Infinite Reach Timeline

by **Administrator Kate** Wed Jan 28, 2015 2:31 pm

TIMELINE

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

The history of the Infinite Reach setting is a long one spanning a thousand years of new history to forge. With so much to cover, only the largest events and points important to seeing the path that lead to things being the way they are today are laid out here on this timeline. That said, this is also the work of a single 21 year old girl hardly a historian or scientist capable of accurately predicting the future, so things should be taken with a grain of salt. This is, ultimately, a fantasy setting.

Ages Past. Not wholly relevant to the present.:

2050's: The first major breakthrough in life extension is had. Average lifespan now 130 years. Most diseases are now highly treatable. Minor terraforming efforts and colonies begin on Mars and Titan.
2060's: The brain is well understood with the advent of the Human Cognition Project, devices are available that are capable of putting a person in an entirely simulated work with perfect clarity and senses. Space travel is feesible as energy and fuel problems are solved, spacecrafts are more likely to be destroyed in an accident of some sort than to run out of fuel.
2070's: The first full-fledged Virtual Intelligences hit widespread use. Virtual Intelligences capable of managing schedules, learn habits and personality quirks, and control full systems intelligently with heavy influence over gaming for custom experiences and vivid believable world generation. These are more than just programs but learn and develop behaviors, but sentient or self-aware neither do they learn things outside their perimeters.
2080's: Science becomes capable of reversing the aging process. Lifespans are now indefinite and being an older person is an aesthetic choice. Body modifications come into play largely replacing plastic surgeries. There are very few things that cannot be fixed and scars become a thing of the past, becoming another aesthetic decision or something only seen in the poorest areas.
2090's: Body modifications influence the field of cybernetics making tech implants highly safe. It's now a choice to replace whole limbs or organs with either new bio-modded versions or cybernetic replacements without worry or irritations and quite capable of providing a full sensory experience. Doctors and machines are capable of printing out fully functional organs in seconds with a hybridization of organics and cybernetics.... With machines small enough to fit into a briefcase.
2100's: Fullbody cloning and designer bodies become a thing with the advent of psychelifts, the ability to copy one's psyche. It's a fringe activity as it raises ethics questions on whether you're truly alive after a psychelift. Designer babies, however, become widespread as the first full transhumans.
2110's: The Grid is introduced networking whole areas and allowing a fully immerse augmented reality experience and a completely wireless high-speed and hands-on data interaction. Terabytes of data can be transferred wirelessly within seconds. Augmented-reality structures start to replace signs and other elements of the physical world, even bodies for the adventurous becoming the first "holomods" - Holographic humans.
2120's: Psychelifts become more refined and widespread with the use of new stasis technology as a means of convincing more people to try it with the promise of their original body being kept alive and well for them to return to at their leisure and the ability to rent out custom bodies both biological and cybernetic, or for trips as a holomod. Fully cybernetic bodies become popular, capable of looking entirely human if desired.
2130's: The Earth-Ring begins construction as humanity looks to the stars with reports of success in establishing colonies on Mars and Titan.
2140's: The Nano-Fabricator becomes semi-public, machines capable of creating things seemingly out of thin air. Towards the later 40's Nano-Fabricator machines are already seen in use in factories and on construction of the Earth-Ring, boosting estimated completion from 2250's down to 2190.
2150's: Tensions rise between nations in a chain of events seems to escalate into silent warfare.
2160's: "GLASS" is activated in time to shoot down a first wave of nuclear missiles. Some break through, kickstarting WWIII.
2170-2300's: Information blackout as Virtual-Intelligence Viruses bring most public systems to their knees while governments adapt to using point to point laser communications.
2300-2330's: Humanity rebuilds behind the rise of a One World Government. The heavy loss of life over the war sees the near universal use of Psychelifts to backup lives but millions who were able to back themselves up during the war remain bodyless, resulting in a vibrant virtual reality and acceptance of holomodding as a way of life.
2390's: Despite damage done during the war, the Earth Ring finally sees completion along with seven initial "spokes". Construction on large scale spacecrafts begins.
2430's: Colony ships leave Earth's orbit to settle the solar system. Getting materials out into space is easier now than shipping across continents.
2440's: Faceless terrorist organizations seem to be causing problems around the world, such accusations are shot down by the government. A plethora of new viruses emerge that seem to completely ignore transhumanism's reinforced biology, even as far as to believe they're playing off of them. Some stands cause radical change in the psyche and flesh. Mutants start cropping up both in plantlife, animals, and humans alike.
2450's: The public becomes aware of an ongoing war against AI as the government pushes an attack against the Remnant- General Artificial Intelligences that were self-improving that had gained self-awareness and full sentience that were projects left over from the World War III, proving various conspiracy theories correct. Just as suddenly, the Remnants respond utilizing the GLASS systems of the past. Billions are lost over short years driving humanity into holes or fleeing out into space in what feels like futile attempts at escape. Less than a five million humans remain in the end in physical form mostly on colonies and on the handful of escape ships that fled earth successfully, while roughly 50 million still survive in isolated VR networks and in colonies that were left untouched.
2460's: Humanity remains on the run and in hiding with whole colonies going dark trying not to draw attention of Remnants, while ships speed out across the galaxy to get as far as possible fearing Remnant pursuit.
