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Welcome to the lore page! Here you can find the basic (and extra) lore of the server, and more will be added as time goes on.

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The Universe Today

The Year is 2190, eleven years after the disappearance of two Conestoga-class ships, the USS Sulaco and the responding USS Sephora. PMC forces responded to the incident, but reported back “no traces of either vessel or their occupants” to the United States Colonial Marines (USCM), only the smoldering, unrecognizable ruins of Hadley's Hope, a nearby colony. The USCM detachment who arrived a week later confirmed this claim.

The last several years almost a dozen worlds have gone dark, and several USCM detachments and garrisons have seemingly disappeared. Recruitment to the USCM has sharply dropped, and morale has plummeted, especially among the outer-rim colonies that depend on the USCM for protection from pirates and hostile nations.

Unknown to the vast majority of the human population, the Xenomorph Hive Alpha continues its gradual expansion across the galaxy. With little opposition standing in its way, this predatory species tears through the colonized worlds, leaving few survivors in its destructive wake. Many officials in the USCM and the United Americas (UA) leveled the blame at the Union of Progressive Peoples (UPP), reigniting a spark of hatred between the two powerful space faring nations, and this sharp cultural and theological divide continues to grow as the casualties mount.

At the same time, many colonists have renounced their belief that the USCM can keep them safe. The Colonial Liberation Front (CLF or FC) movement has ignited, leading many outer territory colonists and homesteaders to take up arms against their provisional government. Though taken lightly at first, the skinning and beheading of two Colonial Marshals by a crowd waving a Free Colonist banner have led the USCM to elevate their threat level to BRAVO.

Timeline

Year:	Events Of That Year:
2051	Terraforming begins on Earth's moon Luna, first headed by Joint Anglo-Japanese Corporation known as "Weston-Yamada". Nations from around the globe will send their best and brightest families to establish colonies on the surface over the next 10 years, rapidly expanding as a flood of rare minerals are found beneath the planets surface drawing in a high demand for people seeking riches mining the surface and supporting the growing infrastructure required to maintain the mining efforts. In many ways it mirrors the Westward expansion of the United States in the 1800's, just more culturally separated as nations carve out their own slices of land. Still, things remain peaceful with no blood shed for many many years.
2075	The American based company Thiokol-Rockwell invents the first FTL Drive. Weston-Yamada in partnership with many other engineering business as well as Thiokol-Rockwell announces their intent to build ships with this engine to colonise planets beyond the Sol solar system.
2088:	Britain's economy is bought out by Japan after declaring Full Bankruptcy. The two nations Royal Families marry into each other to cement the nations new unity. This leads to a a new nation being formed known as Royal Empire of Shining Sun. The foundation of the new nation reverts itself to absolutism, with the Monarch at its head. This drastic change is grounded in the belief that the old ways were deemed failures and drastic change was needed to avoid bankruptcy.
2089:	Waypoint Station begins constructed in Earth orbit as an international project with even the Soviets and Chinese participating in the effort. The station is to act as a checkpoint and hub for travel between Earth and the growing outer solar system colonies. Large cargo is still handled by individual countries in their own ways.
2101:	With the incredible growth of FTL travel colonisation has expanded beyond what had been expected. To protect their interests beyond the stars many governments look to forming their own Colonial Military Forces. The first is the United States of America, taking from the best of the United States current branches The National Security Act of 2101 establishes the United States Colonial Marines as a department of the Space Force. After initial recruitment their number would total 160,000 uniformed combat personal.
2104:	United Americas is formed, a NATO-like coalition of friendly nations
2108:	In celebration of the strength and unity of communist nations on earth and their progress in forming joint colonies rivalling the UA and RESS, the Soviet Union and China along with their many puppet nations officially join together to form the Union of Progressive Peoples. This is the official statement, in reality it is a bid from the communist nations in an attempt to become relevant again and compete with UA and RESS.
2122:	The USCSS Nostromo goes missing near LV-426.
2134:	Sevastopol station comes online, two years behind schedule. The Arikara-class patrol transport vessel is designed and begins manufacture for use by the USCM. 10 of these ships will be made in the next decade including the USS Almayer
2142:	Weston-Yamada start experimenting with newly discovered lifeforms. The experiments are performed on a select few high-security colonies, protected by PMCs. The other major factions are not briefed about this, and it is kept secret within W-Y management. For now.
2159:	Hadley’s Hope colony is established on Acheron LV-426. The Sol Campaign is the first major interstellar fought between the colonial government of Mars secretly backed by the UPP against UA and RESS forces. The Sol War is fought to overthrow the administrative grasp on the colony. The casualties remain unaccounted for, but a good guess was placed within double digit millions. It was a huge disaster by all accounts due to outdated military doctrine and inefficient political procedures. The war was the start of an increasing tension between UA and RESS.
2164:	The M41A Pulse Rifle enters basic USCM service. The Slaughter of Xibou takes place, leading to growing tensions in the colonies. USCM forces are deployed to Xibou and swiftly take down a colonial freedom fighter who was leading a colonial militia. He had convinced the colonies on the planet to declare their independence. The resulting massacre is largely covered up with official number of dead colonists tallying up to 258, when in reality thousands of non-violent civilians had been murdered. Back in the Sol systems no one notices, but this will eventually lead to the establishment of the Colonial Liberation Front.
2165:	Operation Canton is fought by the USCM against colonial secessionists attempting to join the UPP. Man power is drawn from other branches with the peak number of troops at any one time hitting 549,500 strong with over 9 million serving in total. Due to the Jungle climate and familiar danger and enemy tactics the conflict is nicknamed "Space Nam". Fighting lasted five years and ended in a cease-fire between UPP and USCM. The main site of combat, a colony with the name of Canton suffered total destruction.
2171:	USS Almayer is christened and enters the service of the Third Fleet of the USCM.
2178:	USS Almayer is retrofitted. Upgrades included: sensor updates, implementation of the ARES AI system, expansion of troop capacity from 1 to 2 Platoons creating A Company, a rearrangement of the upper deck space with the addition of a Corporate Liaison Office, all engines being placed on the lower deck, new models of the UD-4 Dropship, Stocks of the M41 MK2 pulse rifle and L42 Battle Rifles. The Almayer is redeployed to begin patrolling Corporate funded outer-rim colonies in UA space along the Anglo-Japanese boarder.
2179:	Hadley’s Hope goes dark; USS Sulaco is sent to investigate and subsequently goes missing. USS Sephora, dispatched to investigate the USS Sulaco, goes missing. The Fiorina 161 prison is decommissioned and eventually closed down.
2181	The Dust Raiders with their flagship the USS Alistoun withdraw from the Tychon Rift Sector due to CLF attacks. This leaves the sector with no formal kind of protection which allows the Colonial Liberation Front to consolidate their forces.
2183:	Space Beast, written by Robert Morse, is published and banned.
2190:	A CLF base has been identified by UA Intelligence. The USS Almayer along side one other USCM warship is dispatched to eliminate the base on a remote colony. They devised an operation dubbed Operation Tychon Tackle to destroy the CLF base with a swift and decisive strike. However, the enemy was much more prepared than they had anticipated and suffered a lot more casualties than expected. This had nearly depleted the USS Almayer's supplies with First Platoon's marines taking too many casualties, leaving Second Platoon to take on their assignments. Current year.

