The Grand Saga of Empire Earth

[ColdSteel]

Gentle readers, listen now to the grand saga of Empire Earth. Read on:

2400.4
A new day dawns with incredible meaning for the human race. At Last mankind has left the safe cradle of Mother Earth. The Mars terraforming project has met with great success and we now have a thriving new colony there. Already it grows so very quickly and there are more colonists currently en-route.

2400.5
What's this? Signs of an alien civilization discovered on Neptune's icy moon? So, we are not alone in the universe after all. Unfortunately, although we have the technology to get a ship and a few researchers there, uncovering the massive underground site and making sense of what we find may take us many more years and better technology than we currently possess as a race.

2400.7
Now, even more news of major import, a stable wormhole is discovered out beyond the Ort cloud. So much is happening so quickly, it makes one's head spin. A new program to develop a ship capable of surviving passage through the singularity is being financed by the massive (and global) Earth Technologies Corporation.

2401.0
ETC has already developed the needed ship design from some mere hints of startling new technologies gleaned from the ruins on Neptune's moon. Initial explorations by small explorer ships have discovered a stable exit in the Pelican system. The system contains several minimally habitable worlds and one of them, Pelican IX, is very earth like. A Colony ship was quickly built dispatched. We humans now inhabit 3 worlds. Incredible, is it not? It has all happened so quickly.

2402.2
Terran scout ships have explored 4 new systems beyond Pelican over the Last year. The spectacular videos of each new discovery have been broadcast so often by the news media that it has almost become a routine event. We discovered several nebulae systems and others with numerous worlds having no atmosphere or ones that were completely unbreathable. At Last, near the limit of a scout ship's range, came the discovery the of Criton's Point system. There, the 6th planet from the sun was a veritable paradise. Rich in natural resources and able to support more than 3 times the population of Terra, Croton's Point VI was rapidly colonized. It even sports a moon very similar to Earth's. Even now, population transports are moving a large number of colonists to their new home. A new supply depot facility is under construction to extend the range of our scouts.

2402.7
The need to expand the range of our ships has led us to found a refueling Outpost on Parade II. A small airless rock with nothing much to recommend it.

2402.8
A major miscalculation by our Government scientists. A second warp point in the Sol system has gone unexplored because we assumed the exit was into a previously explored system. Thanks to the thoroughness of a persistent scout, this assumption has been proven incorrect. Instead, we discovered an entirely new system right next to home. The Margin system boasts, not one, but two earth class planets, one of them very nearly as nice as Criton's point VI. There are also additional warp points there that bear further exploration.

2403.0
With the colonization of Margin VIII, Earth now boasts 5 colonies, with a sixth on the way. It's become evident that the Earth Peace Coalition Government is straining to hold all the pieces involved with administering a fledgling colonial Empire together. Already there is talk that we are spreading ourselves too thinly. Retired General Schwartz is constantly on INN bLasting the administration for shortsighted over-expansion without adequate military support and protection for the colonies. The President's response it to cite Government science statistics on the incredibly slim odds of running into any intelligent life forms that are hostile. Those of us that have seen some of the early translations coming in from the Neptune Alpha site aren't so sure about that.

2403.1
The Gendoran system was discovered due galactic north from the Parade II outpost. It boasts two very nice earthlike planets that are prime for further expansion. Two Colony ships were hurriedly built and have been dispatched there despite the further warnings of General Schwartz and leaders of the military establishment. We are sending a picket ship through one of the two warp points in the system at their insistence to scout our perimeters.

2403.3
The Earth Colonies are reeling at the news of the discovery of an alien presence in the newly explored Vince system. The new life form is a hideous insect-like like race that conjures up memories of all the classic "bug eyed aliens" movies from our recent past. Just their physical aspect alone has everyone near the edge of panic. They call themselves the XiChung Hive and have so far resisted revealing much about their race. Nor have they responded to our initial diplomatic overtures. The hawks in the government are calling for a military buildup while the doves insist there is nothing to worry about. I'm sure those on the exposed and defenseless off-world colonies may not be as sanguine about the recent developments as those smugly and safely closeted back on Earth. Meanwhile, the 2 Colony ships are whose mission is the colonization of the Gendoran system must make the critical decision to continue on without a proper military escort or instead turn back. The Global Intelligence Institutions are asking for more assets to assess the threat. Tensions on all sides are increasing.

[ 28 March 2002: Message edited by: ColdSteel ]