Human Time Line 2950-3000

Updated Sunday 15 May, 2011 12:18 PM

Human Time Line 2950 - 3000

Fourth Age

Birth Pains

Fourth Age Glossary (2950-3200)

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2950 Much speculation continues over the genesis of the Fourth Age. Some historians claim that the Fourth Age of Humanity began in 2960. Others claim 2999, while others yet again claim 2950. In order to cover everything that touched upon the forthcoming events, our history will start with 2950 when a series of scandals began that shook the known galaxy. Unlike the Third Age, which has been unfairly labelled by the Vargary historian Nor Vind’Ah’Kar as the "Age Of Boredom", the Fourth Age was truly a period that challenged the United Federation of Planets (UFP), if not the very existence of the Human race.

The UFP, pushed on by the Humans, had become a vast & magnificent civilisation. Numerous worlds over the Third Age had joined. The result was a free & democratic federation that extended from Avakous to Honshu (a distance of over 1 000 light years) & from the galactic rim inward to Bizan the inner most planet of the old Coalition of Independent Planets [CIP] (a distance just under 1 000 light years). Great prosperity was enjoyed by all members. Peace, apart from the occasional violent encounter, was a continuous characteristic of the Third Age.

The embryo of change was performed by a Nirvana historian Hilary Holman. Holman’s research into the disastrous Zargah War of centuries ago opened old wounds that had never really healed. The Zargah Empire continued to exist & maintained its independence from the UFP. Now both civilisations shared a common border. Various treaties, however, had established a "neutral zone" between the two adversaries. Although no second war had ever occurred, neither side trusted the other.

It was Holman’s conclusion of the causes of the war that ensured trouble would follow. Her meticulous research, which involved "hacking" into Zargah archives, made startling reading. Her book, The War That Really Was, became a best seller overnight. The ramifications for UFP & Zargah relations were even more startling.

2951 After UFP government researchers confirmed Holman’s claims, President Lom Lindarshi of Lyonies officially apologised to the Zargah for causing the Zargah War. The UFP was truly humiliated over the "truth" - the apology was considered the right thing to do. The Zargah were merely acting in retaliation for the destruction of one of their colonies. Apparently a UFP "peace probe" slammed into it while at warp speed destroying the frontier settlement. 75 000 Zargah, including the Emperor’s second son who was its governor, were killed. Although it was never intentional, the Zargah did not view it that way & thought the UFP were attacking them. This war, the Zargah thought, was confirmed when the heavily armed UPX Discovery2 arrived unannounced in Zargah space in 2180.

The apology, however, only added to insult. In Zargah society, such things are not discussed. It is considered that all know their actions & thus their responsibilities. Certainly none of the Zargah prisoners of war, particularly the senior officers, mentioned the real reason why the war started. Furthermore, none of the surviving Zargah, who later settled in the UFP as Finites, knew the causes of the war.

During the period after the war, whether in the negotiations or since, the Zargah never discussed why they attacked. This was another aspect of Zargah society: if you are defeated in something, you never discuss the reasons for your defeat to your enemy. You accept your defeat & learn from the strengths of victory. The ultimate insult in such a situation, is for the victor to apologise regardless of the circumstances.

The result of Holman’s book & President Lom Lindarshi’s apology was Zargah outrage. Although the Zargah protested the book their retained political contact. But following the apology, they broke off diplomatic relations with the UFP. Finite personnel were sought by the UFP leadership, but centuries had gone by since they were Zargah. Many of the old customs had been forgotten. They could offer little help.

2952 Although tension was clearly evident between the UFP & Zargah, few truly considered that a war would begin. Having said that, the United Defence Forces (UDF) increased their patrols & monitoring. Nothing could come near the border without coming to the attention of the UDF. Technology first developed centuries ago, such as Indorra, Enigma2, & BigMouth had been even further enhanced. They was no chance that the Zargah, or anyone else for that matter, could threaten the UFP without the appropriate response.

And that response would be devastating. Although the main UDF fleets were not any larger than 500 years ago, their firepower & technology was without rival. Next Generations Warships (NGW) had continued to research & develop designs & technology throughout the Third Age. Even now, a new class of warships were about to join the fleet.

The presidential elections became the most exciting in years. Due to the "Zargah scandal" President Lom Lindarshi was in serious trouble. In the debates, Lindarshi was constantly harassed about the huge blunder over the apology. It became even more "scandalous" when UFP archives of 650 years ago clearly showed that an apology to a defeated Zargah was the ultimate insult. With that, Roslyn Nevin of Eden became President.

2953 United Planetary Explorations (UPX) & United Health Service (UHS) were more than pleased to inform the UFP that "Blue" Mars was ready for re-colonisation. It had taken the combined efforts of these two agencies to "rehabilitate" Mars. Although Mars was not the first planet to be rehabilitated, several others including the UFP capital Parliament-Upon-Epsilon had been, it was the first to be terra-formed from a totally dead to living planet. Now Earth, commonly called Mother these days by many Humans, truly had a living blue neighbour.

Although immediately opened for colonisation (again), few at first took the opportunity. Mars had been previously colonised for almost 1 000 years prior to the twenty three years rehab. Generations had become used to the red planet. All were removed, some forcibly, during the rehabilitation process, but they did return. At least Mars retained its 26 million citizens.

On the success of the Mars rehab, UPX & UHS jointly suggested that Venus too could be terra-formed. It would be significantly harder than Mars, due to the acidic high pressure atmosphere, but they were confident. After walking on the new Mars, President Nevin could not say no to the scheme. She was amazed by "Blue" Mars. It meant another planet to house UPF citizens.

Overpopulation in the "Mother" sector had become a major problem. Earth’s population alone had reached 9 billion while Eden’s population was 8 billion. Even Nirvana, Pheonix & Renaissance populations had all reached about 16 billion in total. Utopia with 4 billion could not accept any more, while similar situations occurred on the other "old" planets. Although Humans had spread out across the federation & had migrated to other lesser populated colonies, especially on the frontier, too many of them remained on Earth & Eden. Mars could certainly sustain 2 billion, but a fully habitable Venus could sustain 6 billion.

2954 UPX began the Venus Rehab Project (VRP). It was estimated that it would take at least twenty years to complete. It would not only involve removal of radioactive material & the like, but would include the bombardment of the planet with space ice. This space ice, found orbiting around Earth’s solar system, would be captured & sent hurtling towards Venus. It would then crash into the planet not too dissimilar to a meteor.

Eventually enough water would lower the atmospheric pressure of the planet so that rehab crews could operate on the surface. Initially they would set up huge atmospheric purifiers to rid the atmosphere of harmful elements leaving behind breathable air. The soil too would be cleansed before gene manipulated vegetation, specifically designed for Venus, would be introduced. Needless to day, the vegetation would need water & the space ice would ensure that Venus would have it - the most precious commodity for life.

Various environmental groups protested the VRP, especially when the space ice component became public. This had never been attempted before & although it should work in theory, no one really knew what would happen in practice. After much debate in the UFP Congress, the VRP was permitted to continue, provided all care was taken. Environmental inspectors would constantly scrutinise the work & had the authority to cease operations if necessary.

2955 The Zargah refused to reinstate diplomatic relations, even though dialogue did continue at a governmental level. Tension, however, remained as the UFP tried to figure out a way to mend this rift between the two powers.

