Post by Amyas Raeburn on Aug 14, 2014 0:56:36 GMT
Of the many defining periods of time that showcased the technological advancements and ingenuities of the human mind, the 21st century was possibly one of the most important. The advancement in computing systems brought on the centralized information systems of the world complete with smart embedded systems; super-computing systems made out of optical components capable of resting atop the average-sized office desk; and advancements in healthcare from more accurate and predictive prognosis systems and computerized prosthetics that work to learn from and grow with the user. Advancements in engineering comprehension and materials science saw many things that were once mere concepts on paper become great marvels of engineering that sent humans to the frontiers of human spaceflight and to the deepest and most mysterious parts of the ocean below. From these extremes of engineering, these advancements of knowledge and capability, and the increased understanding of the world around them, humans grew bolder and bolder in what they wished to accomplished. Some even believed that the deteriorating health of the world could have been solved through human ingenuity.
While the efforts were great and varied across the many scientific, research, and political communities that partook in the effort to halt a changing world, the symptoms continued in their slow and relentless march against the hands of man. The world’s climate continued to change with polar ice caps melting, storms becoming progressively stronger and more destructive, and world sea levels rising; all symptoms of a world that continued to change. Though these efforts were not all for naught as human ingenuity once again proved its worth. Technologies that were once simply selling points to the masses and points of political debates for those wishing to be elected into office came into fruition and turned into strong, defining products that became staples of normality in the lives of the developed world. Sustainable energy became the widely accepted form of energy as advancements in energy systems came through with efforts to curb the changing climate of the world. Efficient solar energy systems became widely accessible through mass production in the millions of units. Wind turbine systems became more powerful as wind farms grew in number while maintaining fairly small sizes due to the systems’ efficiency. Water turbines in rivers, lakes, and oceans saw use in remote locations that would have otherwise proven too difficult to place a power plant. Self-sufficient biospheres became a reality as experiments turned into successful products, gaining more popularity as communities sought to become as environmentally friendly and self-sufficient as possible. Though, the most powerful and most astonishing crowning achievements of man were not these individual advancements in power, materials, and technology, but instead the amalgamation of it all.
Concepts continued to become realities in the explosion of technological development of the 21st century, and the trend only continued strong when the turn of the century came about. One powerful and world-shaping development that finally took shape after decades of conceptual design and testing was the floating arcology. Wholly and entirely self-sufficient, these floating arcologies soon became a staple of maritime living as cities formed and grew, ranging in size from a mere few hundred meters across to many kilometers across housing anywhere from a few hundred to a hundred thousand people. The foundings and subsequent constructions of such floating cities grew exponentially in the 22nd century, causing many to question the anonymity of such communities and whether or not they were able to self-govern. The debate, though, did not last long as each city that was founded was not founded in the name of an existing government but in the name of a private party that was willing to put forth the money into these colossal construction projects. Once again, it seemed that money had proven to be a power that everyone listened to. Sadly, however, such power was often mistaken and misused due to the wanton greed of singular individuals.
Towards the end of 2139 C.E., one of the larger model cities was completed with a massive expanse totaling thirteen kilometers across. Its central hub alone was eight kilometers across while each of its eight connecting modules two kilometers across. Built alongside a sister city of the exact same configuration, Acionna’s Pride and Poseidon’s Fury both launched from the coastal remnants of New Sydney and New Melbourne, Australia under the leadership of the two brothers that owned the floating cities. Filled with many residents eager to get away from ordinary life on land, both cities drifted along under light engine power in the south Pacific in peace for years. While technically both cities were identical in every way, both constructed in an ellipsoidal design in both the central hubs and the detachable modules that connect to it, waterjet azimuth thrusters capable of sending the entirety of a fully loaded and supplied city to 13 knots, and self-contained systems complete with life support, food production, and manufacturing systems, each of the twin sister cities were functionally different. Acionna’s Pride focused more on the production of foods and goods with a flotilla of small submersibles capable of deep-sea exploration and harvesting of resources. Poseidon’s Fury, on the other hand, had an entirely militaristic role to it. Where Acionna’s Pride had docks primarily suited for small crafts with surface docks suited for larger ships, Poseidon’s Fury had docks capable of housing the latest in advanced submarine warships as well as strike crafts capable of aerial flight and submerged supercavitation movement. Theoretically, it was the perfect partnership, but as with all theories and plans, reality always had a different result.
