The Rise of the "Ubermen" in the 02280s

The rise of genetically-modified "Ubermen" (or "Genies") from the Northern Bloc nations back in the mid-02000s through the 02100s was one of the great crises of that era.  Their attempts at domination of their fellow Terrans ultimately resulted in their expulsion to a penal colony the Tau Ceti star system, located 12 lightyears from Terra along the early frontier of mankind.  The premise was that the metal-poor system of Tau Ceti would prevent the Genies from getting off-world and building starships of their own, and that the penal colony's location in the debris disk would make it difficult for outsider vessels to navigate to the planet as well.

Genie Ubermen ships were typically highly-modified freighters and transport vessels equipped with captured or purchased weaponry and operated by genetically-modified geniuses who, unfortunately for them, knew very little about space combat operations limiting them to merely being a minor pirate presence during their era of influence despite their alliance with the Cronans.

However, in the 02280s the Ubermen were able to make contact with the recently-defeated Cronans and contract with them for passage offworld in exchange for military support and cooperation against the Zarlacks.  The result was a combined Cronan-Ubermen piracy presence in the known worlds for much of the late 02200s and early 02300s. 

Both the Cronan and Uberman ships of the 02280s were cargo ships and freighters refitted with advanced weaponry but lacking in defensive measures other than armor.

The fact that the Ubermen and the Cronans were both genetically-modified humanoids originating on Terra may have been what drove these two divergent offshoots of humanity into cooperation, but the partnership could never last and the two eventually had a falling out resulting in the almost complete genocide of both (although an amalgamation of the two sub-species would experience a resurgence in the 04000s and 05000s).

During their stint as pirates in the known worlds, the Ubermen attempted to seize Exodus Colony, a distant settlement in the Medusa Nebula.  This brought the Venture into direct conflict with one of the Uberman ships, and ultimately resulted in a campaign by the VanGuard to defeat the threat posed by the new piracy threat.  (NOTE: This image shows the Venture firing two fusion warheads at the Uberman ship, the Genghis Khan.  Historically, this is significant as antimatter warheads were only deployed by VanGuard vessels during times of all-out war).

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