Gates, Moons And Stars
RyoOhki
Join Date: 2003-01-26 Member: 12789Members
Join Date: 2003-01-26 Member: 12789Members
<div class="IPBDescription">A short history of the NS Universe</div> About a month ago I started to wonder about the history of the Natural Selection universe. As a university history student such things interest me. After searching around though I could find precious little information; mainly the Techtrope articles on the main page and what the manual could supply. Whilst they were good reads, I craved more.
So I started thinking about the world of Natural Selection. How had it come about? Why was it that humanity found itself spread across the galaxy? I believe that without understanding the origins of something, true comprehension can never be found. Thus, I began to pen my thoughts.
This is Part One of what will be a 4 part work. There will likely be a considerable gap between each section, and I don't want to release each part until they are complete (gives me a bit of a breathing space to work with).
For the record, I'm doing this for fun. History is what I live and breathe, and besides, I consider it good practice for my eventual thesis <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
EDIT: The document has now been generously hosted by rob6264 at <a href='http://www.synergysanctum.com/ww/view.php?post=5554' target='_blank'>this cool site</a> , and it's a little easier to read over there <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>Gates, Moons and Stars: A Short History of the World from 2003 </b>
Introduction
Possibly the first thing that must be written in an account such as this is an explanation of what this document seeks to do. What it is not is a complete history of the Sol system and the extra-terrestrial colonies. Such a task would occupy the hard drives of a dozen data-compactors, or hundreds of the old 20th or 21st century wood-pulp recorders known as books. No, this document is meant to be a summary, touching on the major issues that have resulted in the current situation that the human race finds itself in today. A lay-person with no prior reading of history should be able to walk away from this text with a sound knowledge of both the events leading up to the Expansion Period and the subsequent history of inter-stellar humanity. As such, persons who have researched this area of history thoroughly will gain little from this document. So to my fellow scholars and lecturers, I say "sorry". My work here is not addressed to you.
Nor is this a work that attempts to look at every faction and nation, be they terrestrial or stellar, that have come into being or disappeared during, before or after the Expansion or Consolidation. There is a wealth of information far more specialized than what will be written here. I have provided relevant sources where I see necessary, but they are merely meant as a starting point.
In writing this work for the people of the world, those who have pursued paths other than those of history, I hope to bring understanding and knowledge to the countless millions who even today ask themselves "Why are we here?? Whilst the question itself is one of deep philosophical significance, from a historical perspective I hope to partially answer it. This particular area of history has, of late, been inundated with texts and documents that concentrate too much on small or singular issues without looking at the whole. This, I hope, will be rectified.
Finally, it must be stated that all work here is based upon the writings of Jeff Paris, and the Natural Selection computer game conceived and directed by Charlie Cleveland.
Part One: Foundations
2000 - 2050
Chapter 1: The United States of America
Many people, upon reading the name of this chapter, will wonder if I properly spell checked this document. No, what you see is not a typographic error, but the archaic name for the Earth state known today as United America. Given the role that UA has played in the Expansion and Consolidation periods, it would be foolish indeed to not examine the roots of this modern nation. Given the constraints of the allowable length of this document, this will not be as in depth as many would deem necessary.
The continent of North America was first reached by European settlers late in the 15th century, who at first concentrated their efforts on the military conquest of the native empires of South America and Mesoamerica. Following religious turmoil in Western Europe, especially in the United Kingdom, France and Germany (former independent states now part of the European Federation), several groups of people traveled to the North American continent in the early 1600's seeking to settle there and establish their own communities. The following 150 years saw a steady increase in immigration rates, resulting in populous and wealthy colonial settlements. Naturally, the countries of Europe sought to gain control over the various colonies, and after a number of fairly small scale conflicts, the major North American colonies were firmly in the hands of the English (the citizens of the former United Kingdom referred to themselves by this name).
Seeking to pay for the expenses incurred by the recent fighting, the United Kingdom began to levy new taxes upon the colonists of the North American colonies. The colonists were outraged, not so much by the taxes themselves but by the fact that they had virtually no representation in the government that levied these taxes against them (note the similarities to the Mars colonies). Unrest followed, until finally fighting broke out. After 8 years of fighting, in 1783 the colonies were declared an independent nation and thus was born The United States of America. The name itself is a reference to the nature of the new nation, in that it was initially a coalition of states.
The new nation certainly had the foundations for a mighty state; natural resources, an industrious population and almost limitless land to expand into. The next 120 years would see the USA expand across the North American continent, a process that would touch off a civil war in 1861. Coming out of this period of expansion were concepts such as "Manifest destiny", or the belief that the nation was destined to cover the whole continent. This would have important consequences when the Expansion Period began. The nation stabilized after their civil war though, and remained fairly distant from world affairs until 1917, when during the second last year of the First World War (1914 - 1918) the sinking of US merchant shipping by the nation of Germany prompted the USA to enter the war. With its industrial power and population base, the USA was to play an important role in securing victory for the Allied Powers (France, England, and Russia).
However, it was not until after the Second World War (1939 - 1945) that the USA began to take a much more aggressive role in world affairs. Acting to counter the spread of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR, see Chapter 2, nation is now known as Russia) into Europe, the USA established the North American Treaty Organization (NATO, see Chapter 3) and began to actively counter-act Soviet attempts to spread the political ideology known as Communism (see Chapters 2 & 4, also The Cygni System). The resulting struggle was known as the Cold War (1945 - 1991), named so because of its lack of major conflict. With the collapse of the USSR in 1991, this struggle effectively ended. The USA however, was still determined to make its presence felt in the world.
The Middle East (see Chapter 5, also The Epsilon System) would be the flashpoint for the USA's new conflicts. The invasion of Kuwait by the state of Iraq provoked American and European involvement to prevent the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from gaining control over a large percentage of the world's crude oil supplies (petroleum distillates were heavily used during the 20th and early 21st century, see Greenhouse Effect). Iraq was disarmed over the next decade, but the US administration of George W. Bush (see Iran War, Chapter 5) was convinced that Saddam Hussein was building biological, chemical and nuclear weapons in secrecy. In 2003 the USA, supported namely by the United Kingdom and Australia (see Chapter 8, also The Wolf and Beta Hydri Systems) invaded Iraq and deposed Saddam Hussein. The USA then began to set up a democratic government.
One of the driving forces behind this invasion was the attack that occurred on September 11th, 2001, in New York (see The Manhattan Ruins), when Arabic terrorists flew hijacked airliners into two sky rise buildings and the Pentagon, the nerve centre of the US military. The USA responded by invading the nation of Afghanistan (see Chapter 4, also China Territories) and attempting to set up a democratic nation there. Although the attack was nothing like the strikes of the 2100's, or even the bombing of 2015, it provoked deep sentiments amongst American citizens.
The USA pursued what it termed "The War on Terror" for a number of decades, before finally in 2023 the conflict was deemed to be over. The most striking episodes were the Iran War of 2007 and the "Terror Years" from 2015 to 2021. The Iran War was touched off by the state of Israel (see Chapter 5, also the Alpha Centauri System), which felt threatened by Iran's construction of nuclear weaponry. In 2005 Israel destroyed Iran?s? main nuclear research facilities with a surprise air raid. Iran, furious, forged closer ties with the newly invigorated Russia (see Chapter 2) and imported large quantities of modern weaponry, including 2 new nuclear fission reactors. When Israel tried to destroy these reactors in January of 2007, their aircraft were decimated by Iranian defense systems. Iran declared a holy war or "jihad" against Israel and the USA, which had close ties to Israel. Iranian tank and infantry formations crossed into Iraq, which had been under US control since 2003.
The USA quickly moved to re-enforce its troops in Iraq, but an aircraft carrier task force escorting naval troops was ambushed in the Indian Sea by Iranian anti-ship missiles. The aircraft carrier Independence was sunk and 4 other ships badly damaged, with two sinking the next day. US marines forced a landing in southern Iran on the 15th of February whilst US naval aviation backed by aircraft in Iraq pounded Iranian ground formations. Iranian troops were driven back from Iraq and soon US forces, backed by Iraqi troops and Israeli aircraft, were driving for the Iranian capital.
By this stage the Iranian government was in a state of panic. The detonation of a fuel-air explosive device in the south was mistakenly identified as a nuclear blast, and the government decided to deploy its nuclear arsenal on the 28th of February. 5 Shahab MRBM missiles were launched, and although the silo facilities were bombed minutes later by US aircraft, the missiles were already airborne. US surface to air missile systems managed to intercept the missile targeted at the southern beach-head, but the warhead triggered a partial yield, killing over 5,000 American marines. A second missile was targeted at Baghdad, capital of Iraq. This missile struck its target with a yield of 75 kilotons, devastating the Iraqi capital and killing well over half a million people, including the American-sponsored administration. The three final missiles traveled towards Israel. Only one hit, destroying half of the city of Tel Aviv, the former capital of Israel. The state of Israel was quick to respond, launching three nuclear missiles of it's own at the Iranian capital, Tehran, within a few minutes of the attack. The city was utterly destroyed (see Iranian Radiation Zones).
With its government in ruins, the Iranian military effort collapsed. US troops drove inland and the final elements of the Iranian military surrendered in May of 2007. Guerrilla elements continued to fight for some years though, and noticeably it was an Iranian group behind the 2015 bombing of New York. Thankfully, the rapid ending of the conflict had forestalled fears of a wider conflict spreading into Pakistan and Russia.
With Iran now occupied, the USA began to scale down its forces in the Middle Eastern region. Troops were recalled home and military spending decreased for a time. Then, on October 2nd, 2015, a nuclear device concealed in a truck was detonated in the heart of the American city of New York. Over four million people were killed. The device, a leftover remnant of the 2007 war, was smuggled, piece by piece, into Mexico then into the US itself.
The USA vowed to hunt down the terrorist group responsible, and within a month it was determined that an organization named "Iranian Liberation" was responsible. This group was ruthlessly pursued, but as this occurred, the so-called "Terror Years" developed. Whilst the US tracked down the Iranian group with incredible speed, the US quickly learned was that this group was but one of many, and they had all taken their cue now to launch their own attacks. Afghani, Iraqi and Iranian groups all launched their own attacks against targets in the US and the Middle East. In July 2016 a car bomb exploded in Los Angeles, killing over 340 people in a crowded shopping mall. August of the same year saw a cell apprehended attempting to poison the water supply of Chicago. In March 2017 an Iraqi suicide bomber managed to blow up a liquefied natural gas tanker in Basra, destroying 3 US navy vessels and killing over 10,000 US soldiers and Iraqis. 2018 witnessed 3 attacks: the detonation of a sarin gas shell in the subways of San Francisco (1456 deaths), the destruction of the US embassy in Cairo (213 deaths) and the hijacking of an Australian cargo ship carrying thousands of tones of ammonium-nitrate fertilizer. The ship, which had been headed for Los Angeles, was blown up in the harbor, killing over 12,000 people.
It was only in 2021 that an uneasy peace seemed to settle. The main terrorist groups had been tracked down and eliminated, and in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, a combination of US Special Forces troops and indigenous police forces had crushed support for the various factions. Sporadic attacks still occurred, but these were small scale.
Perhaps one of the major contributing factors for the slump in attacks was the large scale withdrawal of US forces from the Middle East. By 2023, there were barely 20,000 US troops in the region, and most of them were advisors to police and military forces in the newly created democratic nations of Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. 2030 would see the US pull out of the region altogether, whilst still maintaining ties to the democratic nations they had helped to create. The US of the 2030's was more concerned with healing the wounds of the previous two decades and tending to its own people. However, this would not prevent the region from causing the downfall of one of the longest lasting alliances in history, that of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
It was in the 2030's that the so-called "Resource Crisis" began to make it's presence felt. With the world
population over 8 billion by 2031, natural resources were being depleted at a rate where they could not be replenished. In some areas, noticeably energy and transportation, a switchover to alternate power sources was relatively straightforward and trouble free. By 2035, although world oil reserves remained fairly steady, most electricity generation was by means of solar, wind, hydro and nuclear plants. The materials and technology necessary for these forms of power generation had previously been too expensive to implement but by the 2020's, they had become cheap enough for these alternate energy sources to actively compete with coal and oil plants. Indeed, eventually it would be economic factors that would herald the coming of more ecologically friendly sources of power that are still in widespread use today, despite the widespread usage of fusion power. Similarly, automobiles would increasingly come to rely on non-petroleum sources of energy, though without doubt breakthroughs in the fields of superconductivity and battery design helped enormously to this switch.
Other resources though were not as easily replaced with alternate sources. Of all the resources that were absolutely essential to survival, yet were in danger of running out, food and water were of the most importance. Even today, with mankind spread across half our galaxy and founding new colonies every day, food and water remain paramount. With the population of Earth today at a stable 3.5 billion, there is more than enough food to go around; indeed, Earth is an active exporter of luxury foods. Prior to the Expansion Period however, with so many teeming millions to feed, Earth's capacity to produce sufficient food was in question. The slash-and-burn agriculture which had already reduced many of Earth's ancient forests and replaced them with desert was now running out of areas to deforestate. Intensified, sustained agriculture was the only way to feed the billions of people living on the Earth, but such farming required water in large amounts. Hence, water lay at the root of the food question.
Water, or rather the control of its distribution, would come to dominate the politics of many nations around the world. In some cases, such as the China-Russia Water Treaties of 2034, the situation was defused peacefully and all parties were able to come to an agreeable solution. The Middle East however would see a brief but violent episode, one of several that flared across the globe during that 2030's that would later come to be known as the "Water Wars" (see Chapter 5 ). The end result would be the final split between the United States of America and the nations of Europe.
The conflict had its roots in Turkey, where the 2 great rivers which supplied the Middle East with so much of its water originated, the Tigris and Euphrates. Turkey, which was starting to face critical water shortages of its own, announced in 2033 that it would be starting a massive program to dam the Tigris and Euphrates near their sources, thus securing water for Turkish crops. The Turkish government solemnly promised that more than enough water would be allowed to flow downstream, but the reaction of the Middle Eastern nations that relied upon the two rivers for most of their water supply, namely Syria and Iraq, was hostile. Angry protestors in Damascus and Basra (the new capital of Iraq after the Iranian War) flowed into the streets, adding to the anger of their leaders who did not want such a vital resource in the hands of another nation. Turkey though would not back down, insisting that their program was reasonable. The Iraqi government responded by turning to the nation responsible for their very existence, the USA. US President McNeal was placed in an impossible situation, as the USA was tied to both Turkey and Iraq, to the former by the NATO, and to the latter by alliances forged by war.
Iraq and Syria both moved their armed forces to high states of alert and shifted ground troops towards the border with Turkey. The Turkish government responded in kind, in addition to calling an emergency session of NATO's Security Council to try and gain support for its actions. At the council meetings over the next few weeks, the Turkish government tried to gain a guarantee that its NATO allies would aid Turkey if the country was attacked. None of the other NATO countries wanted to give Turkey such an endorsement; however they were well aware that the NATO charter would force their actions if war did come.
On the 5th of June, 2033, Turkish military engineering corps, along with thousands of civilian contractors, moved into position near the Tigris River to begin the damming process. Iraq issued one simple warning: withdraw or face war. Turkey did not alter their plans. On the 7th, Iraqi artillery opened fire on Turkish border posts in the north of Iraq. Syrian aircraft also shot down 3 Turkish air patrols. Ground troops from both Syria and Iraq now began driving into Turkey.
Turkey convened another emergency NATO session on June 8th, stating that the country had been attacked and demanding the other NATO countries comply with their treaty regulations. Directly after the Turkish delegation had spoken, the US representative stood and announced that the United States of America was withdrawing from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. After distributing the relevant official documents, the US delegation rose and left the room.
In less than a week the entire alliance collapsed. With the removal of its single largest and most powerful member, the organization felt it was now powerless. The United Kingdom left a few hours after the US, and after that it was simply a matter of time. Coupled with a mutual desire amongst the remaining nations not to get involved in another Middle Eastern squabble, there was no feasible way the alliance could have continued.
With NATO gone, the US swiftly moved to condemn the actions of Turkey. Although wary of another Middle Eastern venture, the US government stated clearly that if the Turkish government did not immediately cease its plans to dam the rivers, the US would intervene in the matter before the month had ended. Turkey appealed to Russia for help, but the commercial military giant to the north had no intention of involving itself. Faced with the prospect of open war with the United States, Turkey backed down, scrapping the plans for the dams. A cease-fire came about almost immediately, and both Iraqi and Syrian forces withdrew. Despite a few intense skirmishes, the casualties were fairly low, and both respective sides were able to back down with few consequences.
