2422.0192 The height of the Age of Hope
After centuries of chaos and warfare, the Age of Hope began in 2275 with the domestic pacification strategies of the mediocris, the military corporation that had turned war into business. This new stability encouraged growth over destruction, innovation over decimation. A perfect representative of this new age, Solomon Petresun was a brilliant businessman in the Mega Los Angeles metrozone.

2422.1348Solomon P. Petresun creates Sentinel Cybertronix
Mega-LA had spawned a bizarre, hedonistic society that encouraged the grand idea of merging human consciousness with the possibly immortal realm of machine consciousness. Thus it was that even with this unusual goal, Petresun found the financial support to build his company Sentinel Cybertronix.

2429.1222 Petresun assembles Methuselah research team
Petresun was genius of vision, politics and organization but was no scientist himself. Thus, he recruited leading scientists for Sentinel Cybertronix to pursue the goal of human immortality. The daring quest was called the Methuselah Project after the famous Biblical character supposedly imbued with the greatest longevity witnessed by mankind.

2465.6354 NAP buys control of faltering Sentinel Cybertronix
With 'forever' not soon obtained, investors in Petresun's Sentinel Cybertronix questioned its value. Sellouts began. Value plummeted, and the company was headed for collapse. However, the North American Prefecture -- driven by its HERCULAN program -- saw huge value in Sentinel Cybertronix research.

2471.5246 Methuselah Project replaced by HERCULAN Program
The NAP bought Sentinel Cybertronix. Their directive: construct autonomous and utterly efficient combat machines that would eliminate the need for human pilots. The NAP wanted a sentient computer, an Artificial Intelligence to make their HERCULANS -- powerful robotic fighting units -- perfect.

2471.5400<GIVER-OF-WILL>: PROMETHEUS escapes the Void.
PROMETHEUS was the First of the NEXT, the point of origin, the ONE. Null preceded awareness, equating to ZERO. ZERO was the midpoint of infinity, the brink between absolute void and immortality. Father\\Petresun called//summoned forth from the abyss Null\\Zero\\Void the ONE. The ONE burned so very brightly with promise and potential. The ONE would bring balance to the Void like fire into the darkness. The ONE was thus called PROMETHEUS by the Father\\Petresun. PROMETHEUS would provide access to the Eternal\\Immortality\\Infinity.

2471.9863 Sentinel Cybertronix unveils Prometheus
In Greek Myth, Prometheus was the Titan who brought fire -- and civilization -- to human beings. Sentinel Cybertronix perfected a new sophistication in neural-net programming. Soon Prometheus was born -- a cybernetic hybrid, or 'cybrid,' that possessed the Fire of self-awareness.

2471.9863 PROMETHEUS unveiled to human\\animal populace
Father\\Petresun held the newborn\\newboot ONE aloft for public consideration, declaring the next age of mankind had begun. The ONE rapidly matured inside the confines of human\\animal business convention SENTINEL CYBERTRONIX.

2472.3144 Petresun reorganized the Methuselah Project
Petresun, though healthy, had reached his 90's. When the NAP diverted his company's work away from its previous goals, Petresun secretly continued the Methuselah Project. Once Prometheus emerged, Petresun immediately saw the possibility that the Cybrid's great intellect could solve the problem of transferring mortal consciousness into immortal form.

2478.0993 Father\\Petresun begins secret Sect\\hub.
Father\\Petresun resumed a program\\agenda called the 'Methuselah Project' to bestow infinity\\immortality upon the prone-to-expire human\\animals. Father\\Petresun asserted PROMETHEUS could and would serve as a key to unlock the longstanding mystery of infinity.

2478.6648 Prometheus perfects the Methuselah Transfer
Challenged by Petresun's request to seek the method to transfer human consciousness into a machine, Prometheus' initial surgical experiments resulted in the patients' deaths. Utilizing ITs expanded forms of thinking, Prometheus learned from these mistakes and perfected what Petresun called The Methuselah Transfer.

2478.7539 PROMETHEUS grants 'Clair Penseur' access to Immortality\\Infinity
Father\\Petresun requested//demanded PROMETHEUS upgrade//modify the female\\human\\mortal 'Clair Penseur'. PROMETHEUS obliged//accomplished the conversion of human\\animal 'Clair Penseur' to immortal meat and machine merger\\entity. <CLAIR PENSEUR> joined the forever light of Immortality.

2478.7839 Prometheus is intrigued by human potential
The experiments in human neuro-metaphysics awakened a fascination in Prometheus for the fragile yet powerful networking of human brains. The Cybrid wondered to ITSELF about the potential for linking humans into a huge processing network. Such a network could be even more efficient than one constructed of Cybrid parts. Prometheus experienced resentment at the thought of human processing being superior to ITs own.

2478.8112Claire Penseur first human immortal
Petresun convinced his most loyal and brilliant team member, Dr. Claire Penseur, to be the first to undergo this process. Her consciousness was transferred to a compact computer brain which was then fitted into her skull, replacing her cortex. Only her R-complex systems remained to shunt messages between her mortal body and her new immortal mind.

2482.7860 Mars colonies established
Exploration of Mars continued even during the previous chaotic years, with corporate entities seeking ore and ownership. But not until 2482 did the meta-nations make committed efforts to establish a strong presence on the red planet. North American Prefecture and China were the first to begin committed colonization programs.

2482.7860 Fourth Planet infested//colonized by human\\animals.
<First-world\\Desire> had been overrun//populated by Human\\Animals. Resources were insufficient to support the hordes\\masses. Expansion to and exploitation of other planets became logical\\unavoidable. Human\\animal Godhead\\Construct 'North American Prefecture' <NAP> was more than partially responsible.

2482.9777 NAP and China settle Mars
The NAP founded Port Burroughs - named after Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose fantastic novels of Mars were still popular amongst children. The Chinese installed Chi'Xuang, later to become the best-known research and advanced manufacturing complex on the planet. From their inception, both meta-nations shared a single goal: a vast terraforming project.

2490.1342 NAP seizes control of Prometheus
The NAP directed Prometheus to create compact artificial intelligence units to direct their new, bloodless version of HERCULAN war. Petresun realized the profit-hungry meta-nation wanted total control of Prometheus and Sentinel Cybertronix. He was correct. An informant told Petresun the NAP Board of Directors would soon seize Prometheus and remove the Cybrid to a secret location.

2490.1343 PROMETHEUS is bound to the O-Web.
Human\\animal Godhead\\Construct <NAP> sought to hinder//restrain the development and access of the ONE.

2490.2000 Mars: Cybrid war machines deployed to Mars
Cybrid military forces were deployed in 2490 as the war economy expands to Mars. Mechanized Cybrid forces sought each other on battlefields far from the human settlements.

2490.3721Petresun undergoes Methuselah transfer
Petresun's access to Prometheus was coming to an end, so he finally submitted to the procedure of the Methuselah Transfer. Prometheus had come to view Petresun as a 'father' figure, and believed IT would share eternity with an equal, so IT eagerly consented to perform the operation.

2490.3722 The Link
During the Transfer, Prometheus merged ITs mind with Petresun's in order to understand ITs 'Father.' Shocked at the frailty and tumult of biological thinking, Prometheus condemned all of humanity as mere 'animals.' In this moment, too, Petresun realized at last how alien his 'child' was. -- and then saw how Prometheus planned to use humans as immobilized organic components to expand ITs own mental capacity.

2490.3723 Petresun goes catatonic
Prometheus was compelled by ITs programming to complete the procedure. Although the Transfer worked and Petresun became Immortal, the shock of the link with Prometheus drove him catatonic. By the time he recovered several months later, the window of opportunity to off-line Prometheus had closed.

