Domus Diaspora

The Domus Diaspora was a period in human history that described their first major wave of expansion beyond the Sol system, beginning with the launch of the Odyssey Fleet in 2362 and ending at the turn of the 25th century. Following on from the First Wave, it established the first 210 colonies and habitats of the Inner Colonies around the core of the Human Sphere.

Building the preceding forty years of experimental endeavors, the Domus Diaspora saw a significant reduction in the financial cost and risk of extra-solar colonization, thanks to the introduction of standardized terraforming equipment, prefab colony starter units, and humanity's first mass class of interstellar colony ships. While the United Earth Government still carefully vetted all applicants, it was opened to middle-class citizens for the first time. It also finally put an end to over-population on Earth, allowing for the recovery of the planet's biosphere.

It was not, however, a time for peace. Although the bar to entry was now accessible to most of the human population, and there was a desire for many to escape increasing government control, the UEG's lack of control of the new colonies led to great strife and tension. Despite attempts to regulate claims, various corporations and national-sponsored expeditions still settled the same worlds, whose goals, ideals, and administrative structures made it impossible for them to work together. This was especially prevalent between the First Wave 'Pioneers' and second-generation 'Diasporans', where attempts to integrate them led to protests that cited exploitation or erasure of their culture. Even in Sol, recessions from mass-emigration events such as the Belter Exodus caused problems. The fledgling Colonial Military Administration garrisons tried to maintain peace, although their lack of cohesion and differing policies on putting down unrest meant they were unable to stop the emerging Inner Colony Wars.

The Diaspora's end saw an end to the tension in two ways. Firstly, the worst of the violence was put down by joint CMA-UNSC expeditions, while concessions were hammered-out and enforced on the remaining worlds. The second was an overhaul of the United Nations' Colonial Charter, which brought an end to the problems that caused the conflicts in the first place. This heralded the Pax Humana, an uninterrupted period of peace and prosperity that gripped the majority of the 2400s. Some of these issues still remain - for example, Reach is still widely believed to have been settled in 2363, ignoring the Reavians who had been there since the early 2310s.

Notable events

 * Belter Exodus
 * Inner Colony Wars