Human Time Line 3051

Updated Sunday 15 May, 2011 12:18 PM

Human Time Line 3051-3100

Fourth Age

Ancients & Children

Fourth Age Glossary (2950-3200)

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3051 In his last action as an employee of NGW, the retiring George Mills pushed a button. In response, a missile fired off the NGW Machiavelli with Jupiter as its target. After a few minutes, as the missile plunged into Jupiter’s atmosphere, the time came. Jupiter imploded upon itself. The gas giant darkened in colour. Its usual magnificent display of clouds, storms & swirling circles rapidly faded away. Even the mighty red eye that had endured for centuries disappeared from view. Then it happened: a mammoth explosion that dwarfed even that of the UDF Sparta some forty years ago.

Lucifer was born. UPX & NGW had created the universe’s first true artificial sun. The project had dominated both organisations for the last twenty-five years. Although Lucifer’s origin was pure fiction, now that fiction was a reality. Obviously the new sun was named in honour of Von Braun’s 2001: A Space Odyssey series.

No one, however, really knew exactly what the results of the Jupiter implosion would be. As a precaution, all the bases on Jupiter’s moons had been evacuated. Sadly, even the Odyssey Museum on Europa had to be abandoned. Needless to say, the exhibits, except for the monolith, were removed for safe keeping. It was just as well.

Radiation levels from the initial explosion were high. Higher, in fact, than the radioactive shielding of any of the Galilean bases. Although Jupiter had always had extremely powerful magnetic fields, the radiation spike caused by the implosion, combined with the fields was unexpected. Even the Machiavelli, considered to be at a safe distance, had to quickly remove herself from the area. Other ships, likewise, had to follow Machiavelli’s lead.

The new light in the sky could be seen throughout Earth’s solar system. It was truly amazing, particularly as it settled down to a steady bright shine. Although it could not complete, especially on Earth or Venus, with the Sun, it nevertheless made its new presence felt. Mars, in particular, gained two suns of almost equal value.

The effects on the Galilean moons was almost instantaneous. Io at first disappeared from view. Even monitors on the planet stopped transmitting. When the various telescopes & instruments could see the volcanic moon again it was covered in a mist of sulphur. Nothing could be seen of the surface. Callisto also erupted in a grey mist. The monitors on the surface, however, survived to indicate that hurricane "winds" were racing across the planet. Rocks & dust were flying everywhere at high speeds. Ganymede suffered a similar fate. Although its size allowed the impact not to be as great, a huge white mist obscured the moon’s view. A huge cheer rang out as Ganymede’s monitors determined that the mist was made of steam. The first steps to colonise a habitable planet had just taken place.

It was Europa, however, that everyone was anticipating the best results from. And the moon offered more than anyone was expecting. Although no life had ever been found on the moon, water was certainly in abundance. Like Ganymede, Europa erupted into clouds of steam that obscured the view of the crust. Monitors on the surface, though, captured everything. Geysers erupted in weak areas of the ice surface where upon boiling water & steam exploded above the surface. Importantly this exploding water remained in Europa’s atmosphere. With every litre, the atmosphere became that slightly more dense. Soon, the monitors focused in on the Odyssey Museum. The Memorial Monolith was the first to go. As the surface melted, & it being metal & rather heavy, it began to sink. Not long after a geyser erupted where the Monolith had been. Although the dome of the museum had survived Lucifer’s creation, the geyser made short work of it. Little was left.

3052 Although no new information had been gathered on the "time aliens", UPX continued to conduct their time missions. As previously, a time alien vessel would tag along to observe but offer no contact. UDF, in turn, would send one of their Sparta class ships to covertly monitor the aliens. It had become all rather routine & almost comic. UPX asked permission from President Kelly Ward to contact the time aliens, but UDF advised against it. More had to learnt about these aliens. Admiral Lonc Linairy was quick to point out that most First Contact operations had been disastrous. He quickly pointed to the events of last time - that being the Nazzernich.

President Ward agreed with the UDF. If it took tens years before First Contact was attempted, then so be it. The last thing that Ward wanted was a war between the UFP & a far superior civilisation. UPX conceded the point & speculated that the aliens could be doing the same thing. Certainly the alien’s mission patterns suggested this. They had made no hostile moves & kept their distance to observe UPX business. They certainly made every attempt to avoid First Contact.

UPX speculated further. After discovering that Homo sapiens had been gene modified, it was possible that these time aliens were responsible for it. Certainly all the UFP agencies had suspected that this was what happened to the Nazzernich. This suspicion could not be confirmed by anyone, however, & the Nazzernich continued to avoid answering the question. If this was the case, then the time aliens would be benevolent. UDF was, though, not so sure. It was true that the time aliens were keeping peaceful. It was also true that they were immensely powerful. They could attack at anytime with dreadful consequences for the UFP. As far as the UDF was concerned the time aliens were on probation.

In the euphoria that followed the creation of Lucifer, the Presidential elections were a rather one sided affair. Although environmental groups protested loudly the "… environmental vandalism of the Ward Administration", many UFP citizens saw Lucifer as a monument to the vast achievements of the Federation. President Ward was re-elected with a comfortable majority.

3053 Trouble started in the Zargah Empire. After the political & social reforms of the last 80 years, many still supported the old Royalist cause. Although all the original players were long dead, the next generation took up the fight. Decrying that Shazon III was a usurper to the Throne, supporters of Duke Zellon (a direct descendant of Duke Zell, the first son of the deposed Emperor) attempted a coup. Among the group were several members of the military. Battles raged for days in & around the Emperor’s Residence (Palace had been dropped in a public relations exercise by Shazon I), the Parliamentary buildings & other districts of Capital City.

Most of the Empire, however, remained loyal to Shazon III. This loyalty was reinforced when it became common knowledge that instead of escaping the fighting, the Emperor led from the front. Loyalty became subject outrage, when news spread that their beloved courageous Emperor was wounded during extended fighting a few days after the initial coup attempt. As loyal troops arrived from other parts of the planet, the old Royalists escaped. The old Royalist forces, although significant, were no match for Shazon III forces now arriving in strength.

To avoid capture & execution, Duke Zellon joined the small Royalist fleet. All the coup members where charged with treason. Anyone found helping them would also be charged with the same crime. The result was no planet or colony gave them safe harbour. A few supporters, though, joined the cause. Soon, though, Zargah fleets were pursing the Royalists throughout Zargah territory. Duke Zellon analysed his position correctly & came to only one conclusion. The Royalists would have to discover a safe base outside of Zargah jurisdiction & wage a long war from there. The only place where Zargah forces could not go, or anyone else’s for that matter, was the Neutral Zone.

3054 UDF, under pressure from Earth, Mars & Venus government’s, not to mention the UFP, reorganised the 1st Fleet. Until now, Earth always had the pleasure of being the 1st Fleet’s home planet. This was a left over from the old United Commonwealth of Planets of centuries ago. Although Earth would keep the administrative headquarters, the ships would be based at both Venus & Mars. Employment & investment for both planets were the key reasons.

Although both Mars & Venus had continue to grow at impressive rates, unemployment & lowering of investment had become a problem. President Ward also considered the subsidising of colonists counter productive & supported the policy that something tangible be established for the UFP investment. Furthermore, the mineral resources of both planets could be exploited to support the UDF. Thus Mars regained her old military industries while Venus gained an entire new industrial sector.

Earth would also continue to contribute to the UDF. Her enormous space docks, the second largest in the Federation, would continue to build ships. Fundamentally, however, Venus would also gain space docks while Mars’ current docks would significantly enlarge. Within a decade, Earth’s solar system would be able to rebuild an entire fleet within two years. It would certainly surpass the largest space docks currently at NGW D1.

3055 The Zellon forces, as the old Royalist Zargah forces had become, finally established themselves on four planets in the Neutral Zone. Taking advantage of the remains of the drug bases, they energetically made them operational again, this time for war. Numerous smuggling operations ensured that supplies from Zargah kept things going. Likewise, supplies were obtained from the few Independent planets that were scattered in "The Great Void": that vast expanse of space between the UFP & the Zargah Empire.

The Zellon were, for the moment, content to avoid engagements. Their chief aim was to consolidate their current positions, ensure secrecy & build up their forces. To the Zargah & everyone else, they had simply disappeared: Or so the Zellon thought. From the moment the Zellon had crossed the border into the Neutral Zone, anxious UDF personnel in the Honshu Sector had picked them up via Indorra. Not knowing what to make of this Zargah violation, the UDF went on alert.

President Ward was informed of the situation, but decided to sit tight on the information. She knew about the attempted coup of 3053 & did not want to get involved in Zargah internal political affairs. Besides, the Zargah had not contacted the UFP over the matter. The situation also allowed politics to be played. The UFP had something that the Zargah wanted. In the past it had been the reverse. If the cards were played right, a joint military venture, bigger & better than that of 3045 could be in the offer. Furthermore a military cooperative treaty, something that had never been achieved before, could ensure a close ally was nearby. Although friendship & trade treaties ensured tensions of the past had eased, such a military treaty could ensure trust. Besides, the UFP might have a new deadly enemy to contend with & making the Zargah an ally would certainly make life easier.

3056 The Zellon started to make their presence felt. Attacks along the Zargah frontier opened the second round in the Second Zargah Civil War. Shazon III, having recovered from his wounds led the defence. The Zellon employ hit & run tactics, however, & avoid any contact with superior Zargah forces. Both sides try to avoid civilian casualties, but alas several hundred do get killed in the cross fire. The Zargah eventually, though, track them heading back to the Neutral Zone. Shazon III, nevertheless, gave strict orders not to violate the Zone. The last thing he needed was a conflict with the UFP.

