IntroductionThis project is something which I envisioned over a year ago. It will have a quasi sci-fi setting. More Simon R. Green/Star Wars than Isaac Asimov. So more accurately, it will be sci-fi fantasy....where everything is possible and only limited by your imagination. Hence, there will be zero need for any participant to have a strong foundation in rocket science, theoretical physics or whatever.
Flights of Fancy will be a series of novellas instead of a full length novel. The stories will be centered on the (mis)adventures of Lewis Black and his inappropriately named robot companion, Bobbie as they make their way across the galaxy blundering into all sorts of conspiracies and deadly situations. Thanks to his "luck" as Lewis puts it.
The year is 3580 A.D. Over the centuries, mankind has evolved and developed greatly. The fleets of the Earth Confederation soar amongst the stars, standing unparelleled and unchallenged in their supremacy. It was, all things considered, a Golden Age for mankind. War was a distant memory and trade was blooming. But all things changed as the year turned. First contact was made at the border worlds. For the first time in history, humanity has encountered another intelligent lifeform.
It is in this setting that the story takes place. Much can be said of the trials and tribulations of our protagonists, but even more can be said of the legacy that they leave behind. I hope you all will enjoy the tale either as participants or readers. So sit back and stay tuned
Historical Background - The World As It Was:In 2650 AD, after FTL technology was developed, mankind had begun colonising the outer reaches of the galaxy with speed. While a central government from Earth was sufficient initially to govern the terraformed planets and outposts within the solar system, it was decided more authority and enforcement was needed to keep the peace across the galaxy. The year 2675 was when the First Human Empire was formed - where a singular ruler governed the human colonies. The employment of such an archaic style of government worked well for the first few dozen years. Humanity was more concerned with colonising more worlds, building trade routes and infrastructure on the new worlds than whoever sat on the throne. But of course, no matter how genetically enhanced the Emperor was, he was only one man.
Six years after the Empire was formed came the rise of the aristocratic families. The idea behind it was to have trusted and capable individuals to assist the Emperor in the governance of the colonies. The original 12 Lords were rich traders, influential governors of the larger colonies and retired military commanders. While within First Sector where Earth was situated, the rule of the Emperor was absolute, out in the colonies, the words of the Lords were considered as law. For the most part, the first generation of Lords was comprised of fair and capable men. But as they came into power late in their lives they were unable to leave behind much of a legacy. Their successors on the whole however, were incompetent delinquents prone to excess. As always, all good things must come to an end.
The Hundred Years War:The ineffectual rule of the Emperor in his later years combined with the corruption of the aristocrats lead to the rising discontentment of the colonies. The gap between the rich and the poor had grown considerable. The second generation of the Families were aloof, arrogant and often abused their authority. The degeneration came over the span of several decades.
In the middle of the year 2800A.D the colonies finally had enough. The years of oppression resulted in the great uprising known as the Hundred Years War. The civil war erupted without warning on scores of worlds. By 2825A.D, Earth had fallen to an army of under-equipped civilians along with their military sympathisers. The Emperor fell victim to his own Imperial Guards who were disillusioned by the 25 yrs of warfare against their own people.
Elsewhere, the war came to a pause as the news broke. The Empire had collasped after a mere 150 years in power. With their goal achieved, the civilian leaders of the rebellion faded into the background leaving behind thousands of dead, dying and the wounded amidst the ashes of once great colonies. With no ruling government, the second phase of the civil war began. The new generation of aristocrats (the second generation were killed off quickly in the first few years of the war) were battle-hardened and genetically enhanced warriors who had gained the respect of their people. Leading their armies across the galaxy, the fight for power began. It took another 75 years and countless deaths before an armistice was signed. The warring parties realised that all the years of aggression and disagreement meant that no matter who won the war, there would never be definite peace. It was time for the people to make their choice. The war had ended, but it took three years of negotiations before a decision was made.
By general consensus of the public (or demand as some would put it), aristocracy was abolished. The system was redundant after all. In the year 2903A.D, the Earth Confederation was formed.
The World As It Is:At the end of the Hundred Years war, the peace was fragile and the situation was tense. The colonies decided that having a strong central figure of authority was unwise, hence the Confederation was formed. The Confederation is a loose alliance of the sovereign colonies, each with its own Governor. The colonies more or less, are given the right of autonomous rule. Each colony has a Representative on Earth Prime, where an elected President of the Confederation holds seat for five years. Whenever decisions involving more than one colony need to be made, the Confederation takes charge.
Military wise, it was determined that if each colony had too much military strength, it would not be conducive to the peace that was hard won. Hence, the Confederation is the sole military might for humanity, its fleets and planetary forces comprises of citizens of every colony who are obligated to serve 10 years of compulsory military service in the Confederation. Each colony is granted the right to maintain a small force of militia for enforcement purposes. The Confederation is a surprisingly efficient system that has worked for the past few centuries.
