Terran Confederation (-2398 to -2204)

Interstellar government consisting of Terra and its colony worlds.  The Terran Confederation has its roots in the formation of the United Nations Space Coordination Agency (UNSCA) in -2499.  In addition to handling mundane responsibilities that helped avoid conflict, UNSCA soon became a clearing house for space operations.

One of UNSCA's natural directions was research.  In 2087, UNSCA researchers in the system's asteroid belt who were looking for better drives to transport ores discovered jump drive.  The first jump drives were used only in the solar system - they were too weak to be used for interstellar travel.  In 2096, for various reasons, the first interstellar jump expedition travelled to Barnard's Star rather than Alpha Centauri.

Upon their return in 2097, the expedition members were hurried into a hushed meeting with UNSCA.  The expedition had encountered alien intelligent life - humans no less!  The expedition members had encountered a Vilani prospecting outpost, an outpost on the very fringe of a vast, advanced empire controlled by alien humans.  It came as quite a shock to the Terrans that many of the worlds only a few parsecs away were already claimed.  Politicians echoed the popular sentiment that it was unfair for alien humans from several hundred light-years away to claim worlds near Terra.  Individual nations began expanding their armed forces and building starships.

Over the course of the next three decades, UNSCA and the United Nations transformed itself into a true world government, which administered the defense of Terra against the Vilani Empire.  Terran colonies formed on other worlds were granted membership into the United Nations.  In -2400, the UN officially changed its name to the United Worlds.  Two years later, the name was changed again to the Terran Confederation.  Modern historians, for simplicity, use this term exclusively.

The Terran Confederation fought a series of interstellar wars with the Vilani Imperium over the period -2408 to -2219.  These wars ultimately resulted in the fall of the Vilani Grand Imperium.  The Confederation was dissolved in -2204 upon the proclamation of the Rule of Man to replace the Vilani Imperium.

See also Nth Interstellar War, and Solomani.

-IE ld