My name is Colonel Tara Hunter. I am a member of the Avalonean Imperial Guards. I have one purpose in life. The reason for my existence is the prince, my leader. I am his personal body guard, his personal confidant, his personal teacher in life. I am also his mother for he is the son I never had. I will prepare him for his destiny in life. I will protect him from all forms of tyranny and evil both domestic and foreign. I will volunteer myself and die for him in the line of duty. This is my story.
In 2116, colony ships from Earth were dismantled on the planet Mars and twenty five thousand pioneering souls started to establish the human race's first home away from home. Three years later the first human arrived on Jupiter's moon Europa and established a colony there. It was hoped that these colonies could support themselves and produce enough food in their Agridomes to be shipped back to Earth. The situation on the homeworld was desperate. Its population had already reached the saturation point and all available land was used for the production of food to feed its populace. The transformation of the Sahara deserts and other arid regions through advanced hydroponics had bought the planet extra time but a permanent solution was needed.
By 2193 the Mars and Europa colonies were well underway and no longer needed support from Earth. However its food production was only enough to sustain its own people much less feed the thong of the starving on Earth. The new Agridomes designs that were expected to revolutionize agriculture were a dismal failure as they needed too much power in order to produce a substantial yield. Power was something both the colonies and Earth had short supply of. Already in large cities like New York, there were power rationing and people sought to steal power and heat to keep themselves and their families alive during winter. The threat of the punishment of death imposed on people who stole from the world government which controlled all power stations did not deter the desperate population. Some thieves jokingly called the threat of death as a treat of death as it would put an end to their misery.
During the harsh winter of 2207, an estimated eleven to fourteen million people perished of starvation, sickness and the cold. Numbers were inexact as the government had long given up census taking. There were so many bodies scattered through the cities that they were stacked into massive capsules and launched by mass drivers into the sun. Earth could no longer afford to have its dead buried. It was during this dark winter that the winds of change finally blew into the desolate freezing northern cities.
In New York City, seat of the Terran Federation Government was where the first spark ignited. In the crowded slums of Rochester where power had already long been cut off, lines of the hungry formed outside soup kitchens run by many different private charity organizations. Outside of the Brothers of Unity church a typical line of a few thousand formed for a bowl of gruel. Although the church's priests knew they had enough food for only a few hundred they none the less tried to spread out what little they had. Within fifteen minutes all the food had been given out and there was still a line that stretched as far as the eye could see. Hungry people who would do anything for a bite to eat for themselves and families.
Whether it was fate, bad timing or just plain bad luck; an armed convoy of government trucks rumbled into the area. As the trucks came into view of the line of people blocking the road, they paused. For a few tense minutes the government troops and the people stared and waited for each other to make a move. It did not take a genius to figure out what was in those refrigerated steel trucks; food. Smoked salmon and caviar to be exact for high ranking government officials who were about to celebrate the President's birthday at his palace that evening. It was unknown what started it but suddenly the crowd of people lurched forward and ran to the trucks which tried to back up the narrow alley. The trucks could not escape fast enough and turned into a jumble of collision which ended their escape bid. In a flash, the hungry people were all over like ants over a drop of honey. The troops opened fire into the crowd but were quickly overwhelmed due to sheer numbers. As news of the free salmon meal spread, more people flooded into the area hoping for a piece of the action. Soon additional troops were called in and the situation soon flared into an all out riot. That night as machined gun armed troops battled with stick and stone armed masses of people, the Terran Federation Government celebrated the birthday of President Morgan Sinclaire in a fancy ball and six course dinner; minus the smoked salmon and caviar appetizer.
