Stellaris Ch 1

Chapter 1 - 2200 to :

The United Nations Organization is currently led by President Arthur Jabby. The next election is not until 2210, and he's promised to build a new network of mining stations to provide materials and energy to earth. The current policies of the UNO include individual rights and freedom of movement and migration. Humans are industrious, intelligent, deviant as ever, and wasteful.

In the last several hundred years, humans have become obsessed with finding alien life. Their efforts to reach other systems reach a climax in 2200, when the first interstellar space ship, the UNS Oshere, is launched. It is headed by Zelda Idhrendura, an experienced and ambitious scientist. She and her team of 12 astronauts will be the first humans to leave the system.

In March of 2200, the warp drive powers up. It reaches full power an entire day later, and the ship bends through space. It arrives in the Alpha Centauri system a week later. It's a trinary star system with a possible habitable planet around the largest star. the UNS Oshere will survey each body in the system before returning to earth.

A second science ship is put into production in June. This one will be completed in a mere 2 months, and it will be sent to explore the other way. Ian McClellan is given command of the UNS Europa, and he sets out in August. Bernard's Star is reached in September. It's a rather dull system at first glance, void of any habitable planet.

News of the achievements reach earth months after they happen. There is a general elation at the first huge step since the Mars landings in the 2000's. In the last 20 years, warped transmissions, waves capable of being transmitted faster than light, have been developed. In the Sol system, it is nearly instantaneous communication. From Alpha Centauri, 4 light years away, it takes a few months. As technology improves, that time is expected to be cut down to minutes.

The first alien life is discovered on Alpha Centauri III in December of 2200. None of it is sapient, most of it similar to the intelligence level of wildlife on earth, but it is a major discovery. When the news finally reaches earth, it is headline news for over 2 months. Alpha Centauri III would be a perfect first colony outside of the Sol system. It's planet shares many characteristics with earth: it's slightly smaller, but it has carbon based flora and large oceans.

With the discovery of a possible colony planet, President Jabby authorizes a research study of toxic and greenhouse gaseous worlds. It is very likely that earth will be facing catastrophic climate change and mass extinction, and humans must learn more about the possible future to prevent such a thing from happening.

The Bernard's Star system is fully explored in June of 2201, and the UNS Europa returns to earth shortly, before setting out to explore the Pathabaan Vortex, a mysterious black hole system. Once that is surveyed, the UNS Europa will be sent to the other side of Sol to the Sidor  System.

The first space station outside of Sol is completed in March of 2202 in the Bernard system. The UNO is expanding quickly, and construction begins on new mining stations to maintain the expanding earth space network.

In just 2 years, space travel between systems has become a normal thing. Alpha Centauri is fully surveyed in June, and the UNS Oshere moves to another system without much acknowledgement from the public.

Strangely, the UNS Europa receives a weak signal, from what may be a tracking beacon. It is coming from the moon of one of the Sidar system planets. Ian McClellan and his team land on the moon to discover what is sending the signal.

McClellan's team discovers a small transmitter placed near a large deposit of minerals. The technology used to create such a transmitter is rather rudimentary, like a human transmitter from the 20th century. Still, it leaves the question open as to what placed it there. Is this the first evidence of intelligent alien life?

A space station is built around Alpha Centauri in 2204, and President Jabby approves the construction of a massive colonization ship to send to Alpha Centauri III. The colony ship will be able to hold 100 thousand people, and several smaller ships will ferry people and resources to the planet over several years. A total of 1 million people are hoped to be ferried to Alpha Centauri III. Each country of the world will select who they would like to send, each getting a ratio of the total sent, depending on their populations. Once the other planet is reached, a colonial government under earth, that administers over the entire planet, will be formed.

The third space station outside of Sol is completed around the black hole of Pathabaan Vortex. A science station will be constructed around the black hole to learn more about how these form and what they can be used for.

Nanotechnology improves significantly with new discoveries in 2205.

On December 14th, 2205, the colony of Alpha Centauri is founded. There are celebrations across earth at this great news.

In 2206, the UNS Europa enters the Runa system, several dozen light years away from Sol. Here, the ship reports an encounter with a strange alien vessel, and not at all what would be expected of intelligent alien life. It is a 'fleet' of giant space squid creatures, with tentacles several kilometers long trailing behind a massive head. Not much can be figured out about them, but they seem to feed off of gas giants, possibly. They are not hostile, but scientists still advise not to try anything with them. It is becoming apparent that humans know very, very little about the universe.

Fusion reactors are developed in 2207, and ships are retrofitted to include the new technology.

Over the next few years, the rest of the network of systems around Sol is explored, and more space ports are built. In 2210, the next UNO election begins. Several prominent people are running for office, including Zelda Idhrendura, Ian McClellan, and the colonial governor of Alpha Centauri named Kate TBC. Arthur Jabby is running for a second term.

President Jabby is given a second term the same week that the population of Alpha Centauri reaches the goal of 1 million.

A study is done in 2211 to determine what exactly the space squids are. They are labeled Tiyanki by a Russian scientist on the UNS Europa, and they are very docile, probably never attacking, even in self defense. They feed on the upper layers of gas planets and nothing else.

The politics of space evolves in July, as 3 factions emerge to compete for control of the UNO. Arthur Jabby founds the Xeno Liberty League, which strives for contact with alien entities. Ian McClellan starts the Institute for the Advancement of Science with many of the influential scientists of the age. Zelda Idhrendura founds the Free Elections Center.

Another strange alien species is discovered in 2212, another ginormous space squid-like creature, these with shorter tentacles but larger heads. Unlike the Tiyanki, these creatures are hostile, and the UNS Oshere is forced to flee from the creatures.

In response to the threat, the UNO Space Fleet is founded, and 8 corvettes equipped with missiles and lasers are put into production. However, the creatures disappear before the fleet can arrive.

In the next two years, several more habitable planets are found, although none are quite as habitable as Alpha Centauri. An arid world is found not far from Sol, although its wildlife is mostly deadly. Further away, a mycelium world full of large mushroom forests is discovered. The system over, two worlds are discovered, one of which is covered by mangrove, the other mountainous and cold.

The first true sapient alien life is discovered in 2215. At first look thought to be an alpine world in the Kiram system, the planet Kiram I is home to a strange, arachnid-type species that is currently technologically equivalent to the human iron age. The news is answered by joyous celebration on Earth and Alpha Centauri. It is agreed that no contact should be had with these primitive natives. For now, they will be observed.