History of Humanity

22nd Century, Common Era: Paradigm
The 22nd Century was a turbulent and exciting time for humanity.

Discovery of Ether
The discovery of Ether is often said to be the paradigm shift that moved all of humanity forwards in a great leap- the discovery of Ether by Gaia Scientist Andrew Anderson, and the subsequent invention of Ethermatter allows for countries to power their entire infrastructure with just a few grams. With the advent of conventional particle colliders, creation of antimatter was thus cheaper and allowed for manufacturing of Ethermatter as a whole. This, however, only strengthened the gap between countries that were economically and technologically advanced, and those that were not. While less advanced countries took up the void of resources (fossil fuels, natural gas, thousands of solar array systems, hydroelectrics systems- even taking over parts of the Dyson-Antoli Sphere to power their infrastructures and the like.

Overall, the entire world evolved several technological rungs above their former states in a decade. In time, those countries that had adopted Non-Ether technology had come to develop or purchase Ethermatter to power their own technology and projects. However, worlds that had taken to the technology first would maintain astronomical leads.

The Gaia Organization at this time was working on the prototypes to Space-Crease technology, and though further research, E-Barrier tech, which allowed for the traversing of said Space-Creases. The prototype gate would be used  leading to intrasolar locations. In fact, the prototype was perfected to the point where it could reliably maintain travel between Earth and the ice moon of Europa for decades, and set up their Headquarters there inside a massive iceberg formation known simply as the Ice Vault.

It was not until later into the 1st Century, New Era that Gaia released the technology for public knowledge as they were still waiting for an opportune moment for humanity to travel together, out into the stars. Needless to say, such a combined event never did occur- indeed, mankind never united in its cause for interstellar exploration. As the days of discovery of old, mankind found itself completing with itself- for now all the universe was in its insatiable reach.

But, Gaia prepared for that eventful day by sending out, in secret, the First Frontier Expeditions, to explore as many worlds as possible and add them to the Colonization Index.

When Gaia finally released Space-Crease technology in 2185, it was because mankind was on the brink of fighting over intrasolar claims. The Empire and the Federation were fighting over who had true claim over Mars first, as both colonization shuttles landed within seconds of each other on the planet, claiming first-come, first-serve rights over the world.

In a international press conference, Gaia released the schematics and theory behind the Space-Crease to the world. In the same breath, Gaia would also announce the completion of Phase I of the Colonization Index, giving a set of worlds that humanity could afford to travel to and colonize with relative ease.

Their announcement also came with their notice of having already ascended to the stars to claim several worlds. While delivering an uproar, the world quickly went about their business constructing Space-Crease Gates.

To help prevent similar conflicts from breaking out again, Gaia orchestrated the signing of the International Colonization Treaty, which laid down laws for the colonization and claiming of worlds which codified the first-come, first-serve policy that had been passively observed the entire time. Gaia would limit its claims to what it currently had, as a measure of goodwill towards the other countries, but would resume its normal rate of expansion after the Phase II of the Frontier Expeditions, which was slated in 40 years.

WIth the signing of this treaty, humanity now looked up and beyond into the stars for its destiny.

1st Century, New Era: Departure
Also known as the beginning of the Frontier Era, used interchangably with the New Era, the 1st century was a mad dash to colonize extrasolar worlds for the first two decades.

The Index ranked worlds using the Eisenberg Viability System:

Size would be determined on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the largest. Viability was measured on a scale of A-F, with F being the worst. Viability was a matter of ease of colonization and abundance of natural resources, a letter grade determined from a composite score of several categories.

Of nearly 500 worlds that were viable, only several dozen worlds were selected for colonization. Many of the so-called 'garden worlds' would be settled on 1-3A or B worlds, ideal for human life.

Eden would be the first and the most prime example of the garden worlds, excelling in all viability categories for a IIA+ rating, making it the standard to achieve when seeking garden-worlds to settle on.

Next came the colonization of what would be known as the Middle Systems, beginning in 27 NE.

During this time, the discovery of Valantium was made, an ultra-dense metal that was able to withstand immense pressure and heat- found deep within the world of Mars. The first discovery was made by the Empire of Aeyzeria, at the colony of Steinvardt, where the largest vein in the planet would be isolated and mined throughout the years. In time, the Federation also found a vein on the other side of the planet, and established the colony of New Archangel.

Soon, applications in weaponry and defense were made with Valantium- it was then known that the Valantium mines on Mars would be essential in any potential war effort- the ability to own a warship with Valantium plating would mean the difference in the control of space.

With this in  mind, the quiet, and slow beginnings of the Triumvirate Arms Race began.

