An Infinity of Tomorrows (Gundam/Halo AU)

Your own tale of two mecha.
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Pkmatrix
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Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:07 pm

An Infinity of Tomorrows (Gundam/Halo AU)

Author's Note: This began as an effort to create an alternate Gundam 00 timeline where Celestial Being, the Gundams, and the Innovators never existed. This has gone somewhat beyond that, however, and has now become something of a mix of First Gundam, Gundam 00, Gundam SEED, and Halo plus some original ideas. Hope you enjoy!

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An Infinity of Tomorrows


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Part 1

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Mosul, 2301.

Soran Ibrahim was dead.

In the harrowing final minutes of his young life, the boy had been scurrying through the rubble and ruined remains of the city: a ten year-old soldier caught up in a war he did not, could not, fully understand. Ali Al-Saachez, the man who’d recruited him, had said this was a jihad, a holy war against heretical infidels in Azadistan and their foreign financiers. It was God’s will that he fight, Ali said. It was God’s will that Soran’s parents died, too.

The air smelled of gunpowder and smoke. Above him, helicopters and bullets flew. All around him were screams, and explosions, and the constant droning of Azadi propaganda over loudspeakers - each word accompanied by the dull thud of a mobile suit’s footstep. Azadistan had purchased ten of the bipedal combat vehicles from the Chinese in the years leading up to the war, and though the Kurds had found the machines easy to knock down they were incredibly hard to kill.

Or outrun.

Soran dashed through the bombed wreck that was once a supermarket - he cut his bare callused feet, again, on the broken glass that littered the floor - and, unslinging his assault rifle from his shoulder, stepped into the street. It was empty, save a few abandoned and burned-out cars, but not for long: a mobile suit, an “Anf” they called it, stepped into view from behind the apartment building a hundred yards ahead at the intersection.

It saw him.

Soran, trembling, took a step back and whispered half a prayer. The Anf’s 30mm gun swivelled on its turret and locked into place, aimed at him. Soran, his finger moving all on its own, pulled the trigger, firing wildly from the hip - one or two bullets struck, bouncing harmlessly off the machine’s armor with little ‘dings’. There was a flash.

In the span of a microsecond, Soran imagined an entire future for himself: an angelic mobile suit would save him, he’d be recruited into a secret society dedicated to ending war, the world would be united and finally at peace...

The final, desperate, thoughts of a boy, savagely murdered in a pointless war.

Life would go on without Soran Ibrahim. The world would still be divided between the rich and the poor, those with access to unlimited energy and those viciously cut out. The three power blocs would continue their on-and-off zero-sum game, the proxy wars over this-or-that resource or market.

But, poor Soran Ibrahim would never live to see either the utopia he dreamed of or the more mundane reality. He died, shot to pieces, on the streets of Mosul in the year 2301.

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Darmstadt, 2318.

“Dr. Shaw? Dr. Fujikawa? The spacecraft is in position.”

Brenda Acevedo could barely contain herself. Billions of euros and decades of research had all led to this moment - two lifetimes worth of work on the part of the project’s leaders. Now, at only 31, she stood alongside two of the greatest physicists of all time just minutes before what will surely be their greatest achievement: the activation of the world’s first Translight Engine.

Tobias Shaw - still spry at 78, not quite through his middle age - stood from his seat between his colleague and the Flight Director. He studied the holographic displays, for what Brenda wasn’t quite sure, until at last he whispered a Go.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a Go,” Brenda said. “Begin final systems check.”

The spacecraft, an unmanned satellite designed by the Slipspace Research Institute in Helsinki, was little more than the engine itself, a network of 30 Eifman reactors, and a sensor array to relay data back to Mission Control. Simple enough for a demonstration, but if successful would hold enormous repercussions for the future of not just the European Space Agency. It would signal the beginning of a new era in human history.

“All stations have reported in,” Brenda said. “Systems are green. Beginning countdown at T minus 60 seconds.”

“Ralph should have been here to see this,” Dr. Fujikawa said. Shaw nodded. The late Ralph Eifman, the genius behind the sedan-sized fusion reactors powering the Translight Engine, passed away ten years ago. He was a personal friend of Dr. Fujikawa, and was considered by many to be the greatest scientific mind of their generation. Should today’s test prove successful, the world may have to rethink that assessment.