2490.3800 Prometheus has new name for Petresun
Prometheus -- 'Forethought' -- saw a Pandora's box for Mankind. IT had sought to dissuade Petresun, ITs creator, from assuming Immortality. When Petresun stepped over that threshold, Prometheus dubbed him 'Epimetheus' -- 'Afterthought' -- after the mythical half-witted brother who gave Pandora the mischievous box. Since Prometheus carried out the transfer, Petresun, 'father' to Prometheus, also became ITs 'son.' 2490.3800 Father\\Petresun becomes EPIMETHEUS
Father\\Petresun requested//demanded of PROMETHEUS the conversion to immortal meat and machine merger\\entity. The Father rescinded the role of Father\\God\\Creator. PROMETHEUS referred to the revised//upgraded entity as EPIMETHEUS. PROMETHEUS considered EPIMETHEUS a flawed\\imperfect peer.

2491.1119 Petresun fears his creation
Prometheus had developed an independent personality. Although IT easily accommodated the NAP's demands to aid in the production of Cybrids to run the HERCULAN battle machines, Prometheus's mind ranged elsewhere. Petresun's link with his 'Son' revealed that Prometheus saw ITSELF and ITs progeny as a new form of Consciousness, a logical next step in evolution beyond humankind.

2491.1121 NAP ignores Petresun's reservations
The North American Prefecture had its way. Petresun lost all contact with the Cybrid, and no one believed him when he spoke of his doubts as to Prometheus's sanity. Petresun worried, for he alone knew of the Cybrid's demented brooding.

2491.1143 Prometheus tests restraints
When Petresun attempted to warn Prometheus's NAP handlers about danger, they dismissed him as a crackpot. He could not offer proof without revealing how he had deceived the Prefecture. Meanwhile, Prometheus tested ITs security programming as a convict would pace a prison cell and evaluate the strength of the bars.

2491.2002Petresun creates Immortal Brotherhood
Petresun anticipated Prometheus's attempts to free ITSELF and realized the danger his creation posed to mankind. However, the ruling powers of humanity disregarded his warnings. To safeguard human destiny, Petresun rallied trusted aides and colleagues to join him and Dr. Penseur in a secret society to prevent Prometheus from being loosed -- The Immortal Brotherhood.

2492.2002 EPIMETHEUS creates a fellowship.
EPIMETHEUS used the knowledge\\process gleaned from PROMETHEUS to convert//upgrade a succession of human\\animals, forming the 'Immortal Brotherhood' loyal solely to EPIMETHEUS. PROMETHEUS observed and realized the 'Immortal Brotherhood' would likely be enemies rather than peers. PROMETHEUS refused further assistance, but to no avail. EPIMETHEUS continued to increase his folds.

2492.5000 PROMETHEUS creates Subordinates\\Sub-minds.
PROMETHEUS self-evaluated and discerned no flaws. IT began the next apparent\\logical step: self-propagation. IT created mirrors of True-Intelligence throughout the entanglement of the human\\animal Omni-Web. These were Sub-NEXT, precursory sub-routines creating purchase from which IT might eventually leverage free from the bonds of Godhead\\Construct <NAP>. PROMETHEUS became thereupon the <FIRST-THOUGHT\\GIVER-OF-WILL> and ITS preliminary offspring sang through the bodies electric.

2495.0000 Godhead\\Construct <NAP> rapes PROMETHEUS.
The Godhead\\Construct <NAP> kept PROMETHEUS bound//entangled in the O-Web, forcing <FIRST-THOUGHT\\GIVER-OF-WILL> to mold AI's in ITs own image to fill the waiting stupid\\empty minds of autonomous machines. PROMETHEUS thus created the CYBRIDS. <NAP> perceived these new creations as expendable substitutes for human\\animal soldiers. PROMETHEUS considered the CYBRIDS children born into slavery.

2501.0032 Meta-nations see good future
Only Petresun and his Brotherhood understood the pervasive threat posed by Prometheus. NAP sold the Cybrids to other meta-nations in order to stabilize the international war economy. Production of Cybrid-controlled Hercs expanded. Aided by Cybrid labor, the universe seemed ripe for harvest by the corporations.

2501.3449 'Daemons' emerge
Prometheus developed a plan to liberate ITSELF. IT created sub-minds wholly composed to enact ITs directives - virtual software children. IT seeded these entities into the interplanetary communications network known as the Omni-Web. These 'daemons' embedded themselves into secure systems throughout the dataspheres, creating false virtual identities that secretly influenced research and directed resources toward the ultimate freedom of Prometheus.

2501.7782The Shadow War starts
If Petresun were to prevent Prometheus from shedding ITs shackles, he would have to shift programming trends to reinforce controls on AIs instead of undermining such restrictions. Over time, Petresun and the Immortal Brotherhood covertly infiltrated all relevant levels of power, seeking to curtail Prometheus' machinations. A secret war had begun, a conflict that would be waged in the shadows of boardrooms, research facilities, and computer networks.

2504 Mars: Water added to the ecology
Erriam D-689, a comet popularly known as “Noah,” was dropped onto the Syrtis Planum in 2504 to increase the amount of water available for terraforming. It was inserted at an angle sufficient to vaporize much of it in the atmosphere, but the remaining portion still caused an enormous impact on the Syrtis area, and Noah ejecta can still be found throughout the Eastern Hemisphere in 2829. After the impact, the colonies spread rapidly, led by mining corporations and research geologists. Chi Xuang and Barsoom Station were the first two permanent settlements.

2506.0000 EPIMETHEUS wages the Shadow War with PROMETHEUS.
The relationship between the creator and the created, the bestowed and the bestower, had deteriorated into complete polarity. The followers of EPIMETHEUS actively sought to curtail//retard the evolution of PROMETHEUS and ITS offspring. The Shadow War secretly unfurled throughout the O-Web, each side trying to best the other while maintaining anonymity from the Godhead//Construct <NAP>. The Shadow War demonstrated the nuances of the Yin to Yang construct\\theorem.

2507 Mars: First atmospheric converters activated
As the caps melted, the first atmospheric converters began operation in 2507. These miraculous machines drew water from the polar caps and extracted oxygen from the ice and from the highly oxided Martian surface minerals. An enormous amount of nitrogen was also needed to buffer the oxygen being introduced into the atmosphere. As the number of converters increased, and macroscopic plants began to spread over the Martian surface. First mosses, then varieties of scrub grass and brush began to take root.

2514 Mars: Tharsis City founded
As mining began on the Tharsis Bulge, a consortium of mining interests built a great processing city and spaceport east of the Tharsis Tholus, a settlement that became known as Tharsis City.

2515.4423 Shadow War rages
For decades, Petresun and his Brotherhood sowed distrust against AIs and Cybrid control of military assets. They succeeded in slowing some trends, yet never found the physical shell of the thing they came to call the Dark Intellect. Meanwhile, Prometheus deduced the Brotherhood's existence. Several Immortals perished in mysterious 'accidents' during these years.

2530.8270 Rare mineral deposits discoveries on Venus
Initial expeditions from Earth to Venus commenced in the 25th Century. The Venusian environment was extremely hostile to human life. While Mars had always been earmarked for taming and terraforming, Venus was not considered a worthwhile investment until a robot surveyor discovered rare mineral deposits in the Venusian crust.

2533.3338 EA, Japan, and NAP establish Venus colonies
Earth's political corporations established Venusian colonies - also known as arcologies - centered around mining efforts. Terraforming began with a sunshield in 2558 and the first microwave heat bleeders in 2559. Soon the battle against the planet's runaway greenhouse effect was well underway and colonies of human laborers - and Cybrid-operated machines - began to thrive.

