The timeline has been very slightly modified to accomodate two literary coincidences that should bother no one but Alberto.
1492: Discovery of the Americas 1961: Yuri Gagarin in space 2211: First contact, 500 years after 1961 (Over Alberto M.'s vigorous objection that it should remain 2212.) 2492: Action resumes with the next Uplift Novel, 1000 years after discovery of the Americas. Added entry that Cuthmar reaches Earth in 2212. On Thursday 2004-01-29 06:36, Alberto Monteiro wrote: > > > Cambrian Magic. > > > I don't like it and I ain't puttin' it in my version unless DB gives me > > direct instructions. > > Ok. But maybe we could come to a compromising solution? What > about writing that "Earth scholars suspect that the Cambrian > explosion was triggered by the Galactics, as the oldest record about > Earth dates from that time"? Done. See entry below. > >>> c 3000 BxY: Earth's Axial Age begins. > >> > >> Axial Age? wtf? > > > > [Trent's definition.] > > Ah, so this would be - according to Danikite belief - the time when the > Rothen [or else] came to Earth to teach us again? Maybe you should > explain it further for non-historians Done see entry. Also, I check facts on pyramids. Changed dates. On Thursday 2004-01-29 10:18, Alberto Monteiro wrote: > What about 2267 AD? It would be 225 years "ago", or about 281 > Jijo Years "ago", or about Jijo Year 1650, as in GU2, p.150 > > [there are many references to 300 Jijo Years of Human Occupation > in Jijo, but I can always assume that 300 is a close approximation > to 280] Done. See entry. [NB. We are now talking about at most 225 years of Humans on Jijo. Can you reconcile the timelines?] > Alberto Monteiro > > PS: I don't like that entry about the Soro message that mentions that > Streaker left Kthsemenee System. IMHO, it should be replaced by > the _actual_ date when Streaker departed. The core action of > _Startide Rising_ [from Ch1 to Ch124] took a little over 1 _Earth week_, > so it doesn't make sense to place the departure from the System > _half_ a year after Streaker found the Derelict Fleet. I think it works. You assume the broadcast is late in 278/2489-Q1. Streaker in on the run through Q2 and enters Kthsemenee in early Q3. I have altered the entry. revised timeline follows. [By the way, this has been a lot of work. Do we want DB's imprimateur?] ===================================================== Time-Line: History of the Five Galaxies[1] G = Billion, M = Million, K = Thousand; BCE=Before Common (Terragen) Era (=BC), CE = Common (Terragen) Era (=AD); BxY = before Contact, 0xY = year of Contact (= 2211 CE), AxY = after Contact; All years are standard Terragen measure. SadPaktar = Paktar that Progenitors Passed On from Main Sequence existence = Paktar 0 = 2.26 BYA; SS = Steve Sloan addition. CA = Contacting Aliens GU2 = GURPS Uplift, 2nd ed. --------------------------------------------------- 15B BxY/BCE: Big Bang (SS) 3.1G - 2.8G BxY/BCE: Massive terraforming campaigns. Evidence of age-long world-shattering conflicts. Sources mention 17 Galaxies. (Beginnings of life on Earth.) 2.8G - 2.2G BxY/BCE: Progenitors rule the galaxies in what is traditionally thought to be a Golden Age. Mention of 13 Galaxies. Records extremely sketchy. 2.8G-2.75G BxY/BCE: Scholars attribute Paean of Loneliness to this age. The Paean of Loneliness is an ode to Uplift. 2.75G BxY/BCE: Appearance of first textual and archaeological evidence for Hydrogen Breathing and Methane Breathing sapients. 2.71G BxY/BCE: Transfer point to Third Galaxy discovered; wrecked Galactic-level civilization discovered there. The Progenitors and allied species revise their ecological ethics and practices in response. 2.7G BxY/BCE: First Machine Wars. Self-replicating AIs and nanotechnology are restricted and regulated in the common interest. Galactic Foresight Organization founded. 2.305G BxY/BCE: First Wars with Hydrogen-Breathers begin. 