NGW completed the century project with the launching of a new class of warship. It was a mammoth undertaking & literally took a century of research & development to complete. It also cost the UFP a fortune to fund let alone construct the class leader. Yet, considering the current political situation with the Zargah, it joined the UDF in secret. It was thought that if the UDF Sparta was revealed, the current political situation would only get worse. Furthermore, twenty nine other Sparta class ships were under construction or on order. It may wrongly appear to the Zargah that the UFP was getting ready for war. This was far from the truth; yet appearances can be deceiving.

2956 NGW launched another of the new Sparta Class, UDF Thebes. Like the class leader, the existence of the Thebes was kept secret. Some senior UDF staff started to express concern over the UFP secret policy in regards to the Sparta class, but again it was considered a bigger danger if existence of the class was made public.

UPX continued, as it had for centuries, to explore beyond the frontier. Although the discoveries no longer fascinated the general public, UPX continued with exploration. Various planets, both habitable & not, had been charted beyond UFP’s borders. Unlike previously though, annexation of these areas had not occurred. Significantly, since 2300 no new civilisations had been found.

A few dead civilisations had, however, been discovered. Although UPX had conducted intensive archaeological studies into the "ancient" ones, as they had become popularly called, little information had been gathered about these lost civilisations. Whole planets, it seems, had been totally abandoned by their inhabitants leaving little evidence other than dwellings, some writings & artefacts. Yet one such planet, found by the UPX Clarke about 300 light years inward of Bizan, would be without parallel in significance. UPX named the planet Essence.

For once the media were correct in the use of the label "ancients". Many of the civilisations dated back in some cases 1 million years. Not only was the civilisation on Essence dated as 1 million years, but large quantities of equipment, machines, computers, data & literature was discovered on the planet. UPX quickly rushed personnel to the planet. Soon Essence had a new population of 15 000 UFP citizens swarming over the planet searching for the next big discovery.

The UPX Essence teams caught the public’s attention & soon CNN, BBC & other media corporations broadcasted daily the latest discoveries from the planet. UDF & NGW also followed & soon had their experts sifting through the artefacts. It would not be the first time that another civilisation’s technology had been adapted for use by the UFP.

2957 The third of the Sparta class was secretly launched by NGW. The UDF Corinth, without any fan-fair, quietly left NGW’s dockyards on D1 to rendezvous at the new UDF base out on the rim & away from prying eyes. The enormous ship was easily concealed thanks to its cloaking technology: another first for UDF warships.

On Essence, UPX researchers came across that immediately got NGW’s attention. While much of the technology so far discovered was not too dissimilar to current UPF levels, UPX did not know what to make of a machine that appeared to be a Magnetic Space Warp Drive (MSWD) engine. Yet, its design & configuration clearly indicated that it was more advanced than current MSWD. UPX it could not get it to operate. NGW thought otherwise. Thus amongst much security, the "machine" was transported on the battleship UDF Iowa back to D1. None of the media gave it much consideration, although the high security level did raise a few eyebrows.

The Presidential elections had again become a quiet affair. As the Zargah had become quiet & threats of war disappeared from the headlines, UFP citizens took little interest in the elections. President Nevin was thus re-elected.

2958 Earth Government, as the Earth was now known, in conjunction with the Eden & Mars Governments, announced significant immigration packages to support colonists to Mars. UFP government furthered these programs by announcing it would finance construction of dwellings & support services for new colonists. The offer was taken up immediately by millions of UFP citizens, especially those on Earth. Within the year 4 million had migrated from Earth, while 1.5 million came from Eden.

All four governments impressed upon the major media corporations to highlight Mars in order to create interest in the planet. As part of the deal the media agencies had free access to all of Mars. There were no security concerns on Mars anyway. The military industries had left Mars centuries ago & the industries left where as common as anywhere else in the UFP. Mars did not even have a UDF base. The media thought it a waste of time.

UDF Argos, the fourth of the Sparta class, was launched late in the year. Problems with its cloaking technology had delayed its commissioning by five months. Yet it left D1 fully functional on its way to the UDF base out on the rim. Unfortunately it did not get far before problems returned to plague the ship. Although minor, it was decided drop out of warp to fix the problems. No one on the Argos, however, cared that they were close to Mars. It was assumed that the cloaking device was working well & there was no concern over detection.

All of a sudden at Mars Space Traffic Control, alarms started going off. Likewise alarms on transport ships near Mars erupted with warnings. Sensors indicated an enormous "moon" had just appeared within Mars space. CNN, BBC & the other media agencies were all over the story within seconds. Before anyone knew what was happening, pictures of the moon were telecast over several news channels. Furthermore, it was rather obvious from the first pictures that it was no moon, but an enormous ship.

The Argos, knowing that all & sundry could detect & see the ship, immediately went into warp speed & headed as fast as it could towards the rim. As it flashed across Mother Sector it was tracked by commercial space-traffic control, the media & not to mention the United Federal Police Service (UFPS). It was undeniable what the UFP just witnessed. Mars had been a huge news location after all!

2959 The UFP were not the only people who watched CNN. The Zargah also, albeit in a clandestine manner, enjoyed watching CNN. In fact the Zargah Head of Security often joked he learnt more about UFP political & military activity from CNN than the Zargah Intelligence Agency. On this particular day, however, he was in no joking mood. Relations with the UFP had not improved since 2951. The revelation of UDF’s secret warship class ensured the situation got gravely worse as the Zargah were now truly concerned about UFP intentions.

The Zargah were not the only ones shocked. In fact the UFP Congress was outraged. Congress demanded answers. What was worse, they wanted answers in public. It soon became well known that, not only did the President know all about the Sparta class, but that four ships were operational with at least twenty six more ships coming. All of this information was broadcast on CNN. All of this information further terrified the Zargah. It appeared to them that the UFP wanted another war. This was precisely what President Nevin was trying to avoid.

The Zargah, playing the media game, demanded that the Sparta class be immediately destroyed. If this was not forthcoming, the Zargah Empire would consider such a non-appliance an act of war. The UFP was shocked, yet few turned on President Nevin. Criticism was abound earlier, but once the Zargah had threatened war, the new issue took away any reaction for now.

2960 It became obvious that the Zargah meant business. Indorra clearly identified Zargah Fleet movements towards the Neutral Zone border. Although not in violation of any treaties, the simple fact that well over 3 000 Zargah warships had concentrated along the border threatening Honshu Sector space could not be ignored.

After the UDF informed President Nevin of the possible invasion of Honshu (the youngest member of the UFP), she was given no choice but to act. Nevin ordered the Admirals to ensure that no UFP territory be violated by the Zargah. As far as she was concerned, the battle must be taken to the Zargah. "If they want a war then they can have one in their backyard this time".

In the discussion, Admiral Sun suggested a war without casualties. Nevin & a few of the others laughed at first, but after Sun explained his strategy, no one was laughing any more.

At D1, NGW readied UDF Athens at a maniac pace. Their efforts proved fruitful & the ship, without any shake down voyage, left to rendezvous with her sister ships. The rest of the UDF fleets remained in defensive positions & deliberately allowed the Zargah to know their locations. It appeared contemptuous to the Zargah that the UDF took no notice of their threats.

Across in Zargah space the Grand Fleet, as the combined Zargah fleets were known, had completed its final checks prior to receiving the final authorisation for invasion. Their ships had improved since 2300, yet they knew that the average UDF ship was at least equal to theirs. Nonetheless, they had to ensure that the UFP could not invade & conquer them first. Even if the war soon stopped, negotiations would ensure that the Zargah would not endure the humiliation of the last war.

