by Ben Weaver
2234
Riding on the heels of Inte-Micro’s victory, Exxo-Tally Corporation launches a colonization effort to planet Drummer-Fire in the UV Ceti binary star system. Among the colonizing team are the astronomers who discovered the planet: Michele Drummer and her husband, Paul Fire. The planet is quickly dubbed a sister world of Mars since its atmosphere and surface are similar. The first attempt at colonization fails, as nearly ten thousand are lost in one sandstorm that lasts several months. By year’s end, a second attempt is launched, Quonset City is founded (population 21,000), and in March 2236 miners uncover vast archaeological ruins of “The Race,” now known as the Racinians. Nearly one million researchers pour into Drummer-Fire, turning the colony into a Shangri-La for scientists and a lucrative venture for Exxo-Tally Corporation.
2237
Sirius (B I) is founded by Eastern Alliance explorers. Large deposits of oil and natural gas are discovered at planet’s poles as well as on ocean floor. With help of Exxo-Tally Corporation, alliances build first offworld deep-sea oil rigs and, utilizing Racinian tecnocabalistic methods, draw more oil from the planet in one year than was drawn from Earth during the entire twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
2242
Inte-Micro Corporation explorers venture to the Luyten 789-6 solar system and discover the first relatively warm planet in orbit around a red dwarf star. In its warmest regions, Lorellus’s surface temperature reaches -20°C. The corporation begins building mobile manufacturing plants to produce electronic components from semiconductor materials. Executives envision a global industrial park that can operate sans environmental regulations.
2255
Planet Aire-Wu, colonized by the Inte-Micro Corporation, becomes the first known world with a breathable atmosphere. Planet is remarkably similar to Earth, though oceans make up only fourteen percent of its surface. More Racinian ruins are discovered, and scientists speculate that alien technology created the breathable atmosphere. Aire-Wu becomes the chief exporter of grain, raw timber, asbestos, and gypsum. Nearly seventy-one percent of its surface is forestland. Both Inte-Micro and Exxo-Tally establish corporate headquarters on Aire-Wu’s lone moon, Theta-Marcus.
2266
Mining of bauxite begins on the fifth planet in the Ross 248 solar system. Inte-Micro Corporation CEO Tamer Yatanaya names planet Allah-Trope and declares it a retreat for Muslims being persecuted by Eastern Alliance powers. Allah-Trope becomes the first offworld colony with one predominant religion.
By year’s end, floating research operations are dropped onto planet Epsilon Eri III—a world entirely covered by warm oceans whose salt content is only slightly higher than that of Terra’s oceans. Thousands of new microorganisms are discovered. Aquacultural experiments yield new food sources for a human population that now numbers twenty billion, with six billion living in Sol system colonies and nearly five billion in extrasolar settlements.
2268
During a miscalculation of his ship’s TAWT drive, Aire-Wuian freighter pilot Nicholas Popkin accidentally reaches a moon of gas giant 70 Virginis b in a star system seventy-eight light-years from Earth. Popkin becomes farthest human from home. (Data speculative. No other information available.)
2271
Unhappy with present costs and security conditions provided by Eastern and Western Alliance military, Inte-Micro and Exxo-Tally propose the formation of Twelve System Guard Corps, a military force operated and funded by the corporations. Alliances oppose formation unless the Guard Corps becomes a branch of alliance military. Corporate execs reluctantly agree. The Twelve System Guard Corps is formally created on April 8, 2271, by act of the East-West Assembly.
2273
World of Nau Dane is found in Ross 128 system and claimed by Exxo-Tally Corporation, though the right to colonize this new planet remains under dispute for nine years. Eastern Alliance explorers arrive on the dark side during the same month, claim the world for their own, and name it Zheng He. Exxo-Tally representatives square off with Twelve System Guard Corps troops. No shots are fired, but the incident marks the beginning of a cold war between colonial corporations and alliances.
2284
First convention of business and political leaders from all extrasolar and solar colonies is held in Columbia Colony, on planet Rexi-Calhoon. An informal assembly is created. Negotiations begin to establish a new Colonial Alliance. Two high-ranking officials from the Twelve System Guard Corps attend this convention to listen to arguments about why they should break from the alliances and become a new colonial military force.
By midyear, nearly one million Exxo-Tally employees have been killed on the frigid world of Icillica, in the Procyon Binary star system. Akin to the old Russian Arctic and yielding similar deposits of nickel, iron ore, and apatite, Icillica is predicted to become the next Gatewood-Callista and geologic cash cow for colonies. Life support systems in forty-seven of fifty-one mining facilities go offline, as do all three redundancy systems. Corporate investigators declare the malfunctions an act of sabotage but cannot gather enough evidence to formally indict alliance military.
