2033
Rupert faces his first serious test. When the Council of Spacefaring
Nations (the international body that controls space travel) meets, other
European nations show their distrust of Rupert by introducing a resolution
to have Germany expelled from the organization for "certain warlike inten-
tions." To be exiled would deny Germany access to the advanced resources
of space technology, and more important to Rupert, would ban Germany from
launching and operating its own satellites. In a vicious behind-the-
scenes fight, Rupert manages to keep his nation in the Council, but his
bitterness against his neighbors is now beyond the point of reconcili-
ation. Later in the year, in a now brazen show of disdain, Rupert
launches a series of "observation" satellites, and although to an extent
they are for observation, their primary purpose is much more chilling.
The satellites contain ground-controlled laser cannons, positioned in
orbit so that they can be targeted anywhere on the globe in a matter of
minutes. They can also defend themselves against missile attack. Weapons
such as these have been banned since the 20th Century, and consequently,
no other nation has an effective defense against them. They are to be
Rupert's major weapon in the coming bid for world domination [TBoT #2].

An Earth expedition places a manned mission in a 40 million kilometer
orbit around Sol for close-up study [SFC].

The "Companion" class escort ships enter service. These 20-man escorts,
including the U.N.S.S. "Fisher," will be one of the most utilized classes
during the period of intensive development and testing inevitably
resulting in interstellar spaceflight capability. The "Fisher" will later
be used for advanced fusion performance testing and warp drive prototype
escort [SFC].

Lily Sloane is born on Earth. After aiding Dr. Zefram Cochrane build
the "Phoenix" in the mid-21st Century, Sloane will receive her engineering
doctorate, develop amazing innovations on Cochrane's basic warp drive
design, and found one of the galaxy's finest educational establishments
for those studying warp drive and space travel: the Sloane Institute.
The Sloanes will be one of the first families to settle the Alpha
Centauri II system. In 2374, a descendant, Commander Zefram Sloane will
be the "Enterprise's" Security Officer [ST VIII, GN 32].

(20th Year of the reign of Teslah)
The inhabitants of Elas discover their sister world Troyius, a four-year
round trip at 0.2c [TOS #68].

America gains its 52nd state [TNG 138].

2034
The Saturn Solar Base begins operations on Titan [SFC].
The UN commissions the Solar Fleet for security and rescue purposes
throughout the inhabited Solar System [SFC].

Rupert now has dozens of laser cannons in orbit. Beginning to fear his
intentions, the other European nations demand inspection of the satel-
lites. A team is dispatched by the Council, but they are blasted out of
the sky by one of the lasers. Now that the true nature of the satellites
is known, the nations of the world demand that Rupert dismantle them. His
response is to open fire on nuclear missile silos in England and France.
Russia is his next target. Even as the Supreme Soviet is in the process
of declaring war upon him, Rupert's lasers are in the process of de-
stroying their weaponry. Able to pinpoint targets at will, Rupert quickly
brings Europe to its knees. He then turns the lasers on the United
States. But for once, someone acts without bureaucratic haggling. The
United States launches its small complement of missiles at both Germany
and the satellites. A desperate but futile effort, as over three decades
of peace have led the superpowers to destroy most of their defensive
weaponry. Only four of the satellites are destroyed [TBoT #2].

2035
The West's last-ditch effort to stop Rupert is launched. The space fleet
based on the Moon attempts to destroy the satellites, but is destroyed by
the laser defense system. Fearing further attacks from the moon, Rupert
turns his lasers to Moon Base One. It is this action which proves his
undoing. Now that the war has come to their doorstep, the satellite col-
onies decide to intervene. Converting their powerful communication and
power lasers into destructive weapons, they are able to take Rupert's
technicians by surprise and eliminate his satellites. In a rage, Rupert
orders his missiles fired at the colonies, and they too are easily de-
stroyed. Although the brunt of Rupert's threat is now gone, he still
controls most of Europe, and a formidable array of sophisticated weaponry.
Even with the sword of imminent destruction removed from their heads, the
Western Allies still face a long hard fight to free Europe. A year of
fighting has given Kahn control of the western half of India. Most of
Charon's old allies have now sided with him. But Charon still has a foot-
hold in eastern India, and as this is the section that contains most of
the heavy industry, he controls the nuclear missiles and the technology to
use them. A stalemate is thus reached, and the East girds itself for long
and bitter war [TBoT #2].

