Domus Diaspora

The Domus Diaspora is a period in the Terran Commonwealth's history marked with the widespread colonisation of the Orion Arm. Scholars pinpoint the start of the Domus Diaspora to the colonisation of Reach, 11.7 light years away from Earth.

Invention of the Slipstream Drive
Prior to the Terran colonisation of Earth's neighbouring systems, the races that inhabit the solar system experienced a population crisis. The Commonwealth thought that the widespread colonisation of the solar system would alleviate the resource shortages on Earth, and though they were correct, the Commonwealth suffered shortage after shortage, resulting in the breakdown of one of the Commonwealth's colony over at the Jupiter Asteroid Belt.

Hope seemed fleeting, but that was when two brilliant scientists entered the scene. They unveiled their invention at the 2268 World Fair -- a functional slipstream drive capable of travelling to Earth's neighbouring systems in less than a week. The two scientists leased their patent to the Commonwealth for a large sum of money, though there is evidence to suggest that the duo also sold their patent to the Outer Planet Alliance, the predecessor to the Outer Planet Liberation Front.

Colonisation
In 2295, the first line of colony ships were sent to the ten systems closest to Earth. Due to the primitiveness of the Commonwealth's slipstream drive, most of the ships arrived at their supposed destination months after their predicted arrival date. Some ships never made it at all, lost to the labyrinthine chasms of slipspace. Despite the loss of few thousand Terran lives, the Commonwealth regarded the mission as a success. News broke out across the Commonwealth's news networks and the people rejoiced, relieved that there may be hope for the races of Earth.

In the decades following the first colonisation mission, hundreds of colony ships were produced. The population of the Sol system decreased by 300%, with most citizens leaving the system in hopes of finding a better life in the outer worlds. By 2348, over a thousand worlds had been colonised by the Terran Commonwealth.

A House Divided
As the Commonwealth pushed deeper into the stars, it became apparent that the stars were not as empty as they may seem. In 2330, a number of planets located in the Scorpio cluster -- situated 500 light years away from Earth -- announced their independence from the Commonwealth to form the new nation of the Communist Union of New Terrans. These worlds were once part of the Outer Colonies, and so their industrial output pales in comparison to the monolithic Commonwealth. However, in recent years, popular support for the Union has increased exponentially, especially in the Outer Colonies. Furthermore, the Omega Station Incident only proved to the Outer Colonies that the Commonwealth's bias for the Inner Worlds is so extreme that it is willing to execute its citizens if it means that it maintains its hold over the Outer Colonies.

It was also recently discovered that two of the missing colony ships sent in the First Mission had established their own nations. One of the ships founded an authoritarian, religious society whose borders stretch a thousand light years across. However, their technology is inferior compared to the Commonwealth's, relying mostly on outdated, Commonwealth technology. The second colony ship, however, founded an intensely materialistic society whose technology is twice as advanced than the technology currently possessed by the Commonwealth. These two nations are the Venerian Imperium and the Techno Union respectively. One key similarity between these two nations is that they prefer to isolation over collaboration.