anachronauts
a web novel series of broomsticks, semiautomatics, and jetpacks.
by stefan gagne

Spoilery Timeline of Stories

The anachronauts home page has a nice tabled list of the stories, but if you want to precisely read them in the order in which events take place, this listing's for you.

WARNING: This version of the chronological listing also includes notes on what transpires during the stories, and events that are mentioned which transpire before, between, or long after stories. SPOILERS AHEAD up to the most current draft in progress! If you just want to know what order stories appear in, check the Timeline of Stories.

Material from bonus chapters of the retail books is not included in this timeline. Odds are a "complete" timeline will be included in the retail version of Stars Fall.

 

YOU'VE BEEN WARNED AND STUFF.

 

Around Then... Here's What Went Down...
???? Years Before
  • Big Bang, Seven Days of Creation, The Origin Point, The Big Sneeze, etc.
  • Unbeknowst to nearly all early sapient life, however, the universe is designed to be a multiverse.
  • The Word establishes the Silver City, and the angels to watch over creation. They aren't in on the multiverse angle.
??? Years Before
  • Ben'ai joins the Morningstar's rebel faction, to keep his sister Cha'ai from joining. The Mister, Jabezelek (later known as Doctor Feelgood), and Ik'ai join as well.
  • The Morningstar leads his revolt in the Silver City against the Word; those who follow him fall to an infernal world.
?00 Years Before
  • In a quiet little corner of the multiverse, Raphael decides to defy the fate he's seen for all creations by making a better earth. In a very indirect manner.
  • The Orbitals strike out from their barren and used up home world, to observe the rest of the multiverse and live forevermore in space above various Earths.
  • The conspiracy to provide this new Orbital fleet with power enough to keep it going forever without drawing the ire of the more moral members of that society begins.
200 Years Before
  • The Pandora Event transposes elements from many different worlds onto this one.
  • Kraken from a world where Atlantis rules cut off intercontinental travel.
  • The United States of America enters conflict with the Faerie Court. The Faerie Queens, facing incredible new enemies, declare a truce.
  • Recognizing dangers far worse than the humans, the Faerie Queens work together to seal off the Forsaken Shores.
  • Sealed into the Los Angeles Dome, The Mister contacts his underling who was caught outside when the dome dropped. Benny the Broker is set to the task of finding a way to break the prison. Benny gets right on that. Kinda. Mostly.
  • Conflict and confusion elsewhere in the world, as local civilizations run headlong into imported ones.
190 Years Before
  • Cha'ai sent to Earth to deliver a message; gets bounced from her destination into the wartorn east coast of America, injured in the process. Decides to pass her duty down the family line until the means to access London is found.
  • America finalizes pullouts to Eastusa and Westusa. Contact is lost with Westusa due to distance and communication issues; assumed lost. Freedom Walls start going up to protect cities.
  • Disease and immunity problems strike Europe; combined with a surging army of radioactive mutants from the south, the Imperial British (who are healthy and have effective weaponry) defend Europe from the hordes.
  • The J-33 Valet and Equerry System, an antique prototype for the modern autobutler, falls in battle and is stored in a Gearhaus family attic.
