In the year 2114, Earth has finally united under a single world government. Vulcan advisors have helped guide humanity away from war, plague, and famine, going so far as to establish a permanent base of operations in San Francisco, California.
Earth Starfleet - formed as an arm of the United Earth Space Probe Agency - has begun work in earnest to develop warp drive technologies faster than warp 2 (which it achieved with assistance from Vulcan allies). Zefram Cochrane and Henry Archer have proposed a new project: the construction of a powerful new warp 5 engine to power the next generation of Earth starships.
(Note that the Warp 5 Complex is not officially dedicated until 2119, but certainly the groundwork will have been laid several years earlier.)
The Earth Cargo Authority has numerous Y-class freighters carrying cargo between worlds thanks to Vulcan contact with several alien races (including the Denobulans). With a maximum speed of warp 1.5, space is a very large place for human traders and explorers.
The Interspecies Medical Exchange - an initiative begun by the Vulcans in the late 21st century - has introduced human physicians to medicine from over a dozen extrasolar civilizations. Doctors from the world over have trained extensively with the help of the Vulcans, Denobulans, and numerous other species to expand their horizons and extend the capabilities of human medical professionals.
Recent conflicts with the Vulcans over the further development of warp technologies on Earth, the inclusion of human observers on Vulcan vessels, and the hesitance of the Vulcan leadership to share information regarding other intelligent species near the Sol system have all conspired to breed suspicion of Vulcan by the bulk of humanity.
This conflict has led to discussions among human leaders to develop an exploratory arm of the UESPA - a quasimilitary organization with its own fleet of warp-capable starships that would allow mankind to seek his destiny among the stars without Vulcan interference. The Command Council has already begun working with the United Earth military complex to develop a charter, design new starships, and build an academy to train new recruits for human-led space exploration... an Earth starfleet capable of self-governance and operation.
The construction of the first Neptune-class vessels in Earth orbit (against the strong objections of the Vulcan High Command) has already taken wing with the assembly of the first solely-human orbital construction platform. Early estimates suggest that the first human-built starship - the VC-01 Neptune - will be completed by 2120, fully staffed by new Earth Starfleet personnel by 2122, and exploring the Alpha Centauri star system by 2125. If all goes well, humans will have their first extrasolar colony before the end of the first quarter of the 22nd century.
The call for trained military and non-military personnel to form this new Earth Starfleet by the leaders of the UESPA has spanned the globe, and men and women from all disciplines and all walks of life have begun submitting their resumes in the hopes of securing a position on the first manned human mission beyond the solar system.
Despite the dire warnings of Ambassador Soval and his staff, mankind seems hellbent on forming its own space exploration organization, with or without the blessings of its Vulcan mentors and allies. This schism is small, to be sure, but all evidence suggests that it will only grow larger given time...
mactavish out.
Our country's past progress has been the result, not of the mass mind applying average intelligence to the problems of the day, but of the brilliance and dedication of wise individuals who applied their wisdom to advance the freedom and the material well-being of all of our people.
-Conscience of a Conservative, Barry Goldwater
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