In the twenty-first century it was a new time for the human race, a time when it seemed that man was poised on the edge of an age unlike anything that had come before. Then a signal was recieved from the stars. It was a warning; another race had already staked their claim to the galaxy before our species had its first stirrings of sapience, and they didn't appreciate competition.

Even as humanity struggled to come to terms with the transmission he reached out his hand to the stars. It was not easy. The abysses between the stars were one of the greatest obstacles humanity had ever faced, perhaps the greatest. Even with enormous energies expended to boost the ships to high fractions of c even reaching the nearest stars would take years; most voyages would take decades or centuries. But the technological challenges were met and overcome and expeditions were launched into the Black. They found a universe of wonders; worlds filled with life, alien intelligences, signs of ancient agencies that had changed the very shape of the galaxy. Human civilization spread over hundreds of light years and many worlds. But man could not forget about the force that threatened him, or the disquieting signs he found on some worlds that, waiting for him out among the stars, there might be something even worse...

8 billion years in the past...
1000 years in the future...
Welcome to the Known Galaxy!
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The Known Galaxy is a worldbuilding project, hopefully to eventually become a published universe, intended to combine a strict commitment to hard science with the spirit of classic space SF in the hopes of creating something unusual, memorable, and fun. If you're a fan of hard SF, classic space SF, just like what you see, or just want a place to hang out (I'm fairly lenient toward off-topic discussions as long as they aren't spam and don't excessively clog up the list) I invite you to join and participate, or just lurk if you'd prefer!