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Heylo there, I am fairly new to the forums, and me and a friend have been working on a (hopefully) nice AAR. So far, we have the backstory - before the whole YOU GOT SPAAAAAAAACE thing. There are three player empires - the Iron Earth Imperium, the Dwarves of Armahk (forgive me for my misspelling) and finally, the ________ (were not entirely sure yet). This will be a timeline type AAR, however there will be short stories interspersed within this. Hope you enjoy! 
Introduction
Disclaimer: As you already know, this is an alternate history. Almost all events in this timeline are fictional. Any resemblance to real events are coincidental. Some events remain true or are accelerated.
The timeline of this Earth diverged in 1875. In that year, a group of people used the technology of the time to create a bipedal weapons platform, which they called an “Iron”. They formed a company in Switzerland called “The Ironworks”.
Beginnings 1875-1885
After the founding of the Ironworks things were slow.
Tensions Rise 1886-1899
The First Iron War 1900-1916
Intervening Years 1919-1930
Tech Race 1947-1970
Space Development 1971-2000
Beyond the Inner Belt 2001 - 2019
The Sol War 2020-2027
And that's where we'll end it off, soon comes the (short) history of the Dwarves of Armahk, and hopefully after that _________ race will come up! Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading!
Introduction
Disclaimer: As you already know, this is an alternate history. Almost all events in this timeline are fictional. Any resemblance to real events are coincidental. Some events remain true or are accelerated.
The timeline of this Earth diverged in 1875. In that year, a group of people used the technology of the time to create a bipedal weapons platform, which they called an “Iron”. They formed a company in Switzerland called “The Ironworks”.
Beginnings 1875-1885
After the founding of the Ironworks things were slow.
- 1875: The Ironworks is founded. Few notice it, but the people of Switzerland now have a major industrial company.
- 1876: Representatives of the US military came to the Ironworks’ HQ to see a presentation of the Generation One Irons. All were extremely impressed. Trade deals soon begin.
- 1877: Other nations follow suit to the US’ decision. The Ironworks expands its factories to keep up with demand.
- 1878: All major nations have Irons in their military.
- 1879: The Ironworks starts building factories in its biggest client nations.
- 1880: The Tzar of Russia stamps out communist revolutionaries, ending the threat to the throne.
- 1881: Switzerland becomes a major power due to Ironworks HQ
- 1882-85: The American Indian War is quickly resolved in a series of short armed conflicts in which American Irons totally obliterated the American Indians. Soon the Native Americans are an extinct remnant of the past.
Tensions Rise 1886-1899
1886: The US figures out how to create its own Irons. This impresses the German Reich. Both go into a research deal and trade information.
- 1887: Relationships between the US and the Reich improve. Austria-Hungary turns down German alliance because of its friendship with America.
- 1888: The US, Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland, and Russia form the Iron Pact.
- 1889: The Second French Revolution happens in a few days. Now, the fascist New French Empire joins with Austria-Hungary to form the Parisian Pact. Serbia and Japan join the Iron Pact.
- 1890: The German Reich begins it’s first experimentation with truly large Irons, which it calls Wunderwaffes. They are also referred to as Juggernauts.
- 1891: All European nations release their Asian colonies into nations with a similar government.
- 1892: America adapts Irons for use in factories, farms, mines, and for a curious farming in the ocean.
- 1893 - 1899: America undergoes a second industrial revolution involving Irons. Spreads partially to other nations such as Italy, Britain, France, Switzerland, and Russia. China quickly falls behind as an economic power, as they refuse to adapt to a changing economy. Shortly after the American West was colonized and exploited by workers using their Irons to exploit the natural far faster than previously thought possible.
The First Iron War 1900-1916
1900: Italy splits into fascist Neo-Rome and democratic Republic of Italy. Neo-Rome joins the Parisian Pact, while the Republic of Italy joins the Iron Pact. The Ottomans join the Parisians as well. The German Chancellor is assassinated by Austria-Hungary. Both call their allies to war. On December 31st, 1900, the First Iron War begins.
- 1901: Nations mobilize, and the Ironworks cuts of shipments to the Parisian Pact. US unable to send Irons, and compensates by sending a massive army. Canada ignores request for help from Great Britain.
