My sci-fi.. Comments?

[SirNitram]

I'm starting to write sci-fi again. Here's a basic timeline I've been working on... Comments welcome. All years are A.D.

2050: Completion of International Space Station. Six months later, President Dalton will declare the United States' intent to create a permenant lunar city by 2070. One year later, Red China announces it will beat the States to the goal.

2068: Two years before the deadline, the city-vessels launch from Earth orbit under ion engines. The Chinese vessel, the Eternal Dynasty, opens fire on the American ship, the Pathfinder. The Pathfinder survives multiple strikes from cannons stripped from retired navy vessels, and lands in the Sea of Tranquility an hour ahead of the Dynasty. China claims instrumentation failure for the attacks, pays damages to the United States the next day.

2075: Transit between Tranquility City and Serenity Base and Earth becomes commonplace, the European Union announces plans to settle on the far side of the moon. China, annoyed that they have been unable to find anything useful at their base, announces plans to become the first nation to land on Mars.

2087: The United States and European Union unveil a ship that had been under construction on the dark side of the moon, the Peace in our time, named to commemorate the longest period without hostilities in human history. It's unveiling angers the Chinese, as it is obviously made to head for Mars.

2097: The Peace In Our Time and Celestial Wanderer are completed, immense craft designed to carry entire, prefabricated cities for months before their arrival on Mars. Rigorous testing is conducted under the watchful eye of the UN, for mankinds longest journey ever.

2100: New Years Day, at 6AM GMT, the colony ships engage main engines and depart from Earth. What should have been a new era of peace turns out horribly failed, when the Wanderer opens fire on the Peace six months later. However, the American ship is ready for attack this time, and replies with tactical nuclear missiles. The Wanderer is completely destroyed, and open hostilities break out on Earth.

2110: The Third World War, seeing the first usage of strategic nuclear weapons in history, finally comes to a close. Close to a billion are dead, and much of China's coastline is irradiated. War had even touched the Moon, where an entire suburb of Tranquility city was killed by a sneak attack on it's dome. China, defeated by the new Democratic Alliance, is dismantled. Most of Asia is returned to local rule.

2150: Population pressure forces the ISS, now converted into shipyards, to begin constant development of colony ships to head to Mars. Finally emerging from the devastation of WWIII, China founds the Socialist Alliance, and joins in the exodus to a new land.

2236: December 13th, 9:45AM GMT. Marsian Terraforming is declared complete when the first breath of fresh air is taken.

2311: First manned flight to the asteroid belt confirms presense of valuable minerals. The dollar skyrockets at the news, as the Democratic Alliance tows several 'roids to Mars for mining.

2390: Lenin's Dream is finished, a Socialist Alliance colony ship. It will take two years for it to reach Jupiter, where it sets up a city on the moon of Ganymede.

2395: Ultra-efficient ion drives are developed, drastically shortening transit time between planets. Fusion reactors are also finally cleared for use on starcraft, ushering in a new era of space exploration.

2501: At the dawn of the 26th century, mankind has done the impossible and strode across the solar system. Dozens of cities dot the void, including bases orbiting Neptune and Uranus. Terraforming of Venus has begun but is going slow, as acid-resistant colonies toil beneath it's unforgiving atmosphere.

2536: The Socialist Alliance shocks the worlds as they declare Mercury and Venus to be their territory, threatening military action against those that do not recignize their authority. Fearing attacks, Earth and Mars unite under Republics, vowing to defend against The New Red Menace.

2580: First successful firing of an antimatter missile, against asteroid X9-43, by the newly formed Corporate Authority Of The Outer Worlds. They will sell thousands of these missiles to the Inner World governments in the following years.

2643: The Solar Authority is formed, in an attempt to lessen tensions between the three major alliances of the Solar System. Equipped with a powerful fleet with the fastest engines availiable, the Authority takes control of the Asteroid Belt and promises bloody consequences for violation of the now-legendary UN charter.

2720: As population pressure continues to rise, and less and less livable space exists in the solar system, the University Of Luna begins recruiting the greatest minds of Mankind in a desperate search for a way to go faster than light.

2800: After eighty years of research, the Chancellor of the University Of Luna admits to the worlds that there is no evidence for a way of going faster than light. Mankind, fearing it will be trapped in the already-crowded Sol system, begins constructing their most ambitious colony ships yet, designed to fly for years to reach other stars.