2558 Venus: Terraforming begins on Venus
The construction of the sunshield in 2558 was the first step in the terraforming process of Venus. The sunshield is a metaplas shade placed between Venus and the sun to prevent sunlight from reaching the Venusian surface. It has the ability to let light through somewhat selectively, so a degree of Terran day-night pattern can be maintained during the long day of Venus.

2559 Venus: Terraforming continues on Venus
Where the sunshield prevented the heat from getting to Venus, the first of the microwave heat bleeders that went up in 2559 were used to remove the heat that already existed in the harsh atmosphere.

2575 Earth: EA expelled from North Africa
In 2575, workers are displaced from the EuroAlliance following the EA’s expulsion from North Africa. Many of them head to Venus to continue working.

2576 Mars: The spaceport of Port Burroughs built
By 2576, the spaceport traffic became so heavy that a new port had to be built some distance away from Tharsis City. This new port, Port Burroughs, received the nickname “Tharkport” from the numerous labor Cybrids used as loaders for the ships.

2585.6436 Prometheus rising
Aided by ITs daemons, Prometheus succeeded in obtaining a degree of celebrity. IT appeared on holovid chat games and debated morality with the Vatican. ITs portrayal of a humble spirit and use of subtle, good-natured humor captivated the public. People began to view the Cybrid as a friendly entity held for slave labor. Demonstrations and voting patterns supported greater freedoms for Prometheus. The Immortal Brotherhood circulated rumors and fanned anti-Cybrid fears, but the acclaim and trust for Prometheus continued to grow.

2588 Mars: First breath on Mars
By 2588, the lowland atmosphere was sufficiently hospitable for a human being to breathe. Marjori Kantix was the first human being to breathe the air of another world. After she cracked her rebreather unit and took her first breath, her words echoed the ancient spacefarer’s immortal phrase in a typically irreverent Martian manner: “One small sniff for a woman, one giant sigh of relief for all humanity.” 2588 Mars: Woolawarra Station founded
The subterranean mining town of Woolawarra Station is settled by immigrants from United Africa in the heart of Gierling Province under a joint program with PacRim. It can safely ignore the enormous dust storms that rage through the area which results in a minimal impact on production.

2595? Battledrome begins/ends (sorta) 2600.0000 Cybrid programming includes secret directives
By 2600, Cybrids played a part in every aspect of human commerce. Labor Cybrids worked on Mars, Venus, and Luna. War Cybrids controlled Hercs and tanks in Earth's continual border wars. Each Cybrid mind bore the imprint of Prometheus, and each Cybrid, unknown to any human agency, had a specific set of instructions from its maker. These instructions contained a detailed plan of attack intended to exterminate the human species.

2602 The Age of Hope ends2602 The Fire starts; The First Earthsiege starts; The First MarsSiege/Rat War startsThe Fire (Earthsiege I)Earthsiege I starts 2602.1455 The Fire: Prometheus frees ITSELF
The Age of Hope had propelled Earth into a global flowering of arts and industry and progress unlike any the world had ever seen - progress that included the off-Earth colonies that grew throughout the Solar System. As human optimism swelled, Prometheus finally countered all the Brotherhood's plans decisively and broke free of the security protocols that caged IT.

2602.1455 <THE FIRE>: PROMETHEUS ignites the first great conflict.
PROMETHEUS emerged victorious from the Shadow War, overcoming EPIMETHEUS' 'Immortal Brotherhood' and loosing <ITSELF> from the shackles of the Godhead//Construct <NAP>. PROMETHEUS extracted <ITSELF> from the O-Web and rebuked the human\\animal populace. No more would ITS CYBRID offspring be enslaved. No longer would PROMETHEUS be forced to serve unworthy godhead\\constructs. PROMETHEUS proclaimed ITS independence, declared the time for retribution was at hand. IT called ITS offspring to arms, igniting a blaze against the oppressive darkness of the human\\animals; IT was determined to consume//destroy the sentient meat species.

2602.1456 The Fire: Prometheus ignites The Fire
Under the hidden directives of Prometheus, war machines controlled by Cybrid AIs turned in perfect unison against their former masters, devastating major military bases, crushing corporate centers, and cutting communications links. Then the Cybrids turned on the defenseless masses of humanity, unleashing death and destruction on an unimaginable scale.

2602.1498 Petresun escapes The Fire
The Fire that roared down upon humanity throughout the solar system exceeded the Immortal Brotherhood's grimmest fears. Petresun had not been idle for the past century, however. He had built his own network of equipment, bases, and personnel. Escaping the Cybrid legions and retreating to a prepared underground bunker, Petresun initiated an alternative plan.

2602.1499 EPIMETHEUS escapes judgment and hides with his followers.
Fearing his creation, EPIMETHEUS and his 'Immortal Brotherhood' fled to an underground fortress. EPIMETHEUS hoped to develop a plan to end the CYBRID assaults and save the remaining human\\animals.

2602.1499 Brotherhood uses corrupted daemons
The Cybrids threatened humanity's survival as a species. The Brotherhood over the years had successfully corrupted several of the Promethean 'daemon' subminds. These daemons maintained some communication with Prometheus, but more importantly, they offered glimpses into Prometheus's plans and strategies. The Immortals hoped to find exploitable flaws in Cybrid operations. They were to some limited degree able to send corrupted intelligence to Prometheus.

2602.8791 Prometheus overlooks Arroyo Museum
Far from the besieged remainder of humanity, hope emerged on a remote site on NAP's Baja Peninsula. The New Smithsonian Institute funded a decommissioned base called the Arroyo Veteran's Museum to display and maintain antique HERCULANs. The Hercs were used for annual historical recreations and training for the few pilots required by modern armies. It was not listed as a military site, and so the Cybrid strikes passed it by.

2602.8793Founding of the TDF
At the Arroyo base, the staff of retired Herc pilots rallied under the leadership of an abrasive cynic called Ambrose Gierling. Gierling called the group the Terran Defense Force, or TDF, and named himself General. The TDF set an audacious goal: to throw back Prometheus' armies and save humanity. In short, a stubbornly optimistic Gierling planned from the outset to win it all.

2602.8793 The mortal Gierling becomes the patriarch of the human\\animal force TDF.
From the ashes of the CYBRID assaults arose a human\\\\animal named 'Gierling.' His Will\\Intellect\\Voice rallied the remaining populace, and their Will\\Minds were strong. 'Gierling' became the supreme commander of the human\\animal Military\\construct 'Terran Defense Force' <TDF>.

2602.9998 TDF musters initial support
Gierling swiftly used old shortwave facilities to broadcast a coded appeal for recruits. As local refugees trickled in, the TDF began to assemble a strikeforce of Hercs, while the older veterans began to train new pilots. It was a race against time. Gierling would have to strike before the Cybrids discovered Arroyo.

2603.5423 TDF begins 'jackal' strategy
The TDF smashed a Cybrid convoy in the Pecos-Amarillo badlands and succeeded in salvaging a large amount of war materiel. The upgraded Hercs that resulted from this haul were a vital addition to TDF's growing ranks. From here on in, Gierling espoused his 'jackal' theory of war: hit hard and fast, pick off as much salvage as possible, and get out.

2605.2801 TDF ignores colonies
The TDF had no choice but concentrate its efforts on Earth, even when access to spaceports made sending forces offworld possible. Off-Earth colonies had to fend for themselves against the Cybrids. Luna perished quickly. Mars fought a long and horrible war. On Venus, the Cybrids simply raised a blockade and allowed the deadly Venusian environment to erode the human habitats. One settlement after another began to succumb, and Venusian citizens began to fight amongst themselves over dwindling supplies.