2285
Construction begins on the agricultural domes of Tau CetiXI. No other planet has soil more fertile and adaptable to Terran-based crops. With grain production on Aire-Wu cut in half by an unknown disease, Tau Ceti XI becomes the leading producer of grain, forage, fruit, nut, vegetable, and nonfood crops, as well as the leader in development of new chemicals from organic raw materials. Inte-Micro and Exxo-Tally begin formal and covert negotiations with Twelve System Guard Corps representatives who favor colonial secession. Construction begins on the first colonial military base within Tau Ceti’s agricultural domes.
2299
Kapteyn Beta, a small, geologically active world in Kapteyn’s Star system, becomes the last formal colony (as of this access date), with a mere 10,000 geologists and volcanologists living on an orbital ring station in gravitationally stable Lagrange point. A second, nonscientific, station is completed by the end of the year for “industrial use.” Researchers contact colonial officials to report that the second station is an alliance military outpost.
2300
The Twelve System Guard Corps is renamed the Seventeen System Guard Corps. Representatives from all offworld systems make formal announcement of the formation of the new Colonial Alliance. East and West Alliances fail to recognize new government.
2301
Expansion halts.
Appendix B
The Seventeen Systems
SEARCH PARAMETERS:
Seventeen System Guard Corps Operational Zone
SYSTEMS FOUND:
Barnard’s Star
61 Cygni A/B
Epsilon Eridani
Epsilon Indi
Kapteyn’s Star
Lalande 21185
Luyten 726-8A
Procyon A/B
Rigil Kent A
Ross 128
Ross 154
Ross 248
Sirius A/B
Sol
Tau Ceti
UV Ceti A
Wolf 359
COMPILER’SNOTE: This search result accounts for major extrasolar colonies established during initial Terran Alliance, Inte-Micro, and Exxo-Tally efforts. At least twenty-two other settlements exist throughout recorded territory. For a complete list, search “settlements, all, Seventeen Systems.”
Appendix C
Extrasolar Colonized Worlds as of Terran Year 2301
Appendix D
Chain of Command, South Point Academy, 70 Virginis Star System, Planet Exeter (established September 1, 2278)
The South Point Academy Corps of Cadets is an elite, covert, carefully selected group of individuals who constitute an officer’s training regiment in the Seventeen System Guard Corps. The regiment is commanded by a cadet colonel and staff, with the direct supervision and advice of the commandant and the tactical officers. Under the cadet colonel’s control are the Regimental Band and the four battalion commanders and their s
taffs, each of whom is commander of one of the four barracks in which cadets are billeted. Each battalion consists of four companies, each commanded by a cadet captain, with the exception of Seventeen Company (support), commanded by the commandant. The company is the basic administrative unit to which all cadets will be assigned. Each company is further divided into three platoons, each under the supervision of a cadet second lieutenant. The platoons are separated into three squads, each headed by a cadet sergeant.
SOUTH POINT REGIMENT, as of 2301
Commandant: Marxi, Julia J., GEN. Regimental Commander: C/COL. Bryant, M. J. Regimental XO: C/LT. COL. Butler, D.
SOUTH POINT REGIMENT, 3rd BATTALION, KILO
COMPANY, 27th PLATOON, as of 2301
Platoon Leader: 2LT Sysvillian, Amber C.
Platoon Sergeant: 1SG Haddad
Supply Sergeant: SFC Owendove
Platoon SSG: Panwa
Platoon SSG: Cue
Platoon SSG: Rodriguez
79th Squad
80th Squad
81st Squad
Squad SGT: Cutler
Squad SGT: Superack
Squad SGT: Pope
Squad CPL: Yosemite
Squad CPL: Rocola
Squad CPL: Gorbatova
PVT Anson
PVT Ague
PVT Beauregard
PVT Cotto
PVT Carstaris
PVT Clarion
PVT Enlai
PVT Fayvette
PVT Forrest
PVT Guy
PVT Garrison
PVT Halitov
PVT Jones
PVT Ji
PVT Haltiwanger
PVT Kahn
PVT Kalvin
PVT Narendra
PVT Omans
PVT Rousseau
PVT Obote
PVT Padante
PVT Telford
PVT St. Andrew, J.
PVT Watkins
PVT Val d’Or
PVT St. Andrew, S.
PVT Xiaoping
PVT Yaobang
PVT Yat-sen
Appendix E
South Point Academy Code
To honor my god or gods, be loyal to South Point, and be faithful, honest, and sincere in every act. I will come to understand that honorable failure builds character. Unfairness or cheating does not.
To perform every duty with allegiance and to the best of my ability.
To obey all orders and regulations of South Point and of proper authority.
To be at all times polite and courteous in my deportment, bearing, and speech.
To be determined in my academic studies and in my military training.
To take pride in the noble traditions of South Point and never commit an act that would compromise them.
To cultivate poise and a quiet, firm demeanor.
To improve my mind by reading and participation in intellectual and cultural activities.
