Thread: Azoth-8
View Single Post
Old 07-08-2019, 01:49 PM   #1
Astromancer
 
Astromancer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
Default Azoth-8

Some time ago I posted a world called Azoth-8 to the New Reality Seeds thread. And was asked to make it a thread of its own. I was interrupted and never got the chance. I'm now posting this is response to that request .

Please feel free offer your own ideas. Just remember this is a very late 60's psychedelic space age with lots of Super Spy Spy Fi action.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Astromancer View Post

Try this, in Azoth-8 an alchemical revolution comes in California the 1930's. Jack Parson's creates a new power source which makes Electricity too cheap to meter and also develops an AntiGravity drive. In 1942 FDR declares victory in the Battle of the Atlantic because fleets of American "Flying Saucers" supply Britain far above the Nazi Wolf packs!

The Americans land on the Moon in 1946, the Russians get there in 1947, the UK, France, Canada, and Italy, join America and the USSR and all have Moonbases by 1960. West Germany, Brazil, China, and India, all found their moonbases in the next few years. Jack Parson's last few coded letters to Tesla are decoded in 1964 (he died as in our Earth's history) and FTL drive is figured out.

It's 1970, Doctor Who is now in color, Star Trek is broadcasting its fourth season (it's third season being an acknowledged dramatic triumph), and the first Interstellar colonies have been founded!

It a Mod/Psychedelic Space Age! Go-Go boots and Miniskirts to the stars!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Astromancer View Post

Quote:
Originally Posted by Prince Charon View Post
This is something I'd like to see expanded... also a setting that I'd like to visit, or perhaps live in.

I'll do a little now, and later see about more later.

The discoveries of Jack Parsons hasn't effected all technology. It's still TL7 in 1970. Medicine jumped to TL7+2 between the late 1930's and 1943.

FDR lived to retire in 1947. Truman was elected president in 1948 and re-elected in 1952. Eisenhower, influenced by FDR, became a Democrat and won two terms starting in 1956. JFK became president in 1964 and is still president in 1970. Ronald Reagan is seen as likely to run in 1972, as are Gov. Rockefeller, and Sen. Goldwater Among the Republicans. Robert Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy are the most likely Democrats. The USA has Socialized Medicine and a Social Democratic Welfare State. No oil shocks seem to threaten this parallel. Especially as Azothic Batteries function like TL12 power packs from 1943 on.

By 1937 Parsons has cheap powerful electric generation down pat. These are effectively TL7+5 Thorium generators with no measurable radioactive wastes. Anti-gravity is noticed soon after and Parsons keeps it under wraps with help from the military. In 1940 the first "Saucers" are up and flying. Mass production starts in 1941.

The early saucers have an odd side effect. They cause those travelling within their anti-grav field to have precognitive dreams. Rhine who knows some of the early pilots starts to examine the phenomena. Psionics becomes a branch of science.

A functional reactionless drive is developed by 1944. Earlier Saucers used props and other means of propulsion and mainly used high altitude flying to avoid combat. Outside of the atmosphere, this drive seems to be limited to 0.05 of C.

It is assumed that improved computers will be needed to crack a fuller use of the Azoth Drives potential.

Warp Drive (the standard name for FLT drives in this parallel) is possible only outside of the sun's heliopause. Warp factors are defined as C times X squared, were X is the warp factor. These factors seem to come in whole quantums only. By 1970 6 is the highest Warp Factor possible. Improved computing is assume to improve this, as it already has.

In 1970 medicine functions at TL7+5, but biotech is only TL7+1. Still genetic engineering is seen as the future of agriculture and industry.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Astromancer View Post


Quote:
Originally Posted by Drifter View Post
Sweet. This is a fun one, and you should expand on the setting - I have a question or two...

Does Parson promote Crowley's Thelema religion? Does he summon the goddess Babalon (aka Marjorie Cameron) to Earth? Is L. Ron Hubbard considered the Anti-Christ? In as much as he tried to dupe Parson and steal his would-be goddess...



Marjorie Cameron becomes a powerful Psion, from exposure to the Azoth Drive, and is busy promoting the study of Psionics. She uses ritual experience to aid Psions in developing their abilities. Hubbard is a popular Sci Fi and Suspense Author, there is no Scientology. Parson's interest in the Occult is now seen as just another Psion trying blindly to unlock his abilities. Occultism is seen as a sort of folk parapsychology.

Quote:
Sounds like there is a Cold War after all, but the world is much more multipolar. With energy needs met and transport pretty easy, is it only ideology that divides the world?

The British Empire is still gone. But Britain is a major space power. The USSR is still around. The Azothic Generators have extended the period of Authoritarian growth. In our world the Soviet economy stopped growing in 1960, in this world they're still growing in 1970. However, even with new resources, the USSR still looks unable to deal productively with the oncoming information revolution which is perking along in this world's Silicon Valley.

Quote:
With all power needs met there is no need to develop the Middle Eastern oil fields. Hitler and Stalin still murder a lot of Jews, so I would guess Israel is still established.

Yes, but there's no real Western interest outside of Britain's Arabists in being on the Arab's good side. And the Arabs have seen little benefit in allying with the USSR. The Middle East is a backwater.

Quote:
If Doctor Who and Star Trek are popular, AND we have an FTL drive - how does that work? Writers usually can't come up with anything so interesting as reality. While DW is more "mythic" in scope and can avoid a lot of story problems, Star Trek might run into the problem of being overwritten by events on the ground. I suspect we haven't found any aliens yet, and we might not be so happy if we do find some.

The 1960's Star Trek had large numbers of impressive sci fi authors writing for them. They make do. besides, Star Trek is Mythic too.
More later.. and other folks comments as well.
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra!


Ancora Imparo

Last edited by Astromancer; 07-19-2019 at 11:37 AM.
Astromancer is offline   Reply With Quote