2875: The first interstellar ship is launched into the unknown. It is named the Destiny Of Mankind. It is a truly gargauntuan vessel, able to be completely self-sufficient in it's multi-decade journey. The first communications equipment based on Nonlocality, first discovered by Einstein, is mounted on the vessel as it begins it's journey.

2950: After nearly a hundred years of searching, the Destiny lands on a planet orbiting Centauri Prime. Celebrations ring throughout the Worlds at the achievement.

2984: A postgraduate student doodles in the margin of his test the following: All things on a macroscopic scale have absolute coordinates in timespace. If one can alter these coordinates, travel between the stars is not just possible, but easy.

2994: After ten years of work, Professor Iomhair proves the doodle he once wrote, causing a box of matches to move from San Fransisco to a lab in Tranquility City without touching the intervening space. His creation, creatively dubbed the Resetter, seems humanity's salvation...

3000: The first craft equipped with a Resetter is launched, prepared to test the theories and leave the Solar System....

More coming for comments.

[Mr Bean]

Intresting, So its old Commies who try and kill us all?

[SirNitram]

Intresting, So its old Commies who try and kill us all?

They tried a few times. But trust me, there are worse things out there than Commies. I plan to pick up the story at 3000 AD, as the first vessel heads out to explore.

[Mr Bean]

Now I need weapon information or is SN going to go Anime Missle Overload as his main weapon choice

[SirNitram]

Now I need weapon information or is SN going to go Anime Missle Overload as his main weapon choice

I'll describe the warfare situation in a bit, but here's a basic idea.

A Heavy Cruiser which is as big as an SSD, which launches volleys of five thousand antimatter missiles. All combat takes place far outside of visual range, unless the captain of a ship is absolutely nuts. It's similar to sub warfare, a contest of who is most invisible in the darkness.

[Sea Skimmer]

Interesting..

Those must be pretty powerful missiles, hundreds of megatons, if it becomes worthwhile to use anti matter instead of nuclear weapons.

[SirNitram]

War and tactics in the Great Void.

When sensors can see a ship before the naked eye can, and when missiles carry the power of antimatter, war is far different from huge battleships slugging each other a few miles apart. It is a lethal game of cat and mouse, where ships seek to gain locks before their opponent notices them, and the first sign many skippers have had of their opponent is the flurry of missiles coming their way.

A ship armed with missiles will always carry more firepower than an equivalent sized one with weapons the ship must provide the power for. Though expendable, rapid-fabrication technology and immense cargo stores allow for missile volleys where thousands is the norm.

But no offensive weaponry can evolve without a defense constantly playing catchup. ECM, point defense, armour, and the latest resort, fields of shaped electromagnetic energy, all play their part. For many skippers it is a dangerous game of waiting when to blink. To raise active defenses is to reveal the ship to all those around, but to leave them down is to try and avoid missile strikes when a starship cannot accelerate at their speeds.

Most warship captains never see their opponents unless they are defeated or captured. The ranges for engagement grow every day, as the AU is now considered 'normal engagement range'.

There are four cases of engagement in space where one could visually confirm the target. The first two are the now-legendary ambushes by Red China, in the days when a cannon was still considered a viable weapon in space. The other two are more curious.

The third incident was during the conflicts that would be known as the Inner World Battles, when Socialist warships tried to capture a comet trailing a large number of resource-rich asteroids. As they approached to fire magnetic cables into the asteroids, their were quickly attacked.. And seconds later, destroyed.. by a small fleet of Democratic torpedo boats, that had been hiding in the debris tail. The surviving Socialists asked to be killed mercifully, instead of being returned home to face the shame of being taken in by such a ruse.

The fourth is more interesting, for it occours within wargames, and hints at what comes next. Hundreds of years of history dictate that a ship powers dow non-essential systems before closing to passive sensor range. Yet, a young Captain decided instead to run all systems, defensive and offensive, to full, including the mockup Resetter device he had been assigned. After loosing a salvo along with his fleet, the captain reportedly removed a pocket watch and counted. At the correct moment, he declared he was invoking the Resetter to appear behind the enemy command ship. The resulting two-way attack obliterated the vessel, and the incoming salvo finished off the support ships, dazed from such a tactic.

Whether the Resetter will serve to revolutionize normal war has yet to be seen...