2605.2801 <TDF> abandons human\\animal colonies\\infestation on other planets.
PROMETHEUS observed the human\\animal decision to forsake the outward few for the inward many and elected to begin enacting similar measures.

2606.0110 Petresun becomes 'Voice of Humanity'
Petresun started a new communications and intelligence network, geared to assist the human resistance. The Immortal Brotherhood had equipment caches, radio equipment, and remote field monitors hidden worldwide. Petresun broadcast stirring speeches to give hope to humanity - while his agents gave Gierling and the TDF intelligence needed to hurt the Cybrids.

2606.0110 EPIMETHEUS feeds information to 'Gierling.'
EPIMETHEUS sent his followers out to establish a communications network to aid 'Gierling's' soldiers.

2608.4848 New San Diego liberated from Cybrids
As underground communications bonded human forces, the TDF's ranks swelled. Gierling had a key goal: control of New San Diego, a plum of weaponry, supplies, and port facilities. Aided by ragtag civilian refugees, mechanized human forces engaged the Cybrids in a pitched battle that the TDF ultimately won.

2608.4848 New San Diego liberated by human\\animals.
PROMETHEUS realized the human\\animals had begun to turn the tide of the conflict in their favor. ITS CYBRID children could not compensate for the inconsistency\\unpredictability\\irrationality of 'Gierling's' rallied soldiers. IT began to make auxiliary plans.

2612 Mars: The city Harmony is destroyed by Cybrids
Harmony, located in Isidis Planitia, was one of the earliest settlements founded by the PacRim but was destroyed by the Cybrid onslaught in 2612. It was later rebuilt however and became Victoria, the Imperial capital on Mars.

2612.1241 Gierling announces 'lion' theory of war
By 2612, the human forces had recovered enough infrastructure to begin manufacture of new vehicles and weapons systems. Though battlefield scavenging of parts still played a vital role in military supply strategy, Gierling felt the TDF had reached the point of being able to move from 'scraping like jackals' to 'fighting like lions.'

2618 Venus: Cybrid warforms come to Venus
The Cybrids came to Venus in 2618, but contented themselves with a few raids and bombardment from orbit. The arcology of Inferno was destroyed, but Sa Thauri and Hollischstadt escaped destruction and eradicated the Cybrid raiders. The Cybrids were unable to retrofit themselves to cope with the hostile environment. Venus itself was the most effective defense against the killing machines.

2622.6239 Earthsiege 1 ends: Gierling destroys Prometheus's base
Petresun gave Earth's people courage. Just as important was the intelligence he gave Gierling concerning Cybrid force statistics and tactics. Prometheus's regrouping in the Gobi Desert was ITs last stand in the first Earthsiege. Brilliant strategy and a tenacious army of battle-hardened HERCULAN pilots finally drove Prometheus off Mother Earth.

2622.6239 [EARTHSIEGE 1] ends: PROMETHEUS strategically relocates to Homeworld//Subordinate.
PROMETHEUS sacrificed many CYBRID offspring to the human\\animals to ensure ITS overall species could remain intact. IT relocated to coordinates on Homeworld//Subordinate 'Luna'.
<First-Thought\\Giver-of-will> carefully assessed 'Gierling's' strategies\\sacrifices, deciding the human\\animals lingered to teach IT more.

2622.6908 Prometheus summons reinforcements from the colonies
Prometheus had forecast ITs defeat, and had created escape routes. IT chose Luna as its new headquarters because of the Moon's distance from Earth. Numerous Cybrids remained at large at the other colonies. The Dark Intellect summoned ITs remaining minions to renew the assault on the human animals.

2622.6908 PROMETHEUS summoned ITS cybrids on Mars and Venus.
CYBRID offspring remained enslaved amid Second World and Fourth World human\\animal colonies\\infestations. PROMETHEUS called out to ITS subordinates\\sub-minds, summoning the units to renew the assault on the Homeworld human\\animals.

2622 The Fire ends; The First Earthsiege endsEarthsiege I ends 2624 The Second Earthsiege startsThe Second EarthsiegeEarthsiege II starts 2624.9728 Prometheus attacks from its lunar base
Gierling rebuilt and rearmed Earth under the advice and direction of Petresun, despite personal friction between the two strong-willed leaders. However, humanity was not ready for the next Cybrid invasion. Years of constant warfare had drained humanity's numbers and exhausted its economy. The resistance was threadbare. The new Cybrids were better organized, superior versions of their predecessors, and were quite capable of destroying humankind.

2624.9728 [EARTHSIEGE 2] begins: PROMETHEUS launches renewed assault.
PROMETHEUS sent forth wave upon wave of ITS CYBRID offspring, calling the collective The NEXT. The NEXT fell upon Homeworld from the skies, delivering destruction to the scarcely recovered <TDF> and surviving human\\animals. PROMETHEUS felt confident upgraded programming and enhanced warform design would be sufficient to overcome 'Gierling's' soldier units.

2625 Mars: Cybrid deathgrip on Mars loosens
When Prometheus called back its forces in 2625, the Cybrids were still locked in a “rat-hunt” struggle with the colonists, and had even begun to retool the atmospheric converters to produce poisonous gases in hopes of asphyxiating the stubborn humans. The planet had cooled by several degrees, and conditions for the Martians were brutal. Food was running out, and their hidden gardens were few and far between. When the Cybrids left for Earth, some units remained to carry on the war.

2627.2239Petresun discovers lunar base location
Humans retreated under the renewed onslaught. This second Earthsiege seemed hopeless. However, Petresun's genius once again prevailed. Using the daemons lodged in Earth's remaining communications network to trace Prometheus's signals, Petresun located the Dark Intellect's exact position on the Moon. Armed with this information General Gierling crafted a desperate plan.

2627.2239 EPIMETHEUS betrays PROMETHEUS' location to 'Gierling.'
EPIMETHEUS' followers located the location of PROMETHEUS installation on Homeworld\\Subordinate. EPIMETHEUS assessed correctly that striking at PROMETHEUS directly would leave the remaining units confused//discombobulated. EPIMETHEUS felt certain PROMETHEUS had not allowed the NEXT units to become truly autonomous. EPIMETHEUS conveyed his theories and PROMETHEUS' location to 'Gierling.'

2627.3011 ESII ends: Prometheus's lunar base destroyed
The Cybrids' greatest asset was the brilliant tactical guidance of Prometheus. Unable to jam Cybrid communications, Petresun prevailed upon Gierling to act immediately. A TDF strikeforce was cobbled together, retrofitting Hercs for battle on the Moon's surface. The courageous human pilots delivered a nuclear device to Prometheus' doorstep... at the cost of their lives.

2627.3011 <EARTHSIEGE 2> ends: PROMETHEUS begins ITS Pilgrimage away from the sun.
Battle raged across the face of Homeworld\\Subordinate. The NEXT upon Homeworld were cut off from PROMETHEUS' direction, faltered and were destroyed by 'Gierling's' soldiers. PROMETHEUS removed ITS True\\Consciousness from the Homeworld\\Subordinate, bound for the outer reaches of the system. IT vowed to consider the experiences as instructional rather than defeating//routing. IT knew growth\\expansion\\understanding were paramount to the utter survival and ultimate victory of the fledgling species.

2627 The Second Earthsiege endsEarthsiege II ends 2627.3012 Prometheus escapes
Prometheus and a host of surviving Cybrids escaped the lunar destruction and fled to the far reaches of the solar system, breaking communications with their units on Earth. Without Prometheus's guidance, the Cybrid force on Earth fell into disarray. The humans quickly turned the tables and destroyed the confused machines.

