A Brief History of the Alterans (Ancients) and the Time Lords

Overview:
	The two groups that we know today as the Ancients and the Time Lords sprang from the same culture, the Alterans.  Close to 100 million years ago,
the Alterans left their home planet in a distant galaxy, and settled on a planet in the Milky Way Galaxy that they called Earth.  Within a few centuries, 
there was a major schism, and a large part of the Alteran population settled on a planet 29,000 light years away, near the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy.  
They named this planet Gallifrey.  From this point forward, the two groups would consider themselves related but separate cultures, and after the last great 
schism,  would eventually lose contact with one another.


The First Schism:
	The Alteran culture was one rich in science and spirituality.  For the most part, the Alterans' passion for knowledge in all fields of study assured 
that these two aspects would exist in harmony.  This changed nearly 300 years after the colonization of Earth.  A group of scientists began to theorize on the 
possibilities of  extending the Alteran life span by genetic manipulation.  The majority of the Alteran race was disturbed by these scientists' ideas, believing 
that any such tampering with life would interfere with their race's natural evolution.  Other ideas began to emerge from this group of rebel scientists, but the 
one that would become the focus would be time travel.
	These ideas began to gain popularity with the younger scientists, among them a brilliant solar physicist named Rassilon.  Rassilon and a colleague of his,
known only as "Omega", spearheaded the research of time travel.  Much of this early research and data has been lost, as the Ancient database entries were deleted 
prior to the abandonment of Atlantis.
	As more and more of Rassilon and his group's experiments succeeded, they went back to their original theories of extending their life spans.  Horrified by news 
of this, the rest of the Alterans attempted to shut down Rassilon and his scientists.  Officially the Alterans succeeded, however, Rassilon and his group went 
underground.  Meeting secretly, they continued their experiments.  Under the direction of Rassilon, Omega, and an unknown comrade (known as The Other), the 
scientists formed a type of counter culture.  Inspired by their determination to master time, they began to refer to themselves as the "Time Lords."
It wasn't long before the Time Lords were found out by the Alterans.  They were brought to trial and found guilty of illegal and unauthorized research and 
experimentation.  As a sentence, they were given the choice of life imprisonment or banishment.  The Time Lords chose banishment and settled on a planet near 
the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.  They named their new home Gallifrey, and began the process of setting up a new culture.


Post Schism:

Earth

	After the departure of the Time Lords, there was a shift in Alteran culture.  They began to explore the idea of what would be later known as "ascension", 
and what was referred to "natural evolution."  Not that the hard sciences were ignored, but their focus had shifted to a more spiritual aspect of the sciences.  
Their technology began to take advantage of certain abilities of their race.  Activation of computers, transports, and other objects were beginning to require a 
telepathic link with the user.  As the centuries passed, a genetic evolution began in the Alteran people.  A new gene mutation started to show up in the younger 
generations.  This mutation (which is currently referred to as the ATA gene) enabled the Alterans a greater degree of control over the technologies.  As the gene 
showed up more and more of the population, the Alterans' technology was tailored to the gene.  The sudden advent of the ATA gene is attributed to the Alterans' 
practice of meditation and active attempts to achieve  ascension.
	It was also around this time that the Stargate technology was in its infancy.


Gallifrey

	Upon their arrival on Gallifrey, the Time Lords established the High Council, and elected Rassilon as their leader.  Things were going well for the infant 
society.  They were on the cusp of time travel, and had been able, through genetic engineering, extend their life span.  Also, the Time Lords had incorporated into 
their genetic code a trait known as 'symbiotic nuclei.'   A little more than a century had passed, however, when a new enemy threatened to wipe out the Time Lords.  
	Creatures known as the Great Vampires attacked the Time Lords.  It was through Rassilon's invention of the 'bow ships' that the vampires were defeated and 
presumed exterminated.  In response to this event, Rassilon and Omega developed the living metal "validium" as a defense for Gallifrey.
	On the heels of this, Rassilon invented the 'time scoop', which could bring others from various places and times.  But true time travel still eluded them.  
It wasn't until Rassilon teamed once again with Omega (and some speculate, The Other), that the first time travel device was perfected.  Rassilon, perhaps still 
angry at the Alterans, included a 'molecular stabilization system.'  This system worked with the Time Lords' 'symbiotic nuclei', forming a semi-telepathic bond 
between the Time Lord and his time travel device.  This ensured that only a Time Lord could operate a time device.  What the Time Lords now lacked was a power 
source that would allow them to continue time traveling.
	Though much of the credit is given to Rassilon, it was Omega who in the end made time travel possible.  Using a device later called "The Hand of Omega", 
Omega created a supernova, thus ensuring the Time Lords enough power to travel through time.  Omega, unfortunately, never returned from his mission, and is 
presumed lost or dead.



