Prehistory:
Since the dawn of mankind we have always looked at the stars in wonder and awe. Throughout the ages, the stars were charted and catalogued, and various intellectuals from every corner of the world dreamt up of massive space colonies and large massive space empires.
It wasn't until the 20th and 21st centuries that humans actually had the capability of going beyond Earth's atmosphere and into space. And even then, it wasn't easy. Early flights into space were both costly and dangerous. And any missions that took place required at least a few months of prior training and preparations beforehand. The first 75 years in space were surely the most difficult and costly of them all. It was around this time though (i.e. 2030 C.E.) that everything started to really change, and much faster then ever before in the history of the human race.
The Origins of Conflict:
Around 2035, resource depletion and overpopulation became very critical. The world had already experienced peak oil, and the population was 7.5 billion and still rising. For the first time in human history, fresh water supplies also started to become more scarce. At the same time, there were huge advances in technology and they had recently reached what was coined the technological singularity, an era in which the pace of technological and scientific advances would accelerate so fast that it would be impossible to keep up, and the fact that there were now artificial intelligences that have exceeded human capabilities.
Naturally, with all of these problems, global conflict was inevitable. The superpowers of the time, the United States, the People's Republic of China, the European Union, and Pan-Eurasian Commonwealth (an entity that comprised most of the former Soviet Union including Russia, formed circa 2020) would be locked in an epic power struggle over land, resources, political and cultural influences. Though not yet at full blown war, tensions between them were very high.
Often there were skirmishes along areas considered to be of strategic importance, such as the Middle East where there were still vast resources of much needed oil, and of course over the borders of their own territories. While the United States pioneered space-based weaponry during the first quarter of the 21st century, it wasn't until now that they all started to pour massive resources into weaponizing space. New arms races were started, as the superpowers eventually abandoned or ignored all the treaties put in place to keep things from going out of control. The provisions and international laws put in place by the U.N. were more and more openly abandoned. Combined with all of the other problems that already plagued mankind, it was only a matter of time before things started to blow up all over the place.
World War III:
By 2050 the space above Earth was highly militarized, with near Earth orbit crammed with everything ranging from spy satellites to crude orbital bombardment stations. The first outposts on the moon were built, but they were not intended as colonies; rather, they were there to extract resources and provide an excellent weapons testing area (especially nuclear weapons). The ideals of world peace were already long since dead, and the possibility of total annihilation became much more likely. The E.U. and China were already openly in armed conflict over resources ranging from hydrogen on the moon's poles to fresh water resources back on Earth. The other two superpowers stood by the sidelines offering to help whoever could bring them the most profits. They too were struggling, as overpopulation threatened to suffocate them and the rest of the world to death. No one, however, in their wildest dreams imagined that things would continue to spiral out of control. Until 2055 that is.
In 2055, World War III was initiated. It is unclear who started it, but it is generally accepted that the war was officially initiated when the Eurasian Commonwealth made a pre-emptive strike into Poland. The E.U. and other NATO members retaliated by making deep incursions into Iran and the Caucasus, in an effort to reduce their fossil fuel resources. The People's Republic of China joined the romp when they decided to invade India and Japan, thereby forcing the United States into it. The war was a bloody stalemate for 3 years, that is until there was a nuclear attack on Boston. No one knew who authorized it, though it is speculated that opportunitistic terrorists were responsible. What ever the cause, the result was catastrophic. Almost immediately, the U.S. used this attack as justification to launch their massive nuclear arsenal against everyone else. Naturally, the rest of the superpowers also followed suit.
Cities all over North America, East Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Russia and parts of Africa and the polynesian islands were completely obliterated in the ensuring nuclear exchange. A total of 3000 nuclear warheads fell upon the world, completely wiping out entire nations and continents. It is estimated that over 750 million people died immediately as a result. 1.7 billion more would die later as a result of mass famines, epidemics, and radiation sickness in the following years as a result. The large superstates were obiliterated and fragmented, and eventually they would be ideal grounds for various petty warlords to battle and vie for power in the now defunct world.
Aftermath:
Civilization and humanity itself though, would not come completely to an end. Even though the remaining nations would struggle to recover for decades to come, this did allow who ever was left to compete for world dominance. Nations in Central and South America, Australia, and large areas of Africa and in Southern Asia were largely safe from the nuclear holocaust. While they had to endure various environmental calamites that resulted immediately afterwards, it was those struggles that allowed them to make real progress in forming stable political relationships and to once and for all truly develop in all areas, from scientific to social progress, in what would be known as the Great Reconstruction. With the superstates now gone, these nations were free to become the new global powers. During the 2070's and 2090's, Central and South America joined together to form the Continental American Alliance, while Africa would form the Pan-African Coalition. While they were very loosly held together, they vowed not to repeat the mistakes of the past. They would go on to create truly sustainable technology, agriculture, medical care, etc. In addition, they would go out to aid the areas that were heavily bombed, help rebuild infrastructure, and form "protectorates" in those regions. By 2150, much of the world would recover from the great disaster. Another great thing was that now they were able to build the first true world government to replace the long defunct U.N.; which was known as the World Parliament. Disarmarment of much of what was left of the world nuclear arsenal would take place, and the material used for the bombs would be used to build new powerplants and help bring back civilization and stability to the rest of the world. Toward the end of the Great Reconstruction, first contact with the Acreans would occur in 2120.