The UDF sit back & watch the drama unfold before them. Indorra tracks all the action along the Zargah frontier. The story is repeated everywhere. The Zellon attack, the Zargah respond, then the Zellon retreat back to their bases. UDF comments to President Ward that the Zargah stop at their border. Enigma2 intercepts reported that frustrated Zargah captains were demanding permission to cross the border. As before, they were reminded of Shazon III’s explicit orders. President Ward hoped that Shazon III will request help soon.

The Zellon are delighted by the situation. For very few casualties, they have wreaked havoc along the Zargah frontier. Reports from their spies indicate that Parliament is not happy. If Shazon III continues to appear unsuccessful, Parliament has the constitutional power to replace him with someone else as Emperor. Needless to say, Duke Zellon was ready for that job.

3057 The Second Zargah Civil War continued as before. Zargah forces could not stop the Zellon attacks. Behind the scenes, Chancellor Lord Neezeel warned the Emperor that Parliament is seriously considering implementing the Imperial Ascension Act. In an act of desperation, Shazon III appealed to the UFP for help. President Ward agreed to help & negotiations would take place immediately. Honshu was suggested. Shazon fearing a major attack on any Zargah diplomatic mission trying to cross the Neutral Zone, argued that the negotiations take place in Zargah territory. President Ward reluctantly agreed.

To ensure safe passage, a small task force of Deja Vu class battleships escorted President Ward to the Zargah planet of Sherz not far from the border. All the UDF ships were cloaked for the journey. The negotiations got off to a bad start when the Zellon attacked. Although they had discovered that the negotiations were taking place, they were not anticipating the UDF ships. Nor were, for that matter, the Zargah. Although the President’s ship had de-cloaked near the border, the five Deja Vu ships remained hidden. It came as a rude shock to the Zellon when the UDF ships appeared & above all opened fire. Only three Zellon ships survived the combined defence by the UDF & Zargah ships.

The Zargah, however, were not amused to see the five UDF battleships. Although grateful for the assistance, accusations quickly began. Ward countered by arguing that she wanted to sincerely help - had not her words just been met with action? No one could disagree with that.

Negotiations settled down. It was rather obvious that the UFP would help, but there were terms. Shazon III was also desperate & President Ward could see it. In order for him to keep face in front of his people, she offered numerous benefits. Some offers even alarmed her UDF staff. This was clearly noticed by their Zargah counter-parts. The psychological teams from both sides poured over their reports. Clearly both Ward & Shazon III were truly being sincerely in their dealings, regardless of the opinions of their military advisers.

After a week of such meetings, there was success. Not only would there be a cooperative joint operation between UDF & Zargah forces to clear the Neutral Zone of the Zellon, but President Ward got her treaty. For their part the Zargah got Indorra. The UDF was livid at first, but reluctantly agreed. President Ward did not, though, give them the latest version of Indorra. The Zargah’s version was 500 years old. Although it could still track ships out too 100 light years, it was still primitive in comparison. Besides, not even the current version of Indorra could track cloaked ships.

Four joint task forces were formed in secret in the Neutral Zone. Information supplied by UDF Indorra intelligence pin-pointed exactly where the Zellon bases where. It was all over in a matter of days. None of the bases survived. Those few Zellon forces that survived the onslaught escaped to the few Independent worlds that would take them. Duke Zellon was captured & taken back to Capital. His trail & execution awaited him.

President Ward had truly left her mark on the UFP. Not only was she responsible for Lucifer, but a new era of UFP-Zargah relations had been born. Once enemies, even suspicious military minds on both sides had come to trust & respect the other as they had fought together in battle.

The presidential elections were held as the news broke about the success of the UFP-Zargah victory. Ward surprised everyone when she refused to endorse her Vice President Noel St. Clare from Australis. He had been against the UFP-Zargah joint mission from the start. Relations between the two had already been strained over Lucifer, but the Zargah business split them totally apart. Instead Ward told everyone to vote for Barbara Isandlwana of Earth, a long time supporter of better UFP-Zargah relations. Considering the recent success, Isandlwana won, albeit extremely closely, over St. Clare.

3058 Things had settled down since the events earlier. President Isandlwana had an easy transition into government. Although she expressed concern, after being briefed about the time aliens, they had not altered their pattern of behaviour. After she expressed the idea of First Contact, UDF repeated their advice from previous discussions on the topic. "First we should learn as much about the time aliens as possible before any contact should be made". No one had yet determined the aliens motives yet, even UPX had to agree on that point.

3059 Piracy began in the Neutral Zone. The Indorra stations on both the UFP & Zargah borders soon confirmed what transport captains were reporting. Although the Zargah equipment could not identify who was responsible, the UDF version could. It appears the survivors of the Zellon forces had no other trade to pursue. Once proud military personnel now resorted to plunder & pillage.

After the joint UFP-Zargah operation, both sides had withdrawn from the Neutral Zone. This was part of the agreement reached between the two powers. Neither thought occupation beneficial or necessary. Now, however, it was. Soon small joint task forces patrolled the Zone, intercepting & chasing away the pirates. Some where intercepted, others were not. It soon became obvious to both the Zargah & UDF that a permanent presence would be required.

It did not take long to agree to a new treaty. The Neutral Police Agency Treaty established a new &, importantly, a permanent joint agency operated & funded by both the Zargah & UFP. Although officially a "civilian" operation, the Neutral Police Agency (NPA) was anything but civilian. Its primary function was to intercept & "detain" the pirates. Secondary functions involved policing the Neutral Zone to ensure that illegal activity would not occur, regardless whether it be smuggling, drug manufacturing or terrorism. Although problems plagued the Neutral Police at first, it soon developed a reputation not to be messed with. It also put into full effect, the ally status between the UFP & Zargah Empire.

3060 The results of the reorganisation of the 1st Fleet was successful. Not only had the unemployment rate on Venus & Mars drop, but the overall expenses of 1st Fleet operations had lowered. Venus now had a population of 2.9 billion citizens, while the population of Mars had reached 900 million. Earth’s population had become stable at 6.5 billion. Eden’s population had also lowered to be equal with Earth’s.

3061 Lucifer, just as Jupiter had, continued to orbit the Sun. Just like Jupiter, its orbit was much slower than the inner planets. Although Lucifer’s light had little effect on Venus & Earth, the effect on Mars was different. At times, depending on the location of Mars in relation to Lucifer, the planet would be in total light. In other words, night on Mars would cease to exist for months on end. No one had foreseen this when Lucifer was created.

Although it took a few years, UHS started to become concerned about some of the recent health aspects on Mars. Chief among these were a rapid increase in mental illnesses. At first UHS did not recognise the condition as it would constantly vary. But when the correlation was identified between Mars having distinct night & day as against constant day, there was only one diagnosis. The Looney Duel Toons had hit Mars. Luckily for the Martians, UHS had long ago formulated a cure on Duel. Medication was made quickly available & the cases of Looney Duel Toons dropped dramatically. UHS would keep a watch, however, not only on Mars, but when Earth was due to pass closer to Lucifer. The last thing UFP needed was its most significant member planet catching the Looney Duel Toons.

3062 The Presidential elections were rather passionate this time around. It became well known that the Looney Duel Toons had hit Mars & the environmental groups immediately made it a major issue. They also predicted that Earth would suffer the same fate. This, they argued, was confirmed when UHS had began monitoring for the illness on Earth the year before. Furthermore, they claimed that the Looney Duel Toons was only the start. Worse was bound to come.

President Isandlwana had a tough campaign on her hands. An event that was a scientific marvel had become a major political issue. For once, the vote in Earth’s solar system was divided. Many had become concerned about the health issues that Lucifer was deemed responsible. Mars had become clearly hostile towards the President. It was a close election which saw Isandlwana re-elected by a handful of votes.

If the election was not exciting enough, the Presidential Ball was sensational. The new Nazzernich Ambassador, Erns Miquer, became drunk. Then in front of guests, government officials & journalists, after being asked about the Nazzernich, he told an amazing story of mythical creatures, events & their past. Although it sounded like fiction to many, the various news agencies were quick to broadcast the Ambassador’s "speech" across the Federation.

A few days later, after Erns Miquer had recovered from his first hangover, Miquer declared that he was telling a child’s story to amuse those at the Ball. It was not an official history of the Nazzernich. That did not stop numerous requests from the UFP to the Nazzernich government to confirm Erns Miquer’s "story". The Nazzernich, of cause, denied the story & refused to discuss the topic any further. Not long afterwards, Erns Miquer was replaced as the Nazzernich Ambassador.

3063 George Mills, after retiring in 3051, returned to his home planet Locus. Not much had changed in his 55 year absence. Although he had become chancellor of The University of Locus, this hardly ensured that his active mind was totally occupied. As he had as a child, computers occupied his spare time. Although he was well into his 80s, the curiosity that he had as a 16 year old remained as fresh as ever.

Thus Erns Miquer’s story about the Nazzernich got Mills’ curiosity. When he heard that the Nazzernich had denied the story & then replaced Miquer, Mills thought something had to be done. Knowing everything there was to know about UFP communication systems he managed to get a secure line to Nazzernich. From there it was easy for a man who had for years analysed Nazzernich technology at every level. Their computer security was pathetic. Soon he was downloading everything about the Nazzernich that they had on computer. It was amazing reading.

