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Chapter 3: The Exodus (2251-2450)

Note On Historical Accuracy:

Accuracy of historical records of this time are improved.  Documents and transmissions are recorded and dates are clearer.   Most of the earliest information has been collected from various works stored in libraries across the galaxy.  The latter detail from more recent history books from the inner colonies.

3.0: Society

The middle of the 23^rd century showed some of humanity's greatest triumphs as well as created, probably, its most tragic failure.  The catastrophe that was the Promised Land Movement was an almost fatal blow to the Human race.  If it weren't for the pioneering spirit that humanity is known for, the human race would have been doomed to extinction.

 

In the year 2253, the Eberhart/Nakamura Corporation (ENC) developed a prototype FTL drive. This new technology would propel a ship far enough away from the nearest solar system, fully into the inter-phased anomaly dimension.  In doing so, ships could now circumvent the "c barrier."

 

Experiments using unmanned probes proved positive results.  In 2256, the first manned FTL flight was undertaken. Pilots Tallina Visser and Sander Jacobssen were the first humans to travel beyond the solar system.  Their journey only took them to about 53,000 A.U. (26,500,000 LS) away from the edge of the solar system, but did it in a matter of seconds once entering what is now, romantically called, hyperspace.  By the year 2262, the first interstellar exploratory vessel, the 30,000tonne(m³) Pathfinder.  This ship, funded by the nation of United North America and built by ENC, launched to the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri.  This voyage took 43 days with these early primitive hyperdrives.  The science team returned 2 years later with a wealth of data from the system.  The most interesting find among the data was evidence that the star system was visited by another race.

3.1: First Contact

The Pathfinder found what looked like a sensor buoy of some kind.  It was active, sending an unknown type of signal (now known to be a hyper-transmission) when the ship came close.  The buoy was alien in design, and the signal radiation was directed away from Sol.  It is known, now, that the device was constructed by the Gha!kuuk'aa, signaling one of their city-ships that humanity had made their first interstellar trip.  The buoy is on display in the Early Space Travel section of the Museum of Old Earth History.

 

This news was met with much skepticism at first.  Many people, especially among religious leaders, denounced the findings as false (there were still members of the population who refused to believe in space travel altogether, calling it a big conspiracy hoax).  The controversy gave fuel to the Promised Land Movement, who have been postulating on the opinion that space travel was a waste of resources.  These opinions were truly challenged, however, when the Gha!kuuk'aa arrived.

 

Initial radio contact with the United Nations council was the first step.  On May 26, 2265, the Gha!kuuk'aa city-ship, the Vi'Krux, entered Earth orbit.  The news caused anxiety amongst much of the population, but a U.N.-backed shuttle was dispatched, occupied by diplomats from several nations.  The Vi'Krux dispatched a small craft of their own and the two ships met in orbit-the first contact the human race had, officially, encountered.

 

The Gha!kuuk'aa explained that they had visited Earth before, centuries ago.  After discovering what they called "a promising race", they left Earth alone, as is their policy with fledgling species.  The        Gha!kuuk'aa admitted to setting up the transmission buoy in the Alpha Centauri system (called Ixchtl by the Gha!kuuk'aa).  The Gha!kuuk'aa were pleased that humanity finally made it to space, and they welcomed humanity as friends. 

 

The Gha!kuuk'aa have no planet to call their own; their entire culture and people reside in enormous (1,000,000tonnes+)city-ships that travel the galaxy. Some of their technical knowledge was shared with humanity-especially improvements to hyperdrive systems.  Terraforming technology was also given to the people of Earth by the Gha!kuuk'aa.  Worlds that were deemed uninhabitable could have their status changed in a century or two.

 

The contact team also stated that there were worlds available for human colonization out in space, worlds with no sentient species inhabiting them. The only thing they asked for in return for this knowledge was the right to trade with humanity for minerals and other necessities their city-ships needed. The leaders of Earth agreed. It is now known, that it was another test by the Gha!kuuk'aa to get humanity used to interstellar commerce and economy.

