Earth

A thousand years after humanity first set foot on their home world's moon, an empire had risen. The Human Galactic Empire spanned across the galaxy. Millions of systems owed their loyalty to the Empire. Humanity had firmly placed itself as the largest, most powerful species within the galaxy.

To be truly human was rare, especially the further from Earth you traveled, as to colonize these harsh new worlds, humanity sacrificed its own genetics. With each world conquered, a new breed of Lessers was born within the laboratories of Earth, genetically modified, to inhabit and rule whatever world had found itself a member of the Human Galactic Empire. The Lessers were seen as less than human, but were still given status over the alien colonies they ruled.

Throughout the centuries, humanity had waged countless wars on the frontier of its growing empire. While intelligent life was rare within the galaxy, thousands of intelligent species had been discovered, many of which were spacefaring as well, with most setting up their own empires. The ruthless nature of the Empire saw these species either join or be exterminated.

While the inner Empire saw peace and prosperity, the further out one went from Earth, the more humanity's virtues were dimmed and distorted by the vast distance and genetic modifications that were placed upon the ruling Lessers.

As humanity thinned itself, both in an expansion and genetic sense, war and corruption began to infest. Then all communication from the inner Empire vanished in a single moment. The inner systems' sudden disappearance became known as the great collapse. Within that moment, what little light the outer Empire saw from Earth was extinguished, and the infestation became all-consuming.

Humanity had fallen, and with it the outer Empirecollapsed in an instant. War broke out among the remaining systems of the Empire. A power vacuum had been created as each system fought to either conquer and reinstate their version of the Empire, or dug in and defended what little they truly had.

With the fall of Earth and the inner Empire, a darkness is spreading throughout the galaxy. A new threat to all intelligent life has risen. While what little of humanity is left squabbles amongst themselves, it grows ever closer. Humanity has already fallen.