An Alternative History of the Future - Entry V

2033

Hydrofood released for popular consumption

The powerful global corporation AquaEat,[12] released its invention, Hydrofood. These water-based food products, were not only rich in free metabolic energy, but were simple to manufacture and store. Hydrofood was credited with nearly significantly reducing hunger levels in Developing Nations. Hydrofood products also played a vital role in space colonization.

Central American Republic formed

A bloc-within-a-bloc, the Central American Republic (CAR) was formed, comprised of Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Belize. El Salvador reluctantly joined seven years later. Although highly critical of this apparent rejection of the AFTN, remaining AFTN members tolerated CAR, as it brought political stability to the Central American region for the first time in decades.

2034

Civil War in China

Triads and Communist militants, attempting to restore Mao Zedong’s ‘Rule of Law in China’, engaged in numerous vicious skirmishes. With over one million dead, the neo-Communist government was unable to stem the violence. Despite their declared mandates, the United Nations and its rival global body, the World Organization of Nations (WON),[13] declined to intervene in China’s “internal politics.” Ironically, the Triads and Communists ultimately collaborated to overthrow the neo-Communists, sharing governance of China until the Third World War.[14]

Odoba gains control of the Central African Federation

Tinus Odoba, a popular religious leader and resistance figure, overthrew the autocratic government of the newly created Central African Federation (CAF).[15] Initially promising to introduce democracy to this large nation, Odoba instead established a new dictatorship, extinguishing the hope that the CAF would bring democracy to sub-Saharan Africa.

Uncontrolled acid fire devastates Los Angeles

An industrial fire ignited by sulphuric acid, destroyed twelve percent of Los Angeles. The frequency of commercial disasters continued to increase, in proportion to escalating global production.[16]

First Manned Landing and Colonization of Mercury

The Pegasus-12 reached Mercury in 2034. Astronauts Nyrop Carlsson and Lydia Baintree descended to the surface in heat reflecting bubbles. The first space colonies were established on Mercury in 2087. By 2160, the population of the planet’s forty-eight colonies was twelve million.

Mercurial colonies were encased in giant reflective bubbles, to protect inhabitants from solar radiation. Mobile colonies capable of sliding around the planet to reside in “cool” areas, were pioneered in 2139.

Formation of the Space Planetary Administration

In 2034, the Dublin Manifesto established the Space Planetary Administration (SPA), and Sven Olafson, a noted astrophysicist, was elected its first president. Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, the SPA was created by the United Nations, but became an independent organization in 2042. All space exploration, colonization and immigration was regulated by the SPA throughout the twenty-first and twenty-second centuries.

At the zenith of its power, the SPA was divided into five major sectors:

Agricultural Space Academy (ASA)―Headquartered in Cairo, Egypt. The ASA supervised agricultural projects on space colonies and stations, ensuring all cosmic settlements became self-sufficient food producers.

International Global Settlement Initiative (Colonial Office)―Headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The SPA’s International Global Settlement Initiative was universally referred to as the “Colonial Office.” Its administrative body monitored the rights of cosmic settlers in space colonies and stations. The Colonial Office also represented all permanent space colonies and stations in negotiations with their Earth-based controlling powers, the Trade Blocs.

Scientific and Industrialized Space Facility (SISF)―Headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. The SISF regulated mineral extraction and scientific space development.

Security Protection Institute (SPI)―Initially headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, the SPI moved to the space colony Callisto-5 in 2102. The SPI was the first galactic police organization, providing security services to space settlements until the new worlds were sufficiently established to employ their own sheriffs. Penal colonies were established on Mercury in 2094 and on Mars in 2096.

Space Advancement and Education Organization (SAEO)―Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. The SAEO provided education and training programs for future colonists, equipping over one billion people with necessary survival and lifestyle skills. With well over a million employees throughout the solar system, the SAEO was the SPA’s largest sector.