  • Benny the Broker does a booming business trading across the Kraken-infested seas, using his ability to move between any two fires on the surface of the planet.
180 Years Before
  • A faction of the Orbitals working to prevent the prophecy of Proctor Hel (known in shorthand as "the stars will fall") from coming to pass arrive on Earth to start studying its shift patterns. The group starts very small.
  • Europe unified under the banner of the British Empire, in exchange for rebuilding after the war.
100 Years Before
  • Hot war fades to cold war in America, as the Faerie Court and Eastusa territories become solidified.
  • The current Archmagus decides to start training human youth to use against the humans; unknown if the 'witch' persona she gives them is a mockery of American culture or part of Faerie culture. Witches become hated and feared in the Fringe, where they are used by the Fae to hassle settlers. The trend dies down somewhat after an initial flare in popularity but the program continues.
  • The Orbital faction now call themselves the Gatherers. They have decided the best way to fight the future is to gather the most powerful shift artifacts and imported cultural technologies; more join the cause, setting up secret caches and archives around the world.
40 Years Before
  • Saul Reinhold successfully defends the distant Eastusa stronghold of Austin, Texas against renewed efforts to claim the city.
  • Sen seven point one's parents join the Gatherers, bringing him with them. They operate an archive in Philedelphia. Sen, in his guise as Petersen, starts getting interest in Earth sociology.
20-0 Years Before
  • Senator Petersen elected to his first term of office. Pledges to find ways to peacefully resolve differences with the Fae; "The only way forward is together." It's an unpopular stance, but he manages to win re-election based on strong domestic revitalization agendas.
  • At various points, most of the future leaders of the world are born: Emily Moonthistle and Jesse in the Fringe, Scott in Austin, Una zero point one in Arcology #A076 (hovering over Eastusa), Nelliwyn Myfanwy in Florida. Chloe Manchester is born in a suburb of Eastusa. Overseas, Prince Edward IV is born, allegedly from a German concubine due to the age of his mother. Gilbert Gearhaus is born in Germany to a single mother, orphaned and taken in immediately by Gearhaus Heavy Industries.
  • Over the next two decades...
    Emily and Jesse:
    • Emily and Jesse join Lilith's witching academy.
    • Emily is drummed out the academy for refusing to help kill her own family; she decides to carry on witching in her great grandmother's traditions instead of Lilith's.
    • Jesse refuses to take part, but is simply mocked by her peers rather than ejected.
    • Emily and Yavain (SexyElf86) start Witchipedia, to help promote Emily's ideals and bust urban myths.
  • Scout:
    • Scott is adopted by Saul Reinhold and trained to join the Frontliners as a Scout one day.
    • Winterhounds attack the city of Austin, Texas. Saul dies. Scout is turned into a Winterhound.
    • Scout, unable to completely resist the Wild Hunt, tries to use it to find some sort of justice in the Fringe against the evil and corrupt.
  • Una:
    • Una's mother dies in an airlock incident.
    • As a 91%, Una finds no real true calling, beyond a passing interest in Biology and remains aimless.
  • Nel:
    • Nelliwyn is sold into slavery by her indebted father, to Lady Morgana.
  • Gilbert:
    • Is given aetheric steam treatments and intensive training in mathematics and engineering.
    • Discovers Jeeves in a dusty old attic and repairs him.

