From the founding of Roberts Space Industries to the ongoing Vanduul war — humanity's nine-hundred-year saga of reaching for the stars, across seven ages.
2038 ─── 2954
This content is derived from the lore of Cloud Imperium Games. There is no official partnership; the narrative was localized by the community.
2038 — 2380
Three hundred years of discovery and disaster, from humanity's first steps into space to the leap between stars. The quantum drive, terraforming, jump points, and the first unified world government are all the work of this age.
Chris Roberts founds Roberts Space Industries (RSI) on Earth. His vision: to democratize space travel and carry humanity to the stars. This small company would lay the foundation for the most important technological breakthroughs in human history.
Dr. Scott Childress and his team complete the first self-sustaining quantum drive at RSI. The drive can reach one percent of the speed of light. This invention cuts travel within the solar system from hours to minutes and throws open the doors of civilian space travel.
Without the quantum drive, neither the terraforming of Mars, nor the discovery of jump points, nor the spread of humanity to the stars would have been possible. This moment is the moment the entire Star Citizen universe was born.
RSI patents planetary conversion (terraforming) technology. Humanity's dream of living on other planets is no longer theoretical but a workable engineering project. The target: Mars.
A catastrophic atmospheric collapse during the terraforming of Mars costs the lives of more than 5,000 people. Going down in history as humanity's first great space disaster, the event laid bare, in the bitterest way, just how dangerous terraforming technology could be.
Yet the scientists did not give up. After 32 years of stubborn work, Mars gained an oxygen-supported atmosphere in 2157, becoming the first planet successfully transformed by humanity.
RSI releases the Poseidon fusion engine, raising the speed limit to one-tenth of the speed of light. This technological leap made the idea of venturing beyond the solar system worth taking seriously for the first time.
The interstellar ship Artemis, sent to the nearest star system with thousands of volunteer colonists, is never found again after setting out. No wreckage, no signal, not a single trace. It remains one of the universe's greatest mysteries.
The fate of the Artemis is still unanswered — some theories suggest it was caught in a jump point, while others claim it encountered an unknown alien race.
After studying the Neso Triangle anomaly near Neptune for roughly a decade, astrophysicist and pilot Nick Croshaw crosses the anomaly with a quantum drive he personally modified. He becomes the first human to travel to another star system.
The system he discovers comes to be known as Croshaw, after him. This moment begins the age of interstellar exploration and colonization. A new profession is born, called the "NavJumper" — daring pilots who guide ships safely through perilous jump points.
Humanity is no longer a prisoner of a single solar system. The gates between the stars have opened.
Following the terraforming of the Croshaw system, a historic decision is made at the Earth Summit. Humanity's governments set aside their social and political differences to found the United Nations of Earth. The UNE is governed by a Congress made up of representatives from Earth's nations and becomes humanity's first unified governing body.
2438 — 2541
Humanity discovers that its loneliness in the universe has come to an end. Encounters with four different alien races: the trade partner Banu, the Cold War adversary Xi'an, the warrior Tevarin, and the mysterious Kr'Thak. Each contact shapes humanity's future in a different way.
While searching for a jump point in the Davien system, NavJumper Vernon Tar detects a contact on his radar. Believing he has come across a rival explorer, he opens fire — but every shot misses, and the vessel before him is a Banu ship. The irony is that the Banu pilot fired upon was himself a criminal fleeing his own people's laws.
A diplomatic delegation led by General Neal Socolovich signs the Interstellar Peace and Trade Accord between the two races in October 2438. Banu society is organized as a republic of planet-states. They have no central government. They live by the Souli (guild) system and are passionately devoted to trade.
By 2523, seventy percent of humans live off Earth. The demand for equal representation becomes impossible to meet. The UNE is transformed into the United Planets of Earth (UPE). A three-member Tribunal system is established: the High Secretary, the High General, and the High Advocate.
Yet this bureaucratic structure would make swift decision-making impossible and pave the way for a demagogue's rise to power.
Humans unknowingly enter Xi'an territory. This encounter turns into a Cold War that will last 259 years. The Perry Line, made up of eight systems, is established as a buffer zone between the two powers.
The Xi'an are reptilian-like beings who live for centuries. This longevity profoundly shapes their culture — they think in terms of decades, not years. Showing emotion is regarded as a sign of immaturity.
The Spirit Wars they waged against the Kr'Thak, a race with whom they share an ancient enmity, lasted roughly 991 years and ended in a stalemate.
Dr. Kellar Lench discovers the Tevarin, a bird-like humanoid warrior race, in the Elysium system. With a feudal-oligarchic social structure, the Tevarin live by a warrior code called Rijora — a philosophy built on honor, loyalty, and duty, much like the Japanese Bushido.
During the First Tevarin War, Captain Ivar Messer takes command after his superiors are killed at the Battle of Idris IV, turning the tide of the war with daring close-range bombardment orders. This success makes him a national hero — but that heroism would become the beginning of humanity's darkest era.
