Almost three thousand cycles of slowly increasing tensions between the original Aramax coalition and the returned human population result in political instability, economic and social decay, with the subsequent weakening of the Aramaxian military leading to a general and painful decline.

The Catraethi Regenium rises out of the ashes of Aramax, blaming near-humans and Exogenic races for the decline of human supremacy. They field provolved warrior-monks armed with relic technologies of the Aramax, quickly conquering several star systems. They are ruled by a lineage of matriarchs who adopt the title “Empress” that claim to be the prophet of their Mother-God. Millions are enslaved and war is constant between the Regenium and other nation states. A general decline of technology begins across Known Space. First official recording of the Strangeness; evidence of multi-dimensional disruption in the Orion Spur. Abnormalities are observed in the very fabric of reality.

The Dumno, a clan of landowners on the planet Vaensar, form a Joint Venture with the MassTrader Union, and then with Yinntosh, in order to rebuild the Jovian and Vaensar systems after the Dissension Wars begin to cool. This new power bloc is lauded as a savior to billions. Construction of The Market superstructure begins.

The continent-spanning megastructure of The Market is completed, housing vast server vaults of godlike computational power, trading halls, and the first ansible arrays. Trading begins and the first Magnates, along with the nations that make up the Summit Council, form the new government that is named the Hegemon. The Trappist Papacy joins the Jovian Autocracy and the new Protean Minarchy, which arises out of the old Vaensar empire.

With the publication of the Manual, the ExeCor adopts the concept of New Mankind, an extensive scientific, psychological and anthropological movement that defines what “is” and “is not” human. Near-human populations, including many forms of artificial intelligence, are deemed incompatible are either driven out or exterminated. Their wealth is plundered.

Grand Master Guy’os of the Catraeth Regenium launches a devastating attack on the Stratos high orbit shipyards of Trasimaen where the First Armada of the Directorate remains in harbor. The attack is overwhelming, every single con and Tributary is massacred in a single day. The attack continues onward to the worldring Cortona, which is shattered. The Audit confirms “uprisings” and terrorist attacks across the ExeCor, especially on the duskward border. Pirates attack from the Frontier, including Exogenic migrations. The fact that they occur within the same quat is a clear indication of a great conspiracy. The resulting images and vids shared across Known Space cause many to join the Hegemon while every citizen from indentured to Magnate swells with incredible patriotism. The Hegemon is united. The Summit, after two centuries of defensive war and relative peace, orders war declared on the Catraethi Regenium.

The Hegemon is not prepared for the barbarity Catraeth can commit. The MacroCorps’ mercenaries and personal armies often prop up Directorate forces and local militaries. Many lessons are learned against the Catraeth warrior-monk brotherhoods and their ancient but powerful weaponry. The Commission is tasked with hunting down traitors and enemy spies while the Audit strikes outward in a shadow war. The Black Ring works with the Hegemon for the first time, targeting Catraethi leadership. There is no defense against Catraethi energy-based matres weapons. Slowly, and with great sacrifice, the Hegemon begins to take hold then advance into those nations and governing entities believed to have helped the Catraethi. Never has anything challenged the Hegemon like this before.

Five stealth cutters deploy the Divisions of Barakan into combat for the first time. Due to the Barakan’s ability to spend significantly longer in the Outside, the trip to the Catraeth Empire’s homeworld is done in a single descent, bypassing almost all of Catraeth’s defenses. The Catraeth warrior-monks mount a desperate defense but are overwhelmed and Castellum Paridiso is overrun. Barakan capture the Mother-God Empress. As the Barakan forces withdraw they unleash hundreds of atomika-grade weapons upon Catraeth population centers. Shortly thereafter, the Empress is put on public display and shown to have gone utterly insane. Her trial is broadcasted throughout Known Space.

Renewed interest in monolithic construction starts dozens of projects across Known Space when the Myroit Empire releases Arkillects to the Summit Council. Old Humanity’s accomplishments are challenged by new creations that reshape dozens of worlds and place multi-kilometer long creations into orbit.

So much profit is made in the 44th cycle of the third fiscal century that it becomes a lucky number. The ExeCor grows to unbelievable prosperity as the Consumer class is strengthened by performance in all sectors. A new MacroCorp, BrightFire, secures a unique license to keep local Exogen populations from being hunted to extinction. Safaris become the most popular form of entertainment both in first hand experiences and recorded, cogit-bonded second-hand experiences.

With the availability of bionetic organs such as external wombs, successes in synolitic treatments and neotyne “children” population numbers drop to dangerous levels amongst good credit Cons (Grades 1-3). Multiple nation-states forgive debts and uplift Indentured in an attempt to incentivize progenization. It works but at the cost of economic stability. In the middling worlds beyond the ExeCor, clone proxy workforces are fabricated. The Summit Council convenes in several emergency sessions, which inadvertently cause the deaths of several planetary leaders in their haste to reach Protea. As a result of these sessions, and under advice of Five Hands Panceuticals, heavy regulations are placed on the business of life extension and ectogestation. While critics decry the hypocrisy of the Summit and its flouting of the Manual, new licenses are issued by Five Hands which allow for legal loopholes.

