Timeline
This timeline covers events from 2020 A.D. until 2232 A.D, when the story of Ascendance begins in March of the same year; almost two centuries after humanity reached for the stars once again – And this time, held onto them.
This timeline is by now means complete, or covers all and every major event; it does however already provide a very good overview of many developments that occurred during the two centuries between the near future and the "current day" age of Ascendance.
Also, for those wondering: Events in the Ascendance timeline were intentionally stretched out compared to Canon, creating a slower, if still very fast by any standard, progression towards Associate Status. Ascendance is set during the Interim years, approaching events that will change the galaxy forever…
And a fair warning: Long and detailed timeline.
2022 | Return to Space: With the first manned Moon landing since the 1980s, Mankind returns to the moon – And soon stays.
2024 | SpaceX ITS Introduced: The SpaceX ITS system is introduced into commercial service and provides an immediate bon in cheap space access and interplanetary spaceflight.
2026 | The first DNIs: The first, comparatively primitive DNIs with advanced neuronal interfacing become available. The dream of mind-linked cybernetics, sensory prosthetics and minor mental augmentation/boosting become reality.
2027 | US adopts the Next-Generation Warfighter System: In a global environment of technological progress and rising international tension, the US are the first to introduce a new generation of warfighting equipment – Including the first exoskeletons, "smart weapons", advanced battlefield networking and an increased army of drones.
2028 | First International Mars Mission: The first manned international Mars mission leaves Earth orbit on a transfer orbit for Mars. They will return in 2033, after 500 stays mission days on the martian surface.
2029 – 2032 | World War III: One of the most devastating wars in human history, the limited nuclear World War III almost pushes humanity to the brink of annihilation. Total destruction is only turned away through the early orbital nuclear interception systems. It is only through the "Japanese Miracle" that decades if not centuries of suffering are averted, as Micromachine Radiation Scrubbing enables rapid clean-up of nuclear fallout. Between war research and civilian efforts to aid millions of sick and disabled, human biotechnology advances in massive leaps.
September 2037 | IPEV-01 "Beagle" departs for Jupiter: Having finishes its one-year orbital construction process, the Interplanetary Exploration Vehicle 01 "Beagle", prominently sponsored by India, Africa and South-East Asia together with the European Union and minor US support, departs for Jupiter. It is expected to return from its year-long mission in 2041, and one the first manned spacecraft to venture beyond the asteroid belt proper.
…: NOVEMBER 2037 – JULY 2039 | WORLD WAR IV :…
November 2037 | World War IV breaks out: Tensions escalate between the Littoral Alliance and the People's Republic of China over shipping and seaborne construction rights in the Chinese Sea and Pacific. The US is drawn into the conflict after China orders a UCGV swarm strike against a US carrier group, forcing the EU into the conflict. The conflict that began in the Pacific and South-East Asian sphere soon spreads over the world as Alliances go to war against each other. Nuclear war is averted by a hairs breath due to new, orbital-based interceptor grids - Instead weapon satellites and drones shoot at each other around Earth and the Moon.
2039 | World War IV ends: The 4th World War ends with the Kyoto Peace Accords, settling two years of harsh, heavily automated conflict on and around Earth.
September 2039 | Pan-Pacific Alliance becomes the first Post-War "Superalliance": An Alliance of Canada, Mexico and several pacific states, the Pan-Pacific Alliance formed during World War IV. Post-war, it solifies further, and becomes the first of the new Superalliances that define the Post-WW IV era.
End of 2039 – 2086 | The First Golden Age: The first golden Age was marked by remarkable advances in spaceflight, orbital construction, exoplanetary colonization and civilization, and breakthroughs on human biotechnology, augmentation, genetic manipulation and design sciences, and AI. The frontier of the Solar system is conquered as far as Pluto, while the frontiers of the human body and mind are explored and conquered in turn. Despite heavy social unrest and terror attacks of unprecedented scale, the massive advances of the time in technology and wellfare make the period between 2039 and 2086 the most prosperous era of the 21st century in public perception.
2040 | The First Hypercorps: The first Hypercorporations appear in the massive post-war growth period, as commercial space development explodes and the demand for personal augmentations, gene-fixing, and cosmetic melding work surges. The Japanes-American Hanka Precision Instruments Corporations growths massively, becoming one of the first "Hypercorporations".
2041 | Poseidon Industries branches out – Introduction of the first Bioroids: Poseidon Industries, previously a manufacturer and operator of sea- and undersea-based resource extraction, sea farming, and seaborne housing systems, expands its Biotechnology branch with the anouncement of the world-first Bioroid - Engineered transhumans grown artificially, nursed in special crèches, and able to perform tasks with superhuman precision and endurance. Poseidon Industries introduces the first series of Biodroids with great promp, causing discussion and outrage over the question of human rights for what many consider to be biological robots, not worthy of human rights or free will.