[Falkenhorst]

this is a kickass concept, Nitram. I hope to see more of this soon.

[NecronLord]

None too shabby, Prehaps I'll post some of my work up here, back on design your own battlecruiser is a preview.

PS, use mass-energy conversion, it gives you more power output than antimatter, and you have less risk of incorrect explosion.

[NecronLord]

Correction
*i* use mass ener...

[SirNitram]

None too shabby, Prehaps I'll post some of my work up here, back on design your own battlecruiser is a preview.

PS, i use mass-energy conversion, it gives you more power output than antimatter, and you have less risk of incorrect explosion.

I just prefer to limit my unknown sciences. I've limited it here to the Resetter, and the GravBuffer, which is a little device which can lessen, but not remove, the effects of acceleration. It keeps warships under 50G's, though that hasn't stopped missile acceleration from skyrocketing.

[RayCav of ASVS]

Cool

[Cpt_Frank]

YES submarinish space warfare ME LOVES IT!!!

[Dalton]

I'm starting to write sci-fi again. Here's a basic timeline I've been working on... Comments welcome. All years are A.D.

2050: Completion of International Space Station. Six months later, President Dalton will declare the United States' intent to create a permenant lunar city by 2070. One year later, Red China announces it will beat the States to the goal.

[SirNitram]

I'm starting to write sci-fi again. Here's a basic timeline I've been working on... Comments welcome. All years are A.D.

2050: Completion of International Space Station. Six months later, President Dalton will declare the United States' intent to create a permenant lunar city by 2070. One year later, Red China announces it will beat the States to the goal.

I'm no good with names, so Dalton, your descendents will be President.

[SirNitram]

Into The Night.

***Classified***
***Top Secret***
***Eyes Only***

Unauthorized duplication of this document is considered High Treason against mankind. Offenders will be shot on sight.

In 2091 AD, the largest inferometer to date was deployed. With a baseline of ten thousand thirty one miles, and with one thousand optical/radio telescopes, the inferometer array orbited above the moon and began mankind's search for extrasolar planets. The known results of this survey have been submitted to the archives. The following is what was unearthed and observed over a 30 day period, while examining the system Wolf 359.

Radio examinations indicated anomalous radiation from the system, from an unknown source at least on AU from the star itself. Focusing optical instruments on the region showed large flashes, followed by similar bursts of radiation from the region. This activity persisted for seven days, and ceased abruptly. Background radiation continued for some time.

Research has been unable to come up with a rational, natural mechanism to explain the flashes, who shifted from one side of the star to the other, and appeared in groups. The United Nations Space Authority has therefore classified this information, fearing the only answer we have been able to hypothesize: Nuclear weapons were utilized at Wolf 359 over a seven day period. The distance to the star suggests the battle took place partway through our year 2083, and our continued surveying has not shown any signs of civilization outside this anomalous activity. Any extra-solar missions are to be equipped to deal with the possible threat of nonhuman aggression.

***END DOCUMENT***

An organ blared it's music to those onboard the Discovery and those watching on holovisions across the Solar System. The huge vessel was clear of the spacedocks and under it's own power, gliding away from Europa at less than a G. The crew were putting the last polishes on the eka-lead/titanium alloy that made up the hull. The anthem of Mankind, a catchy number made in the late 2300's, played on the organ.

Martin, standing on the bridge, looked at the forward viewscreen. With nothing ahead of them but open void, he switched it to show the world of ice they were departing. Water-mining had ended nearly three centuries ago, when a lifeform had been brought up by the drill. The entire moon was now a hub of biological research, and this necessitated a large stardock.

But he was feeling odd. Not, of course, because this was the first test of the Resetter to travel beyond Known Space. No, he had waited his career for something like this. He was concerned because the vessel he was in had to be the most heavily armed and armoured in the fleet. It was a Everlasting Glory, a heavy cruiser whose designer claimed could flatten an Earth-type planet that lacked electromagnetic defensive fields. Mounting nearly thirty thousand multimunition tubes, it could lay down unprecedented fire, and it's engine baffles made it one of the quietest as well. In short, it was a battleship, not an explorer. The sensors were excellent, of course.. They had to be... But it was still odd to be on a ship of war in what was supposed to be an exploration that would open up so much territory war could end.

