Author Topic: A History of the UEA - Chapter 3 (2121 - 2122)  (Read 1882 times)

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Offline Vortex421 (OP)

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A History of the UEA - Chapter 3 (2121 - 2122)
« on: February 04, 2015, 06:04:18 PM »
January 10, 2121 will be remembered within the GEA as the day that “The Announcement” was made.    It is a rather profound announcement that comes from the scientific community, specifically Dr.   Jamie Horton - the scientist whose teams have continued to make breakthrough after breakthrough in engine design and technology.  

“Since the dawn of observing the universe, we have always believed that the only way to travel from star to star was across the long reaches of the universe.    Nearly every dream of reaching the stars involved ships crossing that dark void in one form or fashion.  

Today I am here to announce that we have found another way to reach the stars.    We have discovered areas in space that, for lack of a better word, can be used to ‘jump’ from one star system to another with the right technology.    We have reason to believe that one or more of these ‘jump points’ exist in our solar system, and we are now working on ways to detect these points and, eventually, be able to use them to venture into new solar systems.  ”

Research immediately commences into “gravitational sensors”, which will detect these areas of space.    It is expected that the research will bear fruit sometime in April.  

In late February the Gardner Marine commercial shipyard completes construction on it’s slipway.    It can now handle commercial ships up to 40,000 tons, which means that it can handle the Othello and Hamlet-class freighter and colony ship (respectively), which weigh in at just over 30,000 tons.    

Othello-class Freighter

Size:  30,350 tons
Crew Compliment:  71
Top Speed:  494 km/sec
Range:  14.  0 billion km
Intended Deployment Time:  12 months
Fuel Capacity:  250k liters
Cargo Capacity:  25,000 tons

Birch-Law 100 EP Commercial Nuclear Pulse Engine (3)

Hamlet-class Colony Ship

Size:  30,450 tons
Crew Compliment:  156
Top Speed:  492 km/sec
Range:  13.  9 billion km
Intended Deployment Time:  12 months
Fuel Capacity:  250k liters
Colonist Capacity:  100,000

Birch-Law 100 EP Commercial Nuclear Pulse Engine (3)

It is decided that the first ship on the blocks will be the Othello, and it is likely that several more will follow before attention turns towards building the Hamlet and her sisters.    There is a good reason for this - any colonization attempts will require infrastructure to be transported, and the Othellos can also handle operations such as hauling mining equipment to automated outposts.    Additionally, there are rumors that the Bird Transport Group may be on the verge of launching their own ships which would include colony ships and freighters as well.  

The keel of the Othello is laid down and the ship is expected to be ready by mid-July.  

True to form, April arrives and research for the new gravitational sensors finishes up.    Ship designers take the new sensors and begin revising the original Patroclus design, updating it to include the Richardson Dynamics 40 EP Nuclear Pulse engines as well as the new sensors.    

Myrto-class Gravitational Survey Vessel
Size:  1,750 tons
Crew Compliment:  45
Top Speed:  2,285 km/sec
Range:  47.  4 billion km
Intended Deployment Time:  9 months
Maintenance Life:  9.  99 years
Fuel Capacity:  350k liters

Richardson Dynamics 40 EP Nuclear Pulse Engine (2)
Gravitational Survey Sensors (2)

The Franklin Naval Shipbuilding shipyard immediately retools for construction of the new class.    It is estimated they will be ready around the first two weeks of August.    All other shipyards are still being expanded; all the new yards are now up to 3 or 4 slipways and are augmenting their capacity per slipway to be anywhere from 2,000 tons to 10,000 tons.    Once work has been completed on them, Franklin Naval will begin to receive additional slipways.  

The Othello launches in late-July.    Her first assignment is to begin to transport automated mines to Venus and then establish mass drivers there so resources can be sent back to Earth for use.    The reason Venus has been chosen for this is due to the high levels of Duranium detected on the planet.    Earth produces approximately 28k per year, but usage has been on the rise of late.    

Geologists are concerned about the stocks of Boronide, Uridium, and Neutronium as well.    Their projections give no more than ten years before these minerals are exhausted.    Neutronium is a particularly difficult element to find, as only two other sources have been found - both on asteroids and in small quantities.    Boronide has been found in large quantities on Eris, a dwarf planet located some 14 billion kilometers from the sun.    Uridium has been located on Whipple, an asteroid in the asteroid belt, along with several other minerals.    

To ensure that nothing has been missed on Venus, a team of scientists and naval personnel who have backgrounds in geological surveys are sent to the planet along with the first automated mines.    Their job will be to do a more in-depth survey of the planet before reporting back.  

As the number of Othellos grows, the Global Congress decides to appoint an Administrator to oversee operations on Venus.    28-year old Callum Parsons is chosen for this assignment.    For the short-term at least he will report to Faulkner.    However, there are rumblings within the Global Congress that the creation of colonies may require a whole new governing body to be created.    

The next twelve months pass quietly.    The number of freighters is up to four, each delivering automated mines on Venus, and the shipyards remain busy as they continue their upgrades.    

On May 17, 2122, the Myrto-class Gravitational Survey Vessel Prespa is launched.    To reward her for the hard work she has put forth so far, Captain Francesca Phillips, the original captain of the Patroclus is re-assigned to the Prespa.    Her orders are precisely what everyone expects:  Begin surveying the 30 possible jump point locations and determine if any of them can be used.    

During this time the scientific community has been continuing to research the field of jump engines and jump drives.    They believe that they can develop an engine that takes advantage of jump points and, what’s more, a gate that can be used for any and all ships to traverse jump points without needing to use a jump drive.    

This leads to the creation of the Pontiac-class Construction ship:  

Pontiac-class Construction Ship
Size:  32,950  tons
Crew Compliment:  105
Top Speed:  758 km/sec
Range:  18 billion km
Intended Deployment Time:  12 months
Fuel Capacity:  350k liters

Birch-Law 100 EP Commercial Nuclear Pulse Engine (5)
Jump Gate Construction Module

Unfortunately, there is a bottleneck.    Right now there is only one commercial shipyard that can build this class of ship, and Gardner Marine is currently constructing the fifth in the Othello line.    Attention is supposed to next turn to the Hamlet colony ships, so the delay could be three or more years.    

To alleviate this issue, Administrator Faulkner orders all construction sites to pause all current construction (research labs) and instead focus on the quick development of five more commercial shipyards.    Completion of these shipyards will happen over the next 2 and a half months, and each new yard will immediately begin tooling up to support the larger ships.  

The first jump point is discovered in July, 2122.    It is discovered 801 million km from the Sun, or just past the orbit of Jupiter.    There is something else there… something that shocks humanity to it’s core.    

The jump point… already has a jump gate on it.  
« Last Edit: March 19, 2015, 03:11:57 PM by Vortex421 »