The water situation worldwide would only be solved by the mass emigration of countless millions out into space, but this was still yet to come. In the meantime, water disputes would continue to touch off regional conflicts.
Having severed its ties to Europe, the US now turned inwards, focusing on ensuring that its own citizens were placed first. With Russia and China both providing heavy competition to US goods, the USA found itself falling behind. From 2030 to 2052, successive US governments were elected on campaigns than promised more benefits for US citizens first. The gradual phase-in of free health care (for so many today who take this for granted, there was a time when this was not common) and increased funding to education was considered necessary to compete with Chinese products and students.
Something which the US government did pay close attention to over the years however was their space program. Although direct commercial benefits were limited to satellites and technology, by 2050 the US government had managed to maintain their head start over the other space faring nations of the world (Russia, India, China, Japan, European Space Agency), though other nations were closing the gap fast. Whilst China would be far more active in the field of manned space exploration, the US still possessed more advanced technology. Thus, when the Kensky/Libovah team discovered phase technology, the US was able to quickly exploit their space advantage. This, to a large extent, explains the fact that the first Gate (Armstrong) constructed was built by the United States, and the first system explored (Alpha Centauri) was undertaken by a US ship.
Finally, 20th and 21st century USA had been one of the most capitalist societies on Earth. Massive corporations, such as General Electric and Microsoft had been born in the US, and as such they would be some of the first to be allowed access to the new Gate technology. Given the huge role that corporations were to play in the Expansion Period, it was partially through these corporations themselves that the USA had such a massive industrial and commercial complex, rivaled only by that of China, that allowed it to expand rapidly. The union of capital and technology would fuel American colonization efforts and allow the nation to recover from the crippling costs that were incurred.
The United States of America would cease to exist soon after the Expansion Period, reborn as United America, but its legacy is felt even today. The sense of individualism and independence that so characterizes UA colonies and space stations was founded from the first days of the USA as a nation. The pioneer spirit of many American settlers was, and is, rooted in the history of the USA as a whole. The military forces founded to safeguard that individualism and freedom was what allowed the UA to defend its interstellar possessions, and the attacks of the early 21st century would prepare them for the terrorist threats of the second half of that century. Overall, of all the myriad of states that made up the world of 2050, the United States of America was the one which stood poised, best positioned to use the new phase technology to the fullest. And indeed, today, over 100 years later, the influence of this ancient nation can be seen and felt everywhere.
For further reference, George Thornton's article "The United States of America before Expansion", Clarissa Chang's work "21st Century American History", Leon Tzoskys' "America from Republic to Union" and Marson Olsons' "The Years of Terror: 2003 - 2021" are all excellent sources. Alternatively, a simple web search will return thousands of documents about pre-Gate America. Searches under the following criteria will return the best results: ?United States of America, history, colonial,?, ?United States of America, history? and ?United States History, foreign relations?.
Chapter 2: The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics & The Russian Federation
The history of the vast land known as Russia has been a turbulent one. Its origins can be traced to the destruction of the city of Kiev in 1240 by Mongol tribesmen, after which the centre of power moved north towards the Moscow region. Over the next 600 years Russia would remain on the peripheries of Europe, constantly lagging behind in education, technology and philosophy. Ancient traditions such as serfdom and feudalism would persist in Russia until the late 19th century, long after they had disappeared from Europe. Whilst this would certainly change during the 20th and 21st centuries, it was the Russian Revolution of 1917 that would have the most profound impact upon the county. The experiences of the Soviet era would shape the Russia of the 21st century, and leave its impact on the Russian people even today.
Many who have been to the planets and moons that Russian colonies are on, or seen the stark, bleak lines of Russian starships, are struck by the nature of the Russian people. They are hardy men and women, used to a land that is unforgiving, cold and harsh. It is thus little surprise that Russian colonists would be the first to try and settle in some of the galaxy?s most desolate places, such as Europa, the Eridane system and the frozen world of Pluto. An old Russian joke went that "space was a relief from Russian winters". Whilst of course an exaggeration, it does give an insight into these remarkable people.
The events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 have been well documented, but a short summary shall be given here. In 1914 Russia entered into the First World War, despite being unprepared and militarily inferior to her opponents. After three years of war, during which time hundreds of thousands of Russians were captured and millions more impoverished, the Tsar (a monarch who ruled with absolute authority) was deposed and a republican government under Alexander Kerensky was established (see also Kerensky Base, Eridane system). This government though failed to win widespread support, due mainly to continued involvement in the war. In October of 1917, a communist movement lead by the Bolshevik faction of the Russian socialist movement overthrew the provisional government and plunged the country into civil war.
The political ideology known as communism can still be seen today, namely in the Cygni system where a few devotees of Marx still adhere to its philosophy. Communism had its roots in socialism, a political theory which held that the world's people were divided into classes, and each class inevitably would compete with the others. Socialism envisioned a classless society, with all peoples equal, receiving equal amounts of pay, labor and rest. Whilst a good philosophy in theory, in reality human nature proved to be incompatible with the ideals of socialism. The major communist governments of the 20th century, namely The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the People's Republic of China, would both eventually turn capitalist. It was the first of these two governments, the USSR, which Russia would become under the Bolsheviks.
From its birth the USSR was a pariah, with few friends amongst the world's nations. Although ruled by brutal dictators, including the infamous Josef Stalin, the USSR was able to produce quite stunning industrial and scientific successes, including the first manmade object and man in space. Whilst the country would suffer greatly under communist rule, especially during the Second World War when the state of Germany invaded (see Chapter 3), by the end of the Soviet era the country did have a large base of industry and skilled workers. Mismanagement and corruption during the 1990's would see much of this industry fall into decay, and many of the workers leave for other countries. It would not be until the 21st century that Russia would be able to assert herself, militarily and economically.
Under the presidency of Vladimir Putin, the country began to recover from the chaos of the 1990's. Putin in 2004 launched a determined campaign against the Russian crime bosses known as the Mafia, and using paramilitary forces combined with the suspension of some democratic freedoms, organized crime was largely defeated by 2006. Although this alone would not heal the nation, Putin was determined to bring Russia back to its former status as a "super-power" (such as the UA or N.F.O. today). One of the ways this would be accomplished would be to re-energize the armaments industry, which had been a central part of the old Soviet regime's industrial network. Through a system of state subsidies, coupled with the leasing of confiscated plants to Russian and European companies, Putin soon had foreign and domestic capital flowing. The hardware was already in place, and although many Russian scientists had left the country during the 1990's, enough had remained for the new Russian armaments industry, or Rus-Arms as it became known, to design and build military equipment that could actively compete in the international market. Soon after the program started, Iran?s' main nuclear facilities were bombed by Israel in 2005. Turning to Russia for assistance, Rus-Arms saw the perfect opportunity to test some of its new weapons in the field, and gladly supplied Iran with their latest equipment. The fact that Russia was still smarting after the US led invasion of Iraq in 2003 though certainly made the arms transfers occur much faster than they otherwise may have.
Although the Iranians would lose their war against Israel and the USA, their Rus-Arms weaponry performed excellently. International observers were highly impressed with the sinking of the USS Independence by Russia-built anti-ship missiles, and the downing of over two hundred US and Israeli aircraft, including a B-2 stealth bomber, was definite proof that the new Russian arsenal was capable of defending airspace from hostile invasion. In the years following the Iranian war, Rus-Arms exports climbed dramatically. Capital flowed into Russia, and as unemployment dropped and per-capita income rose, the country began to regain some of its former glory.
The extra capital was used well by the Russian government. Russia still had vast natural resources even after 85 years of communist mismanagement, and these now began to be exploited to the fullest. Mining operations in Siberia were heavily financed by the government, leading to the discovery of rich iron, gold and nickel deposits. The oilfields of the south were reopened and developed, and within a few years Russian oil was actively competing with Middle Eastern sources. Agricultural subsidies, both to encourage the import of western technology and to research better crop species for the Russian climate, were employed heavily by the government. Whilst Russia, even by 2050, could still not feed itself, the amount of foreign grain that had to be imported each year did drop. One resource that many nations now were lacking, water, was in Russia in abundance. The 2035 treaty with China cemented firm relations between the two powers and exchanged Russian water and raw materials for Chinese commerce and trade. This relationship would surprisingly hold true even throughout the Expansion Period, a truly remarkable feat given that the two powers would often be in direct competition over the control of star systems.
Russia's space program received some funding, but in this area it would be corporations again that would take an upper hand. Communications and military satellites were a very lucrative market, and whilst many nations could not afford the costly launch vehicles and facilities required to launch such equipment, Russia's Soviet-era space program was more than adequate. Utilizing old Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM), Russian companies were able to make billions selling satellites to nations across the globe. The manned space program was given little attention; simply because there was little financial gain, and a lot of cost, involved in placing a man in outer space and keeping him alive. Thus throughout the 21st century from 2000 to 2050, Russia's space endeavors were limited to unmanned commercial missions. This is not to say however that Russia was unable to carry out manned missions. Indeed, come 2052, Russian cosmonauts would be some of the first to venture forth to explore the galaxy. The pool of technology and expertise needed to undertake this remained in Russia throughout the early 21st century. It would only be with Gate technology though, and the commercial prospects it offered, that Russia saw any need to place men in space.
Of course, the Russian people did pay a price for this prosperity. Most of the democratic process in Russia was gone by the 2020's, replaced by more authoritarian rule. The Duma, or parliament, still existed, and it was required to pass any laws, but the office of the President now held more power, and the occupants were elected for eight years at a time. Social security was virtually non-existent, and the unemployed forced to either find work or starve. Whilst education was given increased funding, health services deteriorated, leaving the private sector to occupy this role. Strict crime laws and a police force that was a military in all but name combined to drastically reduce crime, at the cost of the loss of individual liberties and sometimes the right to trial by judge and jury. Criminals were generally provided to the corporations that now covered Russia, and their labor was utilized heavily.
Yet, whilst many Europeans and Americans were disturbed by these events in Russia, most Russians, it would seem, supported these changes. Their experiences of democracy had been uncontrolled crime and poverty, and many believed that the strong ruler, a theme that had been prevalent throughout Russia's entire history, from Tsars to General Secretaries to Presidents, was the way to achieve prosperity and stability. The freedoms that had been lost were, in the eyes of most Russians, a good price to pay for the rewards they were now reaping. This idea may seem strange to many people, but it is important to remember the history of Russia and the people that have emerged from that history and the land they inhabit. The resilience of the Russian people, and their capacity to weather virtually any conditions, is why they accepted the return of authoritarian rule with so little complaint. For Russians, hardship and oppression was nothing new. Prosperity, power and a sense of pride in the nation were concepts that most Russians had given up on many years previously. Yet they were now a reality.
By 2050, The Russian Federation had become one of the most powerful and wealthy nations in the world, and had given rise to 3 of the world's top twenty corporations, including Rus-Arms which would one day build the giant shipyards of Neptune. The country's natural resources remained abundant, and coupled with Russian industry the manufacturing capacity of Russia was truly immense. Capital was abundant, and with a strong centralized government the country was able to direct it's wealth to best exploit Gate technology when it arrived. The vast military-industrial complex that Russia had developed would also allow them to protect their stellar possessions, though even they would feel the touch of stellar terrorism and state conflict. But even then, Russia's people endured. And today, they still endure.
For further reference, Geoffrey Hosking, ?Russia: People and Empire, 1552-1917", Ronald Grigor Suny?s The Soviet Experiment: Russia, the USSR, and the Successor States?, Jeffory Rush ?Russia from Putin to Pluto? and Sahra Leing ?Remaking Russia: Capitalism, Commerce & Corporations? are all excellent sources. As before, net searches will return a plethora of information, especially the topic words ?Russia, History? and ?Russia, Commerce?
Chapter 3: Europe, NATO and the European Union
It seems hard for us today to imagine a time when the continent of Europe was not working together for their mutual benefit. Yet if not for the advent of phase technology, the divided nations of Europe may never have come together. For almost all of Europe?s history, the continent was split into competing states, each fiercely independent and possessing of unique culture, society and languages.
In examining the history of Europe, it is difficult to know where to begin. Perhaps the best place to start is when the people of Europe began to refer to themselves as distinctly European, or around the beginning of the 16th century. Prior to this, Europe?s nations had been tied more to Asian and African regions, and the concept of Europe as a singular entity was unheard of. With the beginning of the Age of Discovery however, Europe would quickly come to assert its influence over the entire world, and in the process develop a definite sense of Europeanism.
Europe in the year 1500 certainly did not have the hallmarks of a continent that would dominate the globe. Its nations were divided and constantly fighting, its technology lagged behind that of Asia and its commerce was paltry compared to the vast wealth of the East. Yet from these weaknesses, strength developed. Thanks to Europe?s divisions, new technologies imported from the East, or developed in Europe, were quickly exploited. The reasons here were two fold. Firstly, a prospective inventor could travel from nation to nation, seeking a ruler or sponsor who would accept his idea, thus keeping his options open. Secondly, new technologies adopted by one European state usually gave them an advantage, be it militaristic, economic or political. Surrounding nations would then move quickly to gain the technology themselves, or develop a superior alternative.
This fierce competition would be what allowed Europe to expand so quickly and with such devastating effect. After the voyage of Christopher Columbus to the continents of America, European nations scrambled to not only stake a claim in these new lands, but forge new trade routes. By 1600 European colonies had sprung up across the Americas and European merchant ships had rounded southern Africa and were trading with India and China. Wealth from commerce and plunder from the Americas flooded into Europe, which in turn fostered greater expeditions and conquests.
Whilst Europe?s nations continued to fight amongst themselves, the power of each individual nation grew steadily, passing and then eclipsing the power of Asia and Africa. Europe?s powerful navies, combined with increasingly well armed soldiers, were a potent force that was able to subdue or even conquer lands across the globe. European states founded settlements in North America, South America, Africa and Australia, whilst conquering nations such as the Incan, Aztec and Indian empires. Many modern states have their foundations in European colonies, such as United America, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and South Africa.
It would not be until the 20th century that Europe?s power would start to wane, and its former empires begin to fall apart. Although the United States of America split away from Europe in 1783, it was an exception rather than the rule. Two wars in the 20th century though would cripple Europe?s power for a time and lead to the breakaway of their colonial assets.
The First World War began in 1914 and lasted until 1918. In the course of the conflict, over nine million people were killed, including thousands from European colonies. Though not the first global conflict, it was certainly the largest ever, bringing the full force of modern industrialized warfare to bear against ageing military traditions and governments. Europe?s political spectrum would be shattered by WWI, with most of the monarchies of Europe falling to be replaced by republican or communist governments. Old states such as Poland reemerged, and old empires split apart into separate political entities. A council, known as the League of Nations (the precursor to the United Nations, which in turn would lead to the Trans System Authority) was set up to try and sort out potential conflicts without violence. It was, unfortunately, a failure.
In 1939 the Second World War began, a conflict born from the First World War. The peace treaties placed upon the nation of Germany by the French and English had fueled deep German resentment and this, coupled with a global economic depression in 1928, had lead to the rise of an extreme right wing government in Germany. The party which controlled this government was named the National Socialist German Workers Party, but it would later be known by the nickname ?Nazi Party?. Its leader, Adolf Hitler, was an advocate of racial purity who believed that Germany must purge the world of followers of the Jewish faith. He attacked or allied himself with other nations in Europe, seeking ?living space? for the German people and revenge for Germany?s defeat in 1918.
Hitler though also was obsessed with the destruction of communism. Thus in 1941, after a string of military victories, he invaded the USSR. Initially, the invasion went well, with hundreds of thousands of Russian prisoners taken and vast stretches of Russia occupied. However, Hitler had underestimated the resolve of the Russian people and their capacity to resist. Russian armies held the Germans at bay from 1941 to 1943, and after the massive battles of Stalingrad and Kursk, the Soviets began to push the Germans back. In 1945, with British, French and American troops invading Germany from the west, Soviet armies smashed into
Germany and took the capital of Berlin. Hitler committed suicide just before Soviet armies reached the city.
The USSR, worried about another German invasion and eager to stall off the perceived threat of a Western European capitalist invasion of Russia, occupied eastern Germany and much of Eastern Europe. Communist governments were established across Eastern Europe under the direct supervision and control of the USSR. Western Europe and the USA came together under a new alliance known as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, whilst Eastern Europe and the USSR formed the Warsaw Pact agreement.