Mills forwarded everything that he had collected to the "Old Gang" at NGW. They went through everything. After analysing the data they reported to a stunned President Isandlwana. Their conclusions could not be refuted. An ancient race from Nazzer had arrived at the Nazzernich home planet thousands of years ago. They found the current humanoid species & selected suitable samples for gene manipulation. After the Nazzer had successfully increased the intelligence levels further gene manipulation developed their psychic powers.

The Nazzer, after ensuring that the manipulated samples were in sufficient numbers, released them back into the general community. The idea was that interbreeding would occur thus improving the entire population. After the Nazzer left, however, the improved humanoids, having taken the name of Nazzernich (Sons of Nazzer) kept to themselves. Thus two distinct castes developed from the original species.

The Nazzernich soon developed technologies & a modern society. They organised the worker caste who were quite adapt at hard work at any level required. Soon an infant space program, thanks to plans & technical information left behind by the Nazzer, allowed them to travel to the stars. About 200 years ago they stumbled across Nazzer. It was the Nazzernich that had striped Nazzer clean. It was a treasure trove full of equipment & ships - the organic ships. Although they had no idea how to build them, their psychic powers, modelled on those of the Nazzer, ensured that they where compatible with the organic ships.

President Isandlwana ordered the files to be kept "ultra" secret. UDF, however, was ordered to investigate the matter to the fullest. It could be that the time aliens, who continued to monitor UPX time missions, may be the Nazzer Ancients. If so, then they would be more than likely benevolent. Nothing, though, could be confirmed as little had been discovered about the time aliens. Finally, President Isandlwana decided to wait until an appropriate moment occurred to discuss this latest development with the Nazzernich.

3064 The UFP celebrated the 1 500th birthday of William Shakespeare. These celebrations were the most anticipated in years. The theatrical community spared nothing in preparing productions to honour the old bard. From schools to planetary theatre companies, Shakespeare’s plays were performed everywhere. Well not totally true. Various groups, like the Drey & the Blurgiss, could never understand why so many of their fellow citizens virtually worshiped this Human playwright.

Having said that, the three main Shakespearian Companies toured the Federation. The Royal Shakespeare Company performed Hamlet to packed audiences. The Shakespeare Freedom Ensemble performed Julius Caesar, winning several awards in the process. The Vargary Shakespeare Company performed two productions. Not only did they perform an extremely entertaining Taming Of The Shrew, but they also included Dish V’ah’Pack’s classic Travelling To Voster’Nor. Some of the non-Vargary audience, however, complained that the translation from the original Vargary meant that a lot of the themes, & above all the comic routines, were lost on the audience.

3065 The NPA reached its established strength, even though its major encounters had taken place in the first two years since its foundation. In keeping with its "police" role, the NPA received no front line battleships. Rather it was fitted out with old equipment to fulfil its duties. That is not to say that the fire power on hand could not deal with given situations. In fact the NPA’s combined numbers were equal to any UDF or Zargah fleet.

NPA’s most powerful assets were members of the old UDF Iowa class & comparable Zargah class battleships. This pattern was similar among the other classes supplied to the NPA. Two bases served the Agency, one at each end of the Neutral Zone; Honshu & Sherz. Patrols usually consisted of an Iowa & a Zargah battleship accompanied by several support ships like destroyers & frigates. Numerous patrols were also made up of a few frigates as well. Above all UFP & Zargah personnel worked as a team & everyone had a "partner". Thus nothing was done without the other "partner" knowing, whether it be at an individual or at a ship operational level.

NPA had various successes ensuring that the Neutral Zone was safe. Indeed it was. Some transport captains complained about the occasional inspection, but all were grateful that the pirate & terrorist days were over. That, however, did not mean that pirates were not still around. Operating from Independent worlds, they still attacked unaware shipping travelling in the Great Void. It was not long before the NPA stretched its jurisdiction, albeit a tentative one, to cover the Rimward end of the Void.

3066 Two Independent worlds, Joshindi & Waristmo, lodged official protests with both the UFP & Zargah governments. Both worlds, although some distance from the Neutral Zone, viewed the expanded patrol areas of the NPA with alarm. They both rightly pointed out that this expanded region was free space & that the NPA, or any one else for that matter, had no right being there.

President Isandlwana consulted with her Zargah counterpart, Chancellor Lord Neapzor, & in a joint statement refused to withdraw the NPA. They clearly pointed out that it "… was a police agency not a military force. Its job was to ensure that lawful citizens could go about their business without due concern for their safety".

In reply, the leaders of Joshindi & Waristmo, were quick to point out that "… police agencies do not go about in battleships". Nonetheless, the NPA would continue to patrol the new areas assigned to it. In a gesture of goodwill, Isandlwana invited the Joshindi & Waristmo to partake in NPA operations as they saw fit. They refused. The negotiations ended with assurances that the NPA would not patrol any closer to the two Independent worlds than that currently. Joshindi & Waristmo grudgingly accept this position for the moment.

3067 The NPA, thanks to information passed on by Indorra, began to collect evidence that several pirate & smuggling operations were being run from the two Independent worlds Joshindi & Waristmo. When President Isandlwana was informed she ordered the UDF to confirm NPA’s charges. Chancellor Lord Neapzor was prepared to go along with any punitive action, provided it was not "… a typical Federation fowl-up akin to another peace probe". Although it was a deliberate slur at the UFP, it was nonetheless a poignant one.

The UFD Marathon, a Sparta class ship, conducted its covert mission while cloaked of Joshindi & Waristmo. Although both societies were reasonably advanced, the independent status of both worlds meant they were open & free ports to everyone. Numerous activities, legal, dubious & thoroughly illegal were conducted hourly on both planets. The governments of these planets did little to intervene except in the most obvious cases. As a result, it did not take much effort for the UDF to confirm NPA’s allegations.

President Isandlwana was in a quandary. She had ample proof that pirates & smugglers where gaining safe harbour on two worlds that were: one, independent; & two, not really supporting illegal activity. It was one of those foreign affair messes that every president dreads. Considering this was an election year, Isandlwana decided to leave it for the next president. Thus, this situation became President Lewis Jackson’s of Earth concern. He ordered the NPA in.

The leaders of Joshindi & Waristmo were livid. They could not believe that the NPA had basically blockaded them. No shipping could come in or out of their respective planets without being inspected by NPA patrols. And Indorra ensured that the NPA ships knew where these ships were. Some skilful captains did evade the NPA ships, but most did not. Fundamentally, however, the pirates & smugglers were virtually run out of business by the end of the year.

3068 Throughout the known galaxy all appeared quiet. NPA reported a few engagements with pirates & the like, but that was all. The Joshindi & Waristmo, however, were still seething over the blockade but were in no position to begin a war over the matter. For their part, NPA kept a respectful five light year distance from the two Independent worlds. President Jackson thought it prudent. It also ensured the UFP citizenship that there was no joint mission with the Zargah to conquer the Great Void.

3069 Of the two Independent worlds effected most by the NPA patrols, Waristmo was the worst. Although no one starved, the economy did suffer. Once again both planets protested the actions of the NPA. Again the reply was that the law enforcement agencies of both planets were invited to join the NPA. This was refused. President Jackson then suggested that if the legal system & law enforcement on both planets was dramatically improved, then he may consider withdrawing the NPA. Again both planets refused to be dictated to by a foreign power.

In retaliation for the blockade, both Joshindi & Waristmo demanded compensation from both the UFP & the Zargah Empire. The amount was unbelievable. Not only was there a damages claim for the loss of trade, but a ridiculous "rent in arrears" claim was also lodged. Apparently both Joshindi & Waristmo claimed that the old Peace-Station Papa Sierra was in their shared space. Now they wanted the rent that was due to them. Although the Peace-Station Papa Sierra, which began operation in 2277 through until 2591, was clearly situated in unclaimed space at the time, this fact did not seem to worry the Joshindi or Waristmo. Naturally the "rent in arrears" claim was rejected outright for the insidious claim that it was, but President Jackson was prepared to negotiate the trade damages claim on certain conditions.

3070 When Chancellor Lord Neapzor heard about the "claims" he refused to pay any compensation to a race he considered criminals. "The Zargah Empire", he declared, "does not pay criminals to become noble citizens. You lock them up; not give them knighthoods!" Quietly behind the scenes, however, Lord Neapzor admitted to President Jackson that even if the Zargah wanted to help pay compensation, the Zargah Empire could not afford it.

President Jackson, nonetheless, went ahead with the negotiations. It took three months before everyone agreed to meet on Honshu. Although the Zargah would not pay a cent, they did send representatives to support the UFP initiative. The Zargah would also report to their government that latest details of the negotiations.

The negotiations got off to a rocky start from the first meeting. Several of the Joshindi & Waristmo were accused of being criminals or protectors of them. One from Waristmo was clearly a survivor of the Zellon forces. Immediately the Zargah demanded that he be handed over. Naturally he could not due to diplomatic immunity. This, however, did not placate the Zargah delegation much. Arguments continued over everything.

Important to the UFP & Zargah was security & protection from pirates & other criminal activity. Important to the Joshindi & Waristmo was the freedom of movement in unclaimed space. Just as important was the compensation. When no one could agree, the Zargah representative declared that his government will annex the entire region which would settle the "unclaimed space" issue. This only caused a walk out by the Joshindi & Waristmo delegations who declared: "We will return when the Zargah stop smoking that marijuana you Humans keep selling them". At that the entire Zargah delegation jumped the table ready to give battle there & then. Everyone ignored President Jackson as he called for order. Lyonies guards (the most disciplined & trustworthy anyone had on offer) had to intervene in order to stop a war from starting. Needless to say, the negotiations were postponed until the following year.

