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o THE CONQUEST OF SPACE

A CHRONOLOGY OF MAJOREVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF

THE EXPWRATION OF SPACE

1868FIRST WORKING Ether Flyer

mechanism demonstrated.

THE CONQUEST OF SPACE

IT WAS the inventive genius of ThomasEdison Ihat first hamessed the power of theether. and made space the new frontier forthe nations of Earth. In March of 1868, inBoslon. Thomas A. Edison ancndcd a lec­ture by Professor B. Etienne Moreau of theSorbonne. on the subject of the luminiferousether. Edison's many questions and JXlintedinsights of a practical nature promptedMoreau to invite the younger man to talkwith him. and so they sal in the lobby ofMoreau's hotel for hours. engrossed intechnical discussion.

As a result of Ihis discussion, Edison cameup with a notion oran Ether Flyer. a devicewhich could "sail al speeds heretofore un­dreamed of through the lumeniferous ether,and reach any point on the globe in a mat­Icr of hours'" Edison built a model im­mediately, and tested it. It did not move, andthe young inventor was devastated. Hewrote of his failure to Moreau, who con­sidered the problem, and concluded that airwas the culprit. Malter embedded in theether causes drag, he reasoned, and the in­teraction of the ether and the air was toomuch for the prototype engine to overcome.

Tests, with small models in an evacuatedchamber, showed that air was indeed theproblcm, and that if the machine could belifted to a hcight of24,000 feet or more. theatmosphere was thin enough for the cngineto overcome its drag, Edison constructed amodel and applied for a patent in Octoberof 1868.

Skeptical patent officials demanded ademonstration, and Edison decided to usea hydrogen balloon to lift his invention intothe air, and to fit his invention with aclockwork piloting mechanism and 250pounds of magnesium powder, rigged to cx­plode on impact with the moon. his targct.The flash of the magncsium's detonationwould serve as proof of the machine'sarrival.

On 27 November, 1868, before a com-

mince ofwimesscs and an astronomer (whowas to observe the machine with his tele­scope) Edison launched his greatest inven­tion. The astronomer soon reported the ap­pearance of a trail at a height of 30 milesabove the surface of the Earth. The trail gmfainter, and the astronomer eventually lostit. Edison anxiously awaited the detonationof the magnesium, spelling the astronomerat the telescope.

Early the ncxt morning, in the chillMaryland dawn, a bright flash appeared inthe Moon's Mare Tranquilirafus, rcmainingvisible for several minutes, and witnessedby Edison, his friends. the astronomcr, andthe representatives of the patcnt office.Edison was ecstatic.

The patent for the Edison Ethcr Flyer wasgranled on 3 December, 1868, and Edisonannounced the fonnation of a company tobuild a larger flyer, capable of carryingpassengers. The announcemenl was metwith laughter in most scientific circles, andwas the subject of several bitterly satiricalcartoons in PUI/cll. Edison finally managedto gather together a number of backers foran electrifying vcnture ... a trip to Mars.

THE FIRST VISIT TO MARSMARS WAS chosen as a destination for

Edison's expedition because it was theclosest suitable world. Earth's Moon waseliminated because it had no atmosphere tosupport the safe landing of the flyer (or soit was believed then).

A gigantic hydrogen balloon was con­structed to Edison's specifications, capableof carrying the ether flycr, two passengers,and supplies for the trip. Thc balloo;, wouldcarry the flycr high enough to cnable theethcr propeller to take hold, and would in­sure a safe landing at the destination. Powerwas provided by electrical storage batteries.To rcfresh the air, Edison took alongnumerous green plants.

Edison would go, of course, accompanied

1870EDISON MARTIAN Expedition

pilots a primitive Ether Flyer to Mars.and returns.

1872FIRST BRITISH foothold on Mars

with the establishmenl of the PermanentBritish Quarter in Parhoon.

1873EDISON LOSES patent suit against

Annstrong Ether Flyer Company. Bothfirms compete vigorously in design andconstruction of spacecraft.

187.ARMSTRONG EXPEDITION to

Venus fails [0 return.Belgians, French establish enclaves

on Mars.

1875COLLINGSWOOD EXPEDITION

to Venus fails to return.

1877LONDON TIMES Venus Rescue Ex­

pedition fails to return.

1878GERMAN ETHER Dirigible lands

on Venus, and discovers fate ofthc firstthree expeditions.

1880GERMANS ESTABLISH colony on

Venus.

1885EDISON ETHER FLYER patenl ex­

pires. The Golden Age of space ex­ploration begins.

1889INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS

uses Aerial transports to fly in aid afterJohnstown flood.

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THE LUMINIFEROUS ETHER[})

BRITISH ROYAL NAVYDUKE OF YORK-CLASSINTERPLANETARY ETHER FLYER

BRIDGE

lIFTWOODPANELS

••• SOLAR:---""-lI-----1\STEAMBOILER

A SCIENTIFIC DISCUSSION OF THE LUMINIFEROUS ETHERPRlOR TO the 19th century. the corpuscular theory of light was generally accepted.

Cenain theoretical problems prompted imponant scientists (among them BenjaminFranklin) to advance the wave theory of light. summarized as: "Light is in the etherthe same as sound is in the air."

1be Luminiferous (light-bearing) Ether was essential to the wave theory of light.Ether was light's medium. like water for waves and air for sound. By 1868, Pro­fessor Moreau was perhaps the world's leading expert on the ether, and he summarizedthe theory in the introduction to his book Prometh~an Promis~:

"1be Luminiferous Ether is an infinitely hard, infinitely elasticunderlayment to the physical universe. It is by virtue of the Ether thatlight, gravity. and magnetism can travel through the universe. all threebeing fonns ofenergy that express themselves as waves in the medium. "

Edison's practical inventive nature took these theoretical considerations of the natureof light, and produced a practical device which used them. His Ether Flyer workedby creating an electric propeller (the Ether Propeller) which creates waves in the etherand pulls the flyer along behind them. The interaction of the propeller with the etherproduces a faint glowing trail behind the flyer. not unlike that of a comet.

by Jack Armstrong. a Scottish explorer andsoldier-of-fonune with academic degrees inchemistry and geology. ArmstrOng was $e.

lected by the expedition's financial back.ers.TIle expedition departed on 6 January.

1870. and arrived on Mars on 9 March. 1beballoon was damaged during the landing,and the cltpedition would have been strand­ed forever were it not for the serendipitousfact Ihut Mars was inhabited.

Edison and Armstrong landed just oulSidethe city now known as Synis Major. andwere taken prisoner by the local potentate,Amraamtaba IX. Armstrong soon learnedthe language. and Edison impressed theMartian ruler with his tremendoustechnological knowledge. t The pair weresoon freed. and Edison was provided withthe materials necessary to repair his balloon,and 10 generate the hydrogen needed to fillit. Within months the repaired nyer wasready to carry Edison. Armstrong, and acurious Martian back to Earth. The returntrip was without incident. and the expedi·tion landed safely outside of Cincinnati,Ohio on the seventh of August, 1870.

The Earth was electrified. Edison andArmstrong received fame and fortune.Within a year. dozens of companies weremanufacturing Edison Flyus. and flyers ofseveral nationalities were soon makingregular trips to Mars.

tAs a resull of Edison's visit. Maniansto thisday think half of all humans are deaf.