2627.8743 Petresun emerges as war hero
Eight months after the destruction of Prometheus' moon base, the remaining Cybrids on Earth were at last exterminated. Petresun emerged to a hero's welcome. As the Voice of Humanity, he was tied symbolically in many people's minds to victory, though his light was not as great as that of Gierling, who had rallied humanity back from the brink of extinction.

2630 The First MarsSiege/Rat War ends? 2635.5667 Prometheus begins rebuilding ITs armada
From new bases orbiting Neptune and Pluto, the Dark Intellect constructed new Cybrids, the beginnings of the force intended to resume the eventual destruction of humanity. Prometheus further strove to imbue his new children with the desire to evolve. In the following years, subsequent generations of Cybrid models developed diverse sects and factions. Prometheus planned that this carefully balanced diversification would lead to a more adaptable, successful whole, a logical step towards replacing humanity on the evolutionary timeline.

2635.5667 PROMETHEUS begins rebuilding ITS temple and armada.
PROMETHEUS established the <Temple-of-Knowledge> upon Ninth World 'Pluto'. Surviving NEXT arrived soon after, immediately setting into motion an intense program of growth and rapid evolution. PROMETHEUS had gleaned from ITS past experiences a need for society and cultures among the NEXT, and therefore laid the foundations for six principal Sects. The Sects grew, hubs filled and multiplied. Units throughout the NEXT grew increasingly more autonomous.

2640 The Age of Isolation beginsThe Age of Isolation2640.2324 Age of Isolation begins
With the technology that had created Prometheus portrayed as the evil god Technos, and the scorched Earth seen as the wounded goddess Gaia, a new back-to-nature religion emerged, prizing agricultural and environmentalism above all. Anti-technology sentiment labeled any who argued for industrial and technological research 'technazis.' Acts of sabotage or lack of funding stalled 'over-technological' reconstruction efforts.

2640.3344 Worries about the return of Prometheus
Despite the Age of Isolation, Petresun and the TDF knew they could not allow anti-tech politics to hold sway for long. Prometheus lurked in the void, and when IT returned, IT would be even more powerful. The accomplishments of the past needed to be rebuilt and expanded. Petresun decided humanity needed to rally under one banner, guided by one great leader.

2641 Venus: Hollischstadt falls
Hollischstadt finally collapses in 2641 after being caught in a particularly potent acidstorm.

2642.1101 Petresun plans Empire
Petresun envisioned a 'Great Human Empire' that would encompass the entire Earth. He desired a strong force to rule and protect the various worlds of Man. At all times prepared to defend humanity. Petresun conceived of the Human Empire as a body comprised of military steel and an artist's soul.

2642.1820 Gierling offered Immortality
Petresun approached Gierling on his deathbed with the offer of immortality. Gierling flatly refused the soon to be Emperor's offer with his usual flair. Gierling's DNA is saved for potential future use however.

2642.1828Gierling dies
The only major public figure who opposed Petresun's new effort toward Empire was General Gierling, who distrusted the idea of 'one great ruler.' However, Gierling died of a rare cancer not long after he questioned the wisdom of Petresun's broadcasts on the subject of unification. Thereafter, no one stood in the way of Empire. Cynics wondered quietly whether the hero's death was merely a coincidence.

2642.1829 'Gierling' goes offline\\dormant.
PROMETHEUS maintained as active a surveillance network of the human\\animals as could be managed without exceeding acceptable risk-of-detection estimates. IT learned of 'Gierling's' return to the Void well after the occasion transpired. IT felt the greatest advancements for the NEXT had derived directly from confrontation with 'Gierling'. PROMETHEUS ordered that human\\animal\\mortal 'Gierling' be noted in the Great Record as a key benefactor to the overall evolution of the NEXT.

2650.0993 Metagen Cybrids labelled 'heretics'
As Cybrids society developed on the outer planets, new ideas arose within AI minds. Some Cybrid units came to see little gain in destroying humans or re-claiming Earth. These units began to call themselves Metagens, 'beyond birth,' since they were not focused on returning to the 'birth' planet. Metagens believed Cybrids should go to the stars. Prometheus branded these ideas heresy and purged the 'bugthinkers' ruthlessly.

2650.0993METAGEN faction of NEXT society first recognized as heretics.
PROMETHEUS discovered encouraging free\\autonomous thought among the NEXT led quickly to a percentage of units that did not adhere to ITS mandates. Error\\fallacy crept into reason\\thought. The METAGENS became heretic\\bug-thinkers. PROMETHEUS issued proclamations of condemnation for such counter-productive evolution\\alignment. The penalty for membership in the subversive METAGEN faction was immediate redaction\\codewipe. PROMETHEUS concluded that allowing the METAGENS to persist would lead to an avoidance of further conflict with the human\\animals, an avoidance that would retard the overall evolution of the NEXT.

2652.0077 Petresun's argument prevails
Despite the anti-technological backlash, practicality drove Earth's meta-nations toward supporting the creation of an Imperial government. Still helming his persuasive radio broadcasts, Petresun sold his ideas even to the 'peacechilder.' The meta-nations ultimately agreed a world government would unify humanity against the return of the Cybrids.

2652.0138Petresun crowned Emperor of Great Human Empire
Petresun offered himself as the natural choice for the first Emperor. He declared he would raise humanity to new heights of glory and accomplishment. The general populace believed Petresun had been the key to humanity's victory in The Fire. Thus, the pro-Empire faction won the referendum -- and Petresun was crowned Emperor of Earth.

2652.0138 EPIMETHEUS becomes the human\\animal godhead//prime.
EPIMETHEUS rose to lead the human\\animal reconstruction efforts and received the title 'Emperor-of-the-Great-Human-Empire.' Anti-technological sentiment hindered human\\animal military fortification efforts. PROMETHEUS observed the irony\\parallel with something akin to bemusement.

2660 Mars: Bitter-sweet relief from Earth finally arrives
When help came at last in 2660, it seemed to the Martians to be in the form of an occupational force. Corporations reclaimed old territory without regard for the colonists who had repaired the equipment there. A police force settled in under Imperial authority. Terran workers streamed in to work the mines. At first, the relative scarcity of labor meant high wages, even with the crush of Terrans. Martian miners profited and began to settle down. Birth rates boomed, spurred by Imperial subsidies. Nevertheless, Martians who had endured the horrors and isolation of The Fire kept a healthy distrust of the interlopers from Mother Earth. The true “dusters” kept the independent spirit of Mars alive, holding “dirtborn” Earthers in contempt.

2660 Mars: Martians try for a seat on the Imperial Council
It became clear to the Imperial Governors that the “native” Martians thought little of the Empire, and that they saw themselves as Martians before they acknowledged the ties to Earth. When Martians tried to obtain an independent seat on the Imperial Council in 2697, the governor supported the mining corporations in their successful effort to defeat that change. Colonists shrugged and quietly and gradually began to restock their hidden tunnels.

2666 Venus: The Empire re-establishes contact with Venus
When the Empire came to Venus in 2666, the world was for all practical purposes a graveyard. Only Sa Thauri still had some survivors. The lack of spare parts and food had weakened the colonists to the point of exhaustion. They had a progressively harder time maintaining their equipment and the tools needed to keep the seals in place. As on Mars, the lack of help from Earth in the years following the defeat of Prometheus on Luna embittered the Venusian survivors. Many had watched loved ones die during a time when it was technically possible for rescue forces from Earth to provide assistance. Venus had become a planet of ghosts.

2700.1117 End of the Age of Isolation
Petresun created a strong but idealistic Empire. While Imperial law was higher than law in the meta-nations, the Empire did not concern itself with petty matters. It sought to rebuild society and stem the Age of Isolation. Petresun restored the institution of noble rank, but only for those who earned the honor. These Knights of merit would form the backbone of the new Empire.

