Time-Line: History of the Five Galaxies¹

15 BYA: Big Bang (SS)
 
 

2.8 - 3.1 BYA: Massive terraforming campaigns.  Evidence of age-long world-shattering conflicts.  (Beginnings of life on Earth.)
 
 

2.8 - 2.2 BYA: Progenitors rule the galaxies in what is traditionally thought to be a Golden Age.  Records extremely sketchy.
 
 

2.75 BYA: Appearance of first textual and archaeological evidence for Hydrogen Breathing and Methane Breathing sapients.
 
 

2.71 BYA: Transfer point to Third Galaxy discovered; wrecked Galactic-level civilization discovered there.  The Progenitors and allied species revise their ecological ethics and practices in response.
 
 

2.3 BYA: Progenitors separate themselves from affairs of lesser races, passing on laws and edicts.
 
 

2.305 BYA: Wars with Hydrogen-Breathers begin.
 
 

2.26 BYA: Progenitors physically leave the Galaxies (according to Inheritor legend).
 
 

2.2615 BYA: H-2/O-2 Wars escalate
 
 

2.263 BYA: Machine Wars begin.  According to legend self-replicating, intelligent, non-organic constructs --designed by both H-2 and O-2 combatants in the H-2/O-2 Wars --mutually decide their masters are insanely irrational, and so unfit to represent Sapiency.
 
 

2.2 BYA: Artificial life enjoys considerable military advantage in the three-way wars between Artificial, H-2, and O-2 life.
 
 

2.22 BYA: Progenitors"Pass On," according to Transcendor belief.
 
 

2.202 BYA (a): Hydrogen Breathers exterminate sapient Methane and Ammonia life-forms.
 
 

2.202 BYA (b): First H-2/O-2 Trucial Agreements concluded.  These agreements result in the official alliance of all Organic life against all Artificial life.  Self-replicating AIs and nanotechnology are restricted and regulated in the common interest.  Use of cybernetic technology is discouraged.  The Foresight Organization is created.
 
 

2.250 BYA: The alliance of Organic life defeats the Artificial species.  Treaties restrict Artificial life to designated Reserve Areas.  These treaties are still in force.
 
 

2.255 BYA (a): Macro-Nanitic sapient species are exterminated by the Organic species per the agreement of 2.250 BYA.
 
 

2.255 BYA (b): Second H-2/O-2 Wars begin.
 
 

2.258 BYA: Open hostilities in the Second H-2/O-2 Wars end with the Cease Fire for Negotiations Toward a Mutually Beneficial Peace.
 
 

2.25 BYA: Second H-2/O-2 Trucial Agreements concluded, forming the basis for H-2/O-2 interaction to this day.  The first systematic Hydrogen Breather and Oxygen Breather cooperation in migration and ecological management begins.  The Galactic Institute for Migration begins to take on its modern form.
 
 

2.15 BYA: An O-2 power vacuum leads predecessors of some of today's alliances to battle for control of the galaxies.
 
 

2.1 - 1.9 BYA: Power struggles largely resolved.  This is a crucial formative age for much of O-2 Galactic civilization as we now know it.  The Library records from this time forward are notably more complete than for earlier epochs.
 
 

2.1 BYA: Institute for Civilized Warfare formed.
 
 

1.4 BYA: The Library is reorganized into its modern form.  The Uplift Institute is founded.
 
 

623 MYA: The ecologically insensitive "Lions" dominate the Galaxies.
 

620 MYA: The Tarseuh forge a coalition and overthrow the "Lions"
 

590 MYA: Institute for Recovery of Honor wracked by ideological disputes.  The Obeyer/Abdicator ideological war results.  The Institute for the Recovery of Honor collapses.  The Moderate Consensus results, fills the resulting power vacuum, and provides hegemonic O-2 values to this day.
 

150 MYA: (Approximately): The quality of available Library data increases again on a scale even more dramatic that of the 1.9 BYA improvement.  This relative improvement (possibly an artifact of censorship) is tacitly recognized by most individual sapient scholars and intellectuals, but seldom acknowledged --let alone discussed --in official or academic circles.  No Alliance for Progress agency has a satisfactory explanation for this event.
 

100 MYA: Karrank% released from clienthood and granted the planet Kithrup as a "retirement home".
 

31 MYA: Thennanin uplifted; join Abdicators.
 

2 MYA: Soro uplifted by Hul. (Human ancestors: Homo habilis, possibly Homo erectus.  Stone tools of Olduwan tradition.)
 

100 KYA: At about this time O-2 civilization begins to experience a wave of uplift atrocities and associated ecological disasters.  (Anatomically modern humans have now existed for as long as 50 KY.  They still share the Old World with less modern H. Sapiens and perhaps with H. erectus.  Stone tools are still of Lavalois tradition.  Tools of Achulian tradition are no longer found, or are seldom found.  There are only minimal signs of artistic behavior.)

70 KYA: Galactic opinion becomes very concerned about uplift abuses and ecological maintenance.  Various galactic institutions begin a crack-down.