2.3G BxY/BCE: Progenitors separate themselves from affairs of lesser races, passing on laws and edicts. 2.263G BxY/BCE: Second Machine Wars begin. According to legend, self-replicating, intelligent, non-organic constructs-designed by both H-2 and O-2 combatants in the H-2/O-2 Wars-mutually decide their masters are insanely irrational, and so unfit to represent Sapiency. 2.2615G BxY/BCE: H-2/O-2 Wars escalate. 2.26G BxY/BCE (a): Progenitors physically leave the Galaxies according to Inheritor legend. Progenitors Transcend according to Awaitor legend. 2.26G BxY/BCE (b): Artificial life enjoys considerable military advantage in the three-way wars between Artificial, H-2, and O-2 life. 2.258G BxY/BCE: Open hostilities in the First H-2/O-2 Wars end with the Cease Fire for Negotiations Toward a Mutually Beneficial Peace. 2.256G BxY/BCE: Macro-Nanitic sapient species are exterminated by the Organic species per the agreement of 2.258G BxY. 2.253G BxY/BCE: As Second Machine Wars end, Second H-2/O-2 Wars begin. This is partly attributed to an agressive H-2 faction in a newly contacted galaxy. 11 galaxies. 2.25G BxY/BCE: The alliance of Organic life defeats the Artificial species. Treaties restrict Artificial life to designated Reserve Areas. These treaties are still in force. 2.24G BxY/BCE: Zang establish separate peace with O/2 Civilization paving the way for a general peace. 2.23G BxY/BCE: First Comprehensive H-2/O-2 Trucial Agreements concluded. These agreements result in the official alliance of all Organic life against all Artificial life. Use of cybernetic technology is discouraged. The Foresight Organization is strengthened. 2.22G BxY/BCE: Progenitors "Pass On", according to Transcendor belief. 2.202G BxY/BCE (a): Hydrogen Breathers exterminate sapient Methane and Ammonia life-forms. 2.202G BxY/BCE (b): Second Comprehensive H-2/O-2 Trucial Agreements concluded, forming the basis for H-2/O-2 interaction to this day. The first systematic Hydrogen Breather and Oxygen Breather cooperation in migration and ecological management begins. The Galactic Institute for Migration begins to take on its modern form. 2.15G BxY/BCE: An O-2 power vacuum leads predecessors of some of today's alliances to battle for control of the galaxies. Nadir of post-Progenitor dark ages. 2.1G - 1.9G BxY/BCE: Power struggles largely resolved. This is a crucial formative age for much of O-2 Galactic civilization as we now know it. The Library records from this time forward are notably more complete than for earlier epochs. 1.9G BxY/BCE: Institute for Civilized Warfare formed. 1.6G BxY/BCE: Contact lost with three galaxies. Eight galaxies remain. The disaster results in cultural upheavals and sparks the first wave of memnetic plagues. 1.4G BxY/BCE: The Library is reorganized into its modern form. The Uplift Institute is founded. 1.1G BxY/BCE: Contact lost with one galaxy, seven galaxies in contact. Memnetic plagues lead to lawless warfare and spread of Ash. 830M BxY/BCE: Temporary loss of contact with a galaxy, six galaxies in contact. Earth's seas begin to explode with multicellular life. 680M BxY/BCE: Contact re-established with galaxy lost c 830M BxY/BCE. Seven galaxies in contact. [added by TCS to make the sundering-knitting math tally]. 620M BxY/BCE: The ecologically insensitive "Lions" dominate the Galaxies. Ash spreads through 30% of Galaxy One and 20% of Galaxy Two. Complex sea life on Earth. 618M BxY/BCE: The Tarseuh forge a coalition with six other elder or retired Hero Races and overthrow the "Lions". Permanent Loss of contact with two galaxies. Five galaxies in contact. 598M BxY/BCE: Apogee of the ultraconservative Institute for the Recovery of Honor. 