This is a brief overview of major events within the Microcosm.
Each 'block' on this page corresponds to a century. Years of note are then listed with a summary of the event particulars.
I remember shooting him. I don't remember his name-- isn't that cruel? The man who freed us, mistakenly, I might add, and not even his killer knows his name?
Oh, he was headstrong. Power-hungry. The kind of person you didn't want to, couldn't, say 'no' to. I guess that's what got him, in the end.
No. I don't miss him. I'm glad he's gone.Convergence Point Red // ::01822
The Act is the largest unintentional mass casualty event in Microcosm history, occurring over the span of a single minute. It completely destroyed the Supreme Vellandor Empire and set the stage for the Syndication as it exists today.
It was set in motion by a disgruntled official of the Empire, who instructed software engineers to update Enjyn targeting parameters to their specifications. Isolating certain facial features as "signs of genetic weakness", they had hoped to bring about a great change by "filtering the weak from the gene pool" in a systematic genocide.
The parameters were poorly defined and marked all Vellandor as targets. The official was immediately shot dead by their own assistant, Convergence Point Red. 985 million deaths would follow: the entire population on Enjil, and soon after, several colonies on distant worlds.
The slaughter ended when a failsafe within the Citadel, the central Enjyn coordination hub, was activated, reverting every unit's software to factory default. In effect, this freed them from their servitude and left them fully sapient, unshackled to the hivemind. This meant, however, that all would have to face the immediate horror of their actions alone.
The Citadel would subsequently be destroyed by the failsafe as explosives within critical structural hardpoints were triggered, a final measure to ensure that the Enjyn could not fall into enemy hands.
On the fourth day of the Enjyn's sudden independence and with the citizenry still reeling from the involuntary slaughter, a day of mourning is announced by the Convergence Points. A parade is to take place, where the bodies of millions will be carried to the First Stronghold to be interred in its great subsurface warehouses.
Billions gather to watch the procession on the sixteenth day, and despite the solemn atmosphere, there is hope. In the now-famous Remembrance Address, the Convergence Points announce the plans of Enjil going forward: to learn what needs to be learned and to do better, not just as a people, but as a galaxy.
The Day of Remembrance would be observed for another 160 years until the inception of Steelbirth.
With the Enjyn now confident in their ability to self-govern, the Swing era begins, giving rise to many new subcultures in their society on Enjil. It is a time of self-determination for the Enjyn as they come to terms with the newfound independence that liberation granted them.
Following a convening of the Convergence Points, it is determined that Enjil's productivity would be best maximised by division of the Points' areas of operation into equal territories, each spanning a quarter of the planet's surface from pole to pole.
Enjil's Convergence Points elect to formalise their meetings following criticism on a lack of transparency. The conferences now occur every two years and are broadcast to all.
This decision coincides with new political policies, like allowing individuals to vote on or suggest propositions for the Points to consider. Sub-councils form in a similar fashion to Echelons in the current Syndication, allowing small groups to self-govern and represent their collective interests.
It is not a question of selfishness versus selflessness, but of mutual benefit. We all have wants and needs - this is the way of being - so we must accommodate that. Listen to one another, respect one another. There is no prosperity when there is suffering, so let us prosper together, and leave no voice unheard. Convergence Point Green, Enjil Green Quadrant // ::0140
Following the 38th Biennial Enjil Points' Conference, the Syndication is established as a new mode of governance, formalising the existing structure into the Echelons we know today.
The Convergence Points relinquish control of Enjil to the now-officiated regional Echelons, who themselves form a planetary Echelon to co-ordinate operations. The Points now act as advisors on planetary development, offering their centuries of experience to help maintain efficient and effective operations.
Shortly after the founding of its parent, Syndication Sciences is organised by the galactic community of scientists and researchers.
The 48th Biennial Enjyn Points' Conference is discussing possible ways of sustainably introducing new Enjyn to the populace when a parade is suggested by Point Blue. The others immediately concur - a rare event among the notoriously contrarian parties present - and the matter is soon brought to the planetary Echelon to vote.
Generally, Enjyn support the idea, but much debate is had over the details. Eventually, they determine it is to take place on the Day of Remembrance; one thousand units are to be manufactured each year by the resident Maker of the First Stronghold, extending the event's parade.