65 KYA to 40 KYA: The Galactic Institute for Civilized Warfare authorizes numerous campaigns of enforcement at the behest of the Institute for Migration and the Uplift Institute.  This begins to increase political instability in O-2 space.

55 KYA: Increasingly invasive GIM and GUI activities produce a counter-reaction among more independently minded species.

52 KYA: The last recorded "wolfling" race, the Paranaj, is discovered.  Within a thousand years, it is extinct.

50 KYA: The Bururalli Holocaust wipes out most higher animals on Garth.  The Bururalli are destroyed in retaliation --down to, and including, their rootstock.  The Bururalli patrons are returned to fourth level clienthood as punishment/rehabilitation.  (Early signs of Homo sapiens in Australia. Lavalois stone knapping tradition extinct, or nearly so.)

30 KYA: The rate of sapient induced ecological disasters has returned to roughly historical background levels in O-2 space.  The desire of the GUI and GIM for stronger regulations and enforcement powers is stymied by a shift in Galactic opinion that favors less invasive supervision.  (Humans paint hunting scenes in what would become French and Spanish caves.  Anatomically modern humans --H. sapiens sapiens --the only living representative of the genus Homo.)

15 KYA: Humans arrive in the Americas.

7.5 KYA: Pyramids in Egypt.

c 4000 YA (that is, 1470 BCE): Tymbrimi patrons, the Caltmour, wiped out in galactic war.  (Humans have had cities and empires in the Old World for a few thousand years.)

c 3000 YA: Golden Age of Athens.

289 BxY: First manned human space travel.

281 BxY: Humans reach Earth's moon.

244 BxY:  Earth based observers discover NuDawn orbiting in the habitable zone.

225 BxY: Near light speed probes sent to six planets orbiting stars.  All planets are in the habitable zone and show evidence of water and O₂.

200 BxY to 150 BxY (Approximately): Earth history dominated by the Great Collapse.

170 BxY to 50 BxY: Earth dominated by The Bureaucracy.

119 BxY: Chimp uplift effort begins.

35 BxY: First modern probationary policies implemented.

33 BxY to 30 BxY: The Politburo of the Bureaucracy foolishly makes probationary criteria applicable to members of the General Assembly.  This results in the wholesale replacement of Assembly members, and subsequent replacement of the Politburo.

31 BxY: Confederation of Nations founded.  It will succeed The Bureaucracy in a bloodless revolution.

10 BxY: Jacob Demwa born.

1 BxY: Earth has established numerous colonies beyond the Solar system and is actively exploring space using near-light-speed vessels.  Colonies more than three months travel from Earth are self-governing.

0xY /2250 CE: First Galactic Contact.  Human explorers contact Tymbrimi colonists.  This was 87 paktaars ago by Galactic measure.

2 AxY: The Confederation of Nations is reorganized and renamed The Terragen Confederation.  New election rules allow far-flung communities to participate in a representative democracy.

3 AxY: Neo-Chimpanzees recognized as Stage Two Clients and Humans recognized as independent patrons.

1 AxY to 25 AxY: Terragen Confederation in constant conflict with the Galactic Institute for Migration over pre-contact Terragen colonies.

40 AxY /2290 CE: Sundiver incident.

150 AxY: Neo-dolphins recognized as Stage 2 clients.

182 AxY: Garth colonized by Terragens under a lease agreement from the Galactic Institute for Migration.

275 AxY: Human-Galactic relations stable.  Clan Terragen now holds ten G.I.M. leases --including one for the garden world, Calafia, plus the homeworld "lease" on Earth.  The G.I.M. is very pleased with Terragen custodianship on all lease-hold worlds.  Terragens have now been on good terms with the G.I.M. for more than 225 years.

276 AxY: Streaker encounters derelict fleet, sends psi-cast message, and Central Galaxy goes into turmoil.  Flight and battle will continue for many objective years.

277 AxY: Garth invaded by Gubru.  Invaders expelled after many months.  [Must be at least 12 months. See "278". SS.]  Later in this year The "Siege" of Earth begins.  This so-called siege is really more of an armed blockade.  Mars colony hurt far worse than Earth itself.

278 AxY: Intercepted Soro time-drop message reports Streaker fled Kthsemenee system.  Images of bizarre and wondrous incident on Garth transmitted to galaxy through hyperspace shunt. Gorillas chose Thennanin as stage one Uplift Patrons with Humans and Neo-Chimpanzees as co-Consorts.  Soro, and other forces, begin their invasion of Calafia.

279 AxY: The Soro consolidate their invasion of Calafia.  Later this year they abandon their effort to make the Neo-Dolphins take on the Gello as Uplift Consorts and make their strategic objective Transfer of Lease by Right of Conquest.  Early this year the Streaker is seen in port at Oakka.

280 AxY: Earth temporarily safe thanks to Thennanin alliance, but the colonies are still in danger. . [Streaker arrives on Jijo? SS]

282 to 380 AxY: Horpie region to be opened to settlement sometime in this period.

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