Factions

United States Colonial Marines

The USCM is divided into three overarching branches, called the Marine Space Forces: Sol, overseeing the core colonies and earth, the largest of the three; Eridani, operating among the Chinese and American colonised arms; Herculis, going through the Anglo-Japanese arms and the outer fringes. Each branch operates independently, but all are responsible for protecting American space territory and working together in that goal. There is also a fourth group, the Reserves, which is stationed mostly on earth and serves to reinforce the other branches. They have not seen any active use yet, but who knows what the future holds.

Marine Space Force, Herculis, Chinook 91 GSO station is a military space station in geosynchronous orbit around the colony world Georgia 525 (70 Ophiuchi A V), and is the headquarters for the Herculis branch of the USCM. Under its control are the 4th Colonial Marine Division, 4th Colonial Marine Brigade, 4th Aerospace Wing, and 1st Colonial Support Group of the USCM. Chinook 91 reports directly to O'Neill station in Earth-Lunar space. Tithonis Mountain on Bernice 378 is another large garrison of USCM troops, such as the 1st Colonial Support Group, and there are more minor garrisons along the Anglo-Japanese arm. The 2nd battalion of the 4th brigade, the Falling Falcons, and the USS Almayer are stationed in Herculis.

For more information on the USCM head here.

Union of Progressive Peoples

A wide-reaching and powerful socialist authoritarian state. The UPP acts as the political and ideological rival of the Royal Empire of the Shining Sun and the United Americas. Though they have a relatively large presence on Earth (particularly in the Eastern sphere), the UPP is also largely active in colonizing the frontier. While the United Americas have never engaged the UPP in an official war, hostilities broke out between a USCM Task Force and a UPP Expeditionary Force during Operation Canton in mid 2165. The engagement ended in a ceasefire. The reason was fears that the conflict would spread to the more densely populated Sol System. The incident greatly enraged many senior officials in the UPP, who viewed the battle of Canton as an attempt by the United States to annex UPP sovereign territory. “Such an insult (referring to Canton) can only be repaid in American blood. Mark my words, this will happen”, Kolonel Ganbaatar of the UPP Armed Forces was quoted saying in May 2168.

The UPP maintains very little communication with those outside their borders and are highly territorial. Their inner workings are mostly a mystery. For more information on the UPP head here.

Colonial Liberation Front

The Colonial Liberation Front is a paramilitary group primarily located in the Tychon's Rift sector of United Americas space. Their stated goal is to secure the independence of all of the colonies in the Tychon's Rift sector. They are the largest and most active militant group pushing for the independence of the colonies. The United Americas government classifies the CLF as a terrorist organization, with membership in the organization or providing financial or material support for the CLF being prosecutable offenses.

Weston-Yamada

Weston Yamada also knows as "the Company", has a wide range of business. This includes dealing with high-tech armaments, synthetic humanoids, spaceships, computer parts, terraforming equipment, and household appliances. They also offers shipping and receiving services, among other ventures.

Royal Empire of the Shining Sun

The Royal Empire of the Shining Sun is a powerful human empire formed in 2088 by the United Kingdom and Japan, along with several other emerging nations. Named after the two major powers that came together in royal marriage, the Empire is an economic and naval power-house in Sol. Being the first to colonize Sol on major planets such as Mars and Titan, RESS was able to become the first human state to reach beyond Sol and colonize the richest and most habitable planets. Like its predecessor of the British and Japanese Empires, RESS fields the strongest and most technological space force allowing them to rule the stars unhampered with the support of Weston-Yamada even while locked in a cold-war with the communist superpower the UPP. Notably, RESS was the foundation from which the dominant Weston-Yamada Corporation emerged, when the British Weston Corp merged with the Japanese Yamada Corporation.