Friday, November 05, 2004
Chapter 5 - The Edge of the Milky Way
Once the edge of the known universe, the outskirts of the Milky Way trickled away into nothingness. Although other galaxies had been discovered in the 19th and 20th centuries, it was never thought possible that someone would be able to reach them. The edge of the Milky Way was the the beginning of true "space". With no stars dotting the void, the distance appeared to be infinite.
Using the largest portal developed, mankind constructed a massive space station right on the outskirts of the Milky Way. Parts were transported from Earth orbit right to the construction zone. In less than ten years, a space station capable of housing eight hundred-thousand people was finished and operational. Using fusion cells powered by deutrium and tritium, available from H20, the station could run on a bucket of heavy water for months.
The Station, named Project Star's End, was constructed as a research station to locate potentially viable stars to visit. It would also come to house the most advanced portal ever developed, capable of transporting much larger vessels anywhere in the universe. Research was performed on all types of materials discovered on the edge of the Milky Way, as well as psychological research on human beings living outside the galactic rim.
Star's End orbited the Milky Way at around .1 light years an hour. It would easily take many generations for it to orbit the Milky Way, but by this time humanity had become a bit more patient, afterall, the galaxy would be around for many, many billions of years. It was unlikely that humans would even exist at that time, and if they did they would have probably transformed into something unrecognizable as being human.
When the war between the Unbelievers and Universals began, Star's End switched hands several times before coming firmly in the grasp of the Universals. Using gravitic warping, it was possible to prevent unexpected parties from teleporting into the area of the station. Anyone attempting to portal in would be flung to any possible location in the Universe. That was on a good day... they could also be flung into the Multiverse, ensuring instant death as they emerged from the portal. Star's End was the only place to have this advanced portal shielding. Not even Earth or the Universal's home planet were protected in this way. Eventually the Universal's leadership would move to Star's End, and enhance the position by turning it command center and bunker should the homeworld ever be overrun by Unbelievers.
This fact would make the Universals synonymous with the outer space, beyond the edge of the Milky Way... ¶ 2:00 AM
Once the edge of the known universe, the outskirts of the Milky Way trickled away into nothingness. Although other galaxies had been discovered in the 19th and 20th centuries, it was never thought possible that someone would be able to reach them. The edge of the Milky Way was the the beginning of true "space". With no stars dotting the void, the distance appeared to be infinite.
Using the largest portal developed, mankind constructed a massive space station right on the outskirts of the Milky Way. Parts were transported from Earth orbit right to the construction zone. In less than ten years, a space station capable of housing eight hundred-thousand people was finished and operational. Using fusion cells powered by deutrium and tritium, available from H20, the station could run on a bucket of heavy water for months.
The Station, named Project Star's End, was constructed as a research station to locate potentially viable stars to visit. It would also come to house the most advanced portal ever developed, capable of transporting much larger vessels anywhere in the universe. Research was performed on all types of materials discovered on the edge of the Milky Way, as well as psychological research on human beings living outside the galactic rim.
Star's End orbited the Milky Way at around .1 light years an hour. It would easily take many generations for it to orbit the Milky Way, but by this time humanity had become a bit more patient, afterall, the galaxy would be around for many, many billions of years. It was unlikely that humans would even exist at that time, and if they did they would have probably transformed into something unrecognizable as being human.
When the war between the Unbelievers and Universals began, Star's End switched hands several times before coming firmly in the grasp of the Universals. Using gravitic warping, it was possible to prevent unexpected parties from teleporting into the area of the station. Anyone attempting to portal in would be flung to any possible location in the Universe. That was on a good day... they could also be flung into the Multiverse, ensuring instant death as they emerged from the portal. Star's End was the only place to have this advanced portal shielding. Not even Earth or the Universal's home planet were protected in this way. Eventually the Universal's leadership would move to Star's End, and enhance the position by turning it command center and bunker should the homeworld ever be overrun by Unbelievers.
This fact would make the Universals synonymous with the outer space, beyond the edge of the Milky Way... ¶ 2:00 AM
