Encyclopaedia of the Galactic Echo

by Simon Coates

  Part of a five-person multi-nation team that formed at the beginning of 2030 for the first ever manned mission to Mars, Abramov was joined by the following crew:

  Dr Andrea Kowlowski, USA, pilot and medical doctor;

  Steven Briggs, Great Britain, logistics and flight engineer;

  Kung Fi Koom, Japan, co-pilot;

  Nasser Hussian, Iran, computer technician.

  All five astronauts undertook extensive training in simulated areas and did controlled experiments to ensure they would be as best prepared as possible to undertake the mission. Their spaceship was constructed in Cape Canaveral, USA. In 30th October 2036 the ship took off from Earth, and had a relatively trouble-free journey to Mars, which took almost one full year.

  Abramov was the first person to set foot on Mars, saying his immortal words, followed by the rest of the crew, and they spent a total of five hours on the Martian surface before returning to Earth. This return journey took just over one year, and they were greeted as heroes as they touched down successfully.

  Tragedy was to befall Abramov, when on a mission to the Moon in 2056 ended in his rocket exploding soon after take off due to a fuel leak. Thus he was deprived of his dream of seeing if his words would come true of seeing people living on Mars, which happened just over one hundred years later.

  The landing site is preserved on the surface of Mars, which has become a location of scientific importance, which sees many tourists visit every year. This was made possible by Abramov’s decision to seal his first footprint in the Martian surface as soon as it was made, as if left exposed to the Martian surface it would have disappeared. By preserving his footprints, in readiness for humans to re-visit the site, it ensured that this piece of human history was kept alive.

  Avant, Shenna (Earthite, female) - medical doctor who discovered a cure for the common cold

  Born 3rd June, 2160, died 15th December 2201

  Regarded as one of the greatest medical minds of all time, Shenna Avant worked on a number of projects before being thrust into the limelight with her discovery of a cure against the common cold.

  Her early career was relatively unremarkable, which had her working with numerous teams within a number of medical hospitals on general medicines. It was during 2189, while developing antidotes for various skin conditions that she made her astounding discovery.

  Noticing certain cells being destroyed after a course of treatment, she isolated these samples and with the help of computer simulations was able to calculate the formula for her special medicine. After further analysis she realised the cells being destroyed were infected by the flu virus, and it suddenly dawned on her that she might have found a cure for the common cold. She received permission to test her medicine out on a number of people suffering flu-like symptoms, who were totally cured within ten minutes. After further tests, which saw more people cured, it was officially confirmed that the common cold had finally been cured, which up to that point was probably the oldest illness in human history.

  Tragically her life was cut short after she was killed in a car crash, two weeks before she was to receive her Nobel Prize for services to medicine.

  Caldera, Donovan (Earthite, male) - founder of Ultra Natural

  Born 3rd September 2067, died 1st March 2169

  Born into a family with a long history of roles within the Christian church, Donovan Caldera was expected to continue the family's devotion to the bible and the Christian way of life. He did, but not in the way many expected. He started his career as a vicar in a local parish, rapidly working up the ranks within the church, at one point looking likely to be promoted to the position of bishop. However, his life took a different direction as he approached the age of 50.

  Noticing an increasing reliance on artificial means, including robots, computers and electronics, Caldera decided that humans appeared to be living lives as slaves to machines, and decided to incorporate an organisation dedicated to a more 'natural' lifestyle. This was the founding of the group 'Ultra Natural', which began in 2116.

  He set the ground rules for this organisation, which he decided would be available to anyone who wanted to join. Regarded as a pioneer, and unusually for someone like this, respected across the spectrum, he became the voice of reason in a world increasing reliant on computers for its day to day living.

  Today, over one hundred years since he passed away, the organisation has grown in stature to the point that it is very respected across all walks of life.

  Lysander, Miles (Earthite, male) – spacestation designer

  Born 27th February 2098, died December 18th 2297

  With a life spanning close to a staggering 200 years, Miles Lysander became arguably the most important spacestation engineer of all time.

  Born in South Africa, his early years showed a passion for mechanical and electrical objects. Much to his parent’s annoyance, he would take certain machines to pieces, with varying levels of success in terms of putting them back together in working order. He graduated with a degree in mechanical design, and began work on satellites for a number of space missions. His talent showed in his early career, and he began to specialise in engineering better living areas for people living and working in space.

