Canon is the official backstory that flavors the universe of the Artemis simulator. The main source for official game canon is Word of God from the Artemis forums.
Galactic Map
The TSN has mapped out these rough boundary lines of territory for each race. For a larger view of the galactic map, click here. Note that this map is out of date. It refers to the USFP as "ConFed", and the Arvonians as "Argonians", with a "g". The Ximni are not marked on the map.
The Sagittarius Arm is where the TSN Deep Space Stations are set up. Due to the aggressive nature of the conflict thus far, very few planets have been colonized directly in this arm. Most of Earth's initial colonies are still in the Orion Spur.
The Hegemony resides mainly in the Centaurus Arm of the galaxy. Despite the Hegemony working together, they do have distinct claimed areas of spaces that they primarily defend. The Torgoth are the gatekeepers between the Centaurus Arm and the Norma Arm where it is speculated that the Skaraans came from.
The Races of the Milky Way
There are six major races in the galaxy, (as of Artemis 2.4) each with their own motivations. While alliances come and go, for the most part you will encounter the Kraliens, Arvonians, Torgoth and Skaraans as either the TSN or Ximni.
Terrans - The United Space Faring Planets, or USFP, is a benevolent, democratic alliance of peaceful planets, formed by the inhabitants of the Sol system. Players of the game may choose to be with the TSN, the military force charged with defending this alliance.
Ximni - The other force players may choose to be a part of, the Ximni are mutants who survived a long-ago apocalypse. They now have a benevolent democratic government, but their love of excitement and conflict makes them thrill seekers who tend to be unpredictable.
Kraliens - A deeply religious people, the Kraliens believe that their gods long ago granted them ownership of the Milky Way galaxy. They feel obligated to collect payment from the other races in the name of their gods, which often leads to conflict. They have the edge on the other races in sheer numbers, and are the most common enemy that the players will encounter.
Arvonians - Arvonians are peace-loving, sensitive people who respect life in all of its forms. They are ruled by a sentient computer that appears to be concerned only with manipulating events for its own good, and the good of its people. Because the Arvonians respect even Artificial Intelligence as a living thing, Arvonians prefer to use fighter craft instead of guided drones.
Torgoth - Powerful, aggressive creatures much bigger than a Terran, the Torgoth are ruled by a representative government that encourages conflict in order to remain in power. They can be counted on to side with anyone who is interested in starting a war. Their massive capital ships are well armed and carry automated drones, but must maneuver slowly since the Torgoth do not handle inertial forces well.
Skaraans - A race of horse-like master tradesmen who have made a business out of making war. Their factories turn out the best and most advanced combat technology, and the Skaraans will do anything to make sure there is a demand for their goods. This often means meddling in other races' affairs.
Pirates - Not truly a race of their own, the Pirates are a third player faction added in Artemis 2.6. Primarily made up Terran warships that refused to give up after the Unakalhai Uprising, they have evolved into a privateering alliance of outcasts from all six races.
Timeline:
A brief history of the United Space Faring Planets and its military arm, the Terran Stellar Navy. It is suggested that you may use different settings for difficulty and sensor range to simulate various points in this timeline.
2098 - Alexander Fitzgerald confirmed the existence of a field effect that can 'warp' space and time. Limited experimentation led to his untimely death, along with a spectacular display of energetic particles throughout the Terran solar system.
2111 - Independent teams rediscovered Mister Fitzgerald's work, including groups in the United States, Russia, China, Eurozone, and African states.
2121 - An Afrikaner Spaceship was the first to achieve trans-light velocities, shortly before disintegrating, cause unknown.
2136* - The Aries War - The combatants are unknown, but in 2148 explosions from this war were detected by Earth astronomers. The awareness of interstellar wars going on somewhere in the universe spurred the nations of Earth to form a united space military arm, which will eventually become the TSN.
2143 - Travel within the solar system has become commonplace. A treaty ban on Trans-Light Weapons was enacted, although development continues in secrecy in every major nation. The remaining Earthbound nations formed an alliance, in order to avoid being left behind.