By morning, senior officials of the government were in an emergency meeting to decide the best way to resolve the crisis. The unrest had already spread to other nearby districts and government storehouses in the area were under threat of being raided by the mobs. Seventeen government troops had already been killed and eleven troop transports were destroyed by the crowd. A quick solution was agreed upon. As the hungry mob moved towards the nearest government storehouses they found their path blocked by heavily armed troops and a stand off ensured. Barricades were thrown up and the mob prepared themselves for a lengthy siege. As the mob faced the troops in the front, their concentration was broken by the familiar rumble of heavy vehicles. A regiment of the 21st New York Reserves Marines armed with tanks and Armored Personnel Carriers had circled around to the rear of the crowd. The government had decided that since it was the community of Rochester that had stolen its property the night before, it would be the community of Rochester that would pay. Nobody knows exactly how many people were killed in the massacre. Estimates range from 20,000 to 25,000 dead and over a hundred thousand injured. That night as massive pyres of fires rose over the ashes of Rochester, the Terran Federation Government issued a warning to the world. It would no longer accept any form of lawlessness or opposition posed by groups, private individuals or organizations that challenges their right to rule. Let the lesson learnt by the people of Rochester be a lesson to the world as well.
But the government's heavy handed way it dealt with trouble in Rochester backfired. It found that the tighter they clasped their hands for control the more control slipped out of it. Engagement at the government's role in the massacre in Rochester boiled over in almost all major cities. Mobs controlled the cities of Moscow, Los Angeles and Johhnesburg as security forces were unable to restore order and their officials fled in panic. As the riots spread through the world the Terran Federation Government found itself loosing control of more and more vital cities by the end of the week. But there was only so much people who had nothing and no advanced weapons could do against armed troops and the fighting soon bogged down to a stalemate. The government forces controlled large cities and the mobs, scattered resistance cells in the suburbs.
However, unbeknownst to most people, there were elements inside the government that had plans of their own and they were not about to let such a golden opportunity to pass by without playing their hand. This breakaway group were led by Third Star General Sebiastian DeLongpre of the French 33rd GedeMarine Battalion based near Lyon. Although he was only a third star general, this man possessed immense leadership capabilities and had loyal following among many army officers around the world. Being outspoken he had been many times been passed over for promotion by other officers who were more "obedient" to the government. He had long planned a coup against the present government whom he considered as "idiotic self serving fools". He decided if they wanted to move, there was no better time as the present. Secured communications were made with his comrades and they prepared themselves for what they had been waiting for years.
On the night of January 1st 2208, as President Sinclaire and members of the Senate partied to usher in the New Year, forces loyal to General DeLongpre positioned themselves out side the cities of London, Paris, Tokyo, Beijing, Cairo, San Francisco, Rio de Janeiro and New York. At the allocated time, rebel tanks rolled into the target cities as the general made a public announcement of his intentions and requested that all people in the streets join him in his quest. People would be able to identify the rebel forces by their new insignia; a white dove with a blue back ground. It was vital for the general's plan that he must have the support of the street people for the coup to succeed. Support he had! When rebel tanks entered the cities, throngs of people came to cheer them as liberators. From an initial force of around a million troops, General DeLongpre's force now swelled to over ten million strong. Faced with the overwhelming forces and low moral, government troops deserted in masses while many joined the rebels.
As swiftly as it had begun, the coup was over. The president and the senate was still celebrating in the palace ballroom when rebel troops blew down the palace doors and trashed the party. In one well planned night, the general had control of the world. There were still sporadic fire fights with forces of the old government but these were small and were soon hunted down and destroyed. The next day, a double decker bus was fished out of the Hudson River by the New York City Council. Inside were the entire Senate with ex-President Sinclaire at the wheel, all tied up and gagged. Within the week, the Earth colonies on the Moon, Mars and Europa pledged their allegiances to the new government. General DeLongpre proclaimed himself as the new president in a simple ceremony and got right down to solving the planets problems. First things first, he opened the storehouses and distributed the food to the hungry people. In a speech, he had made it clear to the people that all the food in the warehouses were not enough to feed everyone for a lengthy period of time so they had to ration it. In their euphoria, people who considered the general as a hero were willing to do almost anything he said. Senior government officers including himself were forbidden to have lavish seven course meals. They would eat what the people ate. Although President DeLongpre had control of a powerful army, he had long realized that no government could survive for long without the support of its people. He made it his top priority to boost the moral of the civilians to ensure his government's stability. The army also constructed massive green houses and gave out seeds for planting in areas most effected by the famine. With short term solutions now in place, President DeLongpre turned his attention to long term solutions.