the first age

0 Years
  • The end of the First Age, and the beginning of the Second...
    • (a01 anachronisms) Emily, Scout, and Una team up to defeat "Lady Runeblade," aka Jesse. They do so by incapacitating her, without knowing this was her effort at getting in Lilith's good graces, rather than acting on Lilith's orders. They agree to seek out the source of the Orbital hypertech, against Councilman Lar's objections.
    • (a02 weapons) The group traces the techology leak to a PMC in Baltimore. Their attempts to learn more result in capture; Una is tortured at the hands of a sadistic merc. Emily pledges to help Scout overcome his Winterhound nature.
    • (a03 miracles) Next, the Twin Cities to the north are visited, where we meet Doctor Zee, an Orbital living in exile. His body clone and swap technology accidentally leads to a Wendigo incident.
    • (a04 reflections) In order to reach the source of the hypertech, the group must pass through Esrever's domain. As part of the bargain to get through safely, Una has herself copied into Anu, a Winter Court duplicate.
    • (a05 flowers) At the crash site of Arcology #BE12, the group realizes that the Orbitals may be causing the Pandora Effect in order to kill off worlds and stripmine them. This is given weight when on learning this, a self defense system shifts in a dangerous monster to try and kill them.
    • (a06 invitations) For tresspassing on Lady Summer's claim to #BE12, the group must attend a fancy and dangerous party at the House of the Rising Sun in New Orleans. Una befriends and liberates Nelliwyn Myfanwy. Emily defeats Lilith in combat and earns their escape.
    • (a07 challengers) The group meet the young elves of Florida, who are trying to blend Eastusa culture with their own. Kanthi F. Kennedy, current director of NASA and de-facto leader of the elves, arranges for the group to travel into space. Members of the Braid of Dawn, a Pro-Fae extremist group, tries to peacefully interfere with the launch. Nel's mother leads the group.
    • (a08 saviors) Arcology #A076 has been taken over by Councilman Lar, who is part of a conspiracy to murder and stripmine worlds so that the Orbitals never run out of fuel. He fills the Arcology with Optimists and tries to crash it into the planet. Lar also proves that he's mastered magic, using a Fae relic, one of the Five Tomes of Darkness. He's stopped and put into a coma, but the Arcology does land outside New Orleans. Lady Summer tries to use it to send her people home, but the World of Faerie is gone -- in order to seal the rift, the Faerie Queens sacrifice themselves, and abdicate their crowns to Emily. Scout becomes a Lion of Summer.
1 Year
  • Emily sets up shop in the House of the Rising Sun; she offers Lady Morgana the Las Vegas project in return for the mansion.
  • Queen Emily Moonthistle of the Faerie Court declares peace with Eastusa; says it's pointless to keep pretending they're at war when both are struggling just to survive on their own. Having a human running the Court gives Eastusa hope that this will work out. A pro-peace movement begins, pushing for diplomacy and reform.
  • Nel is delayed getting back to New Orleans, when her mother kidnaps and tries to deprogram her. In the time she's away, Una has fallen in love with Brell, a wandering elven bard.
  • Senator Petersen makes a bid for presidental candicacy, pushing for Fae peace and cooperation. Gets elected. Sets up the Anachronism Task Force, taking the remnants of the Faerie Artifact Control Team, and applying them to seeking supernatural elements in general... to funnel them to the Gatherers.
  • Overseas, Gilbert has a brief whirlwind romance with Penny Patel (really Penny Dreadful in disguise on a heist) and considers breaking free of his gilded cage. On learning of the war fleet being built using his invention, schemes to steal the prototype.

