This is a brief history of time, starting with the oldest known member of the One Time, and proceeding up to the present day. As described in the sidebar, though the first race existed 9 billion years ago, far less time than this has passed within the One Time. It is estimated that about 100 million years has passed since the first wormhole was created.

The oldest known civilisation arises, the Yi'klari, whose 'sun' is an exploding (possibly quasar) galaxy 150,000ly from their homeworld. They have long since passed on, leaving only a few wormgates and relics. Little is known about them (at least by humans), but it is almost certain that they were not carbon based. Some say that their homeworld is not their true home, and that they were already advanced when they colonised it.

The arise of a great civilisation in this part of the universe. Seems to span several thousand galaxies. They are called the Koo'Cha'Morini, which means “They Who Have Gone”. Nothing is known about them except for a few clues.

Several hundred of their galaxies have had their stars turned into red dwarfs, with Dyson Spheres constructed around them. This region of the One Time is off limits to the younger races, since it is feared artifacts from that civilisation may be misused by those unable to properly comprehend them.

The last relics of the Koo'Cha'Morini date to this time. They seem to have vanished over a period of 500 million years. Why is not known, though there are some signs of a great war.

The Elders arise in a distance galaxy. Like the Koo'Cha'Morini before them, they build a galaxy spanning civilisation.

The Elders contact the Others, a race about which little is known. A great war is fought, and civilisation all but collapses. A few of the Elder flee to nearby galaxies in order to avoid the war.

Towards the end of this war, the Elders home galaxy is destroyed, apparently by the weapons of the Others (one of the reasons that Other Tech is so dearly sought after by some people).

The Elders reach our galaxy, and find some signs of the Koo'Cha'Morini here as well. A small empire is build up, and the Elders begin the cultivation of other races in order to help them if the Others follow.

The first wave of the Others reach this galaxy in their search for the surviving Elders. They are destroyed, but more follow.

The 3rd generation reaches 'sapience'. Since all information about this time comes from the Elder's records, 'sapience' could mean anything from stone age to ultra tech. It is assumed to be at the higher end of the scale.

The 3rd generation species were the Jee-ini'ka, the K'l'n and the Arkal.

The Others arrive in force. Estimates put the length of the war at around 30 million years. Whether it was fought inside or outside the galaxy is unknown. Anyway, the Others are utterly defeated.

The Elders depart, leaving the 3rd generation to fend for themselves. The cultivation of the 4th generation begins.

The K'l'n and the Arkal leave this galaxy for other pastures. It is thought that the three races split to persue different ambitions.

The first of the 4th generation races arise. Over a period of several million years, all three fourth generations reach sapience. They are the Atharmi, the Gral and the Nay'tol.

The 4th generation are considered 'mature' enough to look after themselves, and the Jee-ini'ka also pass on to who knows where. Cultivation of the 5th generation begins.

It seems that the Gral came across Other tech, and war began, between the Atharmi and Nay'tol, v the Gral. A big war, with lots of wholesale destruction and pretty special effects as suns are destroyed and whole stretches of the galaxy laid barren. The Gral are eventually defeated, and scattered, though not utterly destroyed.

Nay'tol become the Singers, and loose interest in the affairs of the Atharmi, though some (small) contact remains to the present day. The Atharmi carry on alone in their uplift of the 5th generation.

Several races arise under the instruction of the Atharmi, but things fail. One of the races comes across a defunct Berserker of the Gral, and figures out how to use the Tech. War, the last few million years of work is flushed down the proverbial drain as the races are decimated in open warfare. The Atharmi step in and wipe out all traces of these races, seeing them as an embarrassing failure. No records of them survive to the present day, though some Tech is (very) occasionally found. The Atharmi start on a hurried attempt for the 6th generation.

The Tlal and the Wanara races are cultivated. Things proceed more or less as planned.

Tlal and Wanara surrender their biological bodies and merge to become a single race - the modern Tlal. These new Tlal help the emergence of the Scree.

Atharmi make Contact with the Scree, and it is at this point that I can start to become more detailed in the goings on of things, since the events from here until the present day are recorded and available at any good library throughout the One Time.

The Atharmi consider the current civilisations to be the 6th generation, which seems to suggest that they are lumping the Tlal in with us. There are also a *lot* more 6th generation races than there are races for any of the previous generations. This suggests one of two things (at least):

a) something is up, and the Atharmi want as many races around as possible. Reasons range from the Atharmi feeling guilty about their previous failure, and want some redundancy in this generation, to the fact that the Atharmi think something BIG is about to happen, and again need as many races around as possible.

b) All generations have had this many races, but only so many actually go on to achieve maturity. Either the others are destroyed (giving the reaction of the Atharmi to the fifth generation, this is not too far fetched) by their 'parents', or they wipe themselves out. The result is only the successful races from each generation ever get mentioned in the history books - at least those available to immature races at any rate.