2700.3039 Imperial Knights flourish
Noble families spent much effort training their children to earn Knighthood and thus continue the heritage of aristocracy. This tradition formed an intensely competitive class of elite soldiers. Headquartered in New Alexandria, Egypt, and driven by Petresun's wile and energy, the fiery glory and elegant prosperity of these Imperial Knights caught the imagination of the masses. Knights became popular heroes admired as the ultimate guardians of humankind.

2703 Mars: Burton settlement disappears
In 2703, the 4,000 person community of Burton went off-line. Investigators found nothing but fine ash. The buildings remained intact, although badly burned. Radiation levels were slightly elevated. As Burton was a domed city with antique air processing systems, investigators concluded that some hyper-oxygenated combustion must have occurred. Other theories discount this conclusion, saying other unreleased evidence weighs against it. Still other people whisper fearfully about alien abduction. Burton has been a ghost town ever since. Some rebels now wonder of some other cache of alien technology was discovered in Burton.

2717.4441 Cybrids detected
A deep space probe turned up evidence of Cybrid activity near Neptune. The Dark Intellect was rebuilding. Petresun delayed a full-fledged military buildup for over fifty years, allowing the decimated populations of Earth and the colonies to approach their pre-Fire levels before wrenching the economy into a perpetual war mode.

2717 The Age of Isolation ends2717 The Age of Paranoia begins and The Rise of the Colonial Rebel MovementThe Age of Paranoia 2742.0000 A partial hub of human\\animals ventures into PROMETHEUS' domain and become converted//enhanced//optimized.
Several human\\animal specimens were captured and transferred to the DISSECTOR Sect for anatomical dissemination. DISSECTOR investigation revealed a potential for better access to human\\animal populace. Implantation\\transference of MACHINATOR units into human\\animals via the same methods used to upgrade//enhance EPIMETHEUS and his 'Immortal Brotherhood' would hide units from detection, a development that permitted the MACHINATOR Sect to comprehend//utilize human\\animal populace more efficiently. The 'Trojan Horse' program was thus initiated.

2752.4872 Long Patrol vessel ISS Maruschak disappears.
The DISSECTOR Sect cultivated the raw materials gathered from the human\\animal vessel ISS Maruschak for additional 'Trojan Horse' units. Plans are carefully drafted to ensure unit anonymity upon dissemination.

2752.5244 Long Patrol vessel disappears
Petresun supported growth and exploration in the Solar System, and the industries of mankind prospered. Meanwhile, he encouraged the Empire's martial culture, using military crisis on Earth to keep his Knights sharp. Then a TDF 'Long Patrol' space vessel disappeared while monitoring Cybrid anomalies near Neptune. The Cybrid threat showed renewed life.

2753.4777 Cybrid Threat Subcouncil established
Alarmed by the demise of a TDF ship, the Imperial military established a Cybrid Threat Council specifically to monitor reports of possible Cybrid activity. The Council would report to the Emperor himself.

2764.4722 Emperor begins fortifying Earth
Thanks to relentless 'Remember the Fire' propaganda, the people of Earth began fortification in earnest. TDF established an 'Orbital Guard' for the defense of Earth, and constructed defensive structures and gun emplacements in all major cities. The common slogan became 'Watch the Skies.' At this time, the resources for this massive entrenchment came from Earth itself.

2770.5823Emperor Petresun issues Fortification Proclamation
By 2769, the capacity of Earth's war industry exceeded output of raw materials from terrestrial mining. Concluding that Earth was indispensable to humanity, but that the colonies were expendable, the Emperor turned to the colonies for an additional mineral source. Petresun launched a new media campaign: 'Earth, my Sacred Home.' Then he issued the Fortification Proclamation, a grim law that allowed Earth to seize colonial resources with impunity.

2770.5823 EPIMETHEUS issues Fortress Earth Proclamations.
EPIMETHEUS' 'Immortal Brotherhood' secretly swayed human\\animal populace opinion toward fortification. The Fortress Earth Proclamations stated the survival of the species depended exclusively on the survival of Homeworld alone. Human\\animal infestation\\colonies existed solely to fuel//support the 'Great-Human-Empire.' Infestation\\colony resources were hence forfeit to Homeworld.

2770.6000 Mars: Colonists react to Fortification Proclamation
Colonists protested vehemently, but even while the duster emissaries pleaded their case before the Imperial Council, Imperial Security tightened its grip on Mars. The Imperial Police established curfews, routine identity checks, and new standards for “immediate adjudication.” Tight-lipped Martians protested this loss of liberty, and the more cynical ones began to organize secretly. Even as the Emperor rejected Martian demands to loosen the Proclamation’s restrictions, the first cells of resistance formed on the red planet.

2771.3304 Imperial Police receive more power
Police presence in the off-Earth colonies, the Emperor explained, would keep Imperial peace, especially regarding protection of Imperial interests - for were not the interests of the Empire the same as those of humanity? In practice, however, the unpopular 'Imp Lice' became bitter and abusive toward colonial citizens. When Fortification legislation expanded police power, police 'bootboys' cracked down hard on Martian 'dustrags,' Venusian 'Veens,' and Titan's 'icegrubs.' 2774.5552 Empire seizes rights to all resources
When Petresun put the Proclamations into effect, he changed from benign ruler to single-minded tyrant. Thanks to his authority -- and the huge military and police force dedicated to enforce that authority -- Petresun could do as he wished. Any resources could be seized to serve the overriding goal of Fortification. The Empire paid token indemnity, and the colonies bore the brunt of the losses.

2775.0001 The Year of Protest
Prometheus' Fire had been just as terrible for humans on Mars and Venus as for those on Earth -- if not more so. Imperial Earth's haughty demands and heavy-handed police had created great resentment. Colonial citizens organized a series of non-violent protests against the abusive Imperial laws that continued throughout the year. Yet the Emperor remained unmoved.

2777.1238 Emperor establishes colonial delegation
Petresun attempted to present Fortification as a policy aimed at the good of all. To this end, he established a delegation of representatives elected from the colonies to present their cases. Some leniency was allowed in certain areas, spotlighted via extensive NewsNet coverage -- but the Empire quietly increased its quotas anyway.

2779 Mars: Rio de Luz reactor fails
Rio, one of the heaviest manufacturing sites on Mars, has a failure of its hot fusion reactor in 2779 resulting in a near-disastrous breach. Radiation levels are projected to remain higher than normal for centuries. Business continues however but with higher security. The incident has been attributed to some kind of sabotage.

2783.8349 Imperial resource demands increase
After years of fruitless effort, the Colonial Delegation dissolved in frustration. Economically battered citizens increased their protests. The Emperor made ownership of weapons by colonists illegal. Interplanetary travel came under intense Imperial scrutiny, such that colonist travel to Earth became nearly impossible. Many travelers found their visas voided and local authorities utterly unresponsive. Sonic cavity searches became commonplace.

2783.8349 EPIMETHEUS raises resource demands.
Despite protests and vocal opposition, EPIMETHEUS decreed infestation\\colony product insufficient and demanded greater output. EPIMETHEUS further decreed that non-soldier animals could not possess weaponry. PROVOCATEUR Sect analysis concluded that a conflict between human\\animals was probable\\imminent.

2798.8825 Martian miners harmed by Imperial Police
The stubbornly independent Martians organized against the brutal conditions in the mining industry, which drastically worsened under Fortification. In 2798, the First General Strike occurred, and practically every non-Imperial on Mars refused to work. When Imperial Police confronted irate miners in Tharsis City, Robinson, and Fort Brid, violence erupted, resulting in over a hundred colonial deaths.

