The Sectors of the Human Horizon

Sector 00 diverges (from the baseline ‘Khaid Horizon’) at ~2.6Mya, where the base hominid line on Terra failed to produce any species that later developed any level of intelligence (Genus Homo). Other Horizons that will not be detailed within the scope of this work split off here. The Para-Terran Ice Age Horizon also diverges here, the probable location in the plenum of the timelines where The Kindly Minded Ones (see) developed. That Horizon has not been definitively located hypertemporally by the Agency, let alone penetrated or surveyed.

Sector 01 diverges at ~1.8Mya, where Homo ergaster failed to develop. Several species of semi-sentient hominids remained in various regions of Africa and Asia for various periods of time though none of them develop full sentience.

Sectors 02 through 05 diverge across ~1.6 to ~0.4Mya where several more recent ancestors in the H. sapiens line failed to develop for various stochastic reasons. None but a few spur lines have any sapient hominid populations, and in a few cases Khaid from spur lines later settled a ‘human-less’ Terra on those lines. Almost none of those that happen to feature ‘late-period’ hominids ever develop any technic cultures. [Sector 05-A is the ‘Droyne Spur Sector’, where the Droyne came into primacy albeit briefly in the Galaxy ~0.46Mya on a spur line where the Khaid had for whatever reason been exterminated-in other timelines, the Khaid handily exterminated the pre-space Droyne-and then later disseminated modified humans and canines across many existing or Droyne-terraformed worlds. Many of the subsequent lines have events on Terra following very closely to those on the Main Sector 72:Cluster 14 line due to Timewar-induced hypertemporal coupling up until Era ~65. All timelines containing universes occur in Sector 05-A, post Era 65 for purposes of HSA/Traveller cross-overs, if the referee allows them.]

Sector 06 diverges at ~0.45 Mya, where a population of Asian variant H. erectus (later known as H. americanensis) manages to migrate to the American continents across the Beringia Land Bridge towards the end of the Günz Interglacial Period. Several spur Clusters are almost whole Sectors in themselves, and on one (designated Sector 06-A) H. sapiens evolves normally and leaves Africa to populate Eurasia and Australia but does not enter the Americas until Era ~45 from across the Atlantic from Europe and thus encounters and usually eventually enslaves or exterminates the H. americanensis populations there. The same process occurs with Paleo-American Aboriginals entering the Americas from Asia at various points from 50 Kya to 13 Kya and interacting in various fashions with the H. americanensis populations they encounter there. This low-probability branching is known as Sector 06-B.

Sector 06-A is also known as the ‘Iverson Spur Sector’ for obscure reasons. Some Clusters on Sector 06-A and -B closely mirror events that occur in other Sectors up to points from Era 0 (1AD) to Era 50 (1575AD), depending upon when European H. sapiens peoples later settle the Americas, thought to be due to Timewar-induced temporal coupling across the Horizon’s mean probability axis. The local Galactic Khaid populations on Sector 06-A and -B are either non-existent or become aware of the Human populations much later, with the usual spread of results on lines where the Khaid are extant, though these Khaid never develop hypertemporal technology.

Sectors 07 to 09 diverge at 0.4Mya where Khaid either did not acquire and transport specimens of Homo heidelbergensis off Terra (to become the proto-T’song-u; Sector 07) or otherwise exterminated the entire hominid family for various reasons (Sector 09), including a secondary Khaid settlement of Terra at that time (Sector 08).

Sectors 10 and 11 diverge at ~0.4Mya where the Khaid removed specimens of H. heidelbergensis for further experimentation and resettlement but exterminated the hominid stocks on Terra anyway (remotely in Sector 10, and by a Khaid secondary settlement of Terra in Sector 11).

Sectors 12 through 17 diverge around ~0.25Mya, in lines where the Khaid never took specimens from the earlier removed and isolated populations of Terran H. heidelbergensis (the proto-T’song-u) to engineer the Ankhil’i, or instead engineered markedly different forms from those displaced stocks. In Sector 12, the Khaid never bothered engineering any further species. In Sector 13, the Khaid soon exterminated the engineered species (whether Ankhil’i or otherwise). In Sector 14, the created species (the Kadatil, see below) made a bid to overthrow the Khaid ~50Kya during the Replicator Wars but were exterminated. In Sector 15, Kadatil and Khaid fought one another to a standstill and uneasily still somehow manage to share the Galaxy with one another at TL12. Neither species ever developed hypertemporal technology on that Sector. In Sector 16 the Kadatil subdued the Khaid, and it contains the Ninth Operations Arm’s Member Nation. In Sector 17 the Kadatil and Khaid completely wiped one another out, along with all hominid life on Terra, most of the galactically dispersed T’song-u peoples, and in several Clusters a good portion of the pre-space populations of Ondetarians, Monads, Xaptish, Thrandor and other then-extant sapient species across the Local Galaxy.

