NationStates Jolt Archive

The year is 2785 AD.
The place is high in Earth orbit at the L5 Lagrange point.
(This is an FT place, but you don't have to be FT to join, read on and you'll see why.)


This is the 28th century. Technology has advanced far beyond what existed in the year 2000. In fact, technology has advanced more rapidly than anyone expected. Virtually every technology that had even been thought of in the year 2000 had already been invented by the year 2500, most of them before 2200. By the 28th century, nearly every technology that had been imagined by the year 2000 was already long since obsolete.

Cloning? Genetic Engineering? Seemless virtual reality? Energy beam weapons? Cyborgs? Artificial intelligence? Superhuman intelligence? Mind control? Faster than light travel? Antigravity? Nanotechnology? Teleportation? Telepathy? Telekinesis? Clairvoyance? Time travel?

Been there. Done that. Bored with it now.

Or at least, the major powers are bored with all this and have advanced far beyond it. Some of the smaller nations, those that didn't even exist until after the year 2500, are still trying to catch up. One of these is Nartenia.

Sixteen separate space colonies in L5 Orbit constitute the Republic of Nartenia. There are many other colonies in L5 Orbit and a number of them are also independent nations.

The largest of the Nartenian stations is Nartenia City, capital of the Republic of Nartenia. The combined population of all the Nartenian colonies is just over eight million.

Nartenia exists in an old orbit that once was the springboard for human colonization of the solar system seven hundred years ago. Now it is a backwater. No one bothers to take shuttles up to orbital stations to catch a flight on an interplanetary or interstellar spacecraft. The idea of such things is as quaint as going to a train station to catch a train pulled by a coal burning locomotive.

Why fly on spacecraft when you can teleport? Spacecraft can't even take you where teleporting can. Sure, there are spaceships capable of warping space and achieving travel times equivalent to ten or twenty million times light speed. Yes, you can reach distant star systems in a matter of seconds on such a vessel. You could reach a distant galaxy in a month or so. Relativistic effects of such travel would be annoying unless you teleport through time anyway so you might as well just teleport there to begin with. Plus no spacecraft can take you back in time or let you travel across the 5th dimension to other universes. Teleportation can and routinely does do this.

This is the world of the 28th century. The latest fad in Nartenia is exploring alternate realities. Other nations have already done this centuries ago and even Nartenia has had this capability for decades, but only now has the technology to do this easily (just by thinking about it) become available to the general public in Nartenia.

The exploration effort is not at all organized. Individual citizens, groups of friends and "exploration clubs" are constantly going to alternate realities laterally and especially in earlier periods of time. They are also fond of bringing people back with them.

As a result, Nartenia City has become a bizarre crossroads in time with people from all previous eras of history mingling with locals. There are also people here from alternate realities, from history as it might have been in our universe. In an infinite number of other universes across the 5th dimension, history did go differently in every way that it possibly could have.

(OOC: It's okay to post in character or out of character here. If it gets confusing, we'll create separate threads. Also, the title says FT because the setting is Future Tech, but nations of all tech levels and from any Earth or any other planet are welcome here unless I say otherwise.)

Nartenia City
External Affairs Office

June 28, 2785


A huge window in the lobby of the External Affairs Office looked out at the Earth in the distance. From here, the Earth was not directly below, but was tens of thousands of miles away. It looked perhaps two or three times the size that the Moon appeared to be when viewed from Earth. It was still an impressive sight and from this distance it was easy to see the whole thing at a glance, or at least one side of it.

A man in a forest green quilt outfit approached a group of men who were standing by the window looking out at the Earth.

There were four men by the window, all dressed in black suits with white shirts underneath that all had ruffles and upturned collars. Their clothes and the unruly, brushed-forward hair styles looked like the fashion of the early 19th century, an era that for Nartenia was now nearly a thousand years in the past.

The men noticed the man in green approaching. He spoke to them in a language called Terraslangish which they did not know.

The men by the window had heard that language a lot since their arrival in this universe. They recognized in it a few words of French, English and German, some that might be Spanish or Italian, others that sounded like Russian and a whole lot more that the men didn't recognize at all.

Moments after the man in green spoke, they heard an artificially synthesized version of his own voice speaking French, which they understood perfectly. They had been told this sort of thing was done by a small translator device and they could see such a device clipped to the man's collar, but they had no understanding of the technology involved and it seemed eerie to them that his lips only moved when he spoke in Terraslangish, not when they heard the translated version of his voice speaking French.

