[center][h3]History Lesson 1:  Earth-That-Was - Prophets and Profiteers[/h3][/center]


OOC:  This episode will include a few interspersed history briefs to set the stage for China Doll’s adventures at Asteroid AN-3872.


IC:

[i]“Earth That Was no longer could sustain our numbers.  We were so many.”[/i]*

In 2021, as the world slowly emerged from the grips of a planetwide viral pandemic, scientists and scholars voiced the realization that despite our efforts to recycle materials and reduce carbon emissions,, the fate of our home was sealed.  Earth would eventually become uninhabitable by humanity.  This theory was met with howls by a deeply divided public, sparking a ferocious political debate that effectively paralyzed national governments.

Within a decade, the proof of this claim was obvious, silencing even the most vocal climate deniers.  The UN 2030 Global Sustainability Accords acknowledged the impending failure.  After accepting the forecast of planetary biosphere collapse by 2130, they set their sights on all manner of methods to ensure survival.  Domed cities and massive subterranean boroughs were considered, as was a newly reinvigorated space exploration program.  The Webb Telescope’s revelations of numerous terrestrial planets and moons of a star cluster in Taurus fired imaginations and prompted further study, while others considered Mars a more attainable goal.

By 2040, theories of planetary evacuation were being presented and debated.  Advances in spacecraft design and terraforming fueled these discussions.  The first expedition had established a facility on Mars.  Hopes were running high as fleets of automated rover/collectors were dispatched to Venus, the Martian moons, as well as our own.  As the decade reached its’ midpoint, exuberance over initial successes on Mars prompted an outpouring of global resources to the terraforming efforts.  

Corporate interests found ways to profit from this technological growth spurt.  Terraforming firms boasted familiar names.  The logos of Shell, Exxon, PetroBras, and Rosneft were proudly displayed on each of the massive ATU’s (atmospheric transition units) as they churned out chemical mixtures designed to break down toxicity and envelope worlds beneath a blanket through which an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere could not escape into the void.  Equally prominent were Boeing, Lockheed, Mikoyan, and Grumman, as they launched the first generation of vessels to ferry evacuees and cargo to the developing homeworlds.  C/V Gossamer and her dozen sister ships were rushed into construction to cash in on the dizzying profit forecasts of this new trade.  

As optimism flourished, other firms enriched themselves by cranking out a near infinite number of tools, materials, durable foodstuffs, and other supplies for the coming journeys, all hastily created to ride the surging waves of national expenditure.  With such a bustle of activity on a planetwide scale and a newfound unity of purpose, Earth-That-Was passed the mid decade in a period of relative peace and good will among its’ nation states.  This tranquility, however, was not to last.

[i]...TO BE CONTINUED…[/i]

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*From “Serenity” (2005 film)

Dates and major events quoted from [b]The Firefly and Serenity Database -[/b]
https://firefly.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline#2020


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