Lima Golf Background
The following document is intended as a general introduction to the background events leading to the establishment and continued operations of Project Looking Glass. Due to the inclusion of events in parallel universes occurring simultaneously, an attempt has been made to clarify when these events occur by the tagging of dates in this alternate timeline alone in red, and events taking place in both tagged in green. Additionally, as there are two separate individuals bearing the name of ISA Director Rubin listed below, they have been labelled as such, with the Director identified in blue or otherwise using the default text color and his counterpart tagged in red. Notes may be appended with the approval of the Director or lead project manager.
A brief note should be made of both the inhabitants of the parallel universe and the general location of the Otonichi in this universe. Information on the parallel Earth located on the opposite side of the Lima Golf Anamoly can be found in more detail here, but a brief description is provided here. The parallel Earth, which for clarification shall be labeled in red, is almost identical to our own, minus key differences detailed in the above link. The most striking detail, however, is that the inhabitants of the planet are entirely composed of humans (homo sapiens). While there are humans in our own world, there are obviously not 7 billion of them. Apart from this, major world events prior to the events listed below are identical, including the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Apollo program, the September 11th attacks, Hurricane Katrina and the Saints winning Super Bowl XLIV. Approximately 15 light-years from the Earth is the planet Sora, on which the kyree and kenseng (visually similar to wolves and tigers, respectively) live. The planet is relatively similar to Earth, save for the fact that Sora has 2 natural satellites. It should be noted that an attempt to find the planet in our universe discovered that the planet's location in space relative to the Earth reveals a barren world approximately the size of the dwarf planet Ceres orbiting the star HD 117765, a G5V star identical to the Sun. Finally, the Otonichi home planet, Ishonko, orbits the star Tau Ceti approximately 12 light-years from the Earth. It is approximately the same size as Earth, and is the fifth planet in the system. The Otonichi bear a resemblance to snow leopards on nearly all accounts, save for several key genetic differences.
Early history
0 to 1200 AD?
- While the exact date cannot be determined through documents made available at this time, what is known is that at some time during the 1st and 13th Centuries, the Otonichi and Hoomiku were living in relative peace on Ishonko. While occasional conflicts between the two species had arisen in the past, these differences had generally been settled and the two lived in relative peace on the planet.
1900s
July 1947
- Several remaining Hoomiku ships enter Earth orbit and land. One ship, which suffered critical damage, crash landed in Roswell, New Mexico on July 7. The United States Army Air Force instituted a cover-up under the guise of debris from a weather balloon (and maintains currently that the wreckage was the result of debris from Project Mogul). Limited actionable intelligence was recovered from the debris and the Army recovered several bodies and several dozen injured Hoomiku, who were transferred to secure hospitals for treatment and subsequent debriefing.
October 4, 1954
- Sputnik 1 is launched by the Soviet Union, becoming the first man-made Terran object to orbit the Earth. Covert reconnaissance by the Otonichi of Earth military and space related programs begins. Shortly afterwards, it is revealed that the United States and Soviet Union appear to be working towards research into military applications of telepathy for both remote viewing, espionage and active subversion of governments in those nations. An urgent message is sent to King Zalkyo Jeskalt, who authorizes the development of means to intervene should widescale application of this be used on Earth, and the development of a means of hacking Terran communications.
October 1962
- Long range observation by Otonichi researchers of the Earth reveals increasing political tension resulting from the placement of Soviet missiles on the island of Cuba. 15 Otonchi researchers from the Royal College of Alkonost submit a proposal for peaceful intervention on Earth in an attempt to ease Terran relations. Their proposal is rejected. Long range probes reveal that a Soviet submarine, B-59, carries nuclear-tipped torpedoes and is surrounded by American destroyers. A second proposal to intervene is rejected shortly after the revelation that one of the submarine's commanding officers, Vasili Arkhipov, voted against a launch of the torpedoes and potentially avoided nuclear war. Long distance observation of the planet is universally agreed as a necessity, as American, Soviet and Chinese military programs to weaponize or otherwise exploit telepathy via captured Hoomiku are revealed to be continuing.
