Chapter 1: The New Africa

High above the orbit of Earth, we observe the many continents of the world. In space, we are drawn to this world over and over again. We have a perfect view of this planet of what it was over four hundred years ago. It isn’t the same as it looks now. It is more covered in a variety of colors. Blue, yellow, white, green, brown, and other colors show a more pristine environment as we float and note the quiet emptiness of the vacuum of space. The colors glow as we are dotted with the inky blackness of nothingness that spans beyond the planet.

It always seems that we are drawn to this world over and over again like a pendulum swing. Our journey starts here, goes to other worlds, and then it ultimately circumvents right back to here again. Even the great pioneer of the human race once said something similar to this. The realm of exploration is one that seems commonplace in many species throughout the universe. At least ... ones that are similar enough to the human race.

Why is that? Why in all the exploration do we find ourselves coming right back to the original home? A home provides a sense of comfort for many species. It is a sense of familiarity and a place of refuge. Only in time can a species eventually learn to escape and call new places their home, but do they take careful notes once it is done? It truly depends on society, civilization, nature, the environment, and individuals in preserving that information. Not doing so invites interpretation and perhaps grief of who is correct or incorrect about their own history.

I see you have grown curious about your guide as the past story was started by someone else. It seems that in my absence that there was another that spoke in my place. Perhaps she is correct on the dinosaurs and their origins. Maybe she is right about the origins and civilizations that pervaded long before the human race. But, of course, there is always more to that. Dreams and ambitions reside in the future, and the past is riddled with mysteries if things are not written down so carefully. It is nobody’s fault as things can become lost in time. History can be rewritten, and there can be a time where even the past is not important enough to keep safe from the ravages of nature. Even we only know so much about our deepest of origins. Who am I exactly? The Itreans called us the “Kiline.” It is a most interesting name ... but I am more than that, just as much as you have become and what you will be in the far future. In time, I will tell you more about me, but right now, it is a distraction from what is happening.

Instead, we continue to focus on Earth. This single world that resides in a yellow dwarf star system is the harbinger of life for many civilizations. Sadly, not many of these civilizations have been carefully recorded. That interpretation starts to become a prime factor in the new developing societies. Word of mouth is not enough as the individual naturally tells the tale differently over and over again with each passing generation. Eventually, the truth is lost, and new ways have to be uncovered in order to learn about a person’s past.

The deepest known surviving history of the human race can go back as far as the ancient Mesopotamian civilization of over five thousand years ago. The people that were known as the Sumerians carried a language that resided with surviving artifacts, language, and history. We spin the globe of the world as the continent of Asia comes into view. Tucked between the pathway of Europe and Africa, the Sumer people come from an area that is located near the Persian Gulf. Despite the heat, the area was a little bit cooler than it was today and provided a fertile enough place for a human settlement to occur. The environment also provides a site that can preserve many of these artifacts. Does this mean that the Sumer was the only known civilization to happen in this period? Far from it as there were indications of cultures that existed in the Indus Valley, Ancient Egypt, and Ancient lands before China ever existed.

As we delve further into the human race, we then discover the other known surviving historical evidence of past civilizations. Before the Sumerians, there was the Çatalhöyük. Found in 2012 of the Earth calendar in what was Turkey, the ancient civilization had been long uncovered. Dug out of the sands, the city is over nine thousand years old. There are other suggestions of great temples that reside in the oceans as well. How did these temples get underwater? The answer to that is quite evident as the ocean levels were much lower at this time, combined with the ever threat of shifting lands that lower such structures. One such structure is the Yonaguni-Jima Ruins located near Okinawa, Japan. At the time of its discovery, it was under twenty meters of water and dated to be over ten thousand years old. It is so old that some still claim that such a civilization could never exist and that the structures were simply made by nature.

In order for us to progress to the future of today, we must go deeper into the past. Each time we return to Earth, we learn more about the human race and what it can become. When all is accomplished, when they managed to succeed in transgressing into the outer beyond, it can look back itself and tell a tale of how it managed to make it. We would define the term as “Species Transgression Victory,” or how a species managed to escape this confined universe. It is quite challenging, and so far, only one has managed to accomplish this. The sheer difficulty and variables simply make it near impossible to complete it, but it can still be achieved.

So this does bring us to evaluate the human race’s past further. Where did humanity come from? We spin the globe of the planet. We see the continents in all of their glory. There is so much land and possibilities in this world alone that we can marvel at how this one particular race has managed to make it this far. Earth has never been the most ideal of habitable planets, with some having far more or far less than what the other worlds have to offer.

