Cosmos

War. War never changes.

  Since the dawn of humankind, when our ancestors first discovered the killing power of rock and bone, blood has been spilled in the name of everything: from God to justice to simple, psychotic rage.   Humanity destroyed its world before it ever conquered the stars. The 21st century collapsed into chaos as the last global powers waged war over dwindling resources. As nations collapsed under the pressure of dwindling resources, three secretive powers—the Templars, the Brotherhood of Nod, and the Global Defense Initiative (GDI)—fought a hidden ideological war for control. GDI eventually unified Earth's remaining industrial powers into the first world government   On October 23rd 2077, the storm of world war had come again. In two brief hours, most of the planet was reduced to cinders. After millennia of armed conflict, the destructive nature of humanity could sustain itself no longer. The world was plunged into an abyss of nuclear fire and radiation. The end of the world occurred pretty much as predicted. Too many humans, not enough space or resources to go around. The details trivial and redundant, the reasons, as always, purely human ones. The earth was nearly wiped clean of life. A great cleansing, an atomic spark struck by human hands, quickly raged out of control. Spears of nuclear fire rained from the skies. Continents were swallowed in flames and fell beneath the boiling oceans. Humanity was almost extinguished, their spirits becoming part of the background radiation that blanketed the earth. Billions died. Civilization fell. But humanity endured. It was not, as some had predicted, the end of the world. Instead, the apocalypse was simply the prologue to another bloody chapter of human history.   In the centuries to follow, surviving humans faced radiological contamination, mutations, famine, violent tribalism, and factions that yet again waged war over different ideologies and resources. It was in this grim crucible that the Terran Starship Command, a rising military organization that was forged into a provisional government for Earth was formed. After successfully unifying the various factions and nation-states of Earth, either through peaceful integration or bloody conquest, a planet-wide referendum was organized in 2310, where the population was given the chance to decide the fate of Earth's post-war government. To the surprise of many in the TSC, the people of Earth put their faith into the system that pulled them back from the brink and voted for the continued existence of a civilian government as a direct descendant of the Terran Starship Command. On July 2, 2310, the emergency provisional government, by popular demand, had transformed into the official governmental and representative body of the human race, and the United Terran Federation was officially proclaimed.   In the early 24th century, humanity had managed to recover from the Great War. As the nation became increasingly prosperous, resources were freed that would allow for manned spaceflight to begin. Armed with reverse-engineered alien technology and a renewed sense of purpose, the UFN launched humanity into the stars.   Humanity discovered the mass relay network, leading to rapid expansion—and conflict. First official contact with an alien species came not in peace, but in fire—the Relay 314 incident, sparking war with the Turian Hierarchy. A truce was brokered by the Citadel Council, integrating humanity into the galactic community. The First Contact War with the turians showed the galaxy that humanity would not be easily dismissed, and that humanity was bold, fast-moving, ambitious, and unrelenting. But the true trial came with the arrival of the Reapers—an existential threat that united old enemies and allies alike. In 2386, the Reapers arrived. An ancient machine race that swept across known space, annihilating everything. Earth fell in hours. But the UTF fought back, rallied allies, and helped deliver the final blow that saved the galaxy. The UTF helped rebuild the galaxy. What rose from the ashes was a new coalition spearheaded by the UTF, a United Federation of Nations.   Now, the Federation stands at the center of a unified galaxy—a vast, multicultural republic that balances liberty with security, prosperity with struggle, and order with freedom.   The galaxy is unified. Peace reigns. But in an infinite universe, order must be constantly defended.  

For War. War never changes.