When humanity of this universe first began to colonize space, there was one large problem associated in the colony construction program. Morale. People quickly grew tired of the boxed-in living conditions of early habitation vessels, and missed the open air of Earth.
EarthGov was baffled how to solve such a problem until a representative of a Korean hydroponics company, Eseki Agricultural Incorporated, offered a solution. Since constantly transporting people back to Earth for periods of rest would be unproductive, why not take the Earth to them?
Plans for orbital ecosystem habitats were created, examined, and in most cases, rejected. Finally, it was the plans original proposer, Eseki, together with the technical expertise of Triax Heavy Industries, who designed a viable model.
The Riviera-Class Orbital Habitat enjoyed a production run of 17 stations, with 3 in Earth orbit, 5 orbiting Mars, 4 orbiting Venus, 2 orbiting Europa, and 3 orbiting Titan. Riviera stations, with their 14,355 meter diameters, resemble giant snow globes in space. It is a multi-layered platform with a transparent, segmented-dome covered city on top, and multiple docking pylon/ports for ships. With permanent life support capabilities for 150,000 people, these space habitats will most likely remain in-service for any foreseeable future.
Venus - Moon Hephaestus – Venus Jump Gate
1,200 kilometers from the Venus Jump Gate is the Riviera-Class Orbital Habitat 'Little Aruba', so named for its tropical atmosphere. A common site there for many years, it was the ship moored next to the station which would garner one's attention.
Measuring 3 km in length, the 'EAS Nomad' was the only ship of the Explorer-Class built by the Earth Alliance to date. Aside from the addition of a Hyperspace Fold-Drive (to lessen the time of long-distance trips) and artificial gravity, she was largely unchanged from the Explorer of B5's home universe. Its construction completed three months previous, it had just Folded from its construction dock in the Trojan Orbiting Shipyards and was scheduled to begin a Jump Gate construction journey to Alpha Centauri later that month. Her crew was being treated to a two weak shore leave before hand in preparation for their long duration trip.
Of course, that was before the next series of events occurred.
Starting as three, white-hot motes in orbit of Venus’ moon Hephaestus, the Fold-Fields of the Ci’Vonian fleet quickly expanded to a radius of 1.5 kilometers each. Materializing from their trip through Hyperspace, the three lone survivors of the Ci’Va Massacre appeared in proud formation…
…which was quickly spoiled as one of the Thuverl-Salan Destroyers began to drift out of formation.
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“What’s wrong with Karita’s ship!?” Rygar demanded.
”Sensors indicate the G’Pon has lost all power. It seems the Fold drained its remaining Protoculture reserves. Their only remaining method of propulsion are their correction thrusters,” the sensor officer, a young blonde man of around 30, reported.
The commander uttered several choice curses in Karbarran before responding. “Tell Captain Karita to use his thrusters to come to a complete stop. After that, I want a complete sweep of this planetary system!”
”Sir! Five incoming vessels! Unknown classification!” declared the sensor officer, Argama.
”They are hailing us- IN OUR OWN LANGUAGE?!”
Rygar just nodded, hiding his equal surprise. “Hail them.”
*********************************************************
Earth - South Pacific Ocean - Macross Island - SDF-1 'Macross' Reconstruction Site.
When Zor's battlefortress crashed on the Earth, humanity spent a good deal of time assimilating the Tirolians’ Robotechnology into their own. The fruits of this research were various. With the blueprints in the Macross’ database, larger EarthForce ships like the Nova, Omega, and Warlock had been given Zentraedi particle beam guns – or ‘plastrons’ – to increase their armament; and the improvements made to the already acceptable artificial gravity technology were a bonus to both military and civilian causes.
Assisting Earth Alliance, and the SDF-1’s chief scientist Professor Emil Lang in particular, in their efforts from the beginning, was the artificial intelligence in control of the entire ship: EVE. Following an extremely large protest when EarthForce ordered her dismantlement and study by both the computer herself and the general populace, the order was repealed and, seven months later, EVE was declared, not only the first nonhuman, but nonorganic full citizen of the Earth Alliance (though there was still some question of whether she was considered civilian or military).
Representing ‘herself’ through the use of holographic projectors, EVE appeared as a ravishing, tanned, platinum blonde haired woman. Her appearance to a particular Anime/Manga character led to her nickname ‘Urd’.
It was EVE who was now calming down after having the electronic equivalent of a stroke as the G.O.D. sensor/defense network around Venus reported one Tirolian and two Zentraedi ships de-Folding in orbit of Hephaestus. She had been about to panic and sound the alarm when the G.O.D. network received and transmitted a signal emanating from the Mothership. She was now doing the electronic equivalent of boggling.
The IFF code coming from the Azashar-Class was one which held a particular spot in her memory banks. Zor had always considered the destruction of the Ci’Vonian people one of his greatest failures, and, in an effort to preserve them in some small way, had uploaded all the Ci’Vonians’ customs, family genealogy and birth records, historical notes, and technical specifications into her primary data core.
After sending a message to the various EarthForce ships patrolling the planet Venus telling them not to attack, EVE sat back into a newly materialized holographic chair. ‘Hmmmmm,’ she thought. ’I wonder what the outcome of THIS will be…’
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Venus - Moon Hephaestus – Venus Jump Gate
Now on approach to the three alien starships, the five vessels of Space Patrol Group Delta-Twelve, led by the Omega ‘EAS Albion’ under Captain Eiphar Synapse, began the hailing procedure.
Captain Synapse, a thin, battle-wizened veteran of numerous battle of both the space and ground-pounding variety, turned his attention to the viewscreen. The three vessels were easily recognizable. Both the visual and data recordings, if not the specifications, contained in the SDF-1 had been made public only one year after its crash. Thus the panicked transmission of the Nomad’s commander.
The captain turned to his CO. “Do you think the transmission EVE sent us was correct? That these are refugees from some planetary scale mass genocide?”
Lieutenant Commander Bright Noa quirked an eyebrow and smirked. “Considering we’re in a ship constructed from specs found on a scuttled space station from another universe AND supplemented with technology found on a crashed alien spaceship powered by the seeds of a flower of all things, I don’t think we’re in any position to be skeptical of anything , Captain.”
The entire bridge crew had to laugh at that.
”Good point, but-“
”Sir, we’re receiving a response to our hails.”
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(Posted Thu, 09 Sep 2004 00:35)
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