History of the Solar System

2000-2085, AGE OF EXPANSION

This period saw mankind's first and largest push into space. The industrialized nations of the world, led by the United States and Russia and encouraged by the U.N., developed cheap and efficient interplanetary travel. Space industry grew enormously, and colonies were founded on Luna, Mars, the asteroids, Mercury, and Callisto. The outer colonies were slow to build, but the moon grew rapidly, especially once it became a penal colony (successor to the prison satellite closed in 2057). A massive telescope network was constructed in the asteroids and was able to see and examine terrestrial worlds around distant stars. Three interstellar colony ships were sent out.

2086-2175, AGE OF EXPLOITATION

Amidst rising unrest in the Third World nations of Earth, the U.N. was dissolved and replaced by the United Federated Nations of Earth, devoted to the "equal distribution of mankind's inheritance". The space settlements and factories were place under direct control of the UFE bureaucracy which ran them as true colonies, mere economic extensions run for the benefit of the home world. The Earth became increasingly bureaucratized. Dozens of interstellar colony ships were sent out, including a few large generation ships. Many of these contained wealthy but powerless minorities, fleeing Earth to start their own civilizations based on their specific religious, cultural, or political ideals.

2176-2308, AGE OF DIVISION

The Lunar rebellion of 2176 heralded an age which saw the separation of Earth's colonies from the parent world. The UFE collapsed from its own inertia six years later, throwing Earth into a period of economic and social decline, becoming a collection of squabbling overpopulated nations vainly trying to feed their people yet encouraging population growth to fight the increasing numbers of wars. Emigration to the colonies increased tenfold. Mars and Luna became powerful independent nations. As a compromise, the Belt Treaty of 2190 made the mineral-rich asteroids an open economic zone, unowned by any nation. The few interstellar colony ships were mostly rich Terrans fleeing the deterioration of their homeworld. In 2308 the Earth finally died in a burst of biological warfare, killing off all multicellular life on the planet.

2309-2376, LUNAR HEGEMONY

Life in the solar system was, to put it mildly, seriously disrupted by the death of Earth. Mars turned inward to build its own civilization, while the other settlements became dependent on Luna for food, major industry, leadership, and a sense of culture. Despite these factors, this period also saw the initial spread of many small colonies throughout the asteroids and Jovian moons.

2377-2462, AGE OF ISOLATION

Between 2377 and 2380 virulently annihilative diseases reminiscent of those that destroyed Earth broke out in the asteroids. Where the plagues came no one survived; numerous asteroid settlements were obliterated. Mars imposed a total quarantine. When the "omniplague" spread to Luna, many individual cities and towns sealed themselves off. Commerce came to a standstill, and many small colonies died off during the ensuing decades when they ran out of food or replacement parts. In 2439 most of Mercury colony and many space habitats were destroyed by a solar flare; Mercury was abandoned.

2463-2507, AGE OF MARTIAN EXPANSION

After developing effective anti-viral procedures, Lockheed Corporation, the largest company in the Belt, began rebuilding commerce among the asteroids. Coming out of its isolation, Mars attempted to annex territory in the Belt; under the leadership of Lockheed the companies and settlements defeated a Martian expeditionary force. Passing over the Belt, Mars brought the Jovian moons under its "protection" and then moved on to Luna. Exploiting division, the Martians convinced most of the fragmented lunar colonies to sign treaties placing them under the protection and supervision of Mars.

2507-2524, THE BELT WARS

The empire-building Martians turned back once again to the Belt, this time sending large fleets in an attempt to enforce their dominance. Mars rapidly gained control of the large cities, but was unable to hold the hundreds of small communities scattered throughout the Belt. The wars were marked by numerous small actions and space-born guerrilla warfare organized by Lockheed. Plagued by rebellions in the Venusian orbit habitats and political unrest in Luna, in 2524 Mars ceded all claims to the Belt to Lockheed Corporation.

2525-2687, REVOLUTIONARY LUNA

After a series of political and military skirmishes (often using ships purchased from Lockheed), Luna broke away from Mars and formed a united government. The Cookies then embarked on a campaign of subversion against Mars, espousing an ideology of radical anarchism and encouraging and supporting pro-independence movements in the Martian possessions (the near-solar habitats, the Jovian and Saturnian moons, the Trojan communities). This era was marked by numerous "brush" wars as more and more nations broke from Martian rule. During this time Lockheed consolidated its hold on the Belt and became the primary supplier of spacecraft and arms in the solar system.

2688-2763, COMMERCIAL AGE

Lunar ideology succeeded in bringing down the Martian empire. By the nature of its precepts, however, Luna did not itself fill the power vacuum; indeed, even on Luna itself some cities seceded from the federal government. The solar system was dominated by hundreds of tiny nations. Population, commerce, and interplanetary trade grew rapidly, with Lockheed at the forefront of most commercial enterprises. While the rest of the solar system became an integrated civilization, Lockheed itself became increasingly inbred, working through foreign brokers, culturally unconnected to its neighbors. Mercury was recolonized jointly by Mars, Luna and Lockheed, while Mars began the terraforming of Venus.

2764-2850, SUPERPOWER AGE

Economic competition brought increased tensions and gradual centralization of power on both Luna and Mars. Between 2784 and 2789 the two fought an indecisive war over mining rights on Mercury. The rest of this age saw continued economic and political rivalry and a slow but steady military buildup, though no overt military action.

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