2042 | The "Gold crash": The continued cheapness of asteroid mining sends the regular resource economy into price tailspins. The "gold crash", heralded by the price plunge from more than 45,000 US Dollars to 300 US Dollars (2017 value), revamps conventional human industry and economy in the years to come. Research-intensive endeavors, from construction projects over a new wave of general wealth, including former Third-world nations, to the new robotic armies of the new age become possible.
2nd March 2042 | First Ape upload: Several ape brains are successfully uploaded into a full-emulation AI system through the use of "slicing" imaging; the Apes are shown to be able to control special surrogate bodies. However, they go crazy after several weeks and attempts to have them control other body types. Still, the experiment supplies vital data for future uploading and brain-body interfacing experiments.
2043 | Space-based Solar-beamed power booms: The construction of orbital and transorbital solar farm from lunar, NEO and asteroid belt material booms; several countries supply more than 50% of their energy demands using orbital power solutions. The "space energy rush" catalyzes a new development of clean energy technology in lockstep with advances into 4th and 5th generation nuclear reactor design.
December 2043 – August 2045 | Poseidon Space constructs "Palace in Heaven": Poseidon Industries branches out into Space construction with Poseidon Space beginning construction of a massive, entirely corporation-owned O'Neil Space Colony named "Palace in Heaven". The future colony will serve as Headquarters, Research and Development, and Production complex for the corporation while also offering a private premium space living enviroment for its top employees.
2044 | Offworld population boom: Luna cracks the 2 Million population mark. The first vacuum-rated 'Borg chassis appear on the commercial and civilian market, offering operations in the vacuum of space without the use of Spacesuits.
August 2045 | "Palace in Heaven" construction finishes: Poseidon Industries finishes construction of the "Palance of Heaven" O'Neil Habitat at Earth-Luna L4, the largest privately habitat owned exclusively by the Poseidon Corporation to date. Other corporations express similar interests in large spaceborne habitats, safe from the attacks of the Neo-Luddite movement (and earthern laws.)
April 2046 | "Icarus Demonstrator" launches: The Interplanetary Society launches its "Icarus Demonstrator" spacecraft from its Interplanetary Industries Berth in the asteroid belt. The spacecraft is the fourth human probe to breach the Heliopause and head out into interstellar space one year later.
November 2047 | IPEV-02 "Pegasus" arrives at Saturn: With IPEV-02 "Pegasus", the first large manned expedition arrives at the Saturn system, one year after a smaller ahead mission.
2048 | Mars breaches the 1-million population mark: After over a dozen years of martian colonisation efforts, Mars breaches the 1-million population mark; 1/4th of the population are bioroids.
2049 | First military incident since 2039: A tense 23-hour stand-off between a Chinese and a European Task Force in transit to Jupiter from Earth and Mars, respectively, marks the first military incident since the end of World War IV in 2039. The two Task Forces transfer orbitals crossed each other with less than 10,000 kilometer clearance, leading to the Task Forces violating each other's defensive perimeter. The EU and PRC blame each other for failure to communicate their Task force movements and orbitals for the next weeks, and Earth-Luna and Mars are the scene of tense sensor stand-offs, with european and chinese stations lighting each other up with active guidance radar again and again over the next weeks. Thankfully, nothing more happens.
15th August 2050 | The "Skyfall" Incident becomes the single-largest Neo-Luddite attack in human history: The Singapure Transhuman Research Megaplex, home to research labs of many Hypercorporations developing transhuman augmentations, is attacked with a diverted lunar shipment. Other impactors consistent of Mass driver payloads, kinetic rods, and decommissioned satellites wreck or destroy other earthborn headquarters of corporations developing transhuman tech; two dirty bombs are detonated. It is the single-largest terror attack in history, marking a split in human society. Many people with heavy augmentations, as well as Bioroids and Androids, look towards the stars for a safe future, and corporations around the world are happy to oblique. Hanka Precision Instruments and Poseidon Instrustries heavily focus down on their own Mars development efforts, and become major government contractors with their respective expertise. Bioroids become even more integral to the martian colonization and terraforming effort.
November 2050 | The "Mars Conspiracy" is born: In the aftermath of the "Skyfall", several Hypercorp CEOs meet in private aboard "Palace in Heaven". Hanka Precision Instruments, Poseidon Industries, Serano Genomics and others plot to secure their own "Corpstates" for their employees, AIs and Bioroids away from Earth-Luna and the threat of the Neo-Ludites and a "primitive, rejecting society of people with small minds", as Takeshi Hanka puts it during the meeting. That this will also give them de-facto independence from earthern powers and their laws and restrictions is seen as a major plus and brings further corporations aboard.
2051 | First terrestrial space elevator: Enabled by new zero-g manufacturing processes and micromachine weaving technologies, the worlds first space elevaror is constructed in a joint venture before the coast of South America. It is a pilot project in a world of rapidly expanding spacelift.