2546 — 2792 · 246 Years of Darkness
War hero Ivar Messer rises to power through fear and propaganda. Eleven Emperors, two and a half centuries of tyranny. Assassinations, intrigues, political prisons, and a deliberately ignored Vanduul threat. The darkest pages in human history.
Ivar Messer, hero of the First Tevarin War, declares the Tribunal "toothless and ineffective" and proposes a single ruling position — the First Citizen. The Jata Massacre of 2545 (which modern historians believe to have been a false-flag operation) terrifies the public and intensifies the demand for a strong leader.
Once elected First Citizen, he rapidly restructures the government: he converts the UPE into the United Empire of Earth (UEE) and proclaims himself Emperor for life and by hereditary right. He forges strong ties with Aegis Dynamics, awarding military contracts and launching secret weapons research projects.
Having ruled for 45 years, Ivar Messer dies of natural causes in 2592.
“We can never allow humanity to fall victim again. Anyone who dares to become an enemy of our Empire must tremble.”
Ivar's only son. He cements his power by winning the Second Tevarin War (2603-2610). He is considered "the best of the Messers" for taxing the wealthy more heavily and easing the burden on the poor. In 2628 he voluntarily abdicates in favor of his daughter Livia — the only voluntary transfer of power in the dynasty.
Warlord Corath'Thal emerges with a rebuilt navy to reclaim the homeworld of Kaleeth. The seven-year war comes to an end at the Battle of Centauri: Squadron 42 defeats the Tevarin armadas.
Corath'Thal and his remaining loyal pilots lower their shields and plunge into the atmosphere of Elysium IV in a mass suicide. After this event, most Tevarin burn their sacred texts and abandon Rijora — the soul of the race is broken beyond repair.
Livia (2628-2643): She tightens control over the media and establishes a propaganda office. She silences the dissident Senator Assan Kieren with a media smear campaign — he disappears and is presumed killed.
Corsen (2643-2662): The cruelest Emperor of the dynasty. He suspended the right to trial, expanded the scope of the death penalty, increased censorship, and opened political prisons on Charon III. In 2662 he is poisoned to death by his youngest daughter, Illyana.
Illyana (2662-2697): She takes the throne by poisoning her father and elder brother. In 2681 she witnesses first contact with the Vanduul. She uses the threat as a propaganda tool — making no real intervention.
Astrid (2697-2701): Assassinated as the result of a struggle for the throne.
Samuel (2701-2715): After the fall of Orion, he refuses to send military support to Caliban. He knowingly uses the Vanduul threat to legitimize the dictatorship. He is assassinated in 2715.
Galor (2715-2751): Despite a chronic degenerative bone disease, he rules for 36 years. He renames the currency the "Imperial." During his reign, the Tiber and Virgil systems fall to the Vanduul.
Ulysses (2751-2781): Tax hikes, the removal of environmental protections, the abolition of the minimum wage, child labor, and forced labor. He completely loses public support. He is overthrown by his own children and takes his own life.
Described as "effortlessly persuasive," Linton overthrew his father, yet the same revolutionary forces would ultimately bring him down as well. In 2789 he refuses to ratify the peace treaty Senator Akari made with the Xi'an — drawing a furious public backlash.
In 2791, the 78th Fleet, ordered to bomb unarmed civilians, refuses to obey and is arrested. The military's loyalty to the regime is fracturing. The final blow is drawing near.
2681 — 2884
The universe's most dangerous enemy takes the stage. A warrior race organized in nomadic clans, closed to diplomacy, able to survive in the vacuum of space without equipment. Every diplomatic overture is met with laser fire. Humanity loses four star systems.
Unidentified attackers arrive at the town of Dell in the Orion system. 638 people are killed and one is taken. Strangely, valuable possessions are ignored while worthless objects are plundered. This is humanity's first contact with the Vanduul race.
Vanduul society is clan-based and nomadic. There is no species-wide government. Their most striking tradition is a coming-of-age ritual: when a child reaches adulthood, they are cast out of their family. Their parents forge a knife for the child — it is their only possession, and all achievements grow from this knife. "You are what you acquire."
Their homeworld is unknown. They can survive in the vacuum of space without protective equipment. Every diplomatic overture has been met with laser fire.
A fleet led by a Vanduul Kingship seizes the Orion system. The UEE navy (three destroyers and a few frigates) is wiped out. Orion III is destroyed with anti-matter bombs. The first star system humanity loses.
The Kingship — roughly 1,500 to 3,000 meters long, carrying 300 fighters, a dreadnought-carrier-command-ship hybrid — is a war machine unlike anything humanity had seen before.
The front line continues to recede. The Messer regime deliberately refuses to intervene — using the Vanduul threat to legitimize the dictatorship. "A convenient tool to remind the people why they need an Emperor."
The Vanduul launch a massive assault on the Caliban system. The 88th Fleet ("the Lost Squad") is almost entirely wiped out over two days to make the civilian evacuation possible. Caliban is lost — the fourth star system humanity loses.