What followed was known as the Cold War. With Europe divided into two separate armed camps, each soon possessing thousands of nuclear weapons, neither side could attack the other without risking complete annihilation. This concept - Mutually Assured Destruction - may have been responsible for the lack of major conflict after the Second World War and indeed all the way up to the present. The conspicuous exception is
that of the Iranian conflict, but even it was small scale compared to other, possible scenarios.
The collapse of the USSR in 1991 ended the Cold War and brought political freedom to Eastern Europe. Although NATO would survive until 2033, as a military alliance against a threat that now no longer existed it provided little cohesion to Europe?s nations. The desire for greater economic co-operation however would lead to the creation of the European Union, a loose coalition of European states. The EU would introduce the Euro, Europe?s first collective currency that would replace many of the older currencies in Europe. Throughout the early 21st century, the EU would spread across Europe, expanding into the east and eventually providing an alternative to the NATO alliance. It would also play a pivotal role in Europe?s space program, founding the European Space Agency which would prove to be a profitable enterprise, launching commercial and military satellites much as Russia was doing.
Yet the EU never provided anything more than a few economic benefits. Europe?s nations remained divided, separated by culture and nationalism. Languages did spread, with English gaining widespread usage, but no single political force was strong enough to unite Europe. With a lack of cohesion, Europe began to fall behind Russia, the USA and China, with companies moving out of Europe and the value of the Euro dropping. By 2050 Europe remained fairly wealthy, but its prosperity was nothing compared to the economies of the East. The divisions which had once provided strength to Europe were now proving to be its downfall.
Many have theorized that if Gate technology had never been found, Europe would have remained divided forever, only perhaps coming under a singular government via external conquest. Such theories are of course impossible to prove or disprove, but given the history of Europe what is clear is that something huge would be required to unite Europe. As events unfolded, it would be Gate technology that would accomplish this.
The reasons for phase technology finally doing what no military or political leader had ever managed to do are diverse. Space exploration and colonization required vast resources, and no single European nation had the resources to do much more than send a few vessels to Mars. In the first few hectic years after phase tech was developed, Europe?s nations did not actively decide to come together, but rather they simply all began to give vastly increased funding to the European Space Agency. Ships and gates that were constructed were all funded by the ESA, and colonies came under the jurisdiction and management of the ESA. Before long, Europe?s nations were melded into working together mainly through the work of the ESA. Although no single nation controlled Europe, the various governments all understood that without pooling their collective resources, the ESA would fail and with it all hope of European space endeavors. All of Europe had a large stake in seeing the ESA succeed, and as such no single nation wanted to undermine the process or break away on its own.
Thus Europe would become united. The term ?European Union? is perhaps misleading; as if one travels to Paris the people there will say they are unquestionable French, in the same way that a citizen of London will claim to be an Englishman. Europe remains a fragmented continent, but whereas previously these differences had been clear divides, now they are simply ethnic pluralities. Separate governments still govern Europe?s states from Poland to Spain, but every week they are joined by their commitments to the ESA. What almost every European citizen and leader understands is a simple adage that has remained true throughout the entire Expansion and Consolidation periods. United we stand. Divided we fall.
For further reference, H. Stuart Hughes, ?Contemporary Europe: a history?, Mark Mazower, ?Dark continent: Europe's twentieth century?, A.J.P. Taylor, ?Europe: grandeur and decline?, S. Mills, ?A history of the European Space Agency? and Peter Clo?du, ?Europe from EU to ESA? are all excellent titles. Web searches will return the best results with ?Europe, History?, ?ESU, history? and ?Europe, history, military?
Chapter 4: The People's Republic of China and The China Territories
Certainly no history of the trans-system expansion could ignore the country known today as the China Territories. The name itself is not entirely accurate; the central landmass of China remains a united nation, but the peripheries such as Mongolia, Thailand, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Tibet are termed as territories of the main country itself. Effectively, these regions all are controlled by Beijing as part of a modern day empire. Terming the entire region the ?China Territories? has been accepted practice for decades, given that The People?s Republic of China has not been communist since the 2030?s.
The origins of China stretch back further than perhaps any nation still on the planet today. Without doubt, China has been a singular political entity for over two thousand years, which certainly can explain much about the isolation of China for most of its history.
Occupying a very fertile region of Asia, China from its earliest days would teem with people. United under a single government for most of the 1st and 2nd millenniums, China would give rise to technologies and developments such as paper, printing and magnetism long before the nations of Europe or western Asia. Indeed, despite invasions from the Mongol people to the north, China would by 1500 be the most advanced and populous civilization in the world. Yet it would then fall behind, turning inwards whilst Europe expanded. Much of this can be attributed to the singular rule of individual monarchs, who stifled technological growth and had little interest in the outside world, but certainly the practice of Confucianism, with its emphasis on tradition and the past, played a vital role as well.
During the 19th century, European nations which had been trading with China for centuries began to take a more aggressive role. Opium, a narcotic drug which Europeans had been importing to China in exchange for tea and other luxury goods, was outlawed and an enraged Chinese government attempted to stop the trade entirely. Europe responded with military intervention, sparking the so-called ?Opium Wars?. By the end of these conflicts, China had been humiliated and defeated by European armies and technology, and sections of the country turned over to European governments as mandates. It would be in this period that the city of Hong Kong passed into the control of the United Kingdom.
China?s populace by 1911 was angered by their government?s refusal to reform the country and defend it from foreign threats. A revolution overthrew the monarchy and established a republican government. However, this would quickly fall apart, with various warlords controlling the country through military force. Finally in 1928, a leader named Chiang Kai Shek succeeded in overthrowing the most powerful Chinese warlords and establishing a firm centralized government. Chiang would come to be closely allied with the USA.
In the process of his war to control the country, Chiang attacked what he believed to be one of the most dangerous factions, that of the Chinese Communist Party. His attempts to destroy the communists however failed, and under the command of Mao Zedong, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would escape Chiang?s forces and begin a guerrilla war to overthrow him.
With the invasion of China by Japan (see Chapter 10) in 1937, Chiang and the CCP formed a mutual alliance for a time, but once the Japanese were defeated by the Allied powers during the Second World War, the two sides in China began fighting again. Chiang?s armies, though vastly larger and better equipped, proved unable to fight an elusive foe that had growing support amongst the population. By 1949, Chiang and his remaining supporters were forced to flee to the island of Taiwan (see Chapter 10) off the coast of mainland China. Mao proclaimed the founding of the People?s Republic of China and secured the country under communist rule.
Mao proved to be a poor leader however. The country was wracked by poverty and corruption during his reign, as well as large periods of civil unrest and famine. After Mao?s death, a man named Deng Xiaoping began to try and repair the country using capitalism. Opening up ?Special Economic Zones? (SOZ), Deng succeeded in revitalizing the country?s industry and setting the foundations for China to become an economic superpower. It would be during the 21st century though that China would come to dominate the Asian region.
The economic prosperity brought about by the SOZ program would begin to spread throughout the country during the 2000?s. More and more regions were declared SOZ, and soon state owned enterprises, which had been corrupt and uneconomical, were driven out of business. Chinese companies and corporations began to grow, gaining monetary grants from the government as well as control over vast industrial zones. By 2020, China?s economy had eclipsed that of the USA and Russia. Chinese products were being exported across the world, and Chinese corporations were absorbing European and American companies with ease.
However, despite the spread of capitalism and personal wealth, the government remained fundamentally despotic in nature. The term communist was becoming increasingly anachronistic, until by 2030 it was barely used at all. Power remained in the hands of a few individuals, most of whom had strong ties to China?s major corporations. Little would change throughout the 21st century, and the Consolidation Period would merely re-enforce the government?s control of the populace.
Possibly one of the most important aspects of this period in China?s history was their space program. The Chinese government in 2003 succeeded in placing their first man in space and returning him safely to Earth. This was followed in 2016 by a moon mission, and the establishment of a permanent space station around Earth in 2017. China would be one of the only world nations, along with the United States, to pursue an active manned space program. By 2020, China had 2 space stations in Earth orbit and plans for an outpost on the Moon. In 2029, a Chinese spacecraft with 3 taikonauts landed on Mars. All returned safely to Earth. During the 2030?s and 2040?s, China would build 3 more outposts on the moon, establish a space station in lunar orbit and build another station in orbit around Mars.
Whilst the Chinese endeavors returned a plethora of scientific data, they also firmly established commercial interests in space. An initial mining survey on the Moon showed rich deposits of platinum and radium, and by 2045 China was commencing plans for lunar mining operations. The most valuable result of China?s space program though was experience. When Gate technology was discovered, China enjoyed the rare privilege of having a cadre of space-trained taikonauts who had hands-on experience in constructing colonies in space. The experience and technical knowledge of China?s taikonauts would lead to them being highly sought after, and quite a few nations including Russia would pay large sums to gain access to the information that China had collected from fifty years of space travel.
Whilst the government in Beijing had little desire in expanding the country?s borders, by the 2050?s China would be in control of several territories beyond its borders. This came about mainly through a desire to prevent any upheaval that might threaten the nation itself. Essentially, unrest in nations bordering China had the possibility to spread into China itself, with unfortunate economic consequences. Thus, China from 2031 to 2039 would take part in a number of small scale military conquests to ensure economic security.
The first of these would be in Thailand. A guerrilla insurgence movement that had emerged in 2006 had succeeded by 2031 in plunging the country into virtual economic ruin. The Thai government, desperate and facing daily attacks, tried in April of 2031 to gain Chinese military support. China at first was uncommitted, but when one of the guerilla groups inside Thailand raided a Chinese arsenal in Geiju, an outraged Chinese government sent an amphibious task force to Thailand to eradicate the threat. The People?s Liberation Army (PLA) occupied Thailand in a matter of days and employed draconian measures to track down the guerilla forces that had raided Geiju. Some of the guerrillas though fled into neighboring Vietnam, prompting the Chinese government in invade Vietnam from the north and south. After a few months, both countries were secured and China withdrew most of its troops, leaving behind a force of, as they called them, ?advisers and administrators?. Although a Thai government would continue to be elected, the nation?s officials could do nothing without Chinese approval, and the nation never again had a military any larger than a standard police force. Vietnam would continue to resist for a number of years, causing two secondary Chinese influxes of military force. By 2038, Vietnam had stabilized.
The large-scale withdrawal of US forces from the Middle East and Asia by 2030 created a power vacuum in Afghanistan. Whilst the US sponsored democratic government had managed to survive through commitments of US troops, by 2034 the country was starting to fall apart. Violent uprisings by several military generals lead to the formation of large-scale private armies, commanded by factional warlords. The fighting in Afghanistan spread into Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, both of which shared a border with China. When Chinese citizens in the west started to join the armies of various warlords, the Chinese government acted swiftly. Chinese troops crossed into Tajikistan on the 7th of August 2035 and into Kyrgyzstan on the 12th of the same month. Moving rapidly throughout the two countries, the PLA secured Dasharlbe on the 30th of August and Bishkek on the 3rd of September. The PLA then turned to Afghanistan, leaving an occupying force behind in the newly conquered territories.
Though it would take 4 years for the PLA to secure Afghanistan, the victory of the Chinese was never in doubt. Most of the time taken to secure the country was taken up chasing small groups of guerrillas in the endless mountains and deserts. By 2039 the region was declared pacified and once again Chinese troops were withdrawn, leaving behind smaller garrison forces. The three former nations, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan were amalgamated into one territory under Chinese control, named simple the ?Central Asian Reconstruction Zone?.
Thus by 2052, China occupied a position of great strength. It?s commercial and industrial power was larger than any other nation or corporation possessed. Experienced taikonauts were ready to apply their practical skills to other star systems, and Chinese factories already were producing the equipment needed to found new colonies. Under the control of a single government, China was able to apply the strength of the entire country to the Expansion, a process that would almost ruin the nation, but see Chinese colonists scattered throughout the entire galaxy. Finally, China was home to 1.5 billion people, a resource that would allow China to spread itself far and wide across the stars. All these factors would combine in 2052 to produce a nation which would one day control the vast minefields of Tau Ceti and the star port of Canton, gateway to the Hyades star-cluster.
Further reference can be found in Jonathan D. Spence, ?The Search for Modern China?, Lloyd E. Eastman, ?Family, Field and Ancestors: Constancy and Change in China's Social and Economic History, 1550-194?, Matsurabi Hion ?China in the Age of Space Travel?, Isabi Chial ?From Communism to Corporations?, and Shi Chaing ?The Dragon Awakes: Chinese expansion from Thailand to Tau Ceti? are excellent sources. Web searches for ?China, history?, ?People?s Republic of China, history?, ?People?s Liberation Army, history, campaigns? and ?China Territories, history? will all return numerous results.
So I started thinking about the world of Natural Selection. How had it come about? Why was it that humanity found itself spread across the galaxy? I believe that without understanding the origins of something, true comprehension can never be found. Thus, I began to pen my thoughts.
This is Part One of what will be a 4 part work. There will likely be a considerable gap between each section, and I don't want to release each part until they are complete (gives me a bit of a breathing space to work with).
For the record, I'm doing this for fun. History is what I live and breathe, and besides, I consider it good practice for my eventual thesis <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
EDIT: The document has now been generously hosted by rob6264 at <a href='http://www.synergysanctum.com/ww/view.php?post=5554' target='_blank'>this cool site</a> , and it's a little easier to read over there <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>Gates, Moons and Stars: A Short History of the World from 2003 </b>
Introduction
Possibly the first thing that must be written in an account such as this is an explanation of what this document seeks to do. What it is not is a complete history of the Sol system and the extra-terrestrial colonies. Such a task would occupy the hard drives of a dozen data-compactors, or hundreds of the old 20th or 21st century wood-pulp recorders known as books. No, this document is meant to be a summary, touching on the major issues that have resulted in the current situation that the human race finds itself in today. A lay-person with no prior reading of history should be able to walk away from this text with a sound knowledge of both the events leading up to the Expansion Period and the subsequent history of inter-stellar humanity. As such, persons who have researched this area of history thoroughly will gain little from this document. So to my fellow scholars and lecturers, I say "sorry". My work here is not addressed to you.
Nor is this a work that attempts to look at every faction and nation, be they terrestrial or stellar, that have come into being or disappeared during, before or after the Expansion or Consolidation. There is a wealth of information far more specialized than what will be written here. I have provided relevant sources where I see necessary, but they are merely meant as a starting point.
In writing this work for the people of the world, those who have pursued paths other than those of history, I hope to bring understanding and knowledge to the countless millions who even today ask themselves "Why are we here?? Whilst the question itself is one of deep philosophical significance, from a historical perspective I hope to partially answer it. This particular area of history has, of late, been inundated with texts and documents that concentrate too much on small or singular issues without looking at the whole. This, I hope, will be rectified.
Finally, it must be stated that all work here is based upon the writings of Jeff Paris, and the Natural Selection computer game conceived and directed by Charlie Cleveland.
Part One: Foundations
2000 - 2050
Chapter 1: The United States of America
Many people, upon reading the name of this chapter, will wonder if I properly spell checked this document. No, what you see is not a typographic error, but the archaic name for the Earth state known today as United America. Given the role that UA has played in the Expansion and Consolidation periods, it would be foolish indeed to not examine the roots of this modern nation. Given the constraints of the allowable length of this document, this will not be as in depth as many would deem necessary.
The continent of North America was first reached by European settlers late in the 15th century, who at first concentrated their efforts on the military conquest of the native empires of South America and Mesoamerica. Following religious turmoil in Western Europe, especially in the United Kingdom, France and Germany (former independent states now part of the European Federation), several groups of people traveled to the North American continent in the early 1600's seeking to settle there and establish their own communities. The following 150 years saw a steady increase in immigration rates, resulting in populous and wealthy colonial settlements. Naturally, the countries of Europe sought to gain control over the various colonies, and after a number of fairly small scale conflicts, the major North American colonies were firmly in the hands of the English (the citizens of the former United Kingdom referred to themselves by this name).
Seeking to pay for the expenses incurred by the recent fighting, the United Kingdom began to levy new taxes upon the colonists of the North American colonies. The colonists were outraged, not so much by the taxes themselves but by the fact that they had virtually no representation in the government that levied these taxes against them (note the similarities to the Mars colonies). Unrest followed, until finally fighting broke out. After 8 years of fighting, in 1783 the colonies were declared an independent nation and thus was born The United States of America. The name itself is a reference to the nature of the new nation, in that it was initially a coalition of states.