A profound idea of the origins of the beginning of humanity was the search for Eden. This concept exists even today among the human race that there was a single mother and father that birthed all. Now whether you choose to believe in such an idea is your choice, but some felt that there had to be more to that story. Was there an “Adam and Eve,” and was there ever an idea such as “Eden?”

This question resided in something many considered in the late 20^th century and early 21^st century. In the desire to search for the answers, the human race had started to do a deep study through the knowledge of DNA. The building blocks of some species in the universe, DNA carried important clues in how to go into the history of how humans evolved to become what it was today. It was a most curious endeavor and one that provided many surprising discoveries. In the DNA blocks, there lined a genetic tag. This would serve as a beacon to help trace the source that would lead to the previous generation and so forth. Random individuals all around the world had samples taken. The DNA carried the answers that they were looking for.

What made things curious was that the tag served as a way to trace where humanity went. In the United States, the population showed where the people came from, whether it was Europe, Asia, South America, North America, Africa, or Oceania. When the populations were tested, the route began to develop. Those with pale complexions had a more singular road that went to Europe but traveled along to somewhere else. Those from South America seemed to travel a route that went upward towards North America. Those that came from Oceania traveled towards Asia.

Those with the darkest of complexions, however, showed a myriad of different location traces. It was what actually helped encourage the very projects, to begin with, as those that descended from Africa had no other routes of where it came from. Then, like hitting a brick wall, it showed that those descended from Africa came from nowhere else on Earth. Meanwhile, those that came from Europe, Asia, North America, South America, and Oceania were converging towards one location. It was a stunning find as we spin the Earth towards the great continent. Finally, the scientists had put the pieces of the puzzle together.

The continent of Africa comes into view. It is shaped like a giant hammer with the island of Madagascar near the lower right tip. All of this was the source of a large variety of ecosystems and wildlife. From North Africa resides the great Sahara desert in its reflection of orange and yellow. In Central Africa, it consists of a vast array of forests, including the Congo River Basin and Great Rift Valley with its great shades of green. In South Africa resides the Kalahari and Namib Deserts.

All the routes of the Non-African populations trace back to this very continent. The news shocked many of the humans. It was believed that in hundreds of thousands of years, the populations of humans that moved from Africa would evolve in their new lands. In Europe, where sunlight is generally less, the people slowly began to have a paler complexion to maximize the Vitamin D given by the sun. In Asia and Oceania, the people adapted to their environments with different facial features, pigmentation, and abilities. In the end, for some, it was apparent that Adam and Eve might not have had such a pale complexion as the famous artworks may have foretold.

Africa ... despite such news, the continent had been plagued by its own history. People from inside and outside had played a role in reducing its value upon the rest of the world. Greed is a shared existence in humanity, and it reflected itself on the continent. Slavery had been a source of cheap labor, and it was a common practice to the population. It is believed that early prototype steam engines such as the Aeolipile had been developed as far back as over two thousand years ago. What revolutionized the human race in the 19^th century so well had existed back then. Some believe that because slavery was so commonplace, that the engine was never fully developed. Later on, other empires and nations would utilize slavery to fulfill their own means. It was simply cheaper to buy another individual and use a disposable person than create something that would help propel humanity to the stars. Even as far as 2050, slavery still existed in the pockets of the continent. Colonialism and Post Colonialism would further define the lineage of developing and sometimes failed governments throughout the land. Sometimes the worst violence in history was located here.

This isn’t to say that Africa has nothing but a history of abuse, strife, and failure. Far from it. If anything, the continent has had some success. A rising issue throughout the 21^st century was the spread of desertification. With rising global temperatures and deforestation, a massively successful campaign had been waged. A manufactured bacteria was introduced to harden the sands to convert them into massive livable landscapes. It was a prideful example of terraforming that would prove beneficial to everyone then and even to this very day. Cleaner energy sources such as solar power farms were introduced. Efforts to stem the tide of poverty and war, improved governments, awareness, and a United African government would help usher Africa to rise up in recognition to the rest of the world.

Sadly, even with all of this, humanity’s time on Earth was running out. Greed ultimately won the great war on itself. We watch Africa as time shifts forward. Year by year goes by each second. The continent is to go through significant changes. Desertification continues to spread southward. The rising global temperatures are taking their toll as the white clouds slowly turn into a thicker gray color. The polar icecaps have melted, and rising sea levels began to leach onto the land. Second by second, the green is becoming less and less. Coastal cities are abandoned, and the population moves further inland.

