1477-1525 – A successful Concord campaign retakes some land in the north, largely with the aid of the first cannons. Guns start appearing in modernizing armies shortly after. Improving weapons also help in later conquests of south Asia, integrating large portions to its growing imperium.
1530-1540 – The Reformation sees more power peacefully transferred to the Empire’s nobility through a series of accords. These agreements allow for greater economic autonomy for individual provinces and creates the Collective, which restructures the Empire’s army and is directed by representatives elected within a province.
1646-1653 – The Silk Road helps spread the Bubonic Plague, killing millions in Asia and Europe, further weakening the Empire.
1655 – Taking advantage of the Empire’s destabilized state, the largest slave rebellion takes place. Though they receive help from sympathizers, the lack of competent leadership and resources swiftly crumbles the revolt.
1664 – Moveable type invented.
1700-1950 – The Renaissance Period. The budding ideas of scientific observation, capitalism, and democracy are introduced to the masses, taking a particularly strong foothold in the western sections of the Alethean Empire.
1992-2199 – The New World is discovered by hired Alethean explorers. Initial arrivals from the Empire begin spreading the Sacred message to the indigenous populations and start to search for gold and other resources throughout the northern and southern continents. Disease and war decimate native peoples in nearly every region. Those dissatisfied with nobility and the priesthood flock to the colonies in Northern America.
2200-2250 – Upset at the lack of representation in their mother country and provoked by the constant Alethean interference to its colonial governments—where the priesthood is regulated to the sidelines and where the nobility is essentially nonexistent—rebels secede from the Empire, starting the Revolutionary War. Much of the Empire’s army is forced to retreat when its homeland is threatened by a Concord invasion to its northeastern borders, which is able to deflect with its full force, but at the cost of more northern land and losing many of its North American colonies.
2260-2340 – Industrial Revolution
2383 – With increasing political pressure, and the need of slavery diminishing in the age of machinery, the Alethean Empire outlaws slavery in all its territories.
2411-2416 – The Arab Union is threatened by the Concords. The Empire intervenes to save its ally. The war ends in a stalemate.
2420-2424 – The American Civil War. The end result is a unified nation and the abolition of slavery.
2426-2429 – Rebellions begin in Central America against the Empire, which quickly spread to include South America. Strained economically from previous wars, unable to rally its citizens for a distant concern, and the combined political pressure from the United States and the military threat from the Concord, the Empire begins withdrawing its forces from much of the western hemisphere. The Empire is able to keep hold of a few compliant colonies and islands.
2432 – Seeing its technological disadvantage compared to other developing nations, the Alethean Empire begins concentrating on its industry by enlisting foreign experts.
2439 – China’s Qing dynasty ends after decades of disease, famine, and peasant rebellions overthrow the aristocratic government. A theocracy regime is fashioned, but is met with heavy resistance due to the worry of Alethean priests being excessively influenced by the Alethean Empire.
2441-2447 – The Great Depression begins in the United States when the stock market crashes and quickly spreads to other nations, devastating the global economy. The economic collapse helps increase the number of communist factions, which up until then had been a nominal force in the global stage.
2449 – The enfeebled economic state of the Concord helps stir separatist factions in its lands in south Asia, who largely believe Alethea is the true prophet.
2450 – The Alethean Empire develops the atomic bomb, keeping the weapon top-secret until it is used on a Concord army in 2452 after the state refuses to stop its military intervention in south Asia. The act is condemned by most of the priesthood and many Alethean citizens, but does allow a significant portion of south Asia to successfully declare independence from the Concord, which will eventually create the nation states of Pakistan and India.
2453 – A major civil war begins in China early in the year. By its end, taking the U.S. and the Empire by surprise, communist forces declare victory.
2454-2457 – Fearing a communist takeover in its Korean protectorate, an Imperial Japan preemptively invades China, beginning what will be known as the Great War. Wary of the communist threat, both the U.S. and Alethean Empire declare war on China. Though not true ideological allies, the Concord agrees to support China in exchange for a vast tract of disputed land in northwest China and material support against the Arab Union. The Arab Union is officially dragged into the growing conflict when Concord planes bomb several cities a few days later. The United States assists Japan by joining their military in assaulting China’s eastern shores. The Alethean Empire is slow to reinforce the Arab Union with soldiers and is reluctant to use its atomic weapons due to the outcry from the priesthood and public in the first bombing, but do begin supporting the U.S. in their development of the hydrogen bomb. Meanwhile, the mass use of modern weaponry devastates cities in China, the eastern borders of the Alethean Empire, and most other Asian countries. The war ends after the U.S. drops a hydrogen bomb over a Chinese city. Among other settlements, the ensuing Treaty of Paris splits Korea into the communist North and democratic South, returns most of China’s territory given to the Concord, and creates the U.N.
2464 – China detonates its first nuclear weapon.
2465-2466 – The U.S. is forced to intervene in South Korea when the China-backed North invades. The war ends when it becomes clear a nuclear war was imminent if hostilities continued, returning each country to the status quo.
2469 – The United States lands on the moon to end the space race with the Concord.