 

Over the next 60 years, scout ships, followed by colony vessels, explored and colonized many worlds within 50LY of Earth. Most solar systems were found to either contain no worlds of value or no planets at all. Others, however, produced "garden worlds" that were compatible enough for human habitation. Expeditions further out produced similar results. Even with most systems not being much use except for scientific research, there were always systems that were valid. These discovery produced a flowering of colonization from many nations. Many nations couldn't produce starships. Individuals from these nations traveled on other nation's ships going to an outer colony. The result was many colonies became multicultural and diverse.

3.2: The Coup

In 2300 C.E., politicians, who subscribed to a more isolationist way of life, gained a majority vote in most national governments as well as the U.N.. The new regimes were successful in this because of the increased reactions from conservative populace, who wanted life on Earth back as it was before space travel. Many events in human history ran in contrast with many peoples' philosophies. These people became more and more reactionary to extra-terrestrial concepts and wanted no part of them. Many peoples of the planet believed that Earth was "God's world", and beings from other worlds must be anti-God come to lead the human race astray. These people formed the true base of the Promised Land Movement, who were getting more and more popular.

 

2307 witnessed the founding of a new order on Earth: a world government based on Promised Land doctrine. It was simple: space was an unnecessary frivolity that humans couldn't afford. The concept of life off of Earth was too much for many peoples and, as a result, was mass-rejected by most of the population on the planet. Humans were made to be on Earth, they surmised, and Earth is where they should stay.

 

In their defense, most of the world leaders had good intentions - at first. They honestly thought what they were doing was best for humanity. People's needs had to be fulfilled, and they felt that they were the ones best equipped to do it. Their policies, however, became extremely more corrupt in the years to come.

 

3.2.1: The New Order

The Promised Land instituted social engineering programs that became more and more repressive as time went on. It eventually dominated every aspect of human life by 2310. The upper echelon of the Promised Land was regarded as heaven-sent and infallible. Upward social mobility ceased to exist and titles became hereditary. Individual thought and initiative was frowned upon. Nonconformity was punished to an extent that ran contrary to the humanitarian principles the leaders claimed to cherish. The more productive members of society were called upon for greater and greater efforts to support the rest of the unproductive population.

 

Each citizen of the New Order of the Promised Land (NOPL) received entitlement to a Basic Share of the planet's economic wealth. That meant everyone, no matter their status, received enough income to sustain themselves. Ones born or (rarely) drafted into the work force received extra perks according to their station in the Order. This method of social engineering, many individuals in the upper echelon were not competent enough to run their assigned operations.

               

Many of Earth's population were disadvantaged, as many people lacked the skills and intelligence for the technical industries of the Post-Industrial Age. By 2340, 80% of the world's population was unemployable and untrainable. The doctrine of "Earth Only Matters" kept most of them planet-bound.

 

3.3: The High Colonies

After the ascension of NOPL on Earth, the colonies throughout the solar system suffered greatly. The solar colonies were regarded as a decadent luxury supported on the backs of the righteous peoples of Earth. The facts were to the contrary; most of the colonies, Including the L-4 and L-5 stations, were self-sustaining by this time. Others could be supported directly by the other solar colonies (called the High Colonies). The fact that the High Colonies exported mass quantities of badly-needed food and resources to Earth was ignored, even suppressed by the NOPL council, who wanted to maintain the illusion that they alone were all-providing to the people. Space represented freedom to humanity, and the High Colonies continued to be a nearby reminder of this concept. The NOPL's hatred of space, and all it stood for, drove them into a vicious propaganda war against the High Colonies to the peoples of Earth.

