Notes

in 2209
the means of communication were finally
established and diplomats of the greater
Terran Union were formally introduced to
the algún Republic while the pelini and
species that made up the algún Republic
exhibited none of the determined
hostility that defined mankind's earlier
contact with an alien race differences
in culture and governance prevented any
meaningful agreements from taking place
in a matter of months all borders were
closed and the greater Terran Union
began an aggressive campaign to claim
and fortify star systems that might
become the site of a future invasion on
earth xenophobia spread like wildfire
and Radical factions quickly
materialized in every tier of Terran
society in 2211 several of these fringe
groups began openly attacking mining
outposts across Union space the largest
of these piracy elements led by a
disgraced former member of the Terran
military known to his followers as
Romulus Chuck demanded the creation of a
wholly solar Empire and the annihilation
of the Alcon Republic before he and his
followers were destroyed by Terran
warships over Alpha Centauri mass
arrests followed the right to assembly
was briefly suspended and fleet command
was formally cemented as the primary
space warfare branch of the Armed Forces
it was quickly expanded to deter further
acts of piracy
while these setbacks raised some concern
over the pace of human expansion rising
tensions with the algún Republic and the
likelihood that other potentially
dangerous alien civilizations lay
undiscovered just past the frontier
spurred the Union onward the fledgling
colony on Sirius 3 newly renamed Acadia
was soon joined by others on worlds in
the Alpha Centauri system and elsewhere
a network of communication and supply
bases were constructed and as the first
colonists were quickly joined by
millions upon millions of their fellow
citizens from Earth humanity was
transformed into a truly interstellar
Society in 1216 first contact was
established with the United Klans of
skier on and more signals were detected
by reconnaissance probes each following
year seemingly surrounded by spacefaring
civilizations plans were quickly enacted
to seize as much territory as possible
before formal communications could be
established in 2221 such species was
finally discovered yet unlike those
previously encountered the WA sorry
civilization had not yet developed the
means of faster-than-light travel but
was seemingly only years away located
within a strategically important star
system rich and natural resources the
National Council and the newly
inaugurated high Marshall Lee Martin
convened an emergency session in another
close vote held after a series of
emotionally charged debates it was
determined that should the WA sorry
develop faster than light technology it
would represent a clear and present
danger to the national interest of the
greater Terran Union in 2222 Terran
fleet command destroyed a primitive
space station in orbit of the WA sorry
homeworld followed shortly thereafter by
a coordinated orbital assault hopelessly
outmatched by superior human weaponry
and military doctrine the WA sorry
quickly capitulated
the annexation of the WA sorry sent
shockwaves through the Union while
almost all its citizenry had advocated a
humanity first and interventionist
approach the actions of the National
Council were seen as shocking questions
prevailed over how the WA sorry would be
integrated into the Union and whether
the invasion of their home world had
been justified some even suggested that
by invading the world of a primitive
species the greater Terran Union had
become the very thing it had vowed to
destroy at least one marshal was forced
to resign when leaked documents revealed
he supported the invasion of the WA
sorry only to determine the
effectiveness of the Terran armed forces
against an opponent that was not likely
to pose a serious long-term threat while
the justification and ramifications of
the invasion continued to be debated the
colonization efforts continued hundreds
of outposts and stations were
constructed across dozens of star
systems and every month brought news of
new alien contacts and bizarre anomalies
while most alien civilizations seemed
unreceptive to human values and worked
to counter the union's ambitions the
United Klans of scare on themselves
surrounded by hostile alien powers
worked to ingratiate themselves amongst
Terran diplomats and by twenty to forty
a limited technical exchange had been
agreed to as well as a preliminary
defense pact the greater terran union if
not welcomed into some grand galactic
community had if nothing else been
recognized as an equal of the other
powers of the region the vast emptiness
of space that for millenia had
challenged humanity to seize it now
teams with terran colonies and stations
alien empires and ancient mysteries
yet as even more distant civilizations
are contacted and humanity's knowledge
of the galaxy extends ever outward it is
a familiar story that is of the greatest
concern to hi Marshall Lee desperate
refugees encountered across the frontier
territories tell of an implacable enemy
they call the Taira that has consumed
entire worlds annihilating their
populations before moving on to the next
Terran field agents have spent decades
traveling across the stars seeking the
origin of these reports and their
findings have finally made it back to
earth there can be no mistake the Taira
the great enemy of all mankind has been
found far too distant for now but
perhaps not for much longer how they
might have traveled to earth in what has
prevented them from returning remains
unknown
but the answer might be found in one of
the strange alien derral eves
encountered by the Union which for now
remained dormant