Reunion:
	Millennia have passed, and the Alterans and the Time Lords begin attempts to reunite the two estranged cultures.  There are measures of success: 
ambassadorships are established, and a trade system of goods is formed.  Both races acknowledge their shared past, but also agree that they can no longer 
consider themselves members of the same race.  Marked differences remind them all of this.  The Alterans have developed mental abilities, such as precognition, 
telekinesis, telepathy, and healing.  They have extended the Stargate network to include many worlds.  The Time Lords have succeeded in extending their life spans 
to five times that of an Alteran, and continue in traveling through time.  In spite of this, the two races manage a peaceful co-existence for many centuries, and 
there are even a small number of inter-marriages.
	The offspring of these initial marriages would have a hard choice: they could either live with their mother's or their father's people, but were generally 
discouraged traveling between worlds.  The children would, however, would exhibit genetic traits of only one of their parents.  For example: a child born to an 
Alteran mother and a Time Lord father, could carry the symbiotic nuclei of the Time Lords, but not the ATA gene.  Conversely, that child's sibling could have the 
opposite traits: his mother's ATA gene, but not his father's nuclei.
	As second and third generations were born, it became apparent that the children would still only exhibit one trait , but would appear to be a carrier for 
the other.   Thus the practice of making a child choose one parent over the other became defunct.  This also forced the Alterans to alter their technology to allow 
their children without the ATA gene access to that technology.
	After nearly a millennia of co-existence, the last great schism occurred between the Alterans and the Time Lords.



The Last Great Schism:
	After centuries of extending their life spans, the Time Lords had finally achieved the ability to regenerate.  Upon an individual Time Lord's death, their 
body would seemingly cease to function, and the alter itself to a new state.  The Time Lords would be able to regenerate 12 times, for a total of 13 'life-times'.  
After each regeneration, the Time Lord would change physical appearance, and various aspects of their personality would take over. Major physical changes occurred 
in the Time Lords's physiology because of this, the most drastic being a development of a second heart.  These new Time Lords were now unable to have children with 
Alterans, or those with the ATA gene born to Time Lords.
	Unable to abide with this latest genetic manipulation, the Alterans completely cut off relations with the Time Lords.  For the most part, the final 
separation of the two races was amicable on both sides.  The ones most upset were the children and decedents of the Time Lords that showed the ATA gene, as they 
were being separated from family. 



The Fallout:
	The Time Lords went on to watch over the time/space continuum, and monitor other races that came close to breaking the time barrier.  None of the children 
of the Time Lords ever showed the ATA gene, and it is believed to be complete eradicated from their genetic structure.  Some, however, are left with a fondness for 
the planet Earth.

	The Alterans, along with the Asgard, the Nox, and the Furlings, established the alliance of the four great races.  The Time Lords never interfered, or made 
their presence known to the other three races.  At one point, a deadly virus developed on Earth, nearly wiping out the Alterans.  The unaffected survivors were 
forced to abandon Earth and fly their great city, Atlantis, to the Pegasus Galaxy. 
	Millions of years later,  the Alterans were forced by the Wraith (see history "The Wraith") to abandon Atlantis.  Returning to Earth they found the human 
race to be genetically compatible.  To save their race they intermarried with the humans.  On occasion a child will be born with the symbiotic nuclei of the Time 
Lords (without the extended lifespan) or the ATA gene of the Alterans.  Although no human will be born with both the nuclei or ATA gene, it might be possible to 
introduce the other artificially with gene therapy.



The Wraith:
	It has been established that the Wraith are the off-shoot of the Iradis bug.  What is not well known is that the Iradis bug has its origins in the Great 
Vampires that attacked the Time Lords.  At least two vampires managed to escape Rassilon.  One of these fled to the Pegasus Galaxy.  Not having a normal food 
supply, it was forced to make due with the local fauna.  Many of the animals it fed on began to develop vampire-like characteristics.  The location of the Great 
Vampire is unknown, but the connection of it to the Iradis bugs, and thus the Wraith,  is clear.