July 20, 1969
- Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle lands on Earth's Moon, and Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin become the first to walk on its surface. Documents circulated by high ranking Otonichi officials suggest that two schools of thought within the royal court exist. One group advocates military intervention, fearing the possible expansion of Earth's space related ambitions and the eventual discovery of their place in the galaxy. Another group advocates peaceful revelation of the existence of the Otonichi to the people of Earth. Both are rejected, and it is universally agreed following this decision that active attempts to prevent knowledge of Otonichi existence by Earth should be implemented.
February 23, 1977
- Ian Rubin is born.
February 23, 1980
- Ian Rubin is born.
2000s
December 2003
- Lafayette Incorporated President and CEO Howard Rubin dies. His son, Ian Rubin assumes his place as CEO and head of the company.
September 18, 2006
- Soyuz TMA-9 launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying Ian Rubin as the fourth ever self funded space tourist. He is selected as the Director of the International Space Agency later that year in a 5-2 vote by the ISA International Council.
April 2007
- United States Navy Captain Ian Rubin assumes command of USS Maryland (SSBN-738), due to exemplary skills in naval combat and unconventional tactics.
November 4, 2008
- Edward Marshall is elected President of the United States, defeating Senator John McCain of Arizona.
November 4, 2008
- Harold Schrader is elected President of the United States, defeating Senator John McCain of Arizona.
2010s
2010
March 15, 2010
- STS-10W launches from the Kennedy Space Center, carrying Ian Rubin to the International Space Station on a mission to resupply it in anticipation of the retirement of the NASA space shuttle fleet. Rubin becomes the first private citizen to perform a spacewalk.
December 3, 2010
- Elements of Al Qaeda tap into the control systems of a classified satellite and force it to collide with the International Space Station, crippling it. The crew of Expedition 26 is rescued by an alien ship in orbit around the Earth (the Arastos) in violation of the Soran Prime Directive. The crew contacts their commanding officer, Commander Chali, who agrees with the crew's actions and authorizes them to proceed with returning the crew of the ISS and serve as ambassadors to Earth. Astronaut Keith Ramirez is chosen to act as an intermediary between the crew and the people of Earth. Mission control in Houston is contacted to inform them of the crew's situation and the Arastos lands at the Kennedy Space Center.
- NOTE: You're shitting me about this, right? -IR
December 4, 2010
- President Harold Schrader is briefed on the situation concerning the Arastos. Staff at the Kennedy Space Center begin securing the facility, and the Visitor's Center is closed. The United States military is already on alert following the destruction of the ISS, and flights over the Kennedy Space Center are authorized. At 8:15 AM EST, major American news networks begins broadcasting images of the ship on the runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility. Several hours later, the crew of Expedition 26 are lowered to the runway and taken to a secure facility for examination and debriefing while Ambassador Ramirez spoke with several high ranking government officials from around the world to inform them of the situation.
- Trading on the Dow Jones and other major American stock exchanges is halted following a massive sell-off of stocks. Other global stock exchanges follow suit following severe fluctuations in stock prices.
- A number of protests and riots occur in cities around the world in response to the arrival of an alien ship and to the attack by Al Qaeda on the ISS, despite calls for calm by governmental and religious leaders. In an attempt to calm growing unrest, Pope Benedict XVI calls for peace around the globe, but offers no further insight into the church's stance on the matter of alien life.
December 6, 2010
- Ambassador Ramirez holds a press conference to relay a message from Captain Riyla of the Arastos and returns to the ship. Shortly afterwards, Arastos helmsman Kanalos meets with President Schrader and reveals the location of the station used to hack into the satellite and the presence of an enemy agent within the National Security Agency. An image of the two men shaking hands is relayed around the world and serves as humanity's first glimpse of an extraterrestrial.
- Several hours later, the crew of the Arastos subdue the terrorist cell responsible for the attack on the ISS and destroy the station used by them in Syria. The terrorists are sedated and are dropped off at the White House by the crew.
- NOTE: They left off the part about how they put big Christmas bows on their heads. Got a good kick hearing that the first time. -IR
December 7, 2010
- The Arastos is recalled to Sora. It docks with the Federation High Command station, and due to a delay in meeting with Commander Chali, the crew is given a brief period of leave on the station.
