|
|
Post by Floyd Looney on Jun 25, 2009 5:06:29 GMT -5
The vessel has been crossing uncharted space for a generation, it carries only a few hundred people, some of them were born on the voyage and some had died. Their final destination was in sight, a world unseen and untouched. It was sure to have plants and animals that were strange, many were likely to be toxic. Humans had nothing in common with them, we were the aliens here.
With their final stop coming ever closer the crew and colonists began the long awaited preparations. The Landing Vehicles that lined the sides of their ship were turned on, their batteries charged, their ablative shielding measured. Quarters were cleaned, things were packed and prayers were said.
Passengers who had started the trip young were now the older group, their children born during the voyage had not known life on Earth. They would never have to know the hardships and horrors that had been left behind, fingers were crossed. They would have to learn to live off the land and to start all over. Hopefully they would get it right this time.
Nearly everyone aboard stopped and watch the new world below them in the main observation deck, knowing that life would be forever different one day later. Within hours the LV's would be undocking from the main ship and fall towards the ground, ablative shielding burning off during the descent.
A 500-square mile area had been chosen as the landing spot, it was hard to be more precise since the world had no GPS system or laser guidence from the surface. Soon this group of humans would be outside, some for the first time in their lives. One of their first priorities will be to find or build shelter, ironically enough.
While they were planting their new civilization it would occur to some of the older colonists to wonder how long they had before it reached them. They had escaped from the grasp of tyranny but that grasp would probably find its way to them sooner or later. They wondered. Possibly the United Earth would be an inward-focused dictatorship, perhaps its economy would crumble, perhaps something would keep them from spreading to the stars.
How long do we have? It was a question that could not be answered, of course, until it was.
Would it be all that hard for the UE to figure out which star system they were going to? Had they even bothered? Did they even care that we had escaped? These questions occupied the minds of thosewho had known Earth as they tended the gardens and buried the sewer pipes, improving their little community.
_____________________________________________
The Remnant? Fugitives? Colony?
|
|
|
|
Post by Attero Dominatus on Jun 25, 2009 17:44:03 GMT -5
Very good outline. A engine pumping out several terawatts would eventually be detected from Earth ( consider that current day telescopes can see at least one planet directly www.universetoday.com/2008/11/13/hubble-take-first-visible-light-image-of-extrasolar-planet/ ), so it would only be a matter of time before the colonists were found. If you are looking for suggestions for this outline, maybe this could be a continuation of Kate's Log. Kate's log could be read in the past tense from one of the colonists, who might her grand son/grand daughter. Maybe the asteroid they were going to in that story eventually had an antimatter drive strapped to it. |
|
|
|
Post by Floyd Looney on Jun 25, 2009 18:10:04 GMT -5
Thats interesting. Merging the idea and Katie's Log. HHmm... who says they stopped at the asteroid belt? Maybe they were there for a decade, building a new ship or something....
|
|
|
|
Post by Attero Dominatus on Jun 25, 2009 18:50:57 GMT -5
I dunno. When you said "The Remnant? Fugitives? Colony?" I thought you were looking for suggestions.
It was stated in Kate's log they were going to live in an asteroid. So naturally, I thought it was in the asteroid belt and thought maybe the place was eventually converted into a ship that is mainly a hollowed out asteroid with an engine strapped to it or something.
I am sorry if any of this conflicts with your ideas.
|
|
|
|
Post by Floyd Looney on Jun 25, 2009 19:12:23 GMT -5
Nah, my ideas never have endings anyway... I have no plan. Thats not a bad idea at all though. Trying to stay one step ahead of the tyranny? Katie is 25 years older by the time they get to the new world I would guess, 36? 37? Maybe she is now the youngest member of their self-governing council and in charge of the food production?
|
|
|
|
Post by Floyd Looney on Jun 25, 2009 19:16:53 GMT -5
Have you ever seen Star trek: Hidden Frontier? Its all in front of as blue screen.... The New Voyages/Phase II guys use sets and let the computer guys come up with the space scenes and stuff.... there are guys in Austin who use miniatures and models for the ships and even handpuppets sometimes (Tholians), they're really old fashion.
