MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD
This timeline provides details of the novel Phalanx that will spoil the story. Do not proceed unless you have already read it.
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2180
Zachariah synthetic constructed by Weyland-Yutani in Tokyo and assigned to the colony vessel Nan-Shan. He is, however, re-programmed prior to the launch of the Nan-Shan to the distant world of Ataegina.
Year 0 (2195 CE)
The Nan-Shan, after being sabotaged, crash lands on Ataegina. Zachariah, who was responsible for the sabotage and letting a Xenomorph Queen egg loose on the ship, has his memory wiped and is pre-programmed to save the remaining crew and colonists. Only one-hundred and nineteen colonists, all ten years old or younger escape the wreck under instructions from Zachariah to never return, approach an egg and to hide if they ever see an Alien.
Lifeboats carrying one hundred and twelve colonists are ejected from the Nan-Shan before it crashes. The EEVs land on the Southern Continent and Manroon Island to the north.
Year 1
Fifty-six survivors die during the first year, leaving a total human population on the planet of one hundred and seventy-five.
Year 10
A consistent population growth of 4% sees the numbers of inhabitants grow to 259.
Year 50
Population reaches 1,243.
Year 100
Population reaches 8,838.
Year 150
Population reaches 62,811.
Year 160
The inhabitants of Manroon Island first start raiding the main Ataegina continent.
Year 168
The Southern Continent invades Ataegina. The city of Hellan is pillaged and destroyed, while Swarmore is besieged. The other Ataegina city states start working together to push back the Southern forces, and Paul Poller is part of the army that ultimately defeats them.
Year 173
Paul Poller starts to develop ‘Phalanx’ tactics. Population sits at 154,811.
Year 174
An army led by Poller conquers the city of Tinsella. Population – 161,003.
Year 175
King Paul’s War begins. Population growth drops to 1% over the next five years factoring in those killed in the fighting. Population – 167,445.
Year 178
Construction commences on King Paul’s Crown of War – a series of fortresses or ‘holds’ across Ataegina: Keflan, Dakatera, Lemeth, Takanta, Vinden, Jantal, Biseth, Hibernia and Pendaran. Population – 172,581.
Year 180
King Paul’s War ends, and he becomes known as ‘The Unifier’. Population – 179,505. Over the next 20 years population growth increases to 2%.
Year 183
King Paul mandates compulsory military service. All men between the ages of 16 and 40 are trained as spearmen and archers. All women between 16 and 30 are to be trained as reserve archers. Population – 180,111.
Year 191
King Paul builds a fleet to invade the Southern Continent. Population – 180,435.
Year 192
King Paul invades the Southern Continent. After a few early victories against coastal towns, the fleet is crushed at the Battle of Palmridge and Paul flees as his navy is completely destroyed. Population 183,412.
Year 200
The Balkers Plague begins and King Paul is assassinated. Population – 261,505.
Year 201
Ten thousand people die of Balker’s Plague and the birth rate drops to 0.5% for the next three years. Population – 252,812.
Year 202
Twenty-five thousand die of plague and King Paul’s Empire collapses. Population – 239,976.
Year 203
Thirty-two thousand, five hundred people die of plague as the Crown of War holds are abandoned. Population – 208,675.
Year 204
Birth rate increases to 2%.
Year 211
City-State War begins. Population – 240,444.
Year 212
Twenty thousand die in the City-State War. Population – 225,253.
Year 213
Thirty-five thousand die in the City-State War. Population – 194,758.
Year 214
City-State War ends. Population – 198,653.
Year 227
A second Queen is born inside the wreck of the Nan-Shan and two Xenomorph factions fight with only one surviving.
Year 229
Sinesh Bishor is born.
Year 251
Explorers discover the wreck of the Nan-Shan at Black Smoke Mountain. Population – 413,334.
Year 252
First year of The Rising. Xenomorphs – referred to as ‘Demons’ by the Ataeginian peoples – slowly spread from Black Smoke Mountain. Within a short time over 1,000 people are dead. Population – 420,593.
Year 253
Second year of The Rising. Xenomorphs roam across the lands, killing 35,000 people. The largest city of Illsbrook is wiped out. Whenever the Demons are engaged in battle the human losses are heavy. Population drops to just over 395,000.
Year 254
Third year of Rising. Many cities are either wiped out or abandoned and the Ataeginian economy collapses. The last armies are defeated as survivors of Illsbrook and Lemeth Plains flee to abandoned mountain holds. Other survivors flee to the east. Seventy-thousand people die and population growth drops to 0.5%.