VENUSALTHOUGH EXPEOmONS were sent

to Venus as early as 1813 (using British­made Armstrong Ayers), the first one toreturn was the German-backed Heidelburgexpedition of 1878. 1be Venusian magneticfield, it was discovered, was of an unusualintensity and flux; it radically acceleratesJjftwood decay. Within days of landing, thefirst three expeditions found their flyerswould not leave the ground. Germany, un­able to obtain large quantities of Iiftwood,was forced to make use of dirigibles as thelifting means for their Ether Ayers. Ger-

many has dominated the exploralion ofVenus since thai time.

Venus is a world of perpetual overcast andheavy rainfall. The dense jungles of thelowlands produce many plants. for whichthere is great demand on Eanh by dye­makers, drug companies. and florists (theCytherian Orchid is especially valued for itsbeauty and fragrance). The lowlands arealso home to varieties ofgiant lizards, calleddinosaurs, and to Ihe savage Iizardmen.Humans find the lowlands unbearable, andstick to the few highland plateaus. where lifeis more bearable, and the sun can occa­sionally be glimpsed through the overcast.

_______________________________ GDW

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Q COLONIALISM ON MARS

COLONIALISM ON MARS

SEVERAL EUROPEAN powers havesmall outposts or bases on Mars: notably.the Gennan military and commercial stationwest of Umbra. the French research facili­ty in Nilokeras. and numerous diplomaticmissions scallercd across the face of theplanet. Also. commercial interests from theEarth arc becoming well establiShed, and asmall but growing military presence ismanifesting itself in some of the prin­cipalities allied to, or bribed by. the colonialpowers on Earth. Only two significant tractsof territory are held by European states onMars, however: the Belgian Coprales andthe Crown Colony of Syrtis Major.

THE BELGIAN COPRATESTHE BELGIANS first sent an expedition

(0 Mars in 1876 and followed it with severalmore in short order. The carly expeditionswere ostensibly exploratory in nature. butwere heavily protected by Belgian soldiers.The purpose of lhese expeditions was tostudy and explore the Great Coprates RiftValley. and if the inhabitants of the valleywere suspicious of the "true intentions" ofthe Belgians. subsequent events do little tocontradict them. By 1884 there were fre­quent skirmishes between the Belgians and··Copraties··t up and down the length of thevalley.

The Belgians vigorously protested thepractice of American anns merchants sell­ing the most modern rifles to the Coprates,a complaint that had little impact onAmerican public opinion, and none what­soever on the arms trade. In any event, theAmerican arms merchants could point with

trhe collective tenn "Copraties" has been ap­plied to the inhabitants of the valley by theBelgians. although there are vinually no ethnic.linguistic. or cultural similarities between the in­habilants of the Upper and Lower CopratesValley. the approximate dividing line being theshattered lowlands of Mclas Lacus.

THE HUMAN ENCLAVES

The Belgian Coprates (Belgium)

Synis Major (Great Britain)

Western Dioscuria (Gemlany)

Idaeus Fons (France)

Heeates Lacus (Russia)

Thymiamata (United States ofAmerica)

Euxinius Lacus (Japan)

some moraiJustific3tion to the fact that, in­sofar as modem arms might drive theBelgians from the valley. many would con­sider that a good thing. Although newsrcpons were scarce from the Coprates. thosewhich made their way out indicated thatBelgian colonial rule there was even morebrutal and bloody than in the Congo onEanh, if that was possible.

By 1889 the Belgians had completed theconquest (for it was nothing less) of theGreat Coprates Rift Valley, and an uneasypeace had seuled there. The flood ofrefugees into Tithonius, Ophir, and AuroraeSinus, and their frequenl forays back inlothe valley to raid Belgian gumme planta­tions. threatens to spread the violence. TheBelgians, in return, have begun to under­take reprisal raids and punitive expeditionsinto neighboring territories. All of this fansthe fires of antihuman prejudice throughoutMars. The atrocities committed by theBelgians are used as funher evidence by theWonn Priests, Ground Cleansers, and otherfanatical groups of Manians, of the need 10drive the red devils off the face of Marsforever.

SVRTIS MAJORTHE BRITISH first landed on Mars in

1872 on the Parhoon plateau. about 500miles nonhwest of the Grand Canal junc­tion of Synis Major. British rclations withthe Anwaak of Parhoon were cordial. anda thriving commercial colony was sooneSlablished within the walls of the city. In­trigue within the coun. however. led to theassassination of the Anwaak. along with hisson. in 1878. Although the British steppedin and crushed the coup in less than a day.the next surviving heir was a three-month­old infant. Establishing the infant on thethrone. Queen Victoria assumed the regen­cy of Parhoon. to be administered by aBritish commissioner.

The first Regent-Commissioner toParhoon was Sir Phillip Adelaide, and hisfirst crisis was war with the powerful city·state of Gorovaan. Only grudges and atenuous dynastic claim led to an invasion bythe Gorvaangian Army and fleet, whichgave the British and Parhoonese a commonfoe to fight together. The Gorovaangian Warwas a complete success for Ihe British.witnessed the combat baptism of theParhoon Rifles.*ended in the annexation ofGorovaan to Parhoon. and cemented verystrong ties between the British andParhoonese.

In 1880 war again broke out. (The SecondWar of the Parhoon Succession) and thistime saw British regulars in the field sinceBritain was formally at war with Synis Ma­jor and its client states. The conclusion ofthe fighting saw Syrtis Major. Haatt. andAvenel incorporated as the Crown Colonyof Synis Major. Parhoon and Gorovaan con­tinued to be ruled by the Comll1issioner­Regent. who was also the Governor Generalof the colony. By 1882 both Moeris Lacusand Meepsoor were treaty dependencies ofthe colony. The "punishment" ofShastapshin 1884. followed by an overland campaignin 1887. brought that city-state reluctantlyunder British rule. In a very short lime theBritish had carved out a colonial empire ofconsiderable dimensions. In contrast to theBelgians. the British have maintained fair­ly good relations with their Martian subjects.panicularly lhe Parttoonese and Mccpsooris.The Manian canal princes to the south fearthem. however. and engage in endless in­trigues to end their tenure on Mars.

*Now the First Battalion. Queen Vicloria'sOwn Martian Rifles (The Parhoons).

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THE RED CAPTAINS !CD

THE RED CAPTAINS

BY THE late 18708 there was a smallsupply of human ex-officers on Mars whowere completely caplivated with its exoticculture and environment, so much so thatthey began making their way as privatecitizens. Most orlhese men combined theirmilitary and aeronautical skills with anatural bent toward adventure and soonbecame a small brotherhood of human cap­tains of Manian ships. The Manians calledthem the "Red Captains." because to agolden-skinned Martian a European's com­plexion is ruddy to the point of being red.They are accepted by the piratical CloudCaptains of the Shistomik Mountains asequals. albeit grudgingly, and are hated andreared by the High Martians of theASlusapcs and further west.

The British captains afe the mostnumerous of the Red Captains, and lheiroutward independence does little to masktheir basic loyalty to the crown. In manyrespects they occupy a place similar to thaIheld by the Elizabethan Sea Hawks, and ina fairly short timc they have largely dis­placed gunfighters as the most popular sub­ject for American dime novels. The mostfamous of the Red Captains, and the onewho has come to symbolize their essentialpanache, is Burnaby.