3071 The negotiations recommenced after a few months break. Although the meetings of the previous year were a disaster, these were another matter. Notably absent from the Joshindi & Waristmo delegations were many of the characters accused of criminal activity the year before. In their place were legitimate government & business leaders from both planets. Clearly times were changing.

For a change the Zargah delegation kept silent. The theatrics of the previous year were notably absent, even though the same Zargah personnel were present. President Jackson once again chaired proceedings which were very civilised. The claim presented by Joshindi & Waristmo was extensively researched. Clearly the economies of both planets had been hurt. The accounting office of the UFP went through the damages claim & found it to be reasonable although excessive.

At years end the Honshu Treaty was signed. The UFP would pay the compensation, but conditions applied. Officials from the UFP would distribute the compensation money to only legitimate businesses. Naturally the governments of Joshindi & Waristmo would be involved with this process. The NPA, however, would continue to patrol in its current "territory", but in liaison with both Independent world’s law enforcement agencies. Furthermore, both planets would send police contingents to serve with the NPA. The cost of these contingents would be covered by the NPA. Importantly, both planets would be guaranteed their independence. Neither the UFP or Zargah Empire would annex or invade any territory within 50 light years.

3072 President Jackson was happy to release the news of the successful Honshu Treaty to the UFP. He thought that such news, ensuring peace & trade, would be welcomed by his fellow citizens. This, he thought, ensured that a second term would be guaranteed. At first the public response was favourable, until news reporters began to analyse the terms of the treaty. Soon people demanded to know why the UFP had spent an enormous amount of money to criminals. Although the treaty could not be revoked, the public demanded someone to pay for it.

That someone was the President. Opposition campaigns quickly got on the band wagon to smear the President as an associate of criminals. Instead of bringing criminals to justice, he paid them off. Various pranks & jokes spread across the Federation. Comedians had a field day with the President. Everywhere he was ridiculed. It goes without saying that he had no chance in the election. The Eden candidate Rene Pretelat won a narrow victory over the Lyonies candidate Nobil Lysartous. President Jackson came a lowly fifth.

3073 UDF reports to President Pretelat that the time aliens have dramatically increased their surveillance of the UFP time missions. As all incoming President’s have, it took him some time to get used to the idea of time travel. Furthermore, he was shocked to discover that the UFP had such a large time exploration program. But the issue that worried him were the reports that acknowledged the existence of extremely powerful & advanced time aliens.

Over the years, UDF, UPX & NGW had analysed these time aliens with few results. Some data, however, had produced some interesting theories that appeared plausible, even though they relied upon much speculation. The leading theory came from the analysis of the atomic spectrum of the alien ships. A similar analysis of the ships MMD waves appeared to confirm the findings of the atomic spectrum study. Both findings where then compared to planets dubbed "Ancients". After extensive searching, Essence was at the top of the list. It seems that the Ancients of Essence were observing the Children of Earth.

President Pretelat immediately asked for advice. In the past, although UPX always wanted to contact the Essence Ancients, the conventional wisdom championed by UDF was to wait & observe. Previous presidents had all agreed. As long as the Essence Ancients merely remained hidden & peaceful, the argument went, let it remain that way. If contact was to occur, let the Ancients take the initiative. Furthermore, as had happened to the Nazzernich, the Essence Ancients maybe the Human’s "Creator". The last thing the Humans wanted to do was to make an enemy of those which, could not only create them, but could also erase them.

3074 As the citizens of the Federation went about their business, very few knew about the time travel operations. Fewer even knew about the Ancients. That was about to change. The Tindorra station on Epsilon detected five ships in the time stream that gave the UDF little warning. Although the UDF went on alert, it would be a few days before any considerable force could arrive to defend the Federation’s capital.

The Essence Ancients jumped into normal space above New Athens on Epsilon. President Pretelat immediately consulted those around him, but before the President could decide what to do the Essence Ancients made the decision for him. The President was ordered to cease all Federation time travel operations. There was no negotiation. This was an order.

This arrogance got the President’s Gallic temper up. Without thinking he replied : "The President of The United Federation of Planets does not take orders like he’s some child." Before he could start a second sentence, the five Essence ships opened fire on the defence satellites orbiting Epsilon. The display was truly intimidating as was the intention. The Essence Ancients repeated their demand & added that they would be back if the UFP continued to violate the time continuum. With that they disappeared back into the time stream.

This was too much for President Pretelat & his temper exploded. He was not angry at being dictated to by the Ancients; he was angry because the UDF had nothing substantial to defend the capital of the UFP. After enduring the President’s outrage, the Joint Chiefs patiently explained that it was almost impossible to defend against an attack from time. The attacker could pick & choose the time & location, while the defender, as had just occurred, had little warning. A much larger fleet would be required in order to defend as much of the UFP as possible. The Joint Chief’s were granted their request.

The news agencies covered the Essence Ancients visit to Epsilon extensively. They also were able to record the exchange between the Ancients & the President. Reporters were demanding to speak to the President. They demanded to know who the aliens were & was the UFP at war. Furthermore, what was this about time travel? Without a doubt, this was the hottest story in years.

Surprisingly, Congress went quiet on the subject. Unknown to the public, members of Congress had been fully informed of the time travel missions & the Essence Ancients. For their part, Congress members had kept their months shut on the subject for decades. But now, thanks to the media, everyone was discussing the subject. Few members of the public, however, liked the deception that the politicians had applied for so long. The President came in for particular criticism.

3075 The last of the UPX time missions returned to real time to discover an alarmed UFP. In accordance with the Ancient’s demands, UPX had suspended all time exploration. UDF, however, in a vain effort to provide some form of defence, began to patrol the time stream. It may have been in violation of the Essence Ancient’s demands, but UDF hoped that by staying in the time stream & only exiting at the ship’s real time, the Ancient’s may tolerate such action. It was a risky strategy at best.

The public still demanded answers. Not only were the citizenship concerned about a possible war, but the time travel aspects also concerned many. In order to calm the public, President Pretelat ordered UPX to release some of the research from their missions. Needless to say, no sensitive information, like that of the gene manipulation of Humans, was included. Thus an eager public watched dinosaurs roam across a very different looking Earth. Likewise, they saw 1960s automobiles drive along highways from an early period of the Second Age.

The old Ford company, which still built transport systems around the UFP, noticed that various positive comments were made about their 1960s Mustang convertible. Although the car’s technology was very primitive, it had something about it that 1 100 years later still appealed to customers. Ford announced that a replica Mustang would become available next year. Although the V8 gasoline engine would not be included, the engine it would have ensured four times the power of the original. To ensure a sense of authenticity, an electronic device would replicate the sound of the V8 engine.

3076 UDF reported to the President that all Essence Ancients activity had stopped. No one could give a creditable answer as to why this had occurred. Speculation was all that anyone could offer.

The transmission from the Ancients at Epsilon had been thoroughly analysed by NGW. It was not necessarily what was said, but the frequencies & technology used, that interested NGW. UDF considered this analysis just as important as any new weapon on offer. If UDF could understand what the Essence Ancients were planing, by decoding their messages, a creditable defence could be organised. UPX was also extremely interested in NGW efforts. It would mean that a channel of communication could be opened & thus the diplomatic corps could begin negotiations.

The first owner of the replica Ford Mustang Convertible was an 88 year old from Venus. The retired UPX ship’s engineer from the UPX Odyssey saved no expense to be the owner of the first new Mustang. Not only did he pay twice as much as the next person, but he rented a small inter-planetary ferry for the sole purpose of transporting the car from Earth to Venus. On his first day back on Venus, he was booked for speeding three times almost loosing his licence in the process. His wife claimed he was a nut, but it was the happiest she had seen him in years. He finally got his wish, although he had to wait 48 years.

3077 Still nothing was seen of the Essence Ancients. The President, wanting to give the impression that everything was under control, asked the Joint Chiefs for advice. High on the list was to discover more information on the Ancients. Although UPX had a lot of technical information on them, as did NGW, little was known about the society. UPX suggested a one off time mission to Essence. They could go back & while cloaked spy on the Ancients prior to their abandonment of the planet. The information thus gathered would ensure that the UFP would gain significant intelligence.

The President & the Joint Chiefs liked the idea. UPX, however, added one condition: the mission should be conducted by a Sparta class ship. It was the only vessel in the UFP that could operate cloaked for the entire mission. All other vessels simply did not have the power to be cloaked while operating the very power thirsty MMD. The UDF refused & for good reason. They only had 28 of the massive ships & they were all strung out across the Federation in an attempt to ward off the Essence Ancients.

The mission would still go ahead, however, by the UPX. Although risky, it was hoped that the Ancients would tolerate this one violation. The UPX Magellan was given this all important mission. It was unknown how long the mission would last, but six months was considered appropriate. Contact with the Essence inhabitants was to be strictly avoided. If discovered, the Magellan must leave. If the Essence Ancients came looking for them, again the Magellan must leave.

The Presidential election was a messy affair. Although the general public had come around to the idea of time travel, it was still an issue for the candidates. But the big issue, that the public were not happy about was the Essence Ancients. The President, regardless what he tried to do, could not convince the electorate that a future war was not near. In fact even he feared that one was coming. Certainly the UDF was planning for one. The election results were close, but President Pretelat was narrowly defeated. Erin Chappelle from Earth became President at an unsettling time for the UFP.