2nd Century, New Era: Conflagration
The 2nd Century was a turbulent century- and also the beginning of the Third Frontier Expeditions, moving further out into the galaxy. By 103, a linked and active Space-Crease Network was being used to traverse the stars. The Expedition moved as far 15,000 light years from Earth, an additional 4,000 light years from the last expedition, and expanded the Colonization Index.

The First Frontier War
By 120, mankind would reach the extent of its reach Before Exodus, stopping at the outskirts of the Aeyzerian Greater Territory of Mercia and the Federation Colony of Reimes, marking the Perimeter Colonies.

It would be here, that the First Frontier War would rage, a product of rampant piracy and organized crime threatened the lives of billions that lived on the Frontier, at times extending as deep as Arcadia, and even Achre itself was threatened by such crime.

In time, all crime in the Perimeter Systems were gathered under the strength of a few influential individuals who called themselves the  Phantoms, who were able to better coordinate activities to maximize effect on the local populations and income.

As such, Gaia began to steadily increase its military power to protect interstellar traffic from piracy, as did the Aeyzerians and the Federation. In time, both sides learned to fear each other, reaching a sort of equilibrium of violence, as both were well aware of each other's unbridled power.

For nearly a decade, they would serve as a check and balance to each others' power in the Perimeter Systems.

In 134, Gaia secretly began  Operation: Weed The Garden, a military operation that took place over five years, using elite LEAF Teams to find and kill many, if not all of the members of the Phantoms as well as heads of other member criminal organizations, effectively ending the First Frontier War.

In truth, the Frontier War had been staged by Gaia as a means to keep the nations united in some extent against a common foe, lest they fight amongst themselves. Funding and intelligence to the Phantoms via untrackable, anonymous sources, which allowed them to wreak havoc amongst the Perimeter Systems.

When the Phantoms threatened to break away from Gaia command, the Founders issued a kill order, disguising it entirely as Operation: Weed The Garden.

With it, Gaia would be able to take the credit for restoring peace to the frontier and acquire an even greater public approval rating, all the while putting down a pet project that had spiralled out of control.

The First Intersystems War
A general, if uneasy peace was enjoyed throughout human space for two decades until 152, when the Mars Federation Colony of New Archangel petitioned for independence from the Federation. When refused, they were met with immediate martial law from Earth, and requested Aeyzeria to honor the terms of their agreement during the Second World War, as part of the Federation-Empire Alliance Treaty.

Aeyzeria believed that the subjugation of a single colony did not require the joint force of two superpowers, and so remained out of the conflict, while vowing to turn away any from the colony who sought asylum. Federation hardliners in the government would become furious at the lack of solidarity as allies, but the operation to retake New Archangel would progress, with or without the Empire's assistance.

Two days later, invasion forces touched down around the borders of Archangel, but experienced heavy resistance. However, in three days time, they recaptured a lost IPBM depot and moved more than 60 missiles to approximately 500 kilometers of the border, easily within range of the capitol of Steinvardt, Klerion.

The following events would become known as the Martian Arms Crisis.

Immediately protests erupted from reigning Sovereign Valeria Kshalin, demanding withdrawal of such weapons from such a dangerous range, citing concerns for rebel recapture and rearmament.

Assurements from the Federation Prime Minister, Anton Baryshnikov that the warheads were thouroughly deactivated fell on deaf ears as continued demands to move the weapons off-world with Aeyzerian escort continued to rise.

In less than 12 hours, the Conclave of Sovereigns issued a unified statement- Aeyzerian safety would be compromised so long as the IPBMs were above ground and vulnerable to extra-state control. Either Aeyzeria would move in and bring them out of Sol or the Federation would.

The Federation insisted that it would be able to take care of its own weaponry, and that the Empire's activity now was unwarranted as they opted out of military intervention, and demanded that Aeyzeria respect the sovereign borders and rights of the Federation.

The tension carried on for nearly two weeks until the Federation destroyed the Archangel Resistance and brought the rebellion under complete control- nevertheless, the IPBMs still remained within perilous distance of the border.

At this time, there were fierce internal conflicts within the Federation leadership to push for war and others attempting peace- the control of the Valantium mines on Steinvardt would mean control of nearly all known Valantium stores and beyond that, control of the stars.

Aeyzerian leadership was also increasingly suspicious of the continued placement of WMD ordinance so close to their borders- and yet, with every day, even more IPBMs continued to amass, and while the Federation continued to deny it, the missiles inched closer everyday, until on May 1, 157 a mass driver arrived on site at the storage site.

An ultimatum was immediately made- no more warheads could be settled so close to the border. At this time, immediate off-world transport was more than within the capabilities of the Federation fleet and yet, no such activity was done.

