Prologue to a book - shall I write it?

Prologue

There were four major shifts that brought about the Spread. The first was the creation of matter engines in the 90’s – a mid-point between conventional rocket engines and light speed. It meant that for the first time we could explore our galaxy, discover new worlds and create new dreams.

The second came by 2150, after 150 years exploring our Galaxy for planets in a ‘Goldilocks zone’. These were locations that were not too hot or too cold and therefore suitable to have liquid water – one of the basics for an ecosystem. The 1000’s of candidate planets were narrowed down to 100 that could be terraformed into supporting human life.

The third was when the ambition of Earths largest corporations grew larger than the planet in which they were born. Their quadrillions turned the space industry into the biggest market the business world had ever experienced. Initially terra forming star ships were created – they were nicknamed ‘planet-in-a-box’ and provided atmospheres, satellites, mining tools, habitats, power stations, medical centres and science parks. Each corporation developed a business plan to take these planet makers and buy themselves a new home. It took a further 30 years before the first new planets were habitable and during this time corporations recruited armies of employees who sacrificed the rest of their lives in the 70+ years it took to travel to their new homes. By 2300 there were over 40 populated new-earths, each one owned by a company, and lived in by the descendants of what had been the most lucky or usually richest people that earth had once housed. The closest two worlds were 120 years of matter flight apart. The furthest over 400.

The final shift that made the Spread happen with such urgency was the failure of mankind to prevent Earth’s climate collapsing. The worst fears of climatologists were realised when by 2050 the tipping point was passed, global temperatures reached unprecedented levels, rain forests dried up and the polar ice caps melted. The next 100 years saw disaster after disaster, hundreds of millions died. The 2160 London earth crisis summit put into place the recovery plan, but few could accept that it would only be their great, great, grand children that may see a greener calmer Earth. Instead there was a scramble to be part of the Spread. Since it was funded and owned by business, at first it was the rich that became ‘space staff’ and took the first wave of transports. Then the middle class gave up their life savings, their homes – everything they owned to travel. By 2300 Earth was populated by the poor. The Professionals, the politicians, the entrepreneurs all departed for a better life. The new class system was Earth class and galaxy class. The later resigned Earth, its problems and its people as a lost cause. They had to concentrate on building a new life, a new society in a new world and Earth was simply forgotten.

The distance between the planets meant it was unprofitable for planets to do much trade, so while they grew their populations, created infrastructure and of course a currency the 40 new-earths lost contact with each other. It was ironic that the biggest jump in space travel, the greatest moment in humanities desire to explore disappeared as quickly as it begun. There was no desire to find any more planets, and the corporations resources were entirely consumed with their existing homes. Scientists predicted that it would take five generations before a population could become stable and could once again start looking up at the stars and seeing what was out there. But it took ten generations before the desire by their inhabitants to bother.

In 2400, Gruewtopia a planet rich in ore made contact with Kester7 whose founders were a huge software corporation. They agreed to create a network of nodes throughout the planets that for the first time would mean instant communication between worlds. Those planets too far to travel were sent long distance communications with the design plans. The G-web regulated and charged for by its creators was switched on, on 13th March 2447. 32 planets were connected, those that weren’t either had nothing to trade, the population had failed or they chose solitude. Only one planet had no invitation – Earth remained silent