by Marcus L. Rowland
Copyright © 1993, revised 1998
This is the first of a series of science fiction source packs, aimed mainly at users of table-top role playing games, but also of interest to SF fans and scholars. It is not a computer game; I am simply using computer distribution as an alternative to printed publication. If you have obtained it on the understanding that it is software, you are STRONGLY advised to ask for your money back.
Before looking at the rest of this document, I recommend reading the two Kipling stories, With The Night Mail and As Easy As A.B.C..
Scientific romances were the ancestors of science fiction. Many of these works are now difficult to find, but they contain a wealth of invention.
These stories were usually set in the future, as it was then visualised, and often had a strong Utopian flavour. The Victorians and Edwardians generally saw technological progress as a blessing that could only bring good. Pollution and over-population were only just becoming a problem, easily ignored by most writers, and the future seemed sunny. Kipling is an exception in this respect; while the world of the A.B.C. stories is prosperous and peaceful, it's apparent that this has only been achieved at enormous cost.
The world portrayed in most futuristic scientific romances was full of wonderful inventions. Some have been achieved, some look bizarre or quaint today. For example, the A.B.C. stories feature some very dubious aerodynamics, but they also mention air traffic control and parachutes, radio, radio-controlled vehicles, and other inventions which were either imaginary or in their infancy when the stories were written.
Alert readers will notice an interesting example of misguided prediction in several scientific romances, including the A.B.C. stories: airships, battleships, and even spaceships that are equipped to fight by ramming their opponents. This "prediction" can be found in Well's The War Of The Worlds [1897] (the torpedo ram Thunder Child defends a refugee convoy), Griffith's Honeymoon In Space [1899] (the spaceship Astronef rams several Martian airships), and With The Night Mail [1905] (historical airship battles were fought by ramming and pithing). The explanation highlights the perils of assuming that things will remain unchanged.
During and after the American Civil War naval armour was better than naval artillery. Smaller ships of that era were built to ram and fire torpedoes at close range, because that seemed the best way to damage larger enemies. One battle (Lissa 1866: Austria v Italy) was won by ramming. The Thunder Child was based on a real torpedo ram, the only one of its class ever built; Kipling and Griffith simply extrapolated these tactics into the air and space. The era of naval rams ended with the development of armour-piercing explosive shells, but news of the change seems to have been slow to reach many authors: you'll still find spaceships using ramming tactics in science fiction stories written in the nineteen-thirties!
Leaving technology aside, another common feature was social prediction. Sometimes the story promoted a particular moral or political system, and the background would be slanted to show this belief in the best possible light. At other times the author wanted to deliver a warning; these futures were much darker, and sometimes (unintentionally) extremely amusing to readers of a later era. Some of the more extreme attacks on female emancipation fall into this category.
The First World War saw such scientific horrors as trench warfare, tanks, and poison gas, exploded the idea of technology as a sure recipe for an Utopian future, and made it clear that change wasn't necessarily going to improve things. By the end of the war the Utopian novel and scientific romances in general were in decline.
The final blow came when science fiction was established as a separate (and disreputable) literary ghetto. Many excellent authors suddenly discovered that most of their markets were refusing to publish speculative stories, or decided that their reputations would suffer if they continued in this field. Early science fiction plundered the ideas from scientific romances, usually without acknowledgement, and reduced complex ideas to simple action plots which were often inferior to their predecessors. For many years SF historians ignored all work done before Gernsback's invention of "scientifiction" in 1926, and many excellent works were ignored or forgotten.
Today the distinction between SF and the scientific romance is becoming blurred, especially when viewed by observers outside both fields. All speculative writing tends to be tarred with the SF brush, and consigned to a ghetto whose sole occupants (to outsiders) are Tolkien and Star Trek. Within the SF community the "steampunk" SF movement is starting to re-visit some of the better-known Victorian themes, but a good deal of excellent or influential work remains virtually unknown.
One of the aims of the Forgotten Futures project is to make the complete text of selected works available to a wider audience. Kipling's stories may not have been the best starting-point from this point of view, because they have recently been re-printed; John Brunner's excellent collections "Kipling's Fantasy" and "Kipling's Science Fiction" were published while this worldbook was in preparation. In extenuation it should be explained that the stories are personal favourites, that some of the early work for this collection was done more than five years ago, and that I have been able to include some material omitted by Brunner.
The author of Forgotten Futures is British, as was Rudyard Kipling. American readers will occasionally notice that there are differences in spelling and use of language between our 'common' tongues. If that worries you, you are welcome to run documents through a spell checker. Please DON'T distribute modified versions.
Kipling used Imperial measurements of length and power in the A.B.C. stories; feet and inches, miles and horsepower. To retain the flavour of the stories these units have been used wherever possible. Some types of calculation, most notably sums relating to volume, weight, and the lift of airships, are particularly awkward in Imperial units, but extremely easy using metric units. For this reason some sections, most notably the parts of section 5 which deal with dirigible technology, use an uneasy mix of metric and Imperial measurements.
Readers who are unfamiliar with the British (and American) system of weights, or with pre-metric British currency, will find the awful details in Appendix A of the rules.
This collection is a source for game referees, and most sections contain notes for use in these games. A few sections (most notably, most of the sections on aviation and other forms of technology) are written mainly for the game. The Forgotten Futures rules are recommended, but you are welcome to use the game of your choice, and add game statistics to fit its rules. No one will complain provided you don't try to publish a modified version of these files!
The A.B.C. stories contain many statements that, taken in isolation, are difficult to interpret. Kipling wanted to show a future where there were significant changes, while leaving most of the details to the reader's imagination. He was also a very self-critical author, inclined to cut his prose if it did not advance the plot. This is especially obvious in the case of "As Easy As A.B.C.", where it seems likely that significant background detail was cut.
The "historical" background poses some problems, especially contradictions in dates between the two stories. With The Night Mail, set in 2000 AD, implies a world of peace and plenty, while As Easy As A.B.C. (2065 AD) mentions famines that apparently occurred in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. I've tried to reconcile these statements as best I can, but still found it necessary to set some events a little later than I would prefer.
For the purposes of this pack events started to diverge from real history shortly before the First World War, which was longer and even nastier than the real thing. Some details carry over from our version of history, most notably the influenza epidemic of 1918-19, which in the A.B.C universe was made much worse by the events of the war. Later events are invented to 'firm up' the background, or extrapolated from the information in the stories, slotted in around the few dates Kipling mentions. I've tried to show how a few key discoveries and events might have changed history to the extent described by