The new nation certainly had the foundations for a mighty state; natural resources, an industrious population and almost limitless land to expand into. The next 120 years would see the USA expand across the North American continent, a process that would touch off a civil war in 1861. Coming out of this period of expansion were concepts such as "Manifest destiny", or the belief that the nation was destined to cover the whole continent. This would have important consequences when the Expansion Period began. The nation stabilized after their civil war though, and remained fairly distant from world affairs until 1917, when during the second last year of the First World War (1914 - 1918) the sinking of US merchant shipping by the nation of Germany prompted the USA to enter the war. With its industrial power and population base, the USA was to play an important role in securing victory for the Allied Powers (France, England, and Russia).
However, it was not until after the Second World War (1939 - 1945) that the USA began to take a much more aggressive role in world affairs. Acting to counter the spread of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR, see Chapter 2, nation is now known as Russia) into Europe, the USA established the North American Treaty Organization (NATO, see Chapter 3) and began to actively counter-act Soviet attempts to spread the political ideology known as Communism (see Chapters 2 & 4, also The Cygni System). The resulting struggle was known as the Cold War (1945 - 1991), named so because of its lack of major conflict. With the collapse of the USSR in 1991, this struggle effectively ended. The USA however, was still determined to make its presence felt in the world.
The Middle East (see Chapter 5, also The Epsilon System) would be the flashpoint for the USA's new conflicts. The invasion of Kuwait by the state of Iraq provoked American and European involvement to prevent the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from gaining control over a large percentage of the world's crude oil supplies (petroleum distillates were heavily used during the 20th and early 21st century, see Greenhouse Effect). Iraq was disarmed over the next decade, but the US administration of George W. Bush (see Iran War, Chapter 5) was convinced that Saddam Hussein was building biological, chemical and nuclear weapons in secrecy. In 2003 the USA, supported namely by the United Kingdom and Australia (see Chapter 8, also The Wolf and Beta Hydri Systems) invaded Iraq and deposed Saddam Hussein. The USA then began to set up a democratic government.
One of the driving forces behind this invasion was the attack that occurred on September 11th, 2001, in New York (see The Manhattan Ruins), when Arabic terrorists flew hijacked airliners into two sky rise buildings and the Pentagon, the nerve centre of the US military. The USA responded by invading the nation of Afghanistan (see Chapter 4, also China Territories) and attempting to set up a democratic nation there. Although the attack was nothing like the strikes of the 2100's, or even the bombing of 2015, it provoked deep sentiments amongst American citizens.
The USA pursued what it termed "The War on Terror" for a number of decades, before finally in 2023 the conflict was deemed to be over. The most striking episodes were the Iran War of 2007 and the "Terror Years" from 2015 to 2021. The Iran War was touched off by the state of Israel (see Chapter 5, also the Alpha Centauri System), which felt threatened by Iran's construction of nuclear weaponry. In 2005 Israel destroyed Iran?s? main nuclear research facilities with a surprise air raid. Iran, furious, forged closer ties with the newly invigorated Russia (see Chapter 2) and imported large quantities of modern weaponry, including 2 new nuclear fission reactors. When Israel tried to destroy these reactors in January of 2007, their aircraft were decimated by Iranian defense systems. Iran declared a holy war or "jihad" against Israel and the USA, which had close ties to Israel. Iranian tank and infantry formations crossed into Iraq, which had been under US control since 2003.
The USA quickly moved to re-enforce its troops in Iraq, but an aircraft carrier task force escorting naval troops was ambushed in the Indian Sea by Iranian anti-ship missiles. The aircraft carrier Independence was sunk and 4 other ships badly damaged, with two sinking the next day. US marines forced a landing in southern Iran on the 15th of February whilst US naval aviation backed by aircraft in Iraq pounded Iranian ground formations. Iranian troops were driven back from Iraq and soon US forces, backed by Iraqi troops and Israeli aircraft, were driving for the Iranian capital.
By this stage the Iranian government was in a state of panic. The detonation of a fuel-air explosive device in the south was mistakenly identified as a nuclear blast, and the government decided to deploy its nuclear arsenal on the 28th of February. 5 Shahab MRBM missiles were launched, and although the silo facilities were bombed minutes later by US aircraft, the missiles were already airborne. US surface to air missile systems managed to intercept the missile targeted at the southern beach-head, but the warhead triggered a partial yield, killing over 5,000 American marines. A second missile was targeted at Baghdad, capital of Iraq. This missile struck its target with a yield of 75 kilotons, devastating the Iraqi capital and killing well over half a million people, including the American-sponsored administration. The three final missiles traveled towards Israel. Only one hit, destroying half of the city of Tel Aviv, the former capital of Israel. The state of Israel was quick to respond, launching three nuclear missiles of it's own at the Iranian capital, Tehran, within a few minutes of the attack. The city was utterly destroyed (see Iranian Radiation Zones).
With its government in ruins, the Iranian military effort collapsed. US troops drove inland and the final elements of the Iranian military surrendered in May of 2007. Guerrilla elements continued to fight for some years though, and noticeably it was an Iranian group behind the 2015 bombing of New York. Thankfully, the rapid ending of the conflict had forestalled fears of a wider conflict spreading into Pakistan and Russia.
With Iran now occupied, the USA began to scale down its forces in the Middle Eastern region. Troops were recalled home and military spending decreased for a time. Then, on October 2nd, 2015, a nuclear device concealed in a truck was detonated in the heart of the American city of New York. Over four million people were killed. The device, a leftover remnant of the 2007 war, was smuggled, piece by piece, into Mexico then into the US itself.
The USA vowed to hunt down the terrorist group responsible, and within a month it was determined that an organization named "Iranian Liberation" was responsible. This group was ruthlessly pursued, but as this occurred, the so-called "Terror Years" developed. Whilst the US tracked down the Iranian group with incredible speed, the US quickly learned was that this group was but one of many, and they had all taken their cue now to launch their own attacks. Afghani, Iraqi and Iranian groups all launched their own attacks against targets in the US and the Middle East. In July 2016 a car bomb exploded in Los Angeles, killing over 340 people in a crowded shopping mall. August of the same year saw a cell apprehended attempting to poison the water supply of Chicago. In March 2017 an Iraqi suicide bomber managed to blow up a liquefied natural gas tanker in Basra, destroying 3 US navy vessels and killing over 10,000 US soldiers and Iraqis. 2018 witnessed 3 attacks: the detonation of a sarin gas shell in the subways of San Francisco (1456 deaths), the destruction of the US embassy in Cairo (213 deaths) and the hijacking of an Australian cargo ship carrying thousands of tones of ammonium-nitrate fertilizer. The ship, which had been headed for Los Angeles, was blown up in the harbor, killing over 12,000 people.
It was only in 2021 that an uneasy peace seemed to settle. The main terrorist groups had been tracked down and eliminated, and in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, a combination of US Special Forces troops and indigenous police forces had crushed support for the various factions. Sporadic attacks still occurred, but these were small scale.
Perhaps one of the major contributing factors for the slump in attacks was the large scale withdrawal of US forces from the Middle East. By 2023, there were barely 20,000 US troops in the region, and most of them were advisors to police and military forces in the newly created democratic nations of Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. 2030 would see the US pull out of the region altogether, whilst still maintaining ties to the democratic nations they had helped to create. The US of the 2030's was more concerned with healing the wounds of the previous two decades and tending to its own people. However, this would not prevent the region from causing the downfall of one of the longest lasting alliances in history, that of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
It was in the 2030's that the so-called "Resource Crisis" began to make it's presence felt. With the world
population over 8 billion by 2031, natural resources were being depleted at a rate where they could not be replenished. In some areas, noticeably energy and transportation, a switchover to alternate power sources was relatively straightforward and trouble free. By 2035, although world oil reserves remained fairly steady, most electricity generation was by means of solar, wind, hydro and nuclear plants. The materials and technology necessary for these forms of power generation had previously been too expensive to implement but by the 2020's, they had become cheap enough for these alternate energy sources to actively compete with coal and oil plants. Indeed, eventually it would be economic factors that would herald the coming of more ecologically friendly sources of power that are still in widespread use today, despite the widespread usage of fusion power. Similarly, automobiles would increasingly come to rely on non-petroleum sources of energy, though without doubt breakthroughs in the fields of superconductivity and battery design helped enormously to this switch.
Other resources though were not as easily replaced with alternate sources. Of all the resources that were absolutely essential to survival, yet were in danger of running out, food and water were of the most importance. Even today, with mankind spread across half our galaxy and founding new colonies every day, food and water remain paramount. With the population of Earth today at a stable 3.5 billion, there is more than enough food to go around; indeed, Earth is an active exporter of luxury foods. Prior to the Expansion Period however, with so many teeming millions to feed, Earth's capacity to produce sufficient food was in question. The slash-and-burn agriculture which had already reduced many of Earth's ancient forests and replaced them with desert was now running out of areas to deforestate. Intensified, sustained agriculture was the only way to feed the billions of people living on the Earth, but such farming required water in large amounts. Hence, water lay at the root of the food question.
Water, or rather the control of its distribution, would come to dominate the politics of many nations around the world. In some cases, such as the China-Russia Water Treaties of 2034, the situation was defused peacefully and all parties were able to come to an agreeable solution. The Middle East however would see a brief but violent episode, one of several that flared across the globe during that 2030's that would later come to be known as the "Water Wars" (see Chapter 5 ). The end result would be the final split between the United States of America and the nations of Europe.
The conflict had its roots in Turkey, where the 2 great rivers which supplied the Middle East with so much of its water originated, the Tigris and Euphrates. Turkey, which was starting to face critical water shortages of its own, announced in 2033 that it would be starting a massive program to dam the Tigris and Euphrates near their sources, thus securing water for Turkish crops. The Turkish government solemnly promised that more than enough water would be allowed to flow downstream, but the reaction of the Middle Eastern nations that relied upon the two rivers for most of their water supply, namely Syria and Iraq, was hostile. Angry protestors in Damascus and Basra (the new capital of Iraq after the Iranian War) flowed into the streets, adding to the anger of their leaders who did not want such a vital resource in the hands of another nation. Turkey though would not back down, insisting that their program was reasonable. The Iraqi government responded by turning to the nation responsible for their very existence, the USA. US President McNeal was placed in an impossible situation, as the USA was tied to both Turkey and Iraq, to the former by the NATO, and to the latter by alliances forged by war.
Iraq and Syria both moved their armed forces to high states of alert and shifted ground troops towards the border with Turkey. The Turkish government responded in kind, in addition to calling an emergency session of NATO's Security Council to try and gain support for its actions. At the council meetings over the next few weeks, the Turkish government tried to gain a guarantee that its NATO allies would aid Turkey if the country was attacked. None of the other NATO countries wanted to give Turkey such an endorsement; however they were well aware that the NATO charter would force their actions if war did come.
On the 5th of June, 2033, Turkish military engineering corps, along with thousands of civilian contractors, moved into position near the Tigris River to begin the damming process. Iraq issued one simple warning: withdraw or face war. Turkey did not alter their plans. On the 7th, Iraqi artillery opened fire on Turkish border posts in the north of Iraq. Syrian aircraft also shot down 3 Turkish air patrols. Ground troops from both Syria and Iraq now began driving into Turkey.
Turkey convened another emergency NATO session on June 8th, stating that the country had been attacked and demanding the other NATO countries comply with their treaty regulations. Directly after the Turkish delegation had spoken, the US representative stood and announced that the United States of America was withdrawing from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. After distributing the relevant official documents, the US delegation rose and left the room.
In less than a week the entire alliance collapsed. With the removal of its single largest and most powerful member, the organization felt it was now powerless. The United Kingdom left a few hours after the US, and after that it was simply a matter of time. Coupled with a mutual desire amongst the remaining nations not to get involved in another Middle Eastern squabble, there was no feasible way the alliance could have continued.
With NATO gone, the US swiftly moved to condemn the actions of Turkey. Although wary of another Middle Eastern venture, the US government stated clearly that if the Turkish government did not immediately cease its plans to dam the rivers, the US would intervene in the matter before the month had ended. Turkey appealed to Russia for help, but the commercial military giant to the north had no intention of involving itself. Faced with the prospect of open war with the United States, Turkey backed down, scrapping the plans for the dams. A cease-fire came about almost immediately, and both Iraqi and Syrian forces withdrew. Despite a few intense skirmishes, the casualties were fairly low, and both respective sides were able to back down with few consequences.
The water situation worldwide would only be solved by the mass emigration of countless millions out into space, but this was still yet to come. In the meantime, water disputes would continue to touch off regional conflicts.
Having severed its ties to Europe, the US now turned inwards, focusing on ensuring that its own citizens were placed first. With Russia and China both providing heavy competition to US goods, the USA found itself falling behind. From 2030 to 2052, successive US governments were elected on campaigns than promised more benefits for US citizens first. The gradual phase-in of free health care (for so many today who take this for granted, there was a time when this was not common) and increased funding to education was considered necessary to compete with Chinese products and students.
Something which the US government did pay close attention to over the years however was their space program. Although direct commercial benefits were limited to satellites and technology, by 2050 the US government had managed to maintain their head start over the other space faring nations of the world (Russia, India, China, Japan, European Space Agency), though other nations were closing the gap fast. Whilst China would be far more active in the field of manned space exploration, the US still possessed more advanced technology. Thus, when the Kensky/Libovah team discovered phase technology, the US was able to quickly exploit their space advantage. This, to a large extent, explains the fact that the first Gate (Armstrong) constructed was built by the United States, and the first system explored (Alpha Centauri) was undertaken by a US ship.
Finally, 20th and 21st century USA had been one of the most capitalist societies on Earth. Massive corporations, such as General Electric and Microsoft had been born in the US, and as such they would be some of the first to be allowed access to the new Gate technology. Given the huge role that corporations were to play in the Expansion Period, it was partially through these corporations themselves that the USA had such a massive industrial and commercial complex, rivaled only by that of China, that allowed it to expand rapidly. The union of capital and technology would fuel American colonization efforts and allow the nation to recover from the crippling costs that were incurred.
The United States of America would cease to exist soon after the Expansion Period, reborn as United America, but its legacy is felt even today. The sense of individualism and independence that so characterizes UA colonies and space stations was founded from the first days of the USA as a nation. The pioneer spirit of many American settlers was, and is, rooted in the history of the USA as a whole. The military forces founded to safeguard that individualism and freedom was what allowed the UA to defend its interstellar possessions, and the attacks of the early 21st century would prepare them for the terrorist threats of the second half of that century. Overall, of all the myriad of states that made up the world of 2050, the United States of America was the one which stood poised, best positioned to use the new phase technology to the fullest. And indeed, today, over 100 years later, the influence of this ancient nation can be seen and felt everywhere.
For further reference, George Thornton's article "The United States of America before Expansion", Clarissa Chang's work "21st Century American History", Leon Tzoskys' "America from Republic to Union" and Marson Olsons' "The Years of Terror: 2003 - 2021" are all excellent sources. Alternatively, a simple web search will return thousands of documents about pre-Gate America. Searches under the following criteria will return the best results: ?United States of America, history, colonial,?, ?United States of America, history? and ?United States History, foreign relations?.
Chapter 2: The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics & The Russian Federation
The history of the vast land known as Russia has been a turbulent one. Its origins can be traced to the destruction of the city of Kiev in 1240 by Mongol tribesmen, after which the centre of power moved north towards the Moscow region. Over the next 600 years Russia would remain on the peripheries of Europe, constantly lagging behind in education, technology and philosophy. Ancient traditions such as serfdom and feudalism would persist in Russia until the late 19th century, long after they had disappeared from Europe. Whilst this would certainly change during the 20th and 21st centuries, it was the Russian Revolution of 1917 that would have the most profound impact upon the county. The experiences of the Soviet era would shape the Russia of the 21st century, and leave its impact on the Russian people even today.
Many who have been to the planets and moons that Russian colonies are on, or seen the stark, bleak lines of Russian starships, are struck by the nature of the Russian people. They are hardy men and women, used to a land that is unforgiving, cold and harsh. It is thus little surprise that Russian colonists would be the first to try and settle in some of the galaxy?s most desolate places, such as Europa, the Eridane system and the frozen world of Pluto. An old Russian joke went that "space was a relief from Russian winters". Whilst of course an exaggeration, it does give an insight into these remarkable people.
The events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 have been well documented, but a short summary shall be given here. In 1914 Russia entered into the First World War, despite being unprepared and militarily inferior to her opponents. After three years of war, during which time hundreds of thousands of Russians were captured and millions more impoverished, the Tsar (a monarch who ruled with absolute authority) was deposed and a republican government under Alexander Kerensky was established (see also Kerensky Base, Eridane system). This government though failed to win widespread support, due mainly to continued involvement in the war. In October of 1917, a communist movement lead by the Bolshevik faction of the Russian socialist movement overthrew the provisional government and plunged the country into civil war.