  In 2120, Lysander was instrumental in the design of the Isaac Newton, the first ever super spacestation to be built. His talent was to design the living accommodation in a very creative way, using light, space and what he called ‘feel’, to package everything a person would need in a very small space. When the spacestation was launched, Lysander continued to work in the industry, designing the living spaces in many spacestations and satellites. He was regularly recruited by the public spaceship industry to design the living areas on board their ships.

  When Lysander turned 100, he took a back seat in his work, and took more time for leisure, but was still involved with various projects, often taking a lead in the setup and design of spacestations.

  In his later life, beyond his 150th birthday, Lysander kept up a remarkable heath, regularly undertaking exercise and he gradually slipped into retirement.

  Lysander died in 2297, just before the announcement by the government to create a new Type 5 spacestation to orbit Earth. It has been decided to name it Lysander by way of tribute to him, a move that has gained unanimous agreement by all people involved in the project. Construction is expected to begin in the early part of the 24th century.

  Olbrim, Tyke (Moonion, male) - targetball player

  Born 14th April 2260

  Widely regarded as the greatest targetball player of all time, Tyke Olbrim achieved phenomenal success in the sport, winning the Open Championship a stunning thirteen times in a row, retiring in 2293 after his final win.

  He was born with a rare talent of tremendous hand and eye coordination which gave him his uncanny ability with the ball, which was obvious to everyone who saw him play.

  Olbrim was discovered as having a talent for the sport at an early age, being touted as a potential champion at just twelve years of age. Taken under the wing of a local sports club, he was given the opportunity to hone his skills. His first championship was in 2281, where he stunned everyone by winning the whole competition outright, starting a dominance in the sport that had never been seen before or since. He was instantly made into a celebrity overnight.

  He followed up his first win with an unbroken run of a further twelve championship wins, regularly scoring over 90 points, with a peak of 95 points in 2285, a record that remains to this day and the closest anyone has ever come to a perfect 100 points. His last championship came in 2293, when he announced his retirement, thereby drawing the line on an amazing career which saw him win every Open Championship he had ever entered.

  In a remarkable family of targetball players, his younger brother Rebum Olbrim won the Open Championship between the years of 2295-7.

  In retirement, Olbrim has continued to be involved in the sport, as he developed a very strong rapport with journalists and was a fans favourite during his comp
etitions. Today, he is involved with coaching prospective targetball competitors.

  Shas’olum (Marsian, male) - full time professional Formula X racing pilot

  Born 1st March 2259

  Shas’olum began his career, much like the other Formula X pilots, in a role connected to the sport, but harbouring dreams of winning the galactic championship one day. He was a mechanic for the Fellucia team, before being noted as a possible future talent by the Rebus Racing Academy when he trained for his spaceship flying licence. His potential was tested by the Jupe Racing Team, and was put on a training programme where he showed impressive test results, and was taken on as a test pilot for the same team for the 2293 season. A full time pilot seat became available following the retirement of their full time pilot, Actor Menmon. Despite the ship being quite uncompetitive, Shas’olum impressed with some high placings, and, following a full season in 2296, he was offered the ultimate pilot seat, racing for Britus in 2297. Critics viewed this appointment with some scepticism as there were other more experienced pilots in the running for this seat, but Shas’olum delivered the goods, winning his first race and going on to take 2nd place in the championship.

  The following year was the season when Shas’olum fully repaid the trust placed in him by the Britus team. He won 4 races and went on to take the galactic championship, achieving his long-time ambition. It is anticipated that Shas'olum and Britus will achieve considerable success in the coming years.

  Sordim, Heinder (Earthite, male) – Chief engineer for Moon habitation

  Born May 2nd, 2116

  Arguably, the greatest ever human engineering achievement was the successful terraforming of Mars, but the project undertaken to make the Moon habitable for humans was no less difficult.

  Heading a specialist team of expert geologists and scientists, Heinder Sordim led the investigation into this project, which began in earnest in 2149. In just ten years, after many visits to the lunar surface, the team had enough research to begin construction of the first permanent settlement on the Moon. In 2165 the first humans moved to the Moon and the project was complete.