To keep my body healthy and strong and to refrain from intoxicants and narcotics of any kind.
To be helpful to others and restrain them from wrongdoing.
To face challenges with courage and intestinal fortitude and not to complain or be discouraged.
To be worthy of the sacrifices of my parents and colony, the generosity of the alliances, and the efforts of all those who teach and administer to me.
To carry what I learn into my military career and always place right above personal gain, integrity above power.
To remember that being a South Point cadet imposes upon me the responsibility to live up to these ideals.
(Gen. Sheila A. Sothburg, Ret., Commandant, South Point, 2278–88)
Appendix F
Appointment of Cadet Officers and Noncommissioned
Officers at South Point Academy.
Cadet officers and noncommissioned officers are appointed by the commandant of cadets, with recommendations from company, battalion, and regimental commanders.
To be selected to receive cadet rank at South Point is a privilege and high honor. Only the most deserving cadets are recommended to hold rank. Cadets unworthy or incapable of obtaining rank shall be denied the honor. Any cadet who holds rank and abuses or disgraces him or herself shall summarily and irrevocably lose that privilege.
Under the rank system employed at South Point, corporals and sergeants are selected from second-and third-year cadets, commissioned officers from third-and fourth-year cadets. Only once in the academy’s history has a cadet from first year been recommended for the rank of corporal. That officer is your current regimental commander: Colonel Michael James Bryant.
Once each year, the cadets in each company are rated by their peers, commanding officers, and company tactical officers and are placed in their respective companies. The Order of Merit list shall reflect such promotions and demotions and yield cadet corps recommendations to be considered by battalion, company, and regimental commanders.
Second-year cadets with clean disciplinary records and overall GPAs of at least 9.0 will be automatically recommended for the rank of corporal during their first semester.
NOTE: Racinian conditioning is reserved for those cadets who hold the rank of second lieutenant.
Appendix G
First-Year Cadet Weekday Schedule at
South Point Academy
“Time is a precious commodity—even with Exeter’s twenty-eight-hour day. It’ll take some getting used to. Pace yourself, or you will dust out.”
—Commandant Marxi
0600: First call
0605: Cadets on line
0610: Squad physical training
0630: Reveille, march to breakfast
0700: Mess formation
0730: Morning classes begin
1100: Drill
1305: Mess formation
1335: Afternoon classes begin
1605: Free time, intramurals, tours, confinements
1700: Mess formation
1730: Retreat
1830: Combat training begins
2230: Last mess formation
2300: Evening study period
2700: Taps
2800: Lights out
Appendix H
Mission of the Seventeen System Guard Corps
The Seventeen System Guard Corps, within the Western and Eastern Alliance Department of the Navy, shall be so organized as to include not less than thirty combat divisions and thirty air/space wings, and such other land combat, atmospheric, space, and other services as may be required.
The Seventeen System Guard Corps shall be organized, trained, and equipped to provide fleet guard forces of combined arms, together with supporting air/space components, for service with the fleet in the seizure or defense of advanced military bases and for the conduct of such land/ sea/space operations as may be essential to the undertaking of a naval campaign. The Corps will also engage in security and defense operations for all primary colonial settlements.
The Seventeen System Guard Corps shall provide detachments and organizations for service on armed vessels of the Alliance Navy, shall provide security detachments for the protection of naval property at naval stations and bases, and shall perform such other duties as the Alliance Assembly may direct. However, these additional duties may not detract from or interfere with the operations for which the Seventeen System Guard Corps is primarily organized.
The Seventeen System Guard Corps shall develop, in coordination with the Alliance Armed Forces, those phases of extrasolar operations that pertain to the tactics, techniques, and equipment used by interplanetary forces, and shall, in accordance with integrated joint Alliance plans, work toward the expansion of peacetime components of the Corps to meet the needs of security, antiterrorist operations, and war.
Acknowledgments
My editor, Caitlin Blasdell, is the real champion behind this novel. She read several versions of the original outline and spent many hours helping me hone the story and polish the prose. Her commitment to my work is as valuable as
it is appreciated.
Longtime friend and agent Robert Drake also assisted with the story. We have worked on fourteen books together (including this one), and although Robert has since closed his agency and referred me to the adroit Mr. John Talbot, I will never forget his contributions to my career and family.
The TAWT drives in this novel originated during conversations I had with friend and neighbor Eric Popkin. In fact, Eric helped me write the tablet entry describing the drive’s function. His extensive knowledge of physics coupled with his ability to consider unconventional ideas greatly inspired me.
About the Author
BENJAMIN ANDREW WEAVER is a military scholar, astronomer, and armchair physicist with a keen interest in weapons technology, quantum theory, and the search for extrasolar planets. He spent four years conceiving, researching, and writing the first two Scott St. Andrew novels, Brothers in Arms and Rebels in Arms, from his home in Central Florida.
Readers are invited to email him at [email protected].