The political ideology known as communism can still be seen today, namely in the Cygni system where a few devotees of Marx still adhere to its philosophy. Communism had its roots in socialism, a political theory which held that the world's people were divided into classes, and each class inevitably would compete with the others. Socialism envisioned a classless society, with all peoples equal, receiving equal amounts of pay, labor and rest. Whilst a good philosophy in theory, in reality human nature proved to be incompatible with the ideals of socialism. The major communist governments of the 20th century, namely The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the People's Republic of China, would both eventually turn capitalist. It was the first of these two governments, the USSR, which Russia would become under the Bolsheviks.
From its birth the USSR was a pariah, with few friends amongst the world's nations. Although ruled by brutal dictators, including the infamous Josef Stalin, the USSR was able to produce quite stunning industrial and scientific successes, including the first manmade object and man in space. Whilst the country would suffer greatly under communist rule, especially during the Second World War when the state of Germany invaded (see Chapter 3), by the end of the Soviet era the country did have a large base of industry and skilled workers. Mismanagement and corruption during the 1990's would see much of this industry fall into decay, and many of the workers leave for other countries. It would not be until the 21st century that Russia would be able to assert herself, militarily and economically.
Under the presidency of Vladimir Putin, the country began to recover from the chaos of the 1990's. Putin in 2004 launched a determined campaign against the Russian crime bosses known as the Mafia, and using paramilitary forces combined with the suspension of some democratic freedoms, organized crime was largely defeated by 2006. Although this alone would not heal the nation, Putin was determined to bring Russia back to its former status as a "super-power" (such as the UA or N.F.O. today). One of the ways this would be accomplished would be to re-energize the armaments industry, which had been a central part of the old Soviet regime's industrial network. Through a system of state subsidies, coupled with the leasing of confiscated plants to Russian and European companies, Putin soon had foreign and domestic capital flowing. The hardware was already in place, and although many Russian scientists had left the country during the 1990's, enough had remained for the new Russian armaments industry, or Rus-Arms as it became known, to design and build military equipment that could actively compete in the international market. Soon after the program started, Iran?s' main nuclear facilities were bombed by Israel in 2005. Turning to Russia for assistance, Rus-Arms saw the perfect opportunity to test some of its new weapons in the field, and gladly supplied Iran with their latest equipment. The fact that Russia was still smarting after the US led invasion of Iraq in 2003 though certainly made the arms transfers occur much faster than they otherwise may have.
Although the Iranians would lose their war against Israel and the USA, their Rus-Arms weaponry performed excellently. International observers were highly impressed with the sinking of the USS Independence by Russia-built anti-ship missiles, and the downing of over two hundred US and Israeli aircraft, including a B-2 stealth bomber, was definite proof that the new Russian arsenal was capable of defending airspace from hostile invasion. In the years following the Iranian war, Rus-Arms exports climbed dramatically. Capital flowed into Russia, and as unemployment dropped and per-capita income rose, the country began to regain some of its former glory.
The extra capital was used well by the Russian government. Russia still had vast natural resources even after 85 years of communist mismanagement, and these now began to be exploited to the fullest. Mining operations in Siberia were heavily financed by the government, leading to the discovery of rich iron, gold and nickel deposits. The oilfields of the south were reopened and developed, and within a few years Russian oil was actively competing with Middle Eastern sources. Agricultural subsidies, both to encourage the import of western technology and to research better crop species for the Russian climate, were employed heavily by the government. Whilst Russia, even by 2050, could still not feed itself, the amount of foreign grain that had to be imported each year did drop. One resource that many nations now were lacking, water, was in Russia in abundance. The 2035 treaty with China cemented firm relations between the two powers and exchanged Russian water and raw materials for Chinese commerce and trade. This relationship would surprisingly hold true even throughout the Expansion Period, a truly remarkable feat given that the two powers would often be in direct competition over the control of star systems.
Russia's space program received some funding, but in this area it would be corporations again that would take an upper hand. Communications and military satellites were a very lucrative market, and whilst many nations could not afford the costly launch vehicles and facilities required to launch such equipment, Russia's Soviet-era space program was more than adequate. Utilizing old Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM), Russian companies were able to make billions selling satellites to nations across the globe. The manned space program was given little attention; simply because there was little financial gain, and a lot of cost, involved in placing a man in outer space and keeping him alive. Thus throughout the 21st century from 2000 to 2050, Russia's space endeavors were limited to unmanned commercial missions. This is not to say however that Russia was unable to carry out manned missions. Indeed, come 2052, Russian cosmonauts would be some of the first to venture forth to explore the galaxy. The pool of technology and expertise needed to undertake this remained in Russia throughout the early 21st century. It would only be with Gate technology though, and the commercial prospects it offered, that Russia saw any need to place men in space.
Of course, the Russian people did pay a price for this prosperity. Most of the democratic process in Russia was gone by the 2020's, replaced by more authoritarian rule. The Duma, or parliament, still existed, and it was required to pass any laws, but the office of the President now held more power, and the occupants were elected for eight years at a time. Social security was virtually non-existent, and the unemployed forced to either find work or starve. Whilst education was given increased funding, health services deteriorated, leaving the private sector to occupy this role. Strict crime laws and a police force that was a military in all but name combined to drastically reduce crime, at the cost of the loss of individual liberties and sometimes the right to trial by judge and jury. Criminals were generally provided to the corporations that now covered Russia, and their labor was utilized heavily.
Yet, whilst many Europeans and Americans were disturbed by these events in Russia, most Russians, it would seem, supported these changes. Their experiences of democracy had been uncontrolled crime and poverty, and many believed that the strong ruler, a theme that had been prevalent throughout Russia's entire history, from Tsars to General Secretaries to Presidents, was the way to achieve prosperity and stability. The freedoms that had been lost were, in the eyes of most Russians, a good price to pay for the rewards they were now reaping. This idea may seem strange to many people, but it is important to remember the history of Russia and the people that have emerged from that history and the land they inhabit. The resilience of the Russian people, and their capacity to weather virtually any conditions, is why they accepted the return of authoritarian rule with so little complaint. For Russians, hardship and oppression was nothing new. Prosperity, power and a sense of pride in the nation were concepts that most Russians had given up on many years previously. Yet they were now a reality.
By 2050, The Russian Federation had become one of the most powerful and wealthy nations in the world, and had given rise to 3 of the world's top twenty corporations, including Rus-Arms which would one day build the giant shipyards of Neptune. The country's natural resources remained abundant, and coupled with Russian industry the manufacturing capacity of Russia was truly immense. Capital was abundant, and with a strong centralized government the country was able to direct it's wealth to best exploit Gate technology when it arrived. The vast military-industrial complex that Russia had developed would also allow them to protect their stellar possessions, though even they would feel the touch of stellar terrorism and state conflict. But even then, Russia's people endured. And today, they still endure.
For further reference, Geoffrey Hosking, ?Russia: People and Empire, 1552-1917", Ronald Grigor Suny?s The Soviet Experiment: Russia, the USSR, and the Successor States?, Jeffory Rush ?Russia from Putin to Pluto? and Sahra Leing ?Remaking Russia: Capitalism, Commerce & Corporations? are all excellent sources. As before, net searches will return a plethora of information, especially the topic words ?Russia, History? and ?Russia, Commerce?
Chapter 3: Europe, NATO and the European Union
It seems hard for us today to imagine a time when the continent of Europe was not working together for their mutual benefit. Yet if not for the advent of phase technology, the divided nations of Europe may never have come together. For almost all of Europe?s history, the continent was split into competing states, each fiercely independent and possessing of unique culture, society and languages.
In examining the history of Europe, it is difficult to know where to begin. Perhaps the best place to start is when the people of Europe began to refer to themselves as distinctly European, or around the beginning of the 16th century. Prior to this, Europe?s nations had been tied more to Asian and African regions, and the concept of Europe as a singular entity was unheard of. With the beginning of the Age of Discovery however, Europe would quickly come to assert its influence over the entire world, and in the process develop a definite sense of Europeanism.
Europe in the year 1500 certainly did not have the hallmarks of a continent that would dominate the globe. Its nations were divided and constantly fighting, its technology lagged behind that of Asia and its commerce was paltry compared to the vast wealth of the East. Yet from these weaknesses, strength developed. Thanks to Europe?s divisions, new technologies imported from the East, or developed in Europe, were quickly exploited. The reasons here were two fold. Firstly, a prospective inventor could travel from nation to nation, seeking a ruler or sponsor who would accept his idea, thus keeping his options open. Secondly, new technologies adopted by one European state usually gave them an advantage, be it militaristic, economic or political. Surrounding nations would then move quickly to gain the technology themselves, or develop a superior alternative.
This fierce competition would be what allowed Europe to expand so quickly and with such devastating effect. After the voyage of Christopher Columbus to the continents of America, European nations scrambled to not only stake a claim in these new lands, but forge new trade routes. By 1600 European colonies had sprung up across the Americas and European merchant ships had rounded southern Africa and were trading with India and China. Wealth from commerce and plunder from the Americas flooded into Europe, which in turn fostered greater expeditions and conquests.
Whilst Europe?s nations continued to fight amongst themselves, the power of each individual nation grew steadily, passing and then eclipsing the power of Asia and Africa. Europe?s powerful navies, combined with increasingly well armed soldiers, were a potent force that was able to subdue or even conquer lands across the globe. European states founded settlements in North America, South America, Africa and Australia, whilst conquering nations such as the Incan, Aztec and Indian empires. Many modern states have their foundations in European colonies, such as United America, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and South Africa.
It would not be until the 20th century that Europe?s power would start to wane, and its former empires begin to fall apart. Although the United States of America split away from Europe in 1783, it was an exception rather than the rule. Two wars in the 20th century though would cripple Europe?s power for a time and lead to the breakaway of their colonial assets.
The First World War began in 1914 and lasted until 1918. In the course of the conflict, over nine million people were killed, including thousands from European colonies. Though not the first global conflict, it was certainly the largest ever, bringing the full force of modern industrialized warfare to bear against ageing military traditions and governments. Europe?s political spectrum would be shattered by WWI, with most of the monarchies of Europe falling to be replaced by republican or communist governments. Old states such as Poland reemerged, and old empires split apart into separate political entities. A council, known as the League of Nations (the precursor to the United Nations, which in turn would lead to the Trans System Authority) was set up to try and sort out potential conflicts without violence. It was, unfortunately, a failure.
In 1939 the Second World War began, a conflict born from the First World War. The peace treaties placed upon the nation of Germany by the French and English had fueled deep German resentment and this, coupled with a global economic depression in 1928, had lead to the rise of an extreme right wing government in Germany. The party which controlled this government was named the National Socialist German Workers Party, but it would later be known by the nickname ?Nazi Party?. Its leader, Adolf Hitler, was an advocate of racial purity who believed that Germany must purge the world of followers of the Jewish faith. He attacked or allied himself with other nations in Europe, seeking ?living space? for the German people and revenge for Germany?s defeat in 1918.
Hitler though also was obsessed with the destruction of communism. Thus in 1941, after a string of military victories, he invaded the USSR. Initially, the invasion went well, with hundreds of thousands of Russian prisoners taken and vast stretches of Russia occupied. However, Hitler had underestimated the resolve of the Russian people and their capacity to resist. Russian armies held the Germans at bay from 1941 to 1943, and after the massive battles of Stalingrad and Kursk, the Soviets began to push the Germans back. In 1945, with British, French and American troops invading Germany from the west, Soviet armies smashed into
Germany and took the capital of Berlin. Hitler committed suicide just before Soviet armies reached the city.
The USSR, worried about another German invasion and eager to stall off the perceived threat of a Western European capitalist invasion of Russia, occupied eastern Germany and much of Eastern Europe. Communist governments were established across Eastern Europe under the direct supervision and control of the USSR. Western Europe and the USA came together under a new alliance known as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, whilst Eastern Europe and the USSR formed the Warsaw Pact agreement.
What followed was known as the Cold War. With Europe divided into two separate armed camps, each soon possessing thousands of nuclear weapons, neither side could attack the other without risking complete annihilation. This concept - Mutually Assured Destruction - may have been responsible for the lack of major conflict after the Second World War and indeed all the way up to the present. The conspicuous exception is
that of the Iranian conflict, but even it was small scale compared to other, possible scenarios.
The collapse of the USSR in 1991 ended the Cold War and brought political freedom to Eastern Europe. Although NATO would survive until 2033, as a military alliance against a threat that now no longer existed it provided little cohesion to Europe?s nations. The desire for greater economic co-operation however would lead to the creation of the European Union, a loose coalition of European states. The EU would introduce the Euro, Europe?s first collective currency that would replace many of the older currencies in Europe. Throughout the early 21st century, the EU would spread across Europe, expanding into the east and eventually providing an alternative to the NATO alliance. It would also play a pivotal role in Europe?s space program, founding the European Space Agency which would prove to be a profitable enterprise, launching commercial and military satellites much as Russia was doing.
Yet the EU never provided anything more than a few economic benefits. Europe?s nations remained divided, separated by culture and nationalism. Languages did spread, with English gaining widespread usage, but no single political force was strong enough to unite Europe. With a lack of cohesion, Europe began to fall behind Russia, the USA and China, with companies moving out of Europe and the value of the Euro dropping. By 2050 Europe remained fairly wealthy, but its prosperity was nothing compared to the economies of the East. The divisions which had once provided strength to Europe were now proving to be its downfall.
Many have theorized that if Gate technology had never been found, Europe would have remained divided forever, only perhaps coming under a singular government via external conquest. Such theories are of course impossible to prove or disprove, but given the history of Europe what is clear is that something huge would be required to unite Europe. As events unfolded, it would be Gate technology that would accomplish this.
The reasons for phase technology finally doing what no military or political leader had ever managed to do are diverse. Space exploration and colonization required vast resources, and no single European nation had the resources to do much more than send a few vessels to Mars. In the first few hectic years after phase tech was developed, Europe?s nations did not actively decide to come together, but rather they simply all began to give vastly increased funding to the European Space Agency. Ships and gates that were constructed were all funded by the ESA, and colonies came under the jurisdiction and management of the ESA. Before long, Europe?s nations were melded into working together mainly through the work of the ESA. Although no single nation controlled Europe, the various governments all understood that without pooling their collective resources, the ESA would fail and with it all hope of European space endeavors. All of Europe had a large stake in seeing the ESA succeed, and as such no single nation wanted to undermine the process or break away on its own.
Thus Europe would become united. The term ?European Union? is perhaps misleading; as if one travels to Paris the people there will say they are unquestionable French, in the same way that a citizen of London will claim to be an Englishman. Europe remains a fragmented continent, but whereas previously these differences had been clear divides, now they are simply ethnic pluralities. Separate governments still govern Europe?s states from Poland to Spain, but every week they are joined by their commitments to the ESA. What almost every European citizen and leader understands is a simple adage that has remained true throughout the entire Expansion and Consolidation periods. United we stand. Divided we fall.
For further reference, H. Stuart Hughes, ?Contemporary Europe: a history?, Mark Mazower, ?Dark continent: Europe's twentieth century?, A.J.P. Taylor, ?Europe: grandeur and decline?, S. Mills, ?A history of the European Space Agency? and Peter Clo?du, ?Europe from EU to ESA? are all excellent titles. Web searches will return the best results with ?Europe, History?, ?ESU, history? and ?Europe, history, military?
Chapter 4: The People's Republic of China and The China Territories
Certainly no history of the trans-system expansion could ignore the country known today as the China Territories. The name itself is not entirely accurate; the central landmass of China remains a united nation, but the peripheries such as Mongolia, Thailand, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Tibet are termed as territories of the main country itself. Effectively, these regions all are controlled by Beijing as part of a modern day empire. Terming the entire region the ?China Territories? has been accepted practice for decades, given that The People?s Republic of China has not been communist since the 2030?s.
The origins of China stretch back further than perhaps any nation still on the planet today. Without doubt, China has been a singular political entity for over two thousand years, which certainly can explain much about the isolation of China for most of its history.
Occupying a very fertile region of Asia, China from its earliest days would teem with people. United under a single government for most of the 1st and 2nd millenniums, China would give rise to technologies and developments such as paper, printing and magnetism long before the nations of Europe or western Asia. Indeed, despite invasions from the Mongol people to the north, China would by 1500 be the most advanced and populous civilization in the world. Yet it would then fall behind, turning inwards whilst Europe expanded. Much of this can be attributed to the singular rule of individual monarchs, who stifled technological growth and had little interest in the outside world, but certainly the practice of Confucianism, with its emphasis on tradition and the past, played a vital role as well.
