ark (ärk)
noun
singular proper noun: ark; noun: the ark
A vessel or sanctuary that serves as protection against extinction.
ex: "a starship ark built by their android protectors"
It has been 177 years since the establishment of humanity's first extraterrestrial colony. In that time they've discovered how to make fully functional and realistic prosthetics, artificial intelligence, medical advances that can extend one's natural life past 140 years, and most important of all, commercial sized fusion reactors. With a power source to field car sized fusion reactors, humanity all but exploded past the golden zone. Terraforming on the large scale became possible, asteroid mining became the norm, and colonies were set up outside the asteroid belt, on the Gallilean moons, Titan, and with a space station orbiting Neptune. Yet now humanity takes it's first steps past the Oort cloud.
With construction starting in 2203, the first colonial ark, The UTS Blissful Horizon, was finished and commissioned in 2210, with recruitment for humanity's first extra-solar expedition running from 2211 to 2215. The Blissful Horizon is the culmination of human achievement, equipped with an Alcubierre drive, ion thrusters, fusion based retrothrusters, a hydroponics deck, manufacturing deck, and cryogenics complement holding over 9000 colonists. The ark is designed to be stripped into a colony on their new world, splitting into two while in orbit, and landing in succession to one another to form two separate structures on the planet.
You will play a member of the ark's establishment crew, numbering less than 30 people you will be tasked with getting the basic necessities up and running; you are all that stand between success and the ultimate death of over 9000 people. You will play as a botanist, engineer, security officer, geologist, or any number of background, all working together in the vital mission of setting up a colony on Proxima Centauri b. An inability to problem solve or work together will result in the death of the colony, and the loss of human kind's future among the stars. Welcome to the Ark Program.
1. OP is veritable God, Co-OPs are veritable Archangels.
2. No Godmodding, Metagaming, or 'dickish' OOC behavior.
3. Keep it roughly PG-13.
4. No directly controlling another player character unless given permission to do so. As stated above you may freely control any and all NPC’s that are not central to any major plotline.
5. Posts must be a paragraph minimum. One-liners are unacceptable.
6. You character cannot be overpowered. You can die and every challenge should be just that, a challenge. Any overpowered characters will bring forth the wrath of the OP in the form of even worse obstacles and outcomes.
7. Be active should you apply. No need to be online 24/7 (as I certainly will not be) but don’t go through the effort of joining and never post anything. If you will be gone for any significant amount of time please leave a message stating that you will be gone. Those who do not risk having their characters killed off.
8. Have fun.
- 2033 - The first self sufficient fusion reactor is powered on to supply energy to the civilian populace in Northern Germany.
- 2036 - Lunar Station: Athena, is created as a forward research station, for both military and civil purposes. Later that year, the United Nations Orbital Association is formed as the regulatory and governmental seat for humanity's further exploration of the stars.
- 2042 - The Colony of Olympia is set up on Mars, 300km southeast of Olympus Mons. The population sits at 200. Microfracture therapy is invented, to prevent brittle bone disease from cropping up en masse in Martian populations.
- 2055 - The Athena Reactor comes online. A scientific achievement due to it's size of less than 26 metric tons, it signals the true beginning of the fusion age.
- 2068 - At the age of 98 years, Elon Musk dies in his sleep of natural causes. He is buried on the peak of Olympus Mons, an onyx monument is placed near his grave site commemorating the man's contribution to human achievement. Olympus reaches the population of 272.
- 2075 - The first fully viable cryogenics pod is tested on one Marcus Willingham. The test succeeds, and Mr. Willingham survives with only minor freezer-burn. Humanity begins to draft plans to colonize the Galilean moons.
- 2088 - Europa is settled with a deep space mining station. Collecting water from it's surface ice and sending it to Mars.
- 2089 - Martian Colonists build a drone retrieval depot, for the purpose of 'fishing' asteroids from the belt, bring them into Martian orbit, and strip mining them there. It is met with apprehension.
