAN-II Project is finished with 33 individuals. Harvest Campaign begins.
2,530 C.E. – The Great Schism begins in the Covenant Empire, led by the Prophet of Prosperity and Arbiter Thel 'Vadam. After discovering the treachery of the Prophets, these two instigate a rebellion inside the Covenant. Many join them, tired of their enslavers. A truce is formed between the Covenant Revolutionaries and the UNSC. The Prophets discover Installation 04 and a great battle takes place for the installation. After the battle, the UNSC and the Revolutionaries take the ring for themselves. They discover many secrets and humanity's own legacy. The Loyalists are left broken with only the Prophet of Truth surviving. They retreat to the Jiralhanae homeworld of Doisac to regroup. The Human-Covenant War is declared over.
2,531 C.E. – The UNSC still holds authority in the colonies. The Illuminati place themselves in key positions. Picus Network is acquired by the Illuminati as Earth's key news network. Page Industries is founded as a robotics corporation. Hugh Darrow starts the invention of human augmentations for civilians.
2,532 C.E. – David Sarif founds Sarif Industries for augmentation. The Illuminati respond with Tai Yong Medical. A small population of humans cannot receive augmentations due to genetics; Hugh Darrow is one of them.
2,534 C.E. – The excavation of New Mombasa commences on the rumors of a powerful Forerunner artifact.
2,535 C.E. – The Illuminati launch an attack on Sarif Industries, kidnapping many top scientists. Adam Jensen, the chief of security, is injured and has to be augmented. He then tracks down the conspiracy to control people through augmentations. Jensen shuts down the conspirators, weakening the Illuminati.
2,536 C.E. – Tai Yong Medical is investigated as part of the conspiracy and is broken up. Picus is shut down as a new network, its anchor Eliza reveled as an AI. She is moved to another news network with free will. Sarif Industries rushes to the top of the augmentation market. Sarif Industries releases the medical data necessary for all humans to receive augmentations.
2,537 C.E. – The UNSC returns authority back to the UEG. The EUG join the former Covenant races in a new empire. Reforms are introduced. The Arks are discovered and Mendicant Bias is reunited. Artificial Intelligences start to demand sentient rights. The Sentient Accords are signed.
2,540 C.E. – The Covenant is completely reformed into the Orion Species Union. Augmentations become common among all populations, reaching out to almost 67% of the total population. The OSU discovers Ghibalb, the former homeworld for the Forerunners. They are immediately attacked by Forerunner drones. The Union-Drone Skirmish begins.
2,541 C.E. – The Union-Drone Skirmish ends when Offensive Bias is discovered. Offensive Bias apologizes for its actions. The influx of new technology brings a golden age for the OSU. The Arks are moved to a location inside the OSU controlled space. The Capital, a massive space station built by the Forerunners, is discovered by the OSU. The SPARTAN-III Project is started by ONI.
2,544 C.E. – During their expansion, the Imperium (IOO) encounters the Galactic Federation (GFFA). The two perceive each other as an enemy. The first shots are fired and the Imperial-Federation War ensues. This war devastates numerous worlds and leaves both societies in a state of dystopia.
2,556 C.E. – The OSU encounters the shattered world of Eden, a world that had just rebuilt from their Great War. Eden had already started to colonize their system, but was far from achieving FTL outside their own system. Instead, they utilized advanced forms of gravametrics to fold space and create wormholes. The OSU helped them create their first starships capable of FTL. Eden then joined the OSU. The Zetans were discovered by a passing starship.
2,557 C.E. – Following the Zetans back to their homeworld, the OSU find a world on the brink of starvation and civil war. The Zetans are asked to join. The OSU hoped to gain the advanced energy systems of the Zetans in exchange for terraforming technology. The Zetans agree, giving the OSU better energy systems.
2,558 C.E. – The war between the Imperium (IOO) and the Federation (GFFA) is getting increasingly expansive. During this time, both decide to look for new resources. They just happen to stumble on the civil war going on between the TEC, Vasari and Advent. All three factions were trying to keep their own factions together and were getting desperate for any excuse to stop the fighting. The Imperial-Federation War gives them that option. The scout groups fire on Vasari ships and start striking at their empire. The Vasari, desperate, start talks of unification with the TEC. The TEC is hesitant at first, but as one of their own planets go dark, they agree. The Orion Solar Empire is born. The OSE eventually forces the Advent to join by helping the rebels overtake their government. United as one, the OSE strikes back at both the IOO and the GFFA. The Great Galactic War begins.