590M BxY/BCE: Institute for Recovery of Honor wracked by ideological disputes, regarded as memnetic plagues. The Obeyer/Abdicator ideological war results. The Institute for the Recovery of Honor collapses. The Moderate Consensus results, fills the resulting power vacuum, and provides hegemonic O-2 values to this day. 540M BxY/BCE: The start of Earth's Cambrian Period. Scholars, except for a few Human die-hards, attribute this to Galactic interference, possibly by the Retired or Transcendent. The oldest known Library references to Earth date from this time. 400M BxY/BCE: Karrank% released from clienthood and granted the planet Kithrup as a "retirement home". 320M BxY/BCE: Temporary loss of contact with a galaxy. While the galaxy is out of contact its Hydrogen and Oxygen Civilizations engage in unusually high levels of cooperation. Four galaxies in contact. Era of Amphibians on Earth. 280M BxY/BCE: "Revolt of the Data." Subtle memnetic diseases effect nearly all computers. The outbreak is blamed on the Machine Order resulting in anti-Machine pogroms and genocides. The Library is purged of seditious or irrelevant information. 230M BxY/BCE: First "Gronin Collapse" of Galactic Society. Library purges reach a point where major blocks of information are deeply sequestered and possibly lost. The present plague-resistant system of neutral/passive data storage is instituted [sentence intentionally relocated from 280M BxY/BCE entry in CA]. 205M BxY/BCE: A time of intense rebuilding comes to an end. It also marks the end of the highest point in the Institute of Progress' history during which thy GIPPN research was needed to verify Library records and replace sequestered information. Age of dinosaurs on Earth. 150M BxY/BCE: Social discord over redevelopment initiates Second Gronin Collapse. Temporary loss of contact with two Galaxies. In effect, Galactic Civilization is severed into three parts destined to return to contact. There is what will eventually be recognized as the core group in two connected galaxies, another in two connected galaxies (Andromeda and the Milky Way), and one in just one galaxy. Cultural drift is inevitable. 145M BxY/BCE: (Approximately): The quality of available Library data increases again on a scale even more dramatic that of the 1.9G BxY/BCE improvement. This relative improvement (possibly an artifact of censorship) is tacitly recognized by most individual sapient scholars and intellectuals, but seldom acknowledged-let alone discussed-in official or academic circles. No Alliance for Progress agency has a satisfactory explanation for this event. 141M BxY/BCE: [Contacting Aliens entry ignored.] 133M BxY/BCE: Resumption of contact between the "Core Galaxies" and the galaxy lost in 320M BxY/BCE, ending civilizational drift in the lost galaxy that had resulted in a high level of H2-O2 cooperation. Three galaxies in contact. 89M BxY/BCE: Contact established with members of the Quantum Order 60M BxY/BCE: This is a time of medium-scale troubles. A zone of Ash forms in the region that includes Earth during the Fututhoon Wars. The Twelve-Spin machine clan is scapegoated and suppressed. On Earth, Dinosaurs die off and the age of Mammals begins. 41M BxY/BCE: The three core galaxies re-establish contact with Andromeda and the Milky Way that were "lost" at about 150M BxY/BCE. Considerable disorder results as the two partly divergent civilizations re-merge. Five galaxies in contact. 33M BxY/BCE: Thennanin uplifted; join Abdicators. 12M BxY/BCE: The last recorded "wolfling" race, the Paranaj, is discovered. Within 1000 years it is extinct. 2.1M BxY/BCE: Soro uplifted by Hul. (Human ancestors: Homo habilis, possibly Homo erectus. Stone tools of Olduwan tradition.) 100K BxY/98K BCE: At about this time O-2 civilization begins to experience a wave of uplift atrocities and associated ecological disasters. (Anatomically modern humans have now existed for as long as 50 KY. They still share the Old World with less modern H. Sapiens and perhaps with H. erectus. Stone tools are still of Lavalois tradition. Tools of Acheulian tradition are no longer found, or are seldom found. There are only minimal signs of artistic behavior.) 