In 2199, Poseidon’s Fury had returned to New Sydney after sixty years of floating throughout the Pacific, traveling from the glaciers of the frozen north to the storms of the Antarctic. There was no real reason for Poseidon’s Fury to return to its home, though the residents found that it was time to honour the motherland that had created it. At the same time, Acionna’s Pride was located near western Polynesia taking in geological samples for potential resource harvesting. Many of its own residents had not wanted to return to Sydney, though those few that did were allowed to board Poseidon’s Fury, leaving Acionna’s Pride underpopulated by half. This also meant that its security forces were understaffed, which presented a golden opportunity for the recently formed country of Kayurata. For nearly a century now, self-governing city-arcologies had wandered the various oceans of the world and it had been thoroughly understood that any country capable of building these massive floating wonders were more than capable of handling themselves in a crisis. Thus, it was the envy of many small countries to at least have associated with one of these cities in order to further increase their ability to grow and flourish. Kayurata was no different, however, the dictator of Kayurata was nowhere near as kind as the other nations.
The nation of Kayurata may have been small in size, but its military force was surprisingly powerful and deathly efficient. Having amassed the products produced by the nearby Asian economic and military superpowers, Kayurata had a significant naval force with an advanced air force that it used to prey on any privately owned and operated vessel that came near its waters. It took great care not to bring on the wrath of nearby superpowers, but cared little for the various threats and sanctions that were given. By international law, Kayurata had done nothing wrong, but instead it had cited its own various laws as justification. Such were the issues of world politics, and such were the reasons why floating cities were proud to be their own individual states. Yet, even with the care that Acionna’s Pride had taken to stay just out of reach of Kayurata’s borders, there was nothing that the city could have done to ward off the mass of warships and warplanes that came towards the defenseless city in just one night.
On the morning of the new year of 2200, Kayurata’s naval and aerial forces descended upon Acionna’s Pride in a flurry of threats and warning shots. Claiming that Acionna’s Pride had sent pilots into its waters to steal treasured underwater shipwrecks, the city was boarded and seized by Kayurata military. With a severe lack of security forces, Acionna’s Pride fell quickly to the harsh military takeover that ensued and was ushered into the waters of Kayurata. Abhorred and scorned by the other nations of the world, Kayurata simply ignored all the threats that ensued and instead began to enslave the remaining population of Acionna’s Pride. Upon receiving news of the city’s capture, Poseidon’s Fury launched its own military forces in order to retrieve the sister city, though it was all for naught. By the time its main submarine fighting force arrive, Acionna’s Pride had already arrived at one of the major port cities of Kayurata. While Poseidon’s Fury had a well-armed and well-trained force, it was not able to attack the far larger might even if the city and its armed forces fought an entirely underwater war.
Thus began the war, though not one in the conventional sense. It was a war of guerilla strikes where individual cargo ships and small warships of the Kayurata in international waters were viciously and savagely destroyed. Though, never were these attackers flying the colours of Poseidon’s Fury, but were instead flying the colours internationally recognized as symbols of privately owned companies. The ships, though, were clearly designed by the engineers of Poseidon’s Fury but there was nothing that could have been done as modern maritime laws were very clear: If the attacks were seen as an act of privacy, it was up to the attacked party to rectify the situation.
Now in the year of 2248, the war continued between Kayurata and Poseidon’s Fury. Neither side had relented in their attacks against stray vessels, though neither side has neither declared open war against one another. Instead, the war has shifted to involve former slaves of the now renamed Acionna’s Sorrow who rose up out of their shackles in the face of death to fight for their freedoms, mercenaries who decide between fame, fortune, and morality as to who to fight for, the soldiers and naval forces of the two countries as they launched light skirmishes against one another.
Decide then, shall you join the Kayurata soldiers and help quell the rebellion that rises on Acionna’s Sorrow or shall you fight for the freedom of those that were once your kindred by siding with Poseidon’s Fury? Maybe you shall endeavor to earn your riches and fight for either money or morals as a mercenary who floats freely from one side to another. After all, whoever pays more, whoever is willing to shell out more is all that matters. Who cares about slaves, or rather maybe you do? Maybe you are one of the risen fighters who struggle against the tight grip of oppression and you fight to free your brothers and sisters from these tight shackles.
