When realities collide Information tab
Story progress:
On-going
News / announcements
18.07.2018: Story started, Chapter 0 (Introduction) & 1 (When realities collide Part 1) published.
18.08.2018: Chapter 2 (When realities collide Part 2) published.
07.09.2018: Chapter 3 (Culture shock Part 1) published.
05.10.2018: Chapter 4 (Culture shock Part 2) published.
25.10.2018: Chapter 5 (Repaying the debt Part 1) published & Created a discord server! Check author's notes below.
18.11.2018: Chapter 6 (Repaying the debt Part 2) published.
07.12.2018: Chapter 7 (Repaying the debt Part 3) published.
24.12.2018: Chapter 8 (Getting to know the people Part 1) published & Restructured the information tab.
25.12.2018: Chapter 9 (Getting to know the people Part 2) published.
26.12.2018: Chapter 10 (Getting to know the people Part 3) published.
27.12.2018: Chapter 11 (Getting to know the people Part 4) published.
30.01.2019: Chapter 12 (Let's get the ball rolling) published.
15.02.2019: Chapter 13 (Operation: Rising Star Part 1) published.
08.03.2019: Chapter 14 (Operation: Rising Star Part 2) published.
02.04.2019: Chapter 15 (Operation: Rising Star Part 3) published.
10.04.2019: Chapter 16 (Insurance for extra dimensional damage?) published.
Changelog for chapters
25.10.2018 When realities collide Part 1: Minor changes to radio exchanges to be more aligned with radio protocol. Not really worth a re-read.
Author's notes
18.08.2018: Thank you all for the reviews, favorites and follows! The story managed a way better start than I was hoping for. I've been vaguely following this site over the years, so I know monster's attitude does not represent the community as a whole. To be honest it made me laugh in the middle of the night when I got his review, so thank you for that monster, I love it when people get salty over things like this! Anyways, next chapter is up.
05.10.2018: I decided to add the date of every uploaded chapter for future references.
25.10.2018: So I've been doing some digging around the site and failed to find something like this, if it exists and just somehow avoided me please contact me so I can delete mine. But regarding the topic, I was thinking and realized most archives have active communities, which is great but from my experience what the site offers is not exactly fluent when it comes to person to person interactions. I realized that Discord is basically just that, a community building / maintaining platform, and since it is pretty widespread, most of us probably use it or at least heard of it. I was bored so I decided to create one for this archive. Right now, it is really basic, and to be honest I have no idea how useful it is, but it is there. If you are interested check my profile for the invite link.
24.12.2018
First off, Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates it in case I won't be updating tomorrow!
Restructured the information tab because by now those who were interested in the story already checked it out, and the regular visitors are probably more curious for the changelogs and news rather than who I am. Of course they are still available at the bottom.
It is now almost the end of the year, and looking back I'd say I managed pretty good with a 1 chapter / month average knowing myself. Of course I'll try to be more frequent, however the reason I'm typing this is because of two things. One, Christmas and New Year is coming, which means I'll be extra busy. Two, exams are well underway which cuts my free time drastically. However, I don't want to keep anyone waiting, so to make up for that uncertain period (sort of) I'm going to publish the next story segment in rapid succession (compared to my regular upload schedule.)
T8ECR34T0R: Interesting indeed! After reading yours, I must agree it really does share common themes. Looks like we have a similar train of thought when it comes to this kind of setting.
27.12.2018: And that concludes the next story segment, at first this was supposed to be one larger chapter but I realized I should probably flesh out the characters a bit before we get into the 'juicy' explosion parts. Expect the next chapter somewhere around mid to late January. So Happy New Year in advance!
30.01.2019: I hope the first month of 2019 was great for everyone! Looking forward what this year will bring us. Next chapter will be out in about one or two weeks.
08.03.2019: This release was not really timed for this but I'll use the opportunity non the less. Happy International Women's Day to every proud woman, be that a sister, a mother, a wife, a co-worker or just a friend.
Explanations
AU
Astronomical unit, a measurement of distance in space usually used inside star systems. The average distance between the Sun and Earth.
Light year
Distance measurement. This is the distance light can travel in one year. Mostly used in interstellar or intergalactic space.
Parsec
Another measurement of distance. It is calculated via the use of triangles and its geometry in 3D space. Although less popular in science fiction, a parsec is commonly used to define a distance (not time like Hans Solo said) between star systems. One parsec is roughly 3.3 light years.
