On the discovery of the Meganite base on Mars in 2228 plans were developed on how best to utilize the information within the Meganite's own computer system against them.
Very early on the representatives of the newly formed UNITED EARTH present on Mars became painfully aware that not only had the Meganites been recording a large amount of information about Earth but that they also had more than 20 worlds nearby either Quarantined, Occupied or facing Quarantine.
Despite the information advantage they currently shared against the Meganites and the looming technical edge they were approaching the Terran representatives realized one thing early on, the Meganites severely outnumbered themselves.
The solution it was decided was to convert 20 craft to Faster Than Light for 20 seperate missions to the 25 nearest Meg controlled systems. Each mission was to study the Meganite acquired information about that world en route so as to be familiar, if not fluent in the dominant culture and language of that world on arrival. Each mission would then liberate that world by damaging or destroying the Meganite probes or stations in the system and then begin FIRST CONTACT with the indigenous inhabitants.
An exchange of carefully prepared INFO PAKS would take place providing the people of each system with knowledge about Earth culture and language and the governments of that world would be told that a later mission would arrive soon to continue negotiations for the creation of a multi-world alliance that would unite against the Meganites to defend this area of space.
The missions would visit more than one world depending on the range of the craft involved and in some cases would overlap with a returning mission engaging a visit to a world that an outgoing mission had already been to.
The idea behind this was to have each mission returned to Earth by the fastest means possible, particularly if the world was already in the second phase of contact through the SOLAR TEN mission.
Each of the 20 vessels were converted in Mars orbit by crews on the UNSA/UESA Carrier VICTORY using a combination of Meg Mars Base parts and tooling equipment combined with Terran parts and tooling. The craft were launched directly from Mars orbit for their missions.
Crew compliment averaged 4 persons per mission with only STELLAR 20/Number 20 (RIGEL THREE under the command of Robert MacMANUS) having only 1 person.
Participation in the missions were voluntary due to the extreme vulnerability each vessel would have travelling both through Meg held areas with a minimal of protection and arriving at Meg held systems where even the liberated could mistake them for hostile.
Additionally the ION DRIVE which would propell each craft suffered a time dialation effect of at least 1 to 6 with some as high as 1 to 12. Effectively this meant that anyone undertaking this mission could experience time at a 1/12th slower rate than the people who remained on Earth and could return having aged only one year for every 12 years on Earth.
The two factors combined justified the UNITED EARTH SPACE AGENCY approving Mission Payments at Earth Time rather than the normal Ship Time system as well a providing a stipend to cover the cost of hiring financial management of this pay during the mission. This paved the way for many mission participants to return to an extremely good financial situation.
In addition to the INFO PAKS (See RIMBEY PLAN) required for the mission each team was given extensive information about technical and cultural trends in the hopes of providing them mission personnel some buffer to the future shock expected on their return.
For more information on:
The MEGANITES
or follow the timeline of STELLAR 20 through CHRONICLE.
A list of STELLAR 20 Teams are:
STELLAR 20 / Number 20: Mission vehicle: RIGEL THREE
Commander: Robert N MacMANUS
Supported by RIGEL THREE RAEB only
Engineer: Angie Yee (remained behind)
TARGET WORLDS:
STELLAR 20 / Number 19: Mission vehicle:
TARGET WORLD:
STELLAR 20 / Number 18: Mission vehicle:
Commander:
Pilot: Bill MAGELLAN
Engineer:
Specialist:
TARGET WORLDS:
STELLAR 20 / Number 17: Mission vehicle:
TARGET WORLDS:
STELLAR 20 / Number 16: Mission vehicle:
Commander:
Pilot:
Engineer: Melbourne Girney
Specialist:
TARGET WORLDS:
STELLAR 20 / Number 15: Mission vehicle:
TARGET WORLDS:
STELLAR 20 / Number 14: Mission vehicle:
TARGET WORLDS:
STELLAR 20 / Number 13: Mission vehicle:
TARGET WORLDS:
STELLAR 20 / Number 12: Mission vehicle:
TARGET WORLDS:
STELLAR 20 / Number 11: Mission vehicle:
TARGET WORLDS:
STELLAR 20 / Number 10: Mission vehicle:
TARGET WORLDS:
STELLAR 20 / Number 8: Mission vehicle:
TARGET WORLDS:
STELLAR 20 / Number 7: Mission vehicle:
TARGET WORLDS:
STELLAR 20 / Number 6: Mission vehicle:
TARGET WORLDS:
STELLAR 20 / Number 5: Mission vehicle:
TARGET WORLDS:
STELLAR 20 / Number 4: Mission vehicle:
TARGET WORLDS:
STELLAR 20 / Number 3: Mission vehicle:
TARGET WORLDS:
STELLAR 20 / Number 2: Mission vehicle:
TARGET WORLDS:
STELLAR 20 / Number 1: Mission vehicle:
TARGET WORLDS:
