Arcturus, Intro and Reference.
#1 of Arcturus
Comments are very welcome, in particular constructive criticism.
I'm starting a new series. I've been holding in my head a certain sci-fi universe now for years. I've always been into Science Fiction and I'm actually a science student in University. (Chemistry, with some dollops of Physics and Biology thrown in.)
Now that I've gotten the drive to write, I'd like to put some of it on paper (or indeed, in binary). Nothing about it is really very groundbreaking and original in particular, but I believe a lot can be done with it. So I will be attempting to write some actual proper stories here. Also, I'm trying to keep the slaps in the face of physics as small as possible. Unfortunately you need a few slaps to be able to make a proper story.
Lovers of steamy scenes (i.e. 99,9% of us) need not despair at this point. I'll certainly be putting in lots of lovely furry action. But the story will be the main drive for me, rather than just a framework to support the exchange of bodily fluids.
The first section of this chapter will describe, briefly, the important history of the known Galaxy up to this point, nothing too heavy I assure you.
The rest of the this chapter will be used as a reference list for terms, concepts and technology that I feel require a bit more explanation than can be comfortably inserted in the actual story without disrupting the flow. I will update this list as I add stories and will list the terms as per occurrence. I don't think it will be huge mind you. (and most of it you can probably guess)
The Wolf whose tale will be told in these stories was born in the year 2505 on Arcturus Prime to a wealthy landowning family. This makes him 21 years old in the "present". This also makes him 14 years old when his home planet was unexpectedly invaded by Imperial troops. The next chapter will speak of the events that day as a sort of background for the character, before I snap back to the "present day" in the chapter after that.
So! If you managed to read through all that, congratulations! If your grey matter is sufficiently efficient to remain interested after all that, you are clearly of great intellect! (This is not a transparent effort to get you to keep reading)
Right, let's get started shall we?
The year is 2526. Mankind has spread its wings and broken away from their Solar system , spreading its genes throughout their local spiral arm of the Milky Way.
By Mankind, I of course refer to the many anthropomorphized furry creatures that Mankind has genetically engineered itself to be. The general idea, you see, was to keep the all-round human advantages of opposable thumbs, upright posture and a large brain whilst adding genetic advantages found in other animals, advantages such as the wolf's speed, stamina and strength for instance, or the wings and lightweight bones of various birds to allow flight without the aid of machines. Even just the shiny fur was a good enough reason really. People are silly like that.
It's a perfectly logical and reasonable explanation why everyone now looks like a real-life furry. Don't try and find any reason why that doesn't make any sense. There are none.
The Galactic Arm was colonized intensively. Most habitable planets now support a decent population of at least a few million. Many other have been, and are being, terraformed over many years to provide a suitable environment. Others are simply mined for resources.
At first, sometime in the 22nd century, all the new colonies were independent. The technology at the time did not allow for the quick and easy travel and communication required for a centralized government to operate.
With the invention of the Hawking drive* and transmitter back on Earth in 2233, named after Stephen Hawking (a 21th century British Physicist),these hurdles were overcome. A sort of Federation formed out of this, the United Colonies. Over time the governance became more centralized until, in the year 2388, the Empire of Earth was founded by Imperator Augustus I (the nobility had developed a thing for the Romans). The Imperator, who was elected from a Senate of representatives from all the colonies, would reign for 10 years, during which he had near absolute control. Only if 75% of the Senate agreed, could they veto his power. Only one term was allowed. This allowed for highly efficient and decisive politics which benefitted most in the long run, instead of focusing on short-term gains and election years.
This all went quite well, with the occasional splash of political impasse. Until, that is, the Imperator Julius III, in the year 2499, decided he'd much rather stay in power a tad longer....say, forever. He bribed, bartered and threatened the Senate to get his way, but he failed. The Senate was, rather surprisingly, composed of almost nothing but principled individuals that stood by those principles adamantly. (very heartwarming, I agree)
So Julius III gave up his evil plans and.....oh, hang on. That's the wrong script.... Ah! Here it is!....he killed the lot of them and took power. One of the advantages of being supreme commander of the armed forces is being able to do things like that.