2157 - Colonies on nearby worlds have been established. Skirmishes occured, but were limited due to fears of an all-out war. The discovery of intelligent but primitive life on other planets led to the founding of the United Space Faring Planets, to help defend the developing races from encroachment by the more technologically advanced Terran colonies.
2167 - The exploration ship "Diogenes" discovered a crystalline lifeform in the Arcturus system. All hands on board are lost, but not before the ship transmits a frantic warning. "It's some kind of Space Monster! Avoid it at all costs!"
2169 - 2171* - First Ximni-Arvonian War - This war took place before mankind had met other spacefaring races.
2175* - USFP-Kralean Border Dispute - Our first interstellar war ended when the Kralien fleets withdrew, but the Kraliens have never relinquished their territorial claims.
2178 - The nations of the Earth signed on to the existing United Space Faring Planets, as they have the facilities and agreements to govern an interplanetary bureaucracy, in the face of the alien threat. General Order One placed the Terran Star Navy (TSN) under the command of the USFP.
2182 - Kralien warships began harassing colonies on the border of USFP space. These ships were joined by Arvonian and Torgoth scouting vessels, which were either borrowed from the Kraliens, or used similar technology. A single Kralien vessel unexpectedly appeared near the Sol system, demanding payment. It was quickly destroyed, but USFP scientists were unable to agree on how it got so far into USFP territory without FTL technology.
2183 - A massive line of Deep Space Base Stations were constructed along the void between the core systems and the spiral arm that contains Earth and her initial colonies, on a direct line between the known alien races, and the Sol System. These stations provided refueling and rearming options, and maintained clouds of defensive minefields. Unfortunately, these bases were not armed, which would prove to be a tragic mistake.
2185 - Torgoth capital ships and Arvonian carriers began to appear. The earlier scout ships were never seen again. Ships of a new race, the Skaraans, began to appear, with a technology level equivalent to that of the USFP, including FTL Drives. Discussions began on developing a new generation of ships to reclaim the TSN's edge.
2187 - The Mark One homing torpedo was introduced to the TSN. Utilizing an amazingly small Sub-Warp Drive to achieve 1/2 the speed of light, it provided a badly needed combat edge to the beleaguered vessels of the Navy, which were mostly borrowed ships built by the member planets.
2188 - 2191* - First Torgoth Incursion - The Torgoths allied with the Arvonians and Kraliens, forming the TAK Alliance. They took several USFP systems. Construction of the Artemis-Class Battle Cruiser begins.
2188 - The USFP Senate passed General Order Seventeen, which authorized the development and production of Nuclear Weapons, ending a 50 year ban on the technology of mass destruction. The Type Four Nuclear Torpedo was developed.
2189 - The TSN Artemis, the first vessel of the Artemis class was launched. Containing the highest technology available to the Star Navy, including the fastest Warp Drive yet produced, the vessel was capable of Warp 4, a speed well beyond that of even the Skaraan ships, and her armament was far superior. Her crew was hand-picked from all of the USFP member worlds, but all but a handful were either Terrans or members of the Terran colonies.
2190 - First encounter with the Ximni. The Ximni introduced us to Jump Gates, the FTL technology used by the TAK Alliance. The first experiments with TSN Jump Drive were begun, but it would take 10 years to produce results. In the meantime, the TSN began installing Ximni-designed Jump Gates in a belt across the frontier. (The concept of the Jump Gate is not considered canon, but the existence of Jump Drive does explain how the enemies can travel between star systems)
2191 - The TSN Artemis completed her shakedown period. Additional ships of the Artemis-Class were commissioned, eventually resulting in a fleet of six. They were assigned patrol lanes in and around the various Deep Space Stations, each tasked with the defense of a given sector of space.
2192 - 2195* - Second Ximni-Arvonian War - This war did not involve the USFP, though we did send one squadron, led by the Artemis, to defend a significant Ximni sector.
2197 - Forward mining and research stations were constructed in and around important systems or clusters of nebula, which were mined for materials or rare gasses needed for the war effort. These bases were protected by the Type Six Nuclear Mine, but were otherwise unarmed. They were typically automated or lightly crewed.
2199 - 2201* - Second Torgoth Incursion - The TAK Alliance attacked again, this time with Skaraan support. We countered by deploying our first Battleships.
