The Grand Crusade: Technology: Communication & Entertainment

Communication
Planet side communication is very similar to the way that it was, in the early 21st Century of Earth. The main difference is the amount of data that is transmitted. With so much being "wireless", satellites are relaying thousands of zettabytes a second from point A to point B. Holographic displays for in home entertainment, on personal devices, and ocular implants are common place. This is mostly a simple, proven technology that even the most backwater planet has at least one or two satellites providing information for the masses.

The main difference is long range, system to system, communication. This is provided by "slip bundles". A slip bundle is a transmission sent through a micro-wormhole, similar to the method deployed for system to system travel. In system, a slip bundle is sent to a relay hub. There is one or two hubs for each world. Some worlds actually can have six, depending on the population. That hub then sends a blast of information to a relay station sitting on the Outer Edge of a system.

The relay station; which is a small, manned, station; takes the send transmission, and using a specialized FTL style device, sends the information to a thousand relay stations throughout the Known Galaxy. Each relay station is also set up to receive these "slip bundles", and transmit them back to the respective world in their associated star system. Most of this process is automated, the personnel on a selected station serving mostly as maintenance, repair, and security. Most stations, while slightly manned, have a number of defenses. They frequently are a regular part of system patrols. Also, their location, so far out from any other world, and only nominally close to common exit points for incoming FTL Drive ships; all make targeting a relay station, for anything other than a military strike; often more trouble than it's worth. Even most military operations, unless they've brought their own relay station with them, will leave a relay station unmolested.

Relay stations are often Faction only. There are some "neutral" relays, mostly operating in along border territories, in specific locations in the void of space, or in uninhabited systems. These stations often have one of three purposes. The first is a NegCent (Negotiation Center) public station. These relay stations are meant to provide communication, such as diplomatic or business related, between organizations and government officials between on Faction to another. These stations are often larger, heavily secured, and more heavily manned. Some of these stations also serve as neutral grounds for negotiations, with artificially created environments meant to promote the easy and well-being of the inhabitants, and the negotiating visitors. Peace accords, hammering out border disputes, the sharing of trade rights, or negotiating out new marketing and sales agreements are all common events on these NegCent Stations. These stations will also, as a side source of revenue, distribute transmissions of approved materials from one Faction to the next. For example, there are a number of very popular anime series in the Eternal Empire that are broadcast through NegCents to the Federation.

The second, colloquially known as "Whistlers", will send out "slip bundles" from other Factions into a opposing Faction, often for the purpose of propaganda. Similar to old "Radio Free Europe", these will send selected holo-entertainment from within their nation, as well as propaganda messages, and some claim, orders for operatives within the targeted Faction. The Federation and the Union all have a number of "Whistlers" along the borders of the other. These relays are called "Whistlers" because these broadcasts are not routed through the usual methods, sometimes adding a faint whistling sound to the background of the transmission.

The third and final are "Shadow Stations". Shadow stations are relays that transmit illegal, or underground, "slip bundles", often for a steep price. While there are some independent operators, most are run and maintained by the Old Families. The "slip bundle" transmission station is normally hidden, not on every world, and often not in every system. These send their clandestine signals to the local system's relay station, but are embedded with code to redirect the information to one of the Shadow Stations. From the Shadow Station is it disseminated as requested. This is used for illegal contacting across Faction borders, arranging services with agents tied to the Old Families, or even broadcasting underground materials that can not wait for standard recording and couriers. This last option is often the most expensive, and is sent to only those willing to pay for the privilege of viewing what ever it might be.

Entertainment

As part of communication, a few words should be mentioned about entertainment among the Factions. There are somethings that do not change that much.

Most entertainment is enjoyed through holo-vision, 3D recordings of movies, sporting events, news and other common diversions. Every house normally has at least one Holo-pad for the viewing of local padcasts, and shows delivered through "slipbundle". "Smart" devices, like watches and chips, also can catch these same signals and display them.

Holo-vision recordings are so common place, many Factions have entire worlds; and in some cases, systems; dedicated to the production of holo-vision films and holo-pad shows. The FNF has Planet Hollywood, while the CPR has both Wushu and New Hong Kong. It is also not uncommon for these productions to be common trade items between Factions.