The Federation ignored the ultimatum, and on May 11, another convoy of E-bombs and three additional mass drivers arrived at the Federation storage site.

The response from Aeyzerian forces were swift and strong, leveling the entire 20-square kilometer area. The Federation response was even more ferocious- a single IPBM aimed at the city of Klerion, flattening it and taking more than 2 million lives with it.

Immediately, the Conclave of Sovereigns declared war on the Federation.

On May 12, 157, the First Intersystems War began on all fronts simultaneously, with the Federation also issuing a declaration of war, stating 'injustices suffered during the pre-Frontier Era' and 'actively subverting the Federation's activities to maintain its union' as its reasons, and as such, t he war was to gain territory that was lost during the race to the stars and to be properly renumerated for the humiliation that the country had suffered in the past. Meanwhile, on June 5, 157, Listening Station Delta-4 on the outskirts of human space went dark. This would be humanity's first ever contact with the Entities, an event which left the Listening Station as chunks of unrecognizable debris and severely mangled and deformed survivors in its wake.

While the incident was put under Triple-A Top Secret, Gaia proceeded to distribute its forces throughout human space as a safeguard, and also began covert production of more warships.

As the war began in the middle of their preparations, Gaia had little choice but to remain mainly withdrawn from the war, citing an inability to intercede in a war against superpowers.

Valantium Standoff
The war would revolve around control of Mars.

Immediately, a massive Aeyzerian force invaded and reclaimed Steinvardt, in a military tactic that would be known forever as the Aeyzerian Thunderstorm.

Very much a modified version of the German blitzkrieg experienced in the World Wars, the Aeyzerian Thunderstorm utilized Myrmidon Special Forces to stealthily attack or sabotage critical points and disable communications, supply tracks, and other logistical variables essential to the enemy defense. Once those were down, Highlander Rapid Attack forces would commence a large, open-handed assault against enemy lines, further destabilizing enemy lines and allowing Shocktroopers to arrive in their immediate wake. Behind them follow the general Imperial Army and their Centurions, special defensive units built to dig in and hold positions.

This tactic would be repeated and resused throughout the entire war, however no matter how swift and strong the Martian recapture was, it could not bear enough momentum to breach the territorial lines between Archangel and Steinvardt.

The war would wage across the 'dead zone' for the entirety of the war, with skirmishes that would occasionaly break across, but become rebuffed.

Across human space, all maneuvers were to either secure the flanks of their respective forces while vying for positional advantages.

Battles throughout the war would come back and forth constantly, but never able to get the upper hand.

Although Gaia maintained public silence, effectively taking a stance of neutrality, as hostilities had expanded past the point of no return. Secretly however, they activated their sleeper agents within each country. Quietly, and slowly, they began their work, dubbed Operation: Breakdown an effort to slowly and steadily subvert and undermine each side's ability to wage war. The efforts of  Operation: Breakdown  would culminate in the  Battle of New Manchester, where forces were so depleted, yet the battle to end the war would never end, and thus, both sides were forced into a ceasefire and truce, as marked by the  Treaty of New Manchester  on April 3, 164.

Postwar
The Federation soldiers, against commanding authority, voted collectively to surrender, and Aeyzeria immediately accepted the surrender unconditionally. Both sides, so stricken with loss and destruction, returned home.

Aeyzeria, with the stronger economy recovered quickly, but the Federation, with its already ailing economy before the war, had nothing left to fall on.

In June of 164, this lack in work, infrastructure and economic collapse resulted in massive riots throughout all of the Federation's colonies, known as the Purification, where the single-party government was torn down and anarchy ruled the streets.

In the midst of the Purification, Gaia sent a large host of military and relief forces to restore order and help reestablish a national economy by micro and macromanaging it from the ground up, and installed a temporary head of state selected by colonial leaders of the Purification, across all participating colonies that still wanted to restore the Federation.

Not wanting to ignite another Purification, Gaia made sure to include the selected leaders in each and every discussion regarding the country. In time, the newly selected leaders of each colony became part of a Parliament, representing the peoples' voice. A higher and lower house was created, and a governmental design similar to Aeyzeria's was adopted. In 173, Gaia successfully transitioned out of Federation territory, granting more and more control back to the people of the Federation, which was promptly renamed the Federation of Independent Worlds.

Avalonian Dissent and Rebellion
Aeyzeria, even with its great industry, could not heal wounds within itself, namely the Avalonian Fleets that had suffered a great deal during the  Siege of Fort Pendragon, where Avalonian forces smashed a hole with their own ships (literally ramming into Federation ships) to allow Arcadian forces to drop in and reinforce ailing lines, effectively saving the entire Aeyzerian Homeland from invasion, yet at great cost, resulting in a pyrrhic victory at best.