No one in the Zargah fleet, however, expected what would occur in the next few minutes. The second the authorisation command came through from Capital, the five Sparta class ships appeared from no where. The Zargah Grand Fleet was surrounded by the most powerful warships ever witnessed in Creation. Admiral Sun, in the UDF Athens, ordered the Grand Fleet to stand down. This was refused. The Zargah started shooting, yet none of their shots registered any damaged on the five UDF ships. Their magnetic defence shields merely deflected the weapons energy.

The Zargah ships, however, could not escape. With every attempt at escape, a Sparta ship would block the Zargah vessels while tractor beams pushed the ships back. Sun wanted to ensure all would witness the following event. Without warning, the Thebes fired upon a large asteroid in the middle of the battlefield. Only a small discharge was fired, but the asteroid disappeared. BlackStar had returned: this time as a beam weapon. Admiral Sun again ordered the Grand Fleet to stand down. This time there was no argument. The war was over only minutes after it started.

Admiral Sun returned a hero, as did the Spartan "fleet". The Bloodless War, as the enounter became known, was truly remarkable. Not one casualty, apart from the occasional bruise, was recorded on either side. The UFP had won the war without any loss of life. The Sparta class had truly proven their worth They also ensured President Nevin was in the clear. A new treaty with the Zargah was immediately signed & diplomatic relations were once again opened. This time there was no apology from the UFP. Hopefully, due to this experience, no mistakes would be made in the future.

2961 After the success of the Bloodless War, the general public demanded more information about the Sparta class. Considering the ships had just won a war, let alone being the largest & most powerful ships known in existence, it was only natural that people wanted to know more about them. After much debate within the government, it was decided that Admiral Sun would give CNN a tour.

The "Sparta Tour" program was the highest rating program in living memory. The entire UFP, as well as some Zargah officials, were glued to their holovision sets for 60 minutes. Truly the ships were unfathomable. In size they were about equivalent to Earth’s moon. They had a crew of 3 500 personnel, while a Space Marine Armoured Division of 15 000 troops could be transported to a land battle if required. But that was only the start. The engine room, which took up half the ship, was basically a mini-sun that ensured unmeasurable power. This not only ensured a high constant warp from its MSWD, but powered virtually impregnable defence shields, tractor beams & above all the BlackStar Beam arrays.

Although it took a century of research & develop to construct the ships, they had already shown that the UFP could enter a conflict, defeat the enemy with zero casualties & thus impose its will accordingly. No one, however, could answer why such a warship was constructed when clearly not one of UFP’s few neighbours could really challenge current designs, let alone the Spartans.

2962 In the UFP, the aftermath of the Bloodless War had faded from public view. Although this event may have been a major issue for the Presidential elections last year, it barely rated as an issue this year. The elections, though, were hotly contested as ten candidates put their hand up. One included a Blurgiss Comtish Monns. Although highly creditable & above all honourable, numerous old Freedom Federation (FF) & CIP peoples voted as a block against Monns. Old memories die hard it seems.

The eventual victorious candidate came from Earth. David von Scharnhorst became the first Earth based president of the UFP in an uncreditable 500 years. Although Earth had the highest planetary population it had become a political backwater. That is not to say that Earth no longer mattered in UFP affairs. Earth’s diverse political structure, however, ensured that its voting patterns were often split among several Earth candidates which ensured first round defeats. Losing the UFP capital to Epsilon only furthered the drain of political power.

Earth’s economic, technological & social power, however, was unrivalled throughout the UFP. Although the Wazzen-Quotos Union (WQU) region was another economic powerhouse, it was only half that of Earth. Eden, Earth first & most favoured "daughter", was the only true rival to Earth’s dominance. Eden, though, was seen more as a partner than any rival.

Political reforms on Earth in 2942 soon changed everything. The new Earth Government was truly a single, albeit a federated one. And Eden was more than willing to share with Earth now that Earth would regain the political centre stage. The consequences of such an arrangement were unknown. It did not take long, however, before many non-humans to often criticised, with some justification, that the UFP was becoming a Humans benefit club. Yet many non-humans had become politically powerful thanks to the Humans, particularly over the last 500 years.

The Vargary instantly dismissed the other races criticisms as ridiculous. They had always been close allies with the Humans through think & thin. In reply they were criticised as the Human’s lap dogs. For once, the Vargary were not amused. Although this bickering would go on, no one in the UFP family considered cessation from the UFP.

The ramifications of the Bloodless War for the Zargah would be different. Unlike in the UFP, the event did not fade from the public’s attention. Although the Emperor remained quiet over the issue, some members of the public began discussing the issue. Although this was a major offence & several hundred citizens were arrested, it still became a common discussion throughout the Empire.

2963 All remained basically quiet within the UFP. A few environmental groups expressed concern over the Essence archaeological operation, but UPX was quick to reply. Several environmental representatives were invited to Essence to inspect for themselves the operation. It was truly impressive & importantly all care had been taken in regards to environmental impact. None of them really noticed the NGW presence. Yet their operations on Essence were no secret as it was well known that NGW had been brought in by UPX to consult on recent discoveries.

In the Zargah Empire there were operations of a different kind being carried out. The criticisms of the previous year would not go away. Although the aristocracy had kept out of the discussion, even in this powerful class that effectively ruled the Empire, some leaders had similar criticisms of the Bloodless War. Soon other issues were also discussed behind closed doors - chief among them political reforms. Although such ideas were considered treasonable & received the death penalty, the Empire had not seen political change for 2 000 years. Some of the aristocrats now openly stated at these meetings that reforms were long overdue.

2964 In celebration of Shakespeare’s 1 400 year birthday, the three main Shakespeare theatre companies toured the UFP. Although several planets had no idea what Shakespeare was about, let alone why the bard’s work was so impressive, the tours nevertheless were a great success. The Vargary Shakespeare Company performed an extremely entertaining Comedy of Errors; the Royal Shakespeare Company performed a riveting & intensive MacBeth; while The Shakespeare Freedom Ensemble brilliantly preformed a haunting Richard III. Many critics said that Shakespeare would have been immensely proud by the production standards of the three companies.

The bickering within the Zargah Empire continued. Although members of the aristocracy remained quiet in public, the commoners had no such concerns. Many commoners became openly critical of the Emperor. The worst offenders were arrested, but no executions for treason took place. The Emperor though was losing his patience.

2965 It was not long, however, before tensions came to a breaking point within the Zargah Empire. Arrests of commoners only increased public criticism. Soon all issues were being aired in public; something totally revolutionary in Zargah society. When political reforms took over as the leading issue, the Emperor declared marshal law. Unlike previously, executions began albeit in small numbers. This, however, only added fuel to the fire.

Soon the Zargah House Of Lords, an "advisory" body of aristocrats to the Imperial Government, suggested caution. The Emperor could not believe it. Crying treason, the Speaker of the Lords was arrested. The Emperor then ordered the House Of Lords to be temporarily closed. The Lords refused & went into hiding. Within days, riots began across the Empire.

Although the UFP knew that civil discontent was occurring in the Zargah Empire, few took notice. But when the latest news reached the UFP many became concerned. And concerned not for the commoners, but that the violence may spread cross the border.

President von Scharnhorst had other concerns, that a Zargah civil war was imminent & that the UFP would get dragged into it. Civil wars are messy at the best of times; especially when it is someone else’s. The UDF was, nonetheless, ordered to patrol the border & be vigilant at all times. The Sparta class would become part of the patrol operations.

