Forward

Obvious question, what the hell is Darkspace: Twilight? The answer: An epic fan fiction dedicated to the Massively Multiplayer Online game, Darkspace - an insanely awesome space combat simulator that just inspires so much that I spent about a year and change working on this story.

Second question: What do I need to know before reading this? Not anything, really. Knowledge of what the individual ships are and what they are usually capable of by the game's standards is very nice and helps you understand the nuances and some of the inside jokes (for instance, what is a flux wave and why would it be mounted on an assault dreadnaught?) but I like to think that you can pick up everything you need from the context of it. I have also added a small section immediately after the forward and before the prologue detailing certain aspects of the Darkspace Universe for the curious.

Third question: What the hell is with all the goofy names? Answer: These are the screen (and in some cases, real!) names of some of the players of Darkspace! I'm Coeus (obviously...), and some of my good friends have major roles. Bito, Backslash, Nub, Rocko, and the rest of the gang are all (or were at one time) active DS players. And yes, Josef too =)

Final question: Why in gods name did you do this? I'm an artsy type of person. I love to perform, and I love to write. I've long dreamt of writing a book and turning it into a screenplay, what I constantly lack is inspiration. The DS universe is so involving and the people I've met so engaging that it just spews ideas and inspirations and - hell, it just reeks of a detailed universe that has sprung from the mind of its creator and invites you to enter it and perceive it as your own.

Who to thank, who to thank… so many people have helped me get here, my family especially, both my parents and my sister especially have been extremely instrumental in helping me tone my writing & my imagination. Of course, having a healthy imagination is useless if you don’t have a way to express it, and in this regard three teachers stand out in my mind as having a major influence on me, Ms. Dunn back in St. Mary’s, and Professors Landis and Seltzer from my time at Manor College. Thank you guys, and everyone else who has encouraged me to look to the stars and beyond, and see what is out there in my mind. Oh, and read on after the Epilogue for an alternate ending!

So what are you waiting for? Start Reading! If you want more information on the technology of Darkspace, then check out the Darkspace Website and the Darkspace Community Website, jam-packed with info!

What do I need to know to read this?

Because Twilight is a fan-fiction and not a full-fledged novel, I have chosen not to detail certain aspects of its story; however due to the fact that I freely publish this over the internet and have given copies to friends & family who haven’t played the game, and while future editions may contain the central plot elements within the story itself… well this one doesn’t, so here are some key details to understand the inner workings of the Darkspace Universe! If you have any questions feel free to contact me.

When: Darkspace takes place in the late 23^rd Century, specific to this storyline the year is 2295, although according to the official Darkspace universe the year is 2263. The story itself takes place over a five day span in the 2^nd week of May according to Sol Standard Time (Earth Time).

Where: The Sol System is our own Solar System, and the other key locations are Exathra, in the CD+36*15693 Solar System, which is the home to the ICC Faction (see below). The other locations involved are an unnamed planet out beyond what is mapped in the official Darkspace universe, and the Ross system clusters, which is often a battleground between all three factions.

Governments: There are three governments in the Darkspace universe, all of which are radically different in their ideas and military technology, though the humans do share several things in common.

UGTO: United Galactic Trade Organization – the main governing body of Earth, the Sol Solar System, and a highly organized military power. The government of the UGTO attains what it wants through the use of money and brute military force. The money it collects is mostly provided by overtaxing the outer colonies owned by the UGTO who do not have full membership in the government. It is mostly run as a corporation, as it is descended from the major corporations that survived Earth’s 2^nd Dark Age.

ICC: Interstellar Cultural Confederation – When the outer colonies had enough of the UGTO’s oppressive and excessive taxation, they split and formed the Farstars Union, and when that union got too fractured the leading military genius and most respected Admiral in the Farstars fleet staged a military coup and reformed the Farstars into the ICC, a more free-will based Government that was strongly dedicated to freeing Humanity from the oppressive nature of the UGTO. Are often considered rebels, brigands, and pirates by the UGTO Government and its military forces.

K’Luth: The Aliens – An Alien race who came into contact with the Humans in the Sol quadrant of the galaxy, the little that we know is that the K’Luth who we have encountered are hiding out from a much more powerful enemy. At the time of the story, this enemy has since been vanquished, at least so the three governments believe. They communicate by way of telepathy of sorts, and have two castes, a Warrior Caste and an Artisan Caste. The Artisan Caste is also the leader caste, as Warriors have been genetically altered so as to be more susceptible to commands and suggestions. Their ships are organic in nature and carry a cloaking device which renders it invisible to the naked eye and to sensors.

