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Updated Sunday 15 May, 2011 12:18 PM |
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This Day in Alternate History Blog
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Four Horsemen Chapter One Once upon a time, in a future, far far away…
The Seven Years had come & gone. In the early Twenty-First Century great destruction had visited the Earth. Millions of Humans had died for no other reason than just because they could. And they did so because of the desires of one man. Although at the time he was not seen as the Antichrist, but as merely a man turned evil by the trappings of office, in the years which followed, President Drache of the United States, was then viewed as such. For after his destruction things began to change for the better. Gone were the days of destruction & hatred, replaced by all things new. Naturally, it took a number of years for things to change. Most countries & people, after enduring a few years of Hell on Earth, welcomed these changes. But not everyone. Even in the immediate aftermath of the Tribulation, some countries & people were all too willing to go to war. The United Nations, however, having been radically reformed during the Seven Years, now took notice of these nations & quickly intervened. Many nations cried fowl, over such actions of the United Nations, but in reality, it was these same nations who were conducting themselves in a wrongful manner. Soon, hence, within a decade of the death of Drache, the corrupt governments & administrations had, for all intense & purposes, been removed from the Earth. And now with the United Nations being the guardian of the planet new & marvellous things could begin. But it was not to be all that easy. Tension still remained on the Earth. Although good deeds were sought for everywhere, the memories of the recent past could not be forgotten. Primarily this tension could be seen between China & Europe, on the one hand, & the United States on the other. Similarly, Israel was still far from impressed by her neighbours, especially those who had fought against her led by Drache. Alas, even though the United Nations did all it could to help the wounds of the past to heal, it would take a new generation of Humans to come along so that the next important step in the history of humanity could take place. And so it would be the post-Tribulation generation who, for once, truly learnt from the mistakes of the past. For it would be they, by missing the Tribulation, who enjoyed the aftermath of goodwill & peace. Having said that, it was not an easy period, what with all the recent destruction evident around them, but it was also a time of building new cities, new factories & above all new communities. It was probably this last aspect, the building of new communities, which made such an impact upon the new generation. Equality & hard work gave new qualities of self importance. And everywhere, it seemed, due to the destruction caused by the Tribulation, everyone seemed the same. Furthermore, due to the fact that the media was everywhere in abundance, combined with the computer internet, the vast distances between countries & peoples now seemed to be much shorter than in reality. And the messages the media & internet sent out across the globe were, more or less, identical. So it was to the children that the world had much hope. The planet would give the humans one last chance. If the nuclear wars of the past were ever repeated soon, then annihilation would be the most likely end. But this new generation would not disappoint. On the contrary, this generation would be like a phoenix & arise from the ashes of war. Lead by Ismal Gideon, a survivor of the nuclear bomb which destroyed Jerusalem, this new generation began to take responsibility for the world around them. And at a much younger age. It seemed, with a different world surrounding them, one which knew little of leisure but one of much work, this new generation had to grow up fast in order to deal with the problems at hand. Many of the new generation, however, more often than not went to work with various international agencies. The United Nations was usually the leading such agency, but other groups, mostly humanitarian aid agencies, were also major attractions for the young. Some went for adventure, others went to escape the region of their birth, whilst most joined these groups because it seemed the right thing to do. Thanks to the media & internet, there always seemed somewhere worse off, than where they lived, & so they felt the need to go & help a fellow human being. Thus it was for most of the new generation. It was an instinctual need to help their fellow human, regardless of race, colour or creed. And so it was to the children that the wounds of the past were soon healed. Many of the old ones, of course, had hardened hearts & they held on to their hate. This was understandable, considering the horrors that they had endured, but just as many were grateful, nonetheless, of the innocent help on offer without thoughts of rewards. In doing so, attitudes everywhere were changing for the better. And this was nowhere more evident than in the United Nations itself. The United Nations, in the aftermath of the Tribulation, inherited a wounded world that was divided & suspicious of others. Having said that, the United Nations itself had changed. Previously it had little if any power. That was now different. It had armies, navies & air forces directly under its control at locations all over the planet. Furthermore, what with the great destruction, it had more or less taken over the running of governments in many locations as well. Much of Europe, especially Britain & France, was now administered directly by the United Nations, as was Russia. Elsewhere the United Nations conducted rebuilding programs, especially in the northern hemisphere, which included the United States. As a result of all this, the United Nations had more or less become a defacto global government in its own right. This was nowhere more so seen in Africa when, in the aftermath of the Tribulation, the United Nations sent several military forces into the region after fighting had erupted among several African countries. As a