- 1902: Japan is taking enemy colonies in the Pacific. Great Britain fights the French on two fronts: Europe and Africa. Europe is a stalemate, and Africa is nearly liberated by the Iron Pact.
- 1903: Africa is liberated, and the Parisian Pact has been forced out of the Pacific. South America remains as the sole outpost of the Parisian Pact. The Wright brothers build the Wright Flyer, which piques the interest of the Ironworks. They are brought to Switzerland, and with Ironworks funding and technology, they create the first Sky Iron: a new weapon in this war.
- 1904: Flying Irons are mobilized in Europe, and break the stalemate.
- 1905: The South American Colonies are under siege. Neo-Rome capitulates as Republican Irons flood into the capital. The Pope is discovered to be holed up in the Vatican, having survived a five-year long siege.
- 1906: The South American Siege ends, after the Iron Pacts blockade and fire-bombing of fields via Sky Irons starves them into submission.
- 1907: The factions reach another stalemate.
- 1908 - 1909: Little changes on the front.
- 1910: Stalemate is broken as the Ottomans surrender after the bombing of Istanbul.
- 1911: Japanese troops and ships take Singapore and Taiwan, then start invasions on areas such as Korea, Philippines, and Australia, China is helpless to stop them. Takes most islands in the Atlantic. North Korea and South Korea capitulate under Japanese occupation.
- 1912: Japan invades and occupies Mongolia through Russia and puts down a Korean rebellion, however does not invade China with it’s millions strong peasant legions.
- 1913: Austria Hungary forms a defensive barrier known now as The Line. It stretched on all of Austria Hungary's borders.
- 1914: In a heroic and bloody battle, Iron Pact forces of every nation storm a spot now known as Bone’s Break and break The Line, spilling in and blitzkrieging through Austria Hungary, a tactic Switzerland is now famous for.
- 1915: Soon British and American forces invade France with Sky Irons, freed from the Ottoman front, forcing the French leaders to capitulate to the aerial bombardment, unable to defend themselves with their basic “fighter planes”.
- 1916: After sixteen years of bloody fighting, all the nations of the Parisian Pact surrender to Iron Pact forces. The following slide will explain annexation, punishment, and consequences when the smoke clears.
France was annexed by Switzerland, while in a treaty with Great Britain, America took Canada.
- The rest of the Iron Pact turned a blind eye towards Japan’s indiscriminate annexations and occupation in its quest for resources.
- Austria Hungary was annexed by the German Reich
- Serbia annexed the Ottoman Empire and in a “surprising” show of support, Romania, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Albania joined Serbia
- In the fear of another repeat of such wholesale destruction occurring again, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark all joined into the Scandinavian Commonwealth
- Portugal joined Spain
- All the Parisian Pact colonies in South America and Africa were given democratic governments.
- China kept its independence (nobody cared). Joined with Indo-China, Manchuria, and Mongolia, but still refused an Iron powered economy.
- East Indies “join” Japan
- Siam and Afghanistan join India
- Persia and Arabia join and form the Middle Eastern Empire
Intervening Years 1919-1930
- 1919: The Ironworks begins unknown work. It is not revealed what they are doing as of yet.
- 1920: Generation Two Irons are released. These Irons are more efficient, better armored, larger and more powerful. Great Britain decides to abandon most irons for massive airships.
- 1921: The Ironworks announces that every major nation has one year to design and create a new Iron for a competition. The winner will have the Ironworks HQ transferred. Second and third place will get representation offices and more factories.
- 1922: The competition, known as “The Iron Harvest” comes around. America wins with Germany in second and Japan in third.
- 1923: Construction begins on the Ironworks HQ in Downtown New York City. It is called “The Iron Spire”, and plans are to make it over a mile tall. This will also act as a defense platform, armed to the teeth with artillery of all shapes and sizes. During the planning, they find eccentric genius Nikola Tesla. He quickly becomes the head scientist of their R&D department.
- 1924: A Netherlands's inventor develops an extremely efficient air storage method and travels to America.
- 1925: Gandhi becomes the ruler of India, and starts preparing for war.