forsaken shores / the second age

2 Years
  • (sa01 bargains) Benny the Broker, having enjoyed two hundred years to make deals and jet-set and screw around, accidentally comes into contact with two things that disrupt his life -- the Key of Iron that will free The Mister, and Chloe Manchester. Manages to dodge both of them, abeit briefly.
  • Gilbert Gearhaus steals a luxury vacationer ship from his old teacher, to head overseas with the beacon prototype and keep it out of Empire hands. His life is running out and he expects to have some fun before dying.
  • Emily establishes the anachronauts (working title only, honest) to start to explore the dark corners of the map...
  • The journey to the Forsaken Shores...
    • (fs01 transitions) Jesse is revived, and revealed as being not quite as ruthlessly evil as assumed. Joins a new team with Una and Nel. First mission is to recruit Gilbert. Una breaks up with Brell.
    • (fs02 decisions) The newly formed team visit Las Vegas, where they run afoul of Lady Morgana and have to flee. They explore Los Angeles, and are tempted by The Mister, but manage to refuse him. A robot punches the devil, which is really awesome.
    • (fs03 originals) The anachronauts visit Seattle, which is actually a nanotech replica of the city. It's MOSTLY broken free from its programming; a lingering routine secures Nel as a 'military resource' in hopes of learning new shapes and styles from her. She's rescued, and finally begins her romance with Una, as she'd always hoped for. Meanwhile, The Mister makes a deal with the disgraced former Archmagus Lilith -- godlike power in return for freeing him and the sacrifice of her sister, Lady Morgana.
    • (fs04 getaways) Briefly the group is lost in a fantasy simulation of a theme park. They manage to shut down the vast computer that had many synthetically grown people held hostage in its virtual world.
    • (fs05 monsters) A presidental election in Anchorage, Alaska is being run by Elder Gods and Weird Things and other cosmic horrors. After mucking about in local affairs the team is confronted with and defeats Lilith, The Mister, and various Lovecraftian beasts. In the aftermath, Jesse manages to sacrifice some of her lifespan to give Gilbert more years, and declares her intent to marry him -- and something's odd about Jeeves and the steam inside him.
    • (fs06 beginnings) [REDACTED]
  • While the anachronauts are away...
  • (sa02 hunters) Emily and Scout meet with the Winterhounds, who have been largely directionless since the cruel and cold Lady Winter left them alone.
  • (sa03 students) The Witching Academy starts accepting new students, to learn Emily's style of witchcraft. Included are Melvin Tinker, Sylph Starlyte (real name Polly Pensworth), and Gwen Berners-Lee. They have to deal with some of Lilith's former experiments / prodigies, elemental-powered witches Salem / Sarah Tinker (fire), Ophelia (water), Sandy (stone) and Ariel (airwaves).
  • (sa04 brains) Member of the FBI's Anachronism Task Force, Elisa Morales, is sent by President Petersen to join a mission to Mexico. South America has been overrun by actual flesheating zombies, and they're sent to extract a survivor. The survivor turns out to be a zombie mastermind, and only Elisa and Scout escape alive -- along with the mastermind's daughter, Maria, who they manage to cure.
3-5 years
  • Susie Moonthistle, daughter of Emily and Scout, is born. She has a crown of flowers and her domain is that of Spring, right between Winter and Summer.
  • (sa05 wallflowers) Blog posts start showing up from a mysterious figure known as "Wallflower." These describe someone living under a dark prophecy, who apparently has been dead since before the posts began. References the Atlanta bombing by Federalists, a Pro-Human terrorist group, as well as the Orbitals before they were revealed to the world.
  • Chloe Manchester joins the FBI's Anachronism Task Force, recruited by President Petersen after she started having strange visions after meeting Benny the Broker.

