Difference between revisions of "Terran Exoduses"

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The simmering conflict between the Alliance and the Seperatists and the constant threat of nuclear terrorism finally erupted into a series of unification wars. By the early 23rd century, Terra was finally unified under the Terran Alliance. The Alliance itself, now without external opposition, began the slow process of unifying from an alliance of independant states into an actual federal state, although more through inertia than by design. <ref name=JHST144/>
 
The simmering conflict between the Alliance and the Seperatists and the constant threat of nuclear terrorism finally erupted into a series of unification wars. By the early 23rd century, Terra was finally unified under the Terran Alliance. The Alliance itself, now without external opposition, began the slow process of unifying from an alliance of independant states into an actual federal state, although more through inertia than by design. <ref name=JHST144/>
  
During this period of consolidatoin, the Alliance Parliament (stuck somewhere between a discussion chamber and an actual legislative body) polarised into two opposite political parties - the authoritarian Expansionists and the slowly radicalising Liberals. The Expansionists had informally been in power since the developement of the Hyperdrive, while the Liberals had begun immitating the tactics of their successful opponents. <ref name=SL10>''The Star League'', p. 10</ref>
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During this period of consolidatoin, the Alliance Parliament (stuck somewhere between a discussion chamber and an actual legislative body) polarised into two opposite political parties - the authoritarian Expansionists and the slowly radicalising Liberals. The Expansionists had informally been in power since the developement of the Hyperdrive, while the Liberals had begun immitating the tactics of their successful opponents. <ref name=SL10>''Star League sourcebook'', p. 10</ref>
  
 
=== Collapse and Isolation ===
 
=== Collapse and Isolation ===

Revision as of 18:40, 6 March 2011

The First Exodus marked the height of the Terran Alliance. During this era, the first off-system colonies were established.

Background

After almost a century, the hyperspace theories of Thomas Kearny and Takayoshi Fuchida had been proven correct. The Terran Parliament approved funding for the Deimos Project, the developement of the first faster-than-light space ship.[1]

History

The Race to Space

After the maiden flight of the TAS Pathfinder and its arrival in the Tau Ceti system on December 5, 2108, the Terran Alliance began a crash program to produce faster-than-light colony ships. The first such ship was the TAS Ark, which in 2116 established its first extrasolar colony on Tau Ceti IV. By 2123, corporate production of JumpShips had become feasible, and the race to space became the new, global Manifest Destiny.[2]

During this first colonisation wave, new planets were settled monthly. Eventually, disaster struck in April 2128, when the privately constructed and operated colony ship Liberator disappeared without trace. The Alliance Parliament quickly passed regulations, forcing colony ships to be escorted by Terran Space Navy ships, and installing planetary administrators as colonial governors.[2]

The first Grand Survey, conducted in 2168, counted 108 registered colonies. [1]

The Seperatist Conflicts

The Terran Alliance of the early 22nd century was still only an alliance dominated by the wealthiest states, not even uniting the entire planet. The sleeping conflict between the Seperatist nations and the Terran Alliance not only fueled colonisation efforts, but also created an athmosphere of constant threat.[3]

After 2177, the Ryan Cartel's newly developed iceshipping process became the main source of drinking water for colonies, further increasing the pace of colonisation.[4] Rudolph Ryan himself was - after his death - revealed as a strong supporter of the colonies' independance and had often "lost" technicians or JumpShips full of colonisation equipment in support of budding Seperatist colonies, which his corporate subsidiaries had helped create in the first place.[5]

Despite Ryan's support, not all Seperatists and anti-Alliance groups emigrated off-world, but radicalised in the face of increasing Alliance oppression. Terrorist organisations like Elias Liao's New World Disciples sprang up. Quickly gaining notority, Liao's group was responsible for the death of no less than 26 heads of states, and 14 Terran Alliance Parliament members (and at least 135 bureocrats, scientists, and technicians), further destablising Terra's political system. Rudolph Ryan himself was killed by an anarchist assassin in 2185.[6]

The simmering conflict between the Alliance and the Seperatists and the constant threat of nuclear terrorism finally erupted into a series of unification wars. By the early 23rd century, Terra was finally unified under the Terran Alliance. The Alliance itself, now without external opposition, began the slow process of unifying from an alliance of independant states into an actual federal state, although more through inertia than by design. [3]

During this period of consolidatoin, the Alliance Parliament (stuck somewhere between a discussion chamber and an actual legislative body) polarised into two opposite political parties - the authoritarian Expansionists and the slowly radicalising Liberals. The Expansionists had informally been in power since the developement of the Hyperdrive, while the Liberals had begun immitating the tactics of their successful opponents. [7]

Collapse and Isolation

The final Grand Survey, conducted in 2235, listed 628 colonized worlds in a radius of 250 light years. In May of the same year, Denebola declared independance, and just a year later, the Outer Reaches Rebellion began on Freedom.[8]

While local protection treaties, such as the Chesterton Trade League had already been established for decades, the Alliance-appointed colonial governor's demand for extensive regulative rights was - in the face of the Alliance's overall benign neglect - the driving force behind an independance movement that rose to power in several loosely aligned colonies. When Terran troops first fought the well-entrenched insurrectionists, they were soundly defeated, to the shock of the Expansionists on Terra. [9]

The conflict continued well into 2237, with more and more declarations of independance reaching the Terran Alliance Parliament. Saddled with passive resistance and refusal of support from other colonies, the Terran forces finally realized the futility of their situation and returned home. [9]

Following this first defeat and with others soon following, the political situation on Terra turned into chaos, allowing the Liberal Party to oust the Expansinoists in 2240. Unfortunately, the Liberals had become as radicalised as the Expansionists, and acted accordingly. For a while, even mentioning Terran offworld colonies was treated as a criminal act. Finally, the Liberals passed the Demarcation Declaration: from 2242 onward, all Terran colonies (aside from a 30 light years blubble around Terra itself) were released into independance, whether they desired it or not. The age of the First Exodus was over.[3]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Star League sourcebook, p.8
  2. 2.0 2.1 Dropships and Jumpships, pp. 11-13
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, pp. 144-145
  4. Dropships and Jumpships, p.14
  5. The Periphery (sourcebook), p. 12
  6. House Liao: The Capellan Confederation, p. 8
  7. Star League sourcebook, p. 10
  8. Handbook: House Davion, p.19
  9. 9.0 9.1 House Liao: The Capellan Confederation, pp. 9-10

Bibliography