Sector 18 diverges at ~0.2 Mya where H. sapiens never developed full sapience, but other late hominid sub-species did to one degree or another (though none achieve cultures more advanced than TL3).

Sectors 19 and 20 diverge at ~0.2Mya where H. neanderthalensis developed full sapience but H. sapiens did not, though no group of H. neanderthalensis achieves more than a TL1 culture on either of the Sectors. Primitive (Paleolithic Tech 0) H. sapiens exists until the Present Era on Sector 19, while it dies out around 0.1Mya on Sector 20.

Sector 21 diverges at ~0.15Mya where both H. sapiens and H. neanderthalensis developed sentience together (almost a whole new Horizon in itself!) This Sector contains the Third Operations Arm’s Member Nation.

Sectors 22 and 23 diverge at 78Kya where H. sapiens was entirely wiped out by the effects of the Tobu supercaldera explosion on Terra in Sector 22, or (in Sector 23) were sufficiently reduced in numbers and extent to die out soon afterwards due to encroachments of H. neanderthalensis, which itself never develops more than a TL2 culture anywhere on these Sectors. Homo floresiensis flourishes on a few divergent clusters in these Sectors, though itself does not achieve more than a TL2 culture on any of them.

Sectors 24 through 30 diverge at ~60 to ~40Kya where H. sapiens did not move immediately into Eurasia, leaving the populations of H. neanderthalensis to survive, in one case to the Present Era as a slave race (in Sector 30, which contains the Iklanim Empire, the Member Nation of the Fifth Operations Arm).

Sectors 31 through 35 diverge at ~40 to ~25Kya, marking different paces of penetrations of H. sapiens into Asia, Australia, and the Americas instead of Europe. H. neanderthalensis survives in some lines of each Sector for various periods of time, but usually dies out by ~10Kya from eventual ecological marginalization and/or diseases spread to them by contact with H. sapiens. At best H. neanderthalensis survives only as a remnant population in W. Europe and the Caucasus mountains, sometimes enslaved by the few higher-order cultures that develop in these Sectors but mostly exterminated or absorbed, though no line ever achieves technology beyond TL2. On one cluster of Sector 34, the dwarf hominid species H. floresiensis develops human-level civilization and spreads out from Indonesia to flourish in an uneasy co-existence with the H. sapiens populations in Australia and S. Asia, though neither species achieves more than a TL2 economy save on a few very divergent spur lines.

Sector 36 diverges at ~20Kya, marking an H. sapiens civilization that develops agriculture and a long-term stable TL1 society in New Guinea and other islands in SE Asia at that time, though humans otherwise do not achieve more than a TL0 economy anywhere else. Remnant populations of H. neanderthalensis and H. floresiensis survive and on some Lines flourish, though at TL0.

Sectors 37 through 40 diverge from ~15 to ~12Kya (Eras -500 to -300) as various forms of early agricultural and pastoral techniques radiate first from New Guinea into SE Asia, then spread from there to Africa, India and later to Mesopotamia. Europe and the Americas remain as thinly populated wastelands. No group anywhere achieves more than a TL2 material culture.

Sectors 41 through 45 diverge at Era-350 (~11Kya) into a series of semi-nomadic, pastoral societies that spread worldwide though none ever achieves a material culture beyond TL2.

Sectors 46 through 50 diverge at Era-300 to Era-200 (9500BC to 6300BC) with various agricultural cultures radiating out from one or more centers in Mesopotamia (Sector 46), the Nile Valley (Sector 47), SE Asia (Sector 48), New Guinea (Sector 49), and Mesoamerica (Sector 50), though none ever achieve a material culture beyond TL3 up to the Present Era and few later improve beyond it.