 

The propaganda painted that anyone who desired to leave God's World was an enemy, that the colonists were all lazy, gluttonous, wasteful pigs that leeched off of the Righteous Planet.  Most of the people of Earth believed it, and relations between Earth and her High Colonies became extremely strained. If the Earth-hugging masses resented the colonies, the colonies harbored mutual feelings towards the "Groundhogs"(a term used to describe cultures who wish to remain planet-bound).

Many colonials were political exiles. Others were lucky enough to be able to leave Earth and her ever-oppressing regime. Some merely claimed to hear the Siren's call to space. These were the most courageous of all, some of the most capable that humanity had to offer.

 

In 2345, the NOPL decreed that the High Colonies could only be governed by NOPL loyalists. These people took their new positions with disdain. The anti-space propaganda made these leaders resent their positions and the colonials. The new leaders turned most of the colonies into latter-day Rhodesias. The colonies were forced to sell their goods at ridiculously-low prices, while being charged exorbitant  prices for goods from Earth.

 

In 2351, the Administer of The Moon formulated a plan to make the hydroponic farms of the moon into major high-yield institutions for growing food for the hungry billions of Earth (now around 35 billion). Free citizens were regulated to clients of the Lunar Administration.

 

In 2355, the Moon became the new area for a correctional facilities for transportees exiled from Earth. These new citizens had little to offer, but the people of the lunar cities were forced to accept them. Most of them were put to work on the farms, glorified slave-labor. Others were put into the lowest levels of employment available.

 

The L-4 and L-5 colonies were not much better off than their Moon cousins. The competent leaders were replaced by NOPL bureaucracy. These leaders ruled their jurisdictions with the greatest ignorance humanity could muster. The policies were bad enough to be a threat to the safety to the lives of all on the colonies. The L-5 colony held some of the best hospitals in the solar system. Many of these were turned into dumping grounds for the incurably insane from Earth.  The L-4 colony housed the solar system's main shipyards.  By 2340, no shipyards were operational on Earth.  All spacecraft production was manufactured either by the High Colonies or the extra-terrestrial worlds.

 

Mars housed the largest industrial base of all the High Colonies. These industries were turned into virtual slave-labor camps like Luna. The administrator had a reputation of exposing anyone who disagreed with him to Mars' atmosphere without the aid of a spacesuit. He was successful only by the battalion of troops that came with him.

               

In the outer region of the solar system - from the Asteroid Belt outward - life was better. The real estate on the terraformed moons as well as the asteroid fields was abundant enough that people could move and set up establishments far enough away from the NOPL-run establishments. The situation on Earth and her inner colonies created intense hatred of NOPL and its culture.

 

3.4: The Exodus

Once NOPL took over Earth, those who disagreed with its policies were not welcome on the homeworld. By 2325, it was getting harder to charter passage off Earth, as NOPL policies became more repressive. Nevertheless the Great Exodus went underway.

 

People made colonies from whatever worlds they found.  Some worlds were penal worlds, its citizens dumped on minimally-habitable worlds with inadequate supplies and training.  Most did not make it; the others became the home of some of the most notorious pirate bands in the sector. 

 

Other types of colonies consisted of various national and ethnic persuasions that were long suppressed by NOPL's doctrine of One Planet One Culture.  Just about every former nation or culture - even national or cultural philosophies long past - have been attempted in one colony or another.  Henrik's Claim (formerly Sirius2), for example, was initially settled by people from Scandinavian nations (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden).  Avalon (formerly Alpha Centauri) was colonized by people of the former United Kingdom (England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales).  People from the Eastern part of the former nation of The United States landed on what they would call New Princeton (formerly Tau Ceti).  The Tzarist Russians colonized Petromir (formerly Sigma Draconis).  Some members from the continent of South America have made a home in Tierra Nuevo (formerly Procyon).  Other examples are out there in the Terran Sector - and beyond.

There were other colonies as well: Sponsored Colonies (some of the most successful colonies), private worlds, and even some worlds were either TransHuman refugee planets or dumping grounds for illegal experiments.  Most of these worlds, however, didn't survive.

3.5: Further Contact