Rim, core, spinward and trailing
Galactic directions to position a solar system within the galaxy. A reference point is given, which is the starting position from which we track the route to the selected system. Coreward means towards the galactic core, rimward is towards the rim or edge of the galaxy. Spinward is following the spin motion of the galaxy, trailing is the reverse.
DRADIS
(Direction, RAnge, and DIStance) Is a more sophisticated RADAR technology able to detect space vessels as well as particular chemical and elemental compounds.
FTL
Faster Than Light, this term is mostly used in travel and communications, allowing for information and matter to travel almost instantly disregarding astronomical distances.
FTL Drive, Jump drive
This method of travel allows immediate "jumps" between two points in space. The destination must be calculated and the jump location is determined by a fix set of coordinates. These are important, because without valid coordinates, it is possible to jump inside a planet, star or another ship. Jumping without calculation is called a blind jump and is used as a last resort in case of a life or death emergency.
FTL Drive, Warp drive
Another FTL method. This drive expands the space behind the vessel and contracts it in front, moving the ship through space. There is no known limit how fast space itself can be stretched, thus allowing for FTL transportation without breaking any laws since the ship is practically staying in one place.
KEW
Kinetic Energy Weapon. A fancy name for cannons and autocannons, these weapons deliver damage via the use of kinetic energy as opposed to particle energy.
Raptor
An all-round spaceship mostly used as a troop or cargo transport, recon craft, tactical bomber or electronic warfare ship. The workhorse and backbone of the Avian civilization since the unification.
SAR
Search and Rescue team.
Viper Mark II
Primary and the most numerous military fighter. Outfitted with two kinetic guns as well as three powerful thrusters, the Viper is only limited by what it's pilot can endure in terms of mobility. Unless modified these fighters don't carry FTL drives.
Battlestar
The main part of the fleet, battlestars are a mix between carriers and capital warships. Made up from three segments, that being the engines, flight pods and hangar bays, as well as the iconic alligator head bow. Depending on class, weapon arsenals can vary. However, every battlestar has special magnetic launch tubes all along their hull, giving them the ability to rapidly deploy squadrons of vipers in a moment's notice.
CIC
Combat Information Center. The bridge of spaceships, all information gets processed here, commands are given from this point and this is where the steering, damage & life support control is done.
XO
Executive Officer. Second in command of a space vessel. Their job is to coordinate the ship's crew and perform administrative duties, allowing the commanding officer to deal with broader issues affecting the entire ship or fleet.
CAG
Commander Air Group. This position is filled by an individual with the rank of Captain or higher. They oversee a ship's Viper and Raptor compliment, their pilots, equipment, maintenance and training. They are also involved in planning which involves the use of strike craft.
MIA, KIA
Missing in action and Killed in action.
RCS
Reaction Control System, it is used by spacecrafts to provide control over all three axis of rotation.
SAM
Surface to Air missile.
The writer
Welcome fellow readers and writers to my first attempt at a Rio fanfiction. I am by no means an experienced writer, although I do have one story on this website on another fandom, so I know the basics how this should work in theory. Despite this, sometimes I still manage to mess up the double space between paragraphs thing…
I lost my touch for writing two years ago due to school and other factors but now with summer break time I decided to try once again. (Planning to finish the other story as well) I mostly write when I have the free time to do so and feel creative. These stories (for now) are not fully planned out (only the really basic outline is done), whatever I feel like writing on that particular day will progress them further. There will be no fix update schedule because writer's block likes to hang out here really frequently.
Please keep in mind English is not my primary language, and with the lack of a beta reader I apologize for any grammatic mistakes I make. (Spelling should be covered by my text editor but you can never be sure.)
On that note, I will not demand it but reviews are always welcome. If you have any constructive criticism feel free to write it down, if you like the story and want to tell me that's awesome. You hate it? Fantastic, bring it on! You wish to remain silent? That is OK too.
The story
I'm a huge fan of Sci-fi in general, and Rio has been a favorite movie of mine for a long time. I had drafts for this as far back as 2015, but never really perfected them since I had another story I actively worked on. At first I was considering placing this as a crossover with Battlestar Galactica (The reimagined series), but since I will take inspiration from other Sci-fi sources as well, might as well put it just as a regular story of its own. Seeing as self inserts are popular on the website, I decided to try it myself, but I will be trying to avoid Mary Sue characters if possible to do so.
