The planet Earth is the homeworld of Humanity. It is also the capital of the United Worlds Commonwealth, a major human state in the region. As such the history of the United Worlds Commonwealth is tied up with that of Earth and the Sol system which is reflected below.

Most people will be familiar with the gross aspects of the world's history. So what follows is a brief outline of events relevant to Earths position in the twenty-seventh century.

In the mid twentieth century Earth took its first tentative, stuttering steps into space with the first manned landing on the moon in 1969, the last of these missions finishing in 1972. Funding problems and arguments amongst the various nations stifled developments. An international space station is begun in 1999 but construction is long and drawn out. Delays caused by the loss of two American spaceshuttles and the periodic long term grounding of those remaining as concerns about the vehicles safety are raised results in construction being virtually halted in 2002. In 2006 however construction resumes with the flight of the space shuttle Atlantis, construction finally being completed in 2011. The station remains in commission until 2020 when it is acquired by the private corporation Virgin Galactic for use as an orbital adventure hotel. It remains in use a further 5 years before it is finally decommissioned and moved to a higher orbit as an orbital monument to space flight.

In the background several nations, notably China, India and Japan advance their own space programs culminating in 2022 with the establishment of a small permanent facility being built on the Moon by the Chinese. This gives the United States and Europe impetus and their own space programs pick up speed again. Culminating in an international manned Mars mission in 2028. These missions from Earth continue until 2034. Future exploration being undertaken by facilities constructed at the Mars Outpost Colony established in 2035.

In 2040 the first commercial spacecraft begin to travel from Earth to the Mars Outpost Colony and back. With commercial lines running colonisation on the Moon and the Mars Outpost Colony begins to pick up.

In 2107 the Federation of Lunar Colonies is formed and is admitted to the United Nations as a full member later that same year. The arguments which raged around this admission results in procedures to smooth the transition of the civilian colonies to independence and membership of the United Nations. In 2111 the Mars Outpost Colony also becomes independent and is admitted to the United Nations. The United Nations changes its name to the United Worlds.

In 2113 a French commercial liner en-route from Earth to Mars collides over Earth with an American Shuttle returning from the Luna Federation resulting in the loss of four hundred lives in orbit and thirty three thousand on Earth. Investigation show that the collision was due in part to the two vessels being unable to contact each other and having anti-collision systems which conflicted with each other. As a consequence the United Worlds Space Coordination Agency is made responsible for establishing and enforcing standards and is also given responsibility for the various national "space watch" and "space guard" programs. Not all nations on Earth agree to the UWSCA protocols and continue to run their own space programs, both military and commercial.

In 2115 after years of construction and testing, Earth launched its first series of interstellar probes. Unmanned probes continue to be launched for the next fifty-five years until 2170 when the last one left the Sol system, most of these were constructed in Earth orbit with some built in orbit over Mars. During this period research into a practical FTL system commenced.

In 2130 the crew of a North Korean spacecraft attempted to board a sub-light probe as it began its acceleration out of Mars orbit. The sublight probe though no where near its cruise speed of 0.25 light had been fitted with an active anti-collision system which had been brought on-line when the mission launched. With the probes limited maneuvering capability this took the form of a combination of laser and ablative cloud fired ahead of the probe. The probe using this to clear away what its on-board computer perceived as a threat to itself, used this system on the North Korean vessel. What happened next is not entirely clear. The North Korean vessel was destroyed but it appears that before this the vessel had launched several missiles, both at the probe and for some reason at the dome of one of the Mars Colonies. The probes counter measures destroyed all missiles fired at it and it continued on its mission, but the one fired at the dome impacted and detonated with a force estimated at 100 kilotons. The dome and colony beneath it was totally destroyed with the loss of four thousand lives.

