What would normally be considered a prologue is actually a memorandum and thesis as an introduction to the plot. I'll be adding a few pages from the book each week. I hope you enjoy the story and would appreciate any feedback or technical advice about the "science" of the story. If you spot a typo, feel free to let me know.
-- John Chadwell
Office
of the Curator
Museum
of Intergalactic Travel
University
of Cydonia
Cydonia
Prime, 545589-0917
Transmission time: 0815 2173 C.E.
From: Scott
Swayer, Curator, Museum of Intergalactic Travel
To: Dylan
Summerset
Subj: Heinline-Tait
Thesis
Dylan,
As promised, I was able to take time to
locate Doctor Heinline-Tait’s original 2127 thesis (attached), titled, The Geo-Exploitation & Militarism of
Interstellar Exploration.
I hope this helps on your latest book and I
appreciate your contribution to the Museum of Intergalactic Travel.
Your friend,
Scott Sawyer
***Attachment***
The Geo-Exploitation
& Militarism
of Interstellar Exploration
BY
Jennifer T.
Heinlein-Tait, Ph.D. of Space Exploratory History (S.E.H.)
A thesis submitted in
partial fulfillment of the
requirements of advanced
studies of
INTERSTELLAR &
INTERGALATIC GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
at the
UNIVERSITY OF MAMERS VALLIS, MARS
2127 C.E.
CHAPTER 1 – Introduction
A.
Context:
Ever since early man
looked up at the night sky there has been an interest in the stars: first,
perhaps, as distant gods, but over time as destinations.
Space travel was only limited by mankind’s imagination and
technology. While science fiction fans were easily able to travel through space
as early as 1865 in Jules Verne’s From
Earth to the Moon, to actually do so only became feasible by the early 20th
century with rocket engine advances through the works of American scientist
Robert Goddard, Russia’s Konstantine Isiolkovski and Hermann Oberth of Germany.
Rather than deploying early rockets for the good of mankind
they were used as the first weapons of mass destruction during World War II by
Nazi Germany against England. Ever since, the advancement of rocket technology
was spearheaded primarily by governments to carry on wars.
From Sputnik I, a 1957 C.E. effort by ancient Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), to the former United States of America’s
(USA) Mars Explorer Program of the 21st century, that launched the
Mars Exploration rover Curiosity through a joint venture between known as the
Mars Science Laboratory, a joint venture between NASA, JPL, and Cornell
University, space exploration and landings were limited primarily to Earth’s
moon and Mars.
During these early years, there was only one successful
scientific program specifically designed to explore our solar system’s galaxy,
the Milky Way. This program, begun by the former USA was an unmanned mission
that launched the probes Voyager I and Voyager 2 in 1977 C.E.
Designed for a five year mission, to their designers’
amazement, thirty-six years later, Voyager I was still functioning and sending
back data as it reached interstellar space on August 25, 2012 C.E. Voyager 2
accomplished the same milestone in 2016 C.E. Both probes continued operating
and transmitting data back to Earth until they finally went dark in 2025 C.E.
While the journeys of the Voyager probes were significant
scientific endeavors, the Mars Science Laboratory program launched Earth human
exploration into interstellar and intergalactic travel centuries earlier than
anticipated—all through two happenstance discoveries.
On October 10, 2015 C.E. rover Curiosity was completing
exploration of a formation known as the “Darwin” rock in an attempt to
determine the makeup and history of the floor of Gale Crater. NASA was hoping
to find evidence of rock layering through water movement.
As the Mast Camera (Mast-Cam) was being repositioned a
technician noticed an object in the distance that appeared to be constructed of
machined metal. Curiosity was immediately rerouted to investigate. What it
discovered on the crater walls changed the course and timeline of space travel
forever.
The object appeared to be a spacecraft. Obviously, being
that no other Earth government or private venture could be considered
responsible, NASA, and then all concerned Earth governmental agencies,
determined it must be an alien vessel of unknown origins.
The discovery led to a crash program similar to 20th
century American President John F. Kennedy’s Moon Landing program to build a
ship capable of reaching Mars and sustaining the lives of the crew for up to
five years.
The crew was comprised of scientist of every persuasion,
including biologists, geologists, astronomers, metallurgists and nuclear
physicists. Due to the unknown origins of the spacecraft, a military component
was added—just in case.
In case of what,
no one was clear, but the first unit of space
marines was deployed to Mars on 2022 C.E. and Earth’s militarization of
interstellar space had begun.
