Space 2099

Reimagining 70's SF tv series like Battlestar Gaactica has become popular lately. I was trying to rework Space: 1999 which much like Galactica started with a cool premise but took far too many liberties with physics (to quote Isaac Asimov, "Moons don't do that!) and had a few problems with execution.

Space 2099: mankind has moved out into the solar system with fusion drive ships. capturing asteroids and bringing them into Earth orbit for mining is a booming industry. Nevertheless Earth is facing stiff competition from miners in the Asteroid Belt and on Luna and negotiations for mining rights to the Jovian moons are breaking down. It is a tense situation and industrial sabotage and spying is rife.

Asteroid Base Alpha is one asteroid and rumored to be the site of a very rich strike. Without warning the base suddenly is closed to ships and a new commander is called in.

Arriving at the base the commander discovers the rumors are a cover for the high security. Scientists at the base may have discovered a faster than light drive. Such a drive would open up the universe to Earth and break the outer worlds' advantages.

The problem is the outer worlds are aware something is up and want the drive. The commander has to deal with spies and sabotage and in the end a group of attack ships closes in on Base Alpha to seize the research. In the course of the attack the prototype drive is triggered (the head scientist panicked.)

Base Alpha finds itself transported to a minicosm: a group of stars linked together closely in hyperspace. The cluster's hyper lanes are closed. Using an FTL drive there are only a few lanes into or out of the minicosm. Alpha's drive can be triggered again letting them explore the minicosm but they have to travel through it to find the hyper route out. So they do, hoping to find the route back to Earth. Alpha has to travel through as many minicosms as the story demands till they find their way back to Earth.

Basically some rare systems in each minicosm link it to other minicosms. Some of the links only work one way (like the first link in the Solar system to the first minicosm.) The clusters the base visits can be as close or from Earth as the story demands. Traveling between the minicosms is not as easy to predict as travel within the minicosm.

As for what they find in the galaxy...

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