2052 | Venus reaches the 50,000 population mark: The Venusian system (Atmosphere, orbitals and solar L1 and L2 Lagrange points) breaches the 50,000 population mark. Not invested in ressource extraction, Venus instead styles itself all around lifestyle, biotechnology (including building an early atmosphere-borne artificial ecology) and Research and Development. Smaller human powers are also working on Venus-stationed Solar Power, not interested in the more challenging operations around Mercury.
2053 | Taris Republic declares Independence: The Martian Tarsis Republic formaly declares its independence. Overnight, the landscape of the Solar system changes fundamentaly as private citizens come together to form their own Nationstate independent off Earth. Other colonies such as the Inner Belt Alliance, the Artemis League and the Interplanetary Commonwealth soon follow, formally severing ties with the earthern powers and authorities.
2054 | Founding of the Interplanetary United Nations Organisation: The IUNO is founded by all earthbound and several earth-independent powers to create a new forum independent of the old UN, which is formaly disbanded in the same year. The new IUNAO is faced with challenges almost immidiently, as independent solar nations spare off against earthbound powers and their corporate lobbyists. Corporations also demand more independence and authority of their own.
2055 | Jupiter and Mercury begin advanced development and colonization: The Jovian system and Mercury become targets of massive economic development and, in the former case, large-scale moon and space settlement indicatives. Mercury is targeted by heavily automated missions; the only manned presences are anchored in the shadow of Mercury at the Mercury-Sun L2. Both systems sore over the 20,000 population mark within months.
2056 |Poseidon Interplanetary begins Mars Settlement Iniative Phase 3: Poseidon Interplanetary, new umbrella company for Poseidon Industries, begins with the construction of a third set of massive over- and underground Arcologies on Mars. The Corporation is the 6th-largest presence on Mars.
2056 | Mars Conspiracy prepares for eventual martian independence under its members: The Mars conspirators begin preparations to declare their independence on Mars. Focussing their development on the westward area of the Amazonis Platina, Olympus Mons, and the Tharsis Montes, they construct two space elevators and a set of Mass drivers. The goal is to achive total independence all the while the space elevators and other orbital plattforms will serve as independent orbitheads and defenses against spaceborne assault.
2057 | Icarus One, Icarus Two and Icarus Three launch: The Interplanetary Society launches its next series of interstellar probes; this time with heavier payload capacity, the probes are headed for Alpha Centauri, E Eridani and Wolf 359. Travel times will be in the decades.
June 2061 | Jupiter passes the 2 million population mark: The Jovian system surpasses the 2 million population mark. A surprisingly popular destination for those wishing to escape earth and the augmentation wave of the inner system, most of the population is concentrated in shielded space habitats and inside and under the ice shell of Europa, whose massive amounts of water offer a natural radiation shield against the raging radiation of the Jupiter system.
August 2061 |Next-gen Dry Carbon Organizers demonstrated inside specialized fabricator system: The EU-based Hypercorp Serano Genomics demonstrates the worlds first commercial Dry Carbon Organizer Nanoswarms inside the enclosed fabrication environment of the world's first Nanofabricatory, producing a massive 10,000-carats diamond inside the system over the span of several hours. The "Diamond Age" begins as the technology advances in leaps and bounds over the next years, the "Diamond Crash" invalidates one of the last truly rare minerals of the Universe after the asteroid mining-induced "Gold crash" of the 2040s.
2062 | The EU disbands; the European Stellar Federation is founded in its place: Recognizing that by now millions of EU citizens live beyond Earth and demand their own recognition in the political systems of the EU, the EU moves to disband itself; its member nations found the European Stellar Federation (ESF) in its place. While the administration remains in Brussel, off-world colonies gain previously unheard-off recognition and independence. A new european expansion rush sets in as the new ESF founds colonies all over the Solar System.
2063 | The Second Space Elevator Wave: A second wave of Space Elevators begins construction around Earth, the last ever - Five new elevators are constructed over the next four years. Three of them are sponsored by waterborne nationstates in the pacific who seek their own, independent space access in order to develop more ressources for themselves on earth.
2065 | Victor Manswell founds the Manswell Initiative: Victor Manswell, human trillionare and spaceflight enthusiast, founds the private Manswell Initiative in order to promote and develop viable ways of unmanned and manned interstellar colonization. Manswell quickly gathers a massive crew of scientists, engineers and willing colonists to his cause, beginning the development of a custom telescope array, interstellar probes and several colony ships. In the following years, the Manswell Initiative pushes breakthroughs in fusion propulsion, cryonic and nanotech suspension, autonomous systems, AI design, and self-replicating Microtech.
2068 | First advanced "Starwisp" probe swarms launched: Using magnetic launchers and laser-based acceleration, the Starwisp Initiative launches its first relativistic interstellar probe swarms from the Venus-Sun L3. The Manswell Initiative is soon to follow with its own system.