2,559 C.E. – The OSU eventually travels to where all the war is. They find a galaxy in tatters as entire worlds are made uninhabitable. The OSU makes contact with all three factions and are immediately attacked as all three factions believe it to be some trap. The entire Orion arm is engulfed in war as Mandalorians and Yautja are hired as mercenaries and the Tion Cluster becomes rich from the black market trades and information dealing.
2,560 C.E. – A group of humans from the OSU space become disenfranchised at how the galaxy is looking. They also despise human augmentation. Seeing no end to the conflict, they elect to leave. Numbering at almost 100,000 people, they board several starships with the intention of leaving for outside the Orion arm. However, a traveling OSE fleet spots them and fires. The ships are damaged before making their random jump outside the Orion arm. The OSU starts the SPARTAN-IV and V Projects.
2,562 C.E. – The refugees make it to an area of space known as the Skyllian Verge, far from the Orion arm of the galaxy. They name the world Elysium and start to colonize. Taking stock of what they have, they soon realized that most of their technology was damaged in some way and would only last a few years. With that in mind, they set out to forge new technologies. Though they tried to maintain the history of themselves, they soon found the idea of "augmentation" laughable in a few generations.
2,568 C.E. – The war continues as all sides steal the blueprints and military secrets of other factions. All sides are caught in some sort of stalemate. They decide to invest in other technologies to help win the war. The most notable companies founded are Aperture Science for teleportation, FutureTech for "weird" science, and several other smaller corporations. The Illuminati, not to be outdone by freelancers, create Black Mesa as a response to Aperture and FutureTech. A man named Romulus sets up the Mediterranean Syndicate as a conglomerate of small defense contractors. The most prominent feature is their security force, Legion Security. A number of genetic experiments are done over these years to form the perfect soldier.
2,575 C.E. – Romulus seems to join the Illuminati, but also has his own agenda. The Illuminati also receive a man from the Black Hand, Anton Slavik. The Illuminati are puzzled that they have never heard of the Black Hand before. While they always appreciate men of such character, they are concerned that they are dealing with an unstable group of individuals.
2,580 C.E. – The fighting only continued when the Chiss Ascendency entered the scene. With a need to expand their territory, the Chiss attacked the Orion arm. Backed by one of the most brilliant commanders in galaxy, Thrawn, the Chiss devastated the already weakened militaries of all factions. However, the Chiss were a much smaller empire and logistics soon over took them as their assault was ground to a halt.
2,600 C.E. – All factions in the Orion arm were devastated. By this time, so much technology had been traded or stolen that the factions' militaries were essentially of the same build, just different designs. Since the citizens of all factions were crying out for peace, the leaders obliged and started the diplomatic process. It seemed that neither faction could agree to a form of peace without some sort of concession to which the other would never agree. A cease fire was the only option but occupation of hostile worlds was still enforced.
2,614 C.E. – The Orion arm is finally able to agree to a solution: unification amongst not the factions of the galaxy, but the individual planets and systems. The option was agreeable as several races would gain autonomy from their over-governments. The Galactic Orion Empire is formed as the united government. The Emperor remains the head of the new government, but must confer with the Senate over policy and other implications. Unfortunately for the new government, tensions are still hot between species and planets. The Sith are reformed into the Sith Security Forces, a galactic peacekeeping force that accepts everyone from around the GOE. They include not just Force users but also the former Imperial Inquisition and other secret police services. While peace makes for rebuilding faster, the call for order makes the Sith a brutal presence. Fortunately, the Illuminati have not been able to gain much over the GOE, as they were completely devastated by the war.
2,636 C.E. – The refugees at Elysium manage to repopulate and spread to the entire system. They discover the mass relay in the system. They discover that it can transport an object at FTL speeds to another relay light years away. Using it, they realize that they can reclaim something of their past. The colonization of Eden Prime and several other smaller colonies begin. The humans start to remake their technology based upon the mass relays. The Human Systems Alliance is born.