2011
October 12, 2011
- Federation Axis vessel Arastos encounters an anomaly while attempting to perform a faster than light jump and suffers damage to both the slipstream drive and several sections of deck plating. Upon reactivation of systems, the crew discover that they are no longer in their own reality, and that Sora is no longer present. Unable to perform a jump back through the anomaly in space and unable to call for help, they turn their attention to Earth and scan the planet for people or agencies able to assist them.
- Researchers at the Royal College of Alkonost relay information to the palace revealing that a spatial anomaly of unknown origin has been cited in the vicinity of the Solar System, within the Oort Cloud of the system. The Otonichi military is placed on alert as a vessel of unknown origin is cited in orbit around the object. The Earth Observation Program, which had been coming under increasing military control, is completely militarized, with limited civilian cooperation approved. Monitoring of the Earth using long ranger scans continues and close observation suspended for fear of alerting anyone on Terra.
October 22, 2011
- A crew member from the Arastos makes contact with Director Rubin. Their situation was revealed at a meeting between the two and an agreement to help was struck. A meeting of high ranking officials from several organizations including the ISA, Rubin Design Aerospace and several ISA technicians at a classified location within Lafayette Intercontinental Airport's RDA assembly hangar eventually made the decision to help them formal, and the leaders of ISA member nations were briefed on the situation before proceeding. A plan to give the ISA access to the blueprints of the Arastos is put forth by the crew as payment for repairs.
- NOTE: Hell of a day this was. I don't think I got any sleep. -IR
October 24, 2011
- RDA's Space Vehicle Assembly hangar at LFX is converted to facilitate the repairs of the Arastos, which is cloaked for transport into the hangar. The damaged slipstream engine is removed prior to entering the building and is taken to a secure facility next to the hangar for repairs. The entire facility is placed under armed guard under the cover story that a prototype nuclear propulsion system for a future manned spaceflight mission is being developed and tested. Hundreds of technicians and engineers from RDA's Blackjack stealth projects division and a number of ISA contractors are sworn to secrecy and begin the task of repairing the ship. At the same time, work begins on a series of prototype faster than light probes developed from reverse engineered Soran technology.
December 9, 2011
- A prototype ISA faster than light probe (nicknamed "Speedy Gonzales") launches successfully on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The probe successfully makes the jump from Earth orbit to Saturn. Reactor tests and navigation system verification drills are carried out, and final commands are uploaded to the probe in anticipation of a planned jump through the spatial anomaly. The probe is moved into position around Pluto to avoid detection and final checks proceed.
- Researchers at the Earth Observation Program at the Otonichi military headquarters in Alkonost report detecting the signatures of a hyperluminal jump using similar technology to that used by their own in the vicinity of the planet Saturn around Sol. Additional scans reveal that the origin of the signals is from a Terran probe. This sparks a series of highly classified meetings by top level military officials, who feel that intervention of some sort may be necessary to maintain regional stability, though the exact methods of doing so remain in question.
December 10, 2011
- ISA faster than light probe Sierra Golf 1 ("Speedy Gonzales") successfully jumps through the rift in space and enters into the parallel universe. It begins to broadcast a message to a rescue fleet of Federation ships in orbit around the last known location of the Arastos, revealing their present status to the crew's commanding officer, Commander Ja'laski, about their whereabouts and status. The probe also transmits a collected history of general Earth events for comparison to their own and details relating to its mission to aid in helping to determine the cause of the accident and to aid in recovering the ship.
December 17, 2011
- Federation Axis recovery forces led by Commander Ja'laski proceed through the Lima Golf Anomaly and maintain position around it, cloaking themselves to avoid detection. At the same time, the damaged nacelle of the Arastos is loaded aboard a heavily modified Space Shuttle External Tank delivery barge and floated down the Atchafalaya River into the Gulf of Mexico. A series of antigravity lifting systems are attached to the nacelle in anticipation of lifting it into orbit for rendezvous with the rescue fleet.