“Thirty seconds.”

A century ago, this moment would’ve been considered impossible. Slipspace, the extra dimension the Translight Engine manipulates in order to travel at superluminal speeds, was originally discovered by scientists at CERN in 2011 when they observed neutrinos passing through it. Its existence violated the laws of physics as understood in the early 21st century, though, and within a year the scientific community concluded the observations were false positives. It would be over a hundred years later, when the great Yuri Minovsky - creator of the world’s first practical commercial nuclear fusion reactor - proved the existence of the M Particle before anyone even suspected the mistake. It wouldn’t be until 2246, well over 200 years after its discovery, that the existence of Slipspace would be proven by physicists in the United States and India.

“Ten seconds, nine, eight...”

Fifty years ago, when Shaw and Fujikawa began the first experiments in moving matter through slipspace, the idea of the Translight Engine was considered laughable. Sure, Dr. Mia Alaya had proposed the concept in 2261, but few in the scientific or spaceflight communities took the idea seriously. Faster than light travel? That’s science fiction. It violated Einstein, it violated Hawking, it violated Schenberg. It had been only 15 years since Slipspace’s existence was proven, and few saw any use for it beyond possibly communications. Even if you could move solid objects safely through Slipspace, it would require more energy than anyone could practically install on a spacecraft: on the order of thirty times more than the standard Minovsky-Ionesco reactor. Short of building it in orbit, how would you get it into space?

The naysayers were shortsighted fools: the space elevator project had already begun by the time Dr. Alaya wrote her paper, though it wouldn’t be until the late ‘90s before either the Union of Solar Power and Free Nations or Human Reform League completed theirs, and not until 2311 for the European Union to complete their own. Dr. Eifman made them feel doubly foolish when he unveiled his ultracompact fusion reactor in 2271. All the while, Drs. Shaw and Fujikawa continued their experiments. By 2311, they had a working design. Seven years later...

“...three, two, one, zero. Mark!”

“Activating Translight Engine.”

On the holographic displays, the prototype spacecraft vanished. Moments later, it reappeared...well beyond the orbit of the Moon. Just about one million miles in seconds. The room erupted. Dr. Shaw, a disbelieving grin plastered on his face, sat.

“Congratulations,” Brenda said. Shaw nodded.

“This changes everything,” Dr. Fujikawa said. “Absolutely everything.”

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Author's Note: Thoughts? I'd like to know if you feel this works. I'm open to suggestions. Comments and criticisms are welcome!
Rob DS Zeta
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Re: An Infinity of Tomorrows (Gundam/Halo AU)

I like, but how far does Halo get involved? Is it just the tech, or does you-know-who come crashing down out of the atmosphere at some point?
*insert witty eyecatch here*
Pkmatrix
Posts: 46
Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:07 pm

Re: An Infinity of Tomorrows (Gundam/Halo AU)

Rob DS Zeta wrote:I like, but how far does Halo get involved? Is it just the tech, or does you-know-who come crashing down out of the atmosphere at some point?
Yep, at some point the Covenant (and, maybe, the Master Chief) are going to get involved in this. The history leading up to humanity's first contact with the Covenant is going to be SIGNIFICANTLY different, however, as will mankind's response.

In some ways, this story is more an experiment than a real narrative. It's more of a timeline, I suppose. ^_^() There will be a plot eventually - I suppose you guys can think of everything thus far as an extended prologue.

Here's some more. Enjoy!

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EU Launches Interstellar Probe
Associated Press, 26 April 2329

EAST AFRICA - The European Space Agency’s interstellar space probe, dubbed “The Torch”, launched today from the EU’s orbital elevator, La Tour. It is bound for the space beyond the Moon’s orbit, where it will activate its Translight Engine and begin the two-month voyage through Slipspace to Epsilon Eridani, 10.5 lightyears (99 trillion km) from Earth. If its mission is successful, it will be only the second man-made spacecraft to reach another star system.

The project is the culmination of a decade of development on behalf of the European Union following the successful test of the first faster-than-light engine by Europe’s space agency in 2318

“This achievement is only made possible by the hard work and dedication of Doctors Shaw and Fujikawa,” said ESA Chief Brenda Acevedo.