Julius III went about being your typical maniacal dictator for a while. He raised taxes, executed dissidents, built large monuments to himself and stroked a small white cat while laughing devilishly in his underground lair surrounded by lasers.
The colonies were, understandably, not entirely certain they agreed with these policies. Actually, they were pretty sure they weren't. They were miffed.
In 2512 a massive rebellion surged through the Empire. Entire systems simply cut communications and joined together in a renewed union, The Federation of Free Colonies or FFC. (Generally just called the Federation.)
War broke out as Julius III attempted to restore his rule. The Imperial Army and Navy swarmed outwards relentlessly. Anyone that resisted was fair game. The ancient concept of "rape and pillage" lost its quaint charm as entire worlds were raped and pillaged under the Golden Eagle banner. The FFC struck back in full force soon after and the ever shifting borders were bathed in the eternal glow of Hydrogen Fusion warheads (H-bombs).
Describing this greatest of all wars in any detail would take a number of books, so let's fast forward to the end.
In 2519, a large Imperial fleet arrived in the Arcturus system, deep in FFC territory, dangerously close to the large industrial worlds. The vast shipyards in orbit around the outmost planets were destroyed and the inhabited planet of Arcturus Prime was raided. The FFC, shocked at the way this fleet bypassed the frontlines, arranged a counter attack of massive proportions. They sent 6 Battleships, 32 cruisers and a swarm of smaller vessels to fight the Empire's 9 Battleships, 2 Battle Cruisers and 40 Cruisers escorted by their own swarm of support vessels. The odds were bad, but if they lost here the FFC would swiftly fall.
Rear Admiral Hawke (appropriately a hawk) commanded the FFC fleet with unprecedented genius and decisiveness. He countered every attack made by the Imperials, exploited every gap and coordinated his ships in perfect unison. Against the odds, he smashed the enemy completely. With only minimal losses, he had defeated the largest Imperial fleet in existence. He proceeded to retake several systems in quick succession. He was received a hero, they called him the 26th century's Mannstein. They praised his monocle-clad countenance across dozens of worlds. Two new medals were invented to award to him. It was assumed his balls were massive. They too, were given a medal.
The unexpected loss compelled the Imperator to sign a peace, the colonies rejoiced and began building their own legacy. Julius III, however, had not breathed his last anytime soon. He plotted revenge, as do all maniacal dictators.
Reference list
Introduction
* Hawking Drive :
Your standard "Hyperdrive". It takes large amount of energy to send a ship to it destination via a wormhole shortcut, shortens trips from many years to just a few hours. The transmitter works similarly but, since EM-transmissions move at the speed of light through the wormhole, allows messaging with just a few minutes of delay between sending and receiving.
Prelude
*Hive planet
Think planet-wide city with hundreds of floors. They contain many billions of people and are important industrial centers.
* Vat grown meat.
Grown in laboratory conditions in nutrient vats, this meat is made up out of the same genetic material as cows, pigs, etc. It allows for mass production of foodstuff, which is needed to support the vast populations of the Hive planets.
*Plasma caster
Plasma is a fourth state of matter (besides solid, liquid and gas). The stuff the sun mostly consists of is in its plasma state. It is extremely hot and emits light.
Now what a caster does is generate this plasma in-situ using large currents and magnets. It then "fires" the matter along a containment field through the inside of a barrel (avoiding contact with the plasma as it would otherwise melt). It then basically acts like a gigantic flame thrower. The superheated matter spreads out and cuts through just about anything.
*Railgun
You take a bullet and apply a magnetic field to shoot it out of the barrel. Heavy, high speed projectiles with enormous kinetic energy are the result.
*Praetorians
Imperial elite forces, attached to high-ranking officials as body guards. They are the best troops the Empire has to offer and are highly privileged. They wear expensive suits of armor that can stop a rifle round from 60 meters and comes with various helpful systems.
In short, don't mess with these guys.
Chapter I
*Novus Corporation
One of the galaxy's three megacorporations, they have holdings all over the place, usually a moon here and a patch of land on a planet there. They deal in research and development as well as high-tech goods of all sorts. The Empire and the FFC often purchase weapons and ship components in bulk from them.
Because of this they are guaranteed by both sides and can expand their business throughout the Spiral Arm whilst ignoring many of the trading limitations placed on other corporations.