Year 255
Society collapses. One hundred thousand people are killed by the Demons and another hundred thousand sail away across Becky’s Ocean. They are never heard from again. Population – 123,617.
Year 256
Glynnis Flu outbreak kills 2,500 people. Those still in the lowlands remain subject to Demon attacks and 12,500 are killed. Population – 109,235.
Year 257
Glynnis Flu continues another 5,000 people in the holds. Fifteen thousand more die in Demon attacks outside the holds.
Year 258
Another 15,000 people did from Glynnis Flu and 10,000 from Demon attack.
Year 259
Although Keflan Hold discovers a cure for Glynnis Flu, 10,000 more die before it can be properly instituted. Those outside the holds, now largely living on the coasts remain targets for Demons and 5,000 more people die. The population of the main Ataegina continent sits at 50,555. The population of the now cut-off Southern Continent and Manroon Island is unknown.
Year 260
Trade routes are tentatively established to distribute the Glynnis cure from Keflan. As 2,500 more people are killed by the Demons, General Sinesh Bishor organises a new force to attack the creatures at Black Smoke Mountain.
Year 261
Bishor leads 5000 men from a number of holds against Black Smoke Mountain. They are routed in 15 minutes and only 500 survive. Beaten and crippled, Bishor flees to Lemeth Hold.
Pendaran and Hibernia both fall.
Year 262
Aloisius Darby becomes Margrave of Lemeth Hold. Two thousand, five hundred people are killed by Demons. Population – 36,743.
Year 273
Aulus Darby is born.
Year 270
Hundreds die during a crippling outbreak of forgetter’s syndrome at Takanta. Runner Herriet Lumos makes six runs, after already completing her mandatory ten, and against the wishes of the Dakateran Council carrying plinton fruit – effectively saving the entire hold.
Year 281
Aiko Laster is born.
Year 290
After twenty years of population decline the number of inhabitants of the main Ataeginian continent now sits at 33,127.
Year 298
Aulus Darby is elected Margrave of Lemeth Hold following the death of his father.
Year 300
Ahiliyah Cooper is born. Panda is born.
Year 303
Creen Dinashin is born. Susannah Albrecht is born.
Year 304
Brandun Barrow is born to Aaron and Cadence Barrow.
Year 306
Ahiliyah’s mother is killed on the Dakatera – Keflan run.
Year 310
Ahiliyah’s father, Vance, is killed on a raid to Biseth.
Year 316
Ahiliyah Cooper starts as a Runner.
Year 319
At this point the populations of the Holds are all very low.
Biseth – 5,250
Takanta – 4,500
Dakatera – 4,125
Vinden – 4,000
Jantal – 3,700
Lemeth – 3,250
Keflan – 1,300
A number of holds are over-run by the Demons. Ahiliyah Cooper, Creen Dinashin and Brundun Barrow discover that the leaves of the Caminus plant counteract Demon acid, and find a way to weaponise it against the creatures. The Demons are repelled from Lemeth Hold though hundreds, including the Margrave, are killed. Ahiliyah is promoted to General and leads an attack on Black Smoke Mountain. She, Creen and Brandun encounter Zachariah who assists them in defeating the Queen in the bowels of the wrecked Nan-Shan. Brandun is killed during the battle, and Ahiliyah and Creen are badly hurt, but ultimately rescued by Drasko Lamech.
Year 321
Humanity recovers on Ataegina free of the Demon scourge. Ahiliyah Cooper and Tolio Minsala have a son named Brandun, and Ahiliyah continues as a General. Creen discovers more secrets from the wreck of the Nan-Shan and the city of Hellan is rebuilt.
Notes:
A huge chunk of the above is lifted straight from Scott Sigler’s background notes for Phalanx which he generously supplied.
The starting date of 2180 is very arbitrary based on Zachariah’s use of ‘snatcher’ and ‘plagiarus praepotens’ both established in The Cold Forge set in 2179. The term ‘lingufoeda acheronsis’ dates from the 2130’s coined by Dr Lucien Keitel in Apocalypse – The Destroying Angels (not regarded as canonical in this instance). ‘Internacivus raptus’ is taken from the Alien Quadrilogy DVD release, and ‘in-universe’ might be used as early as 2122.
A starting date of 2180 would have the main action of Phalanx taking place in 2514 (CE).
There is some contradictory info regarding the forgetters syndrome at Takanta with Anette Tasker saying it was forty years earlier (279) but also ten years after the Rising (262). I ended up going somewhere in the middle (270).