3078 The UPX Magellan was able to conduct three months research before thing got bad. The civilisation on Essence was extremely advanced. 1 million years older than the UFP, even before the civilisation had time travel technology, it was more advanced than the Federation was currently. Detection was a concern & the Magellan remained hidden while cloaked. Even so, the ship kept a respectable distance from the planet & all ships. Much, however, was learnt from a not so nice authoritarian society.

The Magellan’s mission was cut short when its Tindorra equipment, which had been hastily added prior to the mission, detected an incoming Essence Ancients vessel. Not waiting to be caught, even if the Ancients could not find them, the Magellan followed its orders & jumped back to its real time. Thankfully the Ancients did not follow.

UPX & NGW personnel poured all over the data brought back by the Magellan. It was disturbing. Without a doubt these aliens were anything but benevolent. Any romantic ideas that this race could have modified the DNA of Neanderthal humans to produce Homo sapiens were soon forgotten. A million years may have changed the Essence Ancients, but the society of the past was an authoritarian one where freedom & democracy had no meaning.

President Chappelle surprised everyone when she issued a call to arms. She ordered the UDF to consider that a state of war existed between the UFP & the Essence Ancients. Any Ancient vessel discovered in UFP territory, now or in another time period, would be fired upon first. Questions could be answered later. Later in the day she addressed the citizens of the UFP telling them of the pending war. She finished by quoting from a famous American President F. D. Roosevelt , "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself". In reality the UFP had plenty to fear, including fear itself.

3079 It soon became obvious that the UFP was rearming. All the Independent worlds protested this fact as did the Cordah. The Zargah gazed across the Neutral Zone with nervous eyes, but President Chappelle had briefed Chancellor Lord Timzii on the situation. The Zargah at first thought the time travel business was an elaborate Vargary practice joke, but when Chappelle confirmed the technology the Zargah were stunned. They did not quite know how to react.

The Nazzernich were not overly happy about the situation. Whether they feared the Ancients or these revelations of the UFP was not known. But when they saw the new battleships coming into service, UDF Griffin being the class leader, the Nazzernich decided to distance themselves from the UFP. President Chappelle had high level discussions with their government. At the meeting, Chappelle brought out the report that George Mills had supplied to NGW years ago. This shocked the Nazzernich leadership particularly considering that the UFP had known their secret for years. Humiliated by the truth, they were in a more moderate mood to negotiate. Importantly they offered to help. Soon UPX & NGW personnel were researching Nazzernich archives to discover any information about the Nazzer Ancients that might help against the Essence ones.

The UDF Griffin was an amazing ship. Although it was not in the same class as a Sparta class ship, they nonetheless included every technology that the UFP had to offer. They were equipped with "conventional" weapons & BlackStar Beam arrays. The ships also had BigMouth, Enigma2, Indorra & Tindorra. In many respects they were a miniature Spartan, even though they were based on a "traditional" design. Consequentially, they cost nothing like a Sparta class ship. Space docks throughout the UFP began churning them out by the hundreds. Within a few years, it was hoped 1 000 would swell the fleets of the UDF. Even more were on order.

3080 UPX continued to maintain the archaeological project on Essence. Considering the events over the last few years, it was not surprising that their & NGW’s efforts on Essence took on an urgent pace. UDF had also increased its present which took the form of increased patrols. UFP personnel had increased. Now 25 000 experts from all of the UFP branches searched the planet for clues. Alas, since the early days, nothing substantial was discovered.

The Essence Ancients, however, had tolerated enough. For more than 50 years they had permitted the UFP to violate their old planet. At first they were not aware of this trespass, but when they had noticed the time journeys it was just a matter of time before they discovered the UFP activity on Essence. The UFP would pay dearly for their mistakes.

The UDF security force at Essence had little warning. No Tindorra station had been established on the planet & none of the ships had the technology installed. 65 Ancients vessels jumped into their old solar system & immediately opened fire. Only one ship, the UDF Kenya, survived the initial attack. Her captain, realising the battle was already lost, jumped to warp speed in order to escape. Five Ancients ships followed her. The Kenya had no chance. Being one of the last of the Iowa class still in UDF service, her weapons & speed was no match for her pursuers. Her captain managed to send a signal via BigMouth to UDF outposts on the border, though, before the Kenya was destroyed.

The UDF sent what they could from Bizan in a rescue attempt. What they found was sickening. Not only had the entire UDF security force been annihilated, but none of the UPX or NGW ships survived either. But this was just the prelude to the carnage on the surface. No one survived. The Essence Ancients had systematically hunted down & killed everyone. Furthermore, everything from research notes to extensive computer data to artefacts had been destroyed. There would be nothing new to aid the UFP in the up-coming events.

President Chappelle demanded answers. What she got confirmed her fears. The first battle in the war had occurred & the UFP had suffered a dreadful defeat. Yet, thanks to Chappelle’s call to arms the UDF were in a far better position to face the foe than would have been the case five years ago. UDF increased their patrols in the time stream while everyone waited the next move.

3081 Large numbers of the Deja Vu class began taking station in the time stream. Although Tindorra could monitor the movement of ships from space, ships equipped with Tindorra in the time stream had double the range. As the Essence Ancients had clearly demonstrated, they could jump into UFP space at any location with little warning. By patrolling the time stream, invaluable time was gained for preparing defence. The one main problem was, the UFD ships were clearly in defiance of the Ancients demands.

The Essence Ancients, for their part, remained absent. The various UDF patrols reported nothing. Whether the Ancients were studying the reaction of the UFP, no one was certain. As a precaution, the UDF was not going to show the only two advantages that they had. The first, albeit slender, as Tindorra. Although still limited, it nonetheless gave some warning. The other was the Sparta class. They had been deliberately hidden at various locations deemed suitable around the Federation. They would only come out of hiding when the critical battles would take place.

UDF requested to President Chappelle to begin construction of more Spartans, but she refused. Besides the fact that a Sparta class ship took close to twenty years to construct, the budget of one Spartan could likewise construct 100 Griffin class ships. Considering the nature of the Ancients attack, it was numbers rather than strength that was required. 100 Griffin ships could defend a much larger region of UFP territory than one Spartan. Yet, in any critical battle, nothing could match a Sparta class ship one-on-one. Not even, it was noted, an Essence Ancients ship. President Chappelle believed the UDF thus had the right balance.

3082 The election year was not an easy one for the President. The UFP had lived the last five years in fear. The slaughter of the Battle of Essence did nothing to relieve the siege mentality that had spread across the Federation. Protests continued to be made by several Independent worlds & the Cordah. The Zargah, however, had become quiet over the issue. As previously, President Chappelle had kept the Zargah leadership fully informed. The last thing the UFP needed was two wars at once.

Public concerns too were not improved when UDF reported Essence Ancients activity in the time stream. Although no exchanges had taken place, it was obvious that the Ancients were conducting reconnaissance missions. And these were impossible to stop. The Ancients could jump into the time stream & stop at the threshold just prior to the current UFP time, knowing all too well that the UDF ships could not advance to meet them.

It was this particular aspect of time travel that NGW or any one else for that matter could never explain. The main school of thought was that one could travel back in time because it had existed. The future for the same individual or group, however, had not yet existed. If it has not yet existed, naturally you cannot travel to something that does not exist for that time zone. Whatever the actual case was, it was a clear advantage to the Ancients. They could attack the UDF at their leisure, while the UDF could never travel forward to take the battle to them.

In this atmosphere, the Presidential elections were held. The campaigns were very tough indeed. Nine creditable candidates were involved in the elections, each one claiming to have the answers to the current crisis. The President, however, had creditable arguments. Clearly her early actions saw a very powerful UDF ready to defend the Federation. Many, though, demanded peace. After months of campaigning, it came down to two; the President & the Lyonies candidate Minlish Lysare. The result was extremely close, but the President was re-elected.

3083 The first exchanges began between the Ancients & the UDF. These were in the time stream. As individual UDF ships patrolled the time stream around the planets of the UFP, they were set upon by various Essence Ancients task forces. Out numbered up to ten to one, the UDF patrols had no chance. By the time the UDF could counter-attack with a task force themselves, the Ancients withdrew over the time stream threshold.

Before the end of the year, the UDF had lost 168 Deja Vu battleship as a result of these attacks. It was unknown if the Ancients suffered any casualties. At this rate, the UDF would be reduced dramatically before any major battle would occur. The individual patrols would have to go. But if the UDF committed large task forces to the time stream for patrol work, the reserve of UDF ships would be reduced significantly. To withdraw the patrols entirely would increase significantly, the Ancients advantages.

3084 UDF patrols continued to act individually in the time stream. As previously, they would often be attacked by larger Ancients task forces. UDF reaction times, however, had improved from last year & at first the Ancients were taken unawares. The UDF recorded their first victories. As the individual UDF patrol ship acted as bait, a UDF task force made up of Deja Vu & Griffin battleships stood ready. At the first instance of an approaching Ancients task force, the UDF one would jump into the time stream to intercept the Ancients.

