Maf: A Brief History of the "Original Colonists" — Part Two
Type: Historical Account (Part 2 of a series) Author: Perry Jones Published: Jul 12, 2022 Source: Medium Status: Canon (published) — the Ark Royal's journey and crash-landing on Maf
Summary
Continuing directly from Part One: the Ark Royal escapes Earth just as nuclear war breaks out (Berlin struck first, more explosions follow) — Earth's fate is left ambiguous but grim. Amid the tragedy, Perold Jones is born, the ship's first baby, son of Anita and Eric Jones. After a 33-month voyage, the crew discovers a massive, already-inhabited candidate planet with anomalous gravity, naming it "New Hope." Nearing the planet, the crew learns the ship sustained hidden damage from the earlier Russian attack — orbital insertion becomes impossible, forcing a desperate atmospheric braking maneuver using the shuttles' own engines. The Ark Royal crash-lands in the ocean roughly 200 miles from land and sinks to the ocean floor, broken in two, marking the true beginning of the Original Colonists' life on Maf.
Entities Introduced
- Characters: Perold Jones (birth), Anita Jones, Eric Jones (parents), Dr. Roberta Huntington (ship's doctor), Commander Thomas Bretson (second-in-command), Lt. Commander Rebecca Carmichael (Chief Engineer), Commander Naerus (Propulsion Officer), Lt. Douglas "Sparky" Teroy (Sensor/Radar Officer), Lt. Commander Thui Ng (Science Officer, named the planet), Lt. Thomas "Tomtom" Davis (Propulsion Officer)
- Locations: "New Hope" (the Original Colonists' name for Maf on arrival)
Worldbuilding Significance
- Perold Jones's true origin confirmed: born aboard the Ark Royal during its transit voyage — see the major chronological tension this creates, flagged on his character page
- Maf was already inhabited before the Original Colonists arrived — city lights and telegraph-level radio detected from orbit. Strong candidate connection to the Kaolsan/Kaolsani peoples, not yet confirmed
- The planet was originally named "New Hope" by the crew — not yet explained how/when this became "Maf"
- Confirms Earth's nuclear devastation actually occurred, following the feared "World War Three" setup in Part One
- Provides a full account of the Ark Royal's crash-landing, with a flagged numerical discrepancy against the official site's account (200 vs. 280 miles from landfall; differing casualty figures) — see Ark Royal for details
Open Questions
- See Ark Royal for the full list of open questions arising from this article (New Hope/Maf naming, indigenous civilization connection, landing discrepancy, Perold Jones's parents' fate)
- Part Three has since been provided and processed — see Original Colonists Part Three. Awaiting a possible Part Four or beyond, if one exists.