Decide now and choose the fate of a city. Choose the fate of a city that was once a gleaming beacon of technological advancement and hope and now turned into a decrepit floating slum overpopulated by battered and broken souls.
While the efforts were great and varied across the many scientific, research, and political communities that partook in the effort to halt a changing world, the symptoms continued in their slow and relentless march against the hands of man. The world’s climate continued to change with polar ice caps melting, storms becoming progressively stronger and more destructive, and world sea levels rising; all symptoms of a world that continued to change. Though these efforts were not all for naught as human ingenuity once again proved its worth. Technologies that were once simply selling points to the masses and points of political debates for those wishing to be elected into office came into fruition and turned into strong, defining products that became staples of normality in the lives of the developed world. Sustainable energy became the widely accepted form of energy as advancements in energy systems came through with efforts to curb the changing climate of the world. Efficient solar energy systems became widely accessible through mass production in the millions of units. Wind turbine systems became more powerful as wind farms grew in number while maintaining fairly small sizes due to the systems’ efficiency. Water turbines in rivers, lakes, and oceans saw use in remote locations that would have otherwise proven too difficult to place a power plant. Self-sufficient biospheres became a reality as experiments turned into successful products, gaining more popularity as communities sought to become as environmentally friendly and self-sufficient as possible. Though, the most powerful and most astonishing crowning achievements of man were not these individual advancements in power, materials, and technology, but instead the amalgamation of it all.
Concepts continued to become realities in the explosion of technological development of the 21st century, and the trend only continued strong when the turn of the century came about. One powerful and world-shaping development that finally took shape after decades of conceptual design and testing was the floating arcology. Wholly and entirely self-sufficient, these floating arcologies soon became a staple of maritime living as cities formed and grew, ranging in size from a mere few hundred meters across to many kilometers across housing anywhere from a few hundred to a hundred thousand people. The foundings and subsequent constructions of such floating cities grew exponentially in the 22nd century, causing many to question the anonymity of such communities and whether or not they were able to self-govern. The debate, though, did not last long as each city that was founded was not founded in the name of an existing government but in the name of a private party that was willing to put forth the money into these colossal construction projects. Once again, it seemed that money had proven to be a power that everyone listened to. Sadly, however, such power was often mistaken and misused due to the wanton greed of singular individuals.
Towards the end of 2139 C.E., one of the larger model cities was completed with a massive expanse totaling thirteen kilometers across. Its central hub alone was eight kilometers across while each of its eight connecting modules two kilometers across. Built alongside a sister city of the exact same configuration, Acionna’s Pride and Poseidon’s Fury both launched from the coastal remnants of New Sydney and New Melbourne, Australia under the leadership of the two brothers that owned the floating cities. Filled with many residents eager to get away from ordinary life on land, both cities drifted along under light engine power in the south Pacific in peace for years. While technically both cities were identical in every way, both constructed in an ellipsoidal design in both the central hubs and the detachable modules that connect to it, waterjet azimuth thrusters capable of sending the entirety of a fully loaded and supplied city to 13 knots, and self-contained systems complete with life support, food production, and manufacturing systems, each of the twin sister cities were functionally different. Acionna’s Pride focused more on the production of foods and goods with a flotilla of small submersibles capable of deep-sea exploration and harvesting of resources. Poseidon’s Fury, on the other hand, had an entirely militaristic role to it. Where Acionna’s Pride had docks primarily suited for small crafts with surface docks suited for larger ships, Poseidon’s Fury had docks capable of housing the latest in advanced submarine warships as well as strike crafts capable of aerial flight and submerged supercavitation movement. Theoretically, it was the perfect partnership, but as with all theories and plans, reality always had a different result.
