Thanks, Dartz. Please let me know if the bits I've worked into the timeline don't fit what you've got in mind...
But here are my initial ramblings:
2014: Chris Marsden testifies before the Joint Committee on the matter of Mr. Fnord. He later professes himself "bemused" by the attitudes of the politicians.
2015: In the wake of the TSAB scandal, Major Amy O'Connell retires from the USAF. Three months later she and Chris Marsden are wed in a private ceremony.
Stonewell-Bellcom Aerospace 'acquires' TSAB records on retro-engineering handwavium-created fusion reactors and begins an attempt to complete their research.
2016: Stonewell-Bellcom officially licenses production of the VF-1 Valkyrie to Black Aeronaut Technologies under moderate arms-export restrictions, specifically requesting that the craft not be sold to 'Daneside governments. BAT begins mass-production of the spaceframe.
SBA deploys FAST refit packs for GSS-deployed Valkyries.
At a press conference, Chris Marsden speaks out in favor of the newly rising Belt Alliance. He welcomes the competing organization and states that they are "good for business. Healthy competition lets us learn from each other, gives our employees and our customers a better choice than 'take it or leave it', and makes sure we keep our noses to the grindstone rather than up in the air ."
One in five of Rockhounds' currently-contracted mining teams leave to join the new organization. Approximately half of them receive low-interest loans from GCA banks to set up their new operations, the others prefer to deal with financial institutions not directly related to their former employers.
2017: SBA announces the production (making use of some of the megatonnage of steel produced by Rockhounds' mining operations) of the first of the "Island 3" class of space habitats. Designed to be as self-sufficient an environment as possible, it is a 3-kilometer-long lozenge-shaped station with its own internal gravity and drive systems, manufacturing facilities, and an open residential/agricultural region with a high domed roof. The first is sold to BAT to serve as their new headquarters, orders for dozens more come in from factions and 'daneside corporations and governments.
2018: Stonewell-Bellcom becomes the tail that wags the dog, with Island-type habitats rapidly outpacing Space Rocks in sales. In addition, the aerospace team completes five additional Belisarius-class frigates. Two are assigned to the Space Patrol with GSS crews (GSS Scipio Africanus and GSS Gaius Marius). Two more are sold to the United States Navy (USS Lexington and USS Saratoga), and the fifth is sold to the British Royal Navy (christened HMS Centurion).
Greenwood Colonial Administration finances and outfits an expedition to Eta Cassiopeiae. The expedition consists of two "Island 3" habitats connected by a stardrive framework, along with the docked GSS Artorius and two smaller vessels. A large number of 'daneside scientists are invited to accompany the expedition.
2019: Rumblings of discontent (and the rise of Mason) cause Greenwood to quietly withdraw support for the competing Belter Alliance.
Reports from the Eta Cass expedition indicate that they have located at least one habitable body, which they have christened 'Gwynedd'. A larger follow-on expedition is prepared to support the first, with the intention of establishing a permanent colony.
Information exchange between SBA's fusion research program and the ESA/Jaxa program results in improvements to both projects.
2020: Elza Newman is elected Mayor of Greenwood City, and officially steps down from her command position in GSS. Lafiel Abriel is named Commodore in her place.
Marsden, Newman, and Abriel meet with Fnord and other Soviet representatives to discuss the autonomist movement. No comment is made by either party on the content or outcome of their discussions.
2021: Marsden resigns as CEO of Rockhounds, Inc., turning over operations to his chosen successor, Jennifer Lambretta. He and his immediate family depart the solar system with the Third Eta Cass Expedition, based on an enlarged version of the Island frame used for the Second Expedition. This new fleet will survey several stars in the region, including Mu Cassiopeae and 61 Cygni.
Stonewell-Bellcom Aerospace completes and sells the 30th Island-class habitat (ten of them having been sold internally to the Eta Cass expeditions). A new corporation, Island Fancy UnLtd, is chartered to take over further construction while SBA returns to its defense/thinktank roots. Island Fancy's first sale is a heavily customized special order for Stellvia. All units from this point on use fusion power sources, upgrades to fusion reactors are offered for previous sales.
Commodore Abriel begins covertly funneling weapons and supplies to the Knight Sabers.
2022: A civilian group focused in the American midwest purchases two Island habitats and commissions a stardrive frame. Over fifteen thousand colonists and scientists depart on the completed starship, stating their intention to join the Gwynedd colony at Eta Cass.
(December) Marsden and family return to Greenwood to celebrate Christmas with their friends there and check up on events in the Solar System. They also begin preparation of another support/supply vessel for the 3rd Eta Cass expedition.
2023: Chris Marsden and Rei Ayanami join in the Shinji Ikari Rescue Mission, using the opportunity to smuggle another shipment of equipment to the Knight Sabers. Over the course of the year Rei is spotted several times on Stellvia, always in a social situation with Shinji.
SBA launches the first Acquila class Destroyer, sending it as escort for the 3rd Eta Cass fleet.