However, the Arcadians recieved the greater deal of recognition, and the Avalonians were left to tend to their own wounds as the forces of Mercia, Arcadia, Eden, and the Homeland converge on the Federation Fortress-World of New Manchester.

Their efforts were virtually forgotten, while their sacrifices numbered in the hundreds of thousands as they lost nearly 2/3rds of their effective naval force.

Their recovery was as quick as every other Greater Territory of the Empire, but their grudges evolved into pure hatred and dissonance between Avalon and other colonies of the Empire grew until in 185,  the reigning Sovereign Jackson proposed a complete secession of the territory and its associated Lesser Territories.

At this time, the Avalonian Fleet had been restored to pre-war numbers, with greater technology at their backs, and a fierce economy to drive their armies, the Avalonian Rebellion began.

High Sovereign Valeria Kshalin called all loyal Sovereigns to reclaim the world, as it commanded near absolute control of the November Gate Array, a key connecting point from the Origin and Perimeter Systems, which if lost, would cripple international commerce, not to mention Avalon itself was the keystone of Aeyzerian economy.

The bitter civil war took seven years of Aeyzerian history, culminating in a single Shock Trooper platoon lead by Sovereign Bulwif into the depths of Fort Agravain to capture or kill the Traitor-Sovereign. In a large firefight, Sovereign Jackson was shot and killed, and with his death, ended the Avalonian Rebellion, on September 22nd, 194.

As punishment by Aeyzerian Law, traitor-colonies would have to bear a 10-year period of split control by the other Sovereigns of the Empire, known as the first Great Shaming.

The Second Frontier War
And, as if in a case of adding insult to injury, the Phantoms returned in 195, headed by a new group of criminals, vowing to never be shattered again. Their return to terrorizing the people of the Perimeter Systems marked the beginning of the  Second Frontier War.

To Gaia's surprise, this was an event independent of Gaia's doing, and was as such, treated as a rebel factor in their plans- however, the presence of Phantoms once again would either force the nations to work together once more, or to further isolate other.

Despite their extensive intelligence network, the Phantoms proved extremely resourceful, able to cover their tracks and evade their surveillance.

The new Frontier War would threaten to widen the fissure between colonies even more as the colonies of Arcadia and Mercia were left alone once more to fend for themselves while Eden and the Homeland enjoyed an uneasy peace with its neighbors, rebuilding the country's fractured economy.

Gaia redirected efforts towards combating the pirates once more, devoting only partial effort towards the reconstruction of Aeyzeria as their remaining effort was more or less concentrated on the continuous production of warships.

The Federation, meanwhile, enjoyed the most prosperity it had since its original creation in the Common Era, and eventually came to surpass Aeyzeria by 200 NE.

3rd Century, New Era: Tribulation
204 NE, High Sovereign Kshalin restored the Greater Territory of Avalon to its original status, and placed a student she trained on the throne as Sovereign.

Careful to not further upset the populace to ignite yet another rebellion, she chose from a pool of candidates that were Avalonian in descent, but had strong loyal ties to the Empire.

Marcus Anselwind ascended to the throne at the age of 22, and promised to restore Avalon to its former glory as the home of High Anchor, the home of the Aeyzerian Naval Academy.

However, his struggles were fought alone as Sovereign Kshalin fought cancer and Sovereign Ishelwood endeavored to isolate Eden from its warlike brothers and sisters, while Sovereigns Bulwif and Euclid fought to maintain control of the Frontier.

The Empire of Aeyzeria soon returned to its full pre-war majesty.

Frontier Extraterrestrial Activity

On October 11, 215, the extraterrestrials encountered in 157 were seen again, this time attacking a merchant ship that had wandered into uncharted space. At the approximately the same time throughout the Perimeter Systems, there were reports of missing ships, entire families disappearing in the night, livestock being taken from their pens. People would wake to whole parts of their homes missing, bizzare activities as such.

While such events were not necessarily uncommon in the Frontier, the rate at which they were occuring was rising at a astounding rate.

Gaia, now sensing that an invasion of some sort was imminent, began to route heavier patrols in the guise of protecting the Frontier from Phantom assaults.

On April 1, 235, Sovereign Kshalin died from terminal-stage cancer, and named Calres Fairaven to the Sovereignty. Promising quietly at his Ascension Address to reunify and restore the Empire, many did not believe the bold claims of the young Sovereign- until his plans came into motion.

