Author Topic: Chapter Two: From First Colony to First Contact (2131 - 2137)  (Read 2965 times)

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Offline Vortex421 (OP)

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[ooc]Sorry it’s taken so long to write this chapter up - trust me, it didn't take nearly as long to play it out!.[/ooc]

The Luna colony officially came into being on June 28, 2131.  The task of moving people, their belongings, and the infrastructure necessary to support them was a daunting one, but the two freighters could drop down enough infrastructure to support 100,000 people per day, and the colony ship was capable of ferrying that many up every two days.  Thus, within a period of two weeks, the colony had gone from 0 to almost 1.5 million. 

Recognizing that the task of administering a new colony would be difficult, the Congress chose to name Julia Kostel to become the Administrator for Luna.  This raised some concerns within the varying political circles;  the Global Congress had been created as a means of overseeing a planet.  The founders had never expected at the time that mankind would expand to other planets.  Once Luna reached 25 million individuals it would be eligible to have a representative of it's own on the Congress, but would the Congress be doing it justice with only that one singular representative until it grew larger? 

The matter was set aside for additional consideration.  No decision needed to be reached in the first days of the new colony's life - there would be time enough to make those decisions.  For the time being, Planetary Administrator Kostel would be treated the same as Kingham - they would both face 5-year votes of confidence but the two would be expected to cooperate and act for the greater good of humanity.

Luna's colony grew at a swift rate.  Within a matter of weeks the infrastructure was in place to support 10 million individuals.  A month later and the colony's size was approaching that number.  A number of automated mines were brought up from the Earth to begin mining the Duranium and Tritanium reserves present.  With such a large initial population, construction factories were also shipped up to Luna to enable the colony to construct her own infrastructure.  This would enable the UEA freighters to begin focusing on other tasks. 

While there had been two freighters to start, production on another two was already underway and their completion a couple months later enabled Administrator Kingham to begin to focus on another of his goals.  Earth had been steadily converting her mines to automated mines, and Kingham now had the small freighter fleet begin to move those mines from Earth to Venus.  It would take time;  each freighter could hold one automated mine, and the round trip from Earth to Venus using the nuclear pulse technology present was in the neighborhood of 10 days.  Still, with the population on Luna taken care of and the factories there beginning construction on infrastructure, the freighters would not be needed for the near future.

The development of Luna and Venus' mineral reserves coincided with a private-sector push to establish mines in the solar system.  Private ventures soon had mining colonies established on Neujimin and Borrelly, and there were rumors of possible mines on some of the mineral-rich comets and a few of the other asteroids.  Kingham and the Congress had no objections to this - in fact, they wanted the private sector to expand into space as well.  While the option existed for the government to buy the output of the mines, there was no real need given the resources present on Luna and Venus.

Within a year the population on Luna had reached nearly 20 million individuals, and the colony ship runs had been discontinued until the infrastructure could start to once more catch up.  Having such a large population, however, raised a question - how would the government protect the shipping between Luna and Earth?  Piracy was always a concern and the population of Luna was quickly becoming concerned about the lack of any kind of defense force.

In May, 2132, to quell the fears of Luna, the navy laid down the first hulls for the Relentless-class corvette.  It was a very simple design, intended mostly for shipping protection and peacekeeping.  The first ships would be completed by the end of the year.

Commercial shipbuilding was really beginning to hit it’s stride as well.  By late summer four commercial yards were in operation, each with five slips.  Freighters and colony ships were being turned out at a rate of a batch of twenty ships every four months.  This enabled Kingham to begin considering adding a second colony on Mars.  Though it contained no minerals, Mars was the other ideally-habitable world in the solar system.  Colonizing it would help ease the population boom on the Earth. 

As plans were made, the freighters that were constructed were delivering automated mines to Venus.  By the end of the year, almost 1,000 mines were in operation and more were arriving every six days.  The substantial number of mines would be needed to offset the difficulty in getting to some of the minerals in question, and they would be shipped to either Earth or Luna (where construction facilities were being constructed). 

