The Tau Ceti system is an old main sequence star estimated at around ten billion years in age. The planet Beiro in that time has developed an extensive ecosystem adapted to the cold conditions found on the world.

Human colonists from Earth first arrived in 2239 on board the sub-light colony transport CT-4 Far Seeker. A follow up vessel CT-13 Ferdinand Magellan scheduled to arrive 2245 remains missing fate unknown. The loss of the follow up vessel hampered development of what was one of the farthest out colonisation attempts made by the Earth governments.

The colonists settling on Beiro were chiefly drawn from the northern Mediterranean and Central European areas, especially Italy, Austria and parts of Germany. They found a cold world with an extensive native ecosphere, and with the livestock they brought with them and which could adapt to the world the colony managed to slowly grow.

The colony continued to grow cut off from outside assistance. The loss of the Ferdinand Magellan slowed development somewhat but did not completely dampen it. In 2490 the first of a series of crop failures struck the colony causing massive disruption and some strife between parts of the planet. The harvests continued to be bad for another ten years causing much misery and loss of population and technical innovation. The colony was in danger of failing.

In 2530 help in the form of a number of faster than light vessels from the Das Sternum Reich arrived in the system. The timing was perfect, another crop was on the verge of failure. With the help of the Reich most of the crop was saved. The cost to Beiro was heavy however. Though the colonists now had enough food they lost many personal freedoms as the Das Sternum Reich annexed the system and placed a garrison on the world and a small fleet of hyperspace capable warships in orbit to ensure compliance with the dictates of the Das Sternum Reich.

In 2638 war broke out between the United Worlds Commonwealth and the Das Sternum Reich. This war raged for three years. During the first part of this war the Reich increased the size of the garrison and built up the number of warships within the system. Late in 2639 the Reich launched a raid from Beiro against the neighbouring system of Epsilon Eridani, who, according to Reich intelligence was supplying raw materials to help the United Worlds Commonwealth in the war against the Reich. The raid did not go well and was driven out of Epsilon Eridani with minor losses.

Reich Intelligence predicted that Pelayo in the Epsilon Eridani system would do little more than launch a small counter raid which Reich forces would easily be able to defeat. In fact Pelayo assembled from its various "clan" shipping assets a small number of fast warships and armed merchant vessels. These were used to hit the garrison forces at Beiro. So successful was this raid that surviving Reich forces were forced to abandon the system and with the war now in full swing with the United Worlds Commonwealth the Reich proved unable to provide the resources needed to retake the system.

Pelayon forces remained in control of the Tau Ceti system until 2642 at which time Beiro and the system regained their independence. In 2650 a conference held on Pelayo resulted in the formation of the mutual defence pact known as the Eridani Alliance. Beiro becomming a signatory in 2651.

Since joining the Eridani Alliance Beiro has grown, though not as fast as Pelayo in Epsilon Eridani. Beiro is further along the trade routes and with trade with Das Sternum Reich down to a trickle since the end of the UWC/Reich war technologically Beiro is starting to lag behind Pelayo in some areas.

Technologically Beiro has a largely stable tech level 10 base in most areas. However in the biotech areas Beiro has has achieved a tech level of 11 in the medical areas. Though not quite as advanced as the levels achieved in Pelayo this still puts the medical tech at equivelant to the best available on Earth or in the Sirius Trade Federation.