The Terraforming Project:: Prelude

[Dingus Khan]

The Terraforming Project

Prelude



From space, Earth appeared as a giant metal sphere, illuminated by erratic blinking lights and the glow from industrial complexes. Earth’s atmosphere had been depleted by the massive industrialization that occurred in the 24th century after the advent of nanonic technology. Once the atmosphere died, the death of plants and animals was imminent. In a few short decades the once green earth would become a desert, all water completely evaporated by the sun’s harsh radiation. The technology was available at the time, so the national governments ordered the creation of massive complexes that would function as closed system ecologies; capable of sustaining all the factors of life completely on their own. Soon these complexes covered all portions of the major landmasses, leaving all but the most rugged terrain and the oceans unshielded. Within another century, Earth’s metal husk grew to encompass even those too, as the oceans evaporated and all rugged terrain was modified to be habitable.

The approach of the 27th century was nearing, and Earth’s population was climbing too high to be supported. Birth rates were controlled. Citizens no longer had the right to freely have a child due to over-population. Bearing a child was considered sacred, since only a select few were chosen to do so. All citizens were assigned a number at birth, which was stored in a large database. When the age of maturity for a certain age group occurred, the computer would select names at random from that group. Less than one-third of the population was graced with childbirth. The Consolidated National Government was seeking an answer to this growing problem, the most plausible and frequented option was that of space colonization.

The Union Aerospace Corporation was the first to step up with a proposition for space colonization. For the first few years the CNG was reluctant to hear UAC’s propositions because of it’s infamous past. Representatives knew that the proposition would cause uproar among the population. The council was already whispering about UAC trying to create another Phobos Incident (more popularly known as the Doom Incident). For the past 6 centuries UAC had been on the bottom of the corporate funding list. Nearly all of its research was stifled completely, since space research was forgotten after Doom happened. UAC had been reduced to a tiny complex with a telescope and the sole purpose of watching the skies for any possible threats.

Gradually over a years time UAC had convinced enough representatives that the entire council heard the proposition. UAC proposed that, once funded, it would launch a space program to Mars. The speech was interrupted by members of the council, worried about going to Mars since the Doom Incident occurred there so long ago. UAC retorted with first sending marines in to ensure that all teleportal mechanisms were destroyed and that no life remained on any of the ancient Mars bases. After the area was secured, most of the bases were to be destroyed in order to make way for the new complexes to be built. This idea put the representatives at ease. Phase two of UAC’s colonization plan was unfurled: the use of a new technology that had been until now, hiding in the dark. UAC had secretly been creating hybrid technology using nanotech and living tissues. Using this technology, UAC could create plant and animal life that would live on Mars’ surface without dying. They called this plan the Terraforming Project. The representatives and politicians all looked around the room with unsure eyes; since the last time UAC used any new technologies it caused an extinction level event. After months of debating and having to weed through stack upon stack of scientific jargon, the plan was finally agreed upon. The Terraforming Project then went underway.

[Guardian]

Ooh-ooh! Me likes, me likes very much! Definitely can't wait to see more!

[Dingus Khan]

Thank you very much. I'm going for an elaborate and involving storyline. I swear if it werent for you Guardian no one would read my stories. ;)

[Guardian]

*grins sheepishly* Which is just the stuff I like to read . . . No offense to anyone here that would rather curl up with Imp Encounter or something like PWW's first paragraph in Hate One (and no I'm not bashing that either). But anyway, I think everyone deserves a chance --- except doomboyx; his was just a sad attempt. I pity him really.

That, and I try to write 'involving and elaborate storylines.' My Syndicates Unite is just one of --- ugh, I think it's seven now? --- preludes to a new RP I'm setting up on the EZBoard.com network. And Syndicates Unite itself is gonna be at least three parts long.

So like I said, 'involved and elaborate' is right up my alley. So you got a bonafide reader in me. ;) Oh, and I'm great at encouragement -- 'least, I like to think I am. ;)

[jute]

hey, damnit. just give me time to actually check the forums. the setting you have going here is really rad. i look forward to the rest of this a bunch. i admire the traditional sf stuff. as long as the dialogue isn't as retarded as it can sometimes be in that genre. (or in the rare instances when i try to write it.) i don't think that will be a problem here, though.

[Dingus Khan]

Thank you too Worm. I appreciate it.

I hope you bear with me. This will take a while to complete the next few chapters. I'm going for a longer story than Slimer was. At the rate I'm going this story will be extremely long. I might have to stifle some of my ideas because I'm creating a universe far too large to incorporate within this story.

What is the story you're writing for your RP about Guardian? Is it a traditional RP setting, or what? I've dabbled a bit in RPing myself.

[Guardian]

When you say 'traditional RP,' I'm going to assume, for the moment, that you're referring to tabletop/pen-and-paper.

Nope. When I refer to RP'ing, I mean the stuff that occurs on the Internet, which is basically turn-based improvised storytelling. Messageboards and chatrooms are perfect for this sort of RP'ing, and i currently have at least thrity RP Boards in my list of Favorites in my EZBoard account. Being a writer (or trying to be, dpeneding upon your viewpoint), that sort of RP'ing is right up my alley. I've never really been into the pen-and-paper type RP's, but I'll admit I don't have a whole lot of information about them either.

Anyway, Syndicates Unite is somewhat parallel to what PWW described in degreelessness. In that story you could never really tell if chester was in the game we all love or not; at least, not until the final installment.

With what I got cooking up, you know. You know you're in the game. And you know you can get out. That's really all I can say before going into the huge complexity of the concept and thusly start spamming and going waaay off-topic. ;)

But if you're interested, you can read the stories that came from the first incarnation of the RP here: http://www.angelfire.com/scifi/fleethq/riftwar.html

Anyway . . . You say you may have to shorten your story, DK. Why so? If you're worried that you'd lose readers because of its complexity/length, I'd be more than happy to host the story in its entirety over at my site, World Nine-Eleven. Then if DOOMworld'ers want to read more they can go click at their leisure. *shrugs*

[Janderson]

You got me gripped...Can't wait to see the rest!
How do you describe stuff so well? I have a problem with rushing into the action, how do you contain yourself?