Sci-Fi Novel start up/brainstorm

Hello, my first post is just a timeline of events in my recently brainstormed Sci-Fi universe. I welcome comments and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. Now this doesn't mean I won't go for scathing, or even harsh criticism, I just want a point to be made as well, a way to improve. Finally, thank you for reading and hope to see some comments. I reserve all rights to this information and my ideas as intellectual property.

2012- Now

2153- War breaks out between the USA (The United States of the Americas) and the United Korean Communist State

2161- Nuclear Holocaust: Earth's atmosphere is rendered nearly unbreathable as a result of nuclear war between the USA and UKCS; humans on earth must wear protective suits

2165- A small colony is founded on Mars (underground)

2177- The 1st suit of mechanized power armor is created as an advanced prosthetic. It is very heavy, unwieldy, and slow, but allows enhanced limb movement (if slow) based on nerve impulses sent from the brain. (Several needle like apparatus's connects the prosthetic's interface with the human brain through the spinal cord.)

2180- Advancements in "atmospheric venting" improve colony attempts at terraforming, but do little for Earth's recovery.

2190- Earth vegetation is successfully planted on Mars; step 1 of Project Genesis (a government sponsored program) is complete. The American Colonists' Union (remnants of the USA) are the first to dub Mars, Earth 2. Population on the planet tops 3 million.

2191- Carbon nanotube technology is widely used for its light, flexible, and strong applications as protective wear and in space suits.

2200- The new century; Earth 2 has been deemed fully hospitable to human life. The hydrogen fuel cell is fully adopted as fossil fuels cease to be the primary fuel source for humankind. Project Genesis is considered complete.

2222 (February)- Project Hercules (working name), a super soldier program, is restarted by the ACU

2222 (November)- Steroids, synthetic implants, and new Raptor (a prosthesis company which developed a weapons division) Power Armor greatly enhance the combat readiness of Hercules recruits.

2236- New Model 2 Colossus Power Armor (also developed by Raptor) and Model 6 Raptor Power armor are used in the first armed conflict on Earth 2 between the ACU and the NEU(New European Union).

2241- The war is ended and won by the ACU who developed (independently of Raptor) Titan 1 power armor, effectively turning infantry into tanks. The ACU is now the largest faction on Earth 2.

2245 (Spring)- "Floating Gardens" are planted by the ACU in a static position above Earth 2. They are used as surplus trade goods and a precaution against famine.

2245 (Fall)- A spacefaring vessel the ACS(American Colonist Ship, working name) Colombus is preparing to embark on a voyage into deep space; it is widely considered a suicide mission, though recruits are plentiful.

2245 (Winter)- A "dream team" of scientists develop FTL (Faster than light) long distance communication using (technology TBD). The ACS Colombus is sent on its voyage into deep space.

2249- Communications from the ACS Colombus cease.

2261- Light speed travel is made possible, but current space vessel materials cannot handle the velocity. First contact is made with a sentient alien species, derogatorily called "Pedes" for their strong resemblance to Earth 1 centipedes. Their ship has an amazing resilience (stronger than diamond and steel) and ultra light material. This material is derived from the carapaces of a common animal on the Pede's home planet. However, Pede technology is unusable by humans for its unique bio-organic nature and its adaptation to Pede anatomy.

2262- Pedes are detained by the ACU government and their technology and anatomy are extensively studied and applied to human technologies. Carapacium, derived from cloned genetic material from the Pede ship, is developed as an ultra light, durable metalloid. Pede weaponry is also retrofitted to human ships. Carapacium ship exteriors now allow for light speed travel.

2263- Construction of the largest spacefaring fleet in human history is well under way. Additionally, remnants from the Hercules Project are cloned to create the largest ground force in human history as well. (This has been going on for years already)

2273- A product of a decade of planning and preparation, the 1st ACU Fleet uses coordinates gleamed from the Pede vessel to launch an expedition to the Pede home world.

2275- A full scale invasion invasion of the Pede home planet is secretly launched (it is a government secret to hide the imperialist tendencies of the ACU) in the Dim System. The Dim System is named so by humans because of it's ancient and slowly dying (dimming) star.

2277- The ACU conquers and occupies (Planet name TBD). A little more than half of the ACU fleet stays behind while a little less than half, with Field General Nicholas Ortiz, sets out on a return course to Earth 2.

2278- The ACU fleet returning to Earth 2 is devastated by bombardment when it makes accidental contact with a "Gorgon" (another derogatory human term; adopted because of their having several eyes) patrol fleet. The 1st ACU Fleet returns to Earth 2 with 5 vessels, badly damaged, and Field General Ortiz safe.

2279 (Early Winter)- A Gorgon diplomat and its personal assistance droid* arrive on Earth 2 and negotiate an uneasy peace. Trade talks begin.

2280- Trade between the Chilpoan Confederacy(proper name for "Gorgon" Confederacy) and ACU holdings in the Dim System commence.

2281- A year later, personal assistance droids, ocular enhancement technologies, and black market Chilpoan weaponry** are common in ACU space. The Carapacium trade has been monopolized by the ACU and turns a huge profit. Additionally, Earth vegetation and human aesthetic tastes are widely enjoyed by Gorgons (Chilpoans). That same year, the ACU (only the ACU, not other human factions) adopt the Chilpoan Credit as a form of standard currency.

2283- The Chilpoan Confederacy proposes a formal alliance with the ACU and introduce them to the wider galaxy.

*A big job of personal assistance droids is to work as translators. The droids are standard equipment for any race which wishes to communicate with other sentient species. There is no common language in civilized space, thus these droids are a necessity. They are small, about the circumference of a basketball, and hover wherever is convenient for their user.

**Black market goods made available and traded to the ACU include technology which allows light speed use in a weapon capacity. This technology can accelerate deadly slugs and other projectiles to light speeds. The other big Chilpoan black market export is "black steel" a metal found only in Chilpoan space which is stronger than carapacium. As such, the metal has become a main component of ship building materials and weapons.

I have a few concerns about some of your points. While I like light speed tech, light speed weapons the size of a pistol or a rifle is a bit worrying, considering it would be completely overkill for the most part. Even something as small as a current bullet would cause a large relativistic explosion. Without going into relativistic physics, which I don't really understand, I would limit the top speed to well below c unless you want to do something like David Weber does in the Honor Harrington series.

The Hercules project was never originally started in this timeline. This should probably be addressed, especially in the background history for why and what it caused.

Terraforming science wouldn't have vegetation first. It would be bacteria of some kind and you could largely leave it at that until the later stages. Fixing atmo and ground biomes would take most of the time, and then it would be easy to transplant everything else in a couple decades.

Finally transporting significant amounts of food from an orbital habitat is a huge issue. Manufacturing both enough orbital habitats, and ships for transport would necessitate a huge space industry to begin with, and unless it was there during the war, it would be very difficult to do after a long war.