Ironically, most of the world feels more of an impact on the global rising sea levels than Africa itself. While most of Egypt, Mauritius, Seychelles, portions of North Africa, and a portion of North West Africa are swallowed up by the ocean, much of the continent is high ground. Africa does its best, but millions are displaced. Refuge is offered to the flooded island nations in the Pacific Ocean, but the United African Government has little money to spare. Regardless, things could have been worse for the continent, and unfortunately, it would only continue to travel this route.

We watch as the atmosphere becomes grayer and grayer. Pollution is rampant and out of control. Even with clean energy sources, it’s too late. Released from the confines of the melted ice caps, a new menace appears and rears its ugly head. The bacteria that the humans called “The Orange Muck” have emerged and spread like a virus. The darkening oceans start to turn orange and red as pollution becomes a food source. The toxic water becomes a byproduct that kills billions. The land begins to turn yellow and brown as the green fades away. The toxic orange sludge permeates the water supply and gets everywhere. Nothing is safe from it, as every living organism is drinking and bathing in poison.

Nothing was far more dramatic than this singular event. Even the eruption of Yellowstone National park never reached the catastrophic disaster that the Orange Muck brought forth. Sadly, the worst to be affected by this was Africa. With a population that was struggling to have the same resources as every other nation, even by the 22^nd century, the continent had little to combat the toxic spread. Poverty-stricken areas had little to no choice, and there was nowhere to escape it. Billions would die throughout Earth in the first year, and it is believed that 85% of the African population would perish from the Orange Muck. A collective outcry for mercy had been declared. A rallying call had been made, and the choice was to flee to Mars. African populations were along for the ride as the surviving billions of the world made the great exodus to the red planet. The continent remains as a shell of its former glory. The cradle of all life is no more as we stare at it in the year 2350.

Of course, you do know most of this story by now as we begin to pan away from Earth slowly. You already know of the famed Gabatrix experiment that would allow the human race to span beyond its solar system. Earth is now Itrea as the T’rintar clan of the Itrean people has reclaimed their lost home world. It is up to the descendants that were once called dinosaurs to clean up the mess. It will be a long grueling process as you can see one of the ancient green cylindrical dreadnoughts preparing to deploy a new volley of atmospheric cleaning probes to clear out the polluted air and oceans. The Itreans have long learned to be patient while they struggle with the shock of finding the world that gave homage to them.

We start to zoom away at a tremendous rate. Earth or Itrea shrinks in size as we get further and further away from it. We once again say goodbye to this world so we can go to the place that we need to be. Luna becomes a dot as we can only see Sol in the vast distance. As we continue to gain speed, it starts to shrink down more and more. Jupiter suddenly appears and disappears as we leave the solar system. Your head then turns to look at the vast array of stars. Each twinkling star in the blackness of space is just like Sol, albeit bigger or smaller. Their distance, color, and mass are the only indications of what they might be.

Gabatrix’s great experiment was the saving grace for the human race. The gift of folding space would allow many populations to find new worlds to call home. It is the destiny of every intelligent race to discover new worlds. The road to Species Transgression Victory is one that can be achieved if the correct actions are taken. Cebravis, Batrice, and New Olympia were among the first worlds to be colonized outside of the solar system. There was one other world, though, that would be among the first, and it was no sheer surprise on that part.

We start to move at a faster and faster rate as the stars begin to zip past us. We don’t have to go far, however. You see, amongst the cluster of stars is one of the Constellation Pictor. It isn’t a massive star cluster as it is tucked between the Constellations, Columba, Carina, Puppis, and Dorado. As we get closer and closer to it, the great star of Canopus comes into view. Even if it is hundreds of lights years away from our intended target, it helps serve as a guide post to our destination.

Instead, we start to close in on the star system known as HD 40307. Located over 42 light-years from Earth, the star is slightly smaller than Sol with a slight tinge of orange. It is a K-Type star that is expected to last longer than Sol in its age expectancy. In 2008, astronomers had found that this star had three planets orbiting it. In the later years, three additional planets were discovered. As the Gabatrix experiment proved to be a viable success, the need to explore new habitable worlds became a priority.

When the other close stars leave your sight, you can see the solar system come into view. Indeed, it is as expected. The probes that traveled here almost a hundred years ago confirm the presence of several exoplanets. Unfortunately, most of these planets are too close to the star, with HD 40307b doing a complete orbit in four Earth days. As a result, it is scorched as the intense heat pummels its surface. HD 40307c and d don’t fare much better with c being tidally compressed and heated repeatedly. It is almost as if the closest five planets enjoy their star too much. It doesn’t want to leave it and prefers the intense heat that the star gives off. HD 40307d is even comparable to a larger version of Venus back in Sol.

