Administrator Lloyd has won four of five election rerolls, with the exception being the first crashed 2070 play. I would have tried giving her more RP decades ago if i'd known she'd still be here now. She's now my longest-serving democratic leader for any play-through, if only by a power trip. Hey El Pip!
January 27 2080 -
Evie Lloyd rejoiced. She had won the election, and won by such a margin that Conor Hicks withdrew to retirement immediately after results were released. The Hicks political movement had taught her that the sensation of security was every bit as important as sensations of hope, and she instructed her cabinet that the first order of business after rectifying the GUN financial sheets would be increasing military research, and doubling staff of the Peace Corps at a minimum. Calling her old gUNI friend Eve Flynn, Administrator Lloyd requested a meeting to discuss the relevance of ballistic technology for naval defense.
April 26 2080
The friendly rivalry between the young Dario Hume and his senior Konjit Li'ol had developed somewhat over the last few months upon Konjit learning that Lieutenant Commander Dario been granted his renaming request (Braille 9969 Dario 1 being the first TN-composite asteroid ever discovered). Scrawny and often awkward, Dario was in Konjit's opinion the perfect target to pester, and begun what would become months of trash-talk.
Taking any opportunity to fluster her competition and at behest of her crew, months of mock fighting, sarcasm and critique flew both ways through the Solar void between the sister ships. Every empty asteroid would spur another round of teasing, and both crews and their leaders worked all the harder for it. Communications were delayed by some hours, so there was never a heated exchange for them to have. After months of public trash-talk had become some soft and private flirting. Dario and Konjit had found themselves both infuriated and infatuated by one another and with a promotion for Lt. Com. Dario being discussed by naval command, it was Konjit's recommendation and reference that saw him promoted to her equal.
Now both Commanders of the Grand Union, both Dario and Konjit were intensely concerned with just two things. Firstly, beating the other in finding the next 'ghost'. Secondly, they would Censored! for their entire inter-deployment period in some thirty-odd months. GUN protocol forbade shipboard romance, but outside the confines of the void GUN naval personnel were still human, and permitted to act as such.
June 25 2080 -
The UNEC 0005 launched to mild celebration, several hundred kilometres above a Category 4 typhoon. Known as the Innovation, the third sister ship had been delayed several months by administrative bungle. Though Administrator Lloyd dearly wished to attend the celebration of the Innovation, the destruction the storm was doing to GUN assets required her somber, undivided attention. Headed by Lieutenant Commander Park Jae-Min, the Innovation would not continue the task of her sister ships in the asteroid belt. Rather, the Innovation would head to the Jovian moons and other small bodies, scanning stragglers while the venerable autonomous satellite network continued to do its work.
About six hundred million miles away from the Administrators' main concerns, the Discovery had a major problem. Only one and a half years in to its' work, a poorly-connected duranium plate detached and cut through a crucial nexus of wiring within its' primary geological sensor - the resulting short blew fuses and wiring across the ship, requiring Konjit and crew to scrounge and raid almost the ships entire supply of spare materials. With all systems still functional if not somewhat jerry-rigged, Commander Konjit made the decision to return to Earth for refit after the current scan, prior to any further accidents that could leave the first-ever true spaceship dead in the water. With an estimated 160% supply of material at hand to fix any unlikely engine troubles, her confidence assuaged the doubts of her crush-cross-competitor.
Acknowledged by both, yet spoken by neither was the fact that the refit would alter Konjit's planetside schedule, and they would not have the opportunity to personally meet. Spacefaring naval personnel live under tyranny of distance. Forced to miss births, sicknesses, funerals, and all Earths events' in between.
July 21 2081
With the Discovery in refit on Earth and with Captain Emma von Rosenheim retiring, Dario Hume received an entirely unexpected offer. Fifteen months after his Konjit-assisted promotion, he received the chance to take her vacancy. As the current most-famous explorer of the day, it appeared he was in demand back home. By taking Captaincy, he would be of too high a rank to remain aboard the Adventure, and would have to head back to Earth early.
Back to Konjit.
Having just finished a survey of Eurynome, Captain Hume issued orders to alter course from Vanadis to Earth, to refit and meet the woman of his infatuation. He would of course be gracious in acknowledging he was her senior, and would certainly tease her one bit. In truth, with her seventeen years older, serving seventeen years longer, and responsible for the majority of the original survey satellites of the Solar system he wondered just how she could have been passed over for promotion. As acknowledgement from his crew confirmed their new direction, he began feeling nervous over their eventual meeting, dread slowly following.
October 18 2081
After two months together on good old-fashioned ground, Konjit and Dario sat together in a park midway through what was locally Spring. Surrounded by spring wildflowers and lawn bordered by large trees, they were only a few miles from the tertiary transit hub of Administrator Lloyd's fabled spaceport. Having spent yet another day together, Konjit received a buzz on her iPhone XXii. Naval rostering had determined the crew to be sufficiently rested from their deployment, and had been scheduled to resume normal ground-based duties the following week. Within months, the combination of refit-completion and the opening of the new port would surely see her depart for up to another four years. Sensing a need to make the most of it, she huddled closer to him amidst the bloom.
