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RIM WORLDS HISTORY This is an obviously fictional 'alternate history' that provides one take on the events leading up to the colonization of the Rim Worlds. There's a lot to account for - the rise of Australia as a world power, the creation of the Federation, the exploration of the solar system, the various expansion waves (slowboat, Ehrenhaft, Manschenn drive). I chose as my point of departure the Cuban Missile Crisis as a convenient way to get rid of the US & Soviet 'empires' and clear the way for the rise of the Australian one and, ultimately, the Federation. The nuclear exchange also lets me get global warming started a few decades earlier, allowing me to bring in a more temperate Antarctica which is, of course, the location of the Federation's primary base on Earth. Where possible, I've used information from the Rim Worlds canon, filling in from other Chandler works and, only where unavoidable, making things up. *** I had originally hoped that I would be clever enough to come up with plausible explanations for the various discontinuities that crop of from time to time between the different stories. For example, in some stories, intertial drive is not present and those stories follow ones in which it is, at least chronologically. Well, that's simple enough: the ships in question are known to be old and used and re-sold many times before ending up on the Rim. Of course the Rim World's fleet has ships that lack the newer technologies. Alas, not all of the discrepancies are as easily dealth with. For example, in Catch The Star Winds, Grimes is firmly entrenched as the Rim Runners' Astronautical Superintendent. Unfortunately, this particular Grimes' first name is Andy, not John. Grimes as Superintendent stories that follow Catch The Star Winds present his given name as John. Then there is Man Alone, a future in which the Federation's primary job is to hunt down lost colonies on which the human stock has mutated and destroy those worlds. It just might be some far future Federation in which this takes place, but other facts resented to us make it pretty clear that its a major departure from the more familiar history. So, I've necessarily had to change my focus and accept the fact that many of the stories, even though they involve the same characters and places, are in fact different universes. Now, rather than trying to tie all of them together into a seamless whole, I'll be trying to tie them logically together into as few alternate timelines as I can get away with, as well as trying to identify the loci from which they depart on another. So far, I've identified 17 possible timelines, listed below: ALTERNATE RIM WORLD TIMELINES 1.
John Grimes from Federation Academy Cadet to Owner/Master of
Sister Sue (The Road to the Rim through
The Wild Ones) There may be more... *** Before getting to the 'alternate future history of parallel universes', a few premises and caveats. As expressed earlier, my main goal is to tie all of the stories together into one timeline without inconsistencies. Without extrapolation on my part, this will be next to impossible if some semblance of plausibility is to remain. Next - many events that are mentioned in the texts obviously need to be worked in. Some are not so obvious. For example, in Spartan Planet, the FSS ship commanded by Grimes is named Seeker III. In later stories involving or that mention this ship, it is simply named Seeker. Either the III was dropped for convenience sake (plausible) or the universe inhabited by Seeker III is not the same as is inhabited by Seeker. They're close cousins, but not the same. Below is an outline of the known events that must be worked into the history in order to remain faithful to the books, followed by my attempts at filling in. The outline is in rough sequential order. 50,000 plus years ago, a highly advanced society at least partially deriviative of Greek Culture engaged in interstellar exploration and colonization During a period analogous to the mid 1940's though the 1950's: a message capsule from a ship that left Earth 50,000+ years ago is recovered in England Sometime analogous to the 50's to the 70's, social experiments lead to mutation in rats which evolve intelligence and then seek to overthrow humanity. Changes in geopolitics lead to the creation of a Russian Empire and an Australian Empire. These are both short-lived. Later, the countries of Earth are united During this period and probably during the Empire period, the solar system is explored; the Moon, Venus and Mars are colonized. Sentient beings and/or their remains are discovered on these worlds "January 3, 2005" is given as the departure date for a sleeper ship (Earth to Sirius XIV). The ship is visited by Grimes, Verrill and the crew of Faraway Quest while both are caught in the limbo between universes. At the time the ship left, there was discussion of 'sub-space' and a practicable FTL drive. Overpopulation pressure is given as the primary reason for emigration and