Galactic Timeline

TIMELINE OF THE GALAXY

EVENT	DATES	LENGTH
ISW1	2205-2212	6 years
ISW2	2228-2230	2 years
ISW3	2244-2247	3 years
Theban War	2298-2302	4 years
ISW4	2360-2370	10 years
Insurrection	2438-2444	6 years
2^nd Arachnid War	2450-2454	4 years
Olympus Affair	2459	3 months
Biomech Conflict	2459	4 months
Armageddon War	2464-2466	2 years
Tiamat Lost	2468-2473	5 years

Interstellar War One: The first truly intergalactic conflict for mankind, this war was sparked over tension between the Terran Federation and the Khanate of Orion, a race of cat-like beings who at the time had a much larger empire than humanity. ISW1 was a six-year series of battles that ended with a slight human victory, leaving the opening for a much larger and more deadly conflict 16 years later (Interstellar War Two/ISW2).

Interstellar War Two: A multi-sided battle between humanity and the Khanate of Orion and a newly discovered bird-race (the Ophiuchi) who eventually sided with humans and brought about an end to this two year war. ISW2 was marked by the first large and decisive fleet battles.

Interstellar War Three: A four-way conflict between the genocidal Rigelian Protectorate on one side and humanity, the Orions, and the Ophiuchi on the other side. The conflict ended after three bloody years with an allied victory and the total destruction of the weasel-like Rigelians. However, billions of innocent civilians were wiped out by the fanatical Rigelians before they could be stopped. ISW3 was the first large scale genocidal war in galactic history.

Theban War: A desperate war fought between the non-human Thebans and mankind, this conflict lasted four years due to the fact that the Terran Federation Navy was badly under strength at the beginning of the war. Humanity eventually won the battle and occupied the Theban Homeworld. However, the Thebans (a single system polity) certainly gave humanity a run for its money during this war.

Interstellar War Four: The longest war to date (ten years) and by far the bloodiest, ISW4 war fought between the genocidal Arachnid Omnivoracity and the Allied Races: mankind, the Orions and Gorm, the Ophiuchi, and the newly discovered multiracial Crucian Union. The Terran Federation had a large navy at the time and effectively blocked the invading Bug forces in the fringe area of the Federation, but billions of civilians were eaten alive when the Arachnids overran human and Orion colonies early in the conflict. The war ended with the total annihilation of the inhuman Bugs, and the loss of some of humanity's greatest heroes: Admiral Hannah Avram, Admiral Ivan Antonov, and Admiral Andrew Prescott.

Insurrection: A devastating civil war that ripped apart the Terran Federation, the "Insurrection" lasted years due to the fact that humanity had not forgotten the lessons of being militarily unprepared from the Theban War and had large standing warfleets spread across Federation space. The initial spark was the Corporate Worlds proposal of joining the newly forming Pan-Sentient Union (with the Orions), while the "Fringe" worlds resisted violently against this “amalgamation”. This brutal six year fight cost humanity more lives than all its' previous wars combined.

Second Arachnid War: Although they were thought to have utterly perished in ISW4, some surviving Bugs tried to revive their former empire 80 years after that conflict ended. Early discovery by the Reformation Group (a Fringe world polity) halted their efforts only after the Pan-Sentient Union sent major fleets to bomb them into oblivion. Revelation of the uber-tech crab-like Tolat race took place during this conflict, which lasted four years.

Olympus Affair: A crisis which threatened to tear apart the joint human-Orion Pan-Sentient Union. Discovery of a quadruple star system in human space (with eight habitable worlds) sparked a colonization crisis among the human and Orion parts of the federal PSU government. The four month affair ended when half of the Olympus System worlds were given to the Orions to colonize, but left a bitter taste in the mouths of many humans.

Biomechphilist Conflict: Located next to the fantastically productive Olympus System, the Biomechphilist homeworld reacted aggressively when they discovered humans initially exploring their home system. Invasion of the Olympus System was desperately averted only by the maverick human Admiral Frank Cavalier. The Biomech homeworld was occupied and their unique technologies were confiscated and investigated, resulting in major newly weaponry for humanity (just in time for the Armageddon War).

Armageddon War: The war to end all wars. Invasion of known space by the ancient and highly technological Hre'Daak race brought about the most deadly conflict that anyone had ever seen. Hundreds of PSU warships were crushed by Hre'Daak uber technology and entire star systems were induced to nova by Hre'Daak weapons. Terra herself and the Orion capital were both reduced to smoking balls of ruin before the PSU and her allies could finally halt the Hre'Daak advance. Humanity suffered greatly during the war and most galactic states collapsed in on themselves after the fighting stopped. The galaxy would never be the same.....

Tiamat Lost: The human warship Tiamat (juggernaut size) became lost on her way home from the warfront after passing through a highly unstable warpoint. Several years passed before the surviving crew could find their way home, after discovering many different new races in the Sagittarius Arm of the galaxy. The Tiamat also found the Tolat homeworld and the super conglomeration of races known as "Civilization".