15 February 2081
The day after valentines day 2081 marked the grand opening of the global spaceport. With the combined opening ceremonies of transit hubs across the globe, the first influx of cargo and passenger-laden shuttles launched. Each of the thousand shuttles now in operation would allow travel or delivery in hours what would have previously taken days or months. Konjit and Dario knew this would be the last few days they would have together, and planned to make the most of it.
Thousands of miles away, Administrator Lloyd reshuffled the industrial priorities of the GUN. With cargo and people transfers now economically feasible, it was would soon be time to generate designs for the first off-world freighters and ferries. These ships would enable humanities expansion amidst the Solar system, though admittedly they would have no current destination. Evie began to attend a scheduled series of meetings to determine the feasibility and options for any potential extraterrestrial colony.
With Luna so close, it was possible that it would serve as a test bed for humanities colonization efforts. With Luna being an object of human fascination for so many millennia, its' colonization would increase awareness, public sentiment, and excitement for future space expansion. Its' sole drawback was the absence of trans-newtonian elements. These elements had cemented Mars in the industrial forefront, and would be greatly used against any pro-lunar argument. In addition, its' small size would only enable a GUN presence of several million colonists - an undersized colony without true purpose. The final argument from the anti-lunar side were that any colony or industrial activity would detract from the primordial beauty of the Moon, and that lights and industrial pollution would befoul humanities' collective property.
More distant and more fierce, Mars presented an entirely different opportunity. With vast sandstorms, high radiation, and the possibility of marsquakes, it was entirely feasible that any colony would be destroyed through catastrophe, or would never develop due to logistical concern and cost. With half the Earths' size yet no oceans, there would be vastly many more sites to choose from and its' capacity for development would surely represent that. With almost three dozen million GUN colonists amidst scores from other nations, Mars would become a boon to all humanity. With its' rich deposits of three of the eleven currently-discovered Trans-Newtonian materials, it also presented an opportunity for extraction and geological study.
With consensus not reached and with further debate about the social and political implications of becoming a multi-planet species, Administrator Lloyd decided to create a new naval and administrative command. The United Nations Colonial Command [UNCC] would determine the most suitable course of action, and would later manage the logistical elements of these interplanetary developments.
February 5 2084 -
Chatter amidst the solar system was briefly interrupted by the chirps of several almost-forgotten satellites. The sister satellites over Titan had finally completed their mission and determined that under the dense clouds of nitrogen and methane, the moon was the third-most bountiful body surveyed in the solar system. With vast quantities of Uridium and Corundium, it appeared feasible that perhaps one of Earths first colonies would orbit amidst the rings of Saturn. Millions of miles away, the news was relayed to the three sister ships of the Discovery class, causing many mixed feelings. After years, Dario 1 remained the only ghost discovered, and thus far the belt continued to prove itself barren.
For now, venerable drones continued to work in tandem with their living counterparts to try and discover all that there was to find in the Solar system.
July 4 2084 -
And with the silent search broken for a moment, a message came from Exploration Corps 02. Formerly commanded by Dario Hume, the Adventure had found the second-ever asteroid to contain trans-newtonian material. Konjit was sure to ignore any earth-sent messages from Captain Hume regarding the Adventures' 2:0 lead over the Discovery, and congratulated the Adventures' crew and Lt. Commander Kimba over their find.
Still stationed over Ganymede, the Innovation requested both kindly shut up as they had yet to leave the moon since beginning deployment, and by tonnage of minerals discovered rather than instances of minerals, they would surely yet win the contest.
March 1 2085 -
Finally able to offer a proper response, Lieutenant Commander Kimba allowed her crew to type the next message. Quite short, they had quite diplomatically agreed to the simple message:
'3:0:0'
Uproar ensued for hours as her sister ships composed their response, as the Adventure continued a winning streak that made news headlines.
April 30 2085 -
And another message was sent
'4:0:0'
With such a streak, it was no longer a surprise that gamblers back on earth had become embedded in the action. Though Administrator Lloyd would by no means be using her insider knowledge of fleet movements to determine the most likely next winner, she simply couldn't resist placing a quiet $100 bet on the Innovation being next to discover a body, and a smaller $50 bet on the Discovery. She'd always liked an underdog, and at any rate there were very favorable odds on both by this point, as the growing fame of the Adventure had begun to influence bookmakers the globe across.
August 28 2085 -
And with patience, diligence, and the opportunity to finally oust the Adventure's confidence came Commander Konjit's news - On the final asteroid before returning for a months-overdue refit, there were exactly 20,000 tonnes of Tritanium of the asteroid Adelheid. Triumphantly, Konjit began plotting the course back to Earth with an ahead message of
'Got one. 4:1'.
Already en-route for refit aboard the Innovation, Lieutenant Commander Menard maintained that scanning asteroids was childs-play, and returning to the moons of Jupiter would yet yield mineral riches.