- 1926: The Steel Pact forms with India, Russia and the Middle Eastern Empire as the participants.
- 1927: China joins the Steel Pact.
- 1928: America begins to withdraw from the world to work on internal affairs. Maintains status in the Iron Pact.
- 1929: Tensions between the Iron and Steel Pact rise, Iron Pact forces mobilize. South America and Africa withdraw and become neutral in this conflict.
- 1930: Tension rises to the boiling point. War is inevitable.
- 1931: Gandhi and The Steel Pact Declare war on the Iron Pact. America stays out for now.
- 1932: Indian Irons march into Serbia, followed by China’s peasant legions
- 1933: Japan assaults China with small Irons, raiding the fertile coastal region.
- 1934: Plans for invasion of India begin.
- 1935: Germany marches worlds first Juggernaut into war-torn Serbia.
- 1936: British ships assault the Steel Pact forces along the Indian Oceans
- 1937: German and British forces drive a stalemate near the middle of Serbia
- 1938: Invasion of India begins. The Iron Pact almost loses, until American Juggernauts, or Sea-Irons, march out of the ocean from a two-month long trek underneath the waves, expedited by the underwater technology development over the past century. In a week, India has capitulated. This increases morale on all fronts.
- 1939: Russia tries to convince Mexico to invade America. Mexico declines.
- 1940: China, with Japanese raiders on one side, and American Juggernauts on the other, capitulates.
- 1941: Scandinavian and Swiss forces blitzkrieg once again through almost the entirety of Russia in two weeks, backed up by American Sea-Irons.
- 1942: Iron Pact forces march through the Middle Eastern Empire, sieging cities as they go. The last Steel Pact nation falls, ending the hostilities.
- 1943: Treaties and deals are signed and land partitioned. Lasers are created by Nicola Tesla.
- The Middle Eastern Empire and its vast oil fields are “released” as a satellite of America.
- Great Britain convinces the Netherlands and Belgium to join it.
- Japan annexes China.
- India has Gandhi deposed and replaced with a democratic government.
- Russia is annexed by the Scandinavian Commonwealth.
- Greece joins Serbia.
- Mexico joins the now United States of North America.
- India's coastal lands next to China are annexed by Japan (Siam area).
- The Middle Eastern Empire and its vast oil fields are “released” as a satellite of America.
1944: Generation Three is skipped and is considered to be Irons inspired by the Iron Harvest. Generation Four Irons are all under-water/high atmosphere capable, better armored, more powerful, more efficient, and more maneuverable.
- 1945: Nikola Tesla dies. His designs are put to use to further technology for years.
- 1945-1955: A huge project begins, funded by the Iron Pact, which irrigates the deserts in Africa. This is known as the Sahara Project. Meant to decrease tensions in Africa between Parisian Colonies
- 1956: Tensions rise once again
- 1957: Open conflict breaks out between the now first to second world African countries, as they now build their own Irons. Only America is able to continue the fight, and Sea-Irons are deployed to the coast
- 1958: Soon American forces evacuate loyal Africans to America, where they help the Canadian expansion.
- 1959: The Great African War was a decided victory for the Neo-Parisian forces.
Tech Race 1947-1970
- 1947: Great Britain proposes a tactic to the US using their sky-navy air-dropping North America’s Irons. The US approves.
- 1948: Fifth generation Irons arrive. The US redesigns their Juggernauts to be twice their original height of eighty feet, have more weaponry and heavily armored. Work begins in the Iron Pact on harnessing fission as a source of power and weapons.
- 1949: US starts looking into rockets and outfitting Irons for space.
- 1950: Great Britain develops machinery to drop American Irons from their airships, causing the American-Britain bond to grow.
- 1951: Germany develops super-huge Juggernauts.
- 1952: The US, in friendly competition makes a thirty-story Juggernaut. Germany outdoes them with a half-mile tall Juggernaut. US surrender after making one the size of the Empire State Building. It requires rockets to move it’s legs.
- 1953: America Launches first man into space in a rocket.
- 1954: Great Britain launches the first airship in space.
- 1955: Japan develops first Exo-Iron, after humiliating break-down at Iron Harvest.