During the 19th century, European nations which had been trading with China for centuries began to take a more aggressive role. Opium, a narcotic drug which Europeans had been importing to China in exchange for tea and other luxury goods, was outlawed and an enraged Chinese government attempted to stop the trade entirely. Europe responded with military intervention, sparking the so-called ?Opium Wars?. By the end of these conflicts, China had been humiliated and defeated by European armies and technology, and sections of the country turned over to European governments as mandates. It would be in this period that the city of Hong Kong passed into the control of the United Kingdom.
China?s populace by 1911 was angered by their government?s refusal to reform the country and defend it from foreign threats. A revolution overthrew the monarchy and established a republican government. However, this would quickly fall apart, with various warlords controlling the country through military force. Finally in 1928, a leader named Chiang Kai Shek succeeded in overthrowing the most powerful Chinese warlords and establishing a firm centralized government. Chiang would come to be closely allied with the USA.
In the process of his war to control the country, Chiang attacked what he believed to be one of the most dangerous factions, that of the Chinese Communist Party. His attempts to destroy the communists however failed, and under the command of Mao Zedong, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would escape Chiang?s forces and begin a guerrilla war to overthrow him.
With the invasion of China by Japan (see Chapter 10) in 1937, Chiang and the CCP formed a mutual alliance for a time, but once the Japanese were defeated by the Allied powers during the Second World War, the two sides in China began fighting again. Chiang?s armies, though vastly larger and better equipped, proved unable to fight an elusive foe that had growing support amongst the population. By 1949, Chiang and his remaining supporters were forced to flee to the island of Taiwan (see Chapter 10) off the coast of mainland China. Mao proclaimed the founding of the People?s Republic of China and secured the country under communist rule.
Mao proved to be a poor leader however. The country was wracked by poverty and corruption during his reign, as well as large periods of civil unrest and famine. After Mao?s death, a man named Deng Xiaoping began to try and repair the country using capitalism. Opening up ?Special Economic Zones? (SOZ), Deng succeeded in revitalizing the country?s industry and setting the foundations for China to become an economic superpower. It would be during the 21st century though that China would come to dominate the Asian region.
The economic prosperity brought about by the SOZ program would begin to spread throughout the country during the 2000?s. More and more regions were declared SOZ, and soon state owned enterprises, which had been corrupt and uneconomical, were driven out of business. Chinese companies and corporations began to grow, gaining monetary grants from the government as well as control over vast industrial zones. By 2020, China?s economy had eclipsed that of the USA and Russia. Chinese products were being exported across the world, and Chinese corporations were absorbing European and American companies with ease.
However, despite the spread of capitalism and personal wealth, the government remained fundamentally despotic in nature. The term communist was becoming increasingly anachronistic, until by 2030 it was barely used at all. Power remained in the hands of a few individuals, most of whom had strong ties to China?s major corporations. Little would change throughout the 21st century, and the Consolidation Period would merely re-enforce the government?s control of the populace.
Possibly one of the most important aspects of this period in China?s history was their space program. The Chinese government in 2003 succeeded in placing their first man in space and returning him safely to Earth. This was followed in 2016 by a moon mission, and the establishment of a permanent space station around Earth in 2017. China would be one of the only world nations, along with the United States, to pursue an active manned space program. By 2020, China had 2 space stations in Earth orbit and plans for an outpost on the Moon. In 2029, a Chinese spacecraft with 3 taikonauts landed on Mars. All returned safely to Earth. During the 2030?s and 2040?s, China would build 3 more outposts on the moon, establish a space station in lunar orbit and build another station in orbit around Mars.
Whilst the Chinese endeavors returned a plethora of scientific data, they also firmly established commercial interests in space. An initial mining survey on the Moon showed rich deposits of platinum and radium, and by 2045 China was commencing plans for lunar mining operations. The most valuable result of China?s space program though was experience. When Gate technology was discovered, China enjoyed the rare privilege of having a cadre of space-trained taikonauts who had hands-on experience in constructing colonies in space. The experience and technical knowledge of China?s taikonauts would lead to them being highly sought after, and quite a few nations including Russia would pay large sums to gain access to the information that China had collected from fifty years of space travel.
Whilst the government in Beijing had little desire in expanding the country?s borders, by the 2050?s China would be in control of several territories beyond its borders. This came about mainly through a desire to prevent any upheaval that might threaten the nation itself. Essentially, unrest in nations bordering China had the possibility to spread into China itself, with unfortunate economic consequences. Thus, China from 2031 to 2039 would take part in a number of small scale military conquests to ensure economic security.
The first of these would be in Thailand. A guerrilla insurgence movement that had emerged in 2006 had succeeded by 2031 in plunging the country into virtual economic ruin. The Thai government, desperate and facing daily attacks, tried in April of 2031 to gain Chinese military support. China at first was uncommitted, but when one of the guerilla groups inside Thailand raided a Chinese arsenal in Geiju, an outraged Chinese government sent an amphibious task force to Thailand to eradicate the threat. The People?s Liberation Army (PLA) occupied Thailand in a matter of days and employed draconian measures to track down the guerilla forces that had raided Geiju. Some of the guerrillas though fled into neighboring Vietnam, prompting the Chinese government in invade Vietnam from the north and south. After a few months, both countries were secured and China withdrew most of its troops, leaving behind a force of, as they called them, ?advisers and administrators?. Although a Thai government would continue to be elected, the nation?s officials could do nothing without Chinese approval, and the nation never again had a military any larger than a standard police force. Vietnam would continue to resist for a number of years, causing two secondary Chinese influxes of military force. By 2038, Vietnam had stabilized.
The large-scale withdrawal of US forces from the Middle East and Asia by 2030 created a power vacuum in Afghanistan. Whilst the US sponsored democratic government had managed to survive through commitments of US troops, by 2034 the country was starting to fall apart. Violent uprisings by several military generals lead to the formation of large-scale private armies, commanded by factional warlords. The fighting in Afghanistan spread into Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, both of which shared a border with China. When Chinese citizens in the west started to join the armies of various warlords, the Chinese government acted swiftly. Chinese troops crossed into Tajikistan on the 7th of August 2035 and into Kyrgyzstan on the 12th of the same month. Moving rapidly throughout the two countries, the PLA secured Dasharlbe on the 30th of August and Bishkek on the 3rd of September. The PLA then turned to Afghanistan, leaving an occupying force behind in the newly conquered territories.
Though it would take 4 years for the PLA to secure Afghanistan, the victory of the Chinese was never in doubt. Most of the time taken to secure the country was taken up chasing small groups of guerrillas in the endless mountains and deserts. By 2039 the region was declared pacified and once again Chinese troops were withdrawn, leaving behind smaller garrison forces. The three former nations, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan were amalgamated into one territory under Chinese control, named simple the ?Central Asian Reconstruction Zone?.
Thus by 2052, China occupied a position of great strength. It?s commercial and industrial power was larger than any other nation or corporation possessed. Experienced taikonauts were ready to apply their practical skills to other star systems, and Chinese factories already were producing the equipment needed to found new colonies. Under the control of a single government, China was able to apply the strength of the entire country to the Expansion, a process that would almost ruin the nation, but see Chinese colonists scattered throughout the entire galaxy. Finally, China was home to 1.5 billion people, a resource that would allow China to spread itself far and wide across the stars. All these factors would combine in 2052 to produce a nation which would one day control the vast minefields of Tau Ceti and the star port of Canton, gateway to the Hyades star-cluster.
Further reference can be found in Jonathan D. Spence, ?The Search for Modern China?, Lloyd E. Eastman, ?Family, Field and Ancestors: Constancy and Change in China's Social and Economic History, 1550-194?, Matsurabi Hion ?China in the Age of Space Travel?, Isabi Chial ?From Communism to Corporations?, and Shi Chaing ?The Dragon Awakes: Chinese expansion from Thailand to Tau Ceti? are excellent sources. Web searches for ?China, history?, ?People?s Republic of China, history?, ?People?s Liberation Army, history, campaigns? and ?China Territories, history? will all return numerous results.
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Of all the regions across the planet of Earth, the Middle East has been the most fought over. Armies from Egypt, Africa, India, Asia, Russia, Europe and America have all tried to conquer this region, and almost all of them have failed. The most holy sites of three monotheistic religions lie in the Middle East, such as the Temple Wall of Jerusalem, the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth and Mecca. Even today with most of these sites under TSA control, the Middle East remains a potentially volatile region. However, compared to what this contested land has been through in the past, what it experiences today is tranquility itself.
As the birthplace of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths, meeting place of 3 continents and once home to over 65% of the worlds oil reserves, it is small wonder that various nations have tried to control the Middle East over the centuries. Egypt’s Pharaohs would lead armies there during the New Kingdom period, exacting tribute from the inhabitants of Lebanon and Palestine. Roman soldiers would establish protectorates and colonies in the Middle East, and the Byzantine Romans would build an empire there. Islamic armies conquered the region after the coming of Mohammad, and then the Crusader Christian armies of Europe would struggle for decades to control Palestine. Turkish forces from Central Asia would invade from the north and found the nation of Turkey. European colonial powers such as France and England would lay claim to Egypt and Iraq, and when they left, Hebrew settlers would found Israel. American armies would conquer Iraq and Iran, and later still Chinese forces would sweep through Central Asia.
The Middle East during the 21st century was mainly contested due to the value of crude oil. Unrest and conflict in the region would often send oil prices up, which would have the result of causing outside nations to step in and try to calm things down. In some cases, this would mean direct intervention and invasion.
To understand the importance of the Middle East during the 20th and 21st century, it is important to understand the role crude oil played during these times. Whilst even today oil remains a valuable resource, during these times oil was of paramount importance. Almost all transportation relied on petroleum distillates, including automobiles and aircraft, plus some trains. Electricity generation was overwhelmingly reliant on oil and coal burning facilities, unlike today’s fusion stations. Oil had thousands of industrial uses, especially lubricants. Thus, nations outside and within the Middle East sought to control the vast oil reserves of the region.
The invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in 1990 was fueled by a desire to capture Kuwaiti oil fields. The response, a coalition of nations lead by the United States, threw Saddam out of the country and disarmed the dictator. Later, the lure of oil would play a role in the American lead invasion of Iraq itself in 2003. The Iranian war would lead to an almost catastrophic rise in oil prices, and for a time it was feared that the region would collapse into full scale nuclear war, a scenario that would cut off most of the world’s oil. The fear of this in part would contribute to the massive increase in government and private funding to alternate fuel research groups, and the fruits of that research, such as efficient solar power, low temperature fusion and superconductors would remove the world dependence on oil. However, that in turn would have an affect upon the nations of the Middle East, resulting in a region that by 2050 was increasingly impoverished and poverty stricken.
After the Iranian conflict, the Middle East remained fairly stable. Israel established a new capital city in Haifa, whilst constructing a large barrier around the ruins of Tel Aviv. A simple monument outside the city was built in remembrance of those who had perished. The issue of the Palestinian territories was largely settled in 2010 by the establishment of a Palestinian state and the withdrawal of Israeli settlements from the West Bank regions. Some fighting would continue, but on both sides extremists were curbed by state action. After the events of the Iranian war, neither Israel nor Palestine wished to continue fighting.
Iraq’s capital was moved to Basra. The nuclear attack on Baghdad had initially threatened to poison both the Tigris and Euphrates, but fortunately the radiation was short-lived and US clean-up crews were able to stem the worst effects. Parts of the city were declared inhabitable in 2019, but few were willing to take up residence there. Even today, Tel Aviv, Tehran and Baghdad remain as ruins, living monuments to the terrible destruction of nuclear war. Yet even with the loss of Baghdad, Iraq was able to recover, thanks largely to American support and the countries’ oil reserves. Unlike Afghanistan, when US forces finally left Iraq in 2030 the government remained in control, and civil disorder did not occur. The short conflict with Turkey in 2033 would threaten regional stability for a short time, but the swift defusing of the crisis negated fears of foreign capital leaving Iraq.
Saudi Arabia’s fundamentalist government would, during the early 21st century, remain in power, and the nation would still harbor terrorist sympathizers and supporters. Despite constant US attempts to turn Saudi Arabia towards democracy, the old regime persisted, leading to a gradual drain of skilled labor towards Iraq. When finally the country’s’ oil reserves ran dry in 2038, the money generated by decades of oil selling remained in the hands of a few elite, plus some foreign companies. Saudi Arabia over the next decade would fall into poverty and financial ruin, with millions leaving the country in search of employment and even basic necessities such as food and water. Many of these refugees would crowd aboard some of the first colonization ships, and sadly many would perish in the accidents that plagued the early Expansion period.
Iran remained under US occupation right through until 2030, with the capital shifting from ruined Tehran to Bandar Abbas in the south. The USA devoted most of its forces in the region to pacifying Iran and keeping insurgent militants there under control. Perhaps the biggest surprise for many was that the US-sponsored administration survived the withdrawal of US forces in 2030. A few uprisings did occur, but for the most part they were quickly dealt with. Many have speculated that the main reason the government did survive was that it was a peculiar mix of theocracy and democracy, with elected officials populating the House of Representatives whilst clerics and religious leaders ran the Senate. Although it was certainly a new concept, it did appear to work, and the system has survived up to the present.
By 2040, most of the Middle Eastern economies were heading down due to the global shift away from oil products. Iraq remained an exception; an influx of foreign business in the post-war period had lead to Iraq being less dependent upon its oil reserves. The government had invested the money from oil wisely, funding schooling and commercial development. Thus, whilst Saudi Arabia and Kuwait would fall into poverty, Iraq would remain. Certainly the dropping of oil demand did hurt the Iraqi economy, but not to the same extent as other sections of the region.
Iran’s oil supplies remained high throughout the 21st century, and indeed there are still untapped regions in the country today. Although oil would be of lesser importance, it remained a valuable commodity, useful in a wide range of chemical and industrial processes. Iran’s oil industry would prosper before and after US control of the country, with large pipelines constructed to the Central Asian Redevelopment Zones under Chinese jurisdiction. With the country remaining stable, many of the world’s largest oil companies migrated to Iran, leading to much needed influxes of foreign capital. Iran’s population, devastated by two wars in 1980 and 2007, would enjoy better education and employment under successive US-sponsored governments.
Thus it would be Israel, Iraq and Iran that would take an active role in claiming star systems during the Expansion period. Though none had space programs of their own in 2052, they possessed the industrial, commercial and technical skills to undertake such endeavors. For the rest of the Middle East, their contribution would be in the form of settlers and missionaries. However, for decades after the first star systems were colonized, millions would still return to the Middle East every year on religious pilgrimages. It was to this end that the giant spaceport of El Ahaid was built in 2104, to allow the faithful to pay homage to the lands that had birthed their religions. Even today, with mankind spread across an entire galaxy, the Middle East remains an important region.
For further reference, William L. Cleveland, “A History of the Modern Middle East”, Arthur Goldschmidt Jr, “A concise history of the Middle East”, Bernard Lewis, “The Middle East : a brief history of the last 2,000 years” and Ashabi Aman, “The Middle Eastern Journey” are all reputable and informative sources. Web searches under “Middle East, history”, “Middle East, American involvement” and “Petroleum, sources” will all provide many articles.
Chapter 6: Africa
The vast continent of Africa today is a far cry from the poverty stricken and divided land it was back in the 20th and early 21st century. Its people are mostly workers for the corporations that even today continue to extract Africa’s natural resources, or wardens in charge of the giant wildlife preserves of the south. Yet almost every colony contains people who claim ancestry from Africa, and they occupy roles stretching from miners to government ministers. How this came about was the result of both the advent of Gate technology and the crippling plague of Acute Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS.
Africa, despite being the land where modern humans first evolved, would by the 16th century begin to be conquered by more technologically advanced outsiders. Europeans first established trading forts along the West African coast after the beginning of settlement in South America, with the main goal being the purchasing of slaves to work in the sugar plantations of the Caribbean. Whilst this trade would bring wealth to some African tribes, for others it meant constant warfare and enslavement to foreign lands, where they labored under conditions not even seen in Morocco. Also, European settlers would land in southern Africa and begin a war against the tribes of the south. This would be merely the start of a gradual attempt by European nations to claim African colonies, eager to gain a share of Africa’s natural resources and trade goods.