Earth's population had to be reduced by at least fifteen percent for the rest to have any chance for survival. Demand for food had long surpassed the planet's ability to supply enough produce to feed its people. Earth needed to colonize other planets. Yet in the Sol system, planets suitable for human colonization were few. When the Europa colony was established, half of the fleets mass and space was purely devoted to fuel for the journey which took over seven years. A new quicker and less expensive way for long distance travel was needed urgently. Earth needed a faster than light engine which was cheap to build. If this cannot be done, a second more drastic measure must be taken. Earth's population will have to be culled down to an acceptable level. The planet's top scientists including those from private organizations met with the president. All projects sponsored by the old government were canceled and all resources were dedicated to the research of the new engine. It was made clear that the government could not pay for the development of the new engine. However, the company or organization that developed it would have the government's utmost gratitude and not to mention the knowledge that it saved the human race from over population and the advertising benefits that can be derived from the fact.
In June 2210, a huge sigh of relief was felt in the new senate as the announcement that a new engine that might possibly meet the specifications had been developed by the secretive Omnicron Industries. Powered by a Matter-Anti-Matter Reaction process this new engine called the Kraven One, could propel a small craft up to an amazing speed of Warp 6 without consuming any fuel. However this engine had one draw back. It was unable to move a large mass thus its applications was constricted to small, light crafts and wholly unsuitable for use on the massive colony ships. But Earth could not wait any longer. The Senate decided that since the Kraven One could not suit the colony ships, then the colony ships should be made to suit the Kraven One. Plans of a new type of colonizer hull was drawn out. A small simple craft with space for only one thousand colonists that could easily be massed produced was accepted. To speed up production, the ship was nothing more than a pressurized heated cylinder with interchangeable parts so factories all over the planet could produce them. Within two months, the first mini-colonizers were assembled and blasted off heading towards Earth's nearest star; Alpha Centuri where long range scans had concluded that there was a high probability of the existence of suitable planets for colonization. By the end of 2210, a total of nearly ten million intrepid colonists in ten thousand of these small "Spore Cloud Class" colonizers had been launched towards the Centuri System with success rates of reaching their destination of nearly ninety six percent. Attention was soon turned to other star systems that were further. In the next year, fleets of Spore Clouds headed for the systems of Capricorn, Pieces and Ursa Minor. (The Spore Clouds were also known as the "Lame Duck Colonizers because if anything went wrong with these massed produced ships, the colonists on board were screwed as they were all on their own.)
Finally, after many years, the population of Earth was once able again to breathe. Many of the crowded slums in the major cities lay deserted and quiet as their population were herded into the colonizers. Working crews soon moved in with their heavy equipment and flattened the deserted areas and made cities fit for living again. Parks and open spaces sprung up where disease and death once thrived. Food production was also at an all time high where one before produce were harvested before maturity to fend of massive starvation, they were now allowed to mature to their full potential. This year, food production was in access of food demand. President DeLongpre and his Senate members could not be any prouder of their accomplishments. Their popularity was at an all time high and their hold on power was never stronger. To celebrate the planets escape from the brink of death, a worldwide party was organized. A monument was also erected to honor the Kraven One warp engine now affectionly nicked named "Settler's Delight" to acknowledge the engine's role in saving the human race. Plans were made to install awards and medals to all those involved with the salvation of the planet; especially to those scientists of Omnicron Industries to whom everyone owned a great debt. However these brilliant people were no where to be found. Omnicron Industries Headquarters and their factories were all abandoned. Rumors soon spread that the company had packed up and left with all its employees on Spore Clouds to some unknown star system. They were getting a lot of publicity about their role in saving the planet and publicity was one thing this strange company did not want. No matter; if Omnicron Industries does return to Earth one day, they will be rewarded. But for now, lets party!
Earth's population had finally decreased to a level where the planet could cope. There was no longer any need for further colonization but he government did not stop people from leaving. Many hundreds of thousand of pioneers still left the home world to seek riches and life beyond the stars. Colonization now became a profitable business and numerous new companies sprung up offering their services for the exploration and preparation of planets for the arrival of new colonists all for a little sum.
