Earth

Earth is the cradle of life, the mother world of all humanity and the capital of the Sol Federation. Though many wars and disasters have scarred its surface, the Earth still gleams a bright blue orb in the inner reaches of the Sol System and in the hearts of humanity.

System
Earth is the third of eight planet in the Sol System, and its most populous. It is the only one located within the Goldilocks Zone and thus the only one to support life naturally.

Geography
Earth in largely water, the largest bodies of which is separated into four oceans. There are six geographic areas categorized as continents which are home to the population of the planet.

Pre Earth Sphere Wars
In the years before the catastrophic conflicts that would spell the end of the first human civilization, the Earth enjoyed a massive boom in its economy coinciding with the further development of Mythril technology. While true, single-ship Mythril Drives had yet to be fully developed, the Mythril Gates system allowed for quick and safe travel between those worlds that had a connection while unmanned prototype Drive ships traveled to uncharted systems and built gates. It is often considered the Golden Age of space travel.

The Earth Sphere Wars
When a series of disasters, both natural and man-made, rocked the Earth in the years before 2515, humanity's expansion ground to halt. In a few short years Earth became a battleground, every Mythril Gate was blasted to dust, and civilization as it was known collapsed while the Earth burned. No country escaped unscathed, as even those who desperately attempted to remain neutral collapsed in the wake of the war. For a time, it seemed inevitable that Earth was to become a uninhabitable wasteland.

Throughout the war, many factions attempted to reclaim civilization- Their names have been all but lost to history, as not one was able to take control for long before collapsing until the rise of Ursang Selk.

Ursang Selk and the Total Earth Union
For almost two centuries Earth lay a wasteland. Many groups attempted to seize control and restore the old world, but none lasted longer than a few years, collapsing due to internal strife, conflict or the harsh conditions. Small countries and communities eked out an existence using artifacts left behind.

Ursang Selk, a native of what had once been called the Crimean Peninsula, led one such faction. While little information is available as to his early life, it is known that Selk's group controlled a great deal of eastern Europe through a network of alliances, rivalries and strong-arming. In 2705 he began to expand, utilizing old world technology mixed with newly created tech- The first such advancements for the wasteland period. In fifteen years, Selk had brought most of the world under his control and named his new nation the Total Earth Union.

Once Earth was secured, the TEU began a revival of the space program. A few fortunate atmospheric-orbital craft had survived the devastation, and with these were used as the base to rebuild the Earth's space elevator system. The ultimate goal was to bring Earth back to being the dominant power in space. By the year 2720, Earth's fleet numbered a dozen ships. They were to use newly stabilized Mythril Drives, and the Earth Fleet moved to bring the independent colonies back to Earth control. Some were eager to join the total Earth Union, while others were far less willing to rejoin their weakened parent. The TEU fleet crushed all resistance, and it soon appeared that the return of Earth's domain was at hand. Selk would not live to see it, dying in the year 2722, at the age of 71. He passed his command onto his protege and favored commander, Hudson Morrel.

Reconstruction
Earth was ravaged during the Earth Sphere Wars, subjected to devastating attacks by nuclear and orbital weaponry, leaving the landscape changed drastically. Entire mountain ranges were crushed and reformed during the combat, while many areas of forgotten ruins remain untouched by repair crews. Islands vanished under the seas and man made earthquakes split faults across the planet. More devastating was its effect on the environment, likened to a major extinction event. Many species of domesticated large animals were wiped out and had to be re-imported from colonies, a cruel irony to the eyes of Terrans. Collected pollution and general climate problems nearly made the planet uninhabitable at its worst point.

Morrel began a program of environmental restoration across the planet, initiating reconstructive projects and businesses that brought in immigration from the colonies back to the Mother World, building atmospheric purifiers and essentially reterraforming the Earth. While not yet returned to its former glory, great strides were made- and are still being made- to bring back the old times. Not the least of this is the reintroduction of species rendered extinct by the wars, using DNA patterns stored on recovered computers.

It was fortunate that so many colonies were spared the war. While almost all original copies of art, manuscripts, and other artifacts were lost or destroyed, the colonies retained them in digital form. Human culture had survived, just not on Earth.

The Sol Federation
As time went by, the totalitarian regime of the Union gave way to reform. The recovery of Earth and the unification of the colonies began to prompt reform and democratization. On Earth, several pro-democratic leagues opened up and criticized the harsh actions of Morrel's Union, calling for an end to dictatorship and a shift towards a republic. Morrel, against all expectations, agreed with this idea. He began the shift towards democracy at the later end of his reign, shifting the economy towards more capitalistic systems and setting the foundation for the 3C system with elected officials. In the year 2763, Supreme Commander Hudson Morrel stepped down from his post and declared the Total Earth Union dissolved, replaced with the Sol Federation and handing power over to the elected President.