2473-2481 – Per request of the U.N., the Alethean Empire withdraws from Vietnam and other nations it had occupied during the Great War. However, the vacuum of authority leaves both the Concord and China vying to gain influence in southeastern Asia. The interweaving and differing religious and economic forces comes to a head in Vietnam. With the shared interest of containing communism, the U.S. and the Empire intercede in the civil war. The end result is a treaty that again divides a country between north and south. The Concord begins seeing dissident factions within its northern territories. These extremist factions prove to be dissatisfied with the sluggish, ineffective pace the Concord is spreading the name of the true prophet and start to openly promote the sentiment among the populace, gaining more supporters.
2485-2509 – Personal computers become less expensive, rapidly bringing the early internet to more homes and businesses. The internet and devices connecting to it become integrated into everyday life.
2510-2519 – A military coup is attempted in the Concord. The attempt fails, but the alliance is fractured and a civil war begins in 2512. With the war threatening to spill over to its territory, the Arab Union requests the U.N. for support. Seeing communist leanings in the major rebel force, the U.S. and the Empire agree to send forces to quell the insurgency in 2516. The war ends in early 2519 when more moderate Concord leaders regain control.
2525-2532 – In attempts to gain political independence from lingering socialist and U.S. influences, many South American countries begin a process, sometimes violent, of creating an economic bloc prominent enough to compete in the global stage and setting up governments clear of any officials tied to foreign nations. Regardless, the U.S. periodically involves itself to defend certain commercial interests in the region, particularly to ensure the Panama Canal remained secure.
2533-2540 – Serval bombings of government and public buildings throughout the world are linked to surviving sects of Concord extremist groups, most o
f which relocated to eastern and central African countries. Retaliation by the United States and the Arab Union is swift, but the scattered radical groups make it difficult for a decisive victory to be found.
2541-2549 – The continued advances in manufacturing and computer technology leads to improved and cheaper prosthetic limbs and artificial organs to the point that some willingly replace healthy body parts with synthetic ones in an attempt to prolong life. Most of the priesthood and civilian opinion sees the attempt at voluntary transhumanism as blasphemous, however, the obvious health and militaristic benefits compels most industrialized governments to permit the funding of tech-research companies.
Delayed Progress
November 30th, 2550 S.E.
I’ve always been a light sleeper. Too light, really. It’s kind of been a problem my entire life. It’s the main reason I prefer sleeping alone with a loud fan droning out all the little noises that randomly happen, whether that be the street noise three floors below, the commotion of my neighbors, or a cockroach’s fart. I even keep my room as dark as possible in order to hinder the morning rays from provoking me. Anyway, it came as no surprise to me when my vibrating phone on its quivering wooden nightstand stirred me awake. In no mood to emerge from under my warm blanket to pick up the call, I let it go to voicemail. When it was evident that no number of jumping sheep were going to be able to restart my sleep, I rolled grumpily to my left side and mechanically reached for the device with my gloved right hand, hoping the message was at least worth the interruption. The haziness in my eyes did clear some when I heard the message.
With a voice that was close to cracking from nervousness, a woman said, “Oh, um, is this Mr. Vickson? The private investigator? I’m sorry if I’m calling a bit early, but we have a job for you if you’re interested. Please reply to this number as fast as you are able. Thank you.”
The word “we” intrigued me. I usually received jobs from a single person and “we” implied the message sender either represented someone above their pay grade or a group of like-minded individuals. Either case usually meant more money. More complications, too, but I was used to most kinds—another reason I was sleeping alone more often than not. The anxious tone and the fact she forgot to add her name also told me this message was a spur of the moment thing, likely resolving herself to call me after hours or even days of sporadically mulling it over.
Eight o’clock was the time on my phone. Earlier than I was used to, but my work and easily disrupted sleep cycles forced me to be flexible. I got up, brushed, changed out from the clothes I didn’t bother removing before the night before, and fixed myself a quick breakfast of eggs on toast. Meanwhile, I used my phone to search the number the message came from on a website I liked to use for these types of occasions. The amateur but still highly effective trace found that the number belonged to a business, specifically, the Medtech Corporation. It was a midsized company specializing in medical technology based right here in Chicago. They were in the news about six months back when one of the heads of the company committed suicide. Perhaps someone didn’t think so. A closer scrutiny at the company’s website revealed the number as belonging to a secretary named Alice Gould. A search of her name displayed nothing spectacular. She was a thirty-five year old white woman with short blonde hair, apparently divorced once, seemingly childless, and going by the large number of pics of familiar looking women in her public accounts, had at least two sisters. I called her number an hour after I had listened to her message.
It only rang once before the recently acquainted, and much more composed, voice on the other end said, “You’ve reached the home office of the Medtech Corporation. How may I help you?”
“Alice Gould, I presume?”
“Yes, sir. And who is this?”
“You called me earlier. My name is Bryan Vickson.”
“Oh, yes, I see. Thank you for returning my call. So you are a P.I., then?”
“Yes, ma’am, though I am a bit surprised you know my last name. I use a different one on my website. Was I recommended to you?”
