23rd century

Sometimes called The Last Century, as Earth-centric timekeeping ended in this era. Because of Delta T, people tend to prefer to use the Arean calendar when throwing out archaic measurements of time.

Note: This was created from an attempt to define a 'hard' timeline, and fitting things is... problematic. Although this doesn't pose any real setting-level problems, some of the chronology is a bit too tight and other parts are too loose. It thus likely needs further editing, or rewriting into a generic set a la the previous two centuries.

2201

Hadronium is finally produced in enough meaningful quantities that research devices may actually be made out of the substance, as well as permit the accelerated gathering of mirror matter.

An accident at the West Laboratory resulted in the official death of several members. Rumors that they were still alive persisted, and the Consortium began a program of hunting them and others with accidents like them down, not made official until the Jovian Massacre. They would come to be called pyrrhans.

2202

It is not certain which experiment first released the mobius patterns into our Universe. It is known that several experiments are likely to blame, but most point the finger at either MEHRS or the Yevatron. All of these experiments involve the warping and ripping of space itself, causing the fabric of our Universe to move in ways it was never intended to, and, likely, to brush hairs with another. Regardless of what experiment unleashed them, and exactly when, it is known to have happened sometime in February of 2202.

By June, certain patterns, dubbed 'supersongs' by some, flee their containments to choose hosts among humanity, the resulting symbiosis calling themselves striatvari. Like the pyrrhans, the Solar Consortium begins hunting these individuals across the Solar System, and named bounties are common. With nowhere to flee to, they begin congregating in groups around Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, and making stands there.

The first sustained tachyon transmission took place late this year, via MEHRS, proving that inflaton decay could be meaningfully controlled. While it only transmitted several bits of information, the advent of mobius patterns made many hopeful that a more efficient device could be created.

2203

The refugees of the Consortium's hunt manage to occupy a kuiper belt object for long enough that they begin turning it into a giant space station, tugging it towards Uranus's L1 Lagrange point and dubbing it Ouranos Prime.

The Solar Consortium immediately launches a fleet of some three hundred ships to eradicate the nascent station, but they never make it across Jupiter's orbit due to an event now called the Jovian Massacre. The refugees were able to build a fully operational tachyon transmitter in a matter of months, using only a fraction of the power previously thought necessary, due to inefficiencies which, prior to the introduction of the mobius patterns, must normally remain in the system.

The Consortium spins the Jovian Massacre into an unprovoked military demonstration, calling it an act of war. Despite this declaration, it is the last military fleet the Consortium sends past Jupiter's orbit for many years. Ouranos Prime begins transmitting, however, and its own version of events is understandably different.

2204

The Lunar and Martian tachyon transmitters go on-line a year after Ouranos Prime. The Martian station performs a test-fire on Ouranos Prime, to no detrimental effect, though the attempt was quite visible.

The system-wide internet accepts Ouranos Prime's signals, due to millions of volunteers on both Earth, Mars, and influence within the various megacorps, much to the chagrin of the Consortium leadership. Not only does Ouranos Prime get public acceptance, but also a massive array of sponsorships. Arena matches, previously done only in anticipation of a massed consortium assault, attract gigantic audiences on Earth, Luna and even Mars.

Almost as if in response, Consortium military recruiting and fleetbuilding begins in earnest, with the Jovian Massacre being the rallying cry, though many harbor a simple desire to see more of outer space. The Clarke ring projects take priority, however, and mass production of ships does not yet take full priority.

2205

Kennedy Station, a research center orbiting the Sun at Earth's L4 Lagrange point, undergoes an explosion the likes of which has never been witnessed inside the Solar System, the energy released somehow exceeding the mass-energy conversion of all matter on the station. It would later be shown that this eruption was caused by the unfortunate creation of an unstable klein tap, fortunately consumed by its own demolition.

Though somewhat delayed by re-incorporating the mobius patterns into its design, the Martian Ring is completed near the end of this year, with its defenses being brought fully on-line. With the Martian Ring completed, the ex-red planet begins turning out over a thousand ships a month on its own, though many resources are still being diverted to Earth's ring.

Melisse Ferlin develops a means by which a limited amount of exomatter can be used to create a large, static region of warped space. After her methods are verified, plans are put into place almost immediately.

2206

During this year, a few alpha and root strains undergo strange transformations. Declaring themselves to be angels, and here to answer for the deaths and prayers of those who understood that humanity has gone too far, they quickly take up positions of leadership within various 'luddite' movements, though some apparently abandon the cause without losing their newfound abilities. Almost predictably, the Consortium hunts them as well, though an established base for the refugees has made such hunts extremely difficult.

Further experimentation shows that while most mobius patterns cannot survive outside the heliopause, infusions and wraiths can. This has brought up some ethical debates, but not everyone concerns themselves with the opinion of others.

2207

Construction of Earth's Foundation Arcologies is complete, and the spokes themselves are slowly being put into position. The Terran Ring will not be finished for another two years, however.

