The Seven Systems have experienced conflict for as long as it's possible to remember – and, in all likelihood, they they fought wars before then too. Conflicts large and small, brief and drawn-out have occurred throughout all of recorded history, from the Selasi War of Independence to the Second Achelian-Kybele Trade War (which purportedly only lasted for two hours and thirty-seven minutes before Kybele surrendered).

However, none of them compare with the war that broke out following the Ananke explosion. The death toll from direct conflict is estimated to be in the order of hundreds of millions. Deaths from starvation, disease and internal crackdowns take that number up to the billions, though it is difficult to get an accurate measure due to the destruction of most infrastructure.

Theoretically still ongoing, this conflict has loomed so large in people's consciousnesses that it is known simply as this: The War.

For the twenty years leading up to the War, the Seven Systems had enjoyed an uneasy peace. A delicate set of treaties and trade routes kept the balance of power from tipping too far in any one direction, but only just. Recent conflicts, nationalistic pride and jealousy over resources have meant that a conflict has never been too far from breaking out onto the surface.

Following the revelation of Selas's new bioweapon and the assassination of their princess onboard the Ananke conference, Eunomia chose to attack their longtime rivals, Selas. Although the war remained fairly small for the first few years, Kedalion and Kybele were both quickly drawn into the thick of the combat.

Key events from this period of the War include:

• 1262.52 Eunomia mobilise to strike against Selas, initially targeting the planet's orbital defences. Selas fight back, initially on their own.
• 1262.62 Following threats to their food supply by Briareos, Kybele mobilise against Eunomia to defend their allies.
• 1263.104 Having previously limited themselves to supplying Eunomia with arms, Kedalion is drawn into the war proper when a Selasi missile takes out one of their arms shipments, destroying the ship and its crew.

The second stage of the war is generally agreed to have started with the invasion of Cheimeros. The Kedalian-Eunomian alliance found themselves struggling against innovative Selasi weapons and Kybele propaganda, and sought to use Cheimeros both for its mineral resources and as a base from which to attack Selas. However, not only did the invasion go far less smoothly than hoped, drawing both sides into a long and bloody conflict, but it also drew Briareos and Achelia into the war as well, as Kedalion blocked the Briarean aid ships and Achelia made the mistake of attempting to plunder Cheimeros's resources off Kedalion's back.

• 1265.342 Kedalion attack Cheimeros as a strategic move, intending to annex it for resources and to form a base for war on Selas.
  • Cheimeros fight back surprisingly hard, drawing Achelia into the battle when several Klaycorp vessels, intending to mine the planet, were destroyed.
• 1266.134 Cheimeros reach out to Briareos, longstanding allies, for aid. Briareos respond by putting pressure on Selas to fight, but allow themselves to be drawn more fully into the war as well, providing limited troop capacity along with supplies.
• 1268.21 A Eunomian-Kedalionese joint force set up a blockade around Cheimeros to stop Briarean aid ships. In retaliation, Briareos start using their bioengineering capacities to build weapons to use against the people manning said ships.
• 1269.165 Selas broke out in a bloody civil war in which the pro-Eunomian faction won out, tipping the balance of the war back in favour of the Kedalion-Eunomian-Achelian alliance.
• 1269.207 Kedalion leaders, growing increasingly concerned, switch their tactics to a 'win at all costs' algorith, leading to the first major strikes against civilians early the next year.

About twelve years into the war, it became clear that ordinary tactics were not going to work. Within the course of a few months, rogue Selasi agents released a developed form of their original bioweapon into the Eunomian ecosystem, and Kedalion carried out large-scale aerial bombardment of Briareos. Attacking civilians and food supplies became more and more acceptable over the next few years. This period also marks the end of the Achelian alliance with Kedalion, and the start of a period of hostility which culminated in the destruction of the Achelian home planet.

• 1270.08 Kedalion start bombardment of Briareos in the hopes of making them give up rations. This tactic is effective in breaking Briarean will, but less effective in gaining access to food supplies, as many of them are destroyed.
• 1271.276 Eunomia are resposible for feeding the other side, so rogue Selasi agents still against unification release fungal spores into the Eunomian atmosphere. These spores quickly grow into a plague which takes over all arable land.
• 1274.231 Achelia are involved in what is assumed to be a friendly fire incident against Kedalion which cannot be adequately explained. Eunomia encourage Kedalion to turn to Achelia
• 1276.111 The Eunomians deploy an advanced technology which destroys the Achelian homeworld utterly.

Far more than coming to a conclusion, the War seems to have burnt itself out. Lack of food and several years of resource mismanagement made large-scale violence difficult to continue. While no treaties have been brokered, following the destruction of Achelia there have been fewer inter-planetary clashes. However, that is not to say that the conflict has ended, as several planets are still experiencing some level of internal conflict, and rule of law has yet to be reinstated.

The key events from this period include:

• Refugees from the destruction of Achelia have scattered to the asteroid mines and the fragments that once formed their planet. With a lack of infrastructure needed to ensure supplies reach people, many have turned to piracy, while others dredge out a meagre life on the minerals and hydroponics they have salvaged.
• The authority of the Briarean gerontocracy collapsed with the destruction of so many Gasbags, and the planet's power was seized by an individual, Tyrant Maribelle Johns. While the civilisation is more stable than most, citizens experience brutal repression.
• The last of the Kedalian and Eunomian troops of Cheimeros have largely been removed, or imprisoned, and despite intermittent civil unrest, the planet has yet to break out into a civil war.
• Famine in Eunomia led to a near collapse of their class system, with riots breaking out on a wide scale across the planet. These were eventually brought under control.
  • A biotropic fungus has taken over most of the land. Most Eunomians now live in walled cities, isolated from the fungus and each other. A fragile tunnel network enables contact between cities.
• Having pumped ever-more resources into the war, Kedalion has more or less burnt out, with the remaining population squeezed into tower blocks above a ground dominated by gang warfare and opportunism. Cyber attacks are common, both on enemies and on people who happen to be in the way.
• Kybele is largely flooded following bombardment, most residents squeezed into the tops of tower blocks caught in a continual squabble for resources.
• Selas in disrepair, large portions of planet uninhabitable. The government have maintained control, but only barely, and rumbles of discontent roll through out the planet.