First Contact and the Great Blunder:
First contact with the Acreans was met with mixed feelings. While the scientists of the day were excited with the stargate plans that were transmitted, there was a general distrust of them in general. There was panic and the possibility that they might invade an already vulnerable Earth should they build the stargate. So, the plans were instead used to develop the first hyperdrive over the next 70 years. Although it was intended to be kept a secret, some over optimistic scientists leaked the hyperdrive secrets to the rest of the galaxy, arguably the biggest blunder (next to World War III that is) ever made by the human race. The rest of the major races of the galaxy now had hyperdrive capability, and soon both the domestic and political situation on Earth would become chaotic as a result.
Birth of the Human Galaxy First Party and the Terra Sol Empire:
After it was soon realized that extraterrestrial intelligences now had the capability to potentially reach Earth, the political and social institutions would soon become chaotic. Mass suicides in the cities would become common as people killed themselves out of fear of invasion. Crime rates would sore to an all time high. Acts of sabatouge and theft would occur at all levels. And, the already corrupt world government would soon have various political and corporate entities and parties competing with one another for power, each one promising to deal with the major issues at hand. It was at this time, around 2197, that the Human Galaxy First Party was formed. The goals outlined by the party were very clear; to ramp up and aggressively pursue space colonization, to reform various social projects, and to ensure prosperity and peace throughout the galaxy. No other party had ambitious goals and offered practical solutions to the already dire situation. Because the Human Galaxy First party had the resources and the dedication to carry out their promises, and thus by extension offered real hope, large masses of people would soon voice their support for them. Of course, other parties started to become increasingly corrupt and attempted to shut down the party by any means necessary, on the realization that they were rapidly losing ground. The biggest opponent to the Human First Galaxy Party were the United Republic Party, and they too had a large number of supporters.
It became clear, however, that the Human Galaxy First were much more organized and more prepared then their rivals, and soon, they were able to rise to glorious heights. On March of 2215, they had successfully won the majority seats in the World Parliament, and soon they were in a position to effect real changes. Other parties were soon brought to courts on charges of fraud, deception, and a whole host of other atrocities. So great were their crimes against humanity that most other parties were immediately outlawed and their followers prosecuted. It would take 3 years to clense the Earth of their vile existence, and soon the Human Galaxy First Party would maintain true stability within the World Government. Joseph Gonzales, the party's leader, would sson set himself up as the supreme leader of humanity. Older, inefficient government structures and other branches were soon pruned, and Gonzales soon proclaimed himself emperor. It was then that the Terra Sol Empire was proclaimed, on July 16, 2219.
Overall structure and priorities of the Terra Sol Empire:
Now that the political situation was stabilized, attention was soon turned to reorganizing the government, the restructuring of society, the rebuilding and improvement of infrastructure, and of course agressively pursuing scientific research on all fronts.
The government was soon reorganized. The Human Galaxy First Party was soon given privileged status, and nearly all power was given to them so that they could quickly and efficiently get things done. The power distribution was distributed somewhat like a pyramid, with the Emperor at the head. At the lower levels, were the People's Congress, a system specifically designed to cater to the needs of the people, and then the Provincial Governors. Then, as it goes down, comes the Magestrar, who's responsibility is to deal with things on a regional level, and then the mayors, who's job is to run the cities. The various lands and continents of the world were divided into 9 Provinces: The Union of North America, the South American Protectorate, the African Union, the European Territories, the Southeast Asian Territories, the Commonwealth of Central Asia, the Eurasian Conglomerate, the Polynesian Commonwealth, and of course the Australian Territories. The capital was located in Sao Paulo, the location of the birth of the Human Galaxy First Party was located. Any other parties had lesser responsibilities (e.g. maintaining industrial parks, dealing with public works and utility services, labor resources management, etc.).
Space research, of which was mostly given a low priority for most of its existence, was now completely revamped and a huge amount of resources were soon poured in order to colonize the galaxy and catch up with the other races. Massive efforts were undertaken to apply the new hyperdrive and spread out to the worlds in the Solar System and the rest of the galaxy. Military research was soon carried out to counter whatever extraterrestrial threats existed. Other sciences were soon pursued and funded.
In addition, major social reforms took place. Any areas that still suffered radioactive contamination were sooned cleaned up and dealt with. Infrastructure was soon modernized, repaired, and revamped. New farms, using the latest in hydroponics, were built, and took up far less space while producing larger yields. Other services, such as social security and state medical care, were put into place. Living standards soon rose to unprecedented heights, to the point where they surpassed those of the pre-WWIII eras.
The Human Galaxy First Party helped Earth to fully recover, and soon turned their attention toward the universe at large.
On Jan 1, 2225, the first colony ship was commissioned and started on it's journey to colonize the stars. Soon, more would follow.
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Well, that's it for now, to be continued later today to talk about the initial colonization stage.
