Devlog #12: Chronology

SYSTEM ARCHIVE: CHRONOLOGY

Current Year: 2189

I. THE EXODUS (c. 2100) Earth falls silent. The cause is irrelevant; the result is evacuation. The remnants of humanity cling to Luna Shipyards and the red dust of Mars Prime. The UGSA forms to manage the oxygen and the riots. The Long Work begins: Terraforming towers rise on Mars.

II. THE SPARK (2125) The Fold Drive is invented at Luna. The intention was controlled exploration. The result was The Scattering. Why wait for Mars to turn green when Verdania is already blooming? Millions flee the Core.

III. THE SCHISM (2130 – 2160) Distance breeds dissent.

• The Consortium buys the Kessrin Drift, prioritizing profit over UGSA rationing.
• Proxima militarizes the Tarsis Fold, rejecting UGSA bureaucracy. The Galaxy becomes a "New Frontier"—lawless, vast, and profitable.

IV. THE ENLISTMENT (2167) David Mercer (Age 18) joins the UGSA Fleet Academy. He believes in the Core. He believes in bringing order to the Scattering. He is trained to hunt pirates in the Drift and secure trade lanes in the Verge.

V. THE KESTRAL INCIDENT (2169) Two years into Mercer’s service, Project Kestral goes dark. Nullface is lost. The Riftline claims Selene's parents. The UGSA tightens its grip. The "Golden Age" of the frontier ends; the "Shadow War" begins. 

VI. THE PRESENT (2189) Mercer is 40. He is no longer UGSA. The Greywake is drifting.