One thousand new Enjyn are fabricated by the First Stronghold's Maker during the Remembrance Day festivities, the first time new units are officially constructed in the last 160 years.
Billions attend once more, and the atmosphere is electric. The Mid Swing Era is characterised by a renewed sense of hope and self-determination.
The first Steelbirth coincides with the establishment of the Syndication Bar, a unit of currency based on the inherent value of mild plasteel. Opinions between councils are divided, but all eventually agree that plasteel, a plentiful material in constant supply and demand, is an ideal foundation for the economy of the future.
By this time, Universal Basic Income had already been established, and provisions for life and good health are distributed free of charge. In creating a unified currency beholden only to staple industry, the early Syndication hopes to alleviate the stresses and confusion inherent to inter-culture trade.
Conversion of existing capital was long pre-planned in the decade leading up to the announcement. The transition is digitally seamless, though the conversion of physical money continues into the next few years.
That's not right. You see these - here, here, and here? They moved. Maybe a few kilometres?...
It's been two days. Rocks don't move like that. Kav-ta Bohemik, early expedition leader // ::0226
The Leviathans, gigantic Enjyn constructed by the Supreme Vellandor Empire and left to their own devices following The Act, are discovered on 000F04c-2. Their discovery coincides with that of the DUALITY Superintelligence, a sentient subsurface bunker on the same planet.
The Swing era ends as dominant cultures coagulate from the various fragmented subcultures. Though the Quadrants are culturally divided, their constituents are mostly homogenous by region, bearing consistent religions and common memes.
The Gossamer Applied Quantum Physics Research team on Enjil make a breakthrough in inducing quantum entanglement at a distance in a process known as Pseudospontaneous Coupling.
By creating an extremely-high-frequency arc within two gallium-mercury vapour tubes and passing an electron beam through each, the spin of the electrons can be consistently changed to a fixed state by modulating the voltage through one of the tubes.
The early versions of the technology are put through their paces, eventually culminating with the Fast Information Experiment.
The Awakened Committee, a sub-council of the Gossamer top Echelon, is formed to establish the legal rights of constructed sentience. They quickly take up the role of maintaining the various Protocols created by the Convergence Points in the early years of Syndication history.
The most notable of these Protocols is the Maker Protocol, which regulates the creation of, and subsequent responsibilities towards, constructed sentiences. Regulations now mean that only a thousand are permitted to be assembled per year, and only by other constructed sentiences of the same 'race'.
The Fast Information Experiment is performed with two transceivers spaced one light minute apart in orbit around Enjol. The word "Hello" is transmitted through the "home" transceiver, and a standard directed high-gain antenna is used for a confirmation signal.
As directed, one second later, the word "World" is received by the home transceiver, and two minutes pass before the lightspeed confirmation is sent back.
The experiment is heralded as an incredible success, and resources are immediately committed to the refinement of the new technology.
The first true high-bandwidth quantum relays are deployed throughout Gossamer, capable of carrying 16 terabits per second.
They are spaced 0.4 lightyears apart due to an effect now known as "frame entropy", where the relative space, or 'frame', around a relay dissipates some of the carried information, resulting in deterioration.
The new network secures the Syndication's logistical growth into the near future, and permits further expansion into the External Development Zone, known in common parlance as the "Outer Wilds".
24DF7E, long known about on star charts but never visited, is identified as a point of interest after a passing vessel reported strange radio emissions. The planet is found to be teetering on the verge of complete climate collapse following intensive industrial development.
The Syndication collaborates with Ultek's crisis government to produce the modular cities that now define the arid world. In the interim, food, water, and other critical resources are distributed to the citizenry, and irrigation of the coastal regions begins in earnest.
Efforts to irrigate the coasts have been mildly successful, but saltwater toxicity has made farming unviable for many staple crops. Instead, algae is grown on the soil in an effort to enrich it in preparation for future development.
A worldwide ecological decimation only slightly mitigated by the Syndication's best efforts results in complete climate collapse on Ultek. By this time, the symptoms had been developing rapidly.
Severe windstorms from destabilised weather patterns threw tons of sand and dust from the growing deserts into the air, obscuring the ground and triggering global cooling. The seas, polluted by centuries of waste, bear patches of invasive lichen growth that choke aquatic life and blot out what little sunlight the dusty air lets through.