Ships and Technology: Darkspace employs some rather conventional ideas in the way ships, weapons, and technology are handled – but it combines them in a more unique way than is commonly found.

Elite Assault Dreadnought (EAD): The UGTO’s premier battleship, the EAD is heavily armed and armored. It employs a mix of heavy laser beams, and torpedoes as its primary offensive weaponry. Its armor plating is thick and takes a lot of firepower to cut through.

Assault Cruiser (AC): The mainstay of the ICC’s combat fleet, it is quick, heavily armed, and capable of engaging targets much larger than itself with a good pilot at the helm. Its standard loadout is five Fusion Torpedoes which can be fired at any angle, along with a heavy laser mount in the nose of the ship. It has supplemental armor that encompasses the entire ship to aid it in staying in the fight longer than would be possible with just Shields alone.

Jump Cruiser (JC): The ICC are the only faction that are able to harness the power of a Wormhole Device (see below) and compact it into something that a ship is capable of carrying. JC’s are used to get fleets from one point to another in the universe very rapidly, though the devices are massive and use enormous amounts of power.

Electronic Counter Measure (ECM): A device which “hides” the signature of a ship through complex bending of the electronic signals that sensors send and receive.

Electronic Counter-Counter Measure (ECCM): Exactly what it sounds like, this device nullifies the effect of any ECM active in the area, making ships, fighters, missiles and mines easier to detect.

Tachyon Drive and Anti-matter Drive (Jump Drive, JD, AMJD, FTL): The most conventional way that a ship gets around the galaxy. The Faster Than Light Drives come in two varieties – the standard Tachyon Drive is slower but more efficient in its fuel consumption – it is the standard equipment on all UGTO and ICC military craft, as well as civilian craft. Military grade Jump Drives are a good deal faster than civilian models. AMJDs are a K’Luth Technology, but Humans have learned to adapt them to their systems. AMJDs are much faster, at the expense of fuel consumption. It is a ship’s captain’s prerogative whether to equip either Tachyon or Anti-Matter jump drives, if they are able to obtain them.

Shields: The technology for protective energy shields have been around for some time now, but only the ICC choose to mount them, as the UGTO deem them as an unnecessary expense, and the K’Luth who use biological ships are unable to adapt the technology.

Armor: The UGTO have chosen to employ the more durable, cheaper, and more readily available armor plating systems in their military ships for protection. The standard, regenerating armor comes equipped on all ships, but captains can opt for the more powerful Ablative Armor which does not regenerate, but provides more protection in the immediate time.

Flux Wave: A device which replaces torpedoes on large ships that is capable of sending out a wave of EMP energy that eats through shields, armor, hull and destroys systems. It takes a lot of energy to use and a long time to charge. A one time bang-for-your-buck weapon which will leave a ship defenseless after its use.

Ship Classes: The ship classes in the Darkspace universe follow the standard Earth-based naval tradition.

Dreadnoughts (Dreadnaughts): Massive heavily armed and armored battleships. Slow, easy to hit, but able to take a punch and give one back several-fold. Deadly at close range.

Cruisers: The perfect balance of speed, agility, and power. These balanced ships create a stable backbone for the militaries of both fleets and supplement the relative weakness of the Dreadnoughts ability to deal with multiple smaller threats, as well as provide protection for the smaller class of ships in the event they are outmatched.

Destroyers: Nimble, quick, and surprisingly well armed but with minimal protection. These little ships are designed for quick strikes, to weave in & out of enemy fire and enemy lines in order to attack the larger ships where they are weakest. While easily damaged they are small and agile enough to be able to dodge most incoming fire.

Stations: These massive floating platforms are capable of mounting the largest mass-transportation device ever devised: The Wormhole Device, which draws large amounts of power and takes a fair bit of time to charge, enables a station to send an entire fleet halfway across the galaxy. They also have limited sublight mobility, enabling them to maneuver slightly, and they carry a wide array of weaponry and very heavily armored. These vessels also equip Mobile Resupply Drones – devices which are capable of entering a ship and assisting the crew in repairing a ship’s systems as well as hull and armor.