- 2092 - Olympus' population breaks 1,000 people. Efforts to create an artificial magnetosphere on the red planet begin.
- 2097 - The Singapore Space Elevator completes construction, the artificial Island it is created upon become international territory and becomes strictly regulated by the UNOA.
- 2100 - Titan station is founded. It's mission is to aid in deep space exploration missions, and to harvest the moon's natural resources to aid in the full colonization of Mars.
- 2106 - In an effort to generate a greater atmospheric density, as well as to create a viable construction site for a magnetic pylon, 246 thermonuclear warheads and 3 asteroids containing a majority of frozen ammonia detonate in the Martian North Pole over a period of eight months.
- 2107 - Seeing positive effects of the previous attempt, the same event is simulated and attempted on the Martian South Pole over a similar time frame.
- 2117 - A large year for Martian development. The first three magnetic pylons are developed on the Martian equator, as efforts to melt polar ice continues. Meanwhile Europan efforts to provide water are halted temporarily as efforts to continue forming a magnetosphere forge ahead. Mars also receives a seat in the UNOA.
- 2123 - An industrial accident on Titan results in a hydrocarbon lake immolating and destroying roughly $8 trillion in crafted materials.
- 2128 - The final three magnetic pylons are finished on the Martian equator, the North Pole Pylon completes three months later, and eight months after, the South Pole Pylon too finishes.
- 2134 - After eight years of tests and deliberation, the Martian pylons come online. After six months, a notable change in the martian magnetosphere becomes apparent. Efforts to increase the atmospheric density of the planet continue.
- 2139 - The first lab grown human is born, with no birth defects, and from fully lab coded genetics. There is not a single person alive genetically related to the child. Named "Eve" she is adopted by the program's head geneticist Igor Rostislavovna.
- 2142 - Almost exactly one hundred years after it's settlement, Mars' atmosphere no longer requires pressure suits to traverse. Plants are shipped en masse from Earth to Mars, in an effort to finally make the red planet green.
- 2153 - Two more colonial stations are set up on Mars: Shepard, and Gagarin. As of their establishment, Mars receives official passports, and Martian becomes a nationality.
- 2154 - Following the example of Mars, Lunar, Titanian, and Europan too become nationalities. At this point the population of Luna breaches 13,000, Mars breaches 26,000, Titan Breaches 1,300, and Europa breaches 3,600.
- 2157 - Mars holds it's first election after the cities of New Alexandria and Armstrong are founded. A flag is selected to represent it as an independent nation.
- 2161 - In an expected turn of events, extremists bomb the Singaporean Space Elevator. Due to it's structural reinforcements and support redundancies, no real physical damage is inflicted. However 86 people of varying nationalities are killed. The UNOA quickly comes to the realization that they are not equipped for interplanetary warfare, and begin drafting plans to do so, as UNOA Officers apprehend any suspected extremists.
- 2162 - Mars' atmosphere becomes minimally breathable. Walking on the surface of Mars with neither pressure suit, nor oxygen mask is possible for roughly 18 minutes before early stages of hypoxia begin.
- 2164 - In an effort to prevent further extremist views from cropping up. The Lunar government outlaws the open practice of religion.
- 2166 - The Martian Insurrection begins. After one of the planet's magnetic pylons is targeted for destruction, local security forces proved themselves viable combatants by defending the pylon and disarming the explosives set around it's structure. After three similar attacks in the aim of destroying major population sustaining objects, the Martian government declares martial law, and requests UNOA aid. The UNOA notes that no help can be supplied, as they themselves are also vastly unprepared for such an eventuality. In November of that year, The Elysium proving grounds are established. The Martian Security Administration changes to the Martian Armed Forces.