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.
But here are my initial ramblings:
2014: Chris Marsden testifies before the Joint Committee on the matter of Mr. Fnord. He later professes himself "bemused" by the attitudes of the politicians.
2015: In the wake of the TSAB scandal, Major Amy O'Connell retires from the USAF. Three months later she and Chris Marsden are wed in a private ceremony.
Stonewell-Bellcom Aerospace 'acquires' TSAB records on retro-engineering handwavium-created fusion reactors and begins an attempt to complete their research.
2016: Stonewell-Bellcom officially licenses production of the VF-1 Valkyrie to Black Aeronaut Technologies under moderate arms-export restrictions, specifically requesting that the craft not be sold to 'Daneside governments. BAT begins mass-production of the spaceframe.
SBA deploys FAST refit packs for GSS-deployed Valkyries.
At a press conference, Chris Marsden speaks out in favor of the newly rising Belt Alliance. He welcomes the competing organization and states that they are "good for business. Healthy competition lets us learn from each other, gives our employees and our customers a better choice than 'take it or leave it', and makes sure we keep our noses to the grindstone rather than up in the air ."
One in five of Rockhounds' currently-contracted mining teams leave to join the new organization. Approximately half of them receive low-interest loans from GCA banks to set up their new operations, the others prefer to deal with financial institutions not directly related to their former employers.
2017: SBA announces the production (making use of some of the megatonnage of steel produced by Rockhounds' mining operations) of the first of the "Island 3" class of space habitats. Designed to be as self-sufficient an environment as possible, it is a 3-kilometer-long lozenge-shaped station with its own internal gravity and drive systems, manufacturing facilities, and an open residential/agricultural region with a high domed roof. The first is sold to BAT to serve as their new headquarters, orders for dozens more come in from factions and 'daneside corporations and governments.
2018: Stonewell-Bellcom becomes the tail that wags the dog, with Island-type habitats rapidly outpacing Space Rocks in sales. In addition, the aerospace team completes five additional Belisarius-class frigates. Two are assigned to the Space Patrol with GSS crews (GSS Scipio Africanus and GSS Gaius Marius). Two more are sold to the United States Navy (USS Lexington and USS Saratoga), and the fifth is sold to the British Royal Navy (christened HMS Centurion).
Greenwood Colonial Administration finances and outfits an expedition to Eta Cassiopeiae. The expedition consists of two "Island 3" habitats connected by a stardrive framework, along with the docked GSS Artorius and two smaller vessels. A large number of 'daneside scientists are invited to accompany the expedition.
2019: Rumblings of discontent (and the rise of Mason) cause Greenwood to quietly withdraw support for the competing Belter Alliance.
Reports from the Eta Cass expedition indicate that they have located at least one habitable body, which they have christened 'Gwynedd'. A larger follow-on expedition is prepared to support the first, with the intention of establishing a permanent colony.
Information exchange between SBA's fusion research program and the ESA/Jaxa program results in improvements to both projects.
2020: Elza Newman is elected Mayor of Greenwood City, and officially steps down from her command position in GSS. Lafiel Abriel is named Commodore in her place.
Marsden, Newman, and Abriel meet with Fnord and other Soviet representatives to discuss the autonomist movement. No comment is made by either party on the content or outcome of their discussions.
2021: Marsden resigns as CEO of Rockhounds, Inc., turning over operations to his chosen successor, Jennifer Lambretta. He and his immediate family depart the solar system with the Third Eta Cass Expedition, based on an enlarged version of the Island frame used for the Second Expedition. This new fleet will survey several stars in the region, including Mu Cassiopeae and 61 Cygni.
Stonewell-Bellcom Aerospace completes and sells the 30th Island-class habitat (ten of them having been sold internally to the Eta Cass expeditions). A new corporation, Island Fancy UnLtd, is chartered to take over further construction while SBA returns to its defense/thinktank roots. Island Fancy's first sale is a heavily customized special order for Stellvia. All units from this point on use fusion power sources, upgrades to fusion reactors are offered for previous sales.
Commodore Abriel begins covertly funneling weapons and supplies to the Knight Sabers.
2022: A civilian group focused in the American midwest purchases two Island habitats and commissions a stardrive frame. Over fifteen thousand colonists and scientists depart on the completed starship, stating their intention to join the Gwynedd colony at Eta Cass.
(December) Marsden and family return to Greenwood to celebrate Christmas with their friends there and check up on events in the Solar System. They also begin preparation of another support/supply vessel for the 3rd Eta Cass expedition.
2023: Chris Marsden and Rei Ayanami join in the Shinji Ikari Rescue Mission, using the opportunity to smuggle another shipment of equipment to the Knight Sabers. Over the course of the year Rei is spotted several times on Stellvia, always in a social situation with Shinji.
SBA launches the first Acquila class Destroyer, sending it as escort for the 3rd Eta Cass fleet.
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.