BURNABYFREDERICK GUSTAVUS BURNABY

was born to well-to-do parents on March 3,1842. He auended all the best schools (Bed­ford Grammar School and Harrow PublicSchool). and at the age of 16 became a cor­onet in the third regiment of the HouseholdCavalry. His interests were many, but main­ly they focused on travel, particularly travelby air. At the age of 22 he made his firstballoon ascent, and would go on to make atotal of 19 balloon excursions. The first tripto Mars in 1870 electrified him with excite­ment and, already an officer of the BritishAeronautical Society, he became a trequent

writer in the pages of lhe Times on aero­nautical matters.

By 1875, Burnaby was in the Sudan as aTimes correspondem covering Gordon'scampaign against the slavers, but soonbecame involved as an officer in Gordon'sforces and began turning his active mind tothe potcntial uses of aeronautics in a colonialenvironment. In '78 he ran for Parliamentas a Conservative, but lost, and earnedGladstone's hatred. In '82 he became lhefirst man to cross the English Channel in asteam-powered airship, which he haddesigned and built at his own expense. In'84, when the crisis in Egypt broke out, herequested permission to form an aerialsquadron for operations against themutineers, but was turned down. He wentout on his own, however, and although hisaerial steam launch did not see action, Bur­naby himself was in the thick of things onseveral occasions. (As Burnaby was, bynow, a Lieutenant Colonel in the HorseGuards, this constituted absence withoutleave, but no disciplinary action was evertaken.)

In the following year, with Gordon sur­rounded at Khartoum and Wollsley gather­ing an army to march to his relief, Burnabyagain offered his services, and Wollsleygladly accepted. Burnaby's two steamlaunches (he had had a second built for thecampaign) carried dispatches back and forthfor months, harassed the dervish columns,and scouted ahead of the Desert Column. Asthe dervishes became used to the aerialvessels, however, they began devisingmeans of bringing them under fire, andeventually the Penelope was badly damagedand crashed in the Nile. The Vivian, Bur­naby's original boat, rescued the crew andlater carried Gordon out to confer withWollsley. Wollsley refused to allow Gordonto return to Khartoum, and Gordon stillblames Wollsley for the fall of the city andits subsequent massacre. Although Gordon

was safe, Burnaby's single remaining boatwas unable to StOP the southward march ofthe Mahdi's victorious army, or prevent thedestruction of the Desert Column.

Late in the year, the government an'nounced its intention to step up the produc­tion of aerial gunboats, but at the same timetransfer all such vessels currently in govern­ment service to the Royal Navy. Seeing thisas a deliberate affront by Gladstone, Bur­naby resigncd his commission and retiredfrom the Army. Actually, Burnaby was fac­ing a forced retiremem anyway due to con­tinuing heart problems. Freed of his respon­sibilities to the army, Burnaby emigrated toMars in the hopes that the slightly lowergravity there would aid his health. Upon ar­rival, he was immediately drawn to the RedCaptains and before long was commandinghis own ship (the Penelope, named for thevessel lost at Khartoum). Idolized by mostof the younger British officers, Burnaby wasalso soon accepted in Martian society aswell. His facility with language soon enabledhim to add Oenotrian, Low and High Syr­tan, and Umbran to his existing linguisticcatalog of French, German, Italian, Spanish,Russian, Turkish and Ambic. Furthermore,his unusual height (six feet, four inches) andmassive 46-inch chest suggested a physicalsimilarity to Martians that became thesource of numerous crude, but good-naturedjokes. Allhough he has only been on Marsfor four years, he has come to symbolizeeverything good about the Red Captains,and has become something of an elderstatesman for them.

THE LEGENDARY FIVETHE FIVE highest-scoring Red Cap­

tains as of January I, 1889:

Frederick Gustavus Burnaby­Steam Ram Penelope:

27 prizes, 43,200 tons.Alonzo Quinton Freemerchant­

Steam Gunboat Baron Lortmore:21 prizes, 34,900 tons.Frederick Annand LeBeg-Screw

Ram Gloire:17 prizes, 21.400 tons.Michael Pagel-Smith-Gun Kite

Lismore:15 prizes, 16,000 tons.Arturo Diego della Mora-Screw

Ram Gato:17 prizes, 12,200 Ions.

_______________________________ GDW

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(I)MARS: THE RED PLANET

MARS: THE RED PLANET

beds.When the naBrifanoon-the Age of

Drying-ended, the Manian civilizationshad moved from their shore territories to thebottoms of the dry seabeds. Immense GrandCanals stretched from pole to pole and fromseabed to seabed, connecting individual city­states that arose at the junctures of thecanals.

In the Manian deserts. the Grand Canalsserved as aquifers for land up to five milesto either side; in the seabeds, the quality ofthe ancient seabouom soil allowed the canalsto aquify up to 50 miles to each side. Theseabeds bloomed.

Yet life became harder than it had been.More work was necessary to make theseabeds bloom. Making the deserts bloombecame a nearly impossible task. Popula­tions gradually withdrew from the frontiers,and as they did, the Grand Canals of thedeserts feU into disrepair. Scattered city­states squabbled over water rights. andeventually some of the seabed canals siltedup and were abandoned.

By the end of the Age of Drying, Marswas a network of failing seabed canals,.abandoned desen canals, and isolated city­states content to farm their own smallholdings and to ignore the rest of the world.

~PRINCE JINMA OF PARIIOON

SELDON'S EMPIREABOUT 5000 years ago, Mars produced

a great military leader. the equivalent of

THE CLIMATIC SPASMABOUT 35,000 years ago, a momentary

spasm (in geological tenns) in the Martianclimate melted enough of the polar ice-eapsto fill the ancien! seabeds. As the seas re­filled, the proto--Martians were either drivenfrom their habitats on the seabeds, or wereattracted to the sea shores because of theplentiful water. In either case, thesegregarious beings found the spark that gaveintelligence. and over several thousand yearsestablished first agricultural settlements, andlater trade empires all along the shores ofthe newborn seas. As the Martians senledinto the routine of agriculture, they lost theirability to fly (whether from evolutionaryprocesses or from a dietary deficiency isunclear).

The Brifanoon-the Age of Water-lastedabout 10,000 years. Empires rose and fell.Science reached incredible heights and madeeveryday life one of ease and luxury. Artnaturally embellished architecture andequipment. Martian technology tamed thedesens beyond the flooded seabeds: It dugcanals that carried life-giving water in a net­work that crisscrossed the planet's surface.

Ultimately, the climatic spasm that pro­duced the Brifanoon (and with it the rise ofintelligence on Mars) subsided. and with itthe Age of Water ended. Over the next10,000 years, the seas again dried up. Everyyear, the shoreline moved farther out. Tostem this receding tide. Manian technologywas called upon to create more of the canalsthat had tamed the Martian deserts. Everyyear, more canals were dug to carry waterfrom the dwindling seas to the existingcroplands. Eventually, it became clear thata coordinated effort was necessary, and amassive project was launched to channelwater from the polar icecaps to the sea-

tian plants developed lifting effects of theirown, primarily as a means of spreading theirseeds.

