In 1333 a Scinfaxi probe took several scans of Earth. A distant planet, it was given a low priority, but nevertheless an expansion ship was sent, its inhabitants in stasis, ready to spread the will of the Scinfaxi just as the hundreds, if not thousands of times before. However, one aspect of this new found world was overlooked. The Scinfaxi, like all species they had before encountered, existed on a hot, humid world, utterly devoid of anything resembling the temperatures found on Earth. The Scinfaxi never had the need for fire, the need to construct clothing or shelter, the need to invent new ways to stay warm, to discover new methods of transportation or construction. Everything the Scinfaxi knew were simply leftovers from their previous conquests. Some things, like the fundamentals of math and science, the Scinfaxi mind was able to understand. Others, like the idea of a single leader, or the concept of the "individual" were completely alien, incompatible with the Scinfaxi mind.

See: Scinfaxi

When the Scinfaxi arrived over Earth, they had expected to find a civilization identical to the one first observed nearly 600 years ago. The idea that a species could advance on their own, or invent new technologies in such a short amount of time was inconceivable. However failure was equally as incomprehensible, and despite the unexpected changes, Scinfaxi ships landed across the planet.

Obtaining complete surprise, the virus slowly spread across the globe, and Scinfaxi Tripods and transports along with it. However, the virus began to slow, and slowly but surely die out. As the military industrial complex of humanity began to devote itself entirely to the destruction of the Scinfaxi, the invaders had to choice but to retreat to the areas where the virus still grew. Atomic detonations across the northern hemisphere only hastened their withdraw, the Scinfaxi had been contained in the Southern Hemisphere, where they would remain for almost one hundred years.

See: First Scinfaxi War

When the conflict finally ended, the remaining free nations of the world were forced to rebuild from the most destructive conflict the Earth had ever seen. Europe had almost been completely overrun and its industry lay in shambles, its ecosystem slowly recovering from the spread of the Scinfaxi virus. The Greater German Reich would spend the next 20 years in a period of near isolation slowly rebuilding their industry and defenses.

Northern Europe, now free of German occupation, yet surrounded on all sides by temporarily weakened enemies, signed a mutual defense pact that would later give birth to the Federal Nordic Cooperative. Uniting the last corner of the world under a common banner.

The Soviet Union had lost millions, and now was tasked with monitoring and defending the Scinfaxi border, stretching from the Middle East to Korea. Nearly 150 million refugees from China and the South Pacific had arrived in Siberia, and the Soviet Government was now tasked with proving food, shelter and work for a population that had tripled in size. Only the iron grip of the Communist Party prevented the country from falling into complete anarchy.

North America had been split in two during the height of the conflict, and the millions of refugees from Asia, South America, and Oceania left severe cultural problems on the North American Continent. This resulted in a prolonged period of civil unrest and terrorism, finally resulting in the "Nations Within Nations" Agreement, which gave total autonomy to the newly formed Andrean Republic, and semi-autonomy to a Free French state in Quebec. Like the rest of the world, they struggled to rebuild their shattered nations.

See: Scinfaxi Quarantine Zone, Scinfaxi Border Skirmishes

With the formation of the “superstates”; The Soviet Union, Greater German Reich, Democratic Federation, and the Empire of Japan, the governments of these nations began to use their captured Scinfaxi sciences to increase their understanding of nuclear fusion, space travel, and atmospheric flight. By 1967 the Greater German Reich had landed a spacecraft on the moon, and by 2100 faster then light travel had been equipped on most human ships. With increased activity observed beyond the Scinfaxi Quarantine Zone, and the constant threat of war resuming, millions upon millions signed up for the colonization programs and settled on human colonies far from Earth.

See: Human Exploration of Space, The Colonization Programs

The first and only effort to form a united human colony with citizens of both the Soviet Union, Greater German Reich, and Democratic Federation responsible for its operation ended in complete failure on Alpha Centauri, with political decisions on Earth undermining the united effort. After this disastrous event, and with space programs becoming cheap enough for each nation to peruse their own programs, it was agreed that all human colonies within a certain range of Earth would be granted independence, and no military vessel would be permitted within said range. Without support from their former nations many of these colonies underwent extremely hard times, but some, like the colonies on Vega, Alpha Centauri managed to become highly developed and industrialized.

By 2150 the population on Earth had been reduced to roughly 200 million, the colonization efforts of the superpowers had been extremely successful with dozens of colonies under the control of each major power. The Scinfaxi, who had for the past 100 years been content with the Southern Hemisphere on Earth suddenly resumed their advance with an intensity not seen since the First Scinfaxi War. Knowing the planet was lost, the leaders of humanity ordered futile delaying actions to allow the rest of the civilian population to evacuate. When the last transport exited the system, Earth was bombarded with nuclear bombs until it was uninhabitable.

See: The Second Scinfaxi War, Scorching of Earth

The next 100 years were a golden epoch for human exploration and technology. As interstellar travel became cheaper and easier to obtain, dozens of new worlds were settled, not by any of the major powers, but by private citizen groups, corporations, anyone with the need to find a place to call their own. These new colonies soon became independent nations, quickly finding a place within the Orion Interstellar Community. This new era of expansion came at a cost however. Piracy, which had always been a minor problem, exploded into a full blown epidemic. Cargo ships operating far from friendly ports were easy prey, with naval patrols always arriving a little too late.

Conflict also arose within the borders of the new Planetary Nation States. Divided along ideological lines, numerous proxy wars were soon fought between various smaller nations acting on behalf of the Soviet Union, Greater German Reich, or the Democratic Federation. The Tanarsus World War, Sirus World War, and many others raised tensions throughout every sector, making all out war inevitable.

See: Piracy

By 2289 the situation in the Orion Arm bordered on catastrophe. What started as a minor border skirmish has escalated into full blown war as the Soviet Union and Greater German Reich clash on their border worlds. The conflict has spread to the Solar Sector as a second front opens of Vega, threatening the Unified Centauri Protectorates, and the Empire of Japan. As shipping patrols are diverted to the front-line, piracy has increased sparking a crisis that could threaten the supplies of many smaller worlds.

As the human nations degenerate into open conflict they are all blind to events occurring beyond the Scinfaxi Quarantine Zone.

See: Soviet-German War