Sectors 51 through 54 diverge from Era-180 to Era-145 (5700BC to 4600BC) with the establishment of several cultures of agricultural city-states expanding into Europe (Sector 51), Mesopotamia (Sector 52), Central Asia (Sector 53) and India (Sector 54) from the basin of the Black Sea. Some cultures on a few Clusters in these Sectors (Sector 52 in Mesopotamia and Sector 54 in India) manage TL 3-4 civilizations around Era-50 (1600BC) or so, though most collapse back to and remain at TL1-2 up through the Present Era.

Sectors 55 through 60 diverge from Era-140 to Era-120 (4400BC to 3800BC) with the movement of Bronze Age (TL1) techniques and cultures from E. Asia into SE Asia (Sector 55), New Guinea (Sector 56), India (Sector 57), Europe (Sector 58), and Africa (Sector 59). Some few lines in Cluster Nine of Sector 58 and Cluster Six of Sector 59 do manage material cultures of up to mid-TL5 around Era-30 (1000BC), but they succumb to civil strife and/or epidemics either from SW Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa by Era-20 (600BC), leaving a world of pastoral wanderers and a few static agricultural city-states at TL2 possessing truly awesome legends, myths and early ‘high-tech’ (TL4-5) artifacts from an earlier ‘Golden Age’.

Sectors 61 through 64 diverge from Era-120 to Era-100 (3600BC to 3000BC), typified by vigorous TL1-2 civilizations arising in Mesoamerica, moving outwards in many cases to colonize North and South America (Sector 61), the Pacific Islands (Sector 62), SE Asia (Sector 63), and even Madagascar and W. Africa (Sector 64). A few peoples in Clusters of these Sectors achieve TL4 cultures by Era-50 (1600BC), and in one case TL5 (Cluster Eight of Sector 64) by Era-40 (1260BC), though even the most advanced societies reach a stagnation point by Era-30 (950BC) and after that most lines fall back into static TL2 agricultural and trading city-states all around the Pacific/Indian Ocean basins.

Sector 65 diverges at Era-100 (3100BC) with an invasion of N. African and Mesopotamian TL1 cultures into TL0 agricultural Europe. Several Clusters achieve TL8+ by Era 20 (630AD), and a few gain TL9 and even higher by Era 30 (945AD). This Sector is home to the Member Nation of the Seventh Operations Arm (circa Era 100/3150AD), having achieved TL10+ and conquered both the space-faring T’song-u and Ankhil’i on a spur line where the Khaid essentially had wiped themselves out ~50Kya during the Replicator Wars.

Sector 66 diverges at Era-90 (2700BC) with an invasion of Indus and N. Indian TL1 cultures into Europe and Africa, culminating with an invasion of TL1 Indo-European peoples into Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, N. India and N. Africa. Some timelines reach a material culture of up to TL4, though most devolve into internecine warfare or are reduced by plagues ca. Era-60 (1900BC) into static TL1-2 city states.

Sector 67 diverges at Era-80 (2500BC) with the movement of TL1 W. Asian proto-Indo-European peoples east into Asia, and thence into the Americas by Era-16 (500BC) as a TL2 civilization. Cultures in a few Clusters-known as the ‘Aryan Trans-Pacific’- achieve TL4 by Era 60 (1900AD), and a few lines reach TL9 by Era 80 (2500AD), centered in North America.

Sector 68 diverges at Era-50 (1600BC) with the successful movement of the Indo-European ‘Sea Peoples’ from SE Europe and C. Asia into Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Levant and N. Africa, culminating with a fragmented quasi-Achaean series of TL3-4 static empires in W. Asia, Egypt, N. Africa and the Levant on most Clusters (some unified by the appearance of a usually Greek-ethnic ‘Alexander’ figure from either SE. Europe or W. Asia from 400-300BC), while Etruscan- and Phoenician-pattern cultures dominate on a few others, some coming up to TL6 by Era-10 (300BC). ‘Ezcalli’ exists on Line 3 of Cluster 11/Era 58(1840AD) of this Sector.

Sector 69 diverges at Era-2 (42BC) when the Roman Marcus Antonius and the Egyptian Cleopatra IX successfully defeat the forces of the Roman Octavianus during the Eastern Campaign (Actium), ending the Roman’s post-Julian Civil War and effectively uniting the Roman hegemony with the Eastern Hellenic states left behind by Alexander. Several lines on Clusters Fifteen and Sixteen of this Sector achieve increasing material cultures, culminating around Era 40 with TL9+ civilizations that fall into relative stasis or are consumed or conquered by Galactic space-faring races. On one spur line (Cluster One-A, the ‘Ekemene Cluster’) they gain TL10, FTL interstellar travel and dominance over large parts of the Galaxy where the Khaid had exterminated themselves ~50Kya in the Replicator Wars, though even there only a few timelines ever get as far as TL11 in Era~70 (~2205AD). ‘Roma Aeterna-3’ exists on Line Five of Cluster Two/Era59 (1878AD) in this Sector.

