Horizon: Mankind's Odyssey

***Horizon: Mankind's Odyssey***,is an upcoming space opera story and a prequel to *Hyperion: A Space Adventure* and its sequel series *Hyperspace: The Cosmic Gospel*. Beginning in the late 21st century in the Sol System, the series follows humanity's introduction to the galactic stage, specifically their discovery of the Library beneath Phobos and the War of First Contact, through the eyes of a team of martian scavengers led by former rebel Ketch Jaeger.

Originally planned for 2019, the series was rewritten in 2021 for a 2022-2023 release, which required changes to its lore to better fit the events established in *Hyperspace: The Cosmic Gospel*. The first instalment, *Part I: Olympus Rising*, is in development. It will also include a short story, *The Giant Leap*, which tells the story of Michael Anverton, the first man on Mars.

## Plot

*After a team of martian scavengers makes an incredible discovery below the surface of Phobos, it triggers a series of events that will propel humanity at large into a cosmic odyssey.*

## Story and Setting

### Setting

*Horizon: Mankind's Odyssey* is set in the same universe as *Hyperion: A Space Adventure*, an alternate future in which humanity began developing complex theories and engineering efforts much earlier in their history; for example, widespread electricity was available in the late 17th century, and humanity walked on the Moon for the first time on July 4th 1958. As a result, by the late 20th century, humanity was approximately 300 years more technologically advanced compared to reality. In addition, U.S. President John F. Kennedy survived his assassination and ushered in a new age of space exploration by co-founding the World Initiative for Space, later the United Nations Space Command, with the Soviet Union and China. Via the United Nations, the countries of Earth put aside their political differences for the good of the human race, effectively ending the Space Race in the mid 1960s.

Through the UNSA's efforts, humans first landed on Mars in 1988; in 1989, the first permanent settlement, Olympus City, was established by the crew of the Ares VI. In the early 90s, humanity deployed massive terraformers, referred to as the Planetary Climate Engineering Vessels (PCEV), to the Red Planet, which began rapidly thickening the atmosphere to make it similar to that of Earth; the Downpour, a period of constant rain for twelve years, combined with vast water engineering factories, formed new oceans, including the Oceanus Borealis. Rapid human reproduction eventually led to the classification of a new human subspecies, known as martians, in as little as two generations; they were recognised as a subspecies due to several physiological differences that made them more suited to life on the Red Planet. In just over 82 years, the terraforming process had progressed far enough that martians could stand unexposed on the surface.

The Mars Colonial Authority was set up by Earth officials to govern the new citizens of Mars and manage its resources. Over the years, the Authority included more and more native Martians, leading to rising racial tensions between humans and Martians. In 2071, the Authority seceded from the Human Interstellar Network, igniting the Sol Secession War two years later in 2073. The war ended with Earth's victory in 2081, but not without them suffering countless losses.

The series begins in 2086, five years after the Annex of Mars and the end of the war. Mars is now governed by the HIN via a reformed Mars Colonial Authority; as part of the annex, the remaining martian rebels have been granted pardons. Humanity has developed a vast array of technologies, including extended lifespans, instant learning via devices called neuromods, near-superluminal travel via jump engines, primitive A.Is called operators, and healing items called stimpaks. Space travel has become quick, clean and efficient, and spaceports are almost as common as airports. Approximately a quarter of the human population resides in extraterrestrial colonies throughout the Sol System.

## Characters

### Main

* Ketch Jaeger: a former rebel of the Mars Colonial Authority and Blue Sky who now captains a salvaging vessel, the *Voyager*, and comes across a remarkable discovery
* Sasha Rex: first-mate of the *Voyager* and a friend of Ketch from their days fighting the HIN
* Michelle Monroe: an astrobiologist called in to lead humanity's study of an unearthed extraterrestrial site
* MIL-013: a GIL working on the planet Venus who resents the prejudice he and other GILs face
* Morgan Taylor: a geneticist and conspiracy theorist who believes humanity's evolution has been guided by extraterrestrial powers