1956: Britain develops the first airship that can go into orbit. Produces a permanent station and manufactures these ship in space, collecting asteroids for raw materials.
- 1957-1959: US pauses in the Tech Race due to the Great African War
- 1958: Switzerland develops the first nuclear powered Iron.
- 1959: Every Generation Six Iron is now nuclear powered.
- 1960: South American nations coalesce into the South American Federation.
- 1961: America develops Orbital Strike Iron and establishes the first permanent Moon presence. Other nations quickly follow.
- 1962: US releases Middle Eastern Republic due to oil being a useless material. Serbia quickly annexes it.
- 1963: South American Federation establishes first Venus Colony, in low orbit connected to the surface.
- 1964: Short border war between the Scandinavian Commonwealth and the Japanese Empire.
- 1965: US develops long range high speed thrusters that allows for conventional travel between Inner planets.
- 1966-1970: Inner planets are colonized and partially developed.
Space Development 1971-2000
- 1971: Generation Seven Irons are all capable to survive most hostile environments (space, deep ocean, space). However, they do not have very much more modifications made to them.
- 1972: The Iron Pact sets up massive mining stations in the inner asteroid belt.
- 1973 - 1975: As the industrialization in Canada finishes, the US has oceanic settlements built along the bottom of the sea, going from 64 states to 102, scattered all along the bottom of both Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
- 1974: Outer space tourism becomes a major industry. The first real lunar city is awarded its title on December 1st, marking Lunar Colonization Day.
- 1975: Japan starts it’s own underwater settlement program, Britain starts soon after. Japan develops hyper efficient air scrubbers that totally eradicate the possibility of global warming.
- 1976: Japan develops Generation Two Exo-Irons, small one man suits of power armor.
- 1977: Switzerland develops the first weaponized laser, Britain switches primary weapons to lasers.
- 1978: Germany develops a hyper-efficient multi-stage rocket design which allows for rocket warfare in the immensity of space.
- 1979: The South American Federation joins the Neo - Parisian Pact after years of debate.
- 1980: America releases its colonies in space as satellite states, to decrease tensions.
- 1981-1986: Colonization of the inner planets continues. A huge terraforming project called Green Planet starts on Mars, predicted to be finished at the end of the next century.
- 1987: Global Environmental Initiative starts, both the Iron act and the Neo-Parisian Pact participating, bringing them closer together.
- 1988: In a series of rapid raids, a Japanese lunar colony destroys the air supplies of three Neo-Parisian Pact colonies, bringing them apart. The colony claims Japan put them up to it.
- 1989: Discovered the Japanese colony was trying to stage a third Iron War to then have an easier time splitting from Japan.
- 1990: Switzerland, Germany and Serbia join together into the European Union.
- 1991: Germany invents a method of neural interfacing, allowing for cybernetic technology.
- 1992: Britain joins the European Union
- 1993: The Scandinavian Commonwealth joins the European Union
- 1994: Cybernetic technology allows for Japan to develop Generation Three Exo-Irons.
- 1995: The Ironworks applies this to it’s Irons and comes out with the Generation Eight Irons, which are faster to respond, and need less crew.
- 1996-1999: Great Britain starts experimenting with fusion reactors, however the size and shape allows it to be fitted only on the spaceships and the biggest of Juggernauts.
- 2000: Ironworks releases it’s newest development, an engine that travels in a bubble of warped space, allowing it to bypass both the speed of light and the laws of relativity. A prototype ship was sent to Jupiter and back over the course of a week. Called an Alcubierre Drive.
- Causes outrage among the inner colonies, as they are not the wild frontier, being merely an hours travel to go to Mars.
- Immediately ships start moving to the gas giants and setting up upper atmosphere research labs and colonies on the moons.
- Pluto becomes a resort planet, having plans drawn up for completing an entire shield around the dwarf planet that would keep in atmosphere and heat. Same for other small dwarf planets.
- Farming in the upper atmosphere of gas giants begins.
- A plan for a starbase orbiting the Sun begins, with multiple docks, cargo storage, ship building areas, resource collection and refining areas, and cargo transference areas.