January 2069 | "New Eden" Mars Nanoterraforming Iniative proposed, approved and implemented: The european hypercorp Serano Genomics, major producer of Micro- and Nanotechnology, introduces Project New Eden to the European Stellar Federation, and proposes using advanced Micromachine Technology to accelerate the centuries-long terraforming effort. The project is approved with overwhelming majority in the ESF parliament and begins implementation on Mars 3 months later.
Unbeknownst to the public and the ESF, Serano Genomics plants a killswitch in the New Eden system. The nanoconstruction facilities for New Eden are also placed in future corporate territories.
2070: "Skyline One" transports more than 10 million people per year: The european-african "Skyline 1" Space Elevator complex of the west coast of Africa is the first Space elevator to transport over 10 million people per year.
2071 | "Lowell City" becomes the first martian Megacity, with more than 25 million inhabitants: The ESF-founded and affiliated "Lowell City" Arcology complex on Mars becomes the first true Megacity of the red planet, with 25 million inhabitants
2nd February 2072 | Discovery of the Mars Archives: The American Mateus Silva and his team of independent prospectors discover the prothean structure that will become known as the "Mars Archives" near Deserado crater in the Promethei Planum. Their discovery sends immediate shockwaves through human society system-wide; the IUNO General Assembly erupts into Chaos as the tugging around the Archives begins. In a surprising move, after 6 days of intense arguments, all nations come together to ratify international access to the archives. The sabers of the interplanetary powers never come to rattle in their sheaths.
May 2072 | Mars Archives excavation begins: International researchers and corporations begin with the excavation of the Mars Archives under a purposefully constructed containment dome. The outlying land quickly becomes covered with a rapidly growing scientific installation that grows into a nearby city, "New Cairo", only some 50 kilometers away from the Archives enforced exclusion zone.
August 2072 | "Mass effect" first discovered: The research team around Doctor James Rockhound, Doctor Itaki Weber and Doctor Sun Qing publish their greatest discovery of the Mars Archives - The "Mass Effect." While analyzing components of the alien vessel, the team discovered an exotic substance that does not fit into conventional models of baryonic matter - And seems to be able to manipulate space, time and mass itself. The substance is named "Element Zero" by a joker on the internet - Within 24 hours, the name goes viral and sticks, becoming the official work name of the alien substance. "Eezo" is quickly adopted as a shortcut.
October 2073 | Poseidon Industries and Hanka Precision Instruments are contracted for Archive research: Poseidon Robotics and Hanka Precision Instruments gain government contracts for aid in decrypting the massive wealth of the archives, as well as providing infrastructure and security. The two Hypercorps are especialy interested in the Archives "Green Vault", which seems to contain Prothean Biology and Biotech data and research, including research data of Cro-Magna humans. Both corporations see the possibilities in using the insights of the Protheans into human biology for their own technologies.
2074 | Breakthrough in Mass Effect science: Professor Alex Xalies develops the first fundamental theory of element zero technology, paving the way for theoretical physics and engineering. The big breakthrough is the understanding that A.) Element zero generates a form of dark energy when exited, B.) that these emissions can and have to be shaped to create precise, metric-altering effects.
May 2076 | Development of the Mk. I Boost Core: The Mk.I Boost core is the first major innovation to come from the Mars Archives. The assembly of a material core, waveguides, generates and special projectors, using the newly discovered "Element Zero", is able to lower the realized mass within a volume enough to propel smaller spacecraft to higher speeds with less propellant. Capital craft remain out of its reach, however.
October 2076 | Maiden Flight of the "Venture Horizon": The international spacecraft IIPBCD-01 "Venture Horizon" breaches 0.3 cee using a high-powered fusion drive and a Mk.I Boost Core, accelerating to the incredible speed in only half an hour. It is a window into a possible future and dramatic changes in spaceflight for mankind.
2078 | Manswell Initiative approaches the Mars Archives Group with a corporate offer: Extremely interested by recent breakthroughs in Mass Effect Science, the Manswell Initiative deepens its cooperation with the Mars Archives; Manswell also offers increased private sponsorship of the group in return for access to one drive core array for the first manned Alpha Centauri expedition. Ultimately, the deal goes through.
2080 | Manswell Alpha Centauri expedition departs Sol: Equipped with as prototype -X core, the Manswell Alpha Centauri Expedition departs the Sol System aboard MISV-01 Deepspace Horizon, heading with 0.5 cee for Alpha Centauri. The journey will take 10 years.
2082 | Boost Core becomes widely available: The Boost core becomes commercially available, though limited by the amounts of Eezo available. The first "Fast Courier" spacecraft are used by Nationstates.