  Heinder herself was recognised at the time to be a brilliant engineer, who had a wealth of experience in varying projects on Earth and the Moon, and for many was seen as a logical choice to lead the mission to make the Moon habitable. Her own work on the project, apart from leading the team as project director, was to develop the material for the dome system, which is today widely used on the Moon surface. It was believed initially that the Moon could be terraformed like Mars, but the research and tests carried out by Heinder’s team discovered that this was not possible, due to any atmosphere quickly disappearing off the Moon. So work began on a ‘dome’ system, which is what the Moon has to this day.

  Today, despite being over 180 years old, Heinder still holds an active role in Moon habitation, being a board member of the directorate of Vicklady-Sonderling Enterprises Ltd, the company that constructs the dome system. Also, she advises the current government within the Moon Safety Commission on developments regarding the population of the Moon. She is widely admired for her dedication to her work, causing current Supreme Governor Phillipe Steinway to consider her one of the most significant people in the history of the human race.

  Steinway, Phillipe (Earthite, male) – Supreme Governor

  Born 15th August 2239

  The position of supreme governor, the highest position of power for humans, is currently held by Frenchman Phillipe Steinway.

  Steinway had an unremarkable childhood in the middle of the 23rd century, but it was noted during his time of education at university that he had a real passion for politics. His first job was as admin clerk for a local government office in Paris, France. It was during the rapid development of solar power that he campaigned successfully against the construction of a powerplant in his beloved countryside outside Paris where Steinway discovered a talent for engaging with people. He had certain ideals that he campaigned passionately for, and quickly became noted as a highly intellectual individual, who had a certain grasp on issues and could see all sides of an argument. Steinway moved up the political ranks, and as he moved up in his career, he harboured dreams of landing the top job of supreme governor. Some of his supporters reckoned he was such an influential character with good ideals and morals, that he would be very good for people if he were to gain this position.

  It was during the elections in 2297 that he won power, with a majority support from most areas of the population, and is regarded as a popular person to lead the human race into the 24th century.

  Tallantyre, Remus (Marsian, male) - industrialist

  Born 24th July 2213

  From very humble and difficult beginnings, Remus Tallantyre built up one of the biggest engine manufacturing plants, being the head of the company he founded. Despite his advanced age, Remus still works full time in his company.

  Born on Mars, to unknown parents, Remus was likely to have been the product of a prostitute who gave birth to him. For many babies born at this time on Mars, living any length of time was lucky, and Remus was one of the lucky ones. He suffered terribly in his early years, but once he became an adult, his entrepreneurial and business talents showed through. He set up business on his own, and registered a patent for an aspect of engine design that proved to be very significant. His design was very quickly adopted as the industry standard for spaceship engine design, and his company grew rapidly.

  The success achieved enabled Remus to become phenomenally wealthy. He owns a number of luxuries that such wealth can acquire, such as apartments and houses across Mars, Earth and the Moon, most notably his built-from-scratch mansion in North Yorkshire, England, on Earth.

  Friends and colleagues describe Remus in different ways. Recognised and respected for his achievements in business, but with a reputation for being a ruthless individual. Remus has never married, preferring to have short term relationships with all manner of women, regularly hiring prostitutes. He is also known for running his business with an iron grip, with anyone disagreeing with Remus being given their marching orders without hesitation.

  Important Organisations and Companies

  Britus - Formula X race team

  The most successful Formula X racing team in history had very small beginnings, starting as a small engineering company involved with engine development for a number of different manufacturers. The company was started in 2240 by Zemlin Britus, and was involved with cutting edge technology for nuclear power for transport ships from Earth to the Moon and Mars. Over the years, the company became a full-on engine maker in its own right, creating complete units and became a leading light in this field of engineering. This success led to Zemlin Britus to gain considerable personal wealth, which enabled him to purchase and own a number of spaceships, which he then customised himself to offer increases in power.

  With a group of friends and colleagues, Britus was one of the founding members of the sport what would become Formula X racing, and created a spaceship that was one of the four that competed in the first ever Formula X races. Rather than fly himself, Britus gave the pilot seat to an employee and close friend Qu’imbort, who finished second overall in the first year of competition.