A trend in entertainment that is seeing a rise is theater. Plays, operas, ballet, and other live performances are extremely popular. Everyone can see a movie or other show, but to actually sit and watch something performed, right there in front of you, is something different, and pleasant. With the level of special effects available for even the smallest traveling troupe, some productions are above the entertainment value of the biggest budget films in the early and mid 21st Century. This has caused traveling performance groups to be highly sought after, and celebrated upon their arrival. This is especially true on Border Worlds and outer rim worlds, where "culture" doesn't make many stops.

Sporting events are as popular now, as they have been in the past. While some sports have evolved to robotic competitors, when a living breathing athlete takes the field is when the fans truly come in. Some sports, in certain Factions, have also evolved to allowing enhanced participants. For example, cybernetic athletes are more common in the Eternal Empire, while there are a number of sports in the Federation that are strictly for mutal competitors only. Even gladiatorial combat has made a comeback, in varying degrees.

The Great Crusade: Technology: Transportation

Technology has both advanced and stagnated over the course of the last thousand years. There are, now, the occasional burst of technological advancement, normally occurring during times of war. At the same time, though, there are periods of technological plateaus that will last for decades, sometimes more. Not exactly Dark Ages, but close to it.

Some technologies are favored by some factions more than others. These technologies will be mentioned in the technology section. In order to understand some important aspects of the Factions, it's important to understand the tools those Factions have available to them, and which they favor.

FTL Drives

FTL Drives, also called "Jump" or "Slip" Drives, are the main means of long distance travel between star system to star system. FTL Drives are found on ships as small as a tramp freighter to larger military ships and dreadnoughts. Vessels smaller than a tramp freighter, such as a starfighter are too small to have an FTL drive, and are thus reliant on a larger FTL drive equipped vessel to carry them. Also, when you have larger ships, it is common for them to carry, not only fighters, but also boarding craft, shuttles and drop ships, all without FTL drives.

An FTL Drive creates a “wormhole slip”. The drive opens a micro-wormhole which pulls the ship in. The wormhole then opens at the target location. This is called a "slip", slipping from one location in space to another. This "slip" requires a great amount of power, as well as computing, to properly execute a "slip". Most of this calculation is now down my advanced computers, but occasionally the assistance of a dedicated "slipsman", a specialist in working with the computers and the drives, allows for even more accurate "slips".

There is an additional benefit to FTL Drives. A ship's FTL Drive generates a powerful gravity field. This field creates an area of "artificial gravity", when the FTL Drive is in a "standby" state, basically not powering up for a jump, or just after a jump. As the FTL Drive powers up to prepare to jump, the gravity is pulled into the FTL Drive, causing a state of null gravity. This is why, prior to a jump, crewmen must “strap in”. The gravity field is lost, a few moments prior to the jump. This is due to the FTL Drive beginning to focus its energy into the gravity burst needed to create the micro-wormhole. Upon exiting the "slip", it can take about 5 minutes to an hour for the gravity to return, as the drive begins recharge, and to settle back into it's "standby" state.

Duration in the wormhole can take seconds to hours, depending on the distance traveled. This time, though, is not experienced by the crew, due to a phenomena called “slip time”. For a crew, the travel appears to be instantaneous. There have been rare reports of a crewman reporting odd dreams or visions upon exiting FTL. These are rare, though, and normally an indication that the crewman in question is a latent psion.

While, relatively, a stable means of transportation, there are some drawbacks. The first is it is not always 100% accurate. Exiting the FTL jump can cause the ship to arrive exactly where the coordinates are set. Occasionally, though, the ship can be hundreds of hectameters off course. As this distance is normally recoverable, and with the improvements in technology, also less an occurrence. This adds to the value of having a good "slipsman", at the FTL Helm.