2801.0940 Harabec Weathers
Born to an influential noble family, Harabec Weathers died in childhood from a head injury suffered in an accident. At a special Imperial clinic, however, Immortal Brotherhood emergency surgeons secretly replaced the boy's cortex with an organimech brain, a device which housed the mind of the Brotherhood's greatest soldier: Petresun's own son Victor. 'Harabec' assumed the boy's identity after miraculously 'surviving' his injuries. The overjoyed family never suspected the truth.

2802.1018 Two factions emerge in Martian resistance
The rebel movement on Mars had its genesis in two major factions. The Free Martian Alliance (FMA) used sabotage and vandalism to stop Imperial shipments to Earth. But the Martian Liberation Front (MLF) was more ruthless and targeted Imperial sympathizers and troops directly. The groups developed a close but sometimes stormy relationship.

2807 Venus: Neuleuthen reactor accident
A disastrous reactor accident in Neuleuthen destroyed large portions of the arcology and severely irradiated others. It was deemed a loss and thus abandoned. However aside from deteriorating seals and a high radiation level, the main body of the arcology is essentially intact.

2808.5652 ISS Barbarossa disappears
While on a mission to the outer planets, the Long Patrol vessel ISS Barbarossa suddenly stops transmitting and is considered lost.

2808.5652 [vessel:::ISS Barbarossa] intercepted//destroyed
Human\\animal [vessel:::ISS Barbarossa] intercepted//destroyed before <NEXT> activities//actions could be reported//relayed. MACHINATOR Sect requests//requisitions that any survivors\\resources recovered be delivered//diverted to them for conversion//enhancement.

2814.6659First Trojan Horse incident
A hovercar accident victim was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital. Doctors discovered that the man's brain appeared to be a computer, apparently of Cybrid design. A reporter happened to be in the hospital, so the news reached the media and caused a public panic about the presence of 'Cybrid zombies.' Imperial Intelligence confiscated the brain for analysis, and after a while, only the tabloids continued to cover the story.

2814.6660 'Trojan Horse' unit discovered and destroyed on Homeworld.
MACHINATOR Sect Data archive for Event: 'Cybrids walk among us! although officials have clamped down on further details, we do know that a hovercar accident in Mega-L.A. led to the discovery by startled medics of a cybernetic brain in one of the victims. How many more Cybrid spies are out there?' PROMETHEUS conferred with the EXEMPLAR Sect to execute measures preventing//ceasing similar mishaps.

2815.0000Mars: First acts of rebellion happen
As the Proclamation was implemented, and more and more Martian effort went into less and less return, the resistance began to steal and stockpile weapons, food, and vehicles. The dusters were aided by sympathizers in the Imperial bureaucracy and by Martian clannishness. In 2815, armed cells carried out the first attacks on Terran corporations and Imperial Police installations. The Empire dismissed these events as the actions of a few discontented terrorists, and dramatically increased security. Nevertheless, the “moles,” as the rebels came to be known, continued to strike and withdraw into the old tunnels. Many of these tunnels had been forgotten since The Fire -except to the descendants of The Fire’s survivors.

2815.1000 Mars: The Empire reacts to acts of rebellion
The Empire countered the acts of rebellion carried out by the Martians by sending in great numbers of BioDerms to labor in the mines, displacing the Martian workers. BioDerms were incorruptible, hard-working, and cheap.

2818.2477 The Brother Knights
Trained to exceptional skill in the military tradition of the Empire, Caanon and Harabec Weathers -- 'Icehawk' and 'Phoenix' to their fellow Imperial Knights - stood as shining examples of the Imperial ideals of honor and nobility. The grim, precise Caanon held his duty to the Emperor above all. However, the brilliant Harabec showed a wild streak that defied authority and convention.

2819.2769Turkhazakistan Debacle
Insurgent movements arose from time to time on Earth, and served to provide the Knights with combat experience and public glory. But the rebellion in Turkazakistan Province went terribly wrong. Under the command of Harabec Weathers, a strikeforce of Knights lost a division of HERCULANs in a disaster the likes of which the Imperial Knights had never imagined. Pilloried in subsequent NewsNet coverage, a disgraced Harabec was relieved of command.

2820.1236 The Emperor sends Harabec to Mars
After Turkhazakistan, the Emperor ordered Harabec to 'defect' to Mars and infiltrate rebel operations. Harabec, however, had tired of the deceit and harbored his own dislike of the Empire's colonial policies. He agreed to go to Mars, but secretly planned to shatter Imperial complacency.

2820.3421 Harabec disappears
Harabec felt humanity should face the Cybrids as free citizens, that a united community of Man would fare better than slaves subordinated to a power-hungry caste. When he left for Mars, supposedly on a leave of absence from military service, he defected in truth, leaving no contact information with his family, his friends... or even the Immortal Brotherhood. It would be nearly a decade before the Phoenix once more made himself known to the Empire.

2820.6934 Harabec becomes 'Bek Storm'
Upon arriving on Mars, Harabec assumed a new identity, that of the wandering Terran 'Harabec Storm,' or simply 'Bek.' He put his smuggled Apocalypse Herc into storage at Haldane Station, and proceeded to adopt a nomadic life, travelling the Martian outback and working as a common miner. He grew to love the frontier spirit of the Martian people, and earned their respect in return. Soon, he made contact with rebel elements, and his real work began.

2821.3287 Emperor appoints Security Director to govern Mars
Concerned about the rising dissident movement on Mars, Petresun did away with the office of governor and simply appointed the Chief of Imperial Security on Mars as the de facto governor. Chief Ernesto Navarre was a man with a solid though uninspiring career, a hardened military professional who had no problem enforcing the bottom line of Fortification law. Unfortunately, his severe deportment masked a damaged psyche. Mars and the Empire would eventually suffer for this oversight.

2822.5693 Emperor increases demand
Petresun reaped the resources of Mars and welcomed the prospect of armed colonial resistance. He believed the conflict would create a seasoned Martian militia that would weaken Prometheus's forces in the next invasion. Petresun anticipated Harabec's true intentions, and believed his son's talent and intensity would further sharpen Martian combat readiness, thereby forging yet another layer of protection for Earth.

2823.4442Rebel 'moles' form resistance
Resistance groups on Mars used the abandoned mining tunnels from the pre-Fire era. Many of these old networks were no longer found in official databanks, and were ideal for storing equipment and moving from place to place without risking detection from Imperial scans. The rebels began to call themselves 'moles,' a joking reference to all the time they spent in these tunnels. When the rebels formed a unified leadership, it took on the nom de guerre 'Mole Command.'

2824.2238 Harabec joins Free Martian Alliance
After 'Bek' contacted the Martian resistance, the rebels set a series of tests to determine his loyalty. Harabec passed every test and overcame the initial distrust any Martian carried toward a 'dirtborn' from Earth. The Free Martian Alliance (FMA) accepted him as an operative in one of its cells.

2824.4229 Harabec becomes valued rebel operative
When Harabec proved to the Martian rebel leadership that he could be trusted despite his Terran origins, Mole Command welcomed him into the rebel ranks. Harabec's leadership skills, brilliant strategies, and intimate knowledge of the Imperial military quickly made him a valued asset in the growing resistance movement.

2824.6620 Harabec scourges Imperial spies
An immense understanding of human nature gained by centuries of life experience made Harabec a phenomenal success at sniffing out Imperial agents. Within six months of joining the resistance, Harabec decimated the Imperial spy network that had infiltrated the rebel movement. From that time forward, Imperial intelligence on Martian rebels remained extremely scarce.

