Timeline

WARNING: There are spoilers for individual stories in here, but there aren't any spoilers for stories I haven't published yet. I recommend you read any published stories first if you care about that sort of thing.

Times are given in EST, when relevant, as that’s where the Northern Union’s capital of New Trondheim is located (real-world Boston, Massachusetts). The timeline here follows Sol-origin life, and does not include some relevant galactic ongoings.

844

  • August 17th: Mayan Civil War culminates in a thaumonuclear exchange. Nearly half a billion people die in under 24 hours. Another three hundred million die in the next three months as the Mayan Empire completely collapses, and within ten years there are less than a million people alive in North America. The South American population decline is unknown, but by the time that satellite imaging exists there are no detectable signs of human life on the continent.

1041

  • Draconic bonding is discovered by Hakon Gunnarsson and Nattskala Karleiker outside of Kalahofn, Greenland. While they are likely not the first human/dragon shapeshifters to exist, they are the first to realize that it can be freely shared with others and is passed to children.

1055

  • Draconics under the banner of the North Sea Empire annihilate a Crusader army with zero casualties despite being outnumbered twenty-to-one, establishing draconics as the foremost military power on the planet.

1072

  • British Isles, Norway, Iceland, and Greenland are united as the North Sea Empire (NSE) under Hakon I. Among other acts, Hakon abolishes slavery and serfdom, rigorously enforces anti-hoarding laws, shatters the thane-carl-thrall class system, and establishes an education system to ensure near-universal literacy. The NSE will later expand to cover North America, Sweden, and Finland before the start of the industrial revolution.

1080

  • First draconic Norse explorers make contact with Native American survivors of the Mayan Empire near what is real-world Newfoundland, and are horrified by the devastation they find— the entire continent is covered in thaumonuclear craters. It is quickly found that dragon forms make survival in the corrupted American continent viable, instead of nigh-impossible. Unique indigenous American cultures are heavily degraded at this point due to intentional erasure by the Mayan Empire; survivors largely integrate with the North Sea Empire.

1224

  • The metallic movable-type printing press is invented.

1350

  • The "One and a Halfth Crusade" ends with the defeat of the Caliphate of Cordoba by crusaders and a failed attempt to continue into North Africa.
  • Black Death ravages Europe.

1405

  • Pope Innocent VI attempts to remove draconics from Europe entirely. This fails miserably, but reinforces Papal control over Christian nations.

1476

  • The NSE almost breaks out into a egalitarian/monarchist civil war. The current monarch (Harald III) reads the writing on the wall and sides with the egalitarians, ending the monarchy. When the dust clears, the North Sea Empire has reformed as the Northern Union, and the capital has been relocated to New Trondheim in North America.

1491

  • A practical steam engine is invented. The Industrial Revolution properly begins.

1620

  • First World War begins. Smokeless powder, automatic weapons, chemical weapons, and artillery are now the kings of the battlefield instead of dragons.

1628

  • First World War ends; the Northern Union and its allies (Kingdom of Hind, China) are victorious. Many states around the world have nationalist (ie, national identity, not right-wing politics) unifications. This is generally the death knell for monarchy in most of the world, particularly Europe, though some of the big ones (Grand Caliphate and the Kingdom of Hind) take a few years to collapse.

1635

  • Trans-American Railroad is completed; surviving Mayan weapon platforms are finally out-ranged and destroyed by massive railway artillery.

1660

  • Second World War begins; the Italians invented fascism here too. Most European powers ally to drive draconics out of mainland Europe, each planning to backstab the other afterwards. Most of Africa also gets in on the fighting, though the country breakdown is much messier there. An industrialized and expansionist Japan decides to get in on the fun and invade their unindustrialized neighbors.

1667

  • Second World War ends when the Northern Union nukes Vienna (then-capital of the Holy Roman Empire) and Rome (then-capital of the Republic of Italy). Italy returns to being the Papal States, the Holy Roman Empire is occupied for some years. The HRE and Italy surrender unconditionally, as do African fascist aggressors; other participants (eastern Europe, Japan) surrender with negotiated terms.

1670

  • Cold War begins. A informal post-war alliance of Chinese, Russian, and French capitalists forms to oppose left-wing transhuman states, which will go on to form the Pacific Defense Treaty, or PDT.