Problems with “gravity wells” can cause catastrophic problems. This is the second issue with FTL Drives. Hitting a gravity shadow forces the vessel out of FTL, causing the ship to being torn apart by the jump and the gravity of whatever large body is nearby. This is why ships are required, for safety of the vessel and crew, to jump on the edge of a stellar system. It is too much of a risk. The planets, moons, asteroids, comets, the central star, and anything else in the system large enough to add to the gravitational fluctuations, create too many gravity distortions to make a safe jump. There have been some “well-jumpers” that will attempt jumps directly into a system. The results, frequently, is a ship becomes nothing more than small slivers of salvage and debris scattered in the void between two or three planets.

This fact, though, has created a number of important stellar systems to deploy a patrol fleet on their outer edges. Also, strategically placed defense stations are not uncommon for the most secure systems. The cost associated with these measures, though, normally mean that these are only for the most important, or rich, systems. The difficulty with these defenses is due to the nature of a "slip". There is no way to predict, with the current technology of the Known Galaxy, where a "slip" will open up. If a slipsman knows where the patrols and stations are, there is still a chance he can allow his ship to slide right past them.

Another issue is the time required to recharge the FTL drive. The amount of energy an FTL Jump expends is enormous. Even with the most efficient power plants, an FTL Drive needs some time to recover. When the jump is finished, it can take anywhere from five minutes to a few hours for the FTL internal gravity field to be restored through the ship, depending upon the Drive, the size of the ship, and the distance traveled. Then, it takes another three to twelve hours for the FTL drive to have enough energy for a short distance Jump. This normally means, once a jump occurs, you are in system for close to a 24 hour cycle, on average. Basically, if you're going to "slip", make sure it's somewhere you want to visit.

The final area of concern is more an old shipman’s tale. There have been anecdotal tales told of ships that never leave the FTL Jump. A common theory is that a ship has been thrown so far off course and powerless, they just drift until the crew dies. When a crewman, though, wants to scare a first timer, they say that the ship never left FTL. Odd images as the "slip" begins, or upon exiting, are often discounted as mere optical illusions, due to the distortions in time-space. Psions, though, are never comfortable after a Jump, but they are never sure why. They leave “slip time” with a feeling of hopelessness, or as if they were being watched. There is no explanation for this phenomena. Nonetheless, these stories are mostly from the early days of FTL, and there have been no reported incidents in centuries.

Ion Drives

Due to the fact that, in order to safely use FTL Drives, a ship must enter at the outer edge of a star system, all vessels that ply through space are equipped is ion drives. Ion drives come in a variety of strengths, dependent on how fast the vessel needs to move, and the size of the vessel. Ion drives have improved greatly of the centuries. While they come nowhere near the speed of light, they can move a vessel very quickly.

Most standard vessels; tramp freighters, couriers, "space yachts", and similar vessels; can normally get from the Outer Edge to a planet in system, within five to 10 hours, depending on the ion drive, propelling it. This allows for a brisk amount of trade. This quick speed for a smaller vessel also is what promotes small scale transportation operations. While, most mainstream supplies come from larger vessels, specialty transports allow specific shipments to arrive as demand needs.

Larger vessels can take anywhere from about three days to a week, sometimes longer. Star cruise lines have two different sets of ion drives, frequently. One used for leisurely speeds through a star system, and another for use if the liner is beset upon by pirates or other ne'er-do-wells. Typical large scale transport operations, such as trade or supply vessels also follow the three days to a week. This speed does normally allow for adequately speed deliveries, and is most often used for planetary resupplies and bulk deliveries. This slower speed does make them more likely to be targets, which has caused the average transport of this scale to be well armored and well armed. Also, the employment of "merchant marines" is a thriving business with most vessels, even the cruise ships, having at least a few.

Fleets can take about three days to a week to get from the Outer Edge to their target planet. This normally allows for evacuations, or the digging in of planetary defenses. Some strike fleets, though, can make it to a planet's orbit within 24 hours. These are often raider teams, meant to hit a planet, not to take it and hold it.

