The Universe of Galactic Knights - TIMELINE

2046

The United Nations collapses as the United States, the European Union, the People's Reformed Republic of China, and several of their allies leave the U.N. The superpowers protest the U.N.'s failure to curb nuclear proliferation and terrorism. Meanwhile, the new nuclear powers jockey for security council seats in a far less relevant U.N.

2049

Developments in cold fusion and plasma fusion engines, as well as new solid rocket fuels, make travel out of Earth's gravity well much more affordable and practical. Humanity expands from Earth to bases' on the moon, Mars, and the moons of Jupiter.

2053

The Terran Federation forms out of the ashes of the United Nations to become an effective global civil government. From this point on, trade arrangements and loans to governments come exclusively from the Terran Federation. Nuclear proliferation increases until more than half the nations of the world have nuclear weaponry. In response, the Terran Federation is given powers to mediate any and all international military conflicts on Earth. Many nations and even some corporations continue to fight wars in the vacuum of space, but Earth remains at peace.

2069

Terraforming efforts begin on Mars, Venus, and Europa.  Genetically engineered microorganisms, dropped onto the surface of the planets, thrive even in the extremely hostile environments, even those on Venus. Scientists estimate that Mars may be ready to support human life by 2200, Europa by 2250, and Venus by 2500.

2076

The Terran Federation develops a solar space fleet to police the increasingly dangerous warfare nd piracy throughout the solar system. Its name changes to the Terran Solar Federation.

2099

The world economy collapses in the worst panic of world economic history.  The Terran Solar Federation, which has been underwriting loans to virtually,all nations on Earth, is one of the only governments not to go bankrupt. It offers to restore solvency to any nation that joins the Federation.  The three superpowers refuse this offer to surrender any sovereignty.  Most of the weaker states join the Terran Solar Federation. Those states under the wing of the T.S.F. quickly become the economic superpowers of the world, while the United States, China, and the E.U. all struggle to restore their economies.

2113

A joint project of the U.S. and China sends unmanned probes at sublight speeds to three nearby star systems.  The T.S.F. follows their lead later in the year.

2136

All three superpowers sign a treaty acknowledging T.S.F. supremacy.  They also build colonial presences on Mars (now semi-habitable) and the moon, which remain out of T.S.F. control.

2148

The T.S.F. launches three generation ships sail off to nearby stars. The journeys will take more than two centuries, so none of the original crews will live to see their destinations.

2167

One of the generation ships disappears for reasons unknown.  Investigations find evidence suggesting the ship simply vanished from this universe.

2192

The final findings of the final investigation of the 2167 generation ship disappearance determine the ship had somehow opened a wormhole that transported it to another point in the galaxy.  T.S.F funds extensive research into interstellar travel and wormholes.

2203

The first interstellar probe using Jump Drive technology travels to Sirius and returns to the solar system by the end of the year.

2206

The first interstellar jump succeeds.  The ship returns to Sol before the end of the year.  The Federation allocates 25% of its income to interstellar ventures.  Corporations and member governments buy shares in many of the projects.

2209

The first interstellar colonies begin in Sirius and other nearby star systems.  The Terran Solar Federation changes its name to the Terran Trans-Solar Federation, or T.T.F.  At this point T.T.F. missions make up 90 percent of interstellar travel.

2217

Scandal breaks out in the T.T.F when Parliament discovers that several nations have secretly founded independent colonies against Federal charter.  The T.T.F. expels several weaker nations from the Federation.  The expelled states and several other non-aligned governments form an alliance called the Treaty Alliance of Unaligned States (T.A.U.S.) The T.A.U.S. secretly develops an Alliance Navy in outer colony space.

2223

The T.T.F. declares war on the T.A.U.S and quickly occupies the Alliance nations in Africa and the Caribbean.  Alliance leaders escape to the newly founded colony of Nova Liberia issues a declaration of independence from the Terran Federation.  The T.T.F. faces civil war when several other colonies in the Delta and Gamma sectors rebel, and uprisings erupt in the inner colonies.  The unrest in the inner colonies is suppressed quickly, but Parliament cannot agree on a course of action with the other rebel colonies.

2228

The Delta Sector War begins, with the T.T.F. fighting Nova Liberia, its alliance and the insurgents known as the Kmet (a militant cult from Sirius).  This is the first major conflict to use shield technology.

2236

The Treaty Alliance of Unaligned States collapses under military and economic pressure from the T.S.F. Nova Liberia continues to fend off T.T.F raids into its star system.  The Kmet overthrow Sirian government and capture most of the Fed. Navy shapes in the star system.  Soon, all of Sirius falls to the Kmet.

2275

The T.T.F.N. retakes Sirius, but the Kmet leaders escape with a small fleet of warships to neighboring systems.  All navies at war in the sector begin hiring mercenaries and privateers.

2283

Nova Liberia establishes bases in six allied star systems. In the star system of Nova Liberia, the defense force narrowly beats back an invasion fleet sent by the T.T.F., losing half of its fleet in the process.

2289

Humans encounter the first alien ships in the Delta Sector, ships of the Avarian United Worlds Navy (A.U.W.N.). Mistaking the task force for an insurgent raiding group, a T.T.F.N. patrol attacks and destroys all but one of the Avarian ships. T.T.S.F. intelligence agents search the wreckage and discover the bodies of birdlike aliens.

2292

An Avarian strike fleet of nearly a hundred ships enters Sol, demanding reparations for the attack. Parliament orders the T.T.F.N. to stand down, and signs a treaty. The A.U.W.N. learns about Terran shield and Electronic Counter Measures (E.C.M.) technology, and wants to learn how they work. The T.T.F.N. denies access to this information.

  

2293

The A.U .W. sends a raiding force to a small T.T.F Navy frontier starbase in Outpost, an otherwise uninhabited star system in the Gamma Sector. Although casualties are negligible, the Avarians capture design plans for shields and E.C.M.  When the T. T.F.  parliament learns about this it quickly declares war on the Avarians.

2294

The Federation Navy fails in attempts to capture design specifications for Avarian railguns.  However, its scientists reverse engineer Avarian plasma torpedoes.  Which are far superior to Terran torpedoes. The Avarians strike deep into Delta Sector and Gamma Sector, but do not seriously threaten Earth or the other well developed colonies in Alpha Sector and Beta Sector.

2298

The federation develops an effective network point defense system in response to Avarian fighters.  Focusing entirely on Light Particle Beam (L.P.B.) technology, the new Point Defense system takes a heavy toll on Avarian fighters and missiles.

2299

Avarians develop their own point defense system, copying the Terran system in most respects. Other human space fleets copy the technology as well.

2300

Both the Nova Liberians and the Kmet sign non-agression pacts with the Avarian United Worlds. T.T.F declares it an act of race treason, but Lacks the forces for a punitive attack on the other human nations.

2303

The TTF and A.U.W. sign an armistice, good for five years.

2305

Less than two years into the cease fire, renegades from the A.U.W invade Beta Sector and occupy several of its worlds. The T.T.F. renews war against all Avarians.

2327

The Terran-Avarian War lingers on for decades, until another technologically-advanced alien race appears in Beta Sector. This time the alien force strikes first and destroys the T.F:S.S. Blitzkrieg (an SGDN) and all but two of its escorts. Other mysterious ships attack human ships and starbases throughout the sector, spreading terror of this new alien threat...

source:  Terran & Avarian Fleet Book