result, there were few countries on the planet that did not have the United Nations involved somehow in their administration, whether it be direct governmental control or simply helping them rebuild. At this point in time, however, few people actually thought about having a centralised international global government. This would have to wait a few decades until two things happened. The first circumstance for the global government came thanks to the new generation came of age. As it was they who would care little for national borders. As they grew into adulthood, they soon began to rise within the ranks of the United Nations & other international organisations. Thus having a young energetic band of brothers & sisters, few bothered with the petty jealousies of their parents. If there was a problem that needed fixing, then it was fixed. If a national government stood in the way of its people’s needs, then the government was ignored whilst the people’s needs were attended. If a national government, however, intervened with its military, both the government & military were usually destroyed one way or another. Tolerance was offered to all, but tolerance was expected in return. And if a government was prepared to let its people suffer, whatever that suffering was, & stood in the way just so it could continue to hold onto power, then it was removed from power. After a few incidents such as this, the remaining corrupted governments soon got the hint. Ironically, more often than not, these corrupted governments usually reformed themselves & became good administrations for the benefit of their citizens. Naturally, things did not end there. The second circumstance which took place was again thanks to the new generation. As they began to rise higher & higher in the international community, so too did their fellows begin to rise within national governments. Made of similar thoughts in all matters, & not just governmental, discussions about a global government soon began. As the years went by, more & more voices could be heard everywhere in the discussion to unite humanity as one. The vision of peace, harmony & community began to take shape. It was, however, a long enduring debate as, although the new generation may have been in common in the ideal, there were several variations as to how to realise this dream. Furthermore, there was still the old generations who seldom liked the idea of a one world government. Many pointed at Drache’s efforts with the Community of Nations concept & how, after initial promises of peace, that it had turned into nuclear flames. In many respects, concerns like this were taken on by the new generation & they too realised this problem. Somehow, like the democratic philosophers of the past, they had to come up with a way to ensure that tyranny could never revisit the Earth. It was thus a mighty & great time to be alive. Having overcome the challengers of nuclear warfare, & the destruction it caused, in 2048 the momentous decision had been reached & a global referendum to begin. The planet had reached a new high for the human race. Now, for the very first time, a referendum would be put to all of humanity about its future. Although several countries were sceptical of this global government, especially the likes of China & India, where they had vast populations who could vote against the referendum, reassurances were given to national governments that they themselves would not have to reform overly much in order to continue under the new international political structure. Besides, those that were corrupt & greedy for power for power’s sake had already been removed long ago by 2048. It goes without saying that the global referendum was successful everywhere. Along with much education & exposure given to the referendum, United Nations officials oversaw the voting everywhere, backed up by the United Nations military if need be. There was even a successful return from sceptical nations including China & India. This surprised both these governments so much that local attempts at replacing these regimes took place almost immediately. Thankfully, and for various reasons, the military of both these countries remained out of these people’s revolutions & importantly were willing to support these new democratic governments. But if this seemed revolutionary, that was nothing compared to the new global government. On 1 January 2050, the United Nations no longer existed. It had been defeated by the citizens of the Earth. In its place the new Commonwealth of the Federation of Earth Nations, or Earth Commonwealth as it became known, was established. It was, as the name suggests, a federation made up of all the nations of the Earth. These nations would still hold on to certain rights & governmental powers, but others would now be taken over by the Earth Commonwealth Government. Basically, this meant all military & foreign policy matters. National governments would still have their own military, but it was more so for internal duties even though they could be seconded to the Earth Commonwealth for emergencies if required. The Earth Commonwealth government itself was split up into three areas, that being: the Presidency, the Parliament, & the Courts. The President was elected by the Parliament as were the governmental Ministers. Parliament, on the other hand, was elected by the citizens of the Earth. Two Houses made up Parliament, a House of Representatives & a Senate. Finally, Parliament also appointed judges to the International Courts. Although far from perfect, the system ensured that no single nation had superiority over any other, whilst the citizens of Earth were involved directly in the process of government as well. Even though reforms, at later dates, would be introduced for 2050 it was the most practical system available. Even though a number of Members of Parliament were a surprise, the first Earth Commonwealth President was not. Ismal Gideon had had a long carrier to date in the United Nations from the age of 18. Now in his prime & although not completely a certainty as President, as there were several other good candidates, he was nevertheless a great choice. Yet if his election surprised few, his first major announcement most certainly did. Even