It is believed that all the planets in this solar system were slowly drawn in closer to its star in the last several hundreds of millions of years ago. Thus, if there were any life on these worlds that were similar to Earth, then it is long gone by now. There is one exception to this, however, and it is closer to our true destination.

Our trip brings us closer and closer to a vast planet that lies in the outermost solar system. It is the furthest planet that follows an almost elliptical orbit. Residing in the habitable zone, this exoplanet is more prominent than Earth. We end up seeing the wondrous world that is covered almost entirely with water. The shades of blue and white are all but apparent. Several small moons orbit this world, but they are smaller than Luna.

This is the world of Oshun, and it leads to the current closing tale of what had happened to the former population of Africa. Established in 2268, the colony of Oshun was not as well celebrated as the founding of Cebravis despite it not being that far off in times of its settlement. We close in enough to remark upon the features of this planet. Despite it being bigger than Earth, there are many similar and remarkable details of this world. The world almost spins perfectly on its Y-Axis. Despite this, the planet receives a fair amount of heat that is circulated into predictable weather patterns. It was once believed that this world was almost incased in ice. Unlike Palora, however, the planet has wandered closer to the star over millions of years. Over time, the ice had completely melted and flooded the entire globe. There is more water in this place than Earth ever had. Essentially, there are no separate oceans but one singular one that virtually engulfs the planet.

Such a planet is more than capable of sustaining life adequately, but it is pretty obvious that a vast amount of it has adapted to living in the water. There is marine life that can breathe carbon dioxide and oxygen above the surface, similar to Earth. However, ocean levels are much deeper and can put areas such as the former Marianas Trench to absolute shame. A world that revolves on its poles almost perfectly causes a natural circulation of air that appears on the equator. Another notable feature is the “Great White,” as the native Oshunians call it. This massive moving cyclone spins and revolves around below the equator. Much like the the “Great Red Spot” of Jupiter, it is continuous and never-ending. It carries the most potent wind speeds, rain, and weather disturbances that dares get in its path. Thankfully, it only seems to travel in a straight direction making regular trips around and around the planet. Its goal is to regulate the hot temperatures of the water while transferring it to new locations. Meanwhile, rain and precipitation are sent northward.

We got closer to the point that we can see the moon of Orsa. The largest moon serves as a military base and construction yard for the UHN. In orbit, we can see the circular gate array named Fort Kajuru tethered to the planet’s surface. A series of small gray cylindrical objects start to appear. The variety of patrolling warships and commercial vessels travel in various directions or remain locked in orbit. This planet is streaming with human-made activity. In the northern hemisphere, we start to see at least two huge islands. While significant, they are still dwarfed by the endless ocean. It is obvious now that the highest peaks of land are still capable of having populations settle on it.

The world of Oshun has never reached the same popularity as Cebravis, but it is far from ignored either. Over 500 million people now live on it today. Its history of former Africa resides in its people that pass along the fabled stories of the discarded “Planet of Lost Cause.” The great oceans harbor an enormous amount of fish-like stocks, food, and tourism. We can note one of the great luxury liner spaceships that have come through the gate array. Having a somewhat similar profile to the great cruise liners of the 21^st century, the gray winged hulls radiate that of vacationers and party-goers. The rich often enjoy coming to this planet as another variant world of Cebravis. The fabulous beaches of the islands house enjoyment and helps fulfill the struggling economy. The former African Union has had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief when they first saw this world. Even with little land, it was home, and it would do its best not to repeat humanity’s past mistakes.

However, Oshun has had its struggles that last to this day. Establishing a new government didn’t happen so easily, and even an economy on tourism is not enough to handle the influx of so many people. Even as the third most populated world of the United Worlds’ Alliance, politics continually eyes this place. Much like the ancient history of some African nations, corruption, bribery, and crime is on the rise in government and its population. There is too little land that debate rages on settling on the southern islands where the Great White sweeps over continuously. Vast ranges of underwater cities permeate the beaches of some areas, and an ongoing threatening war with an alien race hasn’t helped at all.