It did not take long, however, for the Ancients to identify the new UDF tactics. Soon it was the UDF task forces that would be surprised. Although the Essence Ancients would also suffer casualties, the UDF task forces were overwhelmed. Only a few ships would survive the encounters. In all, the UDF lost 317 battleships this year in the time stream battles. Clearly UFP had lost the first campaign. In order to save the increasing casualties, in sheer frustration President Chappelle ordered the UDF to withdraw from the time stream

In desperation, the UDF turned to NGW. The UDF still had a war to fight & needed to know what the Ancients were doing in the time stream. If not, the Ancients could attack at will without even being concerned about possible interception in the time stream. NGW immediately got to work. The answer was simple: set up an automated Tindorra station on an old ship, anything ship, & refit it with a MMD. The Auto-Tindorra (as it was coded), which required no crew, could then be parked in the time stream as required. Although it would be defenceless, UDF would get the information that they needed to mount a defence. UDF ordered NGW to construct a continuous supply of the Auto-Tindorra drones. UDF figured that they would not last long in the time stream against the Essence Ancients.

3085 As the Auto-Tindorra drones became available, UDF pressed them into service. To UDF’s pleasure, the information that they relayed back proved to be just as good as having a manned battleship patrolling the time stream. UDF’s fears, though, were correct. Just as the battleships were attacked previously, so were the drones. For once, however, the Ancients were thrown off guard as they sent numerous task forces to deal with the UDF drones. In stead of intercepting a UDF battleship or task force, they found an old obsolete ship & nothing else. Needless to say, the Auto-Tindorra drones had a short life span.

The sacrifice of the Auto-Tindorra drones, however, meant that the UDF received a short rest period. As the Ancients concentrated on chasing the drones in the time stream, the UDF quickly regained their numbers. Still, there was not an infinite supply of obsolete ships that could be used as drones. In their first year of deployment, 703 drones had been destroyed. UDF estimated that at current losses, they would run out of replacements within five years.

Furthermore, it would not take long until the Ancients tired of their victories over the drones. Soon, they would surely begin their attacks on the UFP in earnest. Clearly the drones were a distraction & nothing more. In order to extend the life of the probes & make life as hard as possible for the Ancients, President Chappelle demanded something to be done. Short of the UDF returning to give battle in the time stream, which had already been costly, no one really had an answer.

3086 A strange calmness had begun to settle across the UFP. As the Ancients War appeared remote, in fact the last year saw no UFP casualties apart from the Auto-Tindorra drones, life for many returned to normal. Certainly the business of politics continued. Diplomats went about their businesses as local politicians tried to ensure their re-election. Ambassadors came & went as well. Ironically, it was the new Zargah Ambassador Lord Zyrondor that jolted the memories of the UDF admirals. While on his first visit to the Great BlackStar Wall Museum, he commented about the old mines & how they saved Earth.

Admiral Nagumo was dumbfounded. He exclaimed "How had we missed it?" Everyone just looked blankly at him wondering if the stress of the last few years had eventually gotten to him. He immediately excused himself & left to plan the next defence. The old BlackStar mines had been withdrawn from service 600 years ago. Many were destroyed, but a large number had been stored away in top secret arsenals. Nagumo was not sure if the old mines could still work, but if not new ones certainly would.

President Chappelle received her answer from the year before. And it was in good time too. Intelligence gathered by Auto-Tindorra clearly indicated that the Ancients were ready to hit the UFP at any moment. Nagumo’s plan simply called for the time stream to be mined with BlackStar mines. Particular attention would be given to defend the Auto-Tindorra probes. The Ancients would never know what they ran into. Certainly a large number would become casualties. Furthermore, any attempt to invade the Federation would ensure that the Ancients would suffer significant losses even before they arrived.

President Chappelle authorised the plan immediately. The old BlackStar mines were brought out of storage. Thankfully, most were still operational. No one knew what the effects the mines would have on the time stream, but BlackStar Beam arrays had shown none other than intended. The same, thus, was anticipated from the mines. Nonetheless the yield of the mines were reduced just in case. Soon, all of the Auto-Tindorra probes had a BlackStar minefield protecting them.

Clearing the probes had become routine for the Ancients. They would arrive, destroy the probe, scan the area & then withdraw or continue with their next assignment. What happened next came as a great shock for the Ancients. Although they were aware of the firepower of the UDF ships, the mines were unexpected. As one of their task forces approached a probe off Honshu space, the first BlackStar mine detonated. Soon another detonated. The remaining three Ancients ships had no idea were the attack was coming from as they too were vaporised by the third BlackStar. It was the first, albeit small, comprehensive victory for the UDF.

A similar story occurred with the probe patrolling the time stream near Blurgiss space. The Ancients moved in routinely to destroy the Auto-Tindorra probe & before they knew it they were under attack. Again the small task force was vaporised before it could react. It appeared that Admiral Nagumo’s plan would work. The BlackStar mines would once again save the UFP.

In the third such encounter at Wazzen, however, one Ancient ship managed to escape. Auto-Tindorra tracked it as it returned to its own time. Across the entire Auto-Tindorra network, reports came in that all Ancients activity had ceased. Admiral Nagumo declared a victory & the end to the war. The President was not so certain.

3087 In the lull that followed the Nagumo victory, UDF continued, at President Chappelle’s insistence, to be active. Considering that the BlackStar mines were successful, many more mine fields were laid in the time stream. Although they could be out-flanked, the time stream around the space of every planet was mined accordingly. If the Ancients returned they would be in for a even bigger shock than previously.

Even though the UDF were confident that the Ancients were not going to come back, let alone get through the minefields, President Chappelle had little confidence in her Joint Chiefs. Before she had to retire, she signed a number of orders to continue the military build up. As far as she was concerned, this was only round one. And although a stalemate had occurred, she expected the Essence Ancients back for more.

Since the previous year, it appeared that some form of safety had returned. UPX decided to return to the planet Essence. NGW, likewise joined them. Although not as large as the previous expedition that was annihilated by the Ancients, it was still hoped that the joint mission could discover something new about the enemy.

The incoming President Douglas Encel of Earth, Chappelle’s Vice President, was more optimistic than Chappelle. Nonetheless he understood the need to be vigilant. Encel’s first order was to maintain the current standard of alert, even though the Ancients had kept to their side of the time stream threshold.

3088 The Auto-Tindorra drone network lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree. Hundreds of Essence Ancients ships were tracked heading down the time stream. UDF personnel held their breaths as these large task forces approached the BlackStar minefields. Admiral Nagumo declared that this was the battle, & alerted all the fleets. He also called up the Spartans, but this order was quickly countered President Encel. The President thought it was too premature in revealing UFP’s last saviour.

Unconcerned with the denial for the deployment of the Sparta class, he ordered the advanced task forces of the various fleets into the time stream. His plan was for the advanced parties to act as bait while the Ancients moved to attack them. When they did, the Ancients would run into the BlackStar minefields. Most would be thus destroyed before the UDF forces attacked to clean up the rest. The main UDF fleets would remain in space ready to support their respective advanced parties or defend against any counter-attacks in either the time stream or real space. It was a good plan & Nagumo had covered all his bases - or so everyone thought.

During their absent year, the Ancients had thoroughly analysed the mistakes of their surprise defeats. The one Ancient ship that had escaped the BlackStar ambush supplied invaluable information of the event. They thus, accordingly, developed a counter to the once undefeated weapon. It took them well over a year, but the results would speak for themselves.

As the Essence Ancients came near the minefields, their main weapons arrays began pulsing gamma waves. These waves, although harmless against the UDF ships, forced the BlackStar mines to detonate prematurely. The result was a clear path to their real targets; the Auto-Tindorra probes & the UDF advanced forces. Admiral Nagumo, in fact everyone, was stunned. The perfect plan was in tatters.

The UDF advanced parties, a combined total of 422 ships, fought for their lives against numerically superior forces. Some 35 ships managed to escape to normal space & rejoined the main fleets, who were hurriedly preparing a defence against possible attack. Thankfully none came. Most of the UDF ships left in the time stream, however, including Admiral Nagumo’s battleship, were destroyed. It was the UDF that was ambushed, not the Essence Ancients. The war just ended the second round. The Ancients were the clear winner.

3089 Although President Encel was at first an optimist, he clearly now shared his predecessor’s caution. He realised it was only a matter of time before the Essence Ancients began attacking the UFP without hindrance. His one saving grace so far was that the Ancients were not invincible. Their defeat due to the BlackStar minefields clearly indicated that UDF had the weapons technology to ensure victories. This position was further supported, when evidence clearly showed that BlackStar Beam arrays did as much damaged to Ancient’s ships as their weaponry did in return.

The UDF for their part continued to send Auto-Tindorra probes into the time stream. For what it was worth, BlackStar minefields were established in a vain effort to protect the probes. Now that the Ancients had a counter, however, the minefields proved an annoying hindrance and nothing more. A few valuable minutes were gained before the Ancients destroyed the probes. In total frustration, UDF decided to cease BlackStar mine production & apply the time & resources elsewhere.

Before the end of the year, the Ancients firmly held the time stream. The anticipated life span of a Auto-Tindorra probe was down to 24 hours. Although the information gathered ensured the UDF knew what the Ancients were up to, the 3651 probes lost in less than one year ensured few would be available in the near future.

3090 Although war continued, life for the UFP citizen had not changed much since the days of peace. No UFP territory had been attacked. The Essence Ancients had kept their engagements to the time stream. The citizenship had fallen in a false sense of security. President Encel had aided in this atmosphere by ensuring that everyday life should continue. Business, trade, sports, tourism & family life was encouraged to continue. Even foreigners, after initial concerns of the war, returned to tour the sites of the Federation.

Earth, as always, continued to welcome the tourists. Millions, both UFP citizens & mostly Zargah tourists, would visit the planet & the surrounding space. The Old Great BlackStar Wall museum celebrated its 1 billionth visitor, the Nazzernich Ambassador Mil Cazznor. In another party on the same day, the Zargah Emperor’s only daughter, Princess Zela, was also present at the museum.

