Timeline
Calendar notations
CE - The Terran Calendar
BCE - Before the Terran Calendar
CHE - Calendar of The Human Empire
The OTU timeline can be used fully until The First Contact at 2097 CE.
The Terran Demise
The period of global leadership in the west from the start of the Industrial Revolution (about 1760 CE) was only a brief anomaly, and quickly gave way to shifting the global leadership back towards east. From around 2000 CE the environmental crisis started to become evident as environmental change, overpopulation and overconsumption began to compromize the sustainability of life on Terra.
The influence of Africa in the global politics grew constantly as the population grew and the countries began gaining control of the natural resources. The globally leading nations of India and China began taking first steps of securing life in colonies in the Sol system in 2060 CE, with other major nations following.
By 2097 CE when Terra was struck by the instant planetary emergency, the global population was close to 11 billion. The USA had been the only western country that had had a positive population growth. However, that was caused by immigration from Asia and Africa, so the cultural and ethnic profile had shifted radically from the earlier European influence.
Population by continent
Asia 4,7 billion
Africa 4,2 billion
Europe 0,6 billion
North America 0,5 billion
South America 0,5 billion
Most populous countries
India 1,5 billion
China 1,1 billion
Nigeria 0,9 billion
The United States of America 0,5 billion
Indonesia 0,4 billion
Tansania 0,3 billion
Democratic Republic of Congo 0,3 billion
Ethiopia 0,3 billion
The global warming had been kept in bay by technological advances, but eventually the global temperature ended up raising by 9 degrees Celsius, causing the sea level to raise by 47 meters. The environmental changes together with pollution and lack of natural resources caused mass starvation and wars for food. The conflict quickly escalated to a planetary nuclear war, leaving only some of the off-world colonies unharmed. In the end, 90 % of the populations and species of life were obliterated, and Terra was left an uninhabitable lump of toxic waste.
The Exile
The dire emergency situation of the offworld colonies not drawn into the conflict quickly mediated an union for saving the human species. Every contribution was vital to survival, causing differences in culture, religion and ethnicity to be settled. A new common language and an unitary culture formed with the cooperation.
Apart from the hardship of daily life most resources were directed to finding a new habitable home planet. Faster that light travel was discovered after grueling 200 years, and expeditions were quickly launched to all directions.
The Search For a New Home
After the invention of faster than light travel in 2300 CE, the Terrans colonized nearby systems. After gaining a foothold they encountered the weakened Vilani Empire (an another interstellar human empire that had reigned for 10000 years, originating from the system Vland) and other intelligent species. There were a number of inconclusive interstellar wars between the vast empire and the upstarts.
The New Beginning
In 2587 the Terrans discovered a new system with an undisturbed planet astoundingly similar to what Terra used to be in natural state. The system was named Punarjanma (meaning rebirth or new life in the Terran language, Yan), and the main planet Xinghara (the new home). In 2596, shortly after the discovery, the Vilani were so soundly defeated that they surrendered.
Having learned from the mistakes of their ancestors, the Terrans treated Xinghara with respect. The impact of settling the planet was minimized due to very strict policies of environmental conduct. Most materials needed could be mined from asteroids and other barren bodies, and only clean energy sources were used on the planet. The largest populations lived in orbit in Sanadara Yaodai (the Glittering Belt), a ring of habitats around Xinghara. Only a handful of cities were built on the planet's surface, and even most of the food could be grown in the habitats. The largest of the planet-side cities was Owoidokoowo, the capital of the empire.
This started a long and prosperous period in the Renlei Samrajya, The Human Empire. A new calendar (CHE - Calendar of The Human Empire) was started from the discovery of Punarjanma. Combining the Renlei Samrajya conquests and remains of the Vilani Empire established a large body that guaranteed a peaceful period, The Golden Age or Belle Epoque.
The Plague
The Golden Age came to a brutal end when The Plague broke out in 1283 CHE. It's not known where, how or why it came, but it collapsed the whole empire in a matter of years. It spread violently with the abundant interstellar travel in the empire, and approximately simultaneous reports of the outbreak reached Xinghara as long as the communications were up and running.
The Plague caused all non-organic material to experience decomposition similar to organic decay, only much more violent. The decay affected the finer more advanced technology more drastically. While some simple mechanical machines might have survived, the failing of the orbital habitat life support systems killed billions even before the habitats started colliding to each other. On planets, buildings collapsed on inhabitants, flying contraptions fell crushing everything under them, and self-altering structures devoured those unfortunate to remain inside. After the first wave of devastation famines and epidemics broke out, in the end annihilating close to 99 % of the Renlei Samrajya citizens.
Present Day
Curretly it's year 1514 CHE (4114 CE). In Owoidokoowo the devastation The Plague caused has worked out to a balance where new communities are able to start to building a new future from very simple premises. The remains of The Plague still affects the existing or new technology, but at a much more gradual pace.
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