In 236, he began a simulataneous process of rebuilding Avalon's infrastructure and economy as well as its public image. By incentivizing local trade to go through the colony first, as well as closely monitored subsidies, the colony became self-sustaining by 239, a feat thought to be practically impossible by many economists.

The process of restoring unity to the Empire, however, still proved a difficult task. Fairaven would unite the Empire in the thing it was best known for- war.

Calling for even Eden to return to arms once again, Fairaven swept the nation up once more to meet on the battlefield as brothers, a political maneuver thought to be a grave mistake by Sovereigns Euclid and Bulwif, of Mercia and Arcadia, respectively. However, Fairaven was able to convince them, that in the name of bringing the Empire together once more, they should attempt to work together.

In time, the combined efforts of each of the Greater Territories became the stuff of legend. in five years, they had made more progress in rooting out the Phantoms' bases throughout the Perimeter Systems than they had ever achieved in both the First Frontier War and the current war thus far.

Formation of Joint Task Force 42
Finally, in 244, an joint military endeavor sponsored by Gaia would be proposed to the Triumvirate to finally exterminate every last bit of the Phantoms and their influence, resulting in the creation of Joint Task Force 42, an international effort that would become the first example of an interstellar alliance between human states.

For the next year, JTF 42 would systematically hunt for the fabled Ghost Ship, the Phantoms' flagship. They would one by one, destroy each and everu Phantom stronghold to eliminate the constantly-travelling ship's capability to refuel and resupply, until on February 12, 245, JTF found the Ghost Ship and destroyed it, and with it, the hub of all criminal activity on the Perimeter was once more shattered.

The next ten years of peace would be crucial to humanity's preparation to survive. Gaia, in particular began focusing all availible funds and effort to building Arkships and more warships to complement the incoming war, all in secret.

Gaia upped their production rate and the Delta-Orange Research and Development Group proposed the idea of the Dreadnaught-Series Battlecarrier, which was approved immediately and orders were sent in for three, named the Terra, Maria, and the Caela.

Fairaven, now content with the general prosperity of Aeyzeria, sought to repair relations with the Federation, something that the new Prime Minister and government welcomed.

First Contact
Then, on July 31 256, First Contact Event, as history recorded it, occured. With a massing of the extraterrestrials outside of Listening Station Delta-5. While to the Gaia Organization it was no surprise, the rest of the human race saw it as an opportunity to exchange knowledge and ideas between our neighbors in the galaxy.

The encounter was peaceful, but Gaia maintained a rapid-reaction military presence at all nearby gates, ready to enter the scene at a moment's notice. However, for the first three months, a peaceful and productive back-and-forth was observed.

The Round Table was deployed as a front-line negotiating ship. No other ship was allowed within as close proximity without authorization from the Triumvirate Representatives themselves, at fear of upsetting their new friendship.

It was learned that the group of creatures were a gathering of assimilated species, from all different regions of the galaxy. They called themselves the Entities. Every single member of the Entities were linked telepathically and information was exchanged freely. However, the boggling detail was that each of them maintained their own sentience and will. Through this, any knowledge that one species picked up was ultimately spread to the others, so long as they were willing to accept said information.

The knowledge they had in fields of natural science were astounding, allowing for great advances in biology and physics. Likewise, they shared information for several months, all changing with their sudden attack on October 6, 256, on which began the 40 Years' War.

The Invasion
The First Secretary, Sovereign Cassus, and Prime Minister Baryshnikov perished onboard the Round Table. The nearby colony of St. Joan was annihilated. One by one, each and every human colony on the Perimeter was broken, its population culled. The Entities were somehow also able to display an apt manipulation of subspace travel, and was able to move quickly though human space- however, one thing was sure; their movements would only progress once every human at their designated target had been exterminated.

As such, an effective defense was mounted at the Aeyzerian Greater Territory of Mercia, where from November 2- Februrary 12, 257, more than 700 ships from all nations in defense of humanity rebuffed the Entities- but only for so long. With each passing week, the Entities would become bolder and bolder, with even more reinforcements as the fleet became weaker still. Long-term projections of the defense resulted in the ultimate loss of the colony. As such, evacuation began on February 2.

This process of hold and evacuate was repeated across the surviving worlds of the Perimeter Systems, long enough to allow for the New Manchester Hyperion System to finish on July 7, creating a stable and strong enough defense line to rebuff the Entities once more.

All colonies from the Galactic Core to New Manchester were lost and abandoned, and with Entities now focusing their entire effort on one singular location and more Entities arriving via subspace daily, the defense of New Manchester became more and more difficult, until finally the planetary defense network gave out and Federation Fortress-World, too, was lost after two months on September 27.