70K BxY/68K BCE: Galactic opinion becomes very concerned about uplift abuses and ecological maintenance. Various galactic institutions begin a crack-down. 65K-40K BxY/63K-38K BCE: The Galactic Institute for Civilized Warfare authorizes numerous campaigns of enforcement at the behest of the Institute for Migration and the Uplift Institute. This begins to increase political instability in O-2 space. 55K BxY/53K BCE: Increasingly invasive GIM and GUI activities produce a counter-reaction among more independently minded species. 50K BxY/48K BCE: The Bururalli Holocaust wipes out most higher animals on Garth. The Bururalli are destroyed in retaliation-down to, and including, their rootstock. The Nahalli ulsu-Bururalli are returned to fourth level clienthood as punishment/rehabilitation. (Early signs of Homo sapiens in Australia. Lavalois stone knapping tradition extinct, or nearly so.) 30K - 15K BxY/32K-13K BCE: Humans arrive in the Americas. 30K BxY/28K BCE: The rate of sapient induced ecological disasters has returned to roughly historical background levels in O-2 space. The desire of the GUI and GIM for stronger regulations and enforcement powers is stymied by a shift in Galactic opinion that favors less invasive supervision. (Humans paint hunting scenes in what would become French and Spanish caves. Anatomically modern humans-H. sapiens sapiens-the only living representative of the genus Homo.) c. 5K BxY/c. 2.8K BCE: Pyramids in Egypt. c. 4000 BxY/1800 BCE: Tymbrimi patrons, the Caltmour, wiped out in galactic war. (Humans have had cities and empires in the Old World for a few thousand years.) c 3000 BxY/800 BCE: Earth's Axial Age begins. During the axial age Indian religions began to take on their modern form, Confucious and Lao-Tze taught, as Zoroastrianism arose, Greek and Roman philosophy took form and so did recognizible Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Many suspect the clandestine influence of Humanity's criminal patrons. 2211 BxY: 1 CE. 250 BxY/1961 CE: First manned human space travel. 242 BxY/1969 CE: Humans reach Earth's moon. 196 BxY/2015 CE: Earth-based observers discover planets in the habitable zone. These include NuDawn around Tau Ceti and Easter around Alpha Centuri A. 165 BxY/2046 CE: Near light speed probes sent to six planets orbiting stars. All selected planets are in the habitable zone and show evidence of water and O-2. 150 BxY/2061 CE: First manned human STL interstellar travel. 140-90 BxY/2071-2121 CE (Approximately): Earth history dominated by the Great Collapse. 110-20 BxY/2101-2191 CE: Earth dominated by The Bureaucracy. 109 BxY/2102 CE: Chimp uplift effort begins. 101 BxY/2110 CE: Humans discover Jump Line travel. 86 BxY/2125 CE: Dolphin uplift project begins. 70 BxY/2141 CE: Humans establish their first colony, NuDawn. 68 BxY/2143 CE: Humans establish their colony on Easter. 35 BxY/2176 CE: First Human colonists arrive on Atlast. Colonists include dissident political prisoners as transportees. 25 BxY/2186 CE: First modern probationary policies implemented. 23-20 BxY/2188-2191 CE: The Politburo of the Bureaucracy foolishly makes probationary criteria applicable to members of the General Assembly. This results in the wholesale replacement of Assembly members, and subsequent replacement of the Politburo. 21 BxY/2190 CE: Confederation of Nations founded. It will succeed The Bureaucracy in a bloodless revolution. 20 BxY/2191 CE: First colonists, including transportees, arrive on Horst. 10 BxY/2201 CE: Jacob Demwa born. 1 BxY/2110 CE: Earth has established several colonies beyond the Solar system and is actively exploring space using near-light-speed vessels. Colonies more than three months travel from Earth are self-governing. 0xY /2211 CE: First Galactic Contact. Human explorers contact Tymbrimi colonists. 