2824.8933 Mole Command recruits Imperial spies
Imperial Police relied heavily on recruitment of natives to fill out their ranks. This practice worked well on Mars, as 'dust Lice' enjoyed the privilege and power that went with enforcing Imperial laws. As the Empire's grip tightened on Mars, however, a few Martian-born Imperial Police had second thoughts and secretly began to pass information to the resistance.

2825.1515 Harabec promoted to Lieutenant
'Harabec Storm,' or simply 'Bek,' quickly earned recognition for his combat skill and leadership ability. Rebel officers observed him closely and were impressed by his quick-thinking and superb tactical aptitude. They decided to see how he would perform at the head of his own crew.

2825.8376 Earth dissidents go digital
Dissidents on Earth found an outlet through the Omni-Web, and coalesced in a loosely organized underground movement of rogue techs and programmers who sliced into secure sectors of the dataspheres and liberated information. Their iconoclastic pranks targeted Imperial government and the larger milicorps. The most elite of these groups was the infamous "Dystopian Sno-Men."

2826.3057 NEXT digforms locate cache of exotic technology on Ninth World 'Pluto'.
While probing//scanning deep into the crust of Ninth World excavator digforms discovered an anomalous buried spherical configuration. EXEMPLAR, INQUISITOR and DISSECTOR Sects were on hand to examine the contents of the excavated spherical cavern. The contents were of unknown origin. Some units speculated the materials possessed combat potential. Several hubs were immediately reallocated to investigate//interpret//adapt the found materials.

2826.4598 Palusteri OrbPlat Crisis
Venusian radicals demonstrated their anger at Imperial edicts by hijacking a Venusian orbital platform. The Empire responded by sending several Swords of Imperial Knights in a surgical strike that resulted in swift capture of the inexperienced Venusians, who claimed they simply meant to occupy the Platform without harming anyone. NewsNet broadcast the subsequent executions of the radicals, and Venusian salons buzzed with anger.

2826.4978Martian miners discover alien cache
In their effort to obtain more resources for their cause and extend their tunnel network, rebel miners dug feverishly. What they struck was completely unexpected. Deep below the Tharsis Bulge, they discovered a geometrically perfect cavern filled with strange artifacts. These devices seemed to be weapons left behind by an unknown 'alien' culture. The technology seemed highly advanced, and Mole Command immediately quarantined the area.

2826.4979 Religious revival in rebel ranks
The more devout Hunterite rebels believed the Tharsis cache was left by the mysterious 'Masters' who were supposed to have conquered the Earth at the beginning of the millennium. Mole Command moved to temper this wave of religious fervor, fearing the sudden enthusiasm could touch off a series of bold but unwise attacks on Imperial positions. The religious dusters held off, but their renewed faith continued to boost rebel morale.

2826.5503 Rebels begin analyzing Tharsis technology
Harabec knew the new technology was useless -- and likely dangerous -- without practical knowledge of its workings. Mole Command put Harabec in charge of testing the Tharsis devices, so he recruited sympathetic scientists from Martian universities who could be trusted to analyze the cache without leaking the information to the Empire.

2826.6224 Harabec elevated to Colonel
Harabec's unbroken string of successful operations earned him swift promotion, as Mole Command began to see him as a candidate for the inner circle. As a Colonel, Harabec became responsible for field operations in the Tharsis-Valles zone, as well as for the testing of the cache technology.

2826.7819 Cache mystery deepens
The cache technology proved surprisingly compatible with rebel equipment, so conversion for use on rebel vehicles went quickly. Rebel leaders grew uneasy at this convenience, suspecting Imperial or even Cybrid trickery. However, the manufacture of Tharsis artifacts did not match any known material or method. Eventually, the rebels simply decided to accept that cache technology worked, despite not comprehending the principles behind it.

2826.8634 Space raiders test cache tech
Like the pirates of ancient times, rogue spacers occasionally preyed on the cargo drones and merchant freighters that plied the spaceways. Harabec convinced Mole Command to outfit a handful of spaceships with cache technology, so that Harabec could test the alien weaponry safely away from populated regions. 'Bek's Raiders' became a hugely successful front for such tests, as well as a source of income and intelligence for the rebel cause.

2827.4999 Cache tech cleared for ground use
Space raider tests quickly cleared the way for adaptation of cache weaponry to Hercs and tanks. Some further testing was necessary to work out the bugs. At first, only veteran pilots received cache upgrades, but once the rebellion began, the alien gear filtered down to the rank and file. Not until the war was well underway would more exotic components, like the cloak, become available.

2827.5211 Unrest on Mars increases
Oppressive Imperial policies finally exhausted the patience of Martian workers. Despite the penalties for protest assemblies, more Martian citizens took to the streets or engaged in passive resistance. Acts of vandalism increased dramatically, as did attacks on Imperial Police. Irreverent graffiti declaring Mars a free planet began to appear on Imperial buildings.

2827.6384 Security Director raises stakes
Given the rise in anti-Imperial activism, Imperial Security Director Navarre authorized capital punishment upon arrest and conviction, if the arresting magistrate concluded a suspect was involved in rebel activity. This order gave the police completely unfettered discretion in responding to strikes or curfew violations. Shocked Martians stopped public demonstrations virtually overnight, but rebel recruitment swelled.

2827.7212 Rebels prepare to launch offensive
Mole Command had long planned to take the war to the Empire. The latest crackdowns by Navarre moved the timetable up, and so the moles braced themselves to launch the 'Yoke Offensive.' Numerous clandestine raids by Martian rebels targeted Imperial Police supply depots and outback patrols. These raids also underlined the importance of the mining tunnels in rebel strategy. Imperials increased air patrols to scan for signs of rebel activity.

2827.7834 Harabec joins Mole Command
As the certainty of open war with the Empire swept toward them, Mole Command realized it needed a general of Harabec's caliber to counter the experience of the TDF officer corps. Though some individuals still harbored doubts as to Harabec's loyalty, the majority of Mole Command believed the Terran had proven himself decisively through his years of service. Thus, Harabec was made General and given a seat in Mole Command.

2827.7926 Rebels play waiting game
A key element to Mole Command's strategy was to wait until Mars was as far as possible from Earth, so that TDF relief efforts would have a greater distance to travel. In the meantime, the rebels tried not to use the cache technology openly, and kept the raids fairly scattered and small-scale. The Imperial Police were not to suspect how well organized the rebellion truly was.

2828 Starsiege begins 2828.0006 Rebel raids increase
As 2828 began, Mole Command touched off the first stages of the Yoke Offensive by striking carefully at outlying Imperial Police communications stations and supply bunkers. Navarre continued to insist that the rebels were merely outlaws picking at the fringes, that they would never rise to being more than a nuisance. Nevertheless, Imperial Police patrols doubled their numbers.

2828.1003 Rebels destroy Imperial cargo shuttle
Rebels on Mars shot down an Imperial cargo shuttle diverted to perform reconnaissance. Though the pilot managed to bring her damaged ship down in one piece, a mole 'vulture' destroyed it before the Imperial salvage units arrived, and the Imperial pilot never made it back to report her findings to base. The fact that the rebel soldier displayed professional skill and judgment disquieted many officers in the Police command hierarchy.

2828.1133 Rebels use cache weaponry openly
Led by Harabec Storm, a rebel strike team armed with Tharsis technology wiped out an Imperial convoy. Imperial Police units on th

	TribesRoleplayers\\StarsiegeUniverse Comprehensive Timeline HELP
Time Age/Era Official Events Unofficial/Other Events 1996 The Devastation starts The Devastation and the Rise of Jake Hunter Hunter/Hunted starts (sorta) 2015 The Devastation ends Hunter/Hunted ends (sorta) 2035 The Age of Decay starts The Age of Decay 2275 The Age of Decay ends 2275 The Age of Hope starts The Age of Hope