2966 Civil unrest continued throughout the Zargah Empire. Little had changed from the previous year. It had, however, become more organised. Two political "camps" had developed. Those that supported the Emperor become known as the Royalists, while the reformers became known as the Liberals. Neither side, however, had any particular political philosophy, merely one group wanted to keep things the way they were while the others wanted change. None of the Liberals, though, really knew what kind of change they wanted.

The UFP continued to look upon these events with fascination. The once powerful Zargah appeared to be engaged in a haphazard uncoordinated waltz that made them appear newly born children. This was further reinforced by the immature political arguments being put forward by the opposing sides. These arguments, however, would soon mature.

2967 As the UFP presidential elections took place, whereupon President von Scharnhorst was re-elected, the Zargah Liberals finally put forth a comprehensive political philosophy. Basically they argued that the Emperor was not at fault: his Imperial advisers were. By declaring the Emperor legitimate, their declared treason became null-in-void. It was the Imperial advisers who were the real traitors & it was the Lord’s duty was to see justice done. Above all the Emperor had to be protected.

Although the Lords political position may appear somewhat ludicrous, it was nonetheless great politics. Now the Liberals had a clear moral agenda akin to a religious crusade. Furthermore, numerous members of the Imperial Government, fearing possible execution at the hands of the Liberals, changed sides. More importantly, about half of the military likewise sided with the Liberals. By the end of the year the Zargah civil war started in earnest.

2968 With the Zargah civil war raging, alarm spread across the UFP. President von Scharnhorst reiterated his non-involvement policy to worried citizens of the Federation. Promises, he knew, were not enough & clear instructions were issued to the UDF not to cross the border. Furthermore, no engagements were authorised if Zargah ships from either side crossed in UFP space. Any infringements by Zargah ships would be monitored & intercepted, but firing upon ships from either side was strictly forbidden. Needless to say, Sparta class ships were placed at strategic points. As previously demonstrated, their defensive shields & tracker beams were more than enough when dealing with even the largest Zargah battleship.

As the civil war progressed, both sides appealed to possible allies. The Liberals turned to the UFP for help. Keeping to his strict non-intervention policy, President von Scharnhorst diplomatically sympathised for their cause but had to decline. As a gesture of good will, however, civilian humanitarian aid was offered, which was gladly accepted. Although the Imperial government protested the aid program to the Liberals, they were in no position to stop it.

In response to the UFP aid program, the Royalists appealed to the Cordah Imperium. UFP knew little of the Cordah except the occasional contact at various levels. UPX research indicated that the Cordah Imperium, like the Zargah, had an Imperial autocratic political structure. They were, however, smaller than the Zargah & not as advanced. Importantly, the Cordah never appeared to have territorial conquest tendencies. The UDF, due to this & the immense distance of some 1 500 light years from Earth, considered them somewhat low on alert concerns. The Cordah, though, we more than happy to sell arms & military equipment to the Royalists for hard Zargah currency & assets.

2969 The Zargah Liberals began to notice new equipment filling the Royalist ranks. Although it was no better than current Zargah weapons, it nonetheless indicated that the Royalists were getting foreign help. In clashes between the two forces, inevitably some of this new equipment was captured by the Liberals. It did not take long to discover the origins of the new weapons.

The Liberal leadership again appealed to the UFP for help. Again President von Scharnhorst diplomatically declined. When told of the captured foreign weapons, the UDF president was even more reluctant to get further involved. In a desperate act, a Liberal delegation arrived on the UFP border & handed over several examples of the Cordah weapons. These were verified by the UDF.

A BBC news crew was able to interview the Liberal leader Lord Zendous who put rather elegantly the Liberal’s case. Billions of UFP citizens watched the interview as it was telecast around the Federation. Soon public opinion demanded something be done. The UFP Congress, always quick to follow the public’s latest popular issue, likewise called upon President von Scharnhorst to do something.

President von Scharnhorst called in the Cabinet & the Joint Chiefs of the UDF. If intervention was going to occur it would not be his decision alone. Furthermore, it would be well planned before any final decision was made. It was the retiring Admiral Sun who came up with the final plan. Operation Corral would begin next year.

2970 As the Zargah civil war continued, Operation Corral commenced. The Cordah Imperium was ordered to cease supplying military equipment to the Royalists. President von Scharnhorst had taken the unprecedented decision to blockade the Zargah-Cordah border. Any ship, whether it be Zargah, Cordah, Independent or even UFP, would be stopped & turned around. Furthermore, if they did not withdraw, the ship would be fired upon, boarded &/or confiscated - even destroyed if need be. The UDF, however, would not get involved in the internal struggle of the Zargah.

The Cordah & the Royalists were outraged & threatened to fight their way across the border if need be. The Cordah were particular confident that this was a UDF bluff. Considering their distance from UFP territory, the Cordah could not believe that the UDF could even attempt such a blockade, let alone manage a war. The Royalists, though, were not so sure.

Within a day of President von Scharnhorst’s announcement, the Cordah sent an arms convoy towards the Zargah border. Considering the UFP threats, it was escorted by a large number of Cordah warships. Out of no where it came. A huge vessel immediately appeared on the border blocking, for thousands of kilometres in all directions, the path of the Cordah convoy. It did not take long for the Sparta class UDF Thessaly to order the Cordah to turn around & not come back.

The Cordah were both stunned, shocked & angered by the UDF ship. As per their orders, the Cordah ships attacked the Thessaly even though most of the Cordah captains, considering their tactical situation, queried the logic of such orders with the commanding admiral. Thessaly’s shields had no problems dealing with the weapons fire of the Cordah ships. Furthermore, tracker beams ensured that no Cordah ships got too close.

Thessaly’s scanners soon indicated that the bulk of the transport ships were automatic drone ships. Considering there was no life aboard, only illegal weapons, the captain of the Thessaly decided a little demonstration may be in order. Thus the BlackStar Beam arrays of Thessaly spoke. It was over in a second. All twelve drone ships vanished from existence. The Cordah warships got the message, ceased fire & withdrew with the remaining transports.

The year ended with a treaty between the UFP & the Cordah. Both agreed not to supply arms to the Zargah. Humanitarian aid was permitted, but inspectors from each side had to be present. The effects of the treaty would ensure that the days were numbered for the Royalists. It was now just a matter of time.

2971 It slowly became obvious that the Zargah Liberals were now winning the civil war. As this became more of a certainly, the Liberals established a provisional government. They still recognised the Emperor as Head of State, but a Chancellor elected by the House Of Lords became Head of Government. A new political institution was also established known as the House Of Commoners. Although it initially represented only 50% of the population, it was hoped that it was only the start leading to universal suffrage.

President von Scharnhorst, now wanting to court the Liberals & ensure they would be future allies, recognised the Liberal provisional government. The Cordah made no changes officially in their relations with the Zargah Imperial government, but did open unofficial talks with the new regime.

Needless to say, the Emperor did not, even though he was technically head of it, accept the new Zargah government. Nevertheless, Chancellor Lord Zendous continued to invite the Emperor to join His Majesty’s Representative Government.

2972 The Zargah Royalists were finally defeated. The Emperor sadly issued the surrender order to his surviving forces. Although the Emperor was safe from retribution, his Imperial Advisers were not. True to their word, the Lords had the Advisers arrested for treason. After enduring rather dubious legal proceedings, most were executed.

The first official meeting of the new Zargah Parliament soon erupted into heated debate over the Emperor. The House Of Commoners passed a motion calling upon the Emperor to answer for the civil war. Some support was also offered by the Lords. Chancellor Zendous suggested that possibly the Emperor should abdicate. Although this was not supported by everyone, the majority did concur.