February 2086 | Discovery of the Mars Conspiracy: The Mars Conspiracy is discovered after ESF Intelligence intercepts and decrypts corporate communications, blowing the lid wide open on the Conspiracy and its goals to secure Mars and the Mars archives for themselves. The ESF is most displeased and denies the corporations further access to the archives, evicting research teams of the involved corporations and confiscating digital data and research. In response, the corporations move to execute their plan - An augmented Bioroid strike force moves to take the Mars archives as the opening stroke of the corporate war of independence. The plan fails as a Japanese-American Task Force also aware of the corporate machinations intercepts the strike force and kills it completely as they prepare to strike at the Mars Archives. In response, the ESF locks down corporate activty across its sphere of influence, and actually destroys several corporate spacecraft that try to run the blockade. Serano Genomics attempts a blackmail with the New Eden Killswitch - the ESF response is a sudden cyberassault across all fronts and 1st and 2nd Stellar Corps troops landing on Luna and Mars to assault and secure corporate facilities and arcologies.
February 2086 – 2089 | The Interplanetary War: What starts as a tense stand-off between the ESF and the Mars Conspiracy corporations spirals into a full-blown war. Soon Nationstates fight each other; Corporations backstap each other for greater gain, and inbetween several civil wars break out over old differences -On Earth, Pro- and Contra-Aug factions fight each other, on Mars Pro- and Contra-terraforming groups become embroiled in a corp- and nation-fueled proxy conflict, and throughout the Solar system Independence movements seek to finally break free from Nationstates and Corporations. The War ends after the Allies achieve a vital technological breakthrough at the Mars Archives and the FTL-capable "Task Force Lighting" devastates corporate forces throughout the Solar system.
2089 | The Breaking of Corporations: In the aftermath of the Interplanetary War, new legislations decisively break the power of the Mega- and Hypercorporations; the founding of "Corpstates" is forbidden by law and threat of capital punishment. Existing Corpstates are folded into colonies or granted independence under strict control and a heavily enforced armistice.
2089 | UNAS are founded: The United States of America, Canada and Mexico unite into the United North American States, after the PPA has broken apart during the Interplanetary War.
July 2089 | "First" Systems Alliance is founded: The "System Alliance" is founded as the successor of the failed IUNO by the Allied Powers. It is given more rights of supervision over the Solar System, including future colonisation efforts and supervision of the Mars Archives. Some accuse the System Alliance of being a puppet of the allied powers.
November 2089 | Mk.I FTL Core: Powered along by the Yukashi-Tian Metric, the Mk.I FTL core is the first system that enables spacecraft up to 600 meters in length and 1 million tons in mass to enter FTL flight at over two dozen times cee.
January 2090 | Maiden Flight if FISV-01 "Nova": ISV-02 "Nova" is the first FTL craft to leave the embrace of the solar system, venturing a lightyear away from Sol into the Oort Cloud.
February 2090 | Manswell ACE arrives at Alpha Centauri: The Manswell Alpha Centauri Expedition arrive at their target star, and begin the first laborious efforts of constructing a colony on a habitable planet in the Alpha Centauri Alpha system. The message of the breakout of the Interplanetary War disturbs the colonists greatly; many are unsure of how to proceed, and if any subsequent expeditions will ever arrive.
2091 | The Advanced Development front of humanity reaches Uranus and Neptune: As population numbers around Uranus and Neptune grow, humanity's activities, catalyzed by more breakthroughs in propulsion science and biological suspension, extend into the far reaches of the outer system. Kuiper belt mining is becoming a regular activity; millions of people live and work in the reaches of the Solar system already.
June 2091 | Project Icarus Interstellar Deep Renaissance Mission launches: The Project Icarus Interstellar Deep Reonnaisance Mission departs Sol system on 50-year Scramjet flight through nearby solar space. It's goal is to map the interstellar medium around Sol and demonstrate fusion scramjet technology as well as long-term autonomous operation. It will also use the suns own gravity lensing effect for observations, and observe the galactic medium and neighbourhood outside of the Oort cloud and solar system.
2092 | The First Dispora: Spured on by the post-war chaos, millions of people with enough money seek to escape the Solar System and the influence of its power completely. A number of other interstellar STL missions launch to other target stars, or Alpha Centauri Alpha.
2093 | Pluto colonies surpass 50,000 people: Small communities in Pluto grow in numbers as people seek refuge from the reach of the Inner System; entire belt communities migrate into the outer system, wanting to escape the greater reach and power of the new "Hyperpowers" that control the inner solar system.
2094 | Kuiper Republics founded: In order to find larger political recognition, the human habitats in the Kuiper Belts decide to form a Republic as their larger representative element, folding in the
16th April 2095 | Charon Relay discovered: The Charon Relay is discovered, inactive, frozen inside a 30-kilometer ice asteroid orbiting Charon, the moon of Pluto. Excavation efforts of the strange object begin.
2096 | Charon Relay identified: Datamnining of the Mars Archives reveals the strange object in orbit around Charon to be a "Mass Relay" and potential FTL transmission device of some kind.
