Prologue

Setting the Scene....

            It has been said that alongside our own, countless universes and realities exist. Sitting in the same room as you, possibly on the same couch could be a resident of a different world, of a different time, and of a different society. Many of these universes share the same history as our own, creating not only a different reality, but a paradoxical one to our own. That’s where our story begins.

            Around the turn of the 19^th century, sometime just after the foundation of the United States of America, for reasons both unknown to and unnoticed by the denizens of Earth, such a rift in space/time occurred to give rise to another reality. For the most part, mass similarities existed in our 2 universes for a time. However, something occurred around the time of the French Revolution in the second universe. Where in ours, Napoleon Bonaparte came to be Emperor of France, in our twin’s realm, Napoleon was killed.

            A singular event created an entirely different society. The world followed the example of the people of the new republic in the Americas. Yet the society never changed. Politics changed, economics changed, technology changed; but social norms and, to an extent, class structure never did. The entire reality was frozen in the enlightenment.

            Where we struggled with one another for control of trade lanes and land, they worked across international borders to progress the ideas of the republic. When we were still working with the sail, they were entering the age of steam, when we were fighting World War I, they were landing on Mars. Yet, with all of the political and technological change of this second reality, the simple things remained the same. People still dressed in 18^th century clothing, spoke in the vernacular of the period, and continued to stress the importance of education and literacy. Global abolishment of slavery occurred in 1812, and civil rights granted to all but four years later.

            Finally in their year 1920, while we were toying with our League of Nations, they founded the first comprehensive and effective world government. The Terran Republic became the governing body of this second Earth. Kings, presidents, sultans, emperors, and czars became viceroys, executing the laws established by the Global Senate. They kept their titles but had years ago lost their appointment via bloodline.

Where the King of England had to be born into the crown in our world, in theirs he was elected by popular vote. The people of their world also elected Senators, judges, and all of the typical local positions. But one thing remained constant: the Republic.

In 1947, the Terran Space Institute broke the speed of light. Within 2 decades, colonies were established in systems neighboring our own. Habitable planets with Greek names became trading posts, agricultural centers, and havens for science. Sparta, Athens, Delphi, Thessalonica, Corinth, Macedon, and Minoa; all of them grew rapidly, but none so much as Minoa.

Minoa was the gem of the Terran colonial project. Minoa was a planet nearly the size of Jupiter; it had 13 oceans and 10 massive continents. Minoa was supposed to be a planet of contingency in the event something catastrophic would happen to their Earth. On Minoa were vast deposits of heavy metal ore; as well as gold, gems, and large, fertile tracts of land for farming. Minoa was as close to paradise as one could get.

Yet, as trade expanded about their galaxy, so did the threat of piracy. Piracy was a risk to the trade lanes of Earth for both realities; but no one of the second reality would have guessed the drastic power held by the pirates that would harass the stellar trade lanes. Private companies began building personal navies. Race galleons, sloops, brigs, and frigates began patrolling alongside Terran trade convoys. But their implementation came far too late, and the new private navies only fell to the Pirates; giving them bigger, better, and faster ships.

Meanwhile, pirates had little difficulty in assaulting distant colonies of the Terran Republic. Delphi, Thessalonica, Corinth, among many of the minor colonies fell one by one. Minoa, Sparta, and Athens were the only colonies able to fend off the attacks. The Minoans put up the most gallant fight of them all, being the most distant colony from Earth. The Minoan merchants, like those of Earth, commissioned the building of their own navies to defend both their assets and their homes. The Minoan formed militias to stave off planetary assaults. They were successful in defending their home for a considerably long time, but time was wearing thin on the Minoan defense effort.

Finally the merchants of the Terran Republic came together to form the Terran Trade Coalition and lobbied to the Global Senate to take official action against the pirate threat. The Global Senate debated for three and a half days about the issue and after the deliberation released their final statement.

            In order to protect the assets of the Terran Republic and those of her colonies; We, the Global Senate and the people of the Terran republic do ordain the creation of the Grand Military of the Terran Republic. To be divided into 3 branches: the first being the Grand Army of the Republic, for the method of combating all threats on land and terra firma; the second being the Grand Navy, to combat the threat of stellar assault and piracy, to include the micro-branch of Republic Marines for the express purpose of boarding enemy vessels and quick littoral combat, also to include small craft for littoral combat for atmospheric support of the Grand Army and Republic Marines if necessary; the third being the Provost Marshal of the Republic for the defense of all held territory and policing action, also to serve as armed escort and guard of republic persons of import including but not limited to senators, viceroys, and ambassadors. We of the Global Senate have reached this decision after much pain taken to explore all options. It is understood that full military force has not yet been authorized for use of the Republic, under fear that such a force will eliminate personal liberty. Let me remind you that this force is to defend liberty and commerce, and not to destroy it.  We do ask the blessing of the Almighty on this action, and pray that He sees us through these dark times.