In the immediate aftermath several North Korean vessels which were docked at the Mars Orbital Station and also at several of the Luna Federations facilities were forcibly boarded. All vessels were found to be carrying nuclear weapons, which Mars and Luna promptly seized along with the vessels. The North Koreans protested and then promptly moved troops into South Korea. North Korean troops had also been hidden on both Earth's principle moon Luna, and in a hidden outpost orbiting around the Earth-Luna centre of mass. How this was financed and who by became known when several middle eastern nations sided with North Korea. World War Three had finally arrived on Earth more than a century later than expected.

The war is recorded as having ran from 2130 to 2133, though incidents continued to occur more than a decade after the war had supposedly ended. Damage on Earth and Luna was severe with several nuclear exchanges taking place. United States president Marion Goodrich ordered the US nuclear arsenal turned on North Korea in 2133 following the destruction of the San Diego. Two hours later the war ended when one of the belligerents ceased to exist. Thirty minutes after that president Goodrich apparently committed suicide.

Post war reconstruction was seriously hampered due to the loss of major industrial facilities around the globe but finally Earth and the Sol system began to recover, though much of what was North Korea remained, and still remains a dangerous region with high levels of radiation poisoning in several areas.

Finally however in 2158 an interstellar probe decelerated into the Alpha Centauri A system. Telemetry from this event reaching Earth in June 2163. This revealed the presence of not one but two Earth-like worlds in the system and no indications of a technological society, ie no radio wavelength emissions etc. Planning then began for a series of sub-light colony vessels to exploit the world discovered by the probe. Indications were that a practical hyperspace translation drive was still decades away. Favourable telemetry from several other probes began to reach Earth over the next few decades.

In 2175 the first series of colony transports accelerated out of the system. Two of these vessels were bound for Alpha Centauri, one to Epsilon Eridani and one to Tau Ceti. Earths expansion into interstellar space had begun.

With the discovery of habitable worlds outside the solar system, Earth governments found that many of their people wanted to leave the overcrowded conditions on many parts of Earth. However while sub-light interstellar transport was the only way of getting out of the system, colonisation by Earth of surrounding systems would remain slow and those colonies established would have to fend for themselves, more funds were pushed into developing a viable faster than light system, gradually rising the overall technology rating to an early level 9. Colonists were generally the best people that could be found with the "appropriate" spirit for the venture. However some nations also used forced colonisation to rid themselves of potential "troublemakers" and dissidents. Slow progress on the theories of professor Duchai continued to be made, but FTL was still years away.

As telemetry from more probes reached Earth with details of many worlds, some of them possibly habitable, the pace of STL colonisation became almost a frenzy despite the expense. The drain on Earths and the other solar system colony worlds became enormous. Something had to give.

In 2310 a group of people, apparently trying to stop resources being sent out of system launched an attack on a Helium 3 processing plant on Titan . The raiders were all killed and the Mining Complex on Titan was destroyed with the loss of two thousand lives.

As a consequence of the Titan disaster the role of the United Worlds, which since the war of 2130-33 had gradually been taking on more and more of the off world government, and with the support of several major corporations who provided the UW with its "own" armed forces slowly took over the remaining reins of government within the Sol system.

So it was that in 2325 the actions of the UW resulted in the formation of a world and system government, the Federated States of Sol. The Federation was made up of former nations on Earth and several of the in-system colonies admitted as full members. Membership was in theory voluntary but it became clear that non-members would not be given easy access to any trade, technology or resources. The transition to world government was neither quick nor without pain. Several nations seeing their diminishing authority fading even faster fought back in a series of "brush" wars. Splinter groups continued to cause trouble throughout the Sol system, but especially on Earth where the majority of resources ended up. All were eventually defeated thanks to the small fleet of warships the Federation had acquired from its corporate sponsors. Some bitter seeds had been planted during this period. Many people from the defeated nations left the system in whatever STL vessels they could acquire and headed off to carve out new lives away from Federation interference, the Federation acquiesed as it ridded the system of potential subversive threats. Many of the splinter organisations, hounded out, followed.