though Gideon’s vision would cost a fortune, he argued it would be money well spent. Now that most of the reconstruction from the Tribulation was over, the human race needed something grand & outstanding to achieve. And this would be space. Although the older generation scoffed at the idea of a grand plan for space, the younger generations loved the idea. They imagined that Earth could become the centre of a great civilisation heading in all directions. Space colonies would, at first, be planned for the Moon & then beyond. Mars would be the first obvious choice, but no one knew where the next one would be located. Gideon’s plan appeared like a new Destiny Doctrine where the human race would depart Earth on a quest to civilise the known galaxy. Of course the biggest problem was getting there. Getting to the Moon, however, was not a major problem. Even though the space industry had been starved of funds since the Tribulation, the technology & knowledge was still around in abundance. More importantly, the scientific community was still around & ready to do something akin to this new space plan. They did not disappoint. Granted a huge budget by the Earth Commonwealth, scientists from around the globe began in unison to produce the very best. Within five years, large space shuttles, larger & far more efficient vehicles than before, began to operate, not only in Earth orbit as the previous versions, but could travel to the Moon & back with ease. As a result, within a few two years of such operations, the first small Moon colony had been established. Luna One would become essential for the future. Although, when viewed from the future, this small Moon base did indeed seem like one small step, but in fact it would mean one giant leap for all mankind. For Luna one, & the several which followed thereafter, would become instrumental for the following decades of space exploration. For the scientists knew, regardless how efficient & powerful that they could make their conventionally powered rockets, they would not be powerful enough for long term human exploration. Considering Gideon demanded this, it meant using one technology that everyone wanted to keep at a long distance. Once the Space Scientific Committee of the Earth Commonwealth, announced their findings in 2060, massive debate began over the ‘N’ word. Nuclear power was nothing new for the human race. It had been around since 1944. In fact several countries still used Nuclear power stations to provide electricity & vital medicines to help the human race fight off various ailments such as cancer. But the mentioning of the ‘N’ word in such a public forum, especially in regards to space exploration, was another thing altogether. Gideon, however, supported the use of Nuclear power for space exploration, provided that it was entirely for peaceful purposes only. Many agreed. But just as many had memories of the past & were far from happy from the idea. Ten years would go past before the majority of humans finally agreed to permit the use of nuclear power in space. In that decade, Gideon had left office, as his maximum time of 12 years was up, & a new President was in power. Sarah O’Connor had replaced him at the age of 40, which meant that a new generation was coming of age. Unlike all the previous generation, none of this group truly knew of the horrors of the past. Sure they could watch documentaries, even popular television shows & movies about the Tribulation, but none of them had experienced those awful events in person. Similarly, even though they had been told & shown the effects of nuclear destruction, again they had not lived through such terrors. As a result, this generation of O’Connor’s were more inclined towards nuclear energy as its benefits seemed to outweigh the negatives. Having said that, the Earth would not become the staging point for the construction of ships using nuclear power plants. As such the Moon would become vital now in building such new space vessels, and so the establishment of bases on the Moon, like Luna One, would see to the construction of these ships. Within three years of the decision to go "nuclear", the size of the several Moon colonies grew rapidly in anticipation of becoming a huge space vessel construction site. Furthermore, with the development of the Moon, its human population grew rapidly. This, in turn, required more building until the population of the Moon came to just under 50 000 humans. Gideon’s dream appeared to be taking shape, especially after he was given the opportunity in launching the first nuclear powered explorer vessel. The EC Enterprise was the first such explorer ship. At almost 400 metres in length, much of this was the power plant & storage areas. Considering what would come later, it was very primitive, but nonetheless functional. Its main job would be to explore Mars extensively in anticipation of a colony. This would be still some 10 years away, but the extensive surveying job for the Enterprise would also include several surface missions employing one of the two shuttles that would use the Enterprise as a mother-ship. As things would happen, colonising Mars would take place, several times as a matter of fact, but for over a century, the Human race would not colonise any further. This had as much to do this the limits of technology, namely that of the engine power plants, as much as anything. Having said that, manned missions to Jupiter & Saturn did take place on several occasions gaining much information. Importantly, the most outstanding discovery made was during one of the explorer missions to Jupiter. Its findings would astound everyone. The discovery of life elsewhere in the universe was made much closer to home than some far off solar system. The mission of EC Endeavour to the Jupiter system, or more precisely Jupiter’s moon Europa, was the most important discovery in space exploration until that moment. Carrying two shuttles, like the Enterprise, the Endeavour had included several developments in space travel learnt from the lessons on Enterprise. These basically included a more powerful nuclear power planet, although just as large as Enterprise’s, & more storage capacity so it could travel further & longer. Having said that, it took only one