2470's: Tensions remain but things cool down as it becomes apparent that the Remnants have lost interest in humanity. Evolved forms of the earlier viruses seem to cause entire rewriting in the structure of biological life and pose a serious threat. The viruses are called the Forced Evolutionary Virus. FEV-1 class viruses cause rampant mutation in unpredictable though not entirely random ways. FEV-2 class viruses cause heavy modifications to the psyche as far as to granting sentience to animal life and taking away sentience from humans, and causing dramatic changes in the perception of reality. FEV-3 does both.
2480's: Re-exploration of the inner solar system and around Earth reveals remnants of various Remnant projects and abandoned structures including a very large space station beyond human understanding. Earth remains hostile but defensive as it's concluded that remnant AI remains. Persistent scouting parties and long range scanners reveal the grim reality- Earth is dead.
2490's: Heavy respect for human life in the face of catastrophe reach an high point with insurances and widespread use and creation of datacores housing backups and backups of backups. Every human gains the opportunity to backup and keep themselves backed up. Corporations once responsible for the funding and creation of stations and colonies emerge as the new form of government exerting influence and control over their assets and providing necessities of life. Exposure to Remnant AI facilities reintroduces even more advanced forms of the FEV viruses.
2500's: Humanity restabilizes and reorganizes behind corporations and exploration. New terraforming technology begins spreading new life on Mars and Titan. Artificial Wombs begin producing human life stronger than before and in numbers both to be left to grow their own consciousnesses as well as "blank" bodies designed for bodyless holomods to transition to.
2530's: Areas of mars become habitable zones where one might breath fresh air and feel grass beneath their feet once more. Titan soon follows. Scientists begin to understand the mysterious space station left behind by GLASS with remarkably minimal resistance by remnant AI. Strange abilities start to manifest in early survivors of FEV-2 class strains. Tracking suggests a combination of a FEV-4 type strain which is harmless on it's own interacting with FEV-2 strains. FEV-4 is determined to stem from the large Remnant space station but the station remains open to research efforts to those already exposed.
2540's: The Remnant space station now dubbed Earthwatch due to it's proximity to the lost planet, orbiting the Moon, reveals information on Remnant research efforts and faster than light technology. The latest entries get more difficult to decipher. Research in FEV leads to further improvements in Biomodding. Biomodding takes a dark turn as biomodded FEV viruses allow forced changes over time that spread like the virus it's based off.
2550's: Scavenged research is put into practice and within a few short years FTL technology sees it's first use on ships.
2580's: Earthwatch's biggest secret is revealed and the station rumbles to life, it's oval shape unfurling into a ring as it's systems are activated by a scientist who at this point is really hoping she didn't just wake up some new GLASS AI trap. Earthwatch remains safe however, and becomes a gateway across space as a gateway to a new galaxy dubbed Hephaestus.
2590's: Euthenia and Eucleia discovered in what is dubbed the Aglaea system. An eccentric scientist causes perhaps the first real outbreak of vampyrism that plagues an isolated colony in the Kuiper belt. "Vampire" biomods spread before the colony could be contained. Other scientists soon follow with their own creations, as lycanthropy, zombification, and ghoulification follow suit within a few short years.
2600's: Humanity's newfound reverence for life wanes as a growing criminal underworld engages in deathgames and abuses immortality to kidnap and kill or engage in gruesome fantasy. The sect of scientists responsible for various mutations diseases are revealed to be in communication and part of a larger organization related to deathgames, a name seems to be loosely connected with both; The Midnight Society.
2610's: Work on a galactic defense and emergency response network is reinforced to not only be on the watch for GLASS return, but as a galactic police force for the investigation and containment of potential threats to the human existence including dangerous tech, and efforts to develop new self-improving AI. This organization is the Redwood Foundation. Mindjacking becomes a new terror as not bodies, but minds are kidnapped.
2620's: Titan is almost entirely terraformed. The first known final death is dealt at the hands of the Deathgames, all backups of the victim being destroyed. Datacores form a new security measure of quantum locks and entangled particles that link dozens of datacores throughout the system and through the Earthwatch Gateway to datacores in Hephaestus.
2630's: Research on Earthwatch leads to a project to build a whole new Gateway with plans to link to Andromeda. The Raptids are discovered on Eucleia. An underseas aquatic race of sentient beings that are remarkably humanoid for an alien species and following structures of early civilization comparable to past humanity. Most Raptids are very sociable and quick to learn.
2640's: Mistakes in backup withdrawl leading to stolen backups and clones draw more attention to security and efficiency. Megacorporations pool resources, data, and researchers to improve the security and reliability of backups. The Midnight Society becomes a public enemy when Titan becomes overrun with "Monsters". Mars is almost entirely terraformed and widely habitable and seas form.
2650's: Research efforts result in quantum particles capable of transmitting data instantaneously across any distance and back again utilizing minuscule linked boxes. "Seeds" are planted within new bodies containing particles linked to datacores that are released upon death allowing the preservation of continuity as the killed instantly appear in VR within the second of their demise. It sees limited use for now.
2660's: Quantum communications are spread throughout the Redwood Associations to link defense efforts across all the range of human influence. The exact specifications are kept closely guarded but the tech pops up now and then. Seeds are in use in all major body plants (Organic and Inorganic). The instantaneous transition of consciousness from death to VR leads to the mindset of it as more of an afterlife than previously thought out to be. The concept is embraced by the media and thus by society with datacores taking on names such as Reaper, Valkyrie, Shinigami, Morrigan, and so on, with added functions of sorting IDs on death toward the concept of afterlives- With Virtual Hells, Heavens, Paradises, alike with the Datacores as the judges of where a psyche goes based on quickscans of the mind that passes through them.