I was wondering why can't we try it someday? Make our own movies? Something original, so we can at least TRY to turn a profit.... I am going to be thinking about that
|
|
|
|
Post by Attero Dominatus on Jun 25, 2009 22:28:05 GMT -5
Nah, my ideas never have endings anyway... I have no plan. Thats not a bad idea at all though. Trying to stay one step ahead of the tyranny? Katie is 25 years older by the time they get to the new world I would guess, 36? 37? Maybe she is now the youngest member of their self-governing council and in charge of the food production? Sounds like a good idea to me. |
|
|
|
Post by Floyd Looney on Jun 26, 2009 17:44:22 GMT -5
Hey, my BIL connected his PS3 to Road Runner internet and I went to that Dragonfly thing and watched those New Voyages episodes. It looked HD to me, it was glorious. Awesome.
|
|
|
|
Post by Attero Dominatus on Jun 27, 2009 3:25:00 GMT -5
Awesome.
|
|
|
|
Post by Floyd Looney on Jun 27, 2009 3:47:33 GMT -5
It wouldn't play the EXETER ones on their site though, they use Quicktime.
|
|
|
|
Post by Floyd Looney on Jul 5, 2009 16:26:08 GMT -5
The vessel has been crossing uncharted space for a generation, it carries only a few hundred people, some of them were born on the voyage and some had died. Their final destination was in sight, a world unseen and untouched. It was sure to have plants and animals that were strange, many were likely to be toxic. Humans had nothing in common with them, we were the aliens here.
With their final stop coming ever closer the crew and colonists began the long awaited preparations. The Landing Vehicles that lined the sides of their ship were turned on, their batteries charged, their ablative shielding measured. Quarters were cleaned, things were packed and prayers were said.
Passengers who had started the trip young were now the older group, their children born during the voyage had not known life on Earth. They would never have to know the hardships and horrors that had been left behind, fingers were crossed. They would have to learn to live off the land and to start all over. Hopefully they would get it right this time.
Nearly everyone aboard stopped and watch the new world below them in the main observation deck, knowing that life would be forever different one day later. Within hours the LV's would be undocking from the main ship and fall towards the ground, ablative shielding burning off during the descent.
A 500-square mile area had been chosen as the landing spot, it was hard to be more precise since the world had no GPS system or laser guidence from the surface.
A communications satellite was put into orbit and two landing probes entered the atmosphere and then flew over the lanscape seeking a flat expanse. They soon landed two dozen miles apart and their beams would guide the Landing Vehicles to a 50-square mile area.
Soon this group of humans would be outside, some for the first time in their lives. One of their first priorities will be to find or build shelter, ironically enough.
While they were planting their new civilization it would occur to some of the older colonists to wonder how long they had before it reached them. They had escaped from the grasp of tyranny but that grasp would probably find its way to them sooner or later. They wondered. Possibly the United Earth would be an inward-focused dictatorship, perhaps its economy would crumble, perhaps something would keep them from spreading to the stars.
How long do we have? It was a question that could not be answered, of course, until it was.
Would it be all that hard for the UE to figure out which star system they were going to? Had they even bothered? Did they even care that we had escaped? These questions occupied the minds of thosewho had known Earth as they tended the gardens and buried the sewer pipes, improving their little community.
Katie stood there looking down at her new home and thinking of the day she left Earth as a child. She had lost her mother in the asteroid belt, her father had died in the clash of Jupiter, now called the Battle of the Red Storm. Her Uncle had survived long enough to know that a habitable world lay at the end of this journey. He had felt his mission was complete.
Katie knew her younger brother barely remembered Earth, he was prepping the LV's right now. Probably day dreaming of a girl.
She also knew that Jon was rechecking data from the landing site, thinking of her. She hadn't told him that she thought she was pregnant yet.
_____________________________________________
The Remnant? Fugitives? Colony?
|
|
|
|
Post by Attero Dominatus on Jul 5, 2009 19:44:04 GMT -5
That is an excellent rewrite, and I like the idea of Katie being pregnant. It makes her struggle much more personal, motivates her to make sure the settlement does not become a miniature version of the UE (well intentioned things that people might want can lead to tyranny and she has to watch out for that) and to see to it that a defense is built.
An engine that can accelerate a ship to relativistic speeds could probably be converted into a lethal beam weapon to use against UE ships, and even that could play a role in a political context. Who would control this mighty weapon? What measures would be in place to make sure it is not pointed at the settlement to force the people into a dictatorship? Even without converting the colony ship into a giant weapon, control of it would give a person or a group of people a lot of power (such as the threat to withhold supplies or even drop it right onto the settlement).
The settlement's food production is another thing. Katie would probably have everyone grow their own food and refine/recycle their own water and produce their own electricity (solar, fuel cell or nuclear thermo-couple) to minimize the need for a centralized infrastructure that a government could use and abuse.
|
|
|
|
Post by Floyd Looney on Jul 5, 2009 19:53:13 GMT -5
They will have a lot to teach each other
|
|
|
|
Post by Floyd Looney on Jul 5, 2009 19:54:33 GMT -5
The idea of using the propulsion system as an interstellar missile is scary, reminds me of Star Blazers first series
|
|
|
|
Post by Attero Dominatus on Jul 5, 2009 20:22:32 GMT -5
I will have to watch that. I know about it but I have not seen the show yet.
|
|