1703

  • Space race culminates with China landing a man on the Moon.

1705

  • African Federation founded.

1709

  • Cold War ends when China suffers a massive financial crisis and collapses. The causes are complex, but the basic reason is "turns out infinite growth isn't possible."

1710

  • Northern Union and African Federation establish Luna Station in the Sea of Tranquility on the Moon.

1711

  • A new Chinese government erects the "Blurry Wall", a massive magical construct that prevents external viewing of the country, even including orbital imagery. China enters a long isolation.

1730

  • Longshot mission launches towards Proxima Centauri. The massive nuclear pulse rocket is the largest international project ever attempted, and will take twenty-three years to travel 4.2 lighyears. Its fuel– 32,000 nuclear warheads –represents nearly two decades worth of worldwide plutonium production.

1743

  • First discovery of extraterrestrial life, frozen bacteria on Ganymede. Life will go on to be discovered just about anywhere in the Solar System where there is liquid water, though it is practically all single-cell or extremely simple multi-cellular life.

1746

  • The North American Launch Rail (NALR) performs its first launch. It is a 1200-kilometer long megastructure that can launch a 200-ton payload into low Earth orbit at a price of ~20kWh of electricity per kilogram, and can launch lighter payloads much further.

1750

  • The Blurry Wall collapses; China is suddenly thrust out of isolation. Their government has been in freefall for six years, and the de-isolation prompts a military coup.

1753

  • Longshot decelerates into orbit around Proxima Centauri b, and crew are teleported out via thaumaturgy. They unexpectedly discover that the exoplanet is covered in reddish-orange plant life, which results in it being named Carnelian shortly thereafter.

1754

  • A flash of light and corresponding sterile neutrino burst is detected near Neptune when a Seddu automated probe experiences a jump drive failure and smears itself across a hundred thousand kilometers of empty space. The fact that this was an extraterrestrial visitor remains unproven until transhumanity invents their own jump drive some 200 years later.

1755

  • Ernest Hodgson publishes the first of what will come to be called the Hodgson Papers, which describe the mathematical underpinnings of the magic that permits shapeshifting, and how that magic can be modified.

1756

  • Simplification and distribution of the workings described in the Hodgson papers kicks off a new era of transhumanism.
  • First combat forms developed: the Standard Issue Body (SIB) and Shatterscale are issued to servicemembers.

1758

  • In reaction to new developments in transhumanism, essentialist nations band together to form their own formal military alliance, the Organization for Defense and Integrity, or ODI.

1759

  • The first optical-transistor computers are developed in Indonesia. While individual optical transistors are not initially smaller than silicon ones, they have much less loss to heat and can be trivially stacked in three dimensions. Because computer architectures are already well-developed, optical computers require relatively little development to outperform traditional silicon ones.

1760

January

  • 1st, 0831: Saigon devastated by a low-yield nuclear detonation during a botched raid on a safehouse belonging to a transhuman-supremacist terrorist organization; ODI and PDT prepare for war.
  • 1st, 1410: Events of Furball occur. First armed conflict between PDT and ODI forces occurs in the air around the real-world Spratly Islands.
  • 2nd-7th: Small exchange of cruise missiles and SRBMs between ODI forces on Luzon and PDT forces on the Visayas.
  • 3rd: The nuclear device set off in Saigon is determined to be a spare Longshot nuclear pulse unit, originally designed to drive the Longshot starship on its voyage to Proxima Centauri b. This particular device's origin is unclear; tens of thousands of pulse units were manufactured in the 1720s by dozens of countries.
  • 4th: PDT officially issues Condition Two; an informal state of war now exists between ODI and the PDT. PDT leaders still expect the war to be contained to Southeast Asia.
  • 8th, 1530: Events of Recon begin. ODI invasion of the Visayas begins with a massive missile barrage. A naval battle occurs north of Panay. Losses are roughly even on both sides, but ODI holds the field.
  • 9th: Three ODI marine divisions land on Panay. Fourteen ODI divisions land on the Visayas in total. PDT issues Condition One. PDT member states formally declare war against ODI by the end of the day.
  • 11th: The source of the nuclear device set off in Saigon is determined. It was produced in Egypt and marked as excess production, slated for recycling into reactor fuel. How it exited government control remains a mystery.
  • 14th: China and India officially declare war on the PDT.
  • 15th: Last PDT troops evacuate the Visayas, leaving several million citizens behind. PDT casualties are light, but materiel and territorial losses are extensive.
  • 16th: The remainder of ODI formally declares war on the PDT.