2,650 C.E. – Now that rebuilding can be done, the GOE starts to decide on several matters. The capital of the GOE was decided to be the station Capital just like the Forerunners of old. The Capital is moved into the orbit of the Coruscant system. Then the entire system was moved to the center of the Orion arm. The military would meet on the central station of High Charity, which was transported to be in orbit over the Capitol. Trade routes were reestablished but some systems were still cut off. The Yautja managed to reclaim their systems from the Xenomorphs, though some didn't want to save the Yautja. The military was in a fragile state, as much of it had been destroyed. The reconstruction of a decent fleet was top priority. The Tion Cluster would continue to be isolated from the rest of the galaxy as the Hutts fear what kind of retribution the young Orion Empire could dish out if threatened.
2,666 C.E. – The GOE now has a fully augmented population of 99.8%. Some people choose to remain free of technological innovation on Feudal Worlds, but are respected for their choice. STC databases are recovered and sent to all colonies for defensive and civil expansion. The GOE receives a population explosion as war-time medical technologies become available to the civilian public.
2,675 C.E. – Cerberus, a black ops group in the Sith Security Forces, discovers the Illuminati plot to control the galactic politics. The Illusive Man, concerned that the Illuminati are a threat to galactic peace, breaks off from the GOE to join them so as to destroy them from the inside. The GOE Senate is forced to recognize the group as traitors to the Orion Empire. They begin Project Freelancer as a replacement.
2,687 C.E. – The Tion Cluster starts to explore new systems outside the Orion arm to find new markets to sell to. The Shadow Broker becomes aware of such transports entering and exiting the Terminus systems but keeps the information for himself. By this time, the Illuminati have built a sizable network of contacts and corporations. Key assassinations are done to pave the way for their own agents.
2,700 C.E. – The Galactic Orion Empire is still reeling from their wars, but have managed to secure six of the seven Halo arrays. The seventh remains out of reach, as the slipspace communicator was damaged during the Forerunner-Flood War. The Human Systems Alliance establishes its newest colony, Shanxi. Meanwhile, a Batarian slave gang is on route to capture new slaves around the independent colonies of the Skyllian Verge. They decide to activate an unknown relay to a farther area of the Skyllian Verge.
Okay so here's the rundown of all of the factions. The Galactic Orion Empire is technologically superior due to their combination of all of the different technologies of pretty much everything that isn't Mass Effect. However, due to their earlier wars with each other, their military is extremely small. They have barely enough forces to cover all of their planets. They are still rebuilding. So no expansion for them right now. The Illuminati still plan on dominating them somehow, but their different allies have other plans (Majestic-12, Cerberus, Black Hand, Mediterranean Syndicate, etc). The Sith are the brutal security forces that enforce order throughout the GOE at the expense of some personal freedoms, so society is somewhat dystopian. Though with all the Transhumanist technology, it appears more utopian, so I guess they are cyberpunk.
The Human Systems Alliance are those humans that ran away during all the fighting and settled into the Skyllian Verge. They also hate augmentation so it was natural for them to run from a society that was increasingly augmented. They have very little to worry about until they hit the Terminus systems. Then they can have a war since, like the GOE, they hate slavery. They use mass effect technology but also carry over some other technologies as well. Although they are not as advanced, their society is much more free then the GOE.
The Citadel Council will continue to operate like they do in Mass Effect. They have no need to advance their technology since they believe they are the pinnacle of civilization. They will not be perceived as hostile enemies, but as ideological enemies.
Here are the threats: The Tyranids are always a menace no matter what universe you're in. The Electrical Protectorate are still hidden without a purpose. The Necrons are currently sleeping in their tombs, though the Halo firing certainly woke some of them. The Reapers are currently going about with their schemes, though they are wary of the Orion arm. Orks are declared extinct. The Xenomorphs are declared extinct, though some want to find and weaponize them (Weyland). The Flood are contained on a number of secure facilities by a group of AIs. The Tion Cluster is still the raiding and pirating type without any morals. The Terminus Systems still have their dirty tactics and Shadow Broker-ways. The Loyalists of the Covenant are still out there (more on that later) and the Didact is still on Requiem.
Well that's as far as I'm going to go to explaining different things. I'm starting to work on the first chapter, but it may take time as I will be going through it and doing a number of edits and I will be trying to make sure I capture the personality of the characters just right. I will also be trying to extend chapters to a longer length. Thanks and enjoy.