The Emperor thus abdicated in favour of his eldest son. Many, however, considered Duke Zell to be no better than his father. Again heated debate erupted over the issue whereupon the House Of Commoners again took the initiative & passed the Imperial Ascension Act. The House Of Lords was impressed by the Act & passed it too. It reserved for Parliament who would ascend to the Imperial Throne of the Zargah. After some searching, Parliament selected a lesser prince of the Royal family as Emperor, Prince Shazon. It was no coincidence that Parliament selected a Zargah prince that had fought bravely for the Liberals.

Considering President von Scharnhorst’s policy on the Zargah civil war was extremely successful, he had little difficulty being re-elected. Few other issues were involved in the election campaign.

2973 Prince Shazon was proudly sworn in as Emperor in a marvellous ceremony full of Zargah tradition. President von Scharnhorst made history by being the first foreign leader to be an official dignitary to the proceedings. The UFP President was here for work. Not long after the ceremony, face-to-face negotiations took place between members of the UFP & Zargah governments.

By the end of the year, President von Scharnhorst & Chancellor Lord Zendous were pleased to announce a new period of relations between the two powers. The historic Pregdah Treaty opened the borders. Full diplomatic, economic & social relations were agreed to. Ambassadors were swapped & business leaders began negotiations. Travel & tourism also opened new opportunities for both groups.

2974 Mars government announced that its population had reached 100 million. Migration, thanks to the generous programs offered by several local & federal governments, had ensured that a large number of colonists moved to Mars. Soon new industries established themselves on Mars, particularly mining. Mars, even though it had been mined for almost 1 000 years, still had plenty of reserves in resources. And these resources were needed by Earth.

As a result, the Mars economy quickly took off. It did not take long for its economy to be growing at an amazing 36%. Such growth only attracted more UPF citizens looking for prosperity. Many came from Earth.

2975 NGW, in a joint announcement with UPX, announced the Millennium Project. Little information was released as to what the project was about, but the impression was given that it involved a major improvement in space travel. UPX admitted that the program originated from research conducted into artefacts discovered on Essence. UPX speculated that travel times could be cut in half.

2976 UPX announced that the VRP was complete. Venus was truly transformed. Twenty two years ago the planet was its usual misty self. Now it truly appeared as Earth’s twin. Earth now had another neighbour that was blue. Mother Solar System now had three blue jewels, each looking magnificent against the black of space as the others. It was, without doubt, one of the greatest achievements in human history.

As they had done with Mars, Earth & Eden governments offered large incentives for their citizens to migrate to Venus. The UPF government also agreed to fund civilian infrastructure. The media also did its part as numerous stories were run hourly about "blue" Venus. Although vegetation would still have to fully grow, forests already began to cover continents, while blue seas covered 65% of the planet.. The view from space was spectacular.

Colonists soon arrived on Venus from, not only Earth & Eden, but from other systems nearby. Many came from Sierra were the planet had long surpassed its resources. Water manufacturing on Sierra had become that planet’s leading industry making the cost of living expensive. Although there were no migration programs for these people, Venus offered a great opportunity to start again. Indeed all food, shelter & employment on Venus was subsidised by the UFP. There were no such programs on Sierra.

2977 It was with some sadness that President von Scharnhorst had to retire this year. He had become, during his second term, more popular than any other president in centuries. His policies of restraint during the Zargah civil war had paid off & the following open relations with the Zargah made him even more successful. Yet, although the issue was raised in Congress, the two term presidential limit remained. The retired Admiral Sun, now living on Renaissance, defeated in a tight contest Amanda Xiona from Braggah to be the next President of the UFP.

UHS announced, at the end of the year, that the average life span for the Human race had now reach 100 years. Significantly, the Humans were the first species of the UFP to reach the century mark. When the Amanda Xiona heard the announcement she stated "Oh Creator! Not only do the Humans breed like their tahhats [rabbits], but now they live forever too". Although not quite true, rabbits, had become a problem for the UFP.

2978 And did the tahhats breed like, well, rabbits. The first problems of what appears to be a cute harmless animal from Earth, have been clearly documented in the early years of Epsilon. Millions of the creatures terrorised the new Capital as frantic efforts were put in place to cure the environmental problem. Some of these cures were no better than the original problem. But this did not stop the rabbit reeking environmental damage there & later on other planets.

Although great efforts have always been made to stop animals being introduced into foreign environments, through either smugglers, pranksters, or naïve people, such efforts are often ruined. A particular nasty turn of events at the beginning of the Third Age saw rabbits being discovered on a dozen different worlds. Eradication programs were quickly in place. Although these were to be humane, several Braggah officials were, nonetheless, charged with cruelty to animals. Rabbit plagues, however, have become common ever since across the UFP. This year was exceptionally bad, particularly on Nolange.

Hot on the heals of the rabbit, though, came the rat. If UFP citizens thought the rabbit was bad enough, the rat was worse. And the rat did not need smugglers or pranksters help travelling the stars. By hiding away in transport crates, hidden parts of shuttles & interplanetary transports, the rat was given a free ride across the Federation. Although hardly noticed in human societies, they soon started popping up as unwanted guests elsewhere. They became a significant problem whenever a rabbit plague occurred. As the rabbits were killed off, the rats had more than enough food in order to reproduce quickly to plague proportions themselves. Again this year was a bad one for the UFP. Again Nolange was seriously effected.

If these two pests were not bad enough, the cockroach certainly got the non-humans annoyed. Even Humans hate the insect. Like the rat, the cockroach hid aboard ships allowing free passage among the planets. When in desperation, radioactive bursts were used in ships hulls & maintenance ways that killed off the rats, the cockroaches were immune. Furthermore, the insects eat just about everything so reproduction is more than guaranteed. One recent UHS study concluded that "… the cockroach population is higher than that of the entire sentient UFP citizenship." A more common UFP opinion was summed up 900 years ago by the great Vargary writer Dishen V’ah’Pack: "We love the Humans for giving us Shakespeare, but they could have kept their cockroaches".

2979 President Sun & Chancellor Lord Zendous signed the UFP-Zargah Trade Pack. It was really a formality that recognised the current situation. Since the end of the Zargah civil war, the borders had been opened. Trade had been an instant success, not only for the mainly exporting UFP, but also for a mostly importing Zargah. The UFP had civilian products that no Zargah ever had. Furthermore, UFP products were mostly cheap. Although Wazzen-Quotos were more expensive, their workmanship impressed the Zargah. Again Wazzen-Quotos quality ensured another important market for their products.

Tourism also began to flourish. Although at first it had been for the most part UFP citizens seeing the sites of Zargah, UFP tour companies began to develop tour packages for Zargah citizens. At first only a few of the aristocracy travelled to see the UFP, but upon their return their stories of their exploits encouraged many more.

2980 Mars government reported that the planet’s population had reached 200 million. It was considered a miracle. For centuries of previous colonisation, the planet’s population never rose higher than 26 million. Now Mars had more people living on the planet than all those who had previously.

Venus government even had better news to announce. Not only in 5 years had 150 million people settled on the planet, but a similar number was anticipated over the next 5 years. It was a record & an impressive example of planning. The bad news was that, due to Venus being so popular, a waiting period of up to two years had to be placed upon would be migrants. There were just too many people wanting to get to Venus. Ironically, thirty years ago, no one wanted to even orbit the planet as a tourist let alone envisage being a Venus colonist.

