Chapter 1: Resurgence
It begins on a planet. Not an incredibly large, significant planet yet, but one with some rather significant people, for reasons not known to themselves yet.
Nurastus Major was a system in the galactic core, it's third planet populated by humans and named Haven since time immemorial. Ancient myths claim that it was named as such as it was a haven from the evil race that once enslaved the galaxy.
The Unified Human States was a Republic that ruled over Haven: after warring for some time, there managed to be some semblance of cooperation, and the humans expanded outwards.
The private sector of the UHS rumbled along, transporting cargo across the vast distances between stars.
Per advisors' requests, 5 exploration ships and 3 naval ships were ordered to be constructed. The exploration ships would chart new star systems and find new resources, and possibly new life. The naval ships would protect the private ships.
In the nearby system of Libiya, first contact was made with alien life. Known as the Ketarovs, they were a furry ursidian species. First contact went surprisingly smooth, as apparently the Ketarovs knew of other races, from legends passed down from long ago.
Libiya 2, the Ketarov homeworld, was incredibly rich with two rare resources: Megallos Nut and Ilosian Jade. While not terribly important strategically, Ilosian Jade was used to make some of the finest jewelry in the galaxy. Megallos Nut was prized for its' taste, and was hard to find.
As the Ketarovs had not formed an interstellar empire of their own, the UHS decided to incorporate them as a full member world. Building a colony ship with 30 million humans, in order to better acclimate the Ketarovs to the UHS government and culture, the UHS colonized Libiya 2. The Ketarovs accepted the colony ship, and the Unified Human States expanded its' territory to encompass two seperate star systems.