With this came a change in their behavior- no longer restricting themselves to a single target at a time, the Entities spread themselves out, attacking multiple colonies at once. Gaia immediately deployed its Arkships, but many would be unable to arrive in time before the colonies and a majority of their inhabitants were lost.

It was at this fateful moment that Gaia unleashed their Subspace Restrictors, which would block any extended subspace activity outside of gate-to-gate creases in areas up to a hundred light-years, as such, it made it exponentially more taxing for the Entities to travel large distances. Simultaneously, they announced the in-progress development of the Dreadnaughts, and their status of being near-completed, with the promise that it would change the tide of the war entirely.

Deployed simultaneously throughout human space, they immediately halted any further advance, and instead, reunited to attack the world closest- Arcadia, the heart of the Middle Systems.

With the deployment of the Restrictors, this bought Arcadia valuable time to shore up its defenses, where for five years, they would hold at bay the Entities in an an endless stalemate. Humanity could advance no further than an AU from Arcadia, and the Entities would not advance past them until they had killed every single human on Arcadia.

Dreadnaught Expeditionary Fleet
On March 21, 262, the Dreadnaughts completed final checks and operational testing, and were fielded immediately to Arcadia to combat a skirmish- the effects were devastating to the Entities.

For the first time, offensive theory had been applied, and it was effective. No longer would humanity have to hide behind the A&G Systems, and would be able to finally retake their lost territory.

It was soon after that Gaia discovered that the Entities had a homeworld, the source of their limitless numbers and where they grew their larger forms and weapons, a location just off of the Galactic Core. However, it was so heavily defended that the idea of even sending the entire strength of humanity to destroy them wasn't even a plausible option. As such, the next best option was to retake territory and hold it, and in the meantime, identify a way to end the war.

It began with the Dreadnaughts.

In one year's time, the Dreadnaught Expeditionary Fleet, a joint fleet with the Gaia Dreadnaughts at its tip had reclaimed all lost territory from Arcadia to Mercia- however, any territory that was once human beyond that point was considered lost, as Entity activity had grown to the point where it would be dangerous to consider any further advance. It would be Mercia that would be the gateway to the rest of humanity, as was thought, however, the Entities learned to circumvent the Subspace Restrictors by traveling outside of the Milky Way and approaching human space from the Z-axis, dramatically cutting energy costs and time, and allowing them to make attacks, even as deep as Eden, but still delaying them significantly in their endeavors to destroy humanity.

As such, Gaia ordered the construction of the second series of the Dreadnaughts, and in secret, the further construction of Arkships, hidden all over human space. This time, with public support, and no need to keep quiet about the project, and more and more people flocking to the military, Gaia was able to finish the second series in 270.

However, even with six Dreadnaughts on patrols throughout human space, the frequency and severity of Entity attacks only worsened, and in 277, the Entity Armada arrived, a force larger than any other smashed into Mercian defenses for six months. All Dreadnaughts were called to bear and the line was held, but at great cost.

During the defense of Merica, Gaia delivered long-term estimates out to the heads of state across humanity- the Armada would crush all of humanity. There would be no feasible way of managing a war and producing enough forces to match what the Armada had at the same time, and even if they devoted all their resources to one or another, it still would not be enough.

The Road to Exodus
The only option left was the Exodus Protocol. Gaia, in its years since inventing the Space-Crease Gate and Engine, had been sweeping the stars for similar subspace usage- and there was a particularly large signature that led from multiple regions of the Milky Way to a location exceedingly far away. As it was impossible to plot its output destination. Under normal circumstances, the energy required to travel to such a location would be astronomical, but because the wormhole had been opened so many times, it had created a lasting 'soft' fold in space, allowing for the wormhole to be opened once again, much more easily, albeit still requiring a massive sum of energy, one actually achievable in a relatively short time (using 20 five-kilogram Type-III Ethermatter Reactors), but something that the Entities would never be able to achieve in any perceievable time period.

Since the beginning of the Human-Entity War, Gaia had been in the process of also constructing the Exodus Gate in the Kuiper Belt by creating hundreds of smaller pieces to be assembled together for the event that it ever needed to be used.

The Exodus Protocol was presented in secret to all heads of state, and many agreed that, upon failing to stop the Entities, humanity would have to survive, even if they had to leave their home. The final agreement was that should Achre, the gateway to the Origin Systems fall, the Exodus Protocol would be put into full effect.

Meanwhile, mankind found ways to combat the Entity threat. The destruction of Hive Cores would severely cripple coordination between Entity forces and allow for wholesale slaughter once the Cores were destroyed. With that in mind, strategies and tactics were built to disable or destroy the Cores, but with each attack the Entities only became smarter, more aware of such maneuvers, making it more difficult to destroy Swarm Cores in general.