In French, the voice of the man in green said, "Hello, I am Leland Jarte, Director of External Affairs for the Republic of Nartenia. I don't really have time for a meeting today, but you wanted to speak to me briefly?"

The leader of the men at the window replied in French, "Bonjour, I am Paul Peyrefitte, Minister Plenipotentiary of the French Republic." He proceeded to introduce the other members of the French delegation and then said, "My apologies for coming without an appointment. I have been sent here by my government on a matter of the utmost urgency. Ever since the New Horizons Exploration Club travelled from your universe to our country, the opportunities we see for cooperation between our two great nations are fantastic. We are glad that you have recognized the sovereignty and legitimacy of the revolutionary government of the French Republic and have been such generous hosts during our visits here. Nonetheless, the French Republic faces many foes. Yesterday we received word in Paris that Austria has declared war on us. We have no doubt that Prussia, Russia and Britain will soon attack us as well. The government has ordered every able bodied Frenchman to fight for the defense of the nation, but we fear it will not be enough. We know your nation possesses wealth and knowledge of science far beyond our own. If there is anything you can do for us in our hour of need, we come to you on bended knee."

Leland Jarte said, first in Terraslangish and then in French translation, "If you are suggesting that we send Nartenian defense personnel to your universe..."

"No, monsieur, you misunderstand," Minister Peyrefitte said hastily before the translation was finished, "We understand that you here are in another world, another time. It is nothing short of miraculous to us that we can even come see such a thing. I feel like a mortal man who has been allowed to wander the halls of the gods at Mount Olympus and to meet the ghosts of heroes there who have long since departed. Two of those heroes I met only an hour ago. They are, or claim to be, Marc-Anthony and Queen Cleopatra. I was able to converse with them in Latin. It was a sublime experience. I felt honoured to speak with them and yet they felt the same towards me simply because I know their future and could tell it to them as easily as remember history lessons I had learned long ago. I thought I had little of value I could tell them because I knew that they faced defeat, but upon hearing this, Queen Cleopatra smiled and thanked me and said I had given her a priceless treasure that would allow them to prevail. I said, how can this be when I have only told you that defeat awaits you on the battlefield. She replied that it was precisely that which was invaluable because now she would negotiate instead of face Julius Ceasar in battle. This made me wonder what you could tell me. Who will win this battle?"

Leland Jarte smiled. Somehow, he seemed to need no delay for translation. It was as if he understood French, but could not speak it. Jarte said, "I do know, but I also do not know. You see, I know that in our universe, on that Earth you see before you..." he gestured at Earth beyond the window, "that the war you speak of did come and that France was victorious. I also know that both stunning victories and devastating defeats awaited your nation in several more wars that came soon afterwards. But that is our Earth, not yours. On your Earth, the war may be won or lost. I cannot predict it. Marc-Anthony and Cleopatra may have been misled by your comments because they come from still another Earth. If they fight Ceasar, the outcome might be different than it was on your Earth, or on mine. There are millions of Earths, an infinity of them, actually. That is why we cannot possibly offer assistance to everyone who needs it."

"Is there anything you can do to help us in our hour of need?" Peyrefitte asked.

"I wish you well, but I have to go now to attend a meeting of the L5 Council. Perhaps we can talk again later. Talk to my secretary and arrange an appointment."

Peyrefitte and the 19th century Frenchmen nodded and Leland Jarte departed after a few more pleasantries.

Leland Jarte was almost ready to teleport to the meeting of the L5 Council, but he needed to speak to someone first. He couldn't remember who it was. He only needed a moment of quiet to request that information from his cybernetic implants. Right, his youngest son, Jarvis. He needed to speak to his son and try to talk him out of going on that expedition with the New Horizons Exploration Club.

Leland checked his son's location via his cybernetic implants and the network. Then he teleported there. Jarvis Jarte was sitting around a table eagerly talking to other members of the New Horizons Exploration Club. Also there were people dressed in strange clothes who had been brought back from other universes by previous expeditions of the club or other clubs.

"Jarvis, may I speak to you a moment?"

"Papa," Jarvis said with a smile and came over to hug his father.

Leland Jarte said, "I don't want you to go on this expedition. It's too dangerous."