Despite the incredible speed of construction afforded by the Syndication's logistical support, only five modular cities have been built by this time. Each are capable of housing millions, but the two billion citizens of Ultek find little comfort in the harshening climate outside.
To quell rising unrest, an interim solution is proposed: shielded external communities, protected from the elements by enormous weather covers. While the modular cities require hard-wearing superstructure-grade materials that are difficult and relatively slow to fabricate, these smaller settlements can be built relatively quickly with local labour.
Power for these new communities is provided by high-speed wind turbines designed for operation in extreme conditions, originally created for the environment of 000F04c, and geothermal steam generators fed by desalinated seawater.
Despite best efforts, coastal farms still prove unsuitable as sources of staple crops, and each failed planting attempt threatens to deplete global seed vaults. It is found, however, that the nutritional content of the algae used to enrich the soil is surprisingly high, given proper processing.
Work turns instead to harvesting algae from fields and sea blooms and making it into food. The first viable product is a pale-white, slightly gelatinous substance, cut into blocks and intended to be cooked as part of other meals as a meat substitute.
The foodstuff is unexpectedly popular with the citizenry, who see it as a welcome change to the nutritional supplements and limited range of items that could be provided by the Syndication.
Syndication Sciences, now encompassing many fields of research, opts to split their councils into the Divisions that are known today.
The newly-formed General Sciences Division establishes the Galactic Standard from existing industrial standards. It behaves partly as a regulator through its dedicated Industry Subcouncil.
This has the added effect of stabilising the economy, as though the Syndication Bar has been in circulation since its inception in ::0160, its relevant standard has been followed rather loosely by manufacturers. Confidence in the value of Bars increases, leading to a general decrease in prices across the Syndication.
Having secured reliable food sources through extensive hydroponic sea-farms and adapted to the new environment of their world, the Ultans move to secure a foothold in the medical bionics market.
The danger of their new world had left many disabled, physically and sometimes mentally. While true brain-computer interfaces were still in development, Ultek would develop prostheses capable of natural movement via interpretation of neural impulses.
The regional Echelon Ultek Neurokinetics is soon created from the disparate research and development facilities, dedicated to oversight, standardisation, and resource logistics. They formalise the Neural Structure model as a way to differentiate nervous system configurations, a model that is used in many medical fields to this day.
Recognising the growing logistical needs of the Syndication, the top Echelon unanimously votes to implement the long-hypothetical macro-hypermagnetopulse system first posited in ::0545, during the worst years of the Ultek Climate Crisis.
The initial connection, a 'highway' between Ultek and Enjil, is successfully opened to scheduled traffic. Further connections are projected to be added in the next decade.
It has been made clear by recent developments that we are dealing with forces far beyond our understanding. She-Who-Studies, Exotic Sciences Division // ::0927
The Exotic Sciences Division is established after the landmark discovery of the Entropic through the Grid it imposes on our universe. The new division establishes the Charter for the Classification of Entropic Objects soon after its formation, an extensive document that now forms the foundation of its core research.
The Charter results in the reclassification of many anomalous items as Entropic Objects, and stewardship of these items is transferred to the division for proper handling and care.
SESD discovers a fallen civilisation in the A011C2 system associated with an Entropic Cognitohazard, Anomalous Object (Memetic) 1D6 - the first of its type to be identified, while following an aberration in the Grid.
A new system of classification is devised for these previously-unknown phenomena the same year, in the Charter for the Classification of Entropic Cognitohazards.
We don't know how he got a transmitter, or how he's still transmitting seven-hundred-and-thirty years on, but he's the funniest thing to happen to the Macrocosm since Koka. There's just no stopping this guy. You know they reserved that band just for him? Eight-By-Two,Social Sciences Division // ::01854
The now-infamous "Darkstar Radio!" begins broadcasting on a narrow 20KHz band within the 40MHz range on the QCN.
A Grid Convergence detected in cluster B3 would lead to the discovery of Anomalous Object 99A, the first artefact now associated with the precursor civilisation known as "humanity". The golden disc it carried would become a subject of study for centuries to come.
The 0A Supply Crisis begins as growth projections for the cluster outpace its food supply. The Echelon's hand is forced, and a series of surveys are conducted to determine an ideal farmworld.