Technology in the world of FoF (Flights of Fancy):Shield Tech:With the advent of force field projectors, energy weapons and cell regeneration technology, projectile based firearms have become obsolete. Although a shot to the head or any vital organs kill just as effectively, the introduction of personal shield technology - with their ability to incinerate firearms ammunition for an indefinite period of time has swiftly caused the decline of firearms usage. Personal shield devices are costly however, and are generally limited to military, governmental or affluent individuals. The arms industry move from manufacturing projectile based weaponry to enery ones has also made firearms style weapons a rare find.
Weapon Tech:Mankind advances in the field of arms technology have always been swift. Firearms were quickly replaced by railguns and gauss rifles in the 23rd century. The introduction of portable shield technology demanded deadlier weaponry. Of course, that is not to say that a personnel shield will be able to withstand direct hits from high powered cannons and missiles, but how many infantry squads will have a gauss/rail cannon at their disposal?
In the world of FoF, projectile based armanents are only employed for long range or planetary bombardments. For most engagements, Plasma based equipment are the weapons of choice. However, personal issue energy based weapons are restricted in the sense that the power consumption in firing a plasma weapon is staggering, hence there is a need for the power cells to recharge after several shots (depending on the intensity). Plasma weaponry fire pulses of superheated plasma shots contained in a residual magnetic field. Plasma weapons are a natural counter against shielding technology and are also able to burn through most materials. However, heavy armor such as those found on military starships are highly resistant against plasma shots. A military grade plasma pulse rifle is able to drain a personal shield in just a few shots. Civilian issue plasma pulse guns are far weaker and are designed only for self defence.
With the need for energy weapons to recharge their power cells in between shots, the need for an alternate form of combat has reintroduced melee weapons such as the age-old and oft-romanticised swords - swords with a nasty enhancement that is. Monofilament technology in FoF is not monomolecular, but monofilament-edged blades are still very sharp and very lethal (even to the wielder) In addition, the discovery that force fields do absolutely nothing to stop a monofilament blade in motion also contributed greatly to the popularity of swords in the 36th century.
Confederation starfleets employ the use of heavy pulse cannons and particle beams to penetrate enemy shields. The main method of hull damage is still very projectile oriented with anti shipping missiles and heavy mass drivers. Interstellar "dogfighting" in the world of FoF is impractical and not feasible. A small attackcraft is simply incapable of generating enough power to operate efficient shielding and provide sufficient firepower. The smallest military vessels are gunships designed to fire heavy missleloads while the larger cruisers are locked in battle. However gunships are not very popular as the average Confederation cruiser has hundreds of fast firing pulse cannons fired by onboard targeting systems. Powered by antimatter reactors, a cruiser can basically fire non-stop everywhere. Most gunship pilots have short lives in battle.
Other Technologies of Interest:Genetech:Extensive studies over the centuries into the human body have developed impressive cell regeneration and gene manipulation technology. Cloning is still considered as taboo in the 36th century and restricted only to organ cloning for medicinal purposes.
Gene engineering ironically enough, is common in the 36th century. Where straight out cloning is prohibited, employing the use of gene engineering to implant certain....traits in developing foetuses is not. Physical and mental disability in newborns has become virtually nonexistent. The implications that mankind is playing God are ignored. More complicated gene engineering is hideously expensive, only affordable by the wealthy. It is often utilised by the former aristocratic families who are in the habit of making their members faster,stronger and smarter than normal humans. A practise that was brought over from the time of the Hundred Years war.
Cell regeneration technology:Advances in the field of medical science have extended the average human's lifespan to about 170 years or so years. Normally fatal wounds, with the aid of cell regeneration technology and if treated swiftly can heal with barely a scar to show that it ever happened.
FTL technology (Faster Than Light):Space travel in the first few centuries of mankind's interstellar movement was done pre-dominantly on ion thrusters. Colonising First Sector itself took decades. With the introduction of a working form of antimatter energy source, vessels were able to accelerate to faster than light speeds for intergalatic travel.
Tachyon drives as they were called, require an incredible energy output to be activated, With this limitation, starships are only able to travel in short bursts of FTL speed. These short bursts were likened to a "jump". The tachyon drives need a minute in between jumps to recalibrate and recharge the cells before they are able to be used again.
However, due to the constraints of the human mind and body, while accelerating into FTL speeds, the crew of each vessel have to be placed into suspended animation. The first attempt at FTL travel with a test vessel, the crew returned with their minds wiped clean, some even developed permanent physical impairment. Thankfully, the onboard computers of the 36th century are highly advanced and more than capable of handling the starships while in between jumps.
Although the Confederation has always denied rumored encounters with other intelligent lifeforms, it is a poorly kept secret that Confederation explorers have come across signs of alien civilisations. One key example would be the sudden development of the hypergate technology in 3368A.D. It was speculated that hypergate technology was reverse engineered from alien equipment. Hypergate technology allows for faster travel than FTL jumps. Whereas it can take months to travel from Earth to the outer colonies, hypergates make the journey possible in hours. The establishment of hypergates in the major systems allow Confederation forces to enforce the peace throughout the galaxy.