  In the second year of the championship, the team suffered the tragedy of Qu’imbort losing his life when his Britus Model 1 exploded. Although this was a personally devastating loss for Britus, rather than stop racing, he decided to make it his mission to create the best racing spaceships in the world, in memory of his great friend. Indeed, although not known if true or just an urban myth, it is claimed that every single Britus spaceship made since has the name Qu’imbort printed somewhere in the chassis.

  Britus was, and remains to this day, a pioneer in safety for Formula X spaceships, who was involved heavily during 2285 to audit Formula X to make it safer. In 2286 the team had become a full-time Formula X racing team, and laid the foundations to their dominance of the sport. That year, Gilmon J’olum won every race in the season,
and with it the overall championship, in devastatingly dominating fashion. Images of Zemlin Britus himself in tears when he embraced Gilmon after the last race, with family members of the late Qu’imbort in attendance are amongst the most iconic and touching in the history of the sport.

  Over the next few years, the team enjoyed phenomenal success, winning the championship in 2287 with Beckton Monter and then in successive years from 2289 to 2292. The championships in 2289 and 2290 were significant in that the Britus pilot was Helen Gibson, therefore becoming the first ever female Formula X Galactic Champion. In fact, the team finished in the top three in every championship from the first years right up to 2296, when the team suffered its second fatality when Isias Jadin lost his life. He won the championship in 2291 and ‘92, so is to date the only pilot ever to have died having won the championship previously.

  At the end of the 2298 racing season, with support from sponsors including the large insurance company Force Major-Greenbelt, Britus has become the benchmark team in Formula X, with seven Galactic Championship wins, and 33 individual race wins. Many consider his personal ambition of wanting to create the finest racing team of all to have been achieved. Current pilot is Shas’olum, who is the reigning Galactic Champion having won the title in 2298 in commanding fashion, being crowned champion with one race still to go.

  In 2290, Britus created their one and only spaceship for the public. Sold without a model name, it was simply called ‘The Britus’. It was, and still is, considered to be the closest ever spaceship made for the public that is like a Formula X racer. Produced in just one year, it featured a completely hand-built and bespoke 4,000 THz nuclear powered engine, and peerless fit and finish; exactly as Zemlin requested from his engineers. With just ten made, priced at Cr 3 million, which all sold before production began, this spaceship is one of the most sought after ship for collectors, with examples now valued at double the original asking price. Owners state the ship has simply staggering performance and handling, with the most astonishing noise from the engine.

  Zemlin Britus himself is described by many as having a domineering personality, choosing to rule his company with an iron fist (he would joke that he prefers to use something like a titanium composite, iron is a bit old-fashioned…). Despite being over 100 years old, Britus himself still works full-time in his company, with strong involvement in the development of the team and the spaceships, with a 100% commitment to absolute perfection. Colleagues say he is difficult to work with, but will reward good work very handsomely. Many people consider a job at Britus to be the ultimate for a spaceship engineer.

  Forlami – watch maker

  The most well-known Mars based jeweller was founded by Eagerm Forlami in 2237, originally manufacturing small jewellery pieces made of IronO, the precious metal unique to Mars. He produced mainly rings and necklaces for men and women, but decided to branch out by setting up a watch making facility, as he realised the need for people to have a nice wristwatch; there have been many manufacturers on Earth making high-quality watches for many centuries, but he was the first to offer this on Mars.

  Today, the Forlami watch range is wide, offering a number of differing styles and types, each individually hand made out of a variety of IronO materials, mixed with gold, silver and platinum. The most sought after are the watches known as ‘Grandes Mechanique’ which offer dual time facilities for Earth and Mars, as well as the moon phases of the Mars natural satellites Phobos and Deimos. The watches that offer a mechanical movement for the seconds timing for both Earth time and SecMars are said to be amongst the most complex and difficult to manufacture. The range starts at around Cr 500 for a standard SecMars timepiece in IronO, going up to Cr 10,000 for a watch in IronO gold, and onwards to over Cr 100,000 for a complex timepiece in IronO platinum. Forlami still makes necklaces and rings and other jewellery, but the watch making side has become the main focus of the company.

  Forlami is the appointed Formula X timekeeper, and for 2299 is the main sponsor of the 100 lap race over the Mars moon Deimos.

  Dr Ghislac & Partners – cosmetic surgery clinic