2098 | Charon Relay is activated: After years of research, deliberation, and preparation, the Charon Relay is activated. An expeditionary and military task force lead by Jon Grisson are the first transhumans to transfer through the portal after a series of automated probes of varrying sophistication. What they discover on the other side shocks the Solar system anew. Relays - And many of them, all found inside the star system of Arcturus, 36 lightyears from earth. Humanity has an instant future among the stars.
2099 | Colonization of Arcturus begins: Dozens of expeditions stream through the new Relay connection into the Arcturus System. With a sudden demand for propellant, construction materials and raw asteroids, the economy of the Kuiper Republics booms overnight. With almost no authority over the Arcturus systems, dozens of established and various new powers and organizations stake their claims on the planets, moons and asteroids of the new star system.
…: 2100 – 2160 | The Second Golden Age :…
2100 – 2115 | The First Expansion: The First Expansion is defined by settlements around Sol and Arcturus and the systems beyond the primary and secondary Relays, largely focused on the STL-accessible locations. The discovery of several eezo-rich planetoids in Arcturus small Kuiper Belt and beyond Arcturus Primary Relay 01 during the second half of The First Expansion finally provides the resource relief that has hampered serious eezo developments for years. In consequence, FTL-accessible colonies around Arcturus and Sol surge.
2104 | Construction of "Arcturus Station" begins: The System Alliance begins construction of its own station for Arcturus-based operations, independent of the stations of the Major Powers, at the Arcturus-Themis L5. "Arcturus Station" is scheduled to become the System Alliance Navy base for interstellar operations, based around a central Stanford Torus with another solid center - Core 01.
2116 – 2117 | Second American Civil War: The Second American Civil War breaks out over differences between the UNAS on Earth and its colonies in Sol and beyond. The Second American Civil War leads into the foundation of the United Interstellar American States, which promises to represent all states fairly and equally, and turns the former UNAS colonies into proper states. The rest of the world warily watches the proceedings, but does not interfere. Only the System Alliance actively intervenes in the conflict, though it mostly ensures the other powers and international infrastructure remain undamaged by the civil war.
…: 2130s-2140s | The Transhuman transition :…
2120 – 2140 | The Second Expansion: The Second Expansion begins in 2120, enduring for a whole two decades. Humanity expands over around 7,000 lightyears around Sol, discovering the "First Ring" that bridges the Relay connection "arms" that extend along several primary Relays away from Arcturus. Over a hundred Solar systems are settled with small colonies during this period; the demand for unaltered Bioroids, technically just artificially grown transhumans, and AGI surges as the colonial powers seek to expand their colonial holdings. The first true interstellar armed forces appear during this era. The System Alliance implements its first First Contact QRF units inside 2nd and 3rd Fleet and stations the first Frontier Guard units.
2143 – 2167 | The Third Expansion: Pushing up to 15,000 Lightyears and transiting into the Orion-Cygnus Arm proper, the Third Expansion begins almost as soon as the Second One has ended. A burgeoning colonial industry demands regular exploration, expansion and colonial exploitation to remain stable, and even the greater and greater expanses of Space are unable to seriously inhibit mapping and expansion of the Relay network under transhuman control. Control over "The Bridge" into the Orion-Cygnus arms and the fact that the Chinese People's Confederation, European Stellar Federation and United Interstellar States of America control the major expansion arms leads into the First Interstellar War, the first and last true "World War" among the stars, and transhumanities sixth civilization-spanning conflict. Nonetheless, the Third Expansion continues as the powers search for new territories and Relay avenues, in desperate bids to change the economic and strategic picture.
2154 | Daisuke Aramaki is born: Daisuke Aramaki is born in Tokyo Bay Seacology, Sol, Japan to Takyuki and Arei Aramaki.
2156 | Aramaki's move to the pacific Japanese holdings: Due to his farthers role in the military, the Aramaki's move to one of Japans pacific seacology holdings.
2161 | The Aramaki's move to the frontier: The Arakami's move to the japanese frontier near the Core systems after Takayuki Aramaki re-enlists as an officer with the Japanese Space Defense Force.
2164 – 2166 | First Interstellar War: The First (and only major) Interstellar War breaks out between all powers; intense battles over garden worlds and Relay avenues ensue.
May 2165 | Takyuki Aramaki returns home from the front: Heavily wounded in action, Takyuki Arakami returns home from the battlefelds of the Interstellar War. The image of his broken farther and the violence transhumans unleash against each other mark the young Aramaki for life.
…: 2165 – 2197 | The New Renaissance :…
2170 – 2193 | The Fourth Expansion: The Fourth Expansion pushes now-transhuman boundaries into more organic shapes; many previous Relay avenues "dry up", leaving only a few primary arms to expand along. The full Internationalization of The Bridge from the Orion Spur into the Orion-Cygnus arm and the discovery of The Log, a small but effective route from the Arcturus Core into the Orion-Cygnus Arm trailward of The Bridge, heralds the colonization of the Orion arm proper, which swallows up most of transhumanities colonisation efforts. Many development efforts begin to focus inwards as the major powers seek larger internal consolidation before pushing onward. The breakout of the Outer Fringe War and an associated massive flare in colonial independence movements stiffle, then stop the fourth expansion, and its final resume before 2193 is a weak twitch of a once powerful force. Internal stability and growth is regarded as more important than sheer expansion.