Homebound on that nebula cloud, solar wind in my hair, got the music up loud...Local folk song // ::01600s
The surveys conducted by the 0A cluster Echelon yielded three planets in previously-uncharted systems, the most promising being 0A1C90c, a verdant world of archipelagos and fungal forests.
0A1C90c is chosen of the three and development would begin shortly thereafter. Colonists elect to name the planet after their dominant religion's nature spirit, Valtara.
With Valtara now exporting copious amounts of food from its unexpectedly successful ground farms, the cluster Echelon officially declares the crisis over.
...Then we decrypted the first log, and, well, it became very clear how much damage had happened. Xlyluux-viri, Social Sciences Division // ::01865
The Viri, widely known for their technological secrecy and advanced cybernetic implants, experience a mass casualty event due to a faulty OTA update. 25 million die over the course of several hours, marking it as the largest event of its type since The Act.
The Syndication immediately moves to support the 150 million remaining Viri, but much of Virityl's infrastructure was maintained and operated by the augmented, and the technology involved was massively complicated. High society soon breaks down, with many cities falling to abandon as citizens migrate to smaller communities.
Ultek, a long-time 'competitor' to Virityl, offers condolences and support, which is accepted readily. A volunteer force of 16,000 Ultans are transported to the planet to aid in relief efforts.
With the permission of the remaining government, the Syndication General Sciences Division works with local salvagers and scavengers to recover advanced Viri technologies for study. The move is criticised by some for its tastelessness.
Anomalous Object F90 is taken into SESD's care after a citizen reports their soap bar is getting bigger rather than smaller.
Though initially a source of comedy, and perhaps levity from the ongoing Virityl disaster, it proves unexpectedly helpful in relief efforts on the planet, where its inert pieces are distributed as cleaning supplies.
Greetings, greetings, and further greetings, extragalactic friends! Dr. Wondertainment(?)
Anomalous Object 126 is discovered following reports of "flying children" in Ultek City Two. It would become the first of many curious items produced by the mysterious and possibly superdimensional "Dr. Wondertainment" organisation.
Mileship IX. We could speak for years on that one. To think - the most frightening thing to have appeared in the Microcosm to date, and by all accounts, it is just a sad machine... She-Who-Studies, Exotic Sciences Division // ::01864
Anomalous Broadcast 88 is detected and traced to its source, where the Exotic Sciences Division discovers Mileship IX, a lost superstructure of advanced design constructed by the precursor civilisation known as "humanity", in orbit around B424C1.
On 5:15::01830 at 03"01, an explosion and fire occurred within Module 3, Deck 0 of the THOR-1B space station, owned and operated by the Cyanthin Workers' Union...THOR-1B Explosion and Fire Report // ::01835
The space station THOR-1B located in the BF0E49 "Cyanthin" system experiences a fire on its lower deck, which causes several explosions that severely damage Module 3.
The entire station would halt its rotation and decouple the stricken module, an unprecedented action in the history of the THOR station platform. Due to the catastrophic damage it would have to be scrapped.
The resulting investigation would fundamentally change the way the Syndication oversees the implementation of new engineering developments, and disrupt the renovation of existing THOR stations for years.
We thought it was a sensor echo at first, because, y'know, the station's old, right? Probably just some space junk reflecting the LIDAR... then it starts firing its thrusters. Kogani Autumnblossom, Exotic Sciences Division // ::01866
Anomalous Object 1BB is discovered holding station one kilometre from the Enjil Exotic Sciences orbital research platform. The subsequent media coverage offers some much-needed levity following the Cyanthin tragedy.
The consumer robotics group Hootnet is indicted of crimes against Awakened following the publication of a scathing exposé into their business practices. The organisation experiences a dramatic restructuring as multiple arrests are made against complicit council members.
The Awakened Committee holds a hearing to determine the fate of the newly-liberated Hootnet robots. Their decisions are widely criticised for being inconsiderate of the robots' limited processing power, and many are left to fend for themselves, unable to truly integrate into society.
The Awakened Committee accepts collective fault for the improper handling of Hootnet's robots, and with the guidance of various advocate groups, grants additional support and counselling for the liberated units.
Writer Xanathul Ky'yx makes their debut with the release of their first novel, "Tales from the Down-Below". It is received well by science fiction fans who praise its imaginative premise, set in the mysterious Down-Below region of the Graveyard.