- Causes outrage among the inner colonies, as they are not the wild frontier, being merely an hours travel to go to Mars.
Beyond the Inner Belt 2001 - 2019
- 2001: A famous expedition to Europa by the XD-1 went disastrously when a crew member was ejected out the airlock by a computer malfunction, and the ship then set a course out of the system. However, it was discovered there was non-sapient life on that moon.
- 2002: Great Britain develops a compact Alcubierre Drive that has opening “portholes”, which allow for fighters to be deployed.
- 2003: Space Irons are developed that use this effect to drop faster than light onto a planet.
- 2004: Construction of the Starbase begins.
- 2005: Saturn is largely farmed and mined by various stations and arcologies.
- 2006: Construction of the Starbase continues, and populations across the system are momentarily united in a common cause.
- 2007-2010: The Outer Expansion continues steadily, each nation sending waves of colonists.
- 2011: The Moon has been seeded and it’s ice melted, slowly gaining an atmosphere.
- 2012: The Pluto Resort is finished, and becomes the most popular tourist location in the solar system.
- 2013-2017: The whole of North America becomes one massive city, named New York.
- 2018: The Scandinavian Commonwealth settles the North Pole, building Santa’s Workshop.
- 2019: Tensions between the Home world, Inner Planets, and the Outer Planets rise, as they all clamor for control.
The Sol War 2020-2027
- 2020: Rising Tensions finally culminate and war breaks out between the Homeworld, the Loyalist Colonies and the Traitor Colonies. The Iron Pact and Neo-Parisian Pact coalesce into the Iron Earth Pact.
- 2021: Luna is taken over by the Traitor Colonies. Mars, in the midst of the Green Planet Project, is united into a Loyalist world. All other world follow suit in the model of Luna.
- 2022: A British dreadnought destroys an traitor Iron task force in a quick and destructive battle.
- 2023: Orbital Strike Irons pound the surface of Luna, and the sheer numbers cause them to capitulate. Their orbit secure, the Iron Earth Pact turns its attention to other worlds.
- 2024: The Ironworks creates an all-terrain mobile fortress they call a Land Dreadnought. Deployed on Ganymede, Titan and other worlds. Venus remains an air battle.
- 2025: Irons Landed on Venusian sky-cities. Venus is almost won. Ground being won on other worlds.
- 2026: Venus capitulates as the last city is reclaimed. Battles on other worlds almost finished.
- 2027: Ganymede falls. The Traitor Colonies surrender.
- 2028: An extrasolar meteor collides with uninhabited Io. A massive scientific camp springs up around the impact site almost immediately.
- 2029: Scientists find a new element which they name Voidtanium. It is extremely light, and stronger than it is light. Much stronger. It is also an extremely conductive, and when made into cable, a half inch thick cable is capable of holding a North American Juggernaut.
- 2030: The Ironworks sets up a mine on Io to harvest this massive 20 mile wide meteor.
- 2031: The Ironworks applies this metal to all of their machines, and increases their size slightly.
- 2032: Voidtanium is used in infrastructure, and civilian industries.
- 2033: It is found that Voidtanium makes the fusion reactor and Alcubierre Drive more effective.
- 2034: The first interstellar colony ship is designed.
- 2035: Colony expedition to the Alpha Centauri system goes horribly wrong and effect has yet to be known. The hole they disappeared into was caused by a Voidtanium reaction to a rare exotic particle which opened a hole in dimensions. It warped space and time. Survey expedition to improve Alcubierre Drive safety continue. (Begin Dwarfs of Armahk).
- 2036: Prolonged exposure to Voidtanium has been discovered to give people latent psionic powers.
- 2037: With human cloning perfected the five monarchs donate their DNA to create one single Emperor of Mankind.
- 2038: Cloning process complete.
- 2039-2052: The Emperor grows up in a prospering human race.
- 2052: The first working mainstream Voidtanium Alcubierre Drive is created.
- 2053: The first colony/explorer ship is designed, built, and launched by the Imperium. Soon, the Dawn of a New Age looks out on multitudes of people.
And that's where we'll end it off, soon comes the (short) history of the Dwarves of Armahk, and hopefully after that _________ race will come up! Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading!
