Humanity

Humanity, also known as Mankind, is a sapient species originating from the planet Earth. It is currently the only extant spacefaring species in the galaxy, with all others having either died out, disappeared, or regressed to a pre-spaceflight state.

Biology

Since taking to the stars, Humans have developed multiple ways to edit their own genome to adapt to alien worlds. This means that while they still count as the same species, they might have radically different genes. This section uses Pre-Spaceflight humans as reference for biological information.

• Classification: Terrestrial mammals.
• Locomotion: Bipedal, with 4 limbs.
• Respiration: Breathe oxygen and exhale Carbon dioxide.
• Compatibility: Biologically compatible with a wide array of alien lifeforms, enabling them to digest alien food and contract alien diseases.

Note: The moon Proteus is deadly to an unmodified human due to its environment.

History

Pre-Spaceflight

Humans originated on the planet Earth. They evolved from tree-dwelling primates on the continent of Africa and, due to their advanced intelligence, spread and adapted to virtually every part of the planet, with only a few exceptions.

Around the 13th century AD, Earth and its human inhabitants were visited by the alien species known as the Architects. This is the earliest known interaction between humanity and extraterrestrial life. Knowledge of this encounter comes indirectly from the Architects, who carried a human sword with them when they left Earth. It was later discovered on a distant planet and subsequently analyzed by a human, revealing its origin and how it came to be located so far away from Earth.

Space Age

Humanity's first venture into space happened in 1957 AD with the launch of their very first satellite. In 1961 AD they sent a single man into space, who became the first human to ever leave the planet.

With the advent of phase-gate technology, humanity began to quickly spread and conquer the nearby stars. With this, the Great Expansion began in 2104.

The Great Expansion

With phase-gate technology humans colonized world after world. Due to there being no laws and restrictions, the entirety of space was basically a free-for all. Due to this, the Charter was eventually created and signed by 37 Trans-Govs to make sure that space-colonization would be a safe and peaceful venture. The Trans-System Federation was established as an interstellar military police force, to enforce the laws of the Charter.

During the maiden voyage of the Alterran vessel Aurora, humanity encountered the Kharaa Bacterium for the first time. This strain however lacked the mind-controlling abilities of its off-world cousin, and was later eradicated due to the courageous actions of 2 individuals.

The Kharaa War

An alien bacterium was unearthed in a Mongolian mining facility in the Ariadne Arm. The bacterium, known to humanity as Kharaa, began to decimate colonies across the region. Kharaa infects living organisms, bringing them under its control and using them to spread the infection. Fleeing survivors unknowingly carried the bacterium to other worlds, accelerating its spread and worsening the already dire situation. In response, the Trans-System Federation deployed the Frontiersmen, an elite military force tasked with combating the outbreak directly.

Human Groups

Throughout history, humans have had a tendency to form groups of similar minded people. This led to the formation of many different nations who would then compete for resources and domination. This practice continued into space with humans forming a bunch of different stellar nations throughout the galaxy.

Main Civilization

The main human civilization originated on Earth and spread outwards as they conquered stars. There has been a multitude of separate human nations that have split off from each other, but they are listed as being part of the same civilization for convenience sake.

Known Human Nations:

• China Territories / Chinese Territories
• Mongolian Independent States / Mongolian Free States (Dissolved)
• Alterra Corporation
• Sol Trans-Gov
• Unnamed Alpha Andromedae Trans-gov
• Trans-System Federation

Proteus Civilization

During the war against Kharaa tensions were rising across human territory. Everyone was aware of Kharaa and many sought to escape it.

For this reason the Alterra Corporation created the AISV Cicada to carry 40k digitally stored humans to a far away world named Zezura. But during the voyage, the Noetic Advisor onboard redirected the ship to a previously unknown star system, one that was located far beyond human territory. The NoA found a moon that was inhabited by alien life. The Cicada broke up in the atmosphere of this moon and pieces of the ship rained down onto the surface.

The NoA survived and started to print individuals to colonize the moon. This attempt at colonization seemingly failed and all the humans either died or went missing. The NoA eventually printed some Qualified Investigators to figure out what went wrong.

The Proteus colony is so far away from the main human civilization that any communication between them is impossible, and thus makes this a separate civilization entirely.

Known Human Groups on Proteus:

• Pioneers
• Jubilee

Human Worlds

Humans occupy a number of worlds. This list includes every world that has some form of human habitation.

Note: Many of these worlds are located in the Ariadne Arm, which is currently being decimated by the Kharaa. The population of these planets may or may not be exterminated.

Trivia

• Despite humans not being able to breathe underwater they have the odd habit of finding themselves stuck on ocean worlds. When they attempted to reach a desert planet (arguably the opposite of a water world) they still ended up on an ocean covered planet.
• Because we don't know the amount of time that passed between the launch of the Cicada and its arrival at Proteus, it is unknown whether the Kharaa war is still ongoing, and if Humanity won. If they lost, then that would make the Protean colonists the last humans in the universe.