On December 5, the Relentless-class corvette Relentless, Despatch, Alacrity, and Pique left the slips at the Hara Military Naval Yards.  A new task force was created for Sol Defense, called TF 218.  Led by Rear Admiral (Lower Half) Wade Vanhooser, the four ships began training exercises within a matter of days.  The population’s unrest began to settle down as the corvettes trained and conducted exercises.  Soon they were patrolling between Earth and Luna (and eventually Venus and Mars).

On March 2, 2133, the Mars colony officially came into being.  Headed by Planetary Administrator Yadira Depaolo, the first wave of 900,000 colonists settled on the Red Planet.  Colonists soon began arriving in droves, taking advantage of new opportunities to make a fresh start.  Before 2133 was out, Mars’ growth rate was almost as high as that of Luna.

The next major scientific breakthrough happened in November.  While there had been theories about the existence of “jump points”, research teams led by Fletchler Adlam finally conclusively proved their existence in early November. The news was welcomed by the scientific community and by Planetary Administrator Kingham, who ordered research to begin immediately both on sensors to detect these “jump points” and technology to allow them to be traversed. 

This represented a true quantum leap in an understanding of how the universe worked. Until now mankind had assumed that, to reach another star system, a ship would have to travel for decades or even centuries (or longer).  Even if drives were to reach speeds approaching that of light, you would still be in the emptiness of interstellar space for a decade or more just to get to the nearest star.  The presence of jump points, however, meant that other star systems might be mere weeks away. 

Research into gravitational scanners concluded on April 3, 2134 and plans were drawn up for the Albert Einstein class of gravitational survey vessel.  Once again, to cut back on the time necessary to construct these new ships, the components were constructed separately by the industrial facilities.  The only yard that could handle the work was the Hara complex, and it would be eight months before they could retool from the Relentless-class corvettes to the Einsteins.

With the prospect of new star systems close at hand came the prospect of new planetary bodies that would need to be explored.  The Issac Newton and her sister was approaching fifteen years of service.  In that time ship technology had substantially improved.  A design board was convened to review the old designs and determine if they could be refit with more recent technology.  Unfortunately, the conclusion of the board was that it would be far too costly to redesign them.  The more cost-effective move would be to scrap them and build a fresh design from the hull up.

The new design put forward was a substantial improvement over its predecessor.  With half the tonnage and almost half the crew, the new design was not only 25% faster but had over twice the range as well.  Three new hulls were laid down and the ships would be completed before the new gravitational survey ships were completed.

On January 1, 2135, the new Congress voted to retain Kingham with a 98% vote of approval.  Luna and Mars had not yet reached the point of having representation, but it was clear they would have at least one seat by the time 2140 rolled around.

Kingham’s new priorities were much in line with what had been expected: 

  • Construct the first gravitational survey vessels
  • Conduct a complete survey of the Sol system
  • Explore connected systems, if any were found
  • Begin plans for colonies in those new systems

The first two Einsteins were laid down on February 16 and completed on June 25.  They were immediately sent to begin surveys of the 30 possible jump point locations that existed within Sol. 

It would be almost two months before the first point was discovered, located just past Saturn.  Within a month a second point was found, also not far from Saturn’s orbit.

Unfortunately, technology research was slightly behind the survey ships.  The first jump drive research was not completed until the beginning of 2136 and the first jump ship, the Banshee, would not be completed until September.  In the intervening time, three more jump points were discovered. 

On September 7, the Banshee was launched from the Hara shipyards and set a course for the first jump point.  She transitioned through on September 13, and her complement of scientists was surprised - and a little astonished/scared - to discover they had jumped into a system containing a class-II black hole.  Sustaining nothing in the way of damage, the Banshee transitioned back through and set a course for the second point.

The second point led to Proxima Centauri.  A single-star system centered around an M-dwarf star (M6V spectral class), Proxima Centauri contained ten planets.  None of these planets appeared, after a spectrographic analysis, to be suitable enough for mankind to settle.