Sector 70 diverges at Era 18 (580AD) when Islam fails to arise or does so unsuccessfully. In later Clusters of this Sector Norse adventurers discover and begin exploiting N. America around Era 30-35. Line Three of Cluster Nine/Era 45 (1412AD) contains ‘Midgard’ Line Six of Cluster 10/Era 53 (1683AD) contains ‘Caliph’. Line Three of Cluster Six/Era 45 (1429AD) holds ‘Jihad-2’ while Line Six of Cluster Seven/Era 59 (1881AD) holds ‘Jihad-1’. In Cluster 11 of this Sector plague devastates Europe ca. Era 25 (~800AD) and allows Central and E. Asian cultures the opportunity to develop a TL7 culture ca. Era 65 (~2000AD). Several lines reach TL9+ in Cluster 11 of this Sector around Era 50 (1550AD), and a few go on to TL11 in those spur lines where the Khaid had destroyed themselves ~50Kya in the Replicator Wars (the ‘Galavre’ culture of Lines 9-12 of Cluster 12).

Sector 71 diverges in Era 42 (1346AD) with the early burnout or lack of the Black Death (bubonic plague) in Europe. Several states in S. Europe gain TL4 soon after (Eras 43-47) that time, but are further hindered in later Eras by religious and sectarian wars of monumental proportions driven by overpopulation and resource depletion in Europe, Asia Minor and the Levant. The Americas are discovered by Europeans on Cluster Nineteen and Chinese on Cluster Twenty of this sector in Eras 47-49 (1480AD-1540AD), leading to extermination or marginalization to one extent or another of the American Aboriginal cultures (TL0-2) via disease and predation. A few lines on Clusters 14 to 17 in this Sector reach TL7-10 in Eras 60-70 (1890AD-2205AD); ‘Shikaku-Mon’ exists on Line 14 of Cluster Nine/Era 65 (2015AD) of this Sector. ‘Ottoman-1’ exists on Line Six and ‘Ottoman-2’ on Line Seven of Cluster 17 of this Sector, while ‘Andalus’ exists on Lines 2-5 of Cluster 18 and ‘Isma’il’ exists on lines 3-7 of Cluster 19. However, on most lines matters devolve into endlessly warring TL4-5 theocratic and autocratic nation states, some after TL5 total wars of attrition or early TL6 nuclear/biological exchanges, and some of the higher TL lines are conquered by T’song-u or Ankhil’i Galactic invaders in Eras 75-80 (2360AD-2520AD).

Sector 72 diverges at Era 55 (1730AD) with the defeat of the Scottish Jacobite Rebellion and the expansion of the attendant English Industrial Revolution. This is the Sector in which the Home Lines of the Association exist, and it serves as the base reference for the entire Human Horizon. All further Sectors (73-143) diverge from the Association Home line after Era 64 in this Sector from Cluster 14, Line 7. No Member Nation of the Treaty of Ghazantine, Human or otherwise, exists on a Sector of the Human Horizon occurring beyond this divergence point.

Sectors 73 through 143 are those holding all other civilizations in the Human Horizon that diverge after Sector 72/ Era 64 downtime to the 80 My PPE practicable limit of downtime travel. Few of them have developed high technology, let alone hypertemporal travel save by accident. Humans with technic civilizations are not found at all on timelines diverging beyond Sector 80 (Era 300/9500AD), nor Khaid on those diverging beyond

Sector 90 (Era 550/17,500AD). No race extant in the earlier Sectors of the Human Horizon or other Horizons is found past Sector 100 (Era 800/25,400AD), and the limits of the Human Horizon were determined arbitrarily by the original Epoch Minus Two Khaid/Machinemind hypertemporal explorers long before the Timewars or the Treaty came into existence. The Sectors beyond 80, and some Clusters from Sector 74 onward, are usually off limits to all outtime penetration from any but very special Agency operatives and operations. It is rumored that the entirety of these ‘later’ Sectors have been declared ‘off-limits’ due to various Transcendence events occurring from civilizations based on events on Sector 72-derived timelines.

John F Waterman