<As I sit here listening to the best of D1's most tranquil music, it's time to talk about what is seen as humanity's most tranquil time, the Golden Age. The Golden Age started when the crew of Ares One met the Traveler on Mars. From that point on, technology increased and colonies were made across the system. Feats once deemed impossible or unlikely at the time were achieved. Humanity grew as a species. We started simple, using the technology and knowledge the Traveler gave us to go to space. The Exodus Program was one such, and was a prominent force during the Golden Age. We'll talk about that a little later. Colonies were erected on the Moon, starting with one on the Ocean of Storms, a place we go in D1. Another lab was built in Mare Cognitum. This is the location of maps like First Light and Anomaly. But why stop at the Moon? We went to Venus and Mars. Technological wonders such as the city of Freehold were constructed. With that came exploration. On Venus, people found Vex ruins. They were ancient, pre-dating even humanity. This led to the foundation of the Ishtar Collective, who would study Vex technology and even capture a live specimen in the middle of the Golden Age. We didn't stop in the inner system. We went further. Small installations were made in the Asteroid Belt, and even bigger colonies were made on Jupiter's moons. One such was Europa. Some went further into the deep. Small facilities were located as far as Hyperion, a moon of Saturn. However, the main attraction of Saturn was Titan. A group of people built the Arcologies, self-sustaining cities on the surface of Titan's oceans. Many took to Titan, such as scientists wanting to get away from the mega-corporations like Clovis Bray or the aforementioned Ishtar Collective. Speaking of the Collective, remember that Vex unit they caught? Well it simulated the research team so accurately the team almost went mad. They sent over 200 copies of themselves into the Vex Citadel to investigate the Vex Network. Using the knowledge gained, Maya Sundaresh made a device (known as "The Device" by the FWC) that can see timelines. I mentioned the team almost went insane, they would've gone out entirely if a Warmind hadn't intervened. The Warmind project was spearheaded by Clovis Bray as they essentially gave the Warmind Rasputin way too any privileges. From there many other minds were created, Charlemagne, Malahayati, Voluspa, "JYS", etc. Each mind would survey a planet, and Rasputin would guard Earth as well as oversee the other minds. His oversight eventually lead to his nickname by the others, "Tyrant". The Warminds had pretty much all the powerful weapons. Many of these were suggested to carry enough destructive power to crack a planet. Others had rather interesting names, such as the "Aurora Knives". Another project of interest was the Exodus Program. Yep, we're right back to it. They were responsible for basically carrying people off world to start colonies elsewhere. One ship was the Exodus Red, one that was going to launch from the Cosmodrome during the Collapse, until the chaos changed the outcome. One recent addition to the Exodus list of ships we'e found is the Exodus Black, which crash landed on Nessus after being set for the Kepler system. It crashed due to the unexpected orbit change from Nessus, presumably due to the conversion by the Vex. The Exodus Program had close ties to Clovis Bray, a mega-corporation. They were essentially the powerhouses of tech during the Golden Age. Basing themselves on Mars, they developed pretty much everything we knew, from the engram to SIVA to glimmer. The engram was described as the "4th State of Matter" (I guess plasma doesn't exist). SIVA is probably one of their greatest achievements. It was a type of programmable nanotech that could self-replicate and did not need an external power source. Being that SIVA had a LOT of promise (and possibly even a mind of its own based on Malahayati's description), CB was contacted by the Exodus Program. They wanted to see not only if SIVA had any military usage in its future but also if they could take some to put on their ships. The submind Malahayati was tasked to put SIVA on ships. Clovis Bray also developed the Exos. An Exo is essentially a human brain in a jar but in a more digital sense. Robotic frames with a human mind inside of them. The original body of an Exo was "killed" in the process and was essentially a lifeless husk. While on the outside they were said to be the means towards immortality, on the inside they were more sketchy. They carried out secret tasks for Clovis Bray and were mind-wiped once they finished them. They also had programs in them for combat scenarios planted by Rasputin and are even suggested to have carried out a secret war on the Vex before the Collapse. Assuming the Vex were docile during the Golden Age, this may be a prime reason for their aggression. The last subject I want to discuss is the VERY LATE Golden Age and how society was at the end. According to Black Armory founder Henriette, people had put their entire faith in the Traveler and common people did not have the means to defend themselves. [quote]So many people treat the Traveler like it's not this completely alien thing that we still know nearly nothing about. Sure, we've benefitted from it immensely. But so many people around the world put their blind trust in it. Their faith, even. To a fault. A huge one. We've let ourselves become hypnotized by the Traveler into thinking we're all safe. We've let ourselves become naïve about the world around us. We've let our guard down on a personal level. All in the name of achieving world peace and all—we claim—because the Traveler inspired us to do so.[/quote] [quote]But how are we supposed to do that when the means to defend ourselves are not in the people's hands anymore? Don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't understand those decisions. They make sense, but…[/quote] It seems that somewhere between the chaos brought by Governments v Traveler Cults and the late Golden Age there was a massive arms recall. At least that's what suggested. Clearly something must've happened, something people don't want to talk about. That being said, not all weapons went away. The Warminds had most, the government and military had some, and even the Exodus Green (AKA Project Amrita or Lang Liwei) was armed to the teeth. There was even a "First Fleet" out by Saturn led by a "Drystan Cor". The Golden Age was truly an interesting time. Part 1 - Modern Times and Ares One:[url]https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/250308071[/url] Part 3 - The Collapse:[url]https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/250309409[/url] Thoughts? Comments? I know I had to shorten A LOT.>