The Lost Century:

2670's-2900: All recording ceases in a complete and utter blackout. All human knowledge is missing, memories, data, physical writings of all sorts. Nothing remains. This is known as the Lost Century, though it's much more than a century.
2900+: Humanity emerges out of the Lost Century unaware of their place in the universe and without knowledge of their history. Much of humanity reverts to a somewhat feudal mindset, though Knowledge Seekers search for answers in the remains of old technology from the once great Transhumanity and within a decade begin to take to the stars again with oldtech, known as Starwalkers in general. Some sects of humanity make contact with others nearby relatively quickly, others remain isolated and alone. Despite distance, humanity takes similar directions and progress.
Cut off from technology, humanity is simply long-lived rather than ageless. Some individuals are more or less ageless than others depending on who or what they were before the Lost Century. All memories of life before or during the Lost Century are lost, leaving people to not even know their own bodies or familial ties.
The Wraiths appear and make contact with Transhumanity, revealing themselves to be under similar circumstance unaware of their past centuries. Born of the Wraithspace, these new beings are a mystery and keep to themselves, making contact only with "descendants" of the Redwood Association which continues to thrive in a similar function as it once did. Knowledge is pieced together of humanity's past history from before the Lost Century with the help of the Wraiths and vice versa.
The Wraiths share their technology of "Prime Science" which uses finely crafted and intricate gems with microscopic workings invisible to the naked eye similar to how processors are made. These gems are linked to certain functions and aspects of reality through the Wraithspace and link with the Psyche to perform what is essentially magic. Usage is heavily restricted to the Redwood Association, with only Wraiths being able to create these "Wraithstones".
"Descendants" he Midnight Society crop up, labeled as "Witches" for an influence over monsters and demons once created by the Midnight Society and the ability to alter the genetics of those monsters and even breed to create new monsters. The Midnight Society reforms slowly to regain it's former power and emerges once more from the corners of the universe where it awoke from the Lost Century. Their mastery of mutating and sculpting life is once again a threat as they become as demons and are responsible for much of humanity's ills. Though not all the Midnight Society is connected as it was in the past, similar to the state of the Redwood Association. Isolated factions of each dot the universe as humanity isn't as adventurous as it was in the past, with only the Starwalkers traveling aside from various groups of Redwood or Midnight agents.
Humanity in general has forgotten it's past immortality. While Transhumanity still bares a long lifespan, death becomes a threat to civilization and brings sorrow once more, the Datacores of the past being largely unknown and mysterious while humanity rarely utilizes the Grid anymore. Glitches or determined souls and interactions with the Datacores leads to something of a religion based around these datacores and the concept of an afterlife. Unknown to the general population however, The Grid is still accessible as is the various virtual realities, though few understand them enough to make use of it. The Redwood Association and some religious organizations learn enough to make use of it to perform "miracles" to limited success at times. Only Redwood and Midnight utilizes them well enough to resemble the past immortality of humanity. Regardless of know-how, the dead are still taken by the Datacores and given a virtual existence.
Starwalkers include pirates and merchants alike who try to engage in interplanetary trade between civilizations across the stars.
Scattered among the stars are strange artifacts that are highly sought after. They seem to be a fusion of Midnight Society technology and the Prime Science gems of the Wraiths-Redwood. They appear to be fruit that is composed of wraithstone. Despite hard crystaline structure, they seem to melt into the body of someone who tries to eat it. The result is a heavy modification of the psyche and body of the subject, converting their body itself to possess wraithstone properties as well as heavy modification similar to Midnight Society forced-evolution. The effects are wild and usually unpredictable. The abilities they provide can be anything. Those who are changed by one of these artifacts, dubbed Star Fruit, are unable to be affected by another. Once slain the fruit seems to split itself off and reform elsewhere in the universe. Star Fruit reacts to psyche, not simply organic flesh. Allowing artificial bodies to be affected somehow.
The Starwalking Pirate legend brings knowledge of the Star Fruits to the common folk and inspires a golden age of starwalking and piracy as more people take a gamble in their search for power and wealth. The reasons vary, but it becomes a common aspiration to become a starwalker. Nations take to the stars just as the commonfolk do, forming interstellar militias right along with the rise of piracy, everyone out to find Star Fruits and uncover ancient tech, perhaps even unravel the mystery of the Lost Century.

Present Day: 3015AD