But there was a four star general and a fleet admiral onboard. They bow katowed to him, of course, the Skipper, but this ship was expecting trouble. The Centuari outpost? Nonsense. They can't be preparing any sort of uprising. Not enough resources in the brief time it's been in place.

The tapping on his shoulders woke him up. It was time. He shoved his doubts down. It was just a matter of reactor power. Of course. The Resetter would obviously be power intensive, wouldn't it? Stood to reason. He relaxed, took a breath, and gave the order.

The history of mankind was forever changed, as the Discovery flickered and was gone....

[Mr Bean]

Now to pay SirNitrium the greatest complent he could recive

*I know its SN, But It sounds like Stravo talking...

[HemlockGrey]

Excellant work.

Shall we put non-fanfics in this forum, then?

[Falkenhorst]

once again, EXCELLENT, and I am awaiting the sequel.

[SylasGaunt]

Excellent stuff, I wanna see more. (The submarine style warfare reminds me of my own universe, though you throw around much more ordnance)

[SirNitram]

***Classified***
***Top Secret***
***Eyes Only***

Unauthorized duplication of this document is considered High Treason against mankind. Offenders will be shot on sight.

Last transmissions of the Neptune Corp vessel Profit Margin.

We are rounding the moon of Charon now, approaching Pluto surface.

Sir, picking up a gravitational anomaly on the far horizon of the planet.

What? The Solar Authority assured me they had outlawed all research on gravity-based technology...

Skipper, I have multiple contacts on my scopes. They are red hot, repeat, red hot, we are being actively pinged. Unknown profiles.. No recignition codes... Unfamiliar engine signatures.. Uh.. They're not ours.

If they're not ours, who the hell are they?!

Sir, they're coming in fast. Check.. Incoming fire. Multiple hull strikes from some form of directed beam. We are venting into space.

This is the Profit Margin to all ships in range! Requesting immediate support! We are under fire from unknown vess-......

***END DOCUMENT***
***END DOCUMENT***
***END DOCUMENT***

The Discovery reappeared the same second it had left in. Only now, it orbited Centauri Prime, a mere few lightminutes away from the outpost and it's stardocks.

"Discovery, this is Centauri Control. Welcome to the Frontier, comrade!"

Martin smiled slightly to himself as the transmission came through. Ah yes.. The Socialist Alliance had been a major contributor to this world. He tapped the comms button. "Pleasure to see you, Control. I've never seen a binary dawn before.. It's a sight worth the trip. Requesting permission to dock and perform diagnostics."

"But of course, Discovery! Our Dock Alpha-Five is technically for bases, but a vessel your size will only fit there, I think. Proceed, my comrades, and receive the cheers of the ten planets in your ears!"

Martin chuckled. "Copy that, Control. Helm, give me half-flank towards the dock." It would take nearly a half hour at half-flank, but it wasn't a problem. The biggest part of the test flight was complete. They had travelled across four lightyears in the flash of an eye.

The intercomm on his chair blinked for a moment before the words of a sensor tech came across. "Most honorable Skipper, we have a small.. Situation to report."

"Copy that, report, Lt. Commander."

"We are reading nearly five hundred independent weapons platforms in system. All are on standby at this time, sir. Some are even bomb-pumped X-ray lasers, sir. Most would be undetectable, but this thing could tell you how many hairs the most honorable communications officer at Control has on his most honorable ass."

Martin chuckled, but couldn't deny it. The ship's optical sensors could pick up the tiniest hull vibrations that distinguished a ship running silent from an asteroid of unusually high iron content. The electromagnetic sensors could tell you if a crewmember on an opposing vessel had an old AM/FM/XM radio in his quarters. "Do you think it's an ambush, commander?"

"Negative.. None are powering up as we approach. But this could smash the entire Inner World Fleet!" The voice was clearly worried. The sensor operator hailed from Venus, a world where paranoia was the order of the day. About everything from atmospheric scrubbers to the guy behind you in line for the Men's Room.

Still... It was very unusual. "Don't talk about this to anyone, Commander. Record it and drop it off at my quarters later."

Were the Centaurians planning some sort of uprising?

[The Prime Necromancer]

*raises thread from the dead*

Sorry, had to do it at least once.

I do have a motivation, though. I wanted to say that I read this fic when you posted it, Nitram, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Did you ever continue this story? If so, did you ever post the next parts? I was unable to find any.