1-25 AxY/2212-2236 CE: Terragen Confederation in constant conflict with the Galactic Institute for Migration over pre-contact Terragen colonies. 1-Q1 AxY/2212-Q1 CE: Cuthmar reaches Earth. 1-Q4 AxY/2212-Q4 CE: Sequestration of NuDawn as sooner infestation by GIM. Earth learns of the incident two years later. 2 AxY/2213 CE: The Confederation of Nations is reorganized and renamed The Terragen Confederation. New election rules allow far-flung communities to participate in a representative democracy. 3 AxY/2214 CE: Neo-Chimpanzees recognized as Stage Two Clients and Humans recognized as independent patrons. 15 AxY/2226 CE: In a startling diplomatic coup Humans are recognized as the patrons with Neo-Chimpanzees and Neo-Dolphins as level-1 clients. 29 AxY/2240 CE: Neo-Chimps recognized as stage-2 clients. 31 AxY/2242 CE: A small branch Library is installed at La Paz, Earth. 35 AxY/2246 CE: Sundiver incident. 36 AxY/2247 CE: Humans awarded a sealed Library Patent related to stellar research. 40 AxY/2251 CE: Library at La Paz is upgraded through a GLI grant. 56 AxY/2267 CE: The Human starship Tabernacle disappears. 119 AxY/2330 CE: Neo-dolphins recognized as Stage 2 clients. 182 AxY/2393 CE: Garth colonized by Terragens under a lease agreement from the Galactic Institute for Migration. 210-275 AxY/2421-2486 CE: Human-Galactic relations stable. Clan Terragen now holds ten G.I.M. leases. Among the leases are one for the garden world Calafia and the homeworld "lease" on Earth. The G.I.M. is very pleased with Terragen custodianship on all lease-hold worlds. Terragens have now been on good terms with the G.I.M. for more than 225 years. 278-Q1 AxY/2489-Q1 CE: Streaker encounters derelict fleet, sends psi-cast message, and Central Galaxy goes into turmoil. Flight and battle will continue for many objective years. 278-Q2 AxY/2489-Q2 CE: Garth invaded by Gubru. Invaders expelled after many months. [Must be at least 12 months. See "278". SS.] Later in this year The "Siege" of Earth begins. This so-called siege is really more of an armed blockade. Mars colony hurt far worse than Earth itself. 278-Q3 AxY/2489-Q3 CE: After months of pursuit the Streaker seeks refuge in the Kthsemenee system. The battle of Kthsemenee ensues. Intercepted Soro communications indicate the Streaker managed to escape from the system. 278-Q4 AxY/2489-Q4 CE: Rumors place Streaker at a Retired Order habitat in Galaxy Four's halo. Images of bizarre and wondrous incident on Garth transmitted to galaxy through hyperspace shunt. Gorillas chose Thennanin as stage one Uplift Patrons with Humans and Neo-Chimpanzees as co-Consorts. 279 AxY/2490 CE: Earthclan-Thennanin alliance formalized. 280 AxY/2491 CE: Soro occupy Canaan Colonies. 280-Q3 AxY/2491-Q3 CE: Calafia conquered by Brothers of the Night. Streaker arrives on Jijo. 280-Q4 AxY/2491-Q4 CE: Rumors of frantic activity in the remote havens of the Retired Order. Frantic clans redouble efforts in Siege of Earth. 281 AxY/2492 CE: Strangely altered Streaker appears in Earth orbit bearing a legitimate Seal of the Retired. Besieging forces fire on what they identify as a common Terragen ship, then flee. The Siege of Earth is lifted. Transfer point network disrupted; many layers of hyperspace impassible or lethal. All contact lost with Galaxy Four. 330-1280 AxY/2541-3491 CE: Horpie region to be opened to settlement sometime in this period. ----------- 1. Originally contributed to S. Blandón's site and modified by Steve Sloan from the original in Stefan Jones' GURPS Uplift. Subsequently modified by T.C.S. for this site and for use in his Uplift role-playing campaign. Updated using Stefan Jones GURPS Uplift 2nd ed. and Kevin Lenagh's Contacting Aliens. Many thanks to Alberto Monteiro, Steve Sloan II, and William Taylor for editorial feedback. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