“Yes. Someone at the police station recommended your services.”
“Ah, you must mean Detective Denton. One of my allies at the department. How can I help you, ma’am?”
“Well, to make sure you can see this through and have all the support you need, I would first like to have a meeting with a Dr. Ryan Malik. This will count as paid time, of course.”
“Dr. Malik, huh? Does this job have something to do with what happened six months ago?”
“Yes. Do you take closed cases?”
“It doesn’t matter. When do you want me to meet with Dr. Malik?”
“He and I will be expecting you at his office at six. He runs his own clinic up on 426 Sable Road. Is that okay with you?”
“I’ll be there.”
After shifting through a couple of other job requests over the course of the day, I put on my warmest leather jacket and hopped in my black Dodge Challenger parked half a block from my apartment. It was a near cloudless sky, and while it was cold enough for it, there had not been any snow on the ground the last few days. I used to enjoy the cold. It was an excuse to wear the heavier clothing I thought fitted me better than the flimsier stuff I wore during the warmer months. The lower temperatures also allowed me to eat the steaming hot soups I liked, which would otherwise melt me at any other time. Best of all, it made women more inclined to seek out more intimate companionship a little faster than normal. It was a different story now. Now it just reminded me of the cold metal and plastics bonded to my right knee, my left ankle, and my right forearm. It wasn’t really the prosthetics themselves that bothered me, but the constant reminder of that damn day over ten years ago. The military at least took good care of their arcanists, so I got pretty advanced stuff attached to me. I could even still get good discounts when I needed a new model of a chip or part.
The clinic was located in an upscale suburb at the upper border of North Side Chicago. After I had parked in the nearly empty lot and was about to walk through the entrance, I noted that one of the glass doors stated that office hours for Monday ended at 5:30 p.m. As I walked up to the young woman at the front desk to request for Ms. Gould, I saw the woman herself sitting on a chair in the waiting room just adjacent the little lobby.
I went up to her and said, “Ms. Gould?”
She looked up at me with a startled look and replied, “Mr. Vickson?”
I nodded. She stood hastily and held out a hand for me to shake, which I did. She was quite a bit taller than I first supposed, even on her account of her modest black heels, as her blue eyes were level with my stubbled chin. The top of most women’s heads barely reached my neck, and that was taking into account taller heels.
“Thank you again for coming,” she said after the hasty handshake. “I’ll be sure to pay you for your time even if this doesn’t go anywhere. She turned to the lobby and said, “Amy, hold all of Dr. Malik’s calls. He’ll be in a meeting.” Back to me, “This way, Mr. Vickson.”
I followed her down a short hall that led deeper into the building, ultimately entering into an already open office where a black-haired man about my age was working on his computer. Except for the more wild hair and healthier looking figure, he was the spitting image of his late father. Ms. Gould and I stood silently for a moment as the doctor entered some last information on his desktop before turning to regard us with soft brown eyes.
“This is the gentleman I spoke of,” said Ms. Gould.
He gave her the slightest of nods and outstretched a hand to me. As I shook it, he said, “Have a seat, Mr. Vickson.” I took a chair, as did Ms. Gould. “I’m in a bit of an awkward situation, Mr. Vickson. Alice here has been a dear friend of mine and my family for a long time. We’re virtually siblings at this point, and she was affected just as much as I by the sudden death of my father. We’ve been talking it over often ever since it happened, simply not believing he would take his own life, which I know is what many people say to th
emselves after such a tragedy. Alice has taken it a step further than I. She is convinced it was murder. Frankly, I come close to outright agreeing with her, but when the police turned up nothing to indicate it was anything but an open and shut case, I was willing to trust the system. Alice has not. She brings you here to force my hand a bit.”
“Force your hand, Ryan?” said Ms. Gould. “I know you’ve been close to getting outside help yourself. You’re the one who even told me about Detective Denton. I’m simply doing what we both know needs to be done, if only to put our minds a little more at ease. We’ve been idle long enough.”
He gave her a quick expression of genuine remorsefulness before turning to me. “Well, now that we do have you here, Mr. Vickson, what do you make of our circumstance? What could you do for us?”
“Though not usually in a private investigator’s job description, I have been hired to try and solve a couple of messy homicides. I couldn’t find the rightful killers to either, but I did help release someone wrongfully accused of one of the murders. I’ll be honest, it’ll be a little tricky trying to prove that a suicide of an affluent man is actually a homicide when one imagines the original investigators were very thorough. Can either of you think of a possible enemy of Mr. Malik, or at least a possible reason for someone wanting to kill him?”
The doctor answered, “That question is precisely the reason I never went ahead and called a private investigator. My mother was just as baffled at my father’s suicide as anyone, but for her to even consider that anyone would actually want to hurt him was incomprehensible, so she has accepted the outcome a little more than Alice and I.”
“She’s been miserable, though,” said Ms. Gould sullenly. “Emily now believes Trevor kept his demons hidden form her, making her think that he didn’t trust her with his troubles. I think she even blames herself for not seeing them.”
Generations (The Nimbus Collection Book 3) Page 2