colonization. (Into the Alternate Universe.) Slowboats/cold-sleep ships are used to establish interstellar colonies (first expansion period) At some point during this period, the Federation is formed. One version is a relatively benign, parlimentary and commonwealth style government. At least two versions are Imperiums (one in which Grimes is present, the other in which the Empress Irene is present). Psionic communications exist The Ehrenhaft FTL drive is created and many lost colonies are established (second expansion period) At least two non-humanoid interstellar empires are contacted - the Shaara (insectoid) and the Hallicheki (avianoid) In at least one version of the Federation universes, many worlds and groups of worlds break away from the Federation to become independant kingdoms - Waverly, Waldegren and Skandia being among them. During the late second expansion period, the Rim World colonies are established The Manschenn FTL drive is created and leads to the third expansion period. Somewhere around this period dating nomenclature is changed to "A.G." Inertial Drive is created Carlotti communications technology is invented A major geologic catastrophe occurs in Australia John Grimes is born. In one universe he is named Andy Grimes The events concerning Grimes, Empress Irene, Derek Calver, George Whitley, Petersen, Ralph Listowel, Baroness D'Estang, Margaret Lazenby, Sonya Verrill, et al occur, including: A universe in which intelligent rats have colonized the rim worlds is visited by Grimes A universe in which Grimes remains in the Federation and becomes an Admiral A universe in which Grimes remains in the Federation and ends his career as a forlorn sub-base commander A universe in which Grimes ends up as a Rim Worlder A universe in which the Rim Worlds are part of the Federation and Bill Maudsley is still alive, aboard an FSS ship named Starfarer. Faraway Quest briefly visits this universe. (Into the Alternate Universe) This could be the same universe as is visited, briefly, by the crew of Flying Cloud. HISTORY OF THE RIM 1912 A. Bertram Chandler born 1944 Writes & submits first story 1958 Rim Worlds universe first conceived ALTERNATE TRACK COMMENCES FROM THIS POINT -50,000 Atlanta, bound from Sol III to Procyon, is accidentally shunted from its own timeline into the far distant past of ours, following a malfunction of its FTL drive which is roughly analogous to the Ehrenhaft drive. In the alternate timeline, a government descended from a confederacy of the Greek city-states was first to achieve FTL travel and colonization of the galaxy. The crew of the Atlanta send out message capsules in a vain attempt at securing rescue, not realizing that they are no longer in their own timeline. The message capsule is recovered on Earth circa 1958. The fate of the Atlanta is never learned. 1957 Soviet and US Space Programs commence 1958 Message capsule launched from the Atlanta is recovered near Hanman’s Woods, England. The artifact is seized by the government and all facts regarding it are suppressed. The British government secretly shares the information found in the capsule with the US government, who puts Albert Einstein and other noted physicists and cosmologists to work on it. Black projects utilizing information gained from the capsule are commenced at Groom Lake military installation and other locales. Many years later, these projects ultimately lead to the development of the Ehrenhaft drive, the first of the FTL drives. 1961 USSR conducts first orbital flight 1962 USA conducts first orbital flight 10/28/62 In response to an ultimatum from then US President John F. Kennedy, Nikita Kruschev launches a nuclear strike on the United States. Most of the Eastern seaboard, the Great Lakes Regions and heavily populated areas of the West Coast are utterly devastated. Several missiles are also launched at key military installations in Europe (UK, France, West Germany), Japan (Osaka), the Pacific Islands (Hawaii, Marshalls). The US’s retaliatory strike takes out Moscow, Stalingrad, Baikonaur and numerous military installations on the Steppes, although it is largely ineffective. Kruschev is ousted and assassinated along with most of the surviving members of the Politburo. A popular uprising effectively ends the Soviet State. China briefly invades territorial Russia, seeking to take advantage of the power vacuum. China’s nascent industrial revolution is not up to the task and the invasion falters; a flu pandemic sweeps the region, devastating the Chinese population and ending its territorial ambitions. With all of its major engines stalled, the world economy collapses, leading to widespread rioting and revolution in the third world. Israel is briefly attacked by a coalition of Arab states and threatens to use its own nuclear arsenal, demonstrating with a detonation in the Sinai Peninsula; the Arab states capitulate. Islamic fanatics are incensed by this action and there are numerous and continuing attempts at revolution in virtually every Arab nation. The UK government relocates to Australia and becomes a government in exile. Largely untouched, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Israel, Canada, Japan and the Nordic states begin to try and pick up the pieces. 