The second discovery was made soon after the new arrivals
had set up the first Mars scientific outpost and began initial terraforming
experimentation inside Gale Crater. Much of the crater floor was littered with
rocks foreign to the red planet. Within a short time the rocks’ origin was
determined to be the Asteroid Belt.
When search teams were finally able to reach the Curiosity sighting, they discovered a remarkably
well preserved spacecraft. Upon examination the team determined the craft
appeared to be designed for geological exploration in that within its confines
were several metric tons of the black rocks. Additionally, the team found that
much of the ship’s interior was dedicated to processing the rocks. Hundreds of
portable canisters were found to contain a florescent blue liquid of
undeterminable properties.
The preponderance of evidence of interstellar activity by
an unknown species pushed forward further efforts to populate and explore the
Mars. Within a decade three terraformed outposts were established representing
the Independent States of America (former USA), Federation of Slavic Russia,
and the French National Republics (France). The sovereign outposts were linked
through a system of interconnecting hyperloops.
In an effort to properly analyze the alien technology,
several research facilities were constructed. The blue liquid discovered inside
the ship was found to have a remarkably low flashpoint, a very small lower
explosive limit, and an incredibly high potential energy per unit volume. This
came to light after a single drop of the substance was inadvertently ignited,
generating a massive explosion that destroyed an entire facility and resulted
in the deaths of fifteen research personnel.
Concurrently, as the wreckage of the spaceship was examined
and disassembled, mechanical engineers and geological scientists determined the
blue liquid appeared to fuel the ship’s unique propulsion system.
Reminiscent of the numerous land rushes throughout Earth’s
history, the Martian landscape was quickly dotted with more outposts primarily
dedicated to mining and processing the blue liquid along with reverse engineering
the alien ship’s propulsion system.
The unique properties of the blue liquid were eventually
uncovered and trademarked HydraDioxidine3,
or HyDox™, as it became generically known. Of equal importance was the eventual
duplication of the alien propulsion system that culminated with the
construction of the first Alcubierre Drive.
No one was prepared for what occurred when the first test
probe powered by the Alcubierre Drive and fueled by HyDox was launched from
Armstrong-Aldrin Space Center on December 15, 2037 C.E. The test was designed
to assess the drives’ and fuel’s capabilities within the Sun’s solar system.
During the first few seconds the event appeared by all measurements to be a
standard launch. But within moments of clearing the Mars artificial atmosphere,
the probe disappeared.
The most powerful telescopes on Mars and Earth could not
detect the probe’s position. However, its onboard quantum computer was
functioning and it eventually became evident that in the matter of seconds the
probe had traveled more than 14.9 billion km or 100 astronomical units (AU) to
the outer reaches of the Kuiper Belt in the vicinity of the dwarf plant Eris,
specifically orbiting its moon Dysnomia.
While the implications of space travel at such speeds
opened up a myriad of possibilities to the scientific community, the burgeoning
Mars outposts’ governmental and industrial complexes saw untold opportunities
of financial gain and inter-planetary trade; visions that subsequently sparked
the seed of revolution and an independent Mars – one free from the mother
planet.
Unfortunately, the new rush for untold riches went the same
course as the gold discoveries on Earth. Fortunes were made by a few, but many early
prospectors met disaster on the planet’s unforgiving surface. Then when Earth’s
major energy companies took a foothold on Mars the industrialization of HyDox
mining overwhelmed all other attempts to secure rights to the new
inter-planetary gold standard that HyDox became.
Conflicts between colonies broke out and militias were
formed to protect national interests of countries far removed from Mars on
Earth. More space marines were deployed to the planet to reinstate order, but
their ruthless tactics only succeeded in uniting the warring colonies and led
to the first Mars Insurrection on January 10, 2042 C.E.
War between Earth and Mars continued for the next decade
ending in defeat for the colonies. Except for a few minor insurgent flair ups,
peace has continued on Mars, even as the nations of Earth became engulfed in a
worldwide war in the year 2122 C.E. that remains to be resolved.
With Earth nations’ attention diverted inward by the
worldwide war the Martian economy prospered and technological advances spurred
rapid exploitation of the Asteroid Belt. Terraforming began in 2136 C.E. and
the first mining operations commenced in 2140 C.E.
Within two years processing and exportation of HydraDioxidine3 ore began. It was then
that the military craft from alien worlds appeared and their officers began
negotiations to establish relations and the first trade treaties and routes.
The first hostilities between Mars Space Marines and
Terantus forces over mining rights broke out…
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