| Year | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2125 A.D. | Ulysses, Sophie, Romulus and Martinez launched into space aboard the Cassiopeia on Earth's first long-duration space mission. | Opening Narrative |
| 2125 | December 4th: Ulysses, Sophie, Romulus and Martinez entered cryogenic hibernation for the duration of their planned trip (this may have been before the Cassiopeia launched). The ship's clock remained at this date until the time of their revival. "Shortly after launch" there was a malfunction and all communication with Earth was lost. | Opening Narrative |
| ? | A terrible and absurd conflict, a war to end all wars broke out between two human armies. The elite of the 'USNSA' took refuge in an underground city in the North of America called the 'Ark'. The surface of the planet was devastated by fire and radiation. | President Fergus' last will and testament |
| ? | Emerging from their bunker, humanity tried to rebuild the destroyed landscape but required the help of labourers due to their depleted numbers. | President Fergus' last will and testament |
| 2274 | The resulting research into 'Accelerated Evolution' produced it's first results. | President Fergus' last will and testament |
| 2278 | January 17th: John Oliver Fergus was born. | President Fergus' blood test report |
| 2279 | The first Ape workers from the 'A.E.' project became available. With their help the humans built the 'Neocities'. | President Fergus' last will and testament |
| 2317 | By now the Apes were present at all levels of society. Growing tensions in the Ape population led to the breeding of mandrills in addition to other species. | President Fergus' last will and testament |
| 2320 | The Apes took up arms against their human masters. Several cities were destroyed and the weak human armies swept away in the early stages, and the breeding centers were captured and used to increase the Ape population further. The President of the USNSA began organising the second 'Ark' project. Because they were under so much pressure to prepare the Ark, three of the scientists involved - Jacquard, Orwell and Illevitch - agreed to have their physical bodies stored in large vats and their brains linked to a 'Central System', part man, part computer, in order to complete the project. | President Fergus' last will and testament Jacquard |
| 2329 | The last bastions of humanity fell to the Apes final assault, New Cyprus, Bretan, Skada and Saskatoon were reduced to heaps of ashes. President Fergus addressed his command headquarters with the news that the remaining human resistance army battalions at New Cyprus and Saskatoon had been overwhelmed by an Ape offensive, the war was lost, and the center would be evacuated. The 10,000 elite in the underground city cut off all contact with the surface, while the President and his entourage remained in their headquarters at the entrance to the Ark tunnel, where he died after recording a holographic last will and testament. A small group of humans put up a meagre resistance among the ruins of their homes, but knowing they could not win, they recorded a holographic message of apology to future generations of humans. | President Fergus' last will and testament The Monastery Hologram |
| ? | The few remaining humans on the surface were prevented from having any form of social contact, and as a result became semi-mute primitives. The 10,000 pioneers in 'Noah's Ark' planned to one day bring human life back to the Earth's surface. Generations passed, using the natural resources provided by the Earth's crust. Science and technology were their fundamental values, and they researched the development of their mental faculties to eliminate any hostilities. Mental control was pioneered to control the reactions of the population. The Ark became a home and the promise of returning to the surface became regarded as a religious myth. | The Encounter with the Akanites |
| ? | During the course of psychic experimentation, a young girl called Valis reached the highest level of mental development in an alarmingly short time. After revealing a prophecy, she died almost immediately under the intense exertion. She foretold the arrival of a saviour "from the farthest reaches of space" who would lead mankind to the surface. The prophecy led to a great schism among the people. The group led by Ellia wanted to immediately return to the surface to reconquer the Earth, while the group led by Akan wanted to wait for the prophecy to be revealed. The less-numerous Ellisians left the Ark, taking with them the 'key' which would guide them back to the Ark's entrance after they had pacified the surface. | The Encounter with the Akanites |
| ? | Ellia tried to lead the savage humans and enslaved humans in a revolt, but it was doomed to failure. The Akanites never saw the Ellisians again and instead patiently waited for their saviour to come. The Ellisians divided into three groups, and to each leader Ellia gave a part of the key so that at the 'time of renewal', when the saviour appeared, they could reunite and lead the Akanites to a free world, and until then their existence would be kept secret from the Apes. Ezekiel guarded the gold part, Tomas was given the silver part and John the glass part. The tribe of John made a home in the ruins of New Cyprus, where John was buried. Both John's and Tomas' tribes died out, with only Ezekiel's tribe surviving. Tomas' part of the key found it's way to the Ape State Library Archives. | The Encounter with the Akanites Jonah at The Monastery |
| ? | Professor Cornelius conducted his own research into 'Accelerated Evolution', perhaps inspired by the human research from centuries earlier, but nevertheless having a full understanding of the subject. Spies of General Ursus learned of Cornelius' research and set up a secret laboratory in the ruins of New Cyprus to conduct further experiments on advancing intelligence among gorillas. | Cornelius' report in The Ruined City Cornelius at The University |
| 3889 | October 18th: After drifting for 412 light years ship-time, (1,764 years Earth time), the Cassiopeia developed a problem with it's thrust and crash-landed on the nearest habitable planet - Earth. Jonah, leader of the human resistance descendants of Ezekiel, spoted a streak of light in the sky (the Cassiopeia) and believed it to be a sign of the ancient prophecy. Three astronauts survived, but Martinez had been dead for some time. Landing in a desert area, the ship seemed largely intact, although it's navigation system had been destroyed so the survivors did not yet realize that they had returned to their home planet. Ulysses bizarrely decided that the ship was not safe and they must get away from it (although he later told Jonah that he wanted to return to his ship and escape). | Opening Narrative Jonah at The Monastery |
| The three astronauts travelled for some time across the barren desert until they finally came across a row of scarecrow-like markers on a mountain ridge. Beyond these was lush green vegetation. On closer inspection the astronauts found primitive humans feeding amongst the vegetation. No sooner had the astronauts and primitives spotted each other than a loud noise made them all begin to run. Gorillas on horseback and armed with guns chased the humans, killing many, capturing others. Romulus was shot first, then Sophie, and when Ulysses returned to help her he was knocked unconscious by the rifle-butt of a gorilla. | Opening Narrative | |
| Taken to a laboratory for research, Ulysses was studied by a chimpanzee scientist called Doctor Zira, the wife of Professor Cornelius. The human resistance hid a key in the food provided for Ulysses. Using this, he escaped his cell and made his way to a lab, where he took pills that would make him appear to be lifeless. Waking up in the morgue, he made his way into the Ape City. There, he was knocked unconscious again, this time by a human. | The Medical Center | |
| Finding himself in a monastery, Ulysses met Jonah and other leaders of the resistance. They told him about their ancient prophecy and Jonah's belief that he would be their saviour. He was also informed of the three parts of Ellia's key, although it's function had long been forgotten. Jonah still held Ezekial's gold part and asked Ulysses to find the glass part at John's grave in New Cyprus and Tomas' silver part, which was lost. | The Medical Center |