On the Histories of Cosmic Travels

Since the rise of warfare in space, there has been a significant change in the public thoughts concerning war, and all its aspects. Before, war was thought of as the "Toils of the Bored," as said by renowned historian and philosopher, Garen Krotos (please see his masterpiece poem "Of the Fortunes of War" for more information). Born on Hades, he has always had a fascination with out-of-the-box thinking as in common on Hades. War before the last century was very destructive and costly, in terms of people most importantly but also money. War then, was the business of two factions with the civilians caught in the middle. Now, warfare has become the work of a few; today there is a minimal cost of civilian lives during a state of war. There are many exciting new aspects of warfare that can ensure the safety, and continuing stability of the Colonial Republic of Local Systems.

We've come a long way since Man first ventured into the cosmic ocean over 1500 years ago. At first, space was the culmination of all previous scientific and mutually creative works. Around two centuries since, space became the realm of tourists and sight-seers; and not too far after, the first orbital hotel was put into operation. Atlantius was first to stay, and his thoughts were amusing, to say the least, "Well, imagine a lizard waltzing into a house of the Elquoi, he can't contemplate the size of the place, nor the size of himself; almost like sitting down to a plate of food bigger than you!" (Refer to Katrophocles' interview "Conversation with a Legend" for more). His father, Atlantikus, once said in his writings, "There will come a day, when men shall live and be born amidst the heavens above," and that was well over five thousand years ago. His words ring true, for so, he is a relative to the Gods. Currently, there are more than five score hotels in orbit above all the various colonies, and their territories. Less than five decades since the first orbital hotel, the first permanent city in space was commissioned. Months later, the first space-baby was born therein. The press was all abuzz with the news, it was a landmark in history.

What happened next, was not expected to occur in a thousand years time. Contact was made between man and another intelligent species. We do not yet know who they are, or what they look like. But, we do know that they live in a star system outside the galaxy, and have invited us to stay with them. That was the third signal they sent us. The first signal was, as we all know now, a failure. It was a 2.3 second long signal and consisted of beeps in the numbers one and three; it was from then on known as the "Sign of Él." The second signal was complete. That signal consisted of beeps arranged in groups of prime numbers (i.e. 1,2,3,5,7,13,17,23,27,etc.), we are still receiving this "Initial Contact." The third invited a legion of our kind to come and live in peace with them on their paradise. They claimed, in that third message, that they have previously been here and that there is a number of years that it takes from the discovery of fire to the discovery of agriculture, and the conquering of space. We have yet to send the emissaries to the world, located in the binary system known to us as Earth.

Since that time, our technology has progressed exponentially. Less than a century-and-a-half after the signals, we discovered how to "jump" from point alpha to point beta in space. The idea originated from the works of fanciful sci-fi writer, Betracles, and he stated that if you could poke two holes in space-time, and place a stable "straw" between the two holes, one could send a vessel or object through it almost instantaneously. A jump is not moving quickly from place to place, it is the jump between the dimensions is the cosmic fabric. This discovery, of the elasticity of our universe, unbelievably increased the exploration of the Kosmos, and the Khaos. Extraplanetary envoys were assembled at a blinding pace, and set out to scout, probe, and establish rudimentary settlements and larger colonies on worlds previously identified as suitable to human life. But, because of the relative greenness of the jumping technology, a small number of expeditions didn't jump correctly, and were caught in the fold of the harmonious fabric. On the positive contrary, most- perhaps ninety percent- of the envoys were successful at reaching, landing, and colonizing their objective planets.

At this point in the history of our species, there were simply too many, far too many, of us to live peacefully on one planet. The population was so out of control, we had people sent to live underground, at sea, and at the ocean's floor! Such a tragedy it all was. With the advent of so many medicinal breakthroughs and miracles, people who shouldn't even have reproduced could live essentially for an eternity. The Gods have stated on many occasions, that such things are reserved for a very few; the Gods have strict measures for those who think that they need such long life. I, personally, have always been an outspoken enemy of most types of medicine. Why? Specifically for the reason that it weakens the body's immune system, but broadly speaking, it weakens the genes and the design of the species. My thoughts, though, are not the essence of this piece, the facts and history of outer-atmospheric travel are so.

I still remember when the first orbit-to-earth missile station was commissioned, that was big news. Now, the enemy can pick, aim, and eliminate targets at the whim of the commander, and you can't track the network. It wasn't long before the first malfunction on one of those space bases. A matter of months after the KR-15 station was put into orbit, a leak in the nuclear reactor caused the pistons in the launch tube to overheat, and it set off a thirty-megaton warhead in the direction of the capital of Raéteür. The incident caused the deaths of over forty million souls. A memorial was built on the site of the detonation, and this poem was inscribed upon it for future generations to see:

"Some things are supposed to happen
others are never meant to occur.
Still others have many different paths to be chosen,
just like some diseases have many remedies to cure.
The incident on Raéteür was an accident.
But it is not going unpunished.
The families of the lost can never forgive those who repent,
but they shall be satisfied when the thing is banished."