2981 One million Zargah tourists, an historical first, visited the UFP. Unlike previous years, most of these Zargah were Commoners from every walk of life. Fascination brought them. Fascination & a well executed marketing campaign by the tour companies that had opened for business in the Zargah Empire.

Although full tours of the UFP were horribly expensive (and few Zargah took them), special package deals ensured that a holiday in the UFP was not beyond many Zargah. The most popular of these packages was a range covering the Zargah War Battlefields. Thousands took the Saturn Prime Space Train that had become a battlefield. Along the route, memorials had been placed indicating where the trains had crashed into the rings killing the Zargah troops on board. Chancellor Lord Zendous was one of the first to take this tour.

Just as many travelled to Earth & viewed in wonder the classical, ancient & modern sites of this planet that once stood defiantly against the storm. Earth was also host to the largest Zargah War museum in the UFP. Based solely in space long the old Great BlackStar Wall, old ships were filled with exhibitions from the war. There were even some Zargah ships. An impressive & popular holding was the original UDF Dragon. Having been involved with fighting from the time it was launched, it had survived with little damage. The museum’s UDF Insufferable was, however, sadly a replica.

Pheonix also had an increditable museum. It benefited by being close to NGW D1. Like during the war, D1 has always been off limits to civilians. That was the case in 2100 & has been ever since. History & above all business, however, was not going to be denied. What was NGW D1’s loss was Pheonix’ gain. The museum’s biggest claim to fame was a working UDF Insufferable. It was a fully functional (minus weapons) Invincible class ship, prior to the final upgrade. For a ridiculous amount of money, tourists can go on "The Dash" recreating Insufferable’s epic journey in 2213. Ironically, "The Dash" was a big winner with the Zargah tourists.

2982 UPX & NGW continued with their archaeological projects on Essence. Although nothing significant had been found for some time, NGW came across more artefacts that could aid them with the millennium project. Few people outside NGW’s inner circle, other than the President & Cabinet, knew any details about it. Since the original announcement, NGW had gone all quiet on the subject. UPX, likewise, had said nothing. Conveniently the media & the public had forgotten all about it.

The Presidential election has called by the Duel interviewer Sally Indomillah, "The most boring election within living memory". There were absolutely no issues. Voter numbers were the lowest ever recorded for UFP elections. No one was surprised, or cared for that matter, when President Sun was returned to office for another 5 years.

2983 NGW, after discovering some more promising artefacts on Essence, tested the first Millennium devise. The test was a disaster. Although D1 survived, the top secret laboratory on the outer fringes of D1’s solar system exploded killing all. The debris from the explosion scattered throughout the solar system.

Meteors of various sizes crashed into the nearby planets somewhat reminiscent of the early days of the galaxy. The 7th Fleet, based at D1, was put on red alert when it was discovered that one such meteor was on a crash course with D1. It was not one that would have harmlessly crashed into the planet either. It was a planet killer some 11 kilometres in diameter.

Although the meteor was intercepted & destroyed with little concern, NGW, however, had other concerns. After the destruction of the UDF Insufferable, the safety record of the NGW had been exemplary. Now, though, they were dealing with totally alien technology far in advanced than anything seen before. Clearly the power involved was enormous. So were the results of any mistakes. NGW decided to move the Millennium Project to a new base far away from D1 & any other UFP inhabited planet.

2984 Drugs. Although illegal drugs had always been a problem within the UFP, the various police agencies had kept a lid on the problem. Enlightened reform policies of centuries ago had also legalised certain substances, the leading one being the human drug marijuana. Like alcohol & tobacco products, marijuana was licensed & consumption was tightly controlled. Many groups protested its legalisation throughout the UFP, but resistance lessened when it became obvious most users acted in a responsible manner. Yes there were problems with some individuals, but support programs ensured that help was available. Other drugs, however, became sheer poison.

The UHS announced that users of a number of hard drugs, ones that had been around for centuries, had reached epidemic levels. The UFPS, likewise, reported that the number of drug related arrests had dramatically increased since 2980. The initial intelligence suggested that some "enterprising" UPF citizens had taken advantage of the opening Zargah border. They were not, however, in Zargah territory.

Although the relations between the Zargah & UFP has changed dramatically, the Neutral Zone remained. As the name suggests, neither Zargah or UFP authority existed. Any private individual could do as they pleased. Although none of the solar systems in the Neutral Zone were habitable, that did not stop secret laboratories being set up for clandestine purposes; drugs being the main industry.

The reforms within the Zargah Empire did not help the situation either. With the relaxation of law enforcement, supplies could be brought in from the Zargah border with limited interference. Evidence also indicated that numerous Zargah border patrols either turned a blind eye or were paid to do so. No one really quite knew what to do. Although negotiations began about changing the situation soon started, the Zargah had more important things to worry about. Some UFP personnel cynically suggested that the money that the drug trade injected into their economy outweighed the legal & health issues.

2985 The last of the Sparta class ships was launched. The Sparta class was a significant achievement for the UFP. The UDF Thermopylae not only had the power of the original Sparta, but incorporated all the lessons & modifications made since the class had been in service. The result was the most powerful & above all fully functional ship in the UDF fleet. The event when unnoticed by the general public.

Thirty of these great ships had now been commissioned. The cost was enormous - just as enormous as the ships themselves. But they had already proven their worth twice. The technology employed by the Sparta class was without equal. Furthermore, NGW stated that the class had an operational life of 200 years. When the Zargah navy commissioned their best Research & Development people to study a possible Zargah equivalent, the report suggested that the navy should either steal or purchase one from the UFP. There was no chance that the Zargah could build such a ship let alone afford the enormous cost of construction.

2986 The UHS & UFPS reported that the drug problem continued to get worse. UFPS was truly strained to the limit along the border. Even elements of the UDF 10th fleet, the border patrol, had been drafted in to help out. Many smugglers ships are seized, but many get through playing a cat & mouse game with the authorities. Worse yet are Zargah & UFP tourists who act as carriers for the drug gangs. Again many get caught, but the monetary reward as a carrier ensures many more are willing to try.

Negotiations on the Neutral Zone issue continued between the UFP & Zargah. As previously, however, no agreement was reached. In sheer desperation, President Sun turned to the UDF. Something must be done. Sun stated that there "… was a clear & present danger to the citizens of the UFP". UDF suggested that a small task force, using the latest technology, could track down the laboratories in the Neutral Zone & destroy them for good. Sun liked the idea, even though it was thoroughly illegal.

It did not take long for the modifications to be made to the selected UDF ships. The main addition were clocking devises. This would permit the UDF task force, code named Justice, to approach the laboratories undetected by everyone, quickly attack & leave before anyone knew what happened. It was assumed it would not take long. One of the benefits the UDF enjoyed was Indorra. Within a few days, after tracking the smugglers ships, the laboratories were located.

It did not take long for Task Force Justice to go in & do its thing. Within a few days, nineteen laboratories had been hit. Another sixteen quickly followed. The drug gangs stood no chance against the UDF ships. Even when a few drug gangs got warning & prepared a defence, their equipment was no match for Task Force Justice. The drug problem was eradicated within four weeks.

Just as it appeared that all the laboratories had been destroyed, Indorra tracked another ship in the Neutral Zone. When the ship’s destination had been determined, which was some distance from the drug bases, Task Force Justice was sent the necessary data. Task Force Justice was going to have a busy Christmas Day.