Gaia continued on with its plans, while also working on developing the Third Series of Dreadnaughts. However, with all effort devoted to the front, Achre was left with half its personnel to finish the Third Series.

However, in a long, steady push by the Armada, colonies one after another would be lost to the Entity menace. Mercia, Arcadia, New Manchester, Second Aitlim, the Kingdom of Lanserica-Arcelstadt, all extraterrestrial colonies of the Free Pacific States, and the United Elysium Conjunction would one after another in long, drawn-out defenses at each world, from 278-291 NE.

Finally, the Siege of Achre would begin on March 23, 291. For three years, hundreds of ships, and countless lives, mankind would hold the Entity menace here. Behind Achre's powerful AEGIS and GUNGNIR defense network and the newly completed Third Series of Gaia Dreadnaughts, humanity would buffer the Armada for as long as they could.

However, in the second year of the siege, Gaia would make their final estimates as to the long-term viability of the defense of Achre, and with no end to the Entities in sight, and dwindling morale and resources, the Exodus Protocol would become public and humanity would have no choice but to prepare to leave home.

Humanity began moving towards Sol, a pilgrimage to to see humanity's birthplace one final time before departing. The remnants of humanity, numbering nearly two trillion from what was once six trillion, headed towards Earth.

However, Achre would fall on June 6, 294, taking with it the entire Second and Third Series of Dreadnaughts. The Caela would remain behind to distract the Entities while the rest escaped.

After six hours of on-the-run fighting, the Caela would go dark, assumed destroyed.

With Achre destroyed, there was no center of defense left, as many of the Origin Systems were mass shipyards. The Entities would resume their rampage. Worlds with any existing military would volunteer to remain to hold the Entities at bay as Arkships carrying their civilian population escaped towards Sol.

However, as the military strength of humanity was shattered, these events became freqeuent, and many Arkships would be lost on their way to Earth. By the time all of humanity had evacuated to Sol, only a mere 344 billion remained.

The Exodus Gate would be in its final stage of opening an event horizon when the Entities would arrive on the gravitational limits of Sol on August 1, 294. Here, the Terra and the Maria would be the only two Dreadnaughts remaining. The fractions of militaries that did exist numbered in less than 100 ships in total, and many were moderately or heavily damaged and had not seen resupply in months. By the time the Entities arrived within visual range of the Exodus Gate, ships had already begun passing through to the other side.

Gaia would remain to form the last line of defense for several hours as the rest of humanity escaped.

However, as the last Arkship passed through, the scuttle charges on the Gate would not arm. In an act of final  and selfless sacrifice, the crew of the Maria would remain to destroy the Exodus Gate as the rest of the Gaia fleet passed through.

On August 4, 294, at approximately 2:31 AM, Universal Standard Time, the Exodus Gate failed and the space-crease collapsed.

1st Century, After Exodus: Exhaustion
From this point on in history, there are two stories to tell- of those who continued on- and those who were left behind.

Those Who Continued On
Humanity's arrival into this new galaxy was estimated to have a great deal of risk- after all, the soft fold itself must have been made by other technologically advanced races- and the race that made the first one must have been in particular, an especially powerful race, by many magnitudes greater than what humanity currently was.

Such considerations were taken long before humanity crossed over, but as plans indicated a more sizable military force to defend themselves against possible aggression. Yet, upon arriving in the new galaxy, there was nothing but the dark and the countless foreign stars that surrounded them.

For six months, the Exodus Fleet, as it came to be known, took its time to regroup and mend its wounds, a period of nearly six months floating in space. As Arkships were built to be taken apart for scrap and repair, many of the more damaged ships had their populations relocated and their parts used to repair other ships- out of the 1151 ships that made it across, nearly 200 were scrapped for parts. During this process, an extensive star mapping process began, allowing the homeless race to find its place in this new world.

They dubbed this new galaxy, for the sake of a better future, and for the lack of a better term, Stella Magna- Great Star. As a galaxy, it dwarfed the Milky Way by comparison, by a factor of 24. It was also one of the oldest galaxies ever identified, with an extremely large number of stars, with more than 200 quadrillion stars total once the entire galaxy had been indexed.

Finally, a suitable set of worlds were discovered, dubbed the Second Home Cluster, about 20 worlds that were suitable for colonization. The process of creating a Space-Crease Gate began, and in under a week, the Exodus Fleet made it to their new home.

There, they named a 3A world humanity's new home- Second Earth, a beautiful world, in the perfect Goldilocks Range. Countries settled down across this world, populating it relatively quickly, also building space station-colonies and the like in close proximity to Second Earth. Not many desired to populate other worlds outside of Second Earth or its space colonies.