By 1900, almost all of Africa had been divided up by European nations, and despite the ending of the slave trade nearly a century previously, the people of Africa were treated little better than servants. The two world wars of the 20th century though would shatter this European hegemony over Africa, allowing former colonies to break away either through diplomacy or direct revolution. What replaced the colonial governments were generally harsh despotisms, ruled by men with little desire to improve their nations but with a greed for wealth and power. Tribal conflict would tear across Africa throughout the second half of the 20th century, a process that would drain what little money African nations had and send millions of its citizens into poverty and starvation.
Yet even the terrible death tolls of these wars, including the genocidal massacres of Rwanda and Zimbabwe, would not match the plague that would devastate Africa in the 2010’s. The disease known as Acute Immune Deficiency Syndrome, AIDS, would first originate in Africa during the 20th century. AIDS was virtually impossible to cure, passing from person to person via bodily fluids, and although the disease itself did not kill people, it weakened their immune system to the point where the body was unable to defend itself from infection. Its impact in the rest of the world would be harsh, but contraception and sexual education in many nations helped stem the spread of the virus. But for other nations, such as Thailand or the vast majority of Africa, education was a luxury few could afford and contraception was unheard of, or banned by religious groups.
In 2011, an influenza outbreak started in Spain. The strain was particularly virulent, but for Europeans, it would merely be a nuisance that would pass. When this disease reached Africa however, by means of air passengers flying from Europe, it proved disastrous. With over 60% of the African population infected with AIDS, the influenza virus was able to overwhelm the weakened immune systems of millions of Africans in a matter of hours. Being an airborne disease, influenza jumped from town to town, spreading with frightening speed.
The situation in Africa sparked a response from the United Nations and other humanitarian and aid agencies. Aircraft filled with medical teams and influenza vaccines were flown into larger population centers, but this was simply too little. Some aircraft were swamped as they landed, surrounded by thousands of dying men and women seeking any way to avoid the plague. Those Africans that could afford to leave did so in the first few days. The millions left behind could only hope that the disease would not claim them as well.
Official estimates even today are sketchy. What is known is that at least 32% of the African population was
killed in the year of 2011, and a further 12% in 2012. Other estimates run higher still. The plague was eventually curbed by a combination of vaccines flown in from Europe and the United States and the disease itself burning out. By the end of 2012, almost every African with AIDS had either perished, left the continent, or managed to survive the outbreak. The scale of the humanitarian disaster was virtually impossible to measure; whole nations were gone, crops were left un-harvested and basic services such as electricity and water were cut off. It would take the combined efforts of much of the world, working through the UN, to help the survivors recover.
UN workers would be quick to establish regional centers of control, using military police and local administrators to return some semblance of order to the main populated areas left in Africa. Few African leaders remained to oppose this, and most who were alive had fled the country when the outbreak began. The UN’s main priority was to stabilize the continent and get basic services working again. The quick distribution of an experimental AIDS cure proved to be a success, and by 2015 some regional centers were functioning again. UN appointed interim governments took control, concentrating again on the restoration of food and water supplies.
The role of the United Nations in the African Plague would come to define the organization as a whole. Indeed, the UN from 2012 would play a smaller role in world affairs and increasingly focus its efforts on Africa. The interim governments would remain in power in most areas through to the 2020’s, with some lasting until 2034. Even when they were disbanded and replaced by local authorities though, the UN remained as a caretaker of the continent as a whole, maintaining local police and military forces and providing aid and funding to the newly elected African governments. These administrations that emerged functioned only as regional governments under UN supervision. National borders no longer existed in Africa, with the exception being in a few northern states such as Morocco and Egypt, who had been sheltered from the worst effects of the plague by the vast Saharan Desert.
Africa would not fully recover until the 22nd century, and this would mainly be a result of the Expansion Period. When Gate technology did arrive, many Africans signed up for contracts on various colonies and stations, and this process would continue throughout the Expansion. Africa’s population would slowly drain away, leaving those who stayed behind in charge of a much changed continent. Africa’s food supplies were now stable, and employment was at record highs. International corporations were quick to move into Africa during the Expansion Period, utilizing African labor to tap the natural resources the continent still had in abundance.
Though African nations would found few colonies and build only a handful of starships, the African people would come to be found all throughout the galaxy. Virtually every star port or system has African colonists and workers, and their contribution to the colonization of space has been paramount. African culture has spread to every system humanity has settled in, adding to the rich diversity that space has fostered. Despite the terrible hardships the African people have suffered, today they have endured and prospered.
Further reading can be found in Robert Tusake “A concise History of Africa”, Susan Chalca “African Nations”, Sohal Smith “The African Apocalypse”, and Jack Riply “The United Nations: The shift to Africa”. Web searches under the words “Africa, history”, “Africa, plague of 2012” and “United Nations, Africa, history” will return the best sources.
Chapter 7: The Indian Subcontinent
Home to over one billion people at the beginning of the 21st century, the Indian subcontinent would eventually emerge as a powerful force in the Expansion Period. The two nations that sit astride the landmass, India and Pakistan, are today still separate states, though their religious and ethnic hatred for one another has long since abated. Far more pressing concerns, such as trans-system terrorism and the Kharaa threat today occupy the minds of India and Pakistan’s leaders.
India during the 18th and 19th centuries would come to be dominated and eventually totally controlled by the United Kingdom. The country would exist as a colony, providing trade and economic goods such as indigo and cotton to English factories and companies. It was during this period that India’s rail network would first be established to assist in the transport of goods around the country. It would be one of the few accomplishments of the colonial period that would come to benefit India.
Between the First and Second World Wars, Indian political agitators fought for the nation’s independence, and a man named Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi would come to prominence, using methods of peaceful protest and non-violence. Gandhi’s political philosophy would enable the Indian people to resist the colonial government without having to fight the English, who had far superior weaponry and military forces. Thus by 1947, the British government, exhausted after the Second World War and unable to stop the protests in India, withdrew from the country.
However, the country soon split along religious lines. Gandhi was a Hindu, a follower of Hinduism, and although he always placed political harmony and unity above religion, other Indian political leaders, especially those of the Islamic faith, believed that a Hindu dominated government would lead to religious oppression. The country shortly afterwards split into two nations, India and Pakistan, with the Islamic movement settling in the later of the two nations.
Gandhi was assassinated in 1948, a few months after the splitting of the subcontinent into two political entities. Neither India or Pakistan had any great love for the other, and over the course of the 20th century both nations would build up large military forces, including nuclear arms. Though they thankfully would never be used, the Iran conflict almost threatened to spill over into the subcontinent, as indeed it threatened to engulf the entire world.
During the final weeks of the Iran War, Pakistani forces were placed on high stages of alert, due to the fighting that was occurring just outside their borders. Increased air patrols were flown, and reserve formations were called up for duty. India, fearful of a possible Pakistani attack, also increased its state of military readiness and activated reservists. Both nations, ironically in response to the other, started to undertake tighter border controls. In such situations, the potential for accidents is high.
On the 14th of February, the day before US marines landed around Bandar Abbas, two Pakistani jets were shot down whilst on a border patrol mission. India claimed that the two aircraft had violated Indian airspace, whilst Pakistan claimed that India had fired across the border. Political leaders in both countries were soon accusing the other side of declaring war, and over the following week a few minor incidents along the border, such as the accidental firing of a blank artillery round in Kashmir, were blown out of proportion by the press and governments of both nations. Even as the United Nations frantically tried to defuse the situation via diplomacy, Indian and Pakistani troops poured into the border regions. A major conflict seemed almost inevitable.
Everything changed on the 28th of February though with the Iranian nuclear attack on the Middle East and the Israeli response. The devastation of three major cities and the simultaneous deaths of over 10 million people had a very sobering effect upon the governments of Karachi and Delhi. On both sides, political leaders reversed the rhetoric of previous weeks and called for an immediate stand-down of military forces. Within three days of the nuclear strikes, Pakistan and India had returned to a state of normal relations.
Though both India and Pakistan would never be united, the remainder of the 21st century would see both nations gradually scale down their nuclear arsenals, until by 2089 the last weapons on both sides were deactivated and dismantled. During the Expansion Period both nations would use the technology formerly employed to send nuclear warheads into space to further their own inter-stellar colonial desires. Thus, some good would come of such weapons being developed.
Indeed, though neither country would have a space program in 2052, India and Pakistan were amongst the first nations to venture forth through the new gates. They already had the required technology, and from that point it was a simple matter of changing payload. This is not to say that the changeover went smoothly; any who today still remember the Alkor tragedy can attest that the space program of both nations would be fraught with setbacks and deaths. Today though, the vast colonies of Muphrid and Nu Lupi are visible proof of the eventual success of these two respective programs.
The ease at which the India – Pakistan rivalry was scaled down to cricket matches and corporate bickering surprised many around the world. For modern readers, perhaps it is best to examine the end result of the Consolidation period. After eight years of conflict and rebuilding of long-abandoned military arsenals, the general consensus simply was that there was far too much to lose in a full scale conflict. Similarly, India and Pakistan, having witnessed a nuclear war upon their borders, were now starkly aware of the consequences of continuing an arms race and nuclear standoff.
India right through to 2076 would face large scale problems with food supplies to its burgeoning population. A combination of rigorous promotion of contraception, new genetically engineered strains of cereal wheat and rice and the migration of millions of Indians into space colonies would eventually reduce India’s population to a steady five hundred million. Two famines, one in 2015 and another in 2038 would kill over one million Indians, but in both cases foreign aid and government action would stem the worst effects.
A small obituary at the end of this section is perhaps appropriate, looking at the nation once called Bangladesh. Though global warming would prove to have a much smaller effect than was once thought, the global rise in water levels of around half a meter would destroy Bangladesh by 2026. Always a low lying country, even the small rise brought on by global warming would prove to be too much for the nation to handle. Throughout the 2020’s, Bangladesh would struggle to survive, raising dykes and levies in a desperate attempt to hold off rising tides. By 2026 however, the struggle proved futile. Most of the country was reduced to a swamp, with the population fleeing into South East Asia and India. Some people still live in the region of Bangladesh even today, fishing amongst the drowned remains of villages and cities, or harvesting scrap and salvage. The region was placed under United Nations jurisdiction in 2027, and today the Indian government has taken over that role.
India and Pakistan would not be among the world’s richest nations in 2052, nor would they have established space programs. However, their manufacturing strength was more than sufficient to fuel their galactic ambitions, and their people were both numerous and industrious. Thus with the arrival of Gate technology both India and Pakistan would be able to gear their countries to the goal of space colonization. Yet their rivalry would never truly die.
Further reference can be found in Barbara D. Metcalf and Thomas R. Metcalf “A concise history of India”, Bhabani Bhattacharya “Glimpses of Indian history”, Hermann Kulke and Dietmar Rothermund “A history of India” & Robert Fulcrum “India & Pakistan through the 21st Century”. Web searches should use “India, History”, “Pakistan, History” and “Indian subcontinent, history”.
Chapter 8: Australia & South East Asia
For much of the 20th century, South East Asia and the island states of the Pacific played a minor role in world affairs, though during the Second World War the region would see large scale Japanese invasions that would eventually be stopped by the United States and the British Commonwealth. Increasingly though during the 21st century, as the balance of power shifted from Europe and America to Asia, Australia and South East Asia gained in economic strength, eventually forming an alliance that would enable the region to actively take part in the Expansion Period.
Much of the political makeup of South East Asia and Australasia in the year 2000 was the result of European colonial endeavors centuries previously. Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Singapore and much of Indonesia had all been governed by European states, namely the United Kingdom. Though most of these states had broken away from their former colonial masters by 2000, many retained ties to Europe, be they economic or political. It was the United States however that nations such as Australia and the Philippines relied on for military support, and indeed this was largely a result of the role the US played in defeating the Japanese during World War II.
This would start to change from 2005 onwards, as China rose to dominance and the US fell behind, mired in external problems. The signing of a massive Free Trade Agreement between China and Australia in June of 2005 paved the way for Chinese economic expansion throughout the region, an occurrence which in turn would give rise to the Australasian and South East Asian Coalition (ASEAC). Though the region would remain fairly fragmented politically, the economic benefits of the coalition were vast.
The formation of an alliance network across South East Asia was not a new concept. The Asian counterpart to NATO, the South East Asian Treaty Organization or SEATO had existed prior to ASEAC, though its role by 2000 was very minor. Economically speaking the region already had firm trade links between its various nations, and in truth all that was needed to make the further step to an actual alliance was the influence of a powerful external economic force. By 2014, when ASEAC was formed, the nations of South East Asia were facing economic pressure from a large external force, that of China. What was clear to the various nations of ASEAC was that if the region was to escape being dominated by the other Asian economies, they had to work together. From these sentiments, ASEAC was born.
Though the alliance had been formed as a way to shield the region from economic domination, this was not to say that ASEAC did not have strong trading links to China and the eventual Greater East Asian Prosperity Sphere. Indeed, ASEAC would focus its efforts towards forging stronger ties with these two economic giants, pooling the resources of the region towards forming a strong trading bloc that was able to reap the economic rewards of trade whilst remaining politically independent.
The phenomenal success of ASEAC during the 2010’s and 2020’s naturally gave rise to further co-operation between the member states. Australia and New Zealand in 2019 merged their currencies into a single denomination, the ANZAC dollar. Indonesia, Burma, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea in 2021 followed suit, adopting the SEAD (South East Asian Dollar) as their official currency. Strangely, both the ANZAC dollar and SEAD would remain separate right through to today, despite both being valued at almost identical rates. Companies and businesses throughout ASEAC used both currencies interchangeably, and it was in name only that the two remained separate.
The police actions of China that started in 2031 brought a momentary scare to the ASEAC nations and prompted the expansion of the alliance militarily. Though the warfare in both Thailand and Vietnam had adversely affected ASEAC economically, there was still the fear that China might try to turn south and take what it had been unable to conquer economically with military force. The old SEATO treaties were dredged up, re-written and re-signed by the ASEAC nations from 2032 to 2034, cementing an alliance that pledged military aid to any member state that was attacked and joint military exercises. Interestingly, the Neo-SEATO treaties also called for the creation of a military force that would come under the joint control of all the member states, and operate as a regional military police force. It would be partially from the growth of this force that ASEAC would become a space power.
Though few nations in ASEAC had actively pursued a space program prior to the Neo-SEATO treaties, the technology and resources were available. With the formation of a firm military alliance however the question of reconnaissance satellites were raised, as were the economic advantages of space endeavors. It would take a few years to generate the necessary support and funding, but in 2036 the construction of a space centre in Cape York in Australia began. Four years later in January 2040 the first ASEAC space vehicle entered Earth orbit and six months later the first payloads were delivered. The ASEAC space program was purely commercial however, and no manned missions were flown until the Expansion Period. It did give the region an excellent launching point for space colonization once gate technology arrived, in addition to creating a pool of skilled labor.
ASEAC would enable South East Asia to not only compete economically with the rest of the world, but allow space colonization that would have been otherwise impossible. Each of the individual member states simply lacked the money and manpower to sustain or even begin a space program, yet as a singular coalition, they could succeed. Much like Europe, South East Asia understood that survival in the 21st century could only come about through strength, and lacking the vast lands and population of the United States, Russia or China, that strength could only come about through unity. Though the region had many diverse and different cultures and peoples, the alliance managed to succeed.
Further reading can be found in Justus M. van der Kroef “The lives of SEATO”, Ronald Sole “ASEAC: History of an Alliance”, Malask Jing “South East Asia during the 21st century” and Li Siah “The Asian Century”. Web searches under South East Asia, history and ASEAC, history will return the best results.
Chapter 9: The Greater East Asian Prosperity Sphere
Much like the other major Asian alliance that evolved during the 21st century, ASEAC, the Greater East Asian Prosperity Sphere came about when previously unaligned nations responded to an external threat and banded together. The member states, Japan, The United Republic of Korea and Taiwan, all had little desire of seeking an alliance, but it would be the growing power of China, coupled with the retreat of the United States of America from international affairs that would bring about this union. The reasons were twofold; firstly, the economic benefits were highly tempting, and secondly there was real concern amongst all three nations that China would seek to absorb them, either militarily or economically. Whether China would ever have done this is of course impossible to assess, though recently released documents from the period do hint towards possible Chinese plans for a takeover.