- 2169 - The UNOA publishes 'Physiological changes in Extra-Terran humanity'. Within outlines the changes in the human physique on Mars, Titan, Europa and Luna. With Europans on average being the tallest, followed by Titanians, Lunarians, and Martians. Martians also seem to be the most able to adapt to low oxygen areas like the Himalayas. While Titanians seem to be the most adaptable to low light conditions. Eurpoans seem to be the most adapted to sub-zero environments, and Lunarians have extraordinarily elastic soft tissues allowing for a vastly greater chance of survival on low or even negative pressure environments.
- 2172 - Eve Rostislavovna, the first lab born human, gives birth to twins In Gagarin, Mars. Ulysses and Hapfthor.
- 2176 - The first fully sentient and unrestrained AI, Iris, is created in the Elysium Proving Grounds on Mars. After three months of being online it is given a connection to orbital traffic monitors, all tax records, traffic records, and helmet cams to every soldier of the MAF. He begins effectively ending the Martian Insurrection slowly and methodically.
- 2178 - The UNS Black Valour finishes it's construction at the Athena Shipyards. It is the first martially based starship created by mankind. Bolstering a number of fusion based engines, ion thrusters and a trio of Heavy Fusion Reactors, it can safely travel to Pluto and back before requiring a resupply. It is the most powerful object ever created by mankind, armed with a number of missile batteries, three belly based mass drivers, and a Heavy Coil gun mounted into the ship's superstructure, a single volley of projectiles could result in a combined energy output of 60 megatons of TNT. In April of it's first year, the Martian government resends it's request for UNOA assistance in attacking a Insurrectionist stronghold. The request is authorized, and the stronghold becomes the recipient to a single orbital strike, reducing it to nothing but a crater. A day later, the leader of the insurrectionist movement requests a parlay in order to negotiate a cease fire. The Martian Insurrection ends.
- 2183 - Orbital photos of mars show vast changes since it's first settlement. Large patches of green can be discerned, while superhighways and settlements dot and crisscross the now greening surface. Martian air has reached a point in which permanent removal of oxygen masks is possible. Mars becomes a fully sustainable planet should the magnetic pylons remain active. In an effort to change this, the Martian government starts brainstorming plans to restart the core of the planet.
- 2187 - A catastrophic failure of a fusion reactor on Europa converts three thousand tons of ice into steam, before a prompt electrolysis reduces it into oxygen and hydrogen. The resultant explosion causes the formation of the Bethe Crater, 727 meters deep, and over 2,300 meters in diameter. The shockwave resulted in ice fissures up to 600 kilometers away, and killed over 800 people. It remains the most notable reactor failure of this scale since the Chernobyl or Fukushima incidents.
- 2191 - The Oort Deep Space Monitoring Station (ODSMS) is built and deployed on the outside of the Oort cloud. Staffed by the AI Sparrow Hawk, the mission is to monitor for any transmissions sourced from extra-solar destinations and forwarding them to the nearest human population.
- Early 2195 - After both Sparrow Hawk and a UNOA maintenance team lose contact with all human settlements, a recovery team is deployed, before subsequently being lost as well. Fearing the worst, Mars and the UNOA begin the fast track to continuing their orbital ship programs. The Black Valour is dispatched the the Oort cloud, and encounters hostiles. In the form of a rampant Sparrow Hawk and the weaponized civilian ships sent to check on the ODSMS. The Black Valour proves to be more than a match, dispatching the AI and the civilian ships in less than a day over Neptune.
- Late 2195 - After news of the battle reaches the UNOA, they issue a ruling that all AI within the Sol system be indefinitely disabled or recoded to no longer remain sentient. All planets sans Mars comply. The UNOA maintains their pressure on Mars as the two try to negotiate.
- 2197
- March - Two years of negotiations and attempts to get Mars to disable their AI reaches a head, as Mars completes it's first starship: The MSV Void Runner. The UNS Black Valour moves into orbit over Olympus, as they issue an ultimatum to the Martian Gov't, disable all planetary AI within three days, or Olympus will receive an orbital bombardment. Extra-Terran nations all protest to such a use of force, as well as a number of Earth based nations. On the third of March, at 3:47 PM, Captain of the Void Runner Ahmed Berrada and the AI aboard, settle to fire upon the Black Valour. Three minutes later a 600kt Nuclear warhead was fired from the ship's coil gun, impacting the bridge of the Black Valour and disabling all it's systems in a nuclear detonation. The ship would then fall from orbit and land forty kilometers north of Olympus Mons. The UN-Martian War begins.
- April - Less than a month after the destruction of the Black Valour, the Void Runner enters Earth's orbit, before deploying 2,000 members of the MAF through SSTO capable drop ships. The UN building in New York is seized, and Mars forces negotiations upon the UNOA. AI's remain heavily regulated, and are only open for use in vital postings, but Mars remains the martial superpower in the system.
- 2200 - Mars now has several biomes on it's surface. Ranging from boreal forest to red desert. Earth based life slowly begins to be introduced to the planet. Mars' population breaks 30 million. And the cities of Hawking and Curie are built near the equator and north pole respectively.
- 2201 - The still relatively broken spirited UNOA attends a final parlay between themselves, the Extra-Terran Colonies, and Mars. They sign the Red-Blue Co-Existence treaty. Reforming the UNOA, Extra-Solar Colonies, and Mars into the United Terran Republic. Mars remains the heart of Military authority and production, while Earth remains home to the softer side of things. The Extra-Solar Colonies remain small as ever, yet still growing and adapting, supplying both Mars and Earth with supplies to keep them alive.
- 2202 - The Ark Program begins.
- 2203 - The UTS Blissful Horizon begins it's construction at the Deimos Shipyards.
- 2210 - The UTS Blissful Horizon finishes construction, and is commissioned later that same year.
- 2211-2215 - Recruitment drives for the Ark Program are started and finished in this time.
- 2216 - The Blissful Horizon departs Deimos for Proxima Centauri b.
- 2219 - Present Year
- Two Characters Max.
- Mars, Luna, Europa and Titan are Nations.
- No characters over the age of 55.
- All characters must have a educational degree of at least Master's Degree.
- Remove everything in Parenthesis.
- No more Martians will be accepted.
- Code: Select all
[floatright][img]CharacterImageHere500x500Pixels[/img][/floatright]
[b]Name:[/b] (Obvious)
[b]Age:[/b] (Obvious)
[b]Home Nation:[/b] (Obvious)
[b]Gender:[/b] (Obvious)
[b]Appearance:[/b] (What isn't mentioned or obvious from the character picture, like height and weight, markings on the body etc.)
[b]Personal Belongings:[/b] (What does the character have in their storage locker)
[b]Educational Degree:[/b] (What type of education did they excell in?)
[b]Role in the Colony:[/b] (What do they do on the Ark?)
[b]Background:[/b] (Their life story)
[b][u]DO NOT REMOVE: 2184[/u][/b]
- A list of Local Fauna will be compiled when the Ark lands.
- Flag of Europa
- Flag of Titan
- Flag of Mars
- Flag of Luna
- EVA Suit
- ID Legend:
- Green Outline of Flag Patch: Biology Team (Botanists, Biologists, etc.)
- Red Outline of Flag: Medical Team (Doctors, Medics, etc.)
- Yellow Outline of Flag: Engineering Team (Mechanics, Designers, etc.)
- Blue Outline of Flag: Security Team (Soldiers, etc.)
- Brown Outline of Flag: Geology Team (Archaeologists, Mineralogists, etc.)
- Purple Outline of Flag: Chemistry Team (Chemists, Pharmacists, etc.)
- Black Outline of Flag: Specialist Team (Linguists, Bridge Crew, Negotiators, etc.)
- Orange Outline of Flag Outline: Team Commanders (Head Engineer, Chief Medical Officer, Ship's Captain, etc.)
- 8mm CSLS Frontier Rifle
- .45 ACP Frontier Pistol