In 2199, Poseidon’s Fury had returned to New Sydney after sixty years of floating throughout the Pacific, traveling from the glaciers of the frozen north to the storms of the Antarctic. There was no real reason for Poseidon’s Fury to return to its home, though the residents found that it was time to honour the motherland that had created it. At the same time, Acionna’s Pride was located near western Polynesia taking in geological samples for potential resource harvesting. Many of its own residents had not wanted to return to Sydney, though those few that did were allowed to board Poseidon’s Fury, leaving Acionna’s Pride underpopulated by half. This also meant that its security forces were understaffed, which presented a golden opportunity for the recently formed country of Kayurata. For nearly a century now, self-governing city-arcologies had wandered the various oceans of the world and it had been thoroughly understood that any country capable of building these massive floating wonders were more than capable of handling themselves in a crisis. Thus, it was the envy of many small countries to at least have associated with one of these cities in order to further increase their ability to grow and flourish. Kayurata was no different, however, the dictator of Kayurata was nowhere near as kind as the other nations.
The nation of Kayurata may have been small in size, but its military force was surprisingly powerful and deathly efficient. Having amassed the products produced by the nearby Asian economic and military superpowers, Kayurata had a significant naval force with an advanced air force that it used to prey on any privately owned and operated vessel that came near its waters. It took great care not to bring on the wrath of nearby superpowers, but cared little for the various threats and sanctions that were given. By international law, Kayurata had done nothing wrong, but instead it had cited its own various laws as justification. Such were the issues of world politics, and such were the reasons why floating cities were proud to be their own individual states. Yet, even with the care that Acionna’s Pride had taken to stay just out of reach of Kayurata’s borders, there was nothing that the city could have done to ward off the mass of warships and warplanes that came towards the defenseless city in just one night.
On the morning of the new year of 2200, Kayurata’s naval and aerial forces descended upon Acionna’s Pride in a flurry of threats and warning shots. Claiming that Acionna’s Pride had sent pilots into its waters to steal treasured underwater shipwrecks, the city was boarded and seized by Kayurata military. With a severe lack of security forces, Acionna’s Pride fell quickly to the harsh military takeover that ensued and was ushered into the waters of Kayurata. Abhorred and scorned by the other nations of the world, Kayurata simply ignored all the threats that ensued and instead began to enslave the remaining population of Acionna’s Pride. Upon receiving news of the city’s capture, Poseidon’s Fury launched its own military forces in order to retrieve the sister city, though it was all for naught. By the time its main submarine fighting force arrive, Acionna’s Pride had already arrived at one of the major port cities of Kayurata. While Poseidon’s Fury had a well-armed and well-trained force, it was not able to attack the far larger might even if the city and its armed forces fought an entirely underwater war.
Thus began the war, though not one in the conventional sense. It was a war of guerilla strikes where individual cargo ships and small warships of the Kayurata in international waters were viciously and savagely destroyed. Though, never were these attackers flying the colours of Poseidon’s Fury, but were instead flying the colours internationally recognized as symbols of privately owned companies. The ships, though, were clearly designed by the engineers of Poseidon’s Fury but there was nothing that could have been done as modern maritime laws were very clear: If the attacks were seen as an act of privacy, it was up to the attacked party to rectify the situation.
Now in the year of 2248, the war continued between Kayurata and Poseidon’s Fury. Neither side had relented in their attacks against stray vessels, though neither side has neither declared open war against one another. Instead, the war has shifted to involve former slaves of the now renamed Acionna’s Sorrow who rose up out of their shackles in the face of death to fight for their freedoms, mercenaries who decide between fame, fortune, and morality as to who to fight for, the soldiers and naval forces of the two countries as they launched light skirmishes against one another.
Decide then, shall you join the Kayurata soldiers and help quell the rebellion that rises on Acionna’s Sorrow or shall you fight for the freedom of those that were once your kindred by siding with Poseidon’s Fury? Maybe you shall endeavor to earn your riches and fight for either money or morals as a mercenary who floats freely from one side to another. After all, whoever pays more, whoever is willing to shell out more is all that matters. Who cares about slaves, or rather maybe you do? Maybe you are one of the risen fighters who struggle against the tight grip of oppression and you fight to free your brothers and sisters from these tight shackles.
Decide now and choose the fate of a city. Choose the fate of a city that was once a gleaming beacon of technological advancement and hope and now turned into a decrepit floating slum overpopulated by battered and broken souls.