year to travel from the Moon to Jupiter & back again whilst allowing the Endeavour to study Europa for some six months. The Endeavour did not, however, need six months to discover life on Europa. That took place within two weeks of its arrival at Jupiter’s water moon. Europa, contrary to popular opinion, actually had a solid core not too dissimilar to the Earth. Likewise, over this rocky core, vast oceans of water flowed. Unlike Earth, though, it was completely covered with water, & due to the coldness of space, an icy crust of a few kilometres covered the oceans of Europa. But once a probe from Endeavour had melted its way through the icy crust, it began to analyse the water, as it descended several more kilometres, until it reached the rocky core. And to the celebrations of the crew of the Endeavour, it was discovered that Europa was teaming with life, albeit mostly in bacterial form. Needless to say, it was a fantastic discovery at the time. But far more importantly, it would propel humanity to discover more & more about the galaxy around Earth. Furthermore, these adventures in space captured the minds of most citizens once again. Instead of the complaints about the cost of the space budget, now with the discovery of life elsewhere, the imagination’s of people everywhere was fired up. Soon, robotic probes were built, all of which were self contained, with the latest in computers & artificial intelligence. Several were sent to Alpha Centauri even though it would take them twenty years to get there one way. Even more frustrating for the scientists, it would take somewhere between four to five years before any data from Earth’s closest neighbour to arrive for analysis. Everyone was annoyed by this & wanted faster than light speed travel. No one at the time, though, could figure out a way to make this possible. Although the data began to arrive eventually from Alpha Centauri, it was somewhat disappointing to many. Other than the three suns in the system, no planets worthy of note were discovered. Besides which, it took 25 years, since the launch of the first probe, before anything interesting could be discovered from the analysis of the data. What was worse was the fact that only one probe managed to survive to journey to Alpha Centauri. Meanwhile, in the 25 years since then, the Earth solar system had been extensively explored, the Moon had a population of 250 000 humans, & Mars enjoyed six colonies totalling a population of 12 000 humans. The long distance exploration, in other words anything beyond Pluto exploration, seemed pointless at this time. One hundred years would go by as the Human race contemplated its future
whilst living in the present. It was probably just as well too as several
reforms had to be done back on Earth. Renewable energy resources were, not only
discovered, but implemented everywhere. Oil, gas & coal became things of the
past. Likewise, everything had become environmentally friendly, in one form or
another, & humanity everywhere took care not to damage their valuable
irreplaceable planet. All this, however, took close to a century yet it was
fundamental for future generations. This activity, moreover, did not ignore the
advances made in science. Cures were discovered for most illnesses, especially
cancer. Importantly, the human race had, without a doubt, turned the corner
towards greatness. With the discovery of anti-matter power, even in its early crude form, the theory of Warp Speed could now be tested. Up until this point, although several scientists over the ages had argued that fast than light speed was possible, it all came down to unimaginable power then unavailable to human endeavours. This had now changed. Such power was now possible & was soon put to the test. The construction of Warp Ships soon began on both the Moon & Mars. Alas the first experiments were failures, some spectacularly so. Yet, over a period of ten years, the scientists on Mars finally got it right. Surrounding the space vessel in a powerful magnetic field, resonating at a certain frequency, they were able to make the ship travel at twice the speed of light. Soon, thereafter, this speed was greatly increased so much so that it became a concern that some form of subatomic damage could be caused to the ship or even space around the vessel. Thankfully, no such damage was ever discovered. All the same, the speed of the first vessels was kept to 300 times the speed of light. But far more impressive than the discovery of Warp Speed, was its impact upon the minds of the human race. Now, unlike ever before, the Human race could actually travel to the stars. Full support, therefore, was given to the space budget, which had been reduced significantly after the less than impressive Alpha Centauri missions. This was now different. Long range space travel was achievable. And indeed it was. Several Human missions went forth with little delay. The initial missions were relatively conservative & were more about learning lessons from Warp Speed travel than anything else. Two such early ships, sadly, were lost with all hands, but far more were successful. Within a few years, a new model of Warp Ships were constructed from the lesson learnt & soon the new missions became far more daring. Furthermore, with an increase of the speed to 500 times the speed of light, far longer distances were obtainable meaning far more interesting regions of space could be explored. It was, thus, in the fifth year of such exploration that the Human Race & the
Corvus met for the first time. The Corvus were a peaceful race, coming from the
planet of the same name. They were more advanced socially & technologically than
Humans, although not as adventurous. Yet, the two races immediately got along, &
far more importantly, they treated each other as equals. What impressed the
Corvus more than anything else, was that the Humans on board the EC Phoenix
had travelled 108 light years just to see what was there. Fundamentally however,
& far more importantly, the Corvus introduced the Human race into the galactic
community. A community involving hundreds of races on even more planets. And the
rest, as they say, is history.
© 2003-8 David Mark Atwell
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