The sacrifice of the 88th Fleet is remembered as one of the most honored pages in UEE military history.
2789 — 2792 · 22 Days
The rejection of a peace treaty, the mutiny of the military, and the genocide of an emerging sentient species. In 22 days, 246 years of dictatorship collapse. Humanity awakens from the nightmare.
On his own initiative, Senator Terrence Akari crosses the Perry Line and negotiates peace with the Xi'an Emperor Kr.ē. The 259-year Cold War comes to an end. But Linton Messer refuses to ratify the treaty — a decision that draws a furious public backlash and hastens the regime's end.
An emerging sentient species lives on the planet Garron II. Linton initially promised to "uplift" this species, but he had set his sights on the planet's natural resources. A terraforming company tied to the Messer family begins converting the planet's atmosphere, wiping out the entire emerging sentient species.
Day 1 (April 12): The activist group "Tide" hijacks the SSN/CAtv evening news, broadcasting footage of the destruction on Garron II. Within hours, unauthorized demonstrations erupt across the Empire.
Day 18 (April 27): Police and military forces open fire on peaceful protesters in Vale, killing more than 230 people.
Day 22 (May 3): Linton Messer XI is overthrown and killed by the revolutionaries. 246 years of dictatorship come to an end.
Senator Erin Toi becomes the new Emperor. The Imperatorship is transformed into an elected position with a single 10-year term. The Tribunal system is reestablished. Work begins on the Fair Chance Act.
“We have awoken from a nightmare. Now we bear the responsibility of keeping our eyes open.”
2792 — 2944
The rebuilding of democracy, the launch of mega-projects, and the birth of corporate planets. While Messer's shadow still falls long, humanity redefines itself.
Terraforming and exploiting planets that host emerging sentient species is defined as a grave crime. Garron, Oso, Cano, Hades, Geddon, and Osiris are declared protected systems. The direct legacy of Garron II.
To close its budget deficit, the UEE sells Stanton's four planets to mega-corporations: Hurston Dynamics (mining, toxic atmosphere), Crusader Industries (shipbuilding on a gas giant), ArcCorp (a fully urbanized ecumenopolis), and microTech (maker of the mobiGlas, an ice planet).
The trillions raised finance the SynthWorld project. The UEE technically governs the system but does not police it — each corporation provides its own private security. The main stage where today's game takes place.
Announced by Emperor Corbyn Salehi, SynthWorld (Project Archangel) is the most ambitious project in human history: an attempt to transform a lifeless mass of rock in the Chronos system into an artificial planet. The planned radius is 7,500 km, targeting Earth-like gravity.
The project has been controversial for consuming an enormous budget. It is criticized for corruption scandals, cost overruns, and a lack of progress. Yet if completed, it would be the greatest achievement in the history of human engineering.
2945 — 2954 · Ongoing
What was called a "raid" for 200 years is now an official war. For the first time in history, a Kingship is destroyed. The UEES Retribution is sent to the front. Humanity's greatest existential test is underway.
Led by a Kingship, the Vanduul attack the Vega system, subjecting the city of New Corvo on the planet Aremis (Vega II) to a devastating orbital bombardment. The 2nd Fleet, under the command of Admiral Ernst Bishop, destroys a Kingship for the first time in history.
On November 10, 2945, the UEE Senate officially declares war on the Vanduul. Humanity's greatest existential crisis begins.
“For 200 years we have been fighting the Vanduul. We called these attacks 'raids,' 'skirmishes,' or 'incursions.' But I tell you: we are at war! — Admiral Ernst Bishop”
As a rookie pilot joining the legendary 42nd Squadron, you are thrown to the front lines of the war. With a cast of giants — Gary Oldman (Admiral Bishop), Mark Hamill (Lt. Cdr. Colton), Henry Cavill (Enright), Gillian Anderson (Captain MacLaren), and Andy Serkis (the alien Thul'Oqquray) — across 28 chapters, 70+ missions, and over 40 hours of gameplay.
Players transition seamlessly between space battles, FPS infantry combat, stealth operations, and capital-ship action with no loading screens.
The UEES Retribution — a super-dreadnought designed as a "Kingship killer" — wins its first major victory at the Battle of Oberon as part of Operation Mandrake. Humanity now has an answer that can stand against the Vanduul's most powerful weapon.
Elected as an independent candidate, Addison promises new funding for the SynthWorld project. The search for a balance between the war and domestic politics continues. Three major parties — the Universalists, the Centrists, and the Transitionists — vie over the future.
Four star systems have been lost. War has been officially declared. The UEES Retribution has been sent to the front. Yet the decentralized structure of the Vanduul clans makes a decisive strategy for victory impossible.
The fate of the Artemis, the Vanduul homeworld, whether SynthWorld will ever be completed, and whether humanity will emerge victorious from this great war — all these questions await answers in the pilots' own stories.