25th June 2172 | Thomas Ishikawa is born: Thomas Ishikawa is born on the New Los Angeles Space habitat at Site 11, Earth-Luna L3, Sol to Williams and Janette Ishikawa.
11th April 2176 | Jane Shepard is born: Jane Shepard is born aboard the medical vessel SSV Samaritan-VI to Hannah and Chris Shepard.
11th April 2178 | Motoko Kusanagi is born: Motoko Kusanagi is born in Kyōto, Earth, Sol to Ishian and Miya Kusanagi.
2182 – 2185 | Arcturus Station Phase 4 expansion: Arcturus Station is expanded with two O'Neil cylinders for civilian population, transferring the core of three Stanford tori and one Bernal sphere entirely over to the military and SA administration.
2180 | Daisuke Aramaki joins the Systems Alliance military: After education and a university study, Daisuke Aramaki decides to make good on his wow to serve all transhumanity, and joins the Systems Alliance military as a peacekeeper and gets on track to become an intelligence specialist.
2191 | Aramaki is offered a position with the Systems Alliance Frontier Guard: Aramaki is offered a position with the Systems Alliance Frontier Guard due to his exemplary record with the Peacekeepers and Systems Alliance military; he accepts, and begins the long introduction training to join the Guard.
2195 | Ishikawa joins the Systems Alliance military: At age 24, and after four years of studying DNI-based programming and hacking, Ishikawa joints the Systems Alliance Armed Forces, seeking to escape the crowded live of the New Los Angeles habitat and the Solar system and experience the frontier with his own eyes. Due to this digital expertise, Ishikawa is quickly assigned as a Cyberwarfare Expert and Drone Controller out of Basics.
2196 | Motoko Kusanagi joints the Japanese military: At age 20, Motoko Kusanagi joins the Japanese Colonial Defense Force (JCDF) as a Private.
2196 | Liam Saito is born: Liam Saito is born in Kaisata City on Eden Prime to Ken and Sarah Saito.
March 2197 | Ishikawa assigned to Xin Shanxi: Ishikawa and his 22nd Cyber- and Drone Warfare is assigned as regular reinforcements to the Frontier Guard on the planet Xin Shanxi, in preparation for the opening of a nearby Relay.
April 2197 |Relay 314 Incident: The opening of the TCST-6552 Relay near Xin Shanxi backfires horribly on its transhuman explorers - An alien patrol detects the transhuman spacecraft on approach to the Relay and opens fire after sending several transmissions. All but one starship, a Chinese Light Frigatte, are destroyed on-site, which retreats to Xin Shanxi. A chinese QRF in the region reacts to calls for help and finds and destroys several Alien spacecraft in the cluster - At the same time, a System Alliance QRF arrives at Xin Shanxi. Just in time. Two days later, a new alien flotilla attacks Xin Shanxi directly, leading to a prolonged engagement in the outer system. The Alien Flotilla retreats, chased part of the way by System Alliance Forces.
April 2197 – July 2197 | "First Contact War": The "First Contact War" becomes transhumanity's first conflict with an alien power. After an incident at the TCST-6552 Relay which leads to conflict, a limited but destructive war rages in the space region around Xin Shanxi and near Xin Beijing over the next months. Xin Shanxi becomes the axle point of the conflict. The conflict ends with The Repulsion lead by the System Alliance 2nd Fleet which ends in a lengthy space engagement over and around Shanxi, shortly thereafter followed by Council intervention into the conflict. Overall, the conflicts costs hundreds of thousands of sophonts their lives – Including thousands of transhuman real deaths through the destruction both stacks and back-up centers. The incident will remain a diplomatic sour point for years to come.
2196 – 2201 | The "Fourth-One-Half" Expansion: Originaly thought of as the "fifth expansion", the Fourth-one-half Expansion was cut short by the First Contact War. Its final three years post-war were spend with carefully mapping out connections from transhuman space into the larger galaxy, and opening these connections, connecting transhuman space to the larger galactic community. The Howling Waste Straight, Citadel Corridor and Styx Straight are discovered during the final years of this connection, establishing transhumanities major connections to turian, citadel and batarian space; more connections into the Traverse and Salarian space are some of the last discoveries before the Fourth-one-half expansion ends in 2201. The remaining transhuman growth during this time was focused in future boarder regions, especially near turian space, in preparation for a possible war in the near future.
…: 2198 |The Galactic Age :…
2198: The Great Unification: Faced with the obvious problem of either standing together or hanging separately, and with the spectre of a potential future turian attack still on the Horizon, The Great Unification sees the System Alliance finaly and totaly becoming transhumanities government, everywhere. The Systems Alliance Parliament, Senate, and House are elected by all transhumans across space as their representatives for the first time.