The upheavals in Human government at this time stagnated technological development so that it remained at a TL rating of 9 for over a century. Gradually fewer colony vessels departed from the Sol system as the resources for the huge STL colony vessels became scarce and follow up and resupply missions were cancelled. The Federation slowly turned inwards and some of the smaller in-system colonies were abandoned.

As the society slowly adjusted to the changes some progress finally began to be made, and in 2505 a breakthrough at last occurred in FTL research. Now an FTL drive could be built, but it was some years before the first FTL vessel using professor Duchai's theories managed to energise its hyperspace translation drive successfully for the first time, this took place on 15th March 2510.

The Federation, in desperate need of resources built a small fleet, and in 2523 despatched it to the Alpha Centauri system. The largely isolated colonies in the Alpha Centauri system, though not having HTD (Hyperspace Translation Drives) had achieved some level 10 rated technologies and had some facilities on other bodies in the Alpha Centauri system. The Federation fleet, when its aim became clear was met with resistance. The first interstellar war had arrived. The Centauri ships were outnumbered but marginally superior technologically, particularly in laser and sensor technology and the war dragged out draining the resources and industrial capacity of both sides. Inevitably Centauri acquired HTD technology and began building their own FTL vessels.

The Centauri fleet entered the Sol system causing total surprise. Some vicious fighting in the system took place and several major cities on Earth were virtually destroyed. It was then discovered that the destruction of the cities had been orchestrated by several of the major Earth corporations to foster hatred against Centauri. This realisation eventually resulted in the cessation of hostilities. The Centauri fleet had been largely destroyed, but the remaining vessels commanded by Admiral Jennifer Fenchurch rendezvoused with the Federation fleet where she met with Admiral Edward Curtis.

With the culpability of the corporations confirmed Admiral Edward Curtis and Admiral Jennifer Fenchurch realised the futility of continuing the fighting. The combined task forces, Federation and Centauran arrived under joint command in Earth orbit to discover turmoil. The Federation Government had collapsed as a result of the corporate treason and nothing had come to take its place. Curtis and Fenchurch proposed a plan, calling as many senior military and civilian leaders together as could be found in both the Sol and Alpha Centauri systems. The details of the plan were finally hammered out on board the ancient orbital museum that the old International Spacestation/Virgin Spacehotel had become. The station was cramped and had no artificial gravity, deliberately selected it has been said for that very reason. Seventy-two hours later the United Worlds Commonwealth was born. The Corporations held responsible for the destruction of Earth cities had as many assets seized as could be located. But the corporations had had some contingency plans in place and a large number of corporate people and resources left the Sol system.

With stability being restored over the next few years in the two systems. Earth again became a center of research and development. Integrating the technological advances made in the Centauri system both systems achieved a good TL10 rating within a few decades. Research on Earth also continued into the HTD drive pushing its effective range first to a 6.5 and later to a 6.9 light year range.

As the United Worlds Commonwealth began to expand it was inevitable that it would eventually contact the descendents of some of the colonists sent out by sub-light ships. Some of these contacts were not amicable. Contact with Das Sternen Reich resulted in a war that lasted for three years but failed to achieve anything. An uneasy peace now exists in what is now being called Core Space.

Since the war with Das Sternen Reich all the major powers have been building warships but apart from occasional "incidents" no major conflict has erupted. Trade is growing between the various states and technology is spreading with the trade. Currently Earth and the Sirius Trade Federation have the highest peak technology, rated TL11 on the standard scale. Though relations between the UWC and Sirius Trade Federation are often strained. The STF being the lineal descendents of the corporations which fled Earth and Sol space in 2523.

Currently, 2661, Earth is an overcrowded planet. Many parts of the planet are battered and ruins of cities and facilities dot the landscape. In places the atmosphere, land and water is contaminated with radiation and the residues of bio-weapons. Cities are huge and amongst the poorer sections of the population living conditions are hard. Emigration is at an all time high, most going to the two habitable worlds in the Alpha Centauri system.

The overcrowded cities on Earth also have high crime rates and are becoming breeding grounds both for insurrection and for espionage activities by the other powers.