True, the period between the Core 1 and First Contact is "short" on a historical scale, but a lot of major events can get packed into a single year. Think of it like X-COM, only the aliens launched a couple of terror missions, then promptly vanished into the aether. Just the very existence of an otherworldly force capable of that level of destruction would radically alter everything from defense spending to cultural values.

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CdrMike, Overwatch Reject