Display MoreOne year has passed since the destruction of Titan Cocijo in the Sol system brought the Second Thargoid War to an end.
The conflict cost tens of billions of lives and reshaped political, military, and economic priorities across every major civilisation. In the time since, stations and settlements once abandoned due to caustic damage have been successfully restored.
Trade routes have reopened, industries restarted, and newly colonised systems have seen communities flourish far from the scars of the war.
In Sol, visitors gathered at a beacon positioned near the wreckage site of Cocijo, a reminder of both the triumph and the sacrifice that ended the Thargoid advance.
Many still struggle with loss, while others have taken the opportunity to begin again by rebuilding and supporting colonisation efforts to expand humanity across the stars.
But the peace gained at such cost has proven fragile.
In recent weeks, the discovery of a remarkable new exobiological species, Radicoida unica, within the HIP 87621 system has triggered escalating political and military tensions. All three superpowers, and the twelve major Powers who represent them, are now engaged in a strategic battle for control over the surrounding enclave.
Political analysts have expressed concern that humanity may be repeating old mistakes. As one commentator observed at a memorial service on Mars:
"We proved we can unite against an external threat. The question is whether we can learn to do the same without one."