NGW Millennium Base, although light years from any UFP outpost, nonetheless was extensively defended. Suddenly, alarms when off all over the base - red alert - attack immanent. NGW’s own security fleet, as powerful as any UDF task force, headed for their defensive positions just as Task Force Justice arrived with guns blazing. Battle commenced as the UDF task force & the NGW security force blasted away at each other before both sides realised the others identity. Although a cease fire was quickly arranged, that did not prevent several ships of both groups being destroyed taking their crews with them.

2987 President Sun was furious when he heard the news of the Battle of Millennium. No one, it seems, decided to check from Task Force Justice, or its supporting groups, that NGW may have a secret base not far from the Neutral Zone. Even if they did, however, the chance that such information was available was highly unlikely. For their part, NGW Millennium had no idea that Task Force Justice was operating clandestinely, particularly when the task force’s ships had no friend/foe identification codes. Thus NGW defences identified Task Force Justice as an enemy hostile force.

Fortunately the Millennium Base survived the attack. NGW went back to working on their project, while the UFP government tried to cover up the mess. The dead crew members were declared exactly that - dead. To their relatives it was explained that a training exercise had ended in a dreadful accident. Ceremonies were arranged to honour the dead. President Sun even went as far as declaring a new medal for the fallen. Most of the relatives accepted the situation. A few, however, did not.

The drug issues dominated the presidential elections. Unlike previous elections, this one burst into debate & argument over drugs. Two camps emerged. The first wanted to attack the drug gangs head on as a war. Others were prepared to continue with the current situation &, with the Zargah as partners, reach a legal solution based upon good policing. In a close election, the pro-policing candidate Helen Van Dyle from Earth, defeated the hardliner Eric Holloway from Renaissance.

Van Dyle pushed further the negotiations with the Zargah over the Neutral Zone issue. At a critical moment in the negotiations, the UFPS announced that drug shipments from the Neutral Zone had all but ceased. With this knowledge, the Zargah argued that there was no further point for policing the Zone & further negotiations once again got no where. Behind the scenes Zargah’s new chancellor, Lord Zozzbrra ordered an investigation into the sudden change in the situation. The report gave no firm conclusion: no one seemed to know why the drugs had stopped. President Van Dyle ordered UFPS to conduct a similar report.

2988 The UFPS Special Drug Report was startling. It clearly shocked President Van Dyle. Although it did not reveal everything, it did report the activities of Task Force Justice in eliminating the drug bases. It also included the somewhat disastrous Millennium Battle. But the worst aspect of the report was that the previous president acted willingly & actively in an unlawful manner. Although President Sun may have been correct morally, he nonetheless broke the law. Although the UFPS wanted to prosect, no one in the Cabinet or even the President thought it a good idea.

It did not take long, however, for the media to get wind of the UFPS Special Drug Report. Many media agencies demanded its release. They knew it had something in it that would make great headlines. At first President Van Dyle rejected these requests which only made the media more interested. After weeks of continuous speculation an edited version was released. It virtually said nothing. This only spurred the media on to know what was in the mysterious report.

Several private citizens, those relatives who had lost family members in "the accident", began appearing in the media suggesting conspiracy. Many had conducted their own private research. Some had discovered, one way or another, sketchy details of Task Force Justice. Although the released report indicated UDF involvement, descriptions of clandestine operations did not help matters much. Besides conspiracy theories can always be laughed off as crazy by governments. Many citizens would likewise agree. It all fell to pieces, though, thanks to a sixteen year old.

Hackers, crackers, call the computer pranksters what you will, have been around since the first computers went "online". Their feats have become legendary over the centuries. Individuals, corporations & governments have all fought in vain trying to stop hackers getting past their security & into their computers. Most of the time it is just for fun. Sometimes its for nefarious reasons. Other times its for political motives. And so it was with George Mills, a sixteen year old high school student on Locus. After hearing all the fuss over the mysterious report, he decided to have a read of it himself. It only took a few hours to get past UFP computer security, but sure enough he was able to download the entire report. To this day no one really knew how he did it. He certainly never said.

After reading the most damaging parts, Mills quickly forwarded the report to several media agencies. It was also his saving grace. Within minutes, UDF special forces were kicking in the door to his parents dwelling & paying the family a visited. Around this time, CNN, BBC & several other news channels were broadcasting the sensational parts of the mysterious report across the UFP.

When news of the report reached the Zargah, little comment was made. When the BBC got to interview Chancellor Lord Zozzbrra over the matter, he simply replied "I don’t know what all the fuss is about. President Sun could have asked us & such an operation would have been fine". Few, however, believed him; even the BBC reporter was rather cynical. It was no secret that President Sun was the instigator of UFP’s victory in the Bloodless War. The Zargah were more than happy to see him in serious trouble with his own people.

2989 As the public outrage over the special drug report settled down, the Sun Trial soon began. Public opinion was actually split over the issue. Although most felt betrayed by the retired President, about half of the citizens did not believe that he should face trial for his actions. After all his policy, although unorthodox not to mention unconstitutional, were morally correct. If people could not agree on this, no one could dispute the fact that the drugs had stopped flowing into the UFP.

The media covered the trail that lasted most of the year. Speculation was in full demand. Debates continued for hours over pedantic constitutional arrangements. Soon, most citizens became bored with proceedings. Although people were still divided over Sun’s actions, all were glad when it was over. Sun was found guilty of unconstitutional actions, but considering his motives for such actions, he was not fined or incarcerated. His particular saving grace was that he clearly identified that drug issue "… was a clear & present danger to the citizens of the UFP". While the Court acknowledged that this was a particular "grey" area in the constitutional powers of the President, law enforcement was a civilian police issue not military.

This, according to constitutional experts, only clouded the issue. They pointed out, due to the judgement of the Constitutional Court, if President Sun had used the UFPS he would have been constitutionally within his powers. This, however, appears ludicrous considering that it is illegal for the UFPS to operate outside of UFP territory. The case would go down in judicial history, of not just an example of the problematical issues involved in constitutional law, but how not to make judicial judgements.

Another related issue was compensation. Relatives of both the UDF & NGW dead of the Millennium Battle demanded better remuneration. Furthermore, the relatives wanted official recognition of their lost ones in the official honour rolls. The UFP government was in no position to say no.

2990 Since he was arrested on Locus, George Mills had been kept in "protective custody". In fact it was an unofficial jail sentence. As Sun’s trail kept the media busy, Mills had been forgotten. Over the year, his parents eventually got his current situation into the news. Fellow computer users, hackers & student action groups likewise made certain that the UFP government was reminded of Mills.

The UDF, however, had no intention of letting Mills go. In a matter of hours, he had been able to break UFP’s computer security and thoroughly embarrassed the entire military as a result. The UFP government was of a similar opinion as their military branch. It did not take long, however, for various government agencies to suffer hacker attacks. Soon, not only did naked pictures begin appearing on thousands of government computers across the UFP, but sensitive data was posted throughout the Federation’s internet.

Thousands of hackers from all walks of life were arrested in retaliation. Thousands more, though, were happy to replace their number. By the end of the year even members of Congress, in political protest, were being arrested for computer hacking.

2991 The Mills situation was clearly out of hand. He had become a hero to the youth of the Federation. Whole schools would go on strike demanding his & the others release. Now that Mills had turned eighteen, though, the UDF started his trail. The protests only increased as a result. Even the UFP Congress passed an motion condemning the trail & requested Mills’ immediate release. President Van Dyle vetoed the motion.