UDF noted with alarm that the Ancients were moving in great numbers. The remaining Auto-Tindorra probes were quickly dealt with by them. The information that UDF could gather was thus limited. After much speculation it appeared that the Ancients would attack Epsilon & Vargary Prime. Lyonies was also a possible target. UDF alerted & prepared the respective fleets according to plan.

Not far from Earth, however, the Essence Ancients fleet jumped into real space. UDF were caught unawares. The 1st Fleet, which was based at Mars & Venus, was not on alert. Yet they quickly scrambled what they could. It would take them, however, at least an hour to get organised for battle & jump the short distance to Earth. Earth’s Defence system would have to hold the Ancients 60 precious minutes before the 1st Fleet could give battle.

The Ancients, however, had no intention of waiting around & immediately attacked. Their sensors picked up a fleet of ships that was blocking their path to Earth. These ships, although antiquated, appeared powered up, crewed & ready to fight. A wider sweep of the Ancients sensors identified that modern UDF ships were forming for battle at Mars & Venus. Clearly this Earth force was the bait, but the Ancients deceptions had worked.

Before anyone at the Old Great BlackStar Wall Museum knew what was happening the old battleships of the past were once again in the thick of battle. Having none of their defence shielding ready, & being 800 years out of date, meant the 155 ships of the museum stood no chance. Nor did the civilians & museum staff who were killed as the vacuum of space killed those who survived the weapons of the Ancients.

The Ancients, satisfied that a significant victory had been achieved, sent a simple message to Earth. Declaring the Humans barbarians & inferior, the Essence Ancients stated that they would ensure that the entire Human population would be returned to its natural state - that of something akin to their ape ancestors hanging from a tree.

The 1st Fleet, however, determined to make amends, began their jump to Earth. The Ancients, noticing that a superior sized fleet was advancing on two fronts decided to withdraw. The Ancients, although were superior beings, had grown to respect the firepower of the UDF ships. It was far better to withdraw with a victory, rather than have it turned into a massive defeat.

President Encel quickly left Epsilon to tour the battlefield. Everyone was amazed at the stupidity. The Ancients had unknowingly attacked the museum & wasted a significant opportunity to do great damage to Earth. It did, however, signal a clear escalation to the war. It also had other ramifications that the Essence Ancients had not foreseen.

3091 The Nazzernich were shocked when they were finally informed of the Battle of Museum. The death of their Ambassador, his wife & their staff jolted them into action. Although they refrained by actually joining the fight, they did nonetheless take the next best step.

Although previously they had opened their archives to UPX & NGW personnel, little had been found in the billions of files on record. Now teams of Nazzernich historians & archivists actively sought out & obtained information on the Nazzer. Soon everything from DNA to ship designs of the Nazzer Ancients were being analysed by UFP personnel. The Nazzernich breathed a sigh of relief when UXP concluded that no link was evident between the Nazzer & Essence Ancients. That, however, was not much help for the UFP.

The second act of the Nazzernich was. NGW was given a number of the "communication" devices that UPX had original discovered on Nazzer. Although the Nazzernich could not tell NGW how they were constructed, they did explain how they were operated. NGW was, nonetheless, grateful & was soon taking one of the devices apart in an attempt to reverse engineer the equipment. It was hoped that, just like the device was superior to Indorra, it could be adapted to replace Tindorra.

The Zargah Empire went into official mourning for the death of Princess Zela. Her body had been found in the wreckage of the UDF Dragon. It was viewed, however, as a great honour to die in battle. Her death though angered the Zargah. They wanted revenge & demanded the UFP to shared the MMD technology in order to achieve it. Negotiations began at once.

The Essence Ancients attacked again. Having taught the Humans a lesson the year before, the Vargary would pay for their allegiance to the barbarian apes. Vargary Prime was the first hit, but it did not end there. Over the following months all the Vargary colonies were attacked. In most instances, though, the 7th & 9th Fleets were able to intercept & space battles occurred across the entire Vargary Sector.

The 7th & 9th Fleets, however, were mauled. The combined losses of the two fleets was 412 ships. All the same, even with all the advantages, the Essence Ancients had lost 241 ships. Thankfully the loss to civilian life was limited. Transport ships & the like, though, suffered greatly. The actual number was unknown, but at least 1 500 were destroyed. UDF called upon President Encel to release the Spartan ships, but he refused. The crisis had not reached its zenith. According to the President "… the war has only reached the foothills of India: Mount Everest was still a long way off".

3092 The negotiations between the Zargah & UFP had mixed results. The UFP refused to allow the Zargah to have access to MMD technology. They also refused to shared BlackStar technology as well. The Zargah, inturn, said no to UFP requests to join in the war against the Ancients. Although the Zargah still wanted revenge, Realpolitik ruled the day here. In a conciliatory note, however, the Zargah did agree to increase their numbers in the NPA while the UFP could reduce theirs.

Although the UFP ships in the NPA were obsolete, their crews were not. All had much experience & experience in battle counted. Over the last few years, the UDF had lost a large number of crews. Ironically, however, they had plenty of ships. Even though the space docks at Vargary had been destroyed, there were plenty of them left around the Federation constructing Griffin class battleships & various supporting craft. Furthermore, next year would see a new battlecruiser class join the fleet. The experienced personnel, thus, from the NPA were needed. For instance, 30 experienced NPA crews could be spread out to lend their expertise to 300 UDF ships.

Lyonies Sector was the Essence Ancients target this year. Like in the Vargary Sector, an Ancients fleet of 245 ships attacked at will the three planets making up Lyonies Sector. With little warning the attacks would come. The 3rd & 6th Fleets did what they could, but as previously, they could only react to the Ancients. Both fleets did managed to ensure civilian casualties were kept to a minimum. That, however, did not stop one attack on Lonclu succeeding wherein the main city suffered significant damage. About 1 200 civilians were killed & thousands more wounded. All three space docks in the sector were also destroyed.

The presidential elections were hot. The Lyonies populations were hostile towards the entire war. They clearly placed the blame on the Humans. The Vargary, although not amused from the previous year’s attack, were not so quick to blame the Humans. They were quick to point out that more Humans died defending other races planets than any other. Other races swung between the two stances. The more war like races, like the Braggah & the forth largest UFP specie, the Blurgiss, were ready to fight. It was somewhat ironic that the Humans, Vargary, Braggah & Blurgiss had sided together on this issue, while long time friends the Lyonies, Drey & many of the old FF & CIP races were against them. Numbers, however, won the day. President Encel was narrowly re-elected.

3093 The attacks continued on the UFP. It was parts of Mother Sector that was hit this time. Curiously, Earth & her close neighbours were left alone. Whether or not the Ancients wanted to avoid a massive battle with 1st Fleet was unknown. But Eden, Saturn Prime, Utopia, Barrens & Duel were all hit several times. The "Gallant 2nd" & the 8th Fleet, however, made life difficult. Eden was particularly defended well by the 2nd. After two encounters, which resulted in stalemates, the Ancients left the planet alone.

Duel, however, was not so lucky. Being somewhat out by itself, it represented an easy target. Civilian causalities where high. Shelters that had been overgrown & covered by 800 years of time, where hastily rebuilt. 24 million people hid where their ancestors once did during another war long ago. One attack also occurred on Utopia, but the Ancients did not have it all their way. Not only did the Utopian defence grid make life difficult for the attacker, but the dinosaur population also pitched in. In the only event ever recorded, a flock of startled dinosaurs took to the air when they hear the approach of Ancients atmospheric strike-bombers. Unbeknownst to the Ancients, the strike-bombers flew into the 1 tonne creatures. Although the dinosaurs were ripped apart in the collision, the squadron of strike-bombers did not fare any better & crashed to the ground.

When the new UDF Swiftsure battlecruiser joined the fleet, few knew the arguments that surrounded the naming process. The "S" class was originally to be named after prominent leaders of old times, especially wartime leaders. At first, several designers, including the chief designer Yinvitoo Von’mo’Vita of Vargary, had settled on the class name Stalin. When the UDF historian Lexi Petlyakov heard she could not believe it. A heated discussion followed where she exclaimed, "Stalin? Hell, why don’t you just call it the Satan class while you’re at it!" Blank looks met this outburst until she explained that Stalin was not the most humanitarian leader of Earth’s sometime dubious past.

3094 The Zargah introduced a new battleship into their fleet. Called the Revenge class, the Zargah military consider it the best they have to offer, as indeed it was. It included the latest in Zargah technology, including the Indorra technology given to them by the UFP. Its new weaponry was based upon gamma radiation. For the first time in centuries, the Zargah had a ship that could compete with most UDF ships. Even a Sparta class vessel would have to keep a respectful distance.

The Essence Ancients once again attacked the UFP at will. Their target this time were the old FF worlds. Wazzen & Quotos also came under attack. The Braggah, however, were keen for a fight. Several worlds, though, wanted nothing to do with fighting anyone let alone the Ancients. That did not matter to the Ancients who attack indiscriminately. The 5th & 10th fleets were kept busy as they attempted to repeal the attackers. Their task was almost hopeless as the Ancients attacked a planet, did as much damage as possible & left before a UDF fleet could arrive. Needless to say the locals were screaming for action.