16th April 2198 | Christian Togusa is born: Christian Togusa is born to Jannete and Adam Togusa on Nouveau Paris Space colony, Arcturus.
November 2198 | The first Systems Alliance government: Anitta Keyes is elected Prime Minister of the System Alliance. Xu Roenhorst is elected President of the System Alliance.
2204 | Jane Shepard joins the SAAF Espatiers: Jane Shepard joins the Systems Alliance Armed Forces Espatiers at age 26. She is quickly singled out as a talented soldier who is enduring, motivated, quick on her feet and very intelligent. She is fast-tracked and considered for Spaceborne Special Forces.
2210 – Current Day | The Fifth Expansion (ongoing): The Fifth Expansion is marked by transhuman expansion into the Verge territories; it is also humanities first expansion by force and into partially explored territory. At the same time, core transhuman space experiences further expansion of FTL-bound colonies as colonial support industries search for new targets. As of 2232, the fifth Expansion is still ongoing.
2210 | Systems Alliance becomes Associate Member of the Citadel Alliance: In a publicaly suprising move, the System Alliance becomes an accepted Associate Member of the Citadel Alliance only 13 years after a violent First Contact.
2211 |Aramaik becomes director of Section 9: Aramaki is officially promoted to the Director of Public Security Section 9, after a four-year tenure as Director of Operations. He begins a massive re-vamp and expansion of the organization, believing he will have to expand his organizations capabilities to a galactic scale.
2214 |Batou joints the SAAF 455th Rangers: Batou joins the SAAF 455th Rangers, a traditionaly UIAS unit, at age 23. His superiors single him out as a good, if sometimes simple soldier.
2215 | Kusanagi assigned to 501st Special Cyberoperations Unit: Motoko Kusanagi is re-assigned to the System Alliance 501st Special Cyberoperations, short 501st Special CyberOps, an all full-conversion Cyborg and AGI team with fully or near-fully synthetic Shells. The now reinforced and expanded 501st is reassigned to Battle Command Hades and stationed with the Alliance 6th Fleet at Fort Armstrong Sentry, in the spinward former American holdings that now border on the Stynx Straight.
4th April 2220 | The Raid on Mindoir: Batarian Hegemony proxies execute their biggest coup to date; a mass enslavement raid on the transhuman colony of Mindoir, founded by the Systems Alliance only two years before with salarian aid. Hundreds of thousands of Sophonts are abducted.
2220 | The First Verge War breaks out: A first, largely proxy-driven war errupts between the Systems Alliance and the Batarian Hegemony. It ends with an enforced peace treaty only 6 months later. The future battle lines have been drawn. The Cold Verge War begins.
2225 | Christian Togusa joins StarPol: Christian Togusa joints Starpol as an Investigator and Analysist out of University at Nouveau Paris, and moves to Arcturus Station. He soon proliferates himself with cracking cases involving the complexity of modern interstellar logistics for physical and digital transfers of items of interest.
23rd May 2226 | Attack on Elysium: A massive fleet attacks the new interstellar colony of Elysium, designed as a massive up-front surprise strike that will escalate into a full-blown war with the Systems Alliance. The attack fails due to intelligence fore-warning and preparations on the side of the Systems Alliance. The Second Verge War breaks out.
2227 | Operation BROKEN ANVIL strikes at Torfan: Operation BROKEN ANVIL is the lead-up SAAF Special Forces Infiltration and Assault of Torfans Anti-Space and Anti-Aerospace Artillery system. The strike is an almost-disaster, leading to heavy casulties among the transhuman special forces team. Only a dual embittered assault on the central Torfan bunker complex avoids a route and decapacitates the batarian command on the moon completely. The legends of the infamous "The Butcher of Torfan" and "The Ghost of Torfan" are born.
2228 |Motoko Kusanagi recruited into Section 9: Motoko Kusanag is recruited into Public Security Section 9 by Aramaki to lead a new Anti-Infowarfare Task Force and a highly skilled and capable Mission Team, Alpha-01. Over the next years, Kusanagi begins recruiting a set of Specialists for her Task Force and Mission Team.
October 2231 | Togusa recruited into Section 9: On the request of Motoko Kusanagi, Togusa is recruited by Aramaki himself for Public Security Section 9, and joins Mission Team Alpha-01 as an Investigative Specialist
March 2232 | The Events of Ascendance begin...
A/N (Sevoris): So, that is the timeline of Ascendance as established so far, with many major and minor events in them (if still, not fully complete.) Aaand it's almost 7K words. No wonder this monster made computers crash, in retrospect. :V
With the timeline out of the way, comes the far easier transference of all the worldbuilding entries we already have… after I finish writing an update for Ghost in the Shell: Ascendance, that is.
See you all the next time, and remember: You can always ask us.
Feedback and Discussion is always welcome, too!