Editing Blue Giant:History (section)

==The Settlers==

After the war ended in 2610 the humans, using the huge surplus of military vessels, slowly began to spread across the galaxy. Then, 20 years later, the [[Blue Giant:Starship Attributes#Wormhole|Hyperjump]] drive was developed just in time for the post war baby boomers to colonise the galaxy. Each generation after that followed a distinct pattern. Colonise a world, have babies, babies grow up and don’t just leave home, they leave planet to set up a new colony elsewhere. Within a couple of centuries, the colonists going clockwise were meeting colonists going anti-clockwise. And fighting about it.

Several political systems developed in this time. The old earth nations couldn’t keep up with the administration of all the new colonies. New star-spanning nations developed and follow the colonies around the galaxy. The old Cygnan Empire and the [[Blue_Giant:Interstellar Nations#The United Nations Protectorate (UNP)|United Nations bureaucracy]] left to watch over it were cut loose from the Earth colonies. This was due to cutbacks and ‘resizing’ as the Earth nations tried to re-focus on the new colony worlds. The UN/Cygnan areas became an independent territory which is still known as the [[Blue_Giant:Interstellar Nations#The United Nations Protectorate (UNP)|United Nations Protectorate]]. The various Cygnan races were finally granted access to the stars and being somewhat alien, they didn’t bear a grudge.

The colonists going clockwise around the western side of the galaxy encountered a few more alien species. The colonists either ignored them, dealt with them or were dealt with by them. Friends and enemies were made but no more star-spanning races were found. At least none with Hyperjump technology, that is. The colonies were too busy surviving to make war with each other and a loose trade federation formed. 

Over on the anti-clockwise, eastern side of the galaxy no alien races were discovered. There was plenty of archaeology, but not much in the way of living beings. This was hardly remarked upon because the colonists didn’t really care. Then  [[Blue_Giant:Astræ'an_Throne|The Throne]] was discovered by a colony scout called John Braxen. Who did care, and had done his archaeology homework.

[[Blue_Giant:Astræ'an_Throne|The Throne]] is one of three artefacts Braxen discovered. It is a star faring city, a command centre and a throne room all in one. It has a dome 2 miles in diameter. Inside the dome are a city and the only hyperspatial jump drive known to humankind. One side of the dome has a concave section missing, slightly under a mile wide. In the concave section at the back, facing the opening is a throne. Whoever sits in the throne can control every function of the artefact and the function of the other two artefacts Brabxn discovered. The throne is more powerful than the entire human fleet of ships at that time. The second artefact is a giant crystalline starship / weapon. It was lodged on the surface of a dark star in the centre of the galaxy. The third is a device that manufactures permanent wormholes. 

So Braxen used it to carve himself an empire and make himself an emperor. Braxen went to war against the rest of the galaxy and only ended when one of his Empresses assassinated him and took the throne herself. Braxen found the device in 2702, formed his empire, and then went to war in 2777. He was killed in 2780 and the [[Blue_Giant:Empress|Empress Astrae’a]] declared the war over and informed the victors of the terms of surrender she would allow them to impose on her. She seems to have discovered the secret of longevity as well as she still rules 220 years later.

The war with the empire galvanised the western worlds into forming the politically solid [[Blue_Giant:Federal_Alliance|Federal Alliance]]. Each world in the Alliance is given the status of Independent, Dependant or Colonial. Independent worlds get a say on the council, Dependants get to lobby via the Independent world they depend on and Colony worlds don’t get a say but tend to turn up for the arguments anyway.