Several nations, most notably the Karanova Republic duskward of Protea, reject membership to the Hegemon. They are backed by several MacroCorps who believe that they can form a new Summit council and adhere to the previous editions of The Manual. The secession is met with overwhelming positive support for the Hegemon from the Consumer class. The southern supersectors will never recover from these endless wars and will remain a hotbed of anti-Hegemon sentiment, Unionist radicals and criminal activity.

Dumno-Lyzashas prepares a massive counter invasion of the duskward nations south of Bhosnaya. Her forces are made up of veterans and those who desire vengeance. It is her plan to conquer the rest of Known Space. Despite her popularity, many, including several outspoken members of the Summit Council, do not wish for more war. Many have become exorbitantly wealthy and the successes of Reconstruction make the prospect of renewed interstellar conflict a precarious one. Lyzashas insists that another Coalition will rise if the Hegemon does not act now and so, a vast armada launches to half-hearted fanfare. None are ever seen again.

The Mashiba Development Zone is funded by a collection of relatively weak and smaller nations along the eastern Frontier supersectors. Velanite becomes the Hegemon’s most valued commodity overnight. The Copper Kings quickly hire a mercenary army to outright subjugate minor worlds and nations despite their legal right to exist.

Magnate Asudii of Civika, a MacroCorp specializing in prison management, discovers Oremor and bribes his way through the cordon around the planet. What he discovers is a world mutated by nanophagic rampancy and an unbelievable financial opportunity. Realizing that he and his fellow travellers cannot leave lest they spread the phage, he grounds his cruiseliner and informs Civika. Several cycles later Indentured, criminals and prisoners from all over Known Space are shipped to Oremor. Various scenarios and contests are made by Asudii for those who arrive which are then recorded for entertainment subscriptions. None could have prepared for the level of popularity these broadcasts become, sparking a rush by other MacroCorps and Corpos to petition joint ventures with Asudii as well as governments sending their undesirables to Oremor. Some even volunteer for the surety of becoming celebrities facing the “Monsters of Alkahest.” Development of more advanced cogit-sleeves allows for unique, first hand experiences by subscribers.

Entertainment conglomerates convene and challenge several hundred info-laws across Civil Space. The regulation of information is replaced by the abundance of information with the argument that an informed Consumer population provides a better customer base. Known Space is barraged by thousands of info-networks, endorsement markets and individual MacroCorp broadcast signals each with curated opinions. The Brand Wars begin.

Millions of worker collectives suddenly ally across a dozen star systems bordering the Vela Nebula. Laborers, office workers, and even advertisement specialists refuse to work across thirty worldrings after a reasonable increase on output to sustain the vital colonial efforts in the supersector. Coordinated with the help of sympathetic FreeTraders, the strike began on the worldring Buchtel, as seen below. Corpo security forces are brutalized and executed in the violence. Stratos MacroCorp and several subsidiaries are immediately affected as shipbuilding becomes impossible with multiple security breaches that kill thousands. Armasyn shares drop in value as the growing Unionist movement steals Grade 2 weapons and turns them on innocent Cons. Pirate broadcast stations spread images throughout the Eastern supersectors and capture public attention. Stolen bipedal gyro-tanks, orbital-capable artillery, even a squadron of Warliners is hijacked from warehouses and dockyards. The self-proclaimed “Alliance of Amalgamated Workers” begins to carve out their own territory. By avoiding the Armada fleets sent after them, they make planetfall on the principal world of Galoniyar. Terrorist forces on the planet help assault the legitimate government, ending in the shameful hanging of the mercantile class and upper credit Cons and Patrons. In these fires a so called “FreeNation” is born, attracting all manner of terrorists and malcontents, feeding illegal grey markets and promoting anarchy. Barakan Divisions 0-1, 7 and 93 are finally contracted to support the Directorate and a Joint Venture of MacroCorps resulting in the loss of eighty percent of the inhabited region over thirteen fiscal cycles with the heaviest fighting seen since the war against the Catraethi Regenium. Agents of the Audit uncover illicit ties connecting the Alliance and Corpos in the Hegemon, resulting in several smaller conflicts as those Corpos are hunted down. Galoniyar is renamed Knalo (Uttar for "This place will consume you") and is converted into a penal world, the largest and most notorious in Known Space.

A massive Joint Venture between Stratos, the Copper Kings and dozens of thrill-seeking Magnates embarks on a multi-cycle “hunt” that will take them on a pleasure-filled cruise through several star systems along the Vela Frontier. It is here that the first Havenhold-class Shigue vessel is discovered attempting to find a suitable world for colonization. Hundreds of kilometers in size, these vessels are believed to house the majority of the Shigue population and presumably their leaders. It becomes the obsession of the Magnates to run down this ship, extending their hunt another three quats.