2200 - The USPF developed the Science Vessel, based on the technology of the Ximni Jump Ring. Testing began on refitting some Artemis-class ships (now called Light Cruisers) with Jump Drive. The Type 9 ECM was developed. (It is called the EMP torpedo until 2205)
2207 - A TSN Scout encounterd a BioMech for the first time. Attempts to communicate with it failed.
2212 – 2213* - The Unakalhai Uprising - A dark period in our history, when numerous systems rebelled. For two years human fought against human with USFP space ships on both sides.
2214** - The reunited USFP entered into a peaceful period of trade with the Kraliens and Arvonians. The emboldened Kraliens attempted to collect rent from the Ximni, while the Arvonian supercomputer tried to subvert the Ximni direct democracy. Infuriated, the Ximni entered into an alliance with the Torgoth and Skarrans.
2215 - 2219* - The First Spiral Arm War - Every known race was swept up in this cataclysmic conflict. Late in the war the Ximni switched sides, joining the USFP.
2216** - The USFP took massive losses in the war, as the Skaraans begin using their unarmed Deep Space Bases as target practice.
2217 - The original Artemis was destroyed in a deperate battle to defend four of the USFP's most important bases, and buy the inhabitants time to escape. The bravery of the Artemis impressed the Ximni, and right in the middle of a battle two days later, the Ximni voted to switch sides.
2218 - The TSN began building Command Bases, which were heavily armed and placed in key sectors.
2219** - The Ximni had saved the USFP, but at the cost of their own unity. The Ximni were split into two camps, the Naturalists, who believed that their democratically achieved decisions were infallible, and the Projectivists, who felt that the Naturalists had voted foolishly.
2220 - 2225* - The Ximni Civil War - USFP membership was so unpopular that it eventually tore the Ximni Republic in half.
2220 - The TSN begin conversion of their Deep Space Bases to armed bases by installing the same beam designed for the Command Base.
2222 - A second "Artemis" is commissioned, leading to a tradition of re-using the Artemis name. Many crews begin incorporating a stylized letter "A" into their ships' badges and insignia. The TSN logo still uses the simpler "arrowhead" design previously derived from the UI symbol for an undefined ship.
2231* - The Second Spiral Arm War - A re-hash of the First Spiral Arm War which ended the same way; with the Ximni switching sides.
2231** - "The Battle of Hotblood's Tail", the battle that introduced the TSN Gungnir, the TSN's first Juggernaut, to the Ximni and their Torgoth allies. As before, the TSN were allied with the Arvonians. (And presumably the Kraliens)
2234 - Increasing tension leads the Skaraans to officially join the TAK Alliance, against the alliance of the USFP and Ximni. The TSN names this alliance the Hegemony.
2235 - The first TSN Medium Carrier is launched, with fighters.
2237 - The Type 8 Phase Shock torpedo is developed, to help defend the shipping lanes from Space Monsters, of which several new types have been encountered.
2240* - The War of Hegemony - All spacefaring races attacked the USFP-Ximni alliance.
2241 - The first BioMech Infestation is reported.
Note: This timeline was originally written by Brian C. Johnson. His original version can be found here, and his blog, which dates back to 2011, is here. Entries marked with (*) were taken from the official Artemis 1.7 manual. Entries marked (**) were taken from posts by Mike Substelny on the forums, or were written as one of his "Canonical Battles" for Artemis Armada. Dates were assigned to fit the timeline when not available.
All other entries should be considered speculative at best. An alternate timeline from the TSN Roleplaying group is also available. The idea of the Artemis logo being the unofficial insignia of the TSN was put forward by RyleyRA, and the TSN Roleplaying group has an entirely different logo. Mark Bell introduced a third TSN logo at Artemis Armada III.
Comments (1)
Xavier Wise said
at 12:01 pm on Jan 1, 2014
This timeline no longer matches that presented in the official game manual. Some of the events seem out of sync with the manual. There is also reference to the ConFed senate, which is seems to have changed to the USFP; the govenment formed in the mid-22nd century. There is also reference to humanity spreading across the cosmos and meeting other alien races before the meeting the Kraliens, rather than the reference to the Kraliens being the first contact with an alien race.
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