Windswept - The Very Beginning

[wiseheart]

WINDSWEPT
by Soledad

Note: The description of the chosen planet is based on the excellent book “What if the Moon Didn’t Exist?” by Neil F. Cumins.


WINDSWEPT 01 – THE BEGINNING

The great colony ship Windswept left Earth at the height of mankind’s expansion period. The solar system was already populated to its limits, and humanity was about to make their first brave steps towards the conquering of nearby stars.

The listening posts on the outer rim of the Sol system had searched for a long time before finding the right destination. They had researched deep space with more and more powerful telescopes. They had analysed the cosmic radiation between the stars and its possible effects on the human body. They had calculated the paths of hundreds of nearby suns, trying to find planets in their orbit. Planets that would be able to support human life.

The final choice fell to 12 Magnii, a young world in high orbit around a hot, white-blue star of one and a half solar masses and a surface temperature of 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which was five times brighter than Earth’s sun. The planet whose existence they could only estimate through complicated mathematical processes, being 273 light years from Earth, drew its elliptical orbit around its star in a difference that was three and a half times of the Earth-Sun distance.

There would have been closer planets, easier to reach, probably even better suited to sustain human life. Space exploration was mainly heading for those easier-to-reach destinations. But the Exodus Project, as it was called, had a more ambitious goal: its architects wanted to build a new Earth, far among the stars – a Utopia for the time when Earth and its sister planets would no longer be able to support mankind.

Therefore the new ship they were building differed profoundly from the ones before, meant for interplanetary travel – or even from the ones being built to reach the nearby stars in a few years at the same time.

The Windswept was called a colony ship, but in truth she was more than that. Much more. She was an entire world, encased in metal, self-supporting and steered by a carefully programmed artificial intelligence by the unspectacular name of The Watcher.

The new ships, built to explore Alpha and Proxima Centauri were so-called sleeper ships, with a crew that spent most of the journey in cryogenic suspension. They were supposed to wake up at regular intervals to check the board systems and make the necessary course corrections or maintenance – or whenever the board computer found an emergency that required human interference. Due to limited resources, each of those ships would have a skeleton crew.

The Windswept would have a crew of thousands – eventually. At the beginning of her journey, however, that crew would consist of cryogenically frozen embryos, only to be born when the ship had reached her final destination. Until then, everything would depend on The Watcher.

The Exodus Project was not part of the official space exploration programme. Neither was it funded by any planetary governments. Its architects were two very different groups, both influential and both powerful, that had combined their resources to make the dream become reality.

Both groups consisted of the best scientists Earth and its colony worlds could offer; which was necessary, considering the problems that had to be solved. One of those groups was a bunch of highly creative engineers, astronomers, mathematicians and cyberneticists. They were only known as the Unseen University, partly as an homage to Terry Pratchett, partly because they were, in fact, invisible for most people, even for those sitting in very high places.

The other group was the Engineers of Creation; another elusive bunch of geniuses, who worked in the areas of genetics, bio-engineering, terraforming, palaeontology and related disciplines. And although the two groups had very different visions about the future they were preparing to build, they united their efforts – and not inconsiderable resources – to make a start nonetheless.

The Windswept was built entirely in space. Most spaceships of that area were, being simply too large and heavy to be able to leave any planet’s surface. Unlike the other new spaceships, though, which were usually built at Orbital Station Hades, a small shipyard in Pluto’s orbit, which would spare them the necessity to cross half the solar system on their way out, the Windswept was built at the old Orbital Station Ares.

It was the largest, best-equipped orbital shipyard in the entire solar system. It had the best technicians and the best know-how. And since the ship would not carry any living crew, save from the frozen embryos, time did not play such an important role.

Safety, however, did, and that was why the architects of Exodus wanted their ship to be built at Ares Station. They wanted the best of everything.



There isn't more at the moment, I'm afraid. I just wanted to kick off the entire thing plot-wise.

Comments

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

That's a good solid premise, though :)

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :) No if I only could create a bridge between the beginnings and the resulting post-apocalypse somehow... So many choices, so hard to choose...

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

I love the premise, but I'm not sure you're starting from the right point there.

You might be better starting at

[It] was the largest, best-equipped orbital shipyard in the entire solar system. It had the best technicians and the best know-how. And since the ship would not carry any living crew, save from the frozen embryos, time did not play such an important role.

Safety, however, did, and that was why the architects of Exodus wanted their ship to be built at Ares Station. They wanted the best of everything.

Then bring in a reversal: eg But they hadn't allowed for...

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. They hadn't allowed for what?

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

That section feels like it's leading up to the reasons why the colonisation didn't go as planned. They've made their plans with less regard to time than to safety, but obviously they didn't foresee what would actually happen once the ship had completed its journey.

I think if you're going to start with backstory you need a good hook. This happened, then that happened, but then something unexpected happened. People will then want to keep reading to find out why the unexpected thing happened and what the consequences were.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Ummm... I thought I was working towards that, actually. This is far from finished yet, so... where did it go the wrong way, in your opinion?

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

I think you need to reorder the paragraphs and rework them slightly, so that the first few come after the ones that you currently have at the end of the section.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

And it would make any sense that way? :o

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

Of course. Start with the conflict, then scatter in the background.