Story (To the Heavens Supplement)
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In the year 2460, the planet Earth has been united into a world-wide organization known as the U.N.C.S. (United Nations Confederacy of States), which includes representatives from the Republic of Asia (formerly China, Japan, North and South Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia, and Tibet), the South African Democracy (formerly the entire southern part of Africa, including Madagascar, not including Egypt or Lybia), United Territories of North America (United States, after in the year 2138 invading Mexico and six years later annexing Canada and Central America), The European Union (all of Europe besides Russia, Ireland, and Greece), The Arabian Provinces (The Middle East), Egypt, South American States (all of South America), Australia, and U.R.T (United Russian Territories). The Republic of Eire (Ireland), the I.S.I. (Independent State of India), and the New Hawaiian Kingdom are also nominally part of the U.N.C.S., and are allowed to send representatives, although all decline full membership in favor of autonomous rule. The planet has managed to overcome numerous difficulties that have threatened the survival of the human race, such as World War III, which was started by Australia and Japan, and included the release of the M.F.V (Mutated Flue Virus) in Argentina, the Nuclear Bombing of Jerusalem, the official split of Ireland from the United Kingdom, and the near calamity of Atomic War between the U.T.N.A. and The Muslim Nation (now the Arabian Provinces). Other disasters included the Saragossa-Hope Crusade, the Learning Program Scare, and the Sudden Melt (which raised sea levels by over 30 feet in some places). Achievements included the building of Atlantis (the first full-fledged underwater city), the terraforming of the Moon (which took 296 years to complete and made the Moon, now called Luna, into a second Earth), and the colonization of Mars.
Now, however, a new threat faces Earth: the Overpopulation Problem (OPP). The population of Earth, Luna, the Space Stations orbiting Earth (three major ones include Terra Secundus, the Quintus Station, and Zeus Prime), and the Martian Colonies is approximately 78.4 billion. The U.N.C.S. turned to a desperate plan to build five enormous, self-sustaining space-craft, known at first only as the Heavens Project. Putting the plan into effect required not only building the space-crafts and developing highly advanced programs to effectively run the crafts, but also recruiting crew ("Spacers"), soldiers, scientists, and calling for millions of volunteers to stack the Heavens Ships. The primary goal of the Heavens Project was to try to discover a second world for humanity to inhabit. Secondary goals included trying to make first contact with intelligent life from other planets, transporting (when all five ships were launched, and possible others as well) over 16.5 billion people off Earth, and exploring the vast reaches of Space. The Heavens Ships were not planned to ever return to Earth, instead being equipped with an Ultra High-Light Frequency Transmitter (which can transmit codes over vast distances four times as efficiently as any radio device. If an inhabitable planet were found, or First Contact made, the UHLT was to be used.
After the first Heavens Ship was sent off, captained by Gerald Tzing D'Flor, it traveled for sixteen Earth years (at High-Light Speed, meaning on the ship only eight months had passed) before it made first contact with an alien race. The keshalyen were surprisingly humanoid, but also incredibly warlike. Without hesitation, they immediately attacked The Heavens, also proving to be much faster, stronger, and more physically capable then the average human. When the panicked crew of The Heavens sent off a distress call back to earth using the UHLT, the keshalyen ships broke off the attack, following the code back to Earth, leaving a minimal number of ships which were destroyed by the military personnel aboard The Heavens.
The keshalyen then arrived in Earth's orbit, immediately attacking with out any warning. They made no attempt to communicate, simply attacked with full force.
More to come...
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