December 19, 2011
- Phoenix 4 launches from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center. That evening, the crew of the Arastos along with Director Rubin and Ixy Comeaux exit the RDA facility and rendezvous with the Federation Axis recovery fleet, led by the carrier Ta'yala. After moving the Arastos inside, the fleet jumps to a holding point several light-years away and maintains position. The damaged nacelle suffers a failure of the antigravity lifting system and is unable to be lifted into orbit in time to rendezvous with the fleet and is returned to the secured hangar for further repairs. From notes obtained from the Director regarding the meeting aboard the Ta'yala's bridge, it has been understood that the meeting can best be described as "tense" and "heated", but the meeting ends with Commander Ja'laski contemplating the details of the arrangement made between the Director and the crew of the Arastos.
- NOTE: Tense? That's about the mildest way possible to describe that meeting... -IR
December 23, 2011
- Director Rubin and Ixy Comeaux return from the Ta'yala on a Federation shuttle. Phoenix 4, carrying two Americans, a Russian and a Finn lands on the Moon at Schroter's Valley, becoming the first manned mission to do so since Apollo 17 in 1972. That evening, Commander Ja'laski and Director Rubin reach an agreement on the use of Federation technology. Three conditions are spelled out: the use of the technology must be for non-military purposes only, the Federation will leave several probes in orbit around Earth to monitor the use of the technology and that no attempts whatsoever may be made on behalf of the ISA to cross the Lima Golf Anomaly. All Federation ships withdraw from local space shortly following the meeting. Just prior to departing, Ja'laski revealed to the Director the Earth was "not so alone as you might think" and that the ISA should "be ready for some trying times ahead."
- Shortly after arriving on the other side of the Lima Golf Anomaly, the crew of the Arastos are indicted on charges of violating the Federation Prime Directive and Commander Ja'laski is removed from command pending a trial. The Federation Council authorizes a plan to have a special forces unit retrieve any and all Federation technology remaining on Earth and to attempt to seal the Lima Golf Anomaly by any means possible.
December 29, 2011
- At 11:41 PM, a special forces team from the Federation exits the Lima Golf Anomaly and cloaks before landing at the Rubin Design Aerospace facility. A backup plan, authorized by the Director and the Department of Defense is implemented during an initial assault, and a 10 kiloton nuclear weapon is armed in an attempt to end the raid and force negotiations. When this fails, the abort command is given and Federation forces take all remaining Federation technology on Earth, including a datapad containing the blueprints of the Arastos and the damaged nacelle of the ship, along with a series of force field generators and antigravity tools designed to move large items. No deaths are reported, however several injuries result from a failure of an impromptu vacuum chamber created from a number of force field generators.
2012
August 21, 2012
- A C-17 Globemaster carrying a classified cargo for the International Space Agency under the guise of cargo for the Department of Defense bound for Hawaii suffers an engine failure and diverts to Lawrence International Airport in Lawrence, California. In response to the sensitive nature of the cargo and due to an earlier incident involving the theft of classified material from an aircraft there, the Air Force scrambles an SR-91 Aurora for overhead surveillance and sends an F/A-18F to escort a C-5 Galaxy assigned to ferry the cargo to Hawaii. As an additional measure, ISV Enterprise is flown from Area 51 to assist, cloaked as a Learjet 45. The cargo is transferred without issue, however shortly after takeoff, the C-5 is fired on by a surface-to-air missile launched from the coast. Permission is granted to engage and both the Super Hornet and Enterprise neutralize 27 people and 4 vehicles with missile launchers. President Marshall is informed of the incident and authorizes a cover-up by the ISA in the interests of national security and authorizes the Agency to take any appropriate measures to deal with the threat to the nation and to Project Looking Glass.
- Shortly after the incident, Vargi and Cora Jeskalt discover that the act was carried out by elements of Excor Defense Systems, headed by Robert Daniel McGough. It is also revealed to high-ranking ISA and military officials that the launch was a test of a prototype SAM battery (code-named 'Rapture'), which had been intended to be tested on a civilian aircraft, but was instead targeted on the C-5. A series of meetings are held to discuss possible actions to be taken over the attempt to both down an aircraft and the attempted murder of HRH Jeskalt.
November 14, 2012
- Phoenix 8 launches from the Kennedy Space Center, carrying Harold Hamilton and David Sanders to their second lunar landing, and Ian and Fractal Rubin. The mission is intended to finalize the construction of the majority of the Neil A. Armstrong Lunar Outpost at the lunar south pole.