~QUAINT MARTIAN COSTUMES

LONG AGO, the seas of Mars (whichonce covered perhaps 40 percent of theworld's surface) dried up. Over miUions ofyears. some of the seas' water was lockedinto the oxides of the rust-red Martian soil;much of the rest was trapped into the polarice-eap cycle. The planet became a desert.

The drying of Mars spelled the end formost mammalian life forms, and with theirextinction came the next step in Martianevolution: flyers. Flyers could range far andwide in search of water and in search of theprey thai water would support. Evolutionand natural selection favored the emergenceof a particular gland. in some animals, thatnegated the effects of gravity. These par­ticular animals could float in the air and con­trol their flight with wings-flaps of skin thatcOnlrol the orientation and strength of theirlifting gland. At the same time. some Mar-

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MARS: THE RED PLANET ([)

Earth's Alexander the Great. Seldon II rose(0 power in the small mountain kingdom ofGaaryan (originally. il was the islandkingdom of Gaaryan). Seldon U. alreadyequipped with a kingdom by virtue of in~

hcritance, raised and equipped a navy andsailed forth 10 clean and win the canals ofMars for the greater glory of Gaaryan. Heconfronted each city·state along his route ofconquest, and from each he demanded oathsof allegiance and obedience. When hereceived them, he incorporJ.led them into hisgrowing empire; when they were nol forth­coming, he levelled the city. A few such ob­ject lessons produced more signs of obe­dience than resistance.

Seldon II also provided a service by hisconques!. Accompanying his warfleets weremassive engineer barges thai dredged siltfrom the canals. His constructors repairedbroken locks. patched fallen levees, andcleared tangled settling pools. Where theycould, they rebuilt pumping stations; wherethey couldn't rebuild, they built anew,although sometimes with cruder technologyor makeshift devices. But by whatevermeans he used, Seldon [] rebuilt and re­opened a third of Mars' seabed canals.

Seldon travelled a third of the way aroundMars in his conquests. His world empirecontrolled more than any emperor had everruled in history. The city leaders who madethe oaths of allegiance to him became theCanal Princes of Mars; vinually all Martianrulers today trace their power to thoseoriginal oaths made 5000 years ago.

Seldon himself died at the height of hispower in his temporary capital in what isnow Synis Major. His son. Seldon lII. suc­ceeded him. The succession of Seldonslasted nearly 3000 years. The last of theemperors was Seldon LXIX.

But 3000 years is a long time for onegovernment to rule. During that time, theinfluence of Seldon's Empire waxed andwaned. In the end, the only considerationwas whether the Canal Princes' tribute ar­rived on time...and often jt didn't. Thesquabbles and arguments over tribute andtaxes and water rights and canalmaintenance caused more than one revoltamong the Canal Princes. Finally. nearly2000 years ago, the Princes unleashed theircity-states' weaponry in a century long warthat pined warfleet against warfleet, armyagainst army, and sky galleon against skygalleon. City-states were destroyed, canalswere ruined, croplands were destroyed.Mars was reduced to many isolated city-'

states connected by neglected canals and oc­casional c10udship voyages. It remained thatway for nearly 2000 years ... untilthe com­ing of the Eanhmen.

Earthmen brought with them a vitality thatMars had not seen for millennia. Theirtechnology, in many ways more primitivethan that of the ancient Martians, was stillmore advanced than much of Mars' in thepresent day. The Earthmen arrived on aworld that was content to fight small warsbetween small city-states; Earthmen werehappy to panicipate for their own ends.

MARTIANSTHERE ARE three types of Martians: the

civilized Canal Martians, the rugged HillMartians, and the savage High Martians.

Canal Martians represent 35,000 years ofcivilization. They arc consummate fanners.accomplished builders. skilled artisans, andclever diplomats. Their heritage reachesback farther than any Earth culture. and theyare proud of it. Yet the Canal Martians arealso a stagnant, slow-paced race. They knowthat their culture has forgotten more thanany Earth culture has ever discovered, andthey seem content with this knowledge. Andas they stand content with their lot, theEarthmen arc slowly taking over theirworld.

Hill Martians live on the edges ofciviliza­tion. They are the frontiersmen of Mars, liv­ing in regions beyond the rule of the CanalPrinces. The nomadic desert traders are HillMartians, as arc the Worm Hunters of theMountains. and the rugged highlandfarmers.

High Martians are the least affected bycivilization; they live in remote kraags andmountain tops. venturing out from time totime to capture slaves or loot passingcaravans. High Martians are like intelligentapes when compared to Canal Martians, but

with a difference: They can fly! High Mar­tians (so called for their altitude rather thantheir accomplishments) never lost their lift­ing gland and its ability to carry themthrough the skies of Mars.

LIITWOODTHE MARTIANS have long used lift­

wood. The earliest civilized Martians builtsimple rans of liftwood to earry heavy loadsor to travel deep into the trackless Martianwastes. Just as they built ships to sail theseas of Mars, they built c10udships to fly itsskies.

But liftwood is both expensive and rare.h grows only in small groves on remotekraags ...the same kraags inhabited by thesavage High Martians. The result is constantconflict between the savages of the kraagsand the shipbuilders of the canals.

There has never been enough linwood tomeet all of Mars' needs. Expeditions toharvest logs from the kraag groves must belarge and well-armed. They are vulnerableto attack at any time and from any quarterby the flying High Martians.

Once upon a time. some explorers thoughtthat all transportation should be by c1oud­ship. bUI the practical matter is thai thereis not enough liftwood (0 meet the demand.Cloudships are expensive and suitable only10 fast, high demand travel. On Mars. or­dinary travel is handled by the canal ships.

THE CANALS OF MARSVERY EARLY in the rise of civilization,

the Martians learned to dig canals for irriga­lion and transportation. Originally, they car­ried water and ships from the seas deep intothe interior of Mars. Later, that canal dig­ging proved invaluable in slowing the col­lapse of Mars during the naBrifanoon.

The canals of Mars are nOl what we seefrom Earth. Instead. we see the vegetation

_________________________________ GDW

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(1)MARS: THE RED PLANET

And the reality of Mars is even greaterthan the stories. Mars is a frontier ripe foradventure with riches for the taking.The Spanish conquistadores, whofound gold laid at their feet,never encountered treasureslike the lil\wood. spice.and gems that Marspromises and de­livers!

THE MARTIAN FRONTIERTHE PLANET Mars is much smaller than

the Earth. But much of the Earth is coveredwith the oceans; Mars is nearly all dry land.And the land area of Mars is about equal tothe land area of all of the Earth. Much ofthat Martian land area is true frontier.

Much of Mars remains unknown and un­explored, even to the Martians. Earthmen,bringing their scientific curiosity and theirsearch for knowledge and wealth. havemounted numerous expeditions to explorethe vast deserts of the red planet.

Mars holds a great fascinalkm for the pe0­

ple of Earth. The London papers are full ofthe chronicles of expeditions into the greatMartian desens: of visits to the great stoneface of Cydonia, or the intricate subareantunnels (below Mars' surface as opposed toEarth's, as is implied in subruran~an)

beneath lapygia. Penny dreadful writersbuild pulp stories around the now drydockyards of Gaaryan and hold their readersspellbound with accounts of flying ships andsavage Martians. Children are fascinated bytales of monstrous Martian Sandwingsweaving their way on the winds of stonevalleys.

Dying Canals: Age has taken its toll onthe canals of Mars. Constant

maintenance is nettSSal)' to keep

,~~ ~!!>!~~ them clear of silt and debris and torepair or replace mechanical devices

such as locks, cranes, and pumping sta·tions. In some places. the canal has silted

up, creating a broad. shallow mudbank im­passable by boat. Some canals are cloggedby debris. Others have overflowed theirbanks to create vast marshes or swamp­forests. Where pumping stations havebroken down, the canals are full of wateronly half the year (when the nearer pole pro­duces meltwater to fill them).

Dead Canals: Some canals are truly dead.They are filled in with silt. dust, and sand,and carry no visible water, Even in thesecases, however, the canal bed carries waterin silent. underground channels. These deadcanals can be recognized by the vegetationlhey support above ground: long straightstretches of green life in the arid deserts ofMars.

The dead canals are the caravan routes ofMars. Merchants use them as highways inthe desert... paths to the isolated city·statesof the Martian wastelands that stiLi serve asa source of spice, lil\wood. and preciousgems.

BARBARlC HIGH MARTIAN

swaths that the canals support and irrigate.The maria (seabeds) with their more fertilesoil and extensive canal networks. appeardark because of the fields of agricullure theyirrigale. The prominent canals of the desensare highlighted by their narrower swaths ofvegetation.

Grand Canals: Large Grand Canals arethe major water carriers of Mars. Grandcanals are between 1000 and 2000 yardswide. and run as deep as 100 feet. In someplaces. they widen into small lakes or waterstorage pools; in others, they narrow downto as little as 100 yards as they cut throughrock faces or traverse small valleys onMartian-built aqueducts.

Grand Canals serve as aquifers on Mars.Some of the water they carry soaks into theground and creates a water table that sup­pons the croplands. In the ancient seabeds,this aquifer can reach as far as 50 miles toeach side of the canal; in less fertile land­forms. the aquifer is restricted to about fivemiles to each side of the canal.

Petty Canals: The smaller canals whichbranch off the Grand Canals are the Petty(from the French peril) Canals. They serveprimarily as transportation links; farmersrun small barges along them to carry goodsto market. Petty Canals are truly small: inwidth. they range from 50 yards down to10 yards: in depth, they rarely extend morethan 10 feet. They can be long. however.Peny Canals stretch from the Grand Canalto the edges of the aquifer (as much as 50miles).

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MARS: THE RED PLANET 0

MARSAlthough the

red planet is smallerthan the Earth, its total

land area is about equal tothe surface of the Earth

................~~:;~~ L~;;:~;;,~~~~_~n~o:t~c~o~v:e~r:ed~b~y~w:a~t:e~r. _iIIi GOW

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o CLOUDSHIPS OF MARS

CLOUDSffiPS OF MARS

STATELY WIIlSPERDEATH LARGE KITE

WITH LIFTWOOD for power. and enor­mous sails or air screws for propulsion. theMartian sky galleons have become an im­portant pan of Mars' worldwidecivilization.BUI these magnificent ships are a fairly re­cent addition to the rich Martian culture-aculture originated by beings who had noneed for flying machines.

EARLV DEVELOPMENTTHE EARLIEST sentient Martians who

developed primitive communities andcivilizations were the winged High Mar­tians. living amidst the rocks and crags oftheir mountain homelands. Neither their lowpopulation nor bickering tendencies exertedany great civilizing pressure, and centuriespassed without significant progress.

When environmental and populationpressures finally did produce changes­many High Martians were forced out ontothe plains. Away from their native environ·ment, these plainsdwellers soon lost theability to synthesize the essential lifting in­gredients from their surroundings, and theirwings atrophied. And though these Martianswere the ancestors of the Martians whowould build their world's greatest empiresand civilizations. they were originally easyprey for their still-winged brothers in thehills. High Martians onen made slaves oftheir lowland relatives.

It was these slaves who had the first in­klings of the value ofliftwoOO. Long ignoredby the High Martians. the slaves learnedhow to harvest. craft. and use wild linwoOOfor their own purposes, and more than onelowland Martian carried its secret away indaring midnight escapes. clinging desperate·Iy to linwood life rafts, back to the plainsbeneath the mountains.

Forced to make the most of limited sup·plies ofthe precious linwood, the canal peo­ple rapidly developed shipbuilding tech­niques. and the High Martians soon learnedthat trading linwood for the riches of the

lowland city-states was a safer and surerway to prosperity than trying to take it atspear point.

KITES-THE FIRST CLOUDSHlPSORAWING ON the technology of sailing

canal ships. the Martians first developedwind-powered cloudships, or "kites." Akite is constructed with complicated sets ofsails. much like the tall sailing ships ofEarth. (With no mass production, each Mar­tian craft is a custom-made vessel.) By us­ing these sails, the crew can easily guide theship with the wind at high speeds. Also. likea sailing ship. a kile has a limited ability tomove against the wind by tacking back andforth across its direction of movement.

While the rigging arrangements on kitesare complicated. they have the advantage ofbeing fairly light, and thus kites can carrymuch more cargo than can a screw galley.Most merchant ships are kites, and the largegun kites can carry an impressive ordnanceload. But at the same time, they are com­pletely dependent on the wind direction andspeed for their maneuvering power.

WhisperdeJlth-Type Large KiteTHE WHISPERDEA TH is a large, heavily

armored kite which has seen service in thenavies of the Ocnotrian Empire and someof the southern kingdoms. Because kites areso light. the larger ones can afford the ex­trJ. weight of stonework annor in the hull-avcry heavy luxury uncommon on Martianwar vessels.

The hull is 200 feet in length. with an ad­ditional 30-foot ram in the bow. The top­sails and keel extend nearly 100 feet bothabove and below the vessel. The topmenoperate at a great distance away from theship and often employ long ropes to swingthem from position to position. especiallybelow the ship. The stone armoring of thehull is placed in sheets between inner andouter wooden hull planking.

The ship mounts a variety of Martianweaponry. The bow mounts a single rod gunon the deck. so it may tire into three dif­ferent arcs. It would be safer within the pro­tection of the hull, but since this is a kiteand subject 10 Ihe wind direction. the gunwould often be rendered useless if lockedin a forward firing mount. Similarly. thereare four heavy cannons, one on each wingand two mounted in the stern. The ship alsocarries some special Martian weapons: twodrogue torpedoes, and two fire dispensers.one on each side of the ship.

The bridge crew aftive. deck and topmencomplements of seven each. and the 10 gun­ners combine to make a tOlal ship crew of29. Up to 10 marines arc carried as well.The Whisperdea(h can attain High altitude.It costs £59.340.

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CLOUDSHIPS OF MARS ~v 1~1.)

Wann Winds-Type Large Merchant KiteTYPICAL OF large merchant kites on the

red planet, the Warm Winds Carrier wascon tructed in the outhern kingdomsometime in the 1850 . It has plied the air

lanes ince that time, being captured bypirate and rival merchant time and timeagain until its point of origin i in question.The ship' regi try has been falsified many,many times. The kite is presently pressedinto passenger and cargo service along thegreat canal around Syrtis Major.

By the standards of gunboats and cloud-hips the Warm Winds is enormous, mea­

suring almost 600 feet in length and 100 feetin width. Its rigging rises over 500 feet intothe air. Designed to carry 30 passengers, itcan al 0 carry up to 2000 tons of cargo andtill fly. For game purposes, the ship always

has 1000 tons of cargo and i capable of fly­ing at Medium height, as stated on its statusheet. Twenty rigging crewmen twenty

deckhands plus six bridge crewmen com-

prise the 46-man crew. The Wann Windscosts £112,600.

Bloodrunner-Type maU Gun KiteTHE BLOODRUNN£R was originally

built as a pre ent to the on f a w althymerchant in Syrti Major. When the mer-chant fell on harder times. he old hi n'toy to Shastapsh for ome qui k ca h.

The BloodrwlIler i built on a loo-tonhull. The ma t and ail take up 10 tons,and one man can easily run them the hipi only about 50 feet long).

This vessel carrie' two heavy cannon,one at the bow and one at the stern of thekite. Each weapon i mann d by twocrewmen and can fir into three arc: bothbroad ide and either fore or aft.

The bridge crew of four-combined withone topman. one deckhand. and ~ urgunner -give the hip a total crew of 10.The hip can only attain High altitude. butcan move wiftly with th ind during com­bat. It co t £7600.

wiflwood-Type mall KiteWITHOUT H AVY armor. a mall kite

an carry a urpri ing mount of weaponry.The lViftlVood I pe i typical f kite in tho nOlrian Empire.

The hull i nly 120 f, ct in length. witha h ked ram built onto the bow. The rig­ging i mad of block ail extending ab veth hip orne 50 feel.

The kite mount one rogu gun on thebow. a lighl gun and a sweep on either ide.and a power grapnel in the I ro. The om­man tactic with thi vc I i. 10 fire with for­ward guns and broad ide until pa I thetargel, Ihen launch the power grapnel anddrop ail to board with the 20-marine on­lingent carried n Ihi es.' 1. rf Ihis tralegyd enol 'e m Iikel 10. ucceed. Ih aptainhas the option t ram in tead.

The Swiftll'ood has a I tal crew of20, withfive bridg crew. Ihree de khand . thretopmen. and nine gunners. 11 an altain VeryHigh altitude and cost 20.140.

Clearsight-Type maU rew GalleTHE CLEARSIGHT de ign incorporate

a large number of turncrank to give it aremarkable speed for a crew galley. Ofcour e the de ign acrifi e heavy arma­ment to make room for the additional menneeded to run the cranks and to accom­modate the weight of the crank them el es.

The hull is less than 100 feet long withthe characteristic connected large bow andtern ection . Twelve mas ive turncrank

churning constantly below deck give the hipa peed of 25 knot. The four light gunmounted on the deck each face into a dif­ferent arc of fire to cover all approaches.The crew total 26 men. A Clearsight-typeve el can reach High altitude and cost£12.800.

Hu/1cutter-Type Large Ser w GalleTHE HULLCUTT£R de ign a rift e

peed for additional firepower-a commodi­ty found nece ary when dealing with large.armored Briti h ve el.

The hull i nearly 200 feel long. with 21turncranks below de k. The ram i m untedto the bow and end a lid wooden ke I.

The Hullcutter i armed with a lob guntwo forward-mounted rogue cannon, nerear-mounted rod gun, and two ide­mounted heavy cannon .

The crew total 50, with se en bridgecrew, seven deckhands, 2 I turncrank ,andIS gunner. The hip also carrie 10marines, one of which is a marine ffieer.The ship can reach High altitud and co t£46800.

HULLCUITERLARGE CREW GALLE

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SCREW GALLEY -THE TRIUMPH OF MECHANICSMEANS OF propulsion other than ail

had been in the planning tage for year .For in tance rower below deck pullingc lIap ible wind coops through the air hadbeen con idered and even te ted by Martianinventor eager to ri e above the mercy ofthe wind but such experiment ultimatelyproved impractical at be t and di astrou atthe wor t. It wa under the guidance of anenlightened warrior prince of Parhoonnamed Jinma an inventor in his own right,that the fir t crew galley was tested. Thebattle against the Martian wind had finallybeen won.

A crew galley is dependent upon anumber of turncranks-Martians put towork turning a crank haft-most often run­ning the entire length of the cloudship. Earlyversions of crew galleys relied on thecrankshaft to turn the propeller directly.However, in 1871, a version was built byPrince Jinma of Parhoon incorporating acoiled flywheel. The turncranks spin theflywheel which stores the energy necessaryto power the galley. The propeller is drivenby the flywheel. The improvement in crewefficiency and control of speed was so im­pressive that in a fairly short time the in­novation had spread across the planet. Itmay not be coincidental that Prince linmareceived a pocket watch as a gift from anEa.rthman named Thomas Edison in 1870.

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CLOUDSHIPS OF MARS

OENOTRIAN DISPATCH BOAT

Small Bird-Type Small Screw GalleyTHE SMAlL BIRD is built on a small,

140-100 wooden hun. The ship is poweredby six tumcranks, but because the ship isso small, these are located on the upper deckinstead of below (as they would be on alarger screw galley). The tumcranks givethe vessel a top speed of three (15 knots).

The design is built around a single largerogue gun, mounted in the bow of the ship.In addition 10 the main weapon, twosweepers are mounted. one on either sideof the ship, 10 lake care of amipersonnelneeds. The crew {rnals 17. The ship canreach Very High altitude and has a value of£13.000.

Glory Sled·Type Screw GalleyTHE HIGH MARTIAN LORDS of the

various kraags have recognized theIircpower and maneuverability of theirBritish opponents. In response 10 thai threat.they have made several attempts to constructheavier screw galleys to better oppose theBritish ships.

The Glory Sled design is typical of thesemore heavily armed galleys. The GloryS/~ds were constructed for the navy of KingHanabranx himself. but both these shipswere lost in their first action against theBritish in 1887.

The Glory S/~ was built on a fairly largewooden hull, about 170 feet long and 35 feetwide. Twenty-one tumcranks operated thepropellers from below decks, giving the shipa maximum speed of three (IS knots). AGlory Sled's armament was quite heavy, in­cluding a lob gun at the ship's center anda rogue in the bow. A heavy and two lightguns on each side of the ship gave it arespectable broadsides firing capability.

Total crew of the Glory Sled was 53

sailors and 12 marines. It could only reachHigh altitude and was appraised at £44.&40by the Admiralty Prize Commission.

Fenbln Ram Screw GalleyTHE FENIAN RAM was originally com­

missioned by a Manian in the employ of anIrish separatist. Construction oflhe ship wasbegun in exchange for 20 bars of gold. asmall fraction of its value. When nearlycompleted. the Irish revolutionaries madetheir move, seized the ship. and made goodtheir escape under cover of darkness. TheF~nian Ram has been harrying British ac­tivities on Mars for some time. and iscrewed by Irishmen and Manian mer­cenaries, hiding out somewhere in theMeroe Badlands.

The Fenia" Ram is a large screw galley.measuring almost 250 feet in length andabout 45 feet in width. As its name suggests.its structure is built around a solid keel anda bow-mounted metal and wood ram whichis designed to puncture either a wooden ormetal hull. Thiny-two turncranks work inthe hold of the ship.

The Ram is heavily armed. Central to itsdesign is a lob gun-hand forged in theworkpits of House Ktree of Alclyon-whichis positioned in the center of the ship. Thedesign also includes two forward-firing lightcannons, plus two heavy cannons mountedport and starboard on extended platfonns offthe deck. To each side of the vessel is asingle sweeper to help ward off any board­ing actions. Full use of the ship's armamentrequires 13 gunners.

The seven bridge crew and eightdeckhands. combined with the 32 tumcranksand 13 gunners. give the cloudship a crewof 60. In addition. the ship carries a com­plement of 24 marines, including twomarine officers. Due to its increased weight

the Ram can only attain an altitude of High.but has a top speed of four (20 kOOls). TheFenian Ram carries no special weapons.

The Fenian Ram is a one~f-a-kind vessel.Had it ever been purchased. it would havecost £51.600.

Sky Runner-T,rpe Screw GalleyTHE FIRST Sky Runner-type ship was

constructed as a gift from a Princess of Um­bra to her lover. a general in the armies ofSyrtis Major. Its original designer. a slavehimself. was in tum sold off to the shipyardsof Alclyon. where a group of similllr shipswere commissioned over the next severalyears. The Sky Runner is still possessed byGeneral Smyrtra. but its sister ships havebeen Irolded and sold all over the rcd planet.

The Sky Ru"ner is built on a wooden hullwhich measures 150 feet long and averages30 feet in width. The Sky Runner has no ramin the bow-instead. it sports a carved bustof the Princess of Umbra.

The ship is armed with one rogue gunwhich can fire forward and to Ixxh broad­sides. There is an extended gun platform oneach side of the hull which houses a heavycannon that can fire forward. astern. and in­to its respective broadside.

The Sky Runn~r has a crew complementof32. The ship can attain altitude up to VeryHigh and has a top speed of four (20 knots).It is valued at £25.6CK).

Endtime.Type Screw GalleyPERSONALLY COMMISSIONED by

the Warlord of Shastapsh. the EI/(ltillll! seriesof ships had at one time four members. TheElldlime and Forever arc both still inoperation. The Eternal Night was lost in anaerial battle with pirates over the Nepenthes­ThOlh Steppes. The Eternity crash-landedafter a severe trim accident over that samestretch of land-only five of il'i crew madethe dangerous trek alive.

The Endt;me is built on a wooden hullmeasuring approximately 120 feet in length<lnd 30 feet in width. It has IS turncranksworking in the hull to keep it moving andfive deckhands to tend the ship in motion.

One lob gun is mounted in the center ofthe vessel. and a single rod gun fires fromthe bow. Two heavy guns arc mounted oneither side of the ship.

The Elldtime has II tOlal crew of 35. Theship also carries 10 marines. of which oneis an officer. The ship can ..uain Highaltitude and a speed of three (15 knots). Itcosts £3 1.500.

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BRITISH AND MARTIAN WEAPONRY G)BRITISH NAVAL ORDNANCE

THE BASIC ARMAMENT on the shipsof the Royal Navy on Mars is the breech~

loading gun. These weapons come in a va­riety of sizes. but principles are the samefor all of them. An exploding projectile isfired through a rifled barrel; when the pro­jectile hits another object. it explodes. Thesize ofguns on British sky ships ranges fromthc one-pounder to eight-inch weapons. Theeight-inch gun seems to be the upper limitfor skyships that are anything morc thanfloating gun batlcrics.

The Nordcnfelt, Maxim. and Gardnerguns arc all rapid-firing weapons designedto affect the crews of opposing vessels. TheNordcnfelt is the only one in usc on RoyalNaval vessels at prescnt, but improvementsin the other (wo weapons could change thatin the ncar future. The Nordenfelt has fivebarrels eaeh. fed from an individual am­munition hopper. The barrels may be ad­justed to fire either individually or in avolley. When firing individually it gives theweapon a fairly high rate of fire. TheNordenfell can continue to fire even if anindividual barrel jams.

MARTIAN WEAPONRYALL MARTIAN cannons. including lob.

rod. and rogue guns. are muzzle1oading,black powder weapons at least 100 yearsbehind the technology of British guns, butevery Martian weapon is uniquely fash­ioned. Light and heavy guns are merelybasic cannon. A rod gun is rined and firesan iron rod designed for penetration. Therogue gun is the most powerful Martiandirect-fire cannon. The lob gun is a hugerock-throwing mortar. but only one can bemounted on a single ship; if mountedanywhere bUI the ship's center. firing itwould cause the ship 10 lip over. Sweepersare smaller. swivel-mounted grapeshot fir­ing guns designed 10 clear the enemy'sdecks.

Drogue Torpedoes and tether mines aresimilar weapons. The tether mines arehoused in liftwood buoys and left to floatabove a ship. (They are also floated abovecities and shore baneries to provide defenseagainst attack from the air.) Most ship-bornetether mines have a 20- to 4o-pound chargewhich is detonated by a fulminate contactdelonator. Drogue Torpedoes are hung overthe side of a ship in order to attack targetbelow the ship. British Drogues are usuallymade of iron and carry a 6O-pound explosivecharge with a contact detonator. Both ofthese weapons were Manian ideas, but theBritish have improved upon themconsiderably.

The Hale Rocket is 36 inches long andfour inches in diameter. It is a brass tubefitted with nozzles at the bottom and filledwith a solid propellant which. as it bums,discharges through the nozzles to propel therocket. The nozzles are arranged so as tocause the rocket to spin as it flies. thus giv­ing it a measure of stability. The HaleRocket. standard on British ships, carries aneight-pound warhead with a contact detona­tor. Due to the inherent inaccuracy of theseweapons. they are always fired in salvos.

SPECIALTV WEAPONSMARTIAN FIRE is similar to Greek fire

and consists of burning oil that can bepoured onto targets directly below the fir­ing vessel. Accuracy is low, but the effectsofa hit can be devastating. Tether mines areexplosive charges with liftwood to carrythem (buoying them up) and lines to guidethem toward their targets or anchor tbem inplace. Their main function is to preventships from passing overhead to drop liquidfire, but they have a limited attack capabilityas well. Tether mines are also oftendeployed as part of the defenses of a city orfortress. Drogue torpedoes are swungbeneath the ship to hit targets below, andpower grapnels on screw galleys are usedto board enemy ships.

HOTCHKISSROTATINGCANNON

The Smutts Aerial Torpedo is a wroughtiron cylinder, five feet long and eight inchesin diameter. It carries a 25O-pound explosivewarhead which is detonated by a timed fuze.The torpedo is fitted with linwood vanes,and is adjusted for neutral buoyancy beforeit is launched. This allows the torpedo tomaintain a relatively straight course untilsuch time as the fuze explodes the torpedo.

MARTIAN ROGUE MARTIAN WB GUN

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o THE ROYAL NAVY

BRITISH RELIANT-CLASS AERIAL GUNBOAT

THE ROYAL NAVY

WHEN THE British establishedthemselves on Mars they brought with thema ccnturies-old naval tradition. Command ofthe seas on Earth had made the British intoonc of the most formidable powers on theplanet. and the British on Mars realized thevital role that naval power would play inprotecting and expanding their influence onthe Red planet. It made no difference thaithe navies on Mars sailed the air, ramer thanthe seas. Accordingly, the British quickJyembarked on a program designed to installthem as the preeminent naval power onMars. The ancient Martian shipyards atParhoon, which were the firsl to constructscrew galleys. were brought under Britishcontrol giving them limited naval construc­tion capabilities until they could build theirown shipyards. The British shipyards at Syr­tis Major were complete by 1880, and were

unique in their ability to conStruct armored,steam-jXlwered vessels. In 1881, with greatfanfare. the first two ships were launchedfrom the Syrtis Major shipyards-a pair ofAphid-class aerial gunboats.

The Reliant-elass gunboat (only one ofthis class has been constructed) is the largestexample of the gunboat. It is 220 feet longand 80 feet wide. Although the Reliant isnot heavily armored it is virtually bristlingwith weapons. Four fixed mount Norden­felts fire to each broadside. Two six­pounder guns are mounted on the foredeckfiring forward and to the respective broad­side. Both the starboard and port sides boastpivot mounted six-inch guns, while the stemtower has a pivot-mounted. four-inch longgun. Eight Hale rocket batteries are mountedin pairs slightly to the stern-side center ofthe ship. As might be expected, all this ar-

....

mament reduces the heights at which theship can sail, as well as the speed. The shipis propened by steam-driven twin screws,and maneuver and trim are supplied by largestem rudders and a keel stabilizer as is stan­dard on all gunboats. The Relianr has abridge crew of six officers and men, anengine crew of six, 16 gunners, and a deckcrew of II men, including three petty of­ficers. The Reliant also has provision for 12marines, bringing the total normal crewestablishment to 51 officers and men. TheReliant-<:lass gunboat represented a deadendin gunboat construction. Gunboats wereoriginally designed to rely on speed andmaneuver in order to accomplish their goals;the heavily anned Reliant was not in keep­ing with that concept and the <:lass was aban­doned in favor of the Daunrle.u-<:lassgunboats.

Construction on the Daunrless-elass gun­boats first started in 1884. These shipsrepresented a retum to the idea that gunboatsshould be high-flying and fast, but they alsoretained the marine complement, extreme­ly useful in boarding maneuvers, which hasproved quite valuable on the Relianr.Measuring 160 feet in length and 50 feetacross, the Dauntless class also continuesthe custom of only lightly armoring gun­boats. The firepower for these ships is pro­vided by two four-inch long-barrel guns,two three-pounders and two Nordenfelts. Afour-inch gun is mounted in the hull at thebow of the ship; while this provides protec­tion for the gun and the crew, it limits thegun's field of fire to 90 degrees. The sec­ond four-incher is pivot-mounted on a stemtower for more flexibility in arc of fire. Twowing jXlsitions on either side of the shipboast the pivot-mounted three-inchers. Thetwo Nordenfelts are fixed-mounted, one oneach side of the ship. Trim and maneuverequipment is about the same as the Aphid­class; large stern rudders and a stabilizingkeel. The first two Daunrless-elass shipswere twin screw, steam-powered vessels.However with the introduction of the forced­draught steam engine, which is more com­pact than the older style engines, the nextDauntless-elass ships have a triple-screw ar­rangement. The crew of a Daunrless-elassvesseJtotals 33 officers and men. Five menmake up the bridge crew, four men man theengine room, 8 men are gunners, and sixmen are deckhands. A platoon of 10 marinesround out the crew of the Dauntless-elass.At present there are only two Daunrless­<:lass vessels on Mars.

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The Aphid-class gunboats were the firstarmored vessels ever 10 sail the skies ofMars. These ships areaol)' 90 feci long and30 feet wide and very lightly armored; theAphid-elass being purposely kept small inorder to provide a high-flying, fast-pursuitgunboat. Armament on Aphid-class gun­boats consislS of a four-inch shon gun pivot­mounted on the foredeck. This mountingallows the gun a broad, ISO-degree field offire. One-pound pieces are pi vol-mountedon each wing mount position, and there isa fixed-mount Nordcnfelt on both the star·board and port sides. The AphitJ-class is adriven by twin screws powered by a steamengine. A dynamo, also powered by theSleam engine. supplies a limited amount ofelectricity which is mainly used for runninglights and signaling equipment on board theship. Trim and maneuver is provided bylarge rear rudders and a keel stabilizing fin.The normal crew establishment is 15 men.AI present there are four Aphid*class gun­boats in service in the British Royal Navyon Mars.

TI1C 71l1l1uJerer-class monitors began c~>n­

struction in 1884. Basically a floating oat*tcry used to engagc enemy vessels at longrange. only one 71UlIIderer-class ship hasbecn contplcted thus far, 77l1l11derer-classships boast an eight-inch gun moulllcd in arevolving amlOred turret at the bow of theship. and a sill-inch gun in a revolving, ar­mored turret at the stem of the ship. FourNordenfells are fixed. two to each side. asantipersonnel weapons, Two batteries ofHale rockets round out armaments of711/llu/erer class. The 77ul/uJerer class usual­ly goes into action with ApM,J- or Daumless­class gunboats, The combination of smaiLhighly maneuverable ships, and a longrange. powerfully armed vessel has proveda potent panncrship. The crew of the77l1l11derer-class ships is composed of eightcngineers. four bridgc crcw. 10 deckhands,nine gunners, two officers, and three peuyofficers. Twelve marines arc also on board,but mainly to prevent boarding, as thefavorite motion tactic has been to try andoverwhelm large British ships and boardthem, The first ThllluJerer*Class ship was be­ing completed just as the forced draughtsteam engine became available, and thismodern power plant was installed in thevessel. The steam engine drives twin screwsand powers the gun turrets. Currently onlyonc 7711l11derer-class ship has been built butat least two more arc expected to beconstructed.

THE ROYAL NAVY <0

o

BRITISH APHID·CLASS AERIAL GUNBOAT

The Triumph-class cruisers are to be the most modem and fonnidable ships in theRoyal Navy on Mars. Decently armored and packed with firepower, these vesselsare equipped with the latest technology. Measuring 325 feet in length and 80 feetin width, the Triumph-class is the largest armored ship on Mars. The armament in­cludes one six-inch gun on a bow-mounted pivot, a four-inch, long-barrel gun pivot­mounted on each wing position, a five-inch, fixed-mounted gun firing to the stern,and a Smuns discharger. Other weapons on the Tn'umph-class ships include tethermines, drogue torpedoes, four Hale rocket batteries and four Nordenfelts for closeself-defense. A modern, forced-draught, steam engine powers the large twin screws,and drives a dynamo supplying a limited amount ofelectricity, The ship carries fourbridge crew, 10 engineers, 12 deckhands, 15 gunners, two ship officers, and fourpetty officers. Ten marines are pan of the ship's complement also, and most oftenemployed in a self-defense role, The Triumph-class cruisers are designed to operateindependently, but will often be used in conjunction with gunboats. While only onehas been completed, several more are being considered and two have already begunconstruction.

1~ ." ..THE SECOND WAR OF THE PARHOON SUCCESSION BEGINS

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