War between Wolf (Wolf 424)
and Centaur
(Alpha Centauri/α Cen). Prior to the war the
Wolves developed
wormhole technology, using it to dominate nearly
two-dozen planets. In 168 AI (2382 AD) the Wolf Dictatorship began subjugating the
Centaurs, not realising the
Centaur System was a much tougher system than their previous targets. The
several Earth-like planets, around its two
Sol-like stars, were the original target of colonisation from
Earth: several ships had heavily colonised the system. When the true intentions
of the Wolves became clear to all, the
Centaur Rebellion began. At first war favoured the
Wolves - they won most battles - but the invaders would not commit to a ground
assault on several planets, at the same time, and instead, decided to lay siege on the
Centaur System. Confident that the technologically inferior
star system would eventually yield, they did not know the
Centaurs had been secret studying and experimenting and had duplicated their
technology. In 175 AI (2389 AD) a small fleet of
starships with wormdrives
was completed. The Centaur Attack Fleet slipped past
the Centaur System blockade, headed via the natural
wormhole to the
Wolf 424 System and took up position in orbit around the
Wolves homeworld. In just two hours the fleet dropped 48
fusion bombs across the planet destroying the
Wolf Dictatorship and winning the war.
[Source: A Short History of Mankind]
A nuclear weapon. It uses a deliberate runaway fission reaction to cause an radioactive explosion and spread
contamination over a wide area.
See also fusion bomb.
A type of nuclear power. Heavy atomic elements are broken down into lighter elements, with part of the mass converted
into energy. Widely used before the invention of fusion power,
fission power requires and produces radioactive material. A runaway reaction can result in a reactor meltdown with hot
radioactive material contaminating a large area around the reactor. As all populated worlds have a quantity of
radioactive material on their surface, most governments encourage removal of fissionable material for off-world use.
One of the three developments of wormhole technology.
Forcefields form a physical barrier or an energy barrier that can affect any particle or energy wave. The barrier created
by a forcefield could be large enough to protect a starship or small enough
to be used during a medical procedure. Control of barriers is complex and forcefield devices are tuned in to protect a
particular area from chosen physical conditions or energy types. Most of the big forcefields are used for defence against
physical or energy weapons, however they do have other protective applications.
Starship forcefields also keep an artificial
wormhole open while a starship
passes through and they also protect the crew from cosmic rays and high speed particles. When combined with inertial
dampers a vehicle forcefield also helps crew and
passengers survive crashes. Most personal forcefields
in use are one of the two combat types used by mercenaries; the
standard 6-hit and the
stealth 6-hit. Non-combat
personal forcefields do exist for special
purposes including anti-gas,
anti-NBC and anti-vac
forcefields. Duel purpose forcefield are made
for mercenaries who need special purpose forcefields during combat, but
these types are very rarely needed.
See also building forcefields.
[Source: A Layman's Guide to Wormhole Technology]
Supposedly communist society (this power bloc is in reality a
dictatorship). After developing wormhole technology
and building starships the people of
Liberty, decided to spread their form of, so called, communism. The local
colonies they visited were absorbed into the, Free Worlds Collective. The
Liberty government is extremely untrusting and does not like to delegate too
much power to the enormous FWC military. Corruption and economic problems are
widespread and experts expect the Collective to collapse some time
soon. The Collective's rapid expansion ended in 232
AI (2448 AD) when they reached the borders of the areas controlled by the
Centaur Federation and the
Star Kingdom of Pegasus.
[Source: A Short History of Mankind]
A type of nuclear power. Light atomic elements are fused into heavier elements, with part of the mass converted into
energy. Fusion power is safer than the older fission power, as an
uncontrolled reaction is not self sustaining, and does not lead to a runaway meltdown. The first form of fusion power
(now called hot-fusion) involved extreme temperatures and was only
economic after the advent of near room temperature
superconductors. When deuterium and tritium (two isotopes of
hydrogen) are combined high energy neutrons are given off (which can not be controlled or contained magnetically), so
heavy shielding was required. Early starships used deuterium and helium-3
for propulsion as the by-products can be controlled magnetically. A second form of fusion power, called
cold-fusion, has been perfected which happens at much lower
temperatures and is often used as a power source for
wormhole technology devices.
[Source: A Short History of Mankind]