As it stood, humanity had found their home, and wanted nothing more but peace. And so peace came, the greatest peace humanity had ever known, a peace that lasted nearly a century, a period known as the Enduring Quiet.

During this time, nations were no more than descriptors as to their land of origin, as all referred to each other as brother and sister, survivors of the Entities' shadow- but even as they lived, another darkness brewed on the other side of Stella Magna-

-The Ta'khaiel Consortium.

Those Who Were Left Behind
Contrary to what the Exodus Fleet believed, the Maria had survived, jumping out of Sol just after they destroyed the Exodus Gate. With them were a cluster of Arkships that did not survive either.

Making several consecutive jumps from Sol to the very edge of the Milky Way, the fleet was able to find location to regroup and recouperate.

The fleet consisted of the Maria itself, 53 Arkships and a mixture of 25 Skyfleet ships, the only survivors that made it through the gate, a total of 115,000 survivors. The Arkships were mostly half-filled, but their true worth was in the massive stores of supplies and the power for the survivors to maintain crops and feed themselves even in the depths of space.

In the first months, they regrouped and set a random pattern of travel throughout the Milky Way, searching for a blind spot where the influence of the Entities could not reach them. Their road led them throughout the Scutum-Centaurus Arm, where they just gated to different locations periodically to keep the Entities off of their trail.

The Maria was retrofitted to have a larger carrier capcity and a specialised subspace restrictor that could allow only authorized signatures to gate in a 12-light-year radius. This greatly increased their chances of survivial, and allowed them to produce additional ships upon encountering several worlds in the SC Arm that had Valantium and metals that they could use to make A and B Alloys.

In a year, the fleet expanded its military force to 31 ships, and all had been fitted for the GRANDARMS-HMG-120 guns as expanded carrier capcities and stronger barrier systems. All ships were fitted to travel at .03C, allowing them to outrun even the fastest Entities.

By the year 5, the fleet had somewhat perfected its manner of survival to the point where a relatively normal life could be led onboard the ships. A large detection array was set up along the SC Arm and this gave the fleet a greater deal of slipperiness.

In the year 17, they had found a safe haven that was thoroughly impossible for the Entities to navigate- a location in the Milky Way known as the Lucanan Rift, an area that consisted of hundreds of nebulae and an extensive asteroid system that was far larger than Skyset's. To gain access to within the Rift, through a constantly changing path known as the Lucius' Passage would have to be traversed. While the Passage would change over time, the manner in it would change was predictable, allowing for entry into the Rift at specific times, generally once every three months, and the passage would only be open for several days before closing, and the process of passing through was also a relatively trying endeavor, accessible only by skilled helmsmen.

Failure to adhere to the timeline would result in immolation in the immense heat and raditation of the nearby nebulae, which would annihilate even the Entities.

These elements combined allowed them to use the Rift to their advantage and settle on a massive space colony within, designated Sol-1.

There were ample resources within the Rift to build an entire fleet, but with the limited population, it was difficult to produce anything more than a few ships a year.

Still, the Maria and her Skyfleet complement made patrols and diversion maneuvers to distract the Entities away from the Rift, giving the impression that they were still on the run.

2nd Century, After Exodus: Oppression
In time, the Enduring Quiet found its end- the Ta'khaiel were a mighty and subjugative race, and they had noticed the unwelcome arrival of a refugee species into their galaxy, yet kept their presence cloaked until the 2nd Century AX, as a matter of observation and intelligence gathering. Not even Gaia could pick up on the presence of the super-civilization on the other side of the galaxy.

Thus, when they made their existence known to humanity in 104 AX, it was assumed immediately that the Ta'khaiel were the first species to actually make the soft fold into Stella Magna. The greeting was expected to be something of a rally of those expelled from the Milky Way- what humanity recieved was a grim reminder that even away from the Entities, there were still enemies to face in the dark of space.

The first envoy ship gave a short and straightforward message: "Submit to utilization or prepare for sanctioned reformation."

The words fell on humanity's confused ears- and it was then, in the silence of their response that the full might of the Slave Ships would come to bear, and humanity would find itself in another era of darkness. The attacks were fierce and unrelenting, forcing surrender and 'rededication', as it had been termed.

No military force could match the might of the Consortium- where the Entities were many in number and relentless- The Ta'khaiel were both and intelligent.

With the might of hundreds of generations of military subjugation, the Ta'khaiel had become expertly able at forcing races into submission.

Of the dozens of races under their claim, the Silharae and the Gündar were the other refugee races of the Milky Way. The humans were sent to work in Valantium mines and served as slaves to the Ta'khaiel.