Being only thirty months in to their latest deployment and with supplies to last, Kimba and crew was eager to continue working without competition - Getting a 5:1:0 before the others returned would see them return to Earth as champions.
October 22 2086 -
Schmoozing for years, Dario Hume had become quite popular amongst naval command. With the venerable Admiral Couture retiring, the twenty-eight year old had been hand-picked for promotion. He was now de-facto head of humanities' navy, and could assign, task, and promote whomever he wished. While the crew of the Innovation left departed from Earth after their latest overhaul, Admiral Hume sent a private message to Commander Konjit. He and she were on equal footing in the history books, having both discovered important TN deposits. If she wished, he would grant her a higher position to remain on Earth indefinitely.
Turns out I missed Dario's promotion to Rear Admiral (Lower half) in January 2086. Whoops!
Febuary 19 2087 -
Commander Konjit had decided to return to Earth after her current deployment. With permission granted, she would serve from Headquarters rather than offworld. With that in mind, her discovery of the second-in-a-row mineral deposit came as a welcome surprise. With her main rivals of the Adventure soon scheduled to be overhauled for many months, she only needed a few lucky breaks to return as 'Number One'.
In announcing her discovery she included a small and veiled joke towards Dario. Given that she had now discovered more asteroids than the fabled Admiral Hume, would it not be fitting to rename '46 Hestia' the 'Konjit 2'?
May 20 2087 -
And with news sites blaring information, the famous Commander Konjit had narrowed the gap to 3:4. With her intial renaming request declined due to there not being a 'Konjit 1', Hestia had been renamed Konjit to honour its' surveyor.
With a second deposit discovered, the chance was now here for her to seize the day over Admiral Dario and his insignificant rock, the 'Dario 1'. Taking the high ground however, Konjit decided against submitting a renaming request and instead allowed her crew a good-natured taunt towards the Adventure's crew - who were still stuck paralyzed in overhaul.
November 16 2087 -
And with the Adventure having set back out the month earlier, Commander Konjit was amidst intense competition. With yet another rock discovered (her third), Konjit's Discovery and Kimba's Adventure were neck-and-neck at 4:4. Eyes were on the rival sisters, as news organisations and bookmakers alike continued reporting the celestial competition.
Watching this from above a small and quiet moon of Saturn, Lt. Commander Menard lamented her distant duty. Without a single deposit discovered over these minor moons thus far, it appeared the Innovation stood no chance of victory. Quietly however, she had won good money on a bet on Commander Konjit some years back, and had put those winnings on Konjit discovering the next mineral deposit.
June 14 2088 -
And with the survey of Kassandra complete, Commander Konjit pulled in to first place. At 5:4:0, the Discovery had finally overtaken the Adventure as humanity's preeminent survey ship. With good money flowing to punters all across the system, Konjit decided it would be best to not just return to Earth after deployment, but to retire altogether. The last few years had been the most wonderful closure to the last few decades, having all started with the launch of the ancient Lloyd-class platforms. Also considering retirement was administrator Evie. Coming up to a half-century of service, she had decided to gracefully retire. With her dreams complete, there would be new a new administrator come 2090.
10 January 2089 -
Within a short order, Monday had hosted two very mixed events for Exploration Command. Firstly, the decade-old equipment aboard the Discovery had given up the ghost and required substantial repair. In contrast, the oft-forgotten Innovation had discovered its' first noteworthy moon. Orbiting Saturn, Enceladus hosted over three hundred and sixty thousand tonnes of TN materials. With five known kinds present, this would be the widest-variety concentration yet discovered outside Earth.
Lt. Commander Menard proudly announced that by weight, the Innovation was now in a firm lead in the competition. Responding independently from across the asteroid belt, both the Discovery and the Adventure returned an identical message:
'5:4:1'
With simultaneous damage to the Discovery and Commander Konjit's upcoming retirement, in addition to the highly disputed 'tonnage victory' of the Innovation, the three rivals agreed to announcing an amicable draw. Each commanding officer and crew however, knew in their heart of hearts that they had won the contest.`
December 31 2089 -
In the dawn light over Italy, a shuttle approached. Ferrying passengers from the orbital port above to a repurposed airport in L'Aquila. Descending through the atmosphere, Konjit Li'ol began to wonder about life after service. Having smuggled a peach-sized space-rock back through customs, she planned her New Years. Being a modest celebrity astronaut and hero of the GUN, she had managed to convince a jeweler nearby her to see her today. Though normally closed for NYE, the elderly jeweler would work all day to turn the stone from a streaky charred lump to two unique, polished, and unadorned rings.
With a GUN New Years Eve party and retirement celebration coming up, Konjit knew she needed to meet a certain man during the night party. By evenings' end, the famous explorer Konjit and the esteemed Admiral Hume would finally be engaged.
Addressing the members of GUN one last time as Administrator, Evie Lloyd bid them farewell and the best. With her lifelong dreams fulfilled at 71, she would watch from retirement as humanity began to make the most of what she had built them.