The first stage of the birth of GEAPS would occur in Korea. For the purposes of explaining exactly why the history of Korea unfolded the way it did in the 21st century, some background history is needed. Korea was occupied by Japan in 1910, and remained under Japanese control through until 1945, when Japan surrendered to the Allied powers. The Korean peninsula was divided into two separate zones; one in the north that was under the control of the USSR, and the other in the south under Allied control. Relations between the two states were strained however, and in 1950 North Korea invaded South Korea. The south requested international assistance, and a coalition of 16 nations, under the flag of the United Nations, successfully managed to drive the communist North Koreans back across the border. However, China did not want its communist neighbor destroyed and sent a huge force of soldiers across the border into North Korea, pushing UN forces into the south. The war ended in 1953 with a cease-fire agreement, and right up until 2009 the two countries remained separate, with a massive set of fortifications known as the Demilitarized Zone separating the two states.
South Korea would become a capitalist, democratic state that was in direct contrast to the socialist, authoritarian rule of North Korea. The South’s economy surged during the later half of the 20th century, with large scale foreign investment and particular emphasis on high-tech industries. By 2009 South Korea ranked amongst the world’s richest nations, though China was beginning to eclipse its smaller neighbor.
The situation for North Korea though was grim. When the USSR collapsed in 1991 the North lost much needed economic aid, including fuel and food supplies. The 1990s would see successive famines that would kill millions, coupled with a government that was both unwilling and unable to help its people. What little money the country had went into the military, which was able in 2005 to claim the dubious honor of creating the countries’ first nuclear weapon. This was small comfort to the nation’s starving citizens.
Any attempts to reunify the two Koreas always met a dead end in the North. The oppressive northern dictatorship was unwilling to accept any sort of compromise, even when it became quite apparent that the nation could not survive. Many families in South Korea longed to see family members in the North, but apart from a few sporadic visits during the early 2000’s, their hopes were in vain.
The final blow for North Korea though would come in 2009. The winter of 2008 – 2009 was one of the harshest in living memory, and millions of North Korean citizens died, unable to find clothing or fuel for heating. What made this far worse though was that the government had been unable to provide fuel and clothes to much of it’s military, the money having been spent on two new intercontinental ballistic missiles and the nuclear warheads they contained. When spring came, on the 7th of April 2009 massive sections of the army openly rebelled, shooting their own officers and driving columns of tanks and armored personnel vehicles to Pyongyang, capital of the North. When five senior military officials tried to escape by aircraft, North Korean fighter jets shot them down before they could leave the country. Faced with a complete breakdown of order and unable to command virtually any section of the army or air force, Kim Chong-Il fled by submarine on the 10th, abandoning most of the country’s command network.
With the single man who had the capacity to control the country gone, North Korea fell apart. Thousands of starving citizens took to the streets along with the soldiers, looting government stores and warehouses. The few remnants of control remained in the hands of the highest officers who had rebelled, namely General Wu Chi Kai. General Kai contacted the South Korean government on the 12th, requesting assistance in restoring order to the country and removing the last traces of the communist government of Kim. The South immediately agreed, sending troops over the DMZ accompanied by massive amounts of food and medical supplies, mostly supplied by the US. It wouldn’t be until June that the country would be completely pacified, but the immediate goal of keeping the North’s population alive had succeeded. On the 1st of December, 2009, the Democratic Republic of North Korea ceased to exist, and a single Korean government was established over the entire peninsula. North Korea’s nuclear arsenal was dismantled and the weapons destroyed, though some rumors persisted that the new government had kept a few of these warheads in storage. These were never confirmed and officially denied by the United Republic of Korea.
Kim Chong-Il landed near Shanghai and was immediately captured and imprisoned by the Chinese government. Nothing more was heard from him until 2023, when the Chinese government announced that the former leader had died of natural causes.
The URK turned its attention towards undoing the decades of communist mismanagement in the North and healing the nations’ wounds. The burden of rebuilding the North caused the South Korean economy to falter, much as the cost of East Germany had affected West Germany during the 1990’s. It would be the formation of GEAPS which would truly drag the URK out of its financial rut and give the country a much needed boost of foreign capital.
Taiwan throughout the early 21st century remained wary of its giant neighbor to the west. Even though China showed increasingly little interest in absorbing Taiwan, the government in Taipei still recognized that a threat remained. Taiwan’s economy, which had previously been quite strong, began to decline during the 2020’s and 2030’s, due mostly to Chinese competition in areas such as electronics where Taiwan had previously been strong. The police actions that would form the China Territories from 2031 to 2039 caused further concern in Taipei, as well as in Seoul and Tokyo. Taiwan in 2032 approached Japan about the possibility of an alliance, interestingly only a few weeks before Korea would do the same.
The reason for Taiwan’s desire to forge closer relations with Japan was a result of the United States’ retreat from world affairs. With the US Seventh Fleet now stationed in Portland and US administrations more interested in domestic, rather than foreign, affairs, Taiwan realized that she could no longer count on the superpower to aid her. Joining ASEAC was a possibility, but Taiwan was well aware that its own economy would suffer as a result, and the nations of the south were more likely to pay closer attention to their own concerns rather than those of a distant northern ally. Taiwan knew that a union with Japan would mean economic strength, especially in the capacity to resist Chinese commerce. When it became known that Korea was also interested, all three nations hurried to finalize the treaty.
Japan’s reasoning for joining with the URK and Taiwan was much the same as what drove the other two nations to forge the alliance of GEAPS. Economically Japan was falling behind China, and militarily the country was weak. With the US withdrawal from the island nation in 2029 the constitution had been altered to expand the Self Defense Force, a move that was increased in 2031 after China’s invasion of Thailand. Still, the Japanese government was well aware that its own military would be unable to resist a Chinese invasion if one occurred. A union with the URK and Taiwan seemed to be one of the only ways to ensure that the country would be safe.
The Greater East Asian Prosperity Sphere treaty was signed on the 6th of August, 2033, and placed the military forces of Taiwan, Japan and the United Republic of Korea under a joint control system known as the National Early Response Vanguard, or NERV. Free trade agreements were also included in the treaty, cementing economic ties that would revitalize the economies of all three nations and finally enable them to compete with Chinas’ financial might. The treaty also pledged each member state to assist the others if a conflict should occur.
As a final note, the space program of GEAPS came primarily from the Japanese, who in 2005 had launched a lunar satellite and had plans to expand their position to manned missions by 2020. Economic constraints though caused this to not happen. With the combined efforts of GEAPS however the space program of the alliance surged ahead, with a Taiwanese space base established in 2036. The program was driven for much the same reasons as ASEAC’s space endeavors; commercial and military profit. Most of the funding for the GEAPS space program came directly from NERV, who naturally was highly interested in obtaining secure satellite launch facilities. The program would never branch out into manned space travel due once more to financial constraints, but under the leadership of NERV the alliance was able to firmly establish a presence in space. Thus GEAPS would, come 2052, be able to rapidly exploit Gate technology.
Both ASEAC and GEAPS came about because of China’s rise to the status of a superpower, economically and militarily, and from the withdrawal of the United States from world affairs. Each of these alliances would survive into the Expansion Period and give their member states a stake in inter-stellar colonization that, had they remained separate, they never would have been able to achieve.
Further reading can be found in Richard Bently “The History of East Asia”, Lung Yahoshi “Japan and Taiwan: History of an alliance”, Wu Mihoshi “GEAPS: From 2000 – 2050” and Thomus Larson “Economic factors in the rise of Asian alliances”. Web searches for “GEAPS, history”, “Japan, history”, “Taiwan, history” and “Korean peninsula, history” will return the most relevant results.
Conclusion: The Dawn of Expansion
The goal of these previous nine chapters was to give the reader an understanding of the world in 2052, as well as providing an explanation of why the political and economic structure of the globe unfolded as it did. Certainly some areas have been skipped or rushed through; but in truth any one of these chapters could have been expanded out into many volumes of work. Obviously, it is not possible to do that here, and for readers who wish to continue study in the particular areas I have touched on, relevant scholarly works have been provided in addition to study aids.
What does all this mean though? When we get past the social, cultural, economic, political and military factors that shaped the world of 2052, what does that mean to us? How does it help us to understand the Expansion Period and the subsequent Consolidation Period?
For starters we can see that the world was turning towards alliances. Though the 21st century would see some old pacts, such as NATO, fall apart, they would be replaced by new ones, and in regions where previously there had been little coercion, such as Asia, fresh alliance networks would spring into being. The reason for this was that the world was becoming separated into a number of geo-political blocs. Previously, in the 20th century, the ideological boundaries of communism and capitalism had divided the world, but with the death of communism this could no longer apply. The nations that emerged from the 20th century were either small or large states. The large states; The United States of America, The People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation, would come to be the most powerful nations in the world. Yet unlike during the 20th century, when smaller nations had attached themselves to larger ones by means of diplomacy, the states of the 21st century did not wish for this to occur. Instead, to counter to growing power of the super-states, the smaller nations forged new alliances to provide a balance to their larger neighbors.
This would have a tremendous impact upon the Expansion Period. If Gate technology had been discovered in the year 2000, barely a handful of nations would have had the technological and economic resources to properly exploit it. The reason was that the world was fragmented, divided into hundreds of small, squabbling political entities, and only a few of them were strong enough on their own to launch a space program. Turn the clock forwards fifty years and we can see the world separated into a number of factions: In Eurasia, the conglomerates of the European Union, The Russian Federation, the China Territories, the Greater East Asian Prosperity Sphere and the Australasia and South East Asia treaty organization dominated the world’s largest landmass. A mere 5 political entities controlling over half the world’s population and nearly two thirds of the natural resources on the planet. Such a thing would have been unthinkable fifty years previously.
It was these alliances and super-states that would launch humanity into space. Without them the Expansion would have taken centuries, and mankind would probably now only just starting to explore Alpha Centauri or Sirius. Worse still, we may even have encountered the Kharaa before we had the means to repel them. The losses of United America or the Frontiersmen would pale against a Kharaa invasion of Earth. Thankfully, this is not the case
Secondly, major war was almost forgotten. The Iranian War of 2007 was the last major conflict to occur before the last years of the Expansion Period, and even though the Iranian war cost millions of lives it never reached the scale of either of the world wars of the 20th century. Nuclear weapons, coupled with the rampant spread of capitalist ideas, had produced a peace of sorts across the globe. Certainly military research continued, and the threat of terrorism remained in the minds of many political leaders. 2052 would see all that change though. The money previously spent on guns, bombs and tanks would instead be thrown into space programs across the globe, financing the spread of mankind across the galaxy. Only towards the end of the Expansion Period were military budgets once again given high priority, as the various trans-system governments scrambled to protect their assets from real or imagined threats. Many military historians believe that Gate technology was the salvation of mankind, as if we had continued down the path of the 21st century we may have eventually had a war that would destroy us as a species. Of course, that is merely speculation, but it does provoke a moment of thoughts.
And upon this unsuspecting world, confidant that tomorrow held nothing special, Gate technology was unleashed. The discovery by the Kensky/Libovah team came as a surprise to just about every person across the globe, except for the few who had been researching into the field of gravitational wormholes for a number of years. Much as atomic power in 1945 had heralded the dawn of a new era, Gate technology would be the start of mankind’s conquest of the stars. The process of that expansion into space will be examined in the next section of this document.
Is there a site you can host it on? Usually, post containing that much text are hex'ed on any forum. I mean I guess I could let it slide, but it's daunting to look at and read on here. If you need a place, I can host it on <a href='http://wayward.netfirms.com/' target='_blank'>Wayward Warriors</a>.
Moooooooore!!! (ha, if possible)
The actual real history stuff in there took me no time; all of it is general knowledge that I have floating around in my head. Some of the book sources are real, others I made up. The overall themes such as the African Plague or the Iranian War or the growth of alliances I thought up myself in my copious spare time, like sitting in a lecture room bored out of my skull of working out at the gym. Penning it down is what takes time.
I'm thrilled with the responses <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo--> I may very well take up that offer of a hosting; the whole thing looks a bit better in MS Word which is where I wrote it and the forum won't quite try and crash if I post it.
As for more, it's gonna be a bit before the next release, which will be Part 2: Expansion. Give my poor fingers a break guys! <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo--> I'll try and bash it out over the coming month though.
Hope that answers some questions <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
But the rest sounds right.
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Hmm, I thought that the TSA was the overall organisation, and the TSC was, as you said, the various diplomats/bureaucrats from the trans-system governments and corperations. Meh, it's hard to figure out when the information I have to work with is so sparse. I still havn't figured out what the hell the N.F.O is <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Btw, the fan-fic is now hosted at <a href='http://www.synergysanctum.com/ww/view.php?post=5554' target='_blank'>http://www.synergysanctum.com/ww/view.php?post=5554</a> . Many thanks to rob6264 for the hosting!
GJ man.
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <b>Tungsten Hill:</b>
Systemwide Corp. and the Taiwanese Republic "negotiating" a "policy dispute" while 6000 people, the live-in work force of the gigantic mining outpost, slowly starved to death. The TSA ran both blockades with minimal casualties, and evacuated the civilians … after TSA engineers repurposed the outpost's railguns, and made good on their threat to destroy any forces that interfered with 100 ton bullets of tungsten ore.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Now the TSA's primary source of funding is Constellation
QUOTE
Tungsten Hill:
Systemwide Corp. and the Taiwanese Republic "negotiating" a "policy dispute" while 6000 people, the live-in work force of the gigantic mining outpost, slowly starved to death. The TSA ran both blockades with minimal casualties, and evacuated the civilians … after TSA engineers repurposed the outpost's railguns, and made good on their threat to destroy any forces that interfered with 100 ton bullets of tungsten ore.
Now the TSA's primary source of funding is Constellation <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Hmm, interesting. I thought Tungsten Hill was the TSA asserting the Charter, and whilst naturally this action caused the TSC to get annoyed, I didn't think it caused a serious rift. Looking at the funding issue though in the Techtrope article it states:
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->With the Frontiersmen Charter, the TSA has been infused with an adrenaline rush of funds. New equipment, new ships, and new technology are filling Concord Station to overflowing, not to mention the steady stream of new recruits, many of whom have been on waiting lists for up to four years.
<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Give us the budget, they said, and we will create a new force specifically created to deal with the alien threat, and others like it, wherever expansion pushes into new and uncharted space. “Call them the Frontiersmen,” the proposal concludes, “standing on the edge of the unknown, between all of humanity and whatever would threaten it.”
With surprising and somewhat suspicious speed, the proposal passed through the Trans-System Council and into effect. Money was diverted, hardware and enlistment restrictions abolished, and seemingly overnight, the Frontiersmen were born.
To keep the charter, they must be operational in June. The three months following will be a trial period, with constant reviews and reports from a team of independent observers, appointed by the Council.
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That seems to suggest to me that, although the TSA lost a heap of funding from c2150 - 2200, due mainly to them annoying Trans-System governments and corperations, the threat of the Kharaa, and the subsequent Frontiersman Charter, led to an infusion of funding from the various afforementioned trans-system entities, via the TSC. The Constellation program was, I thought, a side-show compared to the main source of funding from the TSC.
Does that make sense? I've gotta get this all sorted out so I can do the 3rd and 4th parts <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.natural-selection.org/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
However.
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->
<b>Constellation
Origins and History</b>
It's commonly known that in the period before the TSA formed the Frontiersmen, they were constantly struggling for funds. ... The Trans-Govs, startled that their pet military had turned out to have a will of its own (and sharp teeth), began working to slash funding, and taking more devious measures to divert or squander the TSA's resources. If the TSA would not behave, they would starve it into submission.
... at just this time a grass-roots movement began. It was called the Constellation. ... The amount of funds the Constellation donated is unclear, but there is no disputing the effect: ... the TSA was able to continue its research and development, leading to such stunning developments as field phase gate technology, and portable heavy machine guns. The TSA may have survived this period on its own. But the Constellation allowed them to grow. To this day, the contributions of the Constellation continues to allow the TSA to develop new technologies.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It seems that in the years following Tungsten Hill, the TSC gradually diverted more and more funding from the TSA (presumably as retaliation to other incidents like Tungsten Hill). From then to the forming of the Frontiersman branch of the TSA; the majority of the TSA's funding came from Constellation.
However, I still have no idea what the N.F.O is <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
That is some of the highest praise I could ever hope to recieve, and I am very pleased to accept it.
Thankyou everyone for the feedback, it has helped to no end with my efforts to produce the next part.
After such a long dissertation on world affairs in c. 2050, the absence of any mention of south america is conspicuous - even a footnote would be nice (sorry for being picky, but after reading it, this was the question most prevalent in my mind!)
<b> Highly Recommended </b>
Be nice on these forums, .eLiMiNaToR., or you may find yourself off of them.
All of that, and you're still promising three more parts?! Wow...
<!--emo&::fade::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/fade.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='fade.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--emo&::gorge::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/pudgy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='pudgy.gif'><!--endemo-->