To this day, the most dangerous event since the first flight above the outer atmosphere, is the Kulyy i Collapse. The fourth day of the seventh Yen in the year 2006 of the common reckoning. When the orbital hotel Spirulla opened its ports to tourists, the demise began. Several Yen after the opening, a woman by the name of Moryen Duryiath went aboard and took quarters in the high wing on the seventh deck. She didn't waste any time; she planted twelve radioactive devices in strategic locations throughout the hotel. The devices were made availiable to her through the black market. It is paramount to note that then, in those simpler times, hotels were massive with holding cells enough to carry over twelve million passengers. She was vain enough to buy platinum earrings just before she detonated the bombs. The ensuing event was indescribable. Nearly all passengers on board were killed. Duryiath's husband was also killed onboard. As inconceivable as it sounds, she survived. She was hung by the feet in her home village, and stoned to death.

The first time two ships engaged in interplanetary warfare, the vessels had no weapons, only the ships themselves, and the pilots flying them. The ships involved were one SN-7 and one HJ-187k. It seems odd now to say that the engagement was fought over the shipment of women's undergarments to the planet Krotos. Neither vessel came out of the fight, all crew members involved were killed. After several more years, the first major engagement waged by two armies under organized command was fought. Forces from Hades and Krotos met outside the system of Styx. The ships implemented a style of weapon totally alien from the battlefield for more than eight thousand years--blades. Attached to the prow of the vessel, much like the ships of the ancient seas, rests a blade that can fold out from the keel of the ship when preparing for attack. The reason for using a blade rather than a cannon, was the same reason for doing so all those millennia ago, to save money. But also, in space, there is no pressure on the bullets from the surrounding air, so the bullets are much for susceptible to leave their trajectory. Albeit, usually bullets remain on course, too often it changes course erratically. Recently, there have been pushes to remove humans from the cockpits and make the vessels completely robotic and be controlled remotely. That was only forty years after the Kulyy i Collapse.

It was soon after, that armies from all the Colonies began to assemble squadrons of fighters--triremes they were named, after the warring ocean ships of old. Iori Aev possessed the largest fleets, even from the earliest days. Hades had a considerable yet smaller host. But is was Styx that the most effective triremes. The ships of Styx could operate both in vacuous and atmospheric conditions, and was capable of so by the addition of small thrusters that could be turned off when entering atmosphere. Nearly all early triremes lacked thrusters, and therefore were weak contenders when thrown against those of Styx. When the time came for the first war to be waged both on planetary and interplanetary fronts, it was Hades that would hold the land, and Styx to hold voids between worlds. I will not burden you with details of the battle (for a complete layout of the battle, see the Central Intelligence of Krotos), for such a digression would take more words than years I have lived.

One thing I can describe, is how those premodern battles were fought. When a trireme approached an enemy vessel, it would align itself perpendicular to its northern axis, and from there it would descend into the weld binding the two "hemispheres" of the ship. Such an action would bar the ship from further movement. But to permanently immobilize the vessel, that would require two triremes against one. After the first ship pierces the weld at the north axis, the second ship moves along the starboard side stripping its landing gear and main engine boosters from the hull, thus rendering the ship dead in the water--as the sailors used to say.

Alas! My friends, all journeys come to an end. Though it may seem sudden, this dénouement will be grandiose--maybe.

When all the wars come to an end, when all grudges and vendettas are settled, and when death ceases to occur through preventable violence, I must ask: What will we do when no war occupies us? Will we undertake the great endeavor of the stars? Will we look to ourselves, and ponder why did we wage war? Why did we commit genocide in order to become short-lived rulers of a lonely island devoid of paradise? Perhaps, those are not the right questions. Perhaps the question should be: Will the wars ever cease? Will we survive these wars, in the final end? Is war a problem able to be solved? What gives war justification? Is it land, power, money? Or is it freedom, ideas, survival? Love? What would a god do in such circumstances? Would he act thus? For, it may be easy now to say I was forced by him, coerced by her, persuaded by them, but when you stand before the Final Judge, those excuses will not save you. Holiness is in truth, integrity, faith, love, forgiveness, virtue, humility, and in just cause and action. What God desires lies in your heart and in your mind; and whatever decision made by oneself, makes you a good man, or not.