This will be an alternate universe with Rio as its base. In this universe, humans never evolved on Earth and only avian species dominate the planet with mostly human origin technology (Sorry, characters like Luiz or Mauro are not planned in this story, unless I recreate them as birds at some point). Birds only wear clothes when necessary, like flight suits, scuba gear, armor etc. or for special occasions. On the other hand, many birds will carry a smaller kind of fanny pack we see Blu carry to place important items like phones inside them.
The story will probably be rated T for safety reasons, as I might occasionally slip in a few vulgar words here and there where the situation would typically make an adult react in such a way.
Chapter length
I'm not 100% sure how important chapter length is for people here, but I already wrote up some of the story, and after I average it out I get about ~3,300 words / chapter. So that should be an indicator about what to expect I guess. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The Information tab
Now you may be asking, what is this wall of text, where is the story?! Well I'm currently experimenting with a layout format which should cover everything you need to know in a neat way, at least that's the plan.
The information tab is the very first chapter, this contains the story's preface (this), introduction as well as being the primary communication place between me and you (the readers). Author's notes (exception to this are really short ones that are deeply connected with the chapter), replies to reviews, explanations, changelogs to chapters and their updates etc. will be written here, all in chronological order to hopefully avoid spoilers for future readers.
Underneath the information tab will be the introduction chapter, this will introduce you to the world and its brief history, get you up to speed and give some context to work with. One more chapter will follow this one right away if all goes well. The second chapter will be the actual first chapter of this story.
Since I use elements from different Sci-fi, unfamiliar words or concepts might require a google search to understand, picture correctly for those who are not too familiar with Sci-fi. I will add short explanations on the info tab which I believe has the potential to cause issues.
Chapter 0
World Introduction
Disclaimer
I do not own Rio, nor any element inspirited by Battlestar Galactica, Crysis, Mass Effect or any other series.
Earth is ruled by various avian species, long descendants of the mighty dinosaurs who once roamed this world. Like them, birds were aggressive, territorial but most importantly, intelligent. Unlike dinosaurs who acted on instinct, birds evolved sentience, which later gave rise to morals to help guide their society, but as time passed and technology improved these constructs influenced their decisions less land less, the primal instincts attempted to overpower them, turning their modern technological utopia back towards the savage old ways of nature.
Once birds split the first atom, their world became a ticking time bomb. Now, a tiny political mistake was enough to ignite everything they hold so dear to their hearts. At the end they held, not by much, but held for just the right amount of time until their world was ready to take the next big step towards progress, which meant global cooperation. A secret group realized the dangers of technology and forged a contingency plan for decades. In less than a few years, their agents obtained every key political, military and economic position across the world and their nations. Earth was now in their hands within the shadows to command and control.
In the august of 2030, avian history's largest and most coordinated military coup began with incredible efficiency. In less than a day, they seized control over the entire planet. After this, it took over ten years to fully sort out the issues that were prevalent for centuries before. There were instances where the forced change was met with heavy resistance, which did result in casualties. At the end they managed to accomplish something no person or group in the history of bird kind could ever do… they unified the world's governments under a single banner.
From that point onward, every nation was allowed to keep their country and governments, with the condition of un questionable obedience to the United Nations regarding global matters. A true golden age started, and birds used it to their full potential. By 2040, Earth's resources nearly depleted, and avian society began to look towards the stars. Previously space was thought to be an expensive non-profitable end, but all that changed with the invention of two life changing technologies. Artificial gravity and faster than light travel.
Birds explored everything they could land a bird, robot or camera on. As time went on, FTL and gravity became more powerful and compact. In a moment's notice, the civil department blasted into space, creating mining operations, expeditions beyond explored space, and space tourism.
Of course, Hollywood and Sci-fi left a big mark on society, so it came as no surprise when the United Nations voted the formation of the Avian Alliance and Fleet, dedicated in one purpose only, to fight and defend Earth and all her future colonies from any external or internal threat. Fighter jets were upgraded for outer space combat, but they soon realized maintaining a large quantity of small vessels had more problems than was previously thought. The FTL drives were too short ranged, as bigger drives would decrease maneuverability, as well as the fact that they required to be docked in spaceports when not in active use. Due to this, the Avian Alliance limited the fleet size, believing that space might just be an empty void.
Expeditions were carried out into deep interstellar space, with the intent to survey alien planets. Within a year, they managed to find two planets which were in close proximity of each other, the conditions almost perfectly mimicking that of Earth. The very first set of colony ships had begun construction, each planned to house over 200,000 birds, who will be the brave pioneers to settle on an alien world, beginning a new chapter in avian history.