london's fog

5 Years
  • (lf01 alliances) At a peace conference, President Petersen and Queen Emily Moonthistle reveal the existence of the Orbitals, and announce the Welcome Wagon program designed to reach out to overseas civilizations. At the same conference, Jesse and Gilbert are married. Chloe and Benny join the anachronauts, somewhat against their will.
  • The anachronauts are sent to explore London's Fog...
    • (lf01 alliances) The newly formed team heads overseas, but runs into trouble right away -- sabotage threatens to strand them over Kraken infested waters.
    • (lf02 tribes) Gilbert reunites with Penny Dreadful, his former girlfriend and captain of a sky pirate crew. Their nemesis tempts one of the pirates into selling them out to a tribe of radioactive mutants; they escape, but only thanks to Jeeves reactivating while downed, and Benny having a particularly rare and dangerous magical book, the Crimson Tome of Ur-Felrial, one of the Five Tomes of Darkness.
    • (lf03 parties) Locking horns with Randall Wellspring, an steampunk disk jockey, Gilbert enters a battle of the bands to get mission critical information. Meanwhile, Chloe tries to figure out if she's really an angel from heaven, Jesse uncovers two agents of the Gatherers, and Benny reconnects with an old demonic pal and realizes Chloe is his sister. In the end, Randall is forcibly recruited by Ik'ai to help defend his benefactor.
    • (lf04 gears) Gilbert's efforts to disrupt the factory producing warships is mostly for naught, as it turns out there are too many factories to shut them all down. Jeeves strangles Chloe, proving he was the sabotuer all along, although WHY isn't clear.
    • (lf05 equations) Chloe is saved at the last minute. Jeeves was acting on a voice he hears through the steam, someone apparently controlling Archangel Raphael, who is the true source of British steam. After stalling for awhile before proceeding to London, due to having no workable plan, the team arrives to find that Gilbert's masked antics as L'Anonyme in the factory have "gone viral" and started a countercultural movement.
    • (lf06 sacrifices) With the help of Jim and Bob of the Gatherers and Penny Dreadful, the team prepares to invade Buckingham Palace and free Raphael. They defeat the defenses set up by Randall Wellspring and Ik'ai. The truth comes out that Raphael isn't a prisoner so much as the warden AND the prisoner, having trapped himself here to try and bring order to one of the many Earths. Chloe / Cha'ai delivers her message at long last, sending Raphael home. She takes his place, with Benny acting as her agent, to keep her from being exploited. Prince Edward IV takes a liking to her.
  • (sa06 neighbors) Meanwhile, the Welcome Wagon project gets underway -- consisting of Una, Nel, Elisa Morales, and a Frontliner solider. They have very few successes. Japan's giant-monster riddled landscape tentatively welcomes them, Moscow's strange screaming denizens shun them, India turns its back on them and then dies soon after. The only success they find is in rescuing Carrie Lane, aka Astro Gal, a real life super heroine.
  • (sa07 children) Scout takes his daughter to work. Susie visits Los Angeles, where the FBI's Anachronism Task Force is making the city safe for human settlers. Unfortunately, Susie frees a copy of The Mister from his filmstrip prison. She manages to save the day, and the camera is sent to Sen's Gatherer archive, but this weaker version of The Mister may have escaped.
6-7 Years
  • Petersen does not win a second term of office. President Waller aka "The Freedom Wall" uses a pro-human isolationist platform to take the Oval Office. Petersen gracefully bows out and vanishes from the public eye. The FBI ATF is disbanded; Elisa Morales is transferred.
  • Welcome Wagon II is underway, a more heavily armed and trained group. It has about as much success as its predecessor but with more overall missions, eventually gets a few major successes.
  • (sa08 futurists) With power supplies dwindling, Kas of Arcology #A076 looks for a solution and finds a way to recycle Mass Capacitors using Faerie magic. Shaman Tillman and her new friend Yew help out. Tillman notes that the magically recycled batteries feel more "alive" than the "dead" ones made from bloodily decieving and stripmining planets. Kas is nearly killed by the Braid of Dawn and Federalists, both of whom appear to be supplied by the same conspiracy that Lar was working with. An agent of theirs who was holding Kas's efforts back notes "the stars will rise".
  • Now that their power solution has been solved, using a Lunar Arcology and the tag team of Esrever and Anu, Orbitals start migrating outward from #A076 to revamp and reenforce Eastusa cities. Their technology is applied first to civic engineering, communications, and medical applications.
10 Years
  • The United Nations is re-founded in New York, based on the work of the Welcome Wagons. America joins, despite President Waller's reluctance to continue the program started by his predecessor.
  • The charter UN members are America (with representatives from Eastusa and the settlers of Westusa), the Faerie Court, the British Empire, Orbital Arcology #A076, the Kingdom of Atlantis, the Allied Clans of Japan, and an unnamed representative from Russia. Several representatives from Australia and China have stepped forward claiming to be the one true voice of their people but the investigation and admission process is ongoing.
  • (sa09 heroines) Carrie Lane, after years of therapy in #A076, starts trying to live her life again. Una and Nel act as her legal guardians as she attends school in Atlanta, commuting via a teleportation henge. She uncovers a theft of Gatherer artifacts and works to recover them and stop the villains who are abusing them. In the process, the world is introduced to Astro Gal, superheroine.

stars fall

15 Years
  • (sf00 the overture) Files are created, including Kas's personal logs, detailing the continuing problems the Orbitals are facing -- the inability to create efficient new capacitors, and the inability to find largely uninhabited alternative Earths. Meanwhile, someone assesses the threat posed by those who have emerged in the last decade.
  • (sf01, sf02, sf03...?) The stars will fall.
?? Years
  • According to Emily's visions, the world ends in ice and fire, cracked in two, with her and Scout alone forever. (???)
??? Years
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copyright 2011 stefan gagne