History

Time and Setting

The happenings of this fictional universe take place within the Milky Way galaxy, in a time period roughly 100,000 years in the future. The exact timeframe is unknown. Synths were created in the Outer Rim, by ancestors of the same multi-species civilization they inhabit today (with "today" being this far point in the future). Time within the Outer Rim civilization is measured in standard years, which, despite the Sol system not being part of the Outer Rim territory, is the amount of time it takes Earth to orbit around its sun. It is unknown to the inhabitants of the Outer Rim whether Earth still exists, or if it was destroyed during The Great Reset, but Earth's theoretical rotation and position around its sun are still used in form of a standardized unit in which the passage of time is measured. The calendar used is based on The Great Reset, using the time of the Reset as year 0. Years before the Reset are referred to as BR (Before Reset), while years after are referred to as AR (After Reset). 1000 years after the Great Reset would therefor be written as "1000 AR".

Every following section of this page is from the point of view of historians living in the Outer Rim during the Pioneering Period, ca. 2440 AR.

Before Reset

Only fragments of knowledge are left about the times before the Great Reset, due to large parts of the galaxy remaining unexplored after the collapse of civilization. The mysteries of the past are only slowly becoming unraveled, as more of the galaxy is re-explored and lost ground is examined for clues. What is known is that the majority of the Galaxy had been colonized by a pan-galactic civilization originating from the Sol System. This civilization is referred to as the Sol civilization. It did not have a singular name for itself, since it consisted of a multitude of powerful factions, nations, empires and groups of interest, each of them with their own identities and names. The exact relationships between these factions and their nature are lost to time. It is to be assumed that the civilization went through times of war, times of peace and various shades of strife inbetween until the Great Reset ended it all, leading to the extinction of the vast majority of all species and much knowledge being lost forever.

Reach of the Sol Civilization

The Sol civilization seems to have spanned across most of the galaxy, with the exception of the territory now known as the Outer Rim, which was the last part of the galaxy that was still to be colonized. Early colonization of these ares was underway while the Great Reset struck. It is unknown whether or not the Sol civilization had colonies outside of the Milky Way galaxy, but it is to be assumed that at least some intergalactic exploration took place, since it is known that the Sol civilization had mastered FTL (Faster Than Light) travel as well as communication.

Within the Milky Way galaxy it is assumed that the Sol civilization had colonized the vast majority of habitable planets within the neighbourhood of the Sol System and that the collective reach of the civilization included millions of solar systems.

Level of Technology

With the knowledge of the rech of the Sol civilization it is fair to say that the level of their technology must have been immensely advanced. While archeological evidence is limited, due to the lack of large colonies around the Outer Rim, the found data suggests the existence of gigantic feats of engineering. Ecumenopolis level cities were a common occurence, as well as Dyson Swarms, planetary Rings and other megastructures. The location of these Structures is unknown.

The understanding of FTL (Faster Than Light) technology was highly advanced, which is evident in the high reach of the civilization through the galaxy. They were also in possession of technology for communication through quantum entanglement, allowing for instantaneous transfer of information over any distance.

Gene editing seems to have been a widely used technology throughout the civilization and gives us a possible explanation for the diversity of species found throughout the galaxy.

Species diversity

While it is not fully known how many species lived within the Sol civilization, it is assumed that the diversity of species was greater than it is today, since archelogical exploration has found remains of apparentl sapient species who can not be found among the people of the Outer Rim. The assumption is that somewhere between 80 and 90 percent of all sapient species that existed during the Sol civilization have gone extinct during the Great Reset and that the species found in the Outer Rim are the only ones left.

It is hypothesized that all sapient species known today have a common ancestor species, which may have been the main species of the Sol civilization. It can only be theorized what that species looked like and what it was called, but it is to be assumed that this ancestor species combined many traits that are common in the remaining species of today. Genetic evidence suggests that this ancestor species went extinct during the Great Reset, since none of the surviving species of the Outer Rim comes into question of being said species.

A leading hypothesis in biology suggests that the main species of the Sol civilization may have created every other species through genetic engineering. Evolutionary theory suggests that the evolution of so many species with eerily common traits is not possible without genetic meddling. The exact reason for the creation of other species beside the ancestors is unknown. Archeological findings suggest that not every species was treated equally within the Sol civilization, with some species appearing to be created for a particular purpose. It is not unlikely that many of the species we know today originally started out as being created for forced labour, specialized task or even worse.

The Great Reset - Year 0

The Great Reset refers to a cataclysmic event that almost led to the extinction of all life in the galaxy. The exact cause of the event is unknown, as well as its exact nature. The event's epicenter was calculated to have been the Sol system. Since the strength of its destructive force seems to have tapered off around the edges of a circular zone that encompassed almost the entire galaxy. The only systems not affected were the systems on the outermost edge of the galactic disc, furthest away from the epicenter. All signs point towards an event that lasted for 2 to 3 hours. Not much is known about the nature of the Great Reset, aside from that it affected biological life only and seems to have been highly infectious. It is speculated that it may have been an infectious disease, although it is unknown how any disease could spread across the entire galaxy within a few hours. One hypothesis suggests that a variation of a gray goo event may be to blame. The only survivors were either located on underdeveloped colonies in the outer rim of the galaxy or within colony ships on their way to these colonies. The only reason these colonies were unaffected was their distance from the epicenter.