The last probe to another star was launched by the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the early 22nd Century on a century-long mission to explore Alpha Centauri. The Torch, however, will not take the 86 years it took NASA’s probe to make its journey, but only an estimated 61 days according to Dr. Acevedo. Scientists are unsure of exactly when it will reach Epsilon Eridani due to the uncertain nature of Slipspace.

When it does arrive, the ESA expects to find a system of seven planets: three gas giants and four terrestrial worlds, including one planet observations indicate may be a life-bearing Earth-like planet. This “Earth Twin”, Epsilon Eridani e, is considered to be the best candidate for any future manned interstellar mission.

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Wallace Fujikawa dead at 102
Associated Press, 18 February 2338

STOCKHOLM - Dr. Wallace Fujikawa, co-inventor of the Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, died at his home in Stockholm today. A spokesperson for the Fujikawa family reported that he died peacefully this morning in the company of friends and family. In 2332 Dr. Fujikawa was awarded a Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in quantum electro-nuclear dynamics along with his longtime colleague Tobias Shaw, who passed away last year of an undisclosed circulatory condition. Dr. Fujikawa leaves behind three children, five grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren.

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Space territory treaty signed
Associated Press, 27 June 2367

NINGBO, CHINA - Leaders of the European Union, Human Reform League, and Union of Solar Power and Free Nations signed a new treaty governing claims of national territory and sovereignty over extrasolar planets. The agreement is designed to replace an outdated treaty governing international protocols in space from the 20th Century.

As agreed to by the leaders, no single power can lay claim to an entire star system and are limited to claiming up to one-third of a planet’s surface. Any and all claims must be approved by a vote of the United Nations Security Council. The treaty only applies to extrasolar planets, and bodies within our solar system will remain politically neutral.

This agreement is expected to put to rest tensions that have flared amongst the major powers since the world’s first manned interstellar spacecraft, The Odyssey, successfully arrived in the Epsilon Eridani system and established an outpost for the European Union on Epsilon Eridani e, the second planet from its sun.

Several nations, chief amongst them the United States and China, are expected to launch their own interstellar missions on behalf of the Union and HRL respectively within the next five years.

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Human Reform League unveils terraformation plan
Associated Press, 10 November 2379

NEW DELHI - Indian space chief Lakshmi Iyer unveiled plans to terraform Epsilon Indi d, an Earth-like planet 12 light years from Earth. The Chinese space agency landed on and established an outpost on the planet in 2371. ISRO, the Indian space agency, plans to launch an expedition of its own to the system later this year. Although the Ningbo Treaty forbids the Human Reform League from claiming more than 33% of the planet’s surface, thus far only HRL member states have travelled to the system.

“Unlike Reach in the Epsilon Eridani system, Indi d does not have a breathable atmosphere,” Iyer said. “It is close, however. Close enough that we believe it will be cost-effective to attempt terraformation.”

While Ms. Iyer did not elaborate on what process would be used or the actual cost, she expected the process to take as little as 75 years to complete.

The Union for Solar Power and Free Nations has also considered terraformation on Circumstance, the third planet of the Epsilon Eridani system, but the United States and Brazilian governments have been reluctant to finance the project.

These plans are not without opponents. Donell Shetlar, a professor of ecology at Australia National University and spokesman for the Clean World Group, denounced the plans as “defiling the natural splendor” of the planet and “raping the native ecosystem”. A press release was also issued by the international militant group La Edenra accusing the HRL of “betraying God.”

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Author's Note: Thoughts? I'd like to know if you feel this works. I'm open to suggestions. Comments and criticisms are welcome!
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schwarz ritter
Posts: 343
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Re: An Infinity of Tomorrows (Gundam/Halo AU)

Okay, now I'm hooked.

I think this fic has a lot of potential. Ideas of the Covenant interacting with Gundam-verses or LoGH-verses usually never get past discussions in SpaceBattles, so its nice to see someone developing this.

Overall, I think this will be a great fic. Keep it up ;)
Reinhard: "Of course, grades in school aren't a good indicator. They focus too much on memorization and imitation, and don't foster imagination."
Kircheis: "What you find important are imaginative and conceptual capabilities, right?"
Reinhard: "That's right."
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