Among the many groups preparing to leave was a small contingent of pioneers from old Britain. When the world government was formed in 2094, it disbanded all other forms of "less efficient" governing styles. Among those governments that were to be displaced was the remnants of what remained of the British Monarchy. Although the king of the time, the elderly HRH William the Second agreed to relinquish his power under pressure, he had a strong loyal following among many of his country men who wanted to see to the survival of the monarchy. Although by this time members of the British Monarchy had been reduced to only a few survivors and even the king was not exactly a direct descendent from the true "blue blood" line, many argued that it was tradition and thus had to go on. They called themselves the Royalists and their purpose was to ensure the survival of the monarchy. Even though the present king HRH William the Forth now possessed no power in world politics he still had immense influence among the royalist who treated him as such.
The decision was made that all the Royalist had no future on Earth and thus had to abandon it. They too would become colonists and hopefully set up a new world where they can live in their way of preferred lifestyle without the disturbances and critics of others. Their dream was to revive the royal empire of old Britain and all its splendor to the level, power and influence similar to the grand old times in the eighteenth century where it was said that the sun never sets on the British Empire. Services of a claim adjuster company was employed and after a year, a possible planet suitable for colonization was found by the company's long range scouts. Many pioneers were reluctant to colonize this yet unnamed planet because it lay in the Virgo system which would put it as one of the furthest away in known space from Earth. However, to the Royalist, this planet seemed a perfect paradise, far away from all others, fertile and rich in minerals. In 2212, the largest order yet for mini colony ships were placed by the Royalists. A total of six hundred and twelve ships, enough to hold all their families and belongings were completed five months later.
After a small farewell gathering, the Royalists numbering nearly four hundred and fifty thousand entered the transit shuttles that would take them to the starbase orbiting above. With all the paperwork done, they boarded their ships and left in the largest fleet ever assembled. At the end of 2212, Earth bed farewell the last of the Royalist as another chapter of the planet's rich history disappeared. When all the colonists had settled down into their secured cryochambers, the lead ship's computer was lock on the coordinates of the Virgo system and the little "Settler's Delight" engines were engaged. From then on they were in the hands of man's technology and fate.
On November 12th 2234, The fleet's computer sprang to life and slowly activated the ship's cyrochambers to start defrosting procedures. First to be awakened were the senior officers and then the royal family. A quick check of the fleet's log history relaxed the nervous officers as all was reported well. News from Earth was also good. President DeLongpre was still firmly in power and had found the time to get married. He now had two children. Earth had built a larger starbase. Contact was also reestablished with Omnicron Industries and it seems that the rumors were true. They had moved their entire operations to another planet although they are not telling where. Omnicron Industries had since diversified their portfolios. Not only are they a research firm, they are now also a trading company. When they make a new discovery which they think is sellable they make public announcements and send their trading ships to all regions of inhabited space to sell their products. A worm hole was also discovered and colonizers went through them and emerged in an area of space light years ahead of the Royalists. So it seems that they were not the farthest from Earth. No matter, they were still the only ones in this region. Scans of the immediate area revealed what they had hoped for, nothing. When the bridge shield covering was raised, the entire interior of the ship was bathed in a light green glow from the planet below. Their new home greeted the Royalist in its full beauty. Green as far as the eye could see with patches of clouds spread thinly through the upper atmosphere. Further penetrating scans of the planet revealed its character. Mild weather with strong breezes travelling across the flat grasslands and shallow warm seas. Fairly low mountain ridges protruding from the grasslands and forests with some low lying swampy areas. Almost like Earth! The planet was given the name Avalon after the fabled Celtic island paradise where warriors retire to after they had passed away. Heaven in layman's terms.
