The planet Wesse in the Epsilon Indi system shows evidence of having been an outpost of the alien Thalor. Archeological evidence suggests that the Thalor abandoned the system over a millenia ago. Why the Thalor abandoned the system is unclear but evidence suggests some sort of civil conflict. The world was not contacted until the arrival of the sub-light probe SL-7 which had deperted Earth space in 2120 entering the Epsilon Indi system in 2179 with data of its discoveries reaching Earth in 2191.

As a consequence of the SL-7 data sub-light colony ships sponsored by various national governments on Earth departed for the Epsilon Indi system in 2196 (CT-5 Pioneer) and 2198 (CT-12 Vasco D'Gama), neither arrived in the target system. It was not until 2201 when a private sector transport Cologne departed Earth. The Cologne arriving in the Epsilon Indi system in 2245.

The colonists settling on Wesse were chiefly drawn from the central regions of Europe, in particular Germany, Austria and Hungary. The population of the colony grew rapidly over the following years, being supplemented by occassional arrivals of smaller sub-light transports bringing new colonists. These did not always integrate very well and some conflict arose as a result. As a consequence in 2401 a number of settlements, objecting to taxation measures refused to pay. The governor of Wesse Alexander Korbin sent a number of heavily armed police into these settlements and had the "violaters" savagely delt with. By 2403 governor Alexander Korbin had become Kaiser Alexander of the Das Sternen Reich. Once in this position he then slashed the taxes which had effectively brought him to power. The next decade were spent consolidating power and building up the planets military and technological power. Surreptitiously the reforms established an effective "police state" with the kaiser at its head.

A century later, in 2530 Wesse sent vessels using its own version of the hyperspace translation drive entered into the Tau Ceti system, ostensively to render assistance to the failing colony, in reality to annex the system. Other colonies were also established in other systems.

In 2638 war broke out between the United Worlds Commonwealth and the Das Sternum Reich. Initially the war went well for the Reich but slowly the industrial strength of the United Worlds Commonwealth began to tell. In 2639 the Reich launched a raid from Beiro in the Tau Ceti system against Pelayo in the neighbouring system of Epsilon Eridani. The Pelayons were supplying resources and biotechnology to the Commonwealth which the Reich wanted to stop. The attack did not go well however. The Reich commanders mishandling their assets resulting in relatively light losses to Pelayon forces. The Reich task force was forced to withdraw and from that point on the Reich was on the defensive. The Reich lost both the Tau Ceti and YZ Ceti systems in 2639 to the forces of Epsilon Eridani and in 2640 the deep space station of Wagner fell to the United Worlds Commonwealth. The war staggered on for another six months but the Reich was collapsing economically and an armistice was signed on 12 December 2640 ending all hostilities. Epsilon Indi and its remaining colonies remained Reich territory but Wagner Station became independent and the Tau Ceti and YZ Ceti systems remained under the control of Epsilon Eridani.

Since the war the Das Sternen Reich has largely rebuilt its forces and with the introduction of high energy plasma weaponry there are some rumblings that the Reich should begin expanding again before its neighbours eclipse the Reich technologically and economically. Trade with the Reich has largely also dried up since the end of the war resulting in the current government apparently taking its frustrations out on its own citizenry. It is thought that this will either lead to the society imploding or the government looking for scapegoats outside the Reich and thus precipitating another war.

Technologically Wesse has a largely stable tech level 10 base in most areas though it is beginning to fall behind its neighbours except in the area of high energy plasma weaponry. In this area on the Reich and Thalor have expertise.