Three weeks later, on October 2, the Banshee passed through the third jump point and arrived in the Sirius system.  Sirius, a binary star system, consisted of a white dwarf orbiting a class-A white star.  Two planets also orbited Sirius-A, a gas giant with fifteen moons, and a dwarf planet.  No planets orbited Sirius-B.  Unfortunately, none of the moons or the second planet appeared to be easily inhabited.

At this point it was beginning to appear that the possibility of a planet that could be decently inhabited was starting to decrease.  October 23 changed all that, as Banshee passed through the fourth jump point and into Barnards Star.  Centered by an M4 red dwarf, the system contained seven planets and a modest asteroid belt.  The second planet from the star appeared to have a good potential to be inhabitable.  The atmosphere was found to contain a nitrogen/carbon dioxide mixture at a pressure 3/4 that of Earth, and spectrographic analysis revealed that the planet had ice sheets present indicating the existence of water.

Banshee’s orders if she discovered a possible habitable planet were clear:  She was to proceed slowly towards the planet, scanners and recorders active, in the event that it was discovered that mankind was not alone in the universe.  For almost a month she crept towards that planet, almost 2 billion kilometers away, until she was well within scanning range.  Scanners detected nothing at all.  Satisfied, Banshee proceeded back to Sol and Administrator Kingham now had a possible planet to colonize.

On December 12, the fifth jump point was surveyed.  Gliese 563.2 was a very unusual star system.  A binary with two M-class red dwarfs orbiting each other, the primary contained no planets at all.  91 billion kilometers away, the secondary orbited with eight planets and a full asteroid belt.  Among the planets, the first planet was considered a likely candidate for colonization.  Though there was only a trace atmosphere, the planet’s surface temperature was  -24 C, and gravity was one quarter that of Earth.  The second planet out contained a hydrogen/helium/nitrogen atmosphere but also contained an ice sheet hydrosphere that covered 99% of the planet’s surface.  Unfortunately, it would be very difficult to mount any sort of colonization expedition to Gliese 563.2-B I, given the distance involved. 

Shortly after Banshee’s return a sixth jump point was located.  Banshee traversed it three weeks later and entered Lalande 21185.  No orbital bodies were present around the class-M red dwarf. 

On March 3, the seventh and final jump point was discovered in the Sol system.  Banshee entered through it on March 26, revealing the red dwarf star Wolf 359.  Upon arrival sensor alarms began to sound in Banshee.  Six wrecked vessels had been detected around the second planet.  Though it was difficult to say for sure, at least one of them appeared to mass over 70,000 tons.  Adding to the confusion was that the second planet appeared to be colonizable, with an atmosphere that was nitrogen/oxygen/carbon dioxide, though no hydrosphere was present.

Once again, Banshee proceeded in-system slowly, sensors probing ahead for any signs of trouble.  Just over two weeks later, she found signs of trouble.  On April 5 at 1756, passive sensors registered the activation of multiple powerful sensor arrays.  Three individual ships were identified - the Auril, Abyss, and Mammon.

In the event of a possible “first contact” situation, Banshee’s commander had been ordered to withdraw at the first signs of trouble and attempt to open communications.  He now carried out those orders.  The Mammon immediately began withdrawing away from Banshee at an incredible 13,000 km/sec.  Meanwhile, Auril and Abyss fired up their engines and began approaching the retreating jump scout at a rate of almost 7,000 km/sec. 

Just over an hour later, at 1907, Banshee was destroyed by what was presumed to be missiles.  Active sensors did not register them until just before impact, and the first strike was so devastating that the ship broke apart.  Of her 66 crew only 29 made it to lifepods - and with no rescue possible they perished two weeks later.
 