Advanced Fusion Prototype One (AFP-1) experimental ship explodes, with all
lives lost. Test pilot Robert Carradine dies as Captain Richard Hanna of
the "Companion" class escort support vehicle "Fisher" watches the exper-
imental ship vaporized apparently due to misfiring ignition beams and
clogged fuel injector delivery tubes. This is a major setback for Terran
interstellar travel capability. The destruction of the prototype is
claimed by Colonel Edward Featherstone Green, a former United Nations
Armed Forces officer, after gaining control of the Luna military defense
base. This act of sabotage begins what is later referred to as Colonel
Green's War: a revolt against the Terran government to force its leaders
to discontinue space exploration, backing the last of the Eugenics
scientists. A UN task force eventually succeeds in recapturing Luna Base
but not before Green mangages to launch several nuclear missiles, inciner-
ating two major metropolitan centers with millions of casualties.
Escaping capture after the fall of Luna Base, Green returns to Terra where
he and his supporters conduct numerous terrorist activities. After con-
certed efforts yielding over a million casualties, Colonel Green and his
supporters are hunted down and killed in a missile barrage on their island
fortress near Singapore. Though the war lasts less than one year, several
widespread incidents of industrial sabotage and urban terrorism show the
enormous potential of such groups. This includes his taking advantage of
Hanson Smith's surprise development of the particle curtain ten years
earlier than thought possible by the scientific community. Earth is
nearly pushed back into a Second Dark Ages. A generation later, Green's
Pursuit of Perfection will again materialize in the form of the Optimum
Movement led by Colonel Adrik Thorsen. In later years, Colonel Green will
come to be revered by supporters of the Back-to-Earth movement, and the
leaders of the Terra-Return League will make him a representative of their
cause [SFC, FASA, SC, MRM, GN 18, GN 7].

Soljenov escapes Earth aboard an experimental long-jump sleeper ship.
Centuries later he will conquer the Zarans, form the Totality, and
have a daughter, Sola Thane [TOS #9].

2036, May [reference stardate 0/3605]
Terran space-time researchers find holes in the general theory of relativ-
ity, making faster-than-light communications and travel theoretically pos-
sible, though not yet an actuality. The interstellar probe U.N.P. "Drake"
("Wells" series) detects geon holes in the space-time fabric for the first
time. These deformations are used decades later for warp communications.
The "Drake" probe was one of 15 launched from Earth's moon in the early
2030s. The series had a four-fold increase in effective range and a ten-
fold improvement in data gathering and analyzing capability over the
earlier "Stellar" series, employing significantly increased artificial
intelligence enabling them to make much more complex decisions on their
own sending back whatever pictures and data they deemed important [FASA,
SFC].

The Western Allies invade Europe. They are aided by underground groups
which have sprung up under Rupert's despotic rule, but get no further help
from the space colonies. After the threat of the laser satellites was
removed, the colonies ignored all attempts at contact. They appear to
want no more to do with the problems and wars of Earth. The war in the
East is still going in Kahn's favor. All of Asia and Africa (except for
Charon's East India stronghold) is under his control. But his hold on
these lands are shaky. He is running out of food and materials. His
repeated attempts to overrun Charon have failed. His followers are begin-
ning to mutter of revolt. And he always must fear a victory by Rupert,
which would naturally lead to an attack on Kahn's forces and lands.
Deciding that he must have an impregnable base from which to retrench his
forces, Kahn decides upon Australia. Able to attack it with the whole of
his forces, Kahn takes control of Australia in a matter of days. He then
turns his attention to administration, and an unspoken truce is formed
between him and Charon [TBoT #2].

The newly re-established United Nations declares that no Earth citizen
can be made to answer for the crimes of his race or forbears [TNG 101].

A few days after Zefram Cochrane's 11th birthday, the boy plays with
soap bubbles outside London. This triggers his imagination and allows
Cochrane to envision a different kind of bubble which will lead towards
the theory of warp bubble generation [GN 18].

Kazanga of Omega Cygni researches respiratory disease [MRM].

The "Saratoga" class cargo carrier enters service with a complement of 18
and early fusion propulsion [SFC].

Hover cars come into use on Earth during this era [V 120].