All is not lost, however. If anything, Oshun has hopes in its ongoing struggle with itself. It is less than a year since the planet successfully repelled a Shal’rein clan fleet. Before the grand alliance with the T’rintar clan, a successful defense mounted by a UHN fleet and Oshun assets successfully destroyed and halted the attacking shark-like subspecies. Even as we continue to get closer and closer to the world, we can actually spot very tiny debris that flies past our side. Most likely, these are the remains of an Itrean ship that was closing in on the planet. If one ship managed to deploy its troops, the semi-aquatic race would have had a significant advantage against a people that preferred to live on land. It was a costly victory, but the Battle of Oshun underlines the resolve of Oshun in repelling future Itrean attacks. It was one of three major colonial victories against the Shal’rein clan before the alliance and be the best remembered above all. With the alliance, Oshun is all but safe from the next assault. The rows of ancient leased T’rintar clan battleships are manned and ready for battle.

We have done enough observation from orbit. Our journey nears its end to begin a new one. We both slip away as we start to fall into the atmosphere of the blue planet. It is mid-day as we feel the gravity pull us down. Even as the friction bounces harmlessly off of you, you can already feel the temptation. It is the highest dive most can ever enjoy into the salty ocean. Never had a people ever had so much water. We are near one of the two major island nations of Oshun. The small continent of Girinhi Kinshasha houses the more pristine tourist side of the world, but we are not headed there. Instead, we are heading to Beureum Lagos, the more industrial-heavy area of the planet. From high above, it does not look like much. There were no significant natural forests, and only a singular mountain range resides in the center. The rest of the area around it houses the single great metropolis of Bandari Kubwa.

The location is little more than a donut-shaped port that encircles around the small mountain range. As we get closer and closer, the small continent starts to get bigger and bigger. The color of light and dark blue with hints of light purple from the bright orange sunlight fills your eyesight. Bandari Kubwa is an active location. Even if tourism is more dominant on the other island, a few cruise liners still make regular trips near the area. In addition, 24^th-century human-made surface vessels are making frequent trips back and forth from continent to continent. The advanced fishing vessels carefully tap the endless amount of aquatic life that dot the surrounding area.

We begin to see the large amounts of beaches as we close in on the more heavily populated section of the continent. We are so close that we can see several skyscrapers stretch as high as they can. Multiple factories, warehouses, and sky-rise apartments cover the area. Even in broad daylight, these buildings’ construction quality is only slightly better than late 21^st century structures. While a few of the facilities do have certain aesthetic qualities, most are generic and dull. It was as if there was great effort to make some of the early buildings look pretty, but the later ones constructed dropped the concept to allow the full utilization of short space available. Advanced floating airships popularly display advertisements while you can see the electric cars drive down the grid-like streets.

We have finally reached the street level. We are nearly two kilometers from the great ocean. Scores of people walk the side paths getting from location to location. Behind you is one of the roads that lead to a tunnel that supposedly goes down one of the underwater cities. Most of these locations are not that deep and only try to take advantage of the little land available. The skyscrapers tower above you like giants.

Most of the population shares different shades of natural dark complexions with varieties of facial features reminiscent of their past ancestry. Of course, this is the 24^th century, and not everyone comes from Oshun. A few individuals walk amongst the crowds that have pale and mixed complexions that are native people, visitors, tourists, or those that moved from other planets and colonies. The clothing tends to reflect long fashionable dresses of different colors that most women and men wear. With this place being near the beach, it is not surprising to see some individuals dressed in swimwear. Families escorting their children seem to be coming or going.

It isn’t the only thing that can be seen. Among the absolute, few are those that are not human at all. By now, the human population had grown accustomed to their T’rintar clan allies. The sight of a walking alien amongst the crowd does not seem to stir any alarms or worry in public. Most of these few aliens consist of the Yutilian variety. Their small stature makes them shorter than most humans. They walk on digitigrade legs, have a tail to keep balanced on, feathers that protrude from their heads, arms, and tails, and wear similar clothing to the rest of the population. The generally greenish scaled women seemed amalgamated with everyone. They are little more than bipedal anthro dinosaurs proven by the DNA tests and famed surviving artifact from Earth. A few of these reptilian women are walking together, with one eyeing one of the human men. A look of lust and desire on her face can be clearly seen, and no one can blame her. To her left is one of her friends or associates that are clearly pregnant.

And of the absolute few of the population are those of the Shal’rein of the T’rintar clan. The shark-like subspecies families that live amongst this clan swear their allegiance to them. They are a towering sight to behold. But, unlike the Yutilians, these women don’t seem to mind modesty as much. A pair walks by with a human male in the center. One is wearing skimpy swimwear that is just barely enough to cover her gray-like soft scales. The other one is topless, wearing purple denim shorts and letting her large breasts happily bounce around as she swings her large fin-like tail around—the water calls to them. The man seems to have a look of happiness as the two women are escorting them to the beaches like two giant guards protecting their boss or catch.