Offline Vortex421 (OP)

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Sol Census, 2135
« Reply #1 on: March 25, 2015, 08:51:50 PM »
Jan. 1, 2135

Total Population:  5,813.94
Earth:  5,788.74
Luna:  13.17
Mars:  12.03
 

Offline Vortex421 (OP)

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Ship Design/Layout, 2131 - 2137
« Reply #2 on: March 25, 2015, 08:57:22 PM »
Relentless class Corvette    3,150 tons     81 Crew     382 BP      TCS 63  TH 200  EM 0
3174 km/s     Armour 1-19     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 12
Maint Life 1.36 Years     MSP 76    AFR 79%    IFR 1.1%    1YR 44    5YR 665    Max Repair 100 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months    Spare Berths 1   

Renault-Elison 200 EP Nuclear Pulse Engine (1)    Power 200    Fuel Use 60%    Signature 200    Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 250,000 Litres    Range 23.8 billion km   (86 days at full power)

Matula-Behney Gauss Cannon R3-100 (2x3)    Range 20,000km     TS: 3174 km/s     Accuracy Modifier 100%     RM 3    ROF 5        1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ritch-Santino Fire Control S00.5 10-2000 (1)    Max Range: 20,000 km   TS: 2000 km/s     50 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Hayslett-Greenstein Active Search Sensor MR30-R100 (2)     GPS 5000     Range 30.0m km    Resolution 100

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

Ships in class: 
Relentless (5 Dec 2132)
Alacrity (5 Dec 2132)
Despatch (5 Dec 2132)
Pique (5 Dec 2132)
Defence (10 Mar 2133)



Albert Einstein class Gravsurvey Ship    4,700 tons     99 Crew     827 BP      TCS 94  TH 200  EM 0
2127 km/s     Armour 1-24     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/5/0     Damage Control Rating 3     PPV 0
Maint Life 9.13 Years     MSP 2330    AFR 58%    IFR 0.8%    1YR 50    5YR 754    Max Repair 100 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 48 months    Spare Berths 0   

Renault-Elison 200 EP Nuclear Pulse Engine (1)    Power 200    Fuel Use 60%    Signature 200    Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 500,000 Litres    Range 31.9 billion km   (173 days at full power)

Gravitational Survey Sensors (5)   5 Survey Points Per Hour

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

Ships in class:
Albert Einstein (24 Jun 2135)
Leonardo Da Vinci (24 Jun 2135)



Isaac Newton Mk. 2 class Geosurvey Ship    7,900 tons     110 Crew     785.4 BP      TCS 158  TH 400  EM 0
2531 km/s     Armour 1-35     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/5     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
MSP 62    Max Repair 100 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 48 months    Spare Berths 0   

Renault-Elison 200 EP Commercial Nuclear Pulse Engine (2)    Power 200    Fuel Use 7.07%    Signature 200    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 250,000 Litres    Range 80.5 billion km   (368 days at full power)

Geological Survey Sensors (5)   5 Survey Points Per Hour

This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes

Ships in class:
Aristotle (11 Feb 2135)
Nicolaus Copernicus (11 Feb 2135)
Tycho Brahe (29 Feb 2135)



Banshee class Jump Scout    2,800 tons     66 Crew     272.6 BP      TCS 56  TH 160  EM 0
2857 km/s    JR 1-50     Armour 1-17     Shields 0-0     Sensors 16/12/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
Maint Life 2.23 Years     MSP 61    AFR 62%    IFR 0.9%    1YR 17    5YR 248    Max Repair 40 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months    Spare Berths 1   

Bilbao Drive Systems J2800(1-50) Military Jump Drive     Max Ship Size 2800 tons    Distance 50k km     Squadron Size 1
Renault-Elison 80 EP Nuclear Pulse Engine (2)    Power 80    Fuel Use 72%    Signature 80    Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 500,000 Litres    Range 44.6 billion km   (180 days at full power)

Hamblen-Mccampbell Thermal Sensor TH2-16 (70%) (1)     Sensitivity 16     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  16m km
Hamblen-Mccampbell EM Detection Sensor EM2-12 (70%) (1)     Sensitivity 12     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  12m km

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

Ships in Class: 
Banshee (7 Sep 2135 - 3 Mar 2137, all hands lost)