SPACE led humanity into a new golden age, with rapid colonization of the solar system. Terraforming on Mars proceeded quickly, while less hospitable planets were settled using domes, orbital stations, or other such protected enclosures. Still, mankind was not truly safe from an extinction event so long as it remained trapped in the solar system. SPACE decided to remedy that problem.
Research on the Mars moon of Phobos began to investigate several different theories for timely interstellar travel. Sleeper ships requiring centuries of travel were not deemed acceptable by SPACE. Only something on the order of true faster-than-light travel would suffice. The most promising leads involved the creation of temporary, stable wormholes.
SPACE finally met with success in this regard when the SPACE Navy Ship Icarus succeeded in travelling across the solar system almost instantly using a wormhole generated by an experimental prototype. The SNS Icarus emerged from the wormhole entirely intact, and managed to replicate the experiment in reverse by returning through another wormhole. Extensive studies of the entry and exit points showed no residual damage to the fabric of space, and the project was deemed a success. Work began on increasing power and efficiency to levels suitable for mass production.
SPACE quickly built an expeditionary fleet armed to the teeth with brikonite-powered lasers. The tough, heavily-armored ships in the fleet were each equipped with several grades of weapon, ranging from small, low-output lasers meant for rapid point-defense fire, to large, high-output cannons designed for engaging enemy capital ships. Each one came with a detachment of SPACE Marines in addition to the basic crews, while the flagship of each squadron also had a small team of scientists who would evaluate any planets encountered to determine their suitability for colonization projects.
The fleet met with extraordinary success, flagging countless worlds as prime colonization candidates and failing to meet any significant opposition among the stars. Only a handful of alien species were found, and they were all less advanced than mankind. SPACE decided initially to limit contact, at least for the moment.
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