It took nearly four years for all the colony ships to be dismantled but finally the new colony was underway. Almost to everyone surprise, life was not as difficult or harsh as people believed it would. Avalon's soil was fertile as crops easily and fast. With little effort, food could be grown in surplus. The native animals of the planet was also of little trouble. There was only a few predatory species that was of any danger to the colonists. Most of the other species were herbivores that feed on the grass lands. To make things simpler, these herd animals were easily domesticated to provide more food. There were also little natural disasters on Avalon. The tectonic plates were old and firm so there were little earthquake and volcanic activities. The were seas shallow and of little danger and weather patters very predictable. The only few problems that arose were sudden strong gushes of grassland wind that could move small land vehicles. Stampedes by the grassland herds also occasionally occurred. The shallow seams of plentiful minerals were also of great help in building up the local economy and towns. In the first ten years, the population of Avalon grew to nearly seven hundred thousand. Among the families that grew was that of HRH William the Forth. A daughter was born to him and she was named Princess Bethany. A second child named Rodney was born the following year.
The next thirty years passed by swiftly for Avalon. In that time, the first starbase was constructed and the Royalist started to manufacture their own ships to explore the nearby systems. Contact was also made with the colonists that had went through the wormhole many years back. They too were doing well and thriving. Soon trade routes were established with the fledgling government there. In 2291, Princess Bethany at the age of forty two was crowned queen to take over from her ailing father. By this time, she was married with two sons, Thomas and the younger Christopher. Rodney, her younger brother never married and remained a bachelor for the rest of his life. Under the rule of Queen Bethany, Avalon thrived further than anyone's dream. The first Royalist had colonized three nearby planets and started establishing bases of operation from there. There were plans to colonize other plants as the area had started to become a little crowded. Every year brought additional colonists from Earth that claimed every piece of habitable rock out there.
The queen, worried about the safety of her people decided to make clear territory lines and boundaries marking Royalist controlled space. All ships entering the area had to go through customs to curb the flow of immigrants. There were now proper processes for people who wanted to be citizens of Avalon and her colonies. After this was done, the other nearby governments followed suit. This marked an end to free colonization. All worlds in the area was now claimed by someone. Royalist territory spread over a region encompassing a total of thirty six planets, eleven of them suitable for colonization, four already colonized, and twenty one unhabitable worlds, twelve of which were rich in minerals. The borders of Avalon space were now constantly patrolled by ships belonging to Her Royal Majesty's Customs and Excise Department to prevent smuggling and other illegal acts which were on the rise.
Queen Bethany's rule was replaced by that of her eldest son Prince Thomas The First when she decided to retire from public life in 2326. During the rule of Thomas the First, Royalist expansion was further supported by the government. By now, Avalon was the largest and most established government in the quadrant. Mineral and food trade with other neighboring governments was also on the rise as Avalon became an important stopover point for ships heading further afield. The final four habitable planets in Avalon space were colonized during this period under an ambitious program. These four planets, McCleallen, Mocha, Emerald and Kan were grouped together in a cluster on the far northwest corner of Avalon controlled space and had habitability ranges from forty seven percent to a high of seventy one percent. McCleallen, the largest was also the nearest and it was here that the first distant outpost of the Avalonean empire was to be established. The year 2337 saw the departure of the largest colony fleet yet to leave from Avalon. A total of a hundred and fifty thousand colonist aboard nine privateers equipped with special colonization modules carried minerals, components for a small spacedock and a stargate. Because of the great distance between McCleallen and Avalon, it was vital to establish a jumpgate. Travel time without the use of jumpgates would take six months with the fastest available engine and would make any use of the new planet uneconomical not to mention dangerous for a new colony out there to be all alone. Once the spacedock and stargate was constructed, the new colony of McCleallen would become a springboard for colonization efforts on the other three planets. There were also mining plans for the other unhabitable planets in the area and the mineral rich Bellaphorne Astroid Belt which lay further north forming the border of Avalon space.
However the colonization of McCeallean did not go according to plan. One of the privateers set on auto pilot failed to turn up at the rendezvous point in orbit of the planet. It had simply disappeared. Faulty coordinate setting or computer error was suspected. On board were vital minerals and a few components for the stargate. Due to this one incident, the construction of the spacedock was delayed as certain parts of the stargate had to be remanufactured on the planet after the first few factories were constructed. However by 2354 the space dock was finally completed; five years behind schedule. This final frontier of the Avalonean empire was now open for business and colonization of the other three planets were underway. The same year also saw the marriage of King Thomas the First. He married late at the age of forty four and a year later his son Thomas the Second was born. Thirty six years later Thomas the First relinquished the throne to his son due to failing health.