Within weeks, the military was mobilized. The ministry of the Grand Navy began accepting plans for their ships of the line, and seized for public use what frigates were left from the private merchant navies. The Grand Army began developing schools to train their officers and initiated a strong recruitment effort. The Provost Marshals started to approach police officers, police commissioners, detectives, and firemen to join their ranks. Once again the halls of West Point, Annapolis, and the Royal Naval College were brimming with students. Terran shipyards began putting to use Minoan ore. Top scientific institutions released to the Grand Military plans for weapons that far surpass anything we of our reality have achieved.

The campaign against the pirates officially began with the Grand Navy entering the pirate-captured Delphi system on June 8^th 1977. 10 ships of the line, along with 20 supporting sloops and 5 heavy frigates phased into the system, guns ablaze. The pirate navy stationed there was decimated within an hour. The Grand Navy only lost 3 sloops and a frigate. Grand Army and Provost Marshal transports moved into the system shortly thereafter. A combined assault by Republic Marine and Grand Army forces recaptured Delphi within a month, and the Provost Marshals set up defensive positions as the Grand Military moved on to the other captured system.

It moved similarly like this for the Grand Military for the next 4 years. The war effort appeared to be an overwhelming success. The pirates, in a last effort to retain their network of terror, moved in on Minoa. The Minoans had repelled the pirates on their own throughout the conflict, hoping for the Grand Military to intervene. The Grand Military was spread far too thin as it was trying to maintain the colonies it had recaptured, and was unable to send a force of any kind to assist the meager Minoan fleet or its Militia.

            The pirate fleet arrived in the Minoan system on the 27 of October, 1981. A defense force commanded by Admiral Raul Piquet of the combine Minoan Merchant Navy traveled out to meet the fleet. They were outnumbered at nearly three pirate ships to every 1 Minoan frigate. The battle above Minoa lasted for nearly 12 hours. Finally, Piquet’s flagship landed a shot on the pirates’ flagship galleon, and the entire raider fleet turned to retreat. Piquet’s forces destroyed one fourth of the pirate fleet within the last 10 minutes of the battle as they moved to the edge of the system. The Minoan fleet lost only 7 of its 39 frigates; the pirates lost half of their fleet.

            The Terran Republic finally sent relief to the colony. Piracy was diminished to isolated terrorism instead of the widespread threat that it once was. Peace was restored to the Terran trade lanes and both Earth and her colonies. Piquet was elected to the office Viceroy of Minoa, a move that upset the Global Senate of the Planetary Republic.

            Piquet viewed himself as a Minoan first, then a citizen of the Terran Republic. He was an outspoken critic of the senate and the Terran military. He claimed that the people of Minoa should be outraged at the Republic and the Grand Military for leaving them to defend themselves, and that the Terran Republic only wanted to utilize Minoan Ore and industry. The people loved Piquet for his gallant defense of their home and hung on his every word. After his rise to the seat of Viceroy, he began calling for the secession of Minoa from the Republic. Once again the people of the Terran Republic felt that war was coming. On February 3^rd 1990, the Minoan Separatist Movement delivered a declaration of secession to the senate of the Terran Republic.

            With the delivery of the Minoan secession declaration, the Minoan militia began to engage in combat with the Provost Marshals stationed on the planet and seized the Colonial Parliamentary Building, capturing as prisoners the colonial ministers that were still loyal to the Terran Republic. The galaxy once again descended into war.

            For 6 years the fight waged between Earth and her child. The Grand Army of the Republic finally set foot in Valquette on April 19^th, 1996. Piquet signed a ceasefire agreement. Piquet died a year later of complications from an illness.

            Three years have passed since the end of the Terran/Minoan war. The pirate threat is returning to this parallel galaxy, and the people of the Terran Republic and Minoa have begun to talk about the restoration of Minoa to the Republic. Minoa has received aid from Earth over these years, and has nearly rebuilt itself. Ambassador Herman Botsford is being dispatched to Minoa onboard the TRS Victory, the flagship of the Grand Navy captained by Captain Vinyak Patel. Lieutenant Jan Boos, a JAG officer of the Grand Army of the Republic, is traveling with him to dictate the military interest of the restoration of the colony to the Republic.

            The socio-political climate of the galaxy is as closest that it has been to the antebellum status quo that it has been in a decade. Still, there are whisperings of discontent and even of armed rebellion among the citizens of Minoa.

 

Author's Note

Just redid this with a new idea.

Reviews

[Tai-San]

I like this. its very explanitory. keep it up. i would love to read the rest!!!