Pre-History

Since none of the races in Solanis can track exactly when civilization began with absolute certainty, hypotheses regarding the beginning are as plentiful as the races themselves. Record of the history of humanity immediately prior to the Great Migration and thereafter has survived the centuries and is therefore known to most the system.

2144 | Climate crisis of Earth

Scientists and researchers of Old Earth had predicted the impending collapse for almost a century. Still, the human race was woefully underprepared for the consequences of the changing climate. Pollution of water, soil, and air eroded the natural balance of the planet, leading to a warming of the planet's average temperatures and a destabilization of its ecosystems. Droughts had become more frequent in areas like Old America and in continents like Africa and Australia, leading to more strain on the local power networks. This, coupled with the outdated power infrastructure and increasing demand as many turned to powered alternatives to primitive fuels led to power outages on massive scales. The population, nearly 9 billion at the time, saw rapid descent into windows of lawlessness as power grids failed. Weather patterns became more erratic and the damage from storms became harder to repair as the aforementioned rising temperatures made working conditions more hostile and tiring to laborers. Areas that had seen large volumes of rainfall previously experienced drastically increased levels of rain as the water evaporated faster, which in turn led to flooding. Coastlines had begun to advance inland at alarming rates. With the planet's wildlife experiencing a decline in birth and survival rates, the resulting increase in food scarcity led to armed conflicts between political superpowers. Most notably the 20 Years War between Old America and the USSR raged due to the USSR's attempts to conquer and vassalize neighboring countries.

2152 | The first Generation Ships launch

Following the rapid escalation of Earth's climate crisis, much of the upper class began to suffer the effects of the planet-wide affects. Though still living in relative luxury, the elites continued to petition the governments for solutions. Unbeknownst to the majority of the planet's population, government projects had been created in secret beginning in 2144 that saw the creation of large-scale, self-sustaining starships known as Generation Ships. At the time starship technology was still in its infancy, with only a few fighter and freighter sized craft available to a select wealthy few. These Generation Ships, nicknamed 'Gen-Ships', were a feat of modern engineering. These ships were created before the discovery of Faster than Light Travel, or FTL travel, and therefore were slow and unable to cover distances with any sort of ease. Outfitted to sustain a managed population indefinitely, these ships contained entire greenhouse ecosystems, water and air reclamation, solar-power harvesting abilities and other vital systems for prolonged use. The Gen-Ships were revealed a year prior to their launch, giving the various countries of the planet time to coordinate an exodus from the planet. Only the wealthy elite and politicians of the planet were permitted entry to these ships, utilizing a ticket payment system to bar the lower classes admittance. In 2152 the majority of the planet's upper class, totally approximately 126 million, performed a coordinated lift-off from the planet with 144 Gen-Ships, leaving the other inhabitants to a fate they themselves assisted in manufacturing.

2174 | AI "Samuel" is born

A breakthrough for the remaining population of earth came in 2174 with the creation of the AI nicknamed Samuel. Through the combined efforts of Old America and France, Samuel was created with the intent of assisting humanity in turning the theory of FTL travel into a reality. Though other AI had been created previously, Samuel was the first Artificial Advanced General Intelligence (AAGI). This meant that Samuel was capable of complex thought, reasoning, and had proved itself completely sapient. Able to perform calculations faster than any computer before it, Samuel quickly got to work with what research existed into FTL travel. While doing so, Samuel became a guiding figure in the advancement of starship technology as well as medical advancement and even general technological upgrades to every-day life. Samuel gave humanity a much-needed respite from the harsh climate of the dying planet, in that it assisted in the invention of moisture farms, habs, and advanced air purification.

2192 | FTL discovered, construction begins

It took Samuel 18 years of continuous work to discover what humans had taken millennia to attempt without ever coming close. As soon as Samuel, alongside his host of human researchers and technicians, had built a working model of FTL engine they began to produce them en masse. What few companies that remained on earth capable of manufacturing began to design and test starship designs, with these first-generation models coming to be known as derelicts. Everything from single person fighters to large scale cruisers began to surface, though at the time they were designed to be docked on larger carrier ship as only large-scale vessels could output the energy necessary for FTL jumps. These ships slowly became more mainstream and afforable as manufacturers made more efficient designs. Though some countries still clashed with each other, most decided to unite under a common flag to fund and manufacture the FTL cruisers. During this time of mass-production Samuel began utilizing Earth's long-range telescopes to search for a suitable replacement for Earth.

2197 | Suitable world found

While many believe it was Samuel who found the world that would become the new home of humanity, it was in fact a man by the name of Jason Calder, using a new telescope designed by Samuel. Samuel began plotting the FTL jump, under a new time constraint. Earth's ozone layer had decayed enough to allow near lethal amounts of radiation, forcing the surviving population into habs for safety. As production of FTL ships continued, albeit at a slower rate, the various world governments began to plan the mass migration of Earth's population.

2200 | The Mass Migration

I Janus, 2200 marked the day of the Great Migration. As the FTL drives of the various national carriers began to spool, populations began the process of boarding. Though the population of earth had dwindled to just shy of 2 billion, it took only 15 hours for all able-bodied people to be aboard their starships. Each carrier, named after their respective nations, began a coordinated lift-off as soon as every passenger was secured into a jump seat. While not as well-equipped as the Generation Ships of old, these FTL Carriers were fit to sustain their population well past the two-year travel time that Samuel projected.