By this time, new players had entered the field. To the north of Avalon space was territory bought over by the powerful McCann group of companies. This company headed by its founder Douglas McCann had expanded very rapidly over the past few years making trillions of dollars in the mining industry. They held tremendous influence over smaller governments and were now eying mineral rich planets in Avalon space. Thomas the Second had resisted the pressure imposed by McCann to sell the planets to the company to be stripped mined. Finally realizing that he could no longer persuade the stubborn king to part with the planets he wanted, McCann switched his attention to territories owned by other governments and turned the pressure on them. This period also saw the development of numerous environmental groups. By far the largest was the Galactic Ecology Foundation (GEF). The were an extremist group and pushed for the ludicrous idea for a planet's population to live on board starbases and other orbital platforms in order not to disturb the planet's ecology below. Although this idea did not catch on with others, the foundation had successfully built such orbital living platforms over the planets they controlled. The GEF had offices all over the quadrant including one on Avalon. Recently they had become more action oriented rather than just passively pushing environmental issues and now targeted and sabotaged McCann freighters and Robo-Miners who they regarded as their ach-enemy for his strip mining activities. There were also a host of other smaller groups operating in this increasingly crowded region. Among them were pirates, mercenary groups, traders and shipping lines.
The year 2391 saw the marriage of King Thomas the Second to his childhood sweetheart Elizabeth Carlise. Within the year, a son was born to them and the empire was reeling in celebration honoring the new prince. Breaking all rules of tradition, the royal couple decided to name him Conner, instead of the usual more traditional first names of old Britain. The time also saw the introduction of the first people who resisted the rule of the royal family. A previously unknown group calling themselves the Avalon Freedom Front blasted its way into the headlines with a bombing at a party celebrating the prince's birth which killed nine people and injured scores of others. But such terror attacks failed to put a damper on the euphoria of the celebrations. Over the next year. The Front conducted many more terrorist acts of bombings and sabotage. However they overlooked one vital aspect of being a terrorist group. They must have the support of the people in order to get things accomplished. On Avalon, the Front was detested by the general public. The royal family was on the other hand, was respected and well liked by its people. They lived in a modest sized palace and were not extravagant in their spending. The king attended public school and so will his son when he reaches of age. Most of the capital raised by taxes and other dues went back to the public in the forms of full health care, housing, and other beneficial public projects. Not many people had complaints about the present form of government. The Front did manage to stay alive but they never got anywhere. To remind people they were still alive they carried out random bombings a couple of time each year and called in to the newspapers to take responsibility for it.
The history books would record that 2396 would be one of the darkest years yet for Avalon's short history. The royal couple was dead. On a short flight to the southern city of Cornwallis for the official opening of a new university, their shuttle crashed killing them, the pilot and eight others. Speculation soon went wild that the accident was a an assassination by the Front. Intensive examinations of the wreckage and blackboxes had proved otherwise. It was a mechanical fault that was to blame. But the fact still remained that with his father dead, Prince Conner just shy of his fifth birthday was now king and leader of the Avalon Empire. Because of his age, advisors led by Prime Minister Lord Alexander Drummond were appointed to help the prince in running daily affairs. Important decision were now decided by the parliament and the Prime Minister until the time Prince Conner had reached maturity and could handle all of its responsibility of being king. The plan was to turn over all power to him when he reaches the age of twenty one. People both public and government in general had no qualms about having such a young king and were in fact very supportive of him. Strange to say, the prince's popularity soared to a level higher than that of his father's due to his bubbly, fun loving nature and also the pity in which the public had showed towards him. He was very much like other children of his age and because of that, people could identify with him and the problems that he faced and got into. The young prince grew up like any other boy, hyperactive, full of mischief and a hand full for his bodyguards to look after.
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