Timeline

A timeline of the Colonial Sphere setting.

Population Breaking Point - 2060
Decades of explosive population growth puts an enormous strain on the dwindling resources of Earth. Sustaining the high level of grwoth becomes impossible. Amid rising tensions amongst the nations of Earth, including numerous wars and conflicts, the United Nations and other coalitions seek alternate answers for the solution to humanity's growing woes. Early on, space exploration and eventual settlement provides the most promising long term outlet.

Extrasolar Colonization Plan - 2060-2130
Originally developed by a thinktank in the European Union, the Extra-solar Colonization Plan sets out the goals that humanity must achieve in order to settle the stars in a reasonable timeline. Eventually adopted by the UN, the ECP provides the marching orders for governments the world over. Preparations begin being made to allow the colonization effort to take place, chief among these being surveys of viable planets surrounding Earth. Research posts are established on surrounding celestial bodies to further study of humanity in the stars. Ceres and Luna are part of this network.

Acceleration Gates (2130)
The development of super-luminal transport eventually culminates in the building of the Acceleration Gates, a massive construct used to accelerate ships and then launch them like a projectile at some distant location. Using these gates, humanity begins to establish its colonies. Launching into space, humanity begins to settle the surveyed worlds.

United Colonial Nations - 2135
The UN, after the establishment and growth of the colonies, realizes its Earth focused mandate is now outdated. Passing a new constitution, the UN renames itself the United Colonial Nations. Goals are refocused from the partisan politics they once stood for, and centred around the survival of the human species amidst the difficulties of colonization.

Colonial Prosperity - 2145
As the colonies prosper and grow, becoming more self-sufficient, they begin to produce more and more resources. The UCN, seeing this as their investments paying out, begin to tithe the colonies to ensure Earths survival. Minerals and material wealth flows back to Earth, amid some agitation by the colonists.

Inauguration of the UCA - 2149
The UCN Defence Force, the descendent of the UN's Peacekeeping missions, is disbanded by the UCN for changing mission goals and a lack of flexibility to the new UCN mission of peace amongst the Colonial Sphere. A new military arm, the United Colonial Army, is founded under UCN leadership. Drawn from recruits across the colonies, as well as Earth, the UCA is designed as a single unified force to keep the peace between colonies and provide policing duties on the various colonies. The UCA Navy is the first branch to be established.

UCN Crackdown - 2168
The effort of coordinating what are, by this point, flourishing colonies puts strain on the UCN administrations. Administering distant planets from Earth is becoming increasingly difficult, as colonial governments seek more and more autonomy from the increasingly forgotten Earth. Earth's demand for resources remains rising, though the tithes grow to feed UCN projects and bureacracy. An uprising on Agrona, resulting in the massacre of Ayron, marks the first time the UCA is deployed against a colony. The massacre lights a fire for vengeance across the colonial sphere. Though no major military action takes place, riots and increased independence movements on most colonies marks a period of UCA crackdowns and police actions to quell the unrest. The UCA commences occupation of most worlds to enforce order.

UCN Reform - 2170
Amid growing tension and unrest, the UCN votes to reform its structure to better handle colony administration. Centralizing itself into UCN Commands, it becomes less of a parliament and more of a single administrative body. Membership of the colonies in this new group is forced, ensured by the UCA occupations. With a headquarters on Earth, the UCN-Cs are seen as a way to keep resources flowing and ensure the survival of humanity's homeworld.

Colonial civil War - (2172-2180)
For more information, see Civil War Colonial Civil War

Agronnach Rebellion - 2172
The planet of Agrona, responding to the massacre of its citizens and the aggressive UCA occupation of its cities, declares itself independent of the UCN. Agronnach citizens begin to wage a guerilla war against the UCA occupiers. The UCA responds with extreme force. News of this conflict spreads across the Colonial Sphere, despite efforts to keep it contained. The sparks of rebellion, fanned by increasing demand for resorces from the colonies by the UCN, results in several other worlds seceding from the union. The rebellion marks humanity's first civil war amongst the stars, pitting colonies against eachother. Earth, needing the resources from its colonies to remain viable, is eventually starved out by the rebels.

End of the UCA - 2180
As the rebelling colonies turn the tides on the UCN, a ceasefire is declared. Both sides, finding it difficult to maintain the war, agree on peace terms. A new organization, the Independent Colonial Strategic Alliance, is founded and the UCN is abolished. Every existing colony is given membership, acting more as equals than they ever did in the past. Earth is excluded from this pact, forcing it to administer its few local holding and try to cope with the same problems it faced a hundred years prior.

Recovery - 2180-2190
The devastation of the civil war left scars across many colonies, and sapped the resources of even more. The next couple of decades are spent rebuilding the colonial sphere to where it was before, with cooperation between the colonies hindered by memories of the fighting. The ICSA is tested several times as grudges threaten to flare into all out war, and various peacekeeping missions are undertaken to try and maintain stability in the delicate post-war balance.