The main drawback for ion engines is the lack of reactionary thrust. It is possible to turn a ship using ion drives, but it is very similar like trying to turn a large sailing vessel on the seas of ancient Earth. Ion Drives are great for setting a ship in a single direction, and letting it follow that course. If a vehicle needs to be maneuverable and responsive, they will often sacrifice the speed of an Ion drive for additional maneuvering thrusters. A standard starfighter is very quick and agile, flying loops and rings around larger vessels. The trade off is, while a fighter may be able to make it's way to the Outer Edge of a system, it could take weeks. Even some larger vessels will still include thrusters, namely tramp freighters and smuggler ships, in addition to powerful Ion drives, in order to get the best of both worlds. Such vessels can move freight, but it ends up at the cost of how much freight the vehicle can carry.

The Grand Crusade: An Brief Overview of History

What Has Come Before

There was a time when the planet Earth "rebelled" against Humanity. The exact specifics of what happened are no longer clear. It is known that at this time, it had become very obvious that to remain on Earth was a death sentence for the entirety of the Human Race. When this became obvious, the Great Evacuation began.

One would hope that the nations of the Earth would have joined together in the spirit of cooperation and brotherhood, in a united effort to save all of mankind. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Some nations bound together, others actually conquered their neighbors, as a means to use the resources and manpower of their new "vassal states" in an effort to build, what had come to be called, Arks.

The United States moved quickly, absorbing both Canada and Mexico. Russia expanded, grabbing a number of nations that once belonged to the USSR's Eastern Block. Europe's EU, India, the Middle East, all of these nations and more, bound in unity and separation, to head to the stars. These bundles of desperation were no longer referred to as "nations", but "Factions", each with their desire to not only leave, but to claim as much of the stars as possible.

New technologies were discovered, and stolen. Innovation, spurred by the desire to survive, was at an all time high. The greatest discovery, first developed in the EU, using the Hadron Collider, was that of the "Jump Drive", or "FTL Drive". A method of travel, using "micro-wormholes", to leap light years, in mere hours. Jump Drives were quickly added to the design of every Ark.

In a little over a decade of frantic work, the first of the Arks launched into the heavens. The Great Evacuation had begun.

Over the course of the next century or so, the Factions formed their own little empires. Claiming what they could, and then taking from others as quickly as possible. Some Factions grew to massive sizes, others were conquered and absorbed into the larger Factions. Centuries and centuries have gone by, war has been an almost near constant.

Other races, called Xenos, have been discovered, most were defeated, and either assimilated into their new human "leaders", or pushed out of their home systems, forced to flee, or be obliterated. For a time, it was very much like the Wild West. The end result has made for some very interesting, yet familiar, Factions.

Earth became off limits from the Factions. A quarantine zone was established around the stars and planets that encircled the home world. This region became officially referred to as "The Terran Quarantine Zone", to the common citizen it just was called "The Horizon".

The Current State of the Known Galaxy

There is currently a state or relative calm. It has been over a thousand years since the Great Evacuation. While a number of Factions have conflicts among their borders, a state of Cold War exists between most. In this lull, a new focus has started to rise. A Grand Crusade to reclaim the Earth has taken root.

While the movement behind the Grand Crusade is seeking allies amongst all the Factions, each faction has a similar underlying goal in their support. They all want to be the first to claim their ancestral home planet. "Control the Earth, control the Known Galaxy." While this thought process may not actually be achievable, it is a driving force.

There is one snag to this Crusade. This is actually the third Crusade. The first failed miserably, upon encountering what has been come to be known as the "Horizon Guardians", or "The Defenders of Terra". The Defenders utilized technology unknown to the other Factions. They deployed legions of forces, and obliterated ground troops and fleets alike.

The Second Crusade fared little better. They appear to be able to do something that none of the Factions can do, predict that a "slip" was happening, and where the exit point of that micro-wormhole would appear. This became obvious when one of the Zvezdeye Sihedrion Soyuz's attack fleets attempted to jump directly to the edge of Earth's Solar System. The attack fleet was destroyed in less that five minutes.

Now a Third Grand Crusade begins to gather. The Crusaders are having more difficulty recruiting members, but they make assurances that this time will be different. How they can predict such is unknown, and greatly doubted by the Factions. Still, each Faction doesn't dare not contribute, at least a small force, in hopes that there is success on setting foot on the "sacred" Earth.