But fate had other plans, and this dream was shattered in a matter of days. The very first colony ship of avianity, called New Horizons was getting ready to depart the Sol system in March 4th, 2045. This was also the day avian society's understanding and viewpoint of aliens changed forever. The day began as usual, until the Titan shipyard detected an unknown anomaly over Saturn's moon. After closer examination avianity was shocked. A non-avian engineered ship made contact, but the information it shared was more than terrifying for them.
The ship belonged to an artificial race named the Entirians who have emerged as the top empire in a neighboring star cluster. They had been fighting an ancient reptilian species who call themselves The Shawax, who achieved intergalactic travel and enslave or exterminate technologically inferior species for resources and technology. The Entirians lost their home world after a savage and terrible defensive war that lasted for over two hundred years.
Knowing they have lost, they built swarms of Messengers, small vessels with information regarding the Shawax, hoping they could warn the unsuspecting civilizations of the Milky Way about the dangers before it's too late. After three days of orbit around Titan, Earth got in contact with the first Shawax in their history. A light destroyer which has been chasing the Messenger probe. Without attempting any communication, the warship began a full-scale attack against the unprepared shipyard.
The Alliance responded immediately but could barely inflict any amount of damage on the enemy vessel. It was like throwing pebbles at a fully armored tank. By the end of the sudden five-minute engagement, the Avian Defense Fleet was decimated, losing more than three hundred brave souls, and completely destroying the Alliance's most outer base of operation.
Back on Earth, panic erupted as the news spread like wildfire on the internet. Before their society could fully recover from the sudden shock, a smaller scout fleet warped around the Moon. Luna base was destroyed by thermonuclear bombs within the first few minutes, after which they targeted the planet's satellite network.
Earth was left deaf, blind and crippled, as the GPS and other communication networks were destroyed in the initial attack. The president of the Alliance ordered a contingency plan and the immediate launch of New Horizons, which managed to escape the assault by mere seconds. Orbital bombardment destroyed major population centers, metropolis after metropolis fell, the casualties reaching the billions. The Hollywood style alien invasion began… in real life.
The Alliance as well as the UN had been forced to do guerrilla warfare against the invading force. Months of non-stop fighting, and avian civilization was almost on its knees, helpless to stop the invading forces. But the aliens made one grave mistake, they did not attempt to destroy New Horizons, which managed to smuggle the Entirian messenger probe on board.
While Earth was engulfed in an all out total war, New Horizons arrived safely in Procyon, and claimed the world as their own, later naming it Eden. A military division consisting of over two hundred scientists and engineers of various fields worked tirelessly to find a way to effectively stop the Shawax. After weeks of development and testing, the previously primitive kinetic weapons were upgraded and brought to Anti Shawax war standards.
For the next two months, Eden manufactured enough hand and vehicle weapons to outfit the remaining Avian military back on Earth. In a bold mission, they managed to smuggle the hardware back to their home world in secret. In a perfect moment to strike, the remaining nuclear arsenal which had the total firepower of about 1750 megatons was fired at low Earth orbit.
This caught the Shawax by surprise, decimating their orbital fleet, losing them the control over space. A long and painful one-year campaign began, after which Earth turned out victorious. But everyone knew very well that the force that almost destroyed their civilization was merely a scout group that got a little too cocky. The newly founded Eden allocated many of its resources to rebuild Earth as fast as possible. Once the planet got back to speed, the majority of resources were redirected for military research and ship manufacturing.
For the first time in decades more than 80% of Avian yearly budget was spent on the military. Several improvements were introduced to the fleet. Heavy lifting but versatile Raptors were able to speed up logistics and general transportation, allowing for quick expansion across interstellar space. The mark 1 Viper was introduced, armed with light but powerful kinetic weapons, enabling birds to do fast tactical strikes both in atmosphere and space. Due to the lack of FTL drives, a complementary vessel had to be created to house these sophisticated fighters.
A year after Avianity's victory, the very first generation of avian space warships were finished, and with that the first Valkyrie class battlestars were brought into service, serving as capital warships with the added benefits of carriers. The Shawax had no idea what they have just unleashed. The previously newly pacifistic race which had to keep its aggressiveness under control to avoid their own destruction was angered. And now they had someone else to point their powerful guns at. And that they gladly did.