When the UDF court found Mills guilty, all business within the UFP ceased. Nothing got done. Strikes were everywhere. President Van Dyle decreed martial law across the UFP. Everyone was outraged. Congress, under its constitutional powers, had an emergency sitting. It was not difficult to gain the two thirds majority in each House in order to overrule Van Dyle’s decree. The Federation was at a constitutional & functional stalemate. And all due to the mess of someone else. Before the year was out, however, Congress was threatening President Van Dyle with impeachment. Her days were truly numbered.

2992 As virtually nothing got done throughout the entire UFP, the citizenship remained calm. Although some looting took place, & many citizens complained about lack of goods & services, no one starved or went without. The UFPS went about their duties. Crime hardly increased. Many citizens considered the period as an extended holiday & thus took advantage.

As per constitutional law, the UDF kept out of the political stand off. The UDF, like the police, continued with their duties & ensured that no one took advantage of the political chaos within the borders. Thankfully the elections were not far away.

The electoral campaign was savage. The President had no chance. Not only was the current Mills debacle fresh in everyone’s minds, but President Sun & the mysterious drug report were constantly discussed in the news & debates.

Van Dyle was slaughtered at the election, losing by a record amount. Simon Galloway’s first action was the release & full pardon for Mills & all those arrested in this ridiculous affair. Soon life in the UFP returned to normal. The protests, strikes & holidays were over. Strangely enough, the transition back to work went smoothly. Productivity levels were never so good.

2993 Fame & popularity followed George Mills wherever he went. He had been arrested as a teenager & re-entered society as a man. Although he had been well looked after by his jailers, the loss of contact with people his own age turned him into a shy person. The result being that he hated being chased & mobbed around the Federation. Privacy was impossible. When NGW offered him employment, the young man grabbed the opportunity. It was not the money & latest gadgets that impressed him, it was the privacy that he would get thanks to the limited contact with the public, that NGW had to offer.

2994 NGW Millennium began testing in earnest its latest prototype. After learning from the previous disasters, & incorporating the latest data recovered from Essence, the first tests were extremely promising. NGW was confident that travel times could be cut by 40% thanks to the technology collected from the ancients at Essence.

Some of the data from the tests, however, could not be explained. Several theories began to be developed, but none were overly convincing. This did not stop the tests which continued to be successful. Among the tests, a small ship NGW Alpha recorded the highest speed to date. Although its journey was controlled by computer & it had no crew, the data indicated that everything was safe.

2995 The UDF reported to President Galloway that its fleet, due to the budget of the Sparta class, had no new replacements for its aging members. Furthermore, not only had the Sparta class ensured that all the UFP’s neighbours ships were obsolete, the great bulk of their own fleet were likewise out of date. It was no surprise then, that the Joint Chiefs wanted a whole range of new classes to complement the Spartans.

President Galloway rejected the Chief’s request outright. The budget required was totally impossible. Instead, a few new "traditional" classes would be authorised where a clear requirement was desperately needed, while full upgrades would be carried out on the rest of the fleet. Although this was far from what the UDF wanted, it was what the UFP could honestly afford. The upgrades, however, would ensure that the battleships & battlecruisers would gain weaponry akin to the BlackStar Beam array. This weapon alone would make even a Sparta class ship think twice before attacking.

2996 NGW Millennium conducted its first tests involving a crew. NGW Alpha with a small crew of twelve successfully conducted a 10 light year run in record time. The ship & crew suffered no side effects. Just as before, however, unexplained data kept the scientists scratching their heads. The numerous theories over this data had been reduced to five, but none was a clear favourite.

The Alpha, though, appeared completely ignorant of this. After several more high speed runs, the test ship showed no signs of problems. The same could be said if its guineapig test crew. It was as if the engines had no effects than the MWSD systems currently used. After UPX was informed of the success of the latest tests, they wanted NGW to authorised the new drives for production. NGW, though, said no. Although they acknowledged that the drive worked fine, they still had not discovered the origins or purpose of the anonymous data.

2997 After four years of university study that also included an internship with NGW D1, George Mills was transferred to NGW Millennium. In computers & physics subjects, Mills had passed with record marks. Already at D1, he quickly established himself as a genius. It was hoped that Mills could solved some if not all of their problems with the Millennium Drive.

Unlike the previous Presidential elections, these elections were a rather "interesting" affair. After the excitement during his first year, President Galloway had faded from public view. Although the occasional issue flared up, nothing was as substantial as the Mills strikes. The debates & campaigns remained rather civilised until the Braggah candidate Misshha Draasus complained about the "Human Presidents club". It was not the first time this issue had been raised, nor the last, but many of the other non-human races saw this as a major issue. The Human’s thought it racist & pathetic. Sadly the remainder of the campaign saw racist swipes between the candidates. President Galloway was only narrowly re-elected & only after a recount that lasted three weeks.

2998 As the populations of Earth & Eden slowly lowered, those on Mars & Venus steadily grew. The population on Mars had reached an amazing 500 million people. Venus was even more amazing. In under 30 years Venus had gone from zero population to 900 million.

As the population on these two planets rapidly increase, so too did their industrial & economic base. Already, the Martian economy was rated in the top 50 of all the planets of the UFP. Venus was even higher at 29. Ultimately, though, this meant that Earth’s economy was boosted. Both planets depended much upon Earth for their markets. Again, both planets depended upon Earth for imports. Considering most of the colonists of both planets came from Earth, their connection was more than mere economic. Family ties & customs more or less ensured a personal loyalty to Earth.

2999 For the end of the millennium, President Galloway announced great celebrations for the end of the year. Only the Human’s had any interest in any of this. Although the Human calendar had become standard for the UFP, albeit through historical accident more than design, none of the other races took much notice. It was just another of the eccentric Human habits. Most races, though, thought the public holiday was a great idea & no one complained about that.

It did not take long for George Mills to identify, in a few years, what for years others could not. By applying various computer programs & just plain hard work, Mills concluded that the Millennium Drive applied time-space distortion in order to reduce the time it took to travel distances. His conclusions confirmed what many at NGW had suspected for years. His findings cleared the safety aspects of the new drive for production.

His findings, however, raised more import concerns than equipment safety. Mills went on to argue that the Millennium Drive could also be adapted for time travel. By reprogramming the drive for a time bias rather than distance, a ship could travel back in time while only travelling a short distance. It would be a significant achievement of unknown potential. This aspect of the Millennium Drive was, for UPX, historians & other academics, beyond imagination.

The political ramifications, though, were dangerous. The Millennium Drive could be used for nefarious purposes. If someone with this technology went back, the present or the future could be altered & damaged forever. Instead of a free & democratic Federation, an evil tyranny, that was not Human ,could be in its place. Thus, it did not take much persuasion to declare the Millennium Drive "Ultra Secret" by President Galloway. The Drive just gained the highest level of security available in the UFP. Not even Task Force Justice had such a security level.

3000 The millennium celebrations around the UFP were awesome. The "Human" planets put on a particularly good show. Needless to say Earth put on the best celebrations bar none. For days the celebrations went on. The non-humans shook their heads wondering what all the fuss was about.

But to the Humans it was a significant achievement. 1 000 years ago they had almost been wiped out. A few hundred years later, the same fate almost awaited them. But on both occasions they fought back. And when they did, great things awaited them each time. Now they were the force behind a great civilisation. Although the UFP was not perfect, it was better than anything else on offer. As the Lyonies political scientist Dyn Lishary once stated: "The UFP has the worst form of government - except for all the others."

Forward To Chapter Two

The Governmental Structure of the UFP

The United Defence Forces

Fourth Age Glossary (2950-3200)

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