"I know," Jarvis said, "You will be glad to know that I have volunteered for a different task instead of the expedition."

Leland looked more worried than relieved, "What?" he asked.

"We are going to organize regular meetings at Lakeside Park for people from various universes to meet and talk to each other. They can even trade goods and services like an old fashioned marketplace. A merchant from Florence suggested that. We're going to call it the Crossroads of Time."

Leland was shocked, "Talk? They'll do more than talk. It will be half medieval fair and half riot."

"It's okay Papa. The security office will have people there to keep the peace. We've already talked to them about it."

"I'm sure they were thrilled," Leland said sarcastically.

"You can't stop us just because you're the government," Jarvis said.

"Can I at least advise against it as your father?" Leland asked.

"I'm not a child anymore, Papa. This is what I want to do," Jarvis said.

Thomas Waldmar approached the father and son and said to Leland Jarte, "Excuse me, but I have been informed that you are the Foreign Minister of Nartenia. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Thomas Waldmar, ambassador from the Kingdom of Stendaria to the Republic of Nartenia. My government was most surprised to be visited by your New Horizons Exploration Club. Prior to their arrival, we had no idea that travel of this kind was possible or that parallel universes even existed. I am most honored to be here and I look forward to attending the proposed Crossroads of Time meetings that your son is organizing. I expect many other nation states from my universe and others will want to attend. Also, can you tell me if it will be permitted to buy and sell military equipment and weapons there?"

Waldmar is wearing a translator device that someone gave him so his comments are quickly translated into Terraslangish.

Leland Jarte is somewhat alarmed, "Military equipment and weapons? I think not."

His son Jarvis quickly intervenes, saying, "Father, he doesn't mean modern weapons. He just told you his nation has no technology at all for travel to alternate universes. You can image what sort of technology level they're at. What kind of weapons are you interested in, Mr. Waldmar? Fine swords perhaps? Guns? Anti-matter bombs? Plasma cannons?"

OOC: I'd join if I was FT, but I'd just like to say one thing: amazing posts. I applaud you, noble RPer. :p

OOC: I'd join if I was FT, but I'd just like to say one thing: amazing posts. I applaud you, noble RPer. :p

I agree

(OOC: Thank you very much. I am honoured.

By the way, I labeled this as Future Tech because that's the tech level of the setting. That is NOT a requirement to join. As you can see, the whole idea is that nations of different tech levels and from different Earths can interact here. Unfortunately, I can't edit the title of the thread.

I'm planning on expanding this to more than one thread and calling the scenario "Crossroads of Time". If so, I'll label the others "Any Tech" instead of "FT".

Also, I edited the first post to clarify this.)

Thomas Walmar is slightly confused, "Plasma cannons? I don't even know what those are. We are more interested in tanks, jet fighters, submarines and perhaps we could discuss nuclear missiles."

Realizing his mistake, Waldmar hastened to add, "Of course, we would be even more interested to learn about and acquire more advanced technologies such as the plasma cannons you speak of."

Jarvis says, "See what I mean?"

Leland Jarte says to Jarvis, "Very well, I'm sure the government won't object to this so long as the Security Office is notified and takes appropriate precautions. But that only goes for archaic weapons like swords, anti-matter bombs, plasma cannons and..." he turns to Waldmar, "what was it you were interested in?"

"Jet fighters," Waldmar asks hopefully, "and nuclear missles perhaps."

"Right," Leland Jarte says, "jet fighters, nuclear missiles and any other such things, but don't go robbing any museums to get them."

Jarvis smiles, "We won't."

Leland Jarte says to Waldmar, "You'll have every opportunity to trade the sorts of things you are looking for if they are there. The Republic of Nartenia won't supply you with any weapons, of course, but we will allow this Crossroads of Time marketplace to carry on a trade in archaic weapons or whatever else you want. I don't mean to be insulting, but you understand that such weapons are not exactly state of the art these days. Now, I must be going."

"Thank you sir," Thomas Waldmar says.

Leland Jarte turns to Jarvis and says, "Make sure there's no weaponry more recent than the year 2400. In fact, no technologies at all that are more recent than that."

"That's fine, father. You know our interest is in the archaic period and earlier anyway."

"Good," Leland Jarte says, and then teleports away to the L5 Council meeting.

Thomas Waldmar says to Jarvis Jarte, "So, when will this Crossroads of Time thing get going?"