Second Interstellar War

Fringe colonies and habitats have existed since Icarus engines became available to the public at prices a billionaire could afford, but until the fall of the Federation as a pan-human government, all interstellar administrative and legislative matters were decided on Earth. As humanity expanded into the Perseus arm of the Milky Way, long communication delays and deliberate sedition on the part of interstellar corporations and the political elite led to outright rebellion by the fifty-two worlds who came to be known as the Perseid. Unable to reach a swift compromise under the burden of an unwieldy parliamentary procedure, the Federation was forced to take a hard stance. The Battle of Neo-Macedon, started on 1024.2.14 when a system defense frigate opened fire on a Federation courier, is considered to be the beginning of a sixty-six-year long conflict that saw Earth bombed from orbit and billions dead on both sides.