President Encel, fearful of the internal unrest in the UFP, likewise started screaming for action. The UDF, however, were not just sitting idly by. Their staff analysts where confident that at least they understood the Essence Ancients battle plan. Clearly the Ancients were employing these hit & run tactics aimed at three objectives. First; to reduce the numbers of a numerically superior force, that being the UFP: & second; develop a political climate wherein the UFP would break-up & the Humans would be alone. Finally, when both of these objectives were reached, the Ancients could then single out the Humans & blast them back to the Stone Age if not eradicate the entire race. It was not the type of report that the President wanted to read. No where, however, was it discussed why the Ancients had never launched any actual invasion with ground troops.

3095 The UDF 11th fleet at Honshu reported no action by the Ancients. They did, however, report that the Zargah were supplying Revenge class battleships to the NPA. Although the treaty never really limited the type of ship deployed to the NPA, it was generally accepted that old ships would make up the numbers. The UFP, however, was in no position to object. The 11th Fleet, nonetheless, kept a weary eye on the new Zargah NPA contingent.

It was the Grand Sector of the UFP that was attacked this year. 4th Fleet was given the task of defending this region. Although the area is not overly large, the 4th still had a major job on its hands. In an effort to trap the Ancients, the UDF decided to rush the 7th & 9th Fleets from Vargary Sector that had been left alone for a few years now. These fleets had been refitted since their mauling & were filled with the latest Griffin & Swiftsure classes. They could give the Ancients a nasty surprise.

The surprise, however, was for the UDF. Once the 7th & 9th Fleets arrived to take up station in the Grand Sector, Vargary space was attacked. Civilian & industrial losses where high - the highest of the war so far. Little stood in the way of the Ancients. It was a colossal blunder on behalf of the UDF. The 7th Fleet was rushed back to Vargary Sector, while the 8th was dispatched from Mother Sector in order to support the 7th Fleet.

This only moved the Ancients attacks to Mother Sector. The "Gallant" 2nd did what it could, but eventually the 1st Fleet had to be committed to the fight. It was a dreadful year for the UDF. Well over 4 million casualties occurred. Most were civilians. Most were Vargary. At least no Ancients troops invaded UFP planets.

3096 NGW finally got the Nazzernich communications device to operate like a Tindorra station. Although the first results were no better than current Tindorra technology, the experts were confident that improvements were not far off. They predicted that given another year, Nazzdorra, as the device was now coded, would be as powerful as the Auto-Tindorra drones. Fundamentally, Nazzdorra would not be anywhere near as vulnerable as the short lived probes, which incidentally were in very short supply.

Avakous Sector was heavily attacked. The UDF were in a quandary. Although the 12th Fleet was currently the largest fleet in the UDF, it still had a tough time against the Essence Ancients. In reality, reinforcements were needed, but the Ancients had shown that if the UDF weaken the defence in another Sector, they would shift their attacks accordingly.

In desperation, President Encel approached the Nazzernich for military assistance, but again they declined. Although they were still seething over the killing of their ambassador, in realistic terms they did not have the military capacity to fight the Ancients. Ironically, the UDF’s destruction of their main fleet decades ago meant that the Nazzernich could not help them now with only 102 remaining vessels.

3097 The presidential elections were again a heated affair. The Vargary were particularly heard demanding victories. Furthermore they had had enough of the "peace" party led by the Lyonies. They wanted Essence Ancients blood & they wanted it now. The Blurgiss & Braggah shared similar sentiments. Even the rather peaceful Avakous demanded action.

It was the Humans, though, that became the most worrying. Again the Ancients returned the Mother Sector to harry & torment the Humans. Statements of eradication of an inferior species clearly angered the Humans. Many commented that the demeanour of almost every Human had changed. The war had become personal for them. It was no surprise then that the Earth candidate Patricia Roman was endorsed by the "pro-war" peoples. She won the election by a narrow margin.

3098 NGW was delighted when the Nazzdorra network became operational. So was the UDF. Operators soon learnt how to operated the equipment & more. Several could not resist to fiddle with the latest technology. Although NGW personnel were constantly disciplining UDF operators for unauthorised modifications, hot-rodding Nazzdorra sets became a UDF cultural norm. Some results were disastrous as highly valued Nazzdorra sets exploded in sparks. Other results, however, amazed even the NGW experts. Soon the successful hot-rodding techniques, which doubled the power of the Nazzdorra set, soon became standard modifications for the entire network.

Now armed with Nazzdorra, UDF set about its mission with ease. The Ancients surprise attacks of the past were over. As the Nazzdorra operators became more expert with the new equipment, UDF fleets & task forces were given the latest intelligence. Soon Ancients were jumping into real space as UDF forces were jumping from warp to intercept them. The Ancients soon realised that somehow the UDF had changed tactics. The year was a total stalemate as the two sides moved their fleets around the Federation like pieces on a chess board. Few actual engagements took place.

3099 As the UDF had clearly changed tactics, so did the Essence Ancients. The Battle of Honshu would become the first of the "mega-engagements". Annoyed that the UDF had achieved a stalemate, the Ancients decided to combine a couple of their fleets into one large fist. It would strike on the fringes of the UFP cutting the Federation off from their largest ally the Zargah. Honshu would be destroyed in the process.

Nazzdorra jumped to life on Honshu as the Ancients fleet approached in the time stream. The 11th Fleet had ample warning as a result. Nazzdorra, however, added further news. Approximately 500 ships were approaching. The 11th Fleet was outnumbered two to one. Admiral Gough, the 11th Fleet’s commander, had a difficult decision to make. If he stood, the 11th Fleet was bound to be wiped out, yet it meant that Honshu Sector might have a chance against the invader.

Desperately he looked over at the NPA base not far from the 11th’s base. The 180 ships of the NPA, some of them belonging to the Zargah Revenge class, would be a great addition to the defence. Alas, the NPA had no legal standing in UFP territory. Furthermore, it was mostly made up of Zargah personnel these days who were totally independent from the UDF or any other authority of the UFP.

Gough, though, immediately called for reinforcements. UDF command on Epsilon had already been aware of the Ancients movements & the 7th Fleet had been dispatched from Vargary. Furthermore, the Joint Chiefs had requested the release of the Sparta class. For the first time since the war began, a President consented to their wish. Ten Spartans left their hiding place on the rim & headed at best speed to Honshu. Few, however, expected them to make it in time for the battle.

The Battle of Honshu was savage. The Ancients fleet of 500 ships jumped out of the time stream into real space. As they formed up, they were immediately set upon by the 11th Fleet. Admiral Gough did not want to give them the opportunity to form a strong battle line. Numbers, however, began to tell as the larger Ancients fleet moved on the 11th. Just as it looked like Gough’s fears of annihilation would come true, the 180 ships of the NPA attacked in a disciplined display of Zargah aggression. The Revenge class ships led the way.

Numbers, however, were still enjoyed by the Ancients & now it was the Zargah ships that bore the burden of the battle. The survivors of the 11th Fleet reformed inward of the NPA & re-entered the battle. Once deadly enemies, now the peoples of the UPF & Zargah Empire fought side by side against the evil foe. Alas, if a miracle did not happen soon, the UFP & Zargah would soon die side by side. Clearly the Spartans & the 7th Fleet were weeks of travel away. Possibly enough damage could be done to the Ancients fleet that the Honshu defence grid could hold them out until reinforcements arrived.

The miracle, however, did happen. From the Neutral Zone the NPA task forces started arriving. Having rendezvoused on the way in, they burned their engines at flank speed. 98 NPA ships smashed into the unprotected flank of the Ancients fleet. This unexpected action spread panic throughout the Ancients as their ships tried to disengaged & jump into the time stream & to safety. Although the NPA flank attack suffered sever casualties, as did all the combatants, the Ancients were slaughtered. Only 29 of the Ancients original number escaped. Importantly, a handful, although out of commission, were left abandoned on the battlefield. The UDF gained their first trophies of the war.

The victory, albeit extremely expensive, was a major morale boost for the UFP. Of the 241 ships of the 11th Fleet, only 56 remained. All had battle damage. Of the 180 ships of the NPA stationed at Honshu at the time, only 39 survived. Again all had battle damage. 51 of the NPA reinforcements survived their flank attack. President Roman declared it a National Day. The 11th Fleet was given the honorific title of "Guards Fleet". Great praise was heaped upon the NPA & in particular the Zargah contingent.

3100 After the Ancients defeat at Honshu, little was seen from then. Reconnaissance missions took place, but their ships remained in the time stream. The defeat was a major impact & clearly shook them. They took time out to analyse the event, rethink their tactics & rebuild their numbers.

NGW eagerly awaited the captured Ancients ships. Preliminary analysis, however, provided little data. Like the Nazzernich ships, these vessels would keep their secrets for now. A few were destroyed by UDF on the battlefield due to their precarious MMD engine stability. One ship even detonated before anyone could get to it. It was presumed that the crew had scuttled their ship.

President Roman opened negotiations with the Zargah Empire. Having entered the war in a defacto manner, Roman wanted to make it official. The Zargah still wanted the MMD, however, but the UFP President was adamant that was not going to be shared. "Look at the mess MMD has gotten us into! You really want the Ancients threatening you with extinction?" Her point was well taken. Still, the Zargah had had a victory against these Ancients. And for the Zargah, it felt sweet to be on the winning side. After many exhaustive meetings, the Zargah finally entered the war in an official capacity & ally.

Dyn Lishary, the noted Lyonies political scientist, wearily commented: "It is one of the greatest ironies of history, that the very Federation that the Zargah Empire had once tried to destroy was, in part, saved thanks to them."

Forward To Chapter Four

Fourth Age Glossary (2950-3200)

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