No Man’s Land
Printed pages 206–214. Records documented in this chapter; later article sections may include subsequent events.
Showing introductory records. Switch to Full archive above to include later names and revelations.
Avalon Brookes
Avalon Brookes is the inventor of the sphere drive. His propulsion technology makes the Copious expedition possible.
Battle between Earth and Venus
Three hawks attacked Echo and Eastcott's upgraded scorpion between Earth and Venus after the strike on the Flaxen capital. The defenders concentrated fire and forced Brookes's formation to withdraw.
Cylli
Cylli is a vast cylindrical space habitat near Jupiter, maintained by a conscious artificial intelligence. Its scale and sophistication draw the attention of Echo’s returning crew.
Cylli shipyards
Cylli's shipyards were fully automated facilities in the far section of the cylinder. Brookes sealed them with a quantum key after obtaining advanced transport craft.
Deflection lasers
Deflection lasers protect high-speed starships by detecting and vaporizing particles ahead of them. A collision with even a sand-sized object at the expedition's intended speeds could destroy a ship.
Echo
Echo is a United Earth starship and the self-aware artificial intelligence who operates the vessel. Commanded by Kip Eastcott, he carries roughly one thousand people on the Copious expedition.
Echo's refit
Cylli's automated shipyards repaired and upgraded Echo and its surviving scorpion, restoring their ability to confront the hawks. The work transformed their propulsion, armament, armor, and supply of ammunition.
Flaxus (city)
Flaxus was the capital city of Venus. Eastcott's upgraded scorpion attacked a rare mineral processing facility there, less than a mile from the Flaxus's location.
Frey
Lieutenant Frey piloted Eastcott's upgraded scorpion during the strike on the rare mineral processing facility on Venus. He reported no enemy contacts and attributed their concealment to the new stealth upgrade.
Hawks
Hawks were advanced arrow-shaped transport craft taken from Cylli by Brookes and modified as weapons. Their speed, stealth, protection, and sphere beams initially overwhelmed Echo's remaining defenses.
Helen Chute
Lieutenant Commander Helen Chute is Echo’s counselor. She supports the crew through the personal consequences of their displacement.
Katie Silver
Lieutenant Commander Katie Silver is Echo’s chief science officer. She is engaged to Chief Security Officer Chuck Balbo and joins the expedition to Copious.
Kip Eastcott
Captain Kip Eastcott commands Echo on the Copious expedition. A veteran of the war with Mars, he leads a crew far removed from the world they knew.
Plasma cannons
Plasma cannons are energy weapons mounted in the pincers of scorpions. They fire blue-purple shards of superheated energy.
Railguns
Railguns are shipboard weapons that use magnetic acceleration to fire titanium slugs. They serve in the ancient United Earth and Martian fleets.
Rare mineral processing facility
The rare mineral processing facility was an industrial target in Venus's capital, Flaxus. Its output supported tanks, aircraft, and communications equipment.
Reflective armor
Cylli's protective surface could reverse its normal absorption of incoming energy and deflect photons. Her shipyards gave Echo and its surviving scorpion armor using the same principle.
Sarah Dimple
Commander Sarah Dimple is Echo’s executive officer and Captain Kip Eastcott’s second in command. A veteran of the war with Mars, she combines loyalty to her captain with a willingness to challenge his decisions.
Scorpions
Scorpions were small combat craft carried by Echo, named for their insect-like shape and pincer-mounted plasma cannons. Originally designed to fight in swarms during the six years' war, they retained weapons during Echo's conversion for colonization.
Scott Williams
Commander Scott Williams is Echo’s chief engineer. He is responsible for the technical systems supporting the ship and its expedition.
Serilda Corazon
Serilda Corazon is a woman of human and Flaxen parentage imprisoned at Camp Skadi. She cares for her friend Megan and the other occupants of hut seven while strange visions of a starship trouble her sleep.
Sphere beam
A sphere beam is a directed violet energy weapon powered by energy diverted from a sphere drive. Its output depends on the materials available to conduct that energy.
Sphere drive
The sphere drive is Avalon Brookes's propulsion technology, which draws photonic energy from higher dimensions through a hypersphere. It is intended to propel the Copious expedition at eighty percent of light speed.
Stealth systems
The hawks carried concealment systems that prevented Echo's sensors from detecting them until they were dangerously close. Cylli later gave Echo and its remaining scorpion comparable stealth.
Strike on Venus
Eastcott and Lieutenant Frey struck a rare mineral processing facility in Venus's capital with the upgraded scorpion. The attack demonstrated that the Flaxen homeworld was vulnerable to orbital assault.
Subdermal communicators
Subdermal communicators are tiny implants used by Echo's personnel for calls and displays. Kip Eastcott's implant projects blue holographic text above his wrist.
The Moon
The Moon is Earth's natural satellite. Echo uses its far side to conceal the ship's location while preparing contact with contemporary United Earth.
Venus
Venus is the terraformed homeworld of the Flaxens. Earth and Mars transform it from an extreme environment into a habitable planet before the Titan.
World Anthem
The World Anthem accompanied United Earth's flag at the end of Eastcott's warning transmission to Claudius after the strike on Venus.