Although I have three or four specific books I want to write, the back ground material would support a dozen. Set 400 years in the the future of the Jezebel universe, I planned out a very detailed timeline of Earth's colonization of the stars, construction of ships, trade, interaction with other species, and eventually war, I could even go back later and write about any period in between like Modesitt did with the imager series. Stewart Llewellyn, the hero from the Jez finale, founds the Anodyne colony and plays a big role leading humanity until the war. Our new hero, Max Culp takes over from there. As a twist from last book, I thought I would make him part !Kung, one of the click speak tribes of Africa, which makes him skilled on low tech world survival and immune to remote sensing by people with mental abilities--both assets to special forces. He is a combination of mankind at its most primitive and advanced. A medic present at two of the most horrific battles in the war, Max struggles to find a new path in the chaotic peacetime Union worlds. First, he hunts the race responsible. When those are gone, he faces a crisis. He has guilt for things he's done, especially failures, grinding his teeth at night. He copes by saving one person. Eventually, with the help of the talented people who collect around him like driftwood, Max becomes a leader at the forefront of Union decisions for the next era.
However, I need to paint a detailed picture for myself of each of the major colonies, Earth itself, the megacorportations/oligarchs, and technologies. Not all of this will appear explicitly in the work, but the structure is necessary for depth and texture. Below is a sample page of notes:
Anodyne
A sketch of the first human colony in space. The very name
means healing and freeing from pain. Initial population 77 living astronauts and about
1000 embryos. Smaller than Earth, lower g. The hardest part to learn after
landing was working with the
ecosystem. Residents tend to pacifists, but not gullible. Leaders have lofty
morals. Ivory towers are literally synthetic bone. Citizens get treatments to
live 150 years. Stu lived over 200 years. They have eliminated dementia, cancer,
and arthritis, almost as much through lifestyles and industrial rules as
treatment.
Two hops from Earth along the Ceti route (24LY, end to end about 68.4 days + 91
for each end and turns conserving fuel ballpark = 160 days trip time) They have refueling
stations in every direction to protect them. The colony projects influence. Renown
for philosophy, design, ethics, hospitals, terraforming, planning, art, and
university. Considered by the Sentient Union to be the capital of the Human commonwealth, which is a point of
resentment among other humans. Very proud of their enlightened history. Each
building and statue is a testament to some achievement. Trade began here,
although more volume goes through other places. The seat of the current
Llewellyn. Since YR 15, the captain of Sanctuary has always been one of the
lineage. Laura froze about 20 embryos and after her death, Stu raises a new
child every 16 years to keep him from dying from the pair-bond.
When his mother in-law Mira dies in YR 20, they promise her
they will try to save Earth from itself. YR 30, Stu’s third child, Dominic
develops theory of why 128 engines are needed to breach subspace. Around YR 65
they build the orbital shipyard and test, but never developed the population
and industrial base to build their own starship. By then the original Sanctuary
crew is dead. When they threaten to voyage on their own, blind, Mercy shows
them the Magi star charts.
YR 70 Stu contacts the Sentient Union directly. Anodyne
buys an ansible to communicate faster than light. They trade the basic
laws/safety regulations for starships with Mnamnabonians for human
entertainment. They trade the secret of Joan to the Magi for principles of
Terraforming. She becomes the planet’s memory.
In YR 80, they return to earth to teach the basics of
starships. Anodyne population is only about 770. Trying to be sustainable. Link
to Sanctuary is still their umbilical. Only one city. Learn that building codes
for space port must last over 500 years. Forced to start another—University.
This remains the biggest single metropolitan area.
In 105 at the next Union convocation, humans are named the
mentor race for the pandas.
With the migration and building/trade boom, by YR 110, the
population is up to 9000. About 1000 more every decade, handpicked from best
earth scientists.
In 115, they take over the colony Overlook near Oblivion, with
a mahdra crystal plantation, a battery that charges with radiation or sunlight and
has over 90 percent retention, the foundation of portable Magi technology. Upper
limit population of 5k, this is a research station with amazing wealth.
By 120 Anodyne has 3rd city and 50k.
...
In 321, the last Llewellyn child raised by Stu is killed on a diplomatic mission,
beginning the Gigaparsec War.