The Centaurus Mission arrives at Alpha Centauri early in this year.

2208

Ouranos Prime is fully completed at the end of the year, a feat rivaling the construction rate of the Martian and Terran rings themselves, sparking outrage in the Consortium about whose resources must have sponsored the effort.

2209

With the completion of the Terran Ring, Earth's warship production turns into full gear.

The first rogue artificial sapiences arrive in Procyon during this year. They label their new civilization the Procyon Concord, and the main terrestrial planet in the system is named Foundation.

2210

The Consortium begins construction of the Golden Fleet. Ouranos Prime begins constructing a similar fleet in response.

2211

The pinnacle of homo supernus is developed.

2212

The Golden Fleet is completed. The Solar Consortium launches a massive assault on Ouranos Prime, later called the Consortium-Prime War, which, for a decade of preparation, lasts mere hours and consists of all of two battles. The massive flux of patterns tore at the very fabric of space surrounding the Solar System, bringing it into physical contact with other dimensions. The rifts that allow passing into these alternate universes are called skearns. Hemera was embedded into Saturn's rings, and Nyx surrounded Ouranos Prime.

2213

After eight solar months, the extensive damage to Ouranos Prime is repaired. The Solar Consortium's council is replaced entirely, the Anti-Homogenization Act is drafted, passed, and enforced. The credit is adopted as the standard unit of currency throughout the Consortium and the Procyon Concord, though the sol remains as a unit for decades to come.

2214

A new gerens, calling itself the Cleansing, seeks to eliminate the triates from the human population. They are made up largely of toppled Consortium Councilors and their allies.

2215

The passing of the Anti-Homogenization Act in 2213 having made the gerens official, corporations found themselves dissolving into the new model. By the end of this Earth year, even the greatest of the 'megacorps' was organized only as another gerens.

2216

Albred Mynoth discovers the Mynoth process, a means of rapidly catalyzing the development of hadronium. Production of exomatter becomes commonplace, and available to the average gerens. The Golden Fleet begins an extensive, if costly, upgrade program, as are many other relics throughout the Solar System, such as the Clarke Rings, stargates and Ouranos Prime. It still remains scarce enough that few consider it a disposable resource.

2217

The Centaurus Gate is completed, and activation begins immediately.

2218

The Sirian Gate is completed, and activation begins.

2219

The Centaurus Gate becomes fully active this year.

The Procyon stargate is completed, and activation begins immediately.

2220

Certain patterns, dubbed 'Class B' - below infusions, are tracked that are able to survive outside of the Solar System. These are used exclusively for homo excelsior and the development of the Silver Fleet.

2221

The upgrade of the Golden Fleet is finished.

2222

The Sirian Gate becomes operational early this year.

2223

The stargates to Tau Ceti, Epsilon Indi, Epsilon Eridani and 61 Cygni are completed, and activation begins.

2224

The Procyon Gate becomes operational late this year.

2225

The Lacaille 8760 is finally completed. Activation begins shortly after.

2226

The pinnacle of homo excelsior, is completed. All androids and beta 'prototypes' are upgraded within the next 14 solar months. The pinnacle design makes extensive use of exomatter.

2228

The stargate to Epsilon Eridani is fully active.

2229

The stargates to Epsilon Indi, Tau Ceti, and 61 Cygni are fully active.

2232

The gate to Lacaille 8760 is now active, completing the first wave.

2234

The Maanen incident occurs, another premature Klein tap - but in this case resulting in an explosion some twenty orders of magnitude more intense in scope, some twelve times the mass-energy of the Sun. Though it was an automated facility, nothing within Van Maanen's star's vicinity survived the tachyon burst, not even the white dwarf itself, nor the three stargates that were linking it.

Evacuation plans for Tau Ceti, Epsilon Eridani, and 61 Cygni are put into place immediately. Shield programs are enacted for these as well as more remote systems, Sol included, in order to protect the systems for the intense oncoming radiation burst.

2235

Alicia Rose discovers the porion, and soon thereafter develops the first hypomatter constructs.

2236

The klein tap is invented (again), and the mysteries of Kennedy Station and Maanen incident are solved. The new technology is treated with extreme caution, given the past incidents, but paves the way for the human Regalia.

2237

Using a First artifact, the Dyrajt use their singulus to form a gate to Sirius, dropping into the system with a massive fleet. Though initially taken by surprise, forces from Alpha Centauri and Sol push them back. This was the Contact War.

2238

Humans first encounter the other Triad members - the Khavene and the Thireshi. Likewise, the Concord receives contact from, rogue synthetic sapiences, developed long ago but suppressed due to the influence of the First.

2239

Responding to the Triad's legends of the First, hypomatter and infusion resources are pooled, combined with three of the four klein taps in human possession to create the Tiamat, shortly before the year's end. It is the first of the human Regalia, and an Ark in its own right.

2240

The Solarian Purge occurs, and the Diaspora begins. Mankind is scattered.