1964 The New Russian Federation is founded. Having been largely unaffected by the US retaliatory strike, it begins to recover its industrial base and social structure quickly, once a strong government is in place. 1971 Dr. Bingham, a research biologist, is conducting experiments on population growth with rats. George Whitley and his wife Susan, dinner companions of Bingham's, influence him to introduce hashish into the experiment, which somehow mutates some of the rats, which begin to exhibit higher orders of intelligence and purpose. This incident is a timeline nexus: in Grimes' timeline, nothing much happens when the mutated rats escape. In an alternate timeline, they grow in number and eventually revolt against humanity in a bid to take over the world. John Grimes will encounter their descendants when he crosses over into the alternate timeline created at the juncture of this experimentlate in his career with Rim Runners. 1977 Australia and New Zealand sign the ANZAC Coalition Treaty, effectively combining the two countries into one. South Africa joins as a ‘First Partner’ and Japan signs on as a trading partner. Australia has become heavily industrialized as a result of its support of world-wide recovery efforts. By this time, the N.R.F. has succeeded in bringing all of the former Soviet territories under its umbrella and has established serious economic influence in northern and eastern China. 1978 N.R.F. resumes space exploration following the refurbishment of the Sary Shagan launch facility, placing a permanent station in orbit and launching numerous interplanetary probes. 1979 Japan pleads for full membership status in the ANZAC Coalition, fearing the N.R.F.’s expansion. Membership is granted and the Coalition’s name is changed to the Pacific Commonwealth. 1980 The Pacific Commonwealth establishes a space program, initially utilizing information and technology gained through their recovery efforts in the United States. Construction commences on Port Woomera, in the town of Woomera, South Australia, the first launch facility. Climatologists report that the nuclear exchange has sped up gobal warming and that serious climate change can be expected before 2000. 1984 Numerous manned flights are conducted from Woomera Space Center. Corderey makes first manned landing on the Moon on behalf of the Pacific Commonwealth. The Commonwealth announces plans for additional manned lunar flights and the establishment of a permanent lunar colony by 1990. The N.R.F. counters with proposals for permanent orbiting colonies, their own lunar missions and a mission to Mars to be conducted by 1996. 1989 Detection of a nuclear explosion near Sary Shagan is linked to an experimental atomic-powered spaceship under development by the N.R.F. Commonwealth experts suspect it is not the first such ship built – and possibly launched – by the N.R.F. The explosion and world-wide protest over the use of atomic energy set the N.R.F. space program back by years. Climatologists report the almost complete cessation of the Atlantic and Pacific ‘conveyor’ currents and a consequent and seriously growing reduction of the Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets. Sea levels begin to rise accordingly and put tremendous pressure on most European nations. The frequency and strength of ocean born storms increases, causing additional devestation. 1990 Permanent lunar colony established by the Pacific Commonwealth. It is officially named Luna City and jokingly referred to as 'The Penal Colony'. 2005 Peters, Taylor and crew make the first manned landing on Mars. They discover a descendant of the crew of the failed N.R.F. mission living there and incidentally confirm the N.R.F.'s successful use of atomic-powered spacecraft. 2007 Pacific Commonwealth announces plans to resume design and experimentation with nuclear powered spacecraft. Japan strongly protests and ultimately withdraws from the commonwealth. The Presidency of the Commonwealth, a largely a ceremonial position, rotates to Australia. Edward Kelly, the Australian President, succeeds in enlarging and strengthening the position over a period of time. 2019 Influenced by the Pacific Commonwealth's continuing expansion into space, the rise of a charismatic heir to the Romanoff throne and a down-turn in the general economy, the N.R.F. gradually becomes a new Russian Empire under the tutelage of Czar Nicholas Alexandrovich Romanoff III. 2021 Edward Kelly's Commonwealth Presidency breaks with the Commonwealth Parliment and a brief civil war, known locally as the Bushranger's War, ensues. Kelly's government emerges victorious and the Australian Empire is declared. More to come... Interstellar Probes Habitable planet(s) discovered Formation of the Federation First Expansion slowboat Development of Ehrenhaft Drive Second Expansion Year 1 A.G. |