February

  • ODI invasion of Scandinavia (Estonia and Finland) begins.

March

  • ODI troops reach Helsinki.

May

  • ODI invasion of Pakistan (not a PDT member) begins. Notionally this is to establish a corridor to Russia after Pakistan refuses the transit of military goods over the Kyber Pass railway; in reality it’s just a land grab and India attempting to work out its long-standing conflict with Pakistan.

June

  • ODI invasion of Nepal (not a PDT member) begins.
  • ODI invasions of Mindanao and Palawan begin.

1761

  • ODI invasion of Japan begins in Hokkaido and Kyushu. Heavy urban fighting occurs. Most frontline ODI soldiers are Korean or Chinese; most frontline PDT soldiers are Japanese or Unioners.
  • ODI invasion of Malaysia begins, followed by ODI occupation of Malaysia.
  • Battle of Malacca begins, and mostly consists of repeated invasion attempts and raids across the Straits of Malacca rather than fighting over Malacca itself.
  • ODI invasion of Pakistan transitions into occupation of northern Pakistan. Pakistan unsuccessfully attempts to use nuclear weapons to halt Indian advances. India avoids counter-nuking to prevent the African Federation from entering the war.
  • ODI invasion of Nepal is successful and transitions into occupation.
  • Russian forces occupy Helsinki; frontline becomes an attrition war instead of a maneuver one.

1762

  • Pacific Campaign begins. ODI naval actions attempt to push PDT naval presence south towards Aotearoa and east towards North America.
  • Invasion of Borneo occurs.
  • Battle of Guahan (real-world Guam) occurs. PDT forces fight far longer than expected, bleeding ODI for nearly 50,000 casualties.
  • Battle of Hawaii begins. PDT forces have extensively fortified the islands, burrowing deep into the mountains of “Fortress Hawaii”. The terrain massively favors transhuman troops, many of whom are fighting for their home.

1763

  • Events of Resistance occur.
  • Korean Revolution begins; India is forced to replace Korean troops on the Japanese front.
  • Battle of Hawaii ends with a pyrrhic victory for ODI. ODI’s failure to secure naval supremacy around the islands allows the PDT to provide a stream of reinforcements and supplies, and the invasion drags on for nine months. Nearly a million ODI soldiers and marines die on the islands before the PDT retreats.
  • First H-1000 Garudas enter service with the RIAF.
  • DINER BLUE program begins delivering payload sleds via the NALR launch rail. Initial targets are primarily ODI high-tech manufacturing industries, but also include tactical air, ground, and naval targets.
  • First optical computers enter use in PDT combat computing clusters.

1764

August

  • 20th: ODI invasion of the Pacific Northwest begins. This is a dangerous maneuver on the PDT’s part; they want to open up another ground front to divert ODI troops from Japan and Indonesia, and prevent an invasion in Australia or Aotearoa (which have much less favorable terrain and logistics). ODI is allowed initial advances with only token resistance; PDT intentionally forces them into extensive urban fighting in the twin cities of Downriver and Seattle.

Later

  • Saint Petersburg falls to PDT troops.
  • ODI invasion of Alaska fails.

1765

February

  • First IS-64 Blacklights enter service.

March

September

  • 3rd: Events of The Traitor, Part 1 occur. The Cascadian Offensive begins.
  • 4th: First half of The Traitor, Part 2 occurs.
  • 14th: ODI deploys troops to Central America, presumably to investigate a source of magical energy in the ruins powerful enough to be visible from orbit.

August

  • 4th: Second half of The Traitor, Part 2 occurs. PDT and ODI both deploy nuclear weapons in Central America, clearing a path to ruins west of real-world Volcán Barú.

November

  • 10th: Battle of the Andaman Sea occurs, severely damaging the PDT's Sixth Fleet, but also halting one of two prongs of ODI's Indonesian Offensive.
  • 18th: Battle of the Celebes Sea and the events of Sortie occur.

December

  • 3rd: Moscow falls to PDT troops.
  • 4th: Events of Scramble occur.
  • 20th: ODI troops are forced off of Kyushu.

1766

  • Russia surrenders; PDT occupation/administration of Russia begins.
  • Battle of Seattle ends with a PDT victory after nearly eighteen months. Most of Seattle and Downriver are rubble; the surrounding countryside is cratered, but the ODI advance is halted. ODI casualties are extreme; nearly 15% of their military casualties of the entire war occur during the battle. It is the deadliest battle in all of human history, with over 4 million casualties.
  • Chinese President Quan Min orders the nuclear annihilation of Seattle and Downriver out of spite. While the populations have long since been evacuated, this would break the de facto “nuclear truce” of the war.
  • Assassination of Chinese President Quan Min occurs in retaliation for ordering nuclear strikes on Seattle and Downriver.
  • ODI attempts conventional strikes on civilian centers around the South China Sea in retaliation for their loss at Seattle and the assassination of Quan Min. While these strikes fall far short of their goal, they still kill roughly 250,000 people across the region outside of Davao.
  • Bombing of Davao occurs, devastating the city and killing roughly 250,000 civilians.
  • African Federation enters the war on the PDT’s side.
  • Battle of the Arabian Sea occurs between Federation and Indian naval forces; the Federation is victorious and crushes the remainder of the Indian blue-water navy.
  • ODI troops are forced off of Hokkaido.
  • PDT invasion of Mongolia begins and ends; Mongolia surrenders quickly. PDT occupation and administration of Mongolia begins.
  • Battle of Khyber Pass occurs.
  • Liberation of Pakistan begins.
  • PDT invasion of China begins; primarily western and northern China at the start.
  • PDT invasion of Korea begins.
  • Federal invasion of India begins.

1767

  • PDT/Federal invasion of mainland southeast Asia begins.
  • Liberation of Nepal occurs.
  • Most of mainland southeast Asia surrenders. PDT occupation and administration of Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam begins.
  • Korea surrenders.

1768

  • China surrenders.
  • India surrenders.
  • Transhuman War ends.
  • Allied occupation of China and India begins.

1769

1772

  • First practical direct neural interface developed for control of industrial robots.

1774

  • First neural-integrated forms developed. These bodies have a neural interface mesh built into their brains, allowing very close integration with all sorts of machines, and are far more accessible than previous surgical implants.

1776

  • First free elections in occupied prior ODI member nations.

1780

  • Formal PDT/Federation/UN occupation of prior ODI member nations ends.

1790

1806

  • First successful upload of a human brain. Early uploads have to deal with low-fidelity simulations and intensely non-human mechanical forms, though the latter is desirable for many people.

1815

  • Global decarbonization goals are achieved. Global warming stops at +2.1°C.

1837

  • Luna Station petitions for recognition as the first extraplanetary independent state, the Lunar Republic.

1840

  • Extraplanetary population exceeds 1 billion; the vast majority of them are uploads living virtually.

1894

  • Spinglass, an atomic spin/optical computing substrate, is invented and quickly replaces optical computers.

1909

  • Warp Field Generator (WFG) invented. WFGs use solid-state thaumaturgy to sacrifice high-temperature plasma to warp spacetime. While they do not enable FTL by themselves, they do enable reactionless drives, artificial gravity, shields, and gravitic-containment fusion reactors.

1915

  • Hyperspace discovered. Practical jump drives are developed within the same year.

1917

  • Ross 128 is settled, among dozens of other planets.

1949

  • The Interstellar Union, or IU, forms, representing seven different populated star systems. By 2250, 90% of transhuman-inhabited systems are administered by the IU.

1969

  • The Rimward Agreement makes first contact with transhumanity in Gamma Leonis.
  • First Contact War begins when the Rimward Agreement blockades Gamma Leonis to extort labor and materials from the IU.

1981

  • First Contact War ends; Rimward Agreement is dissolved into constituent planetary polities.

1982

  • Transhumanity makes first contact with the Ivu'alek.

2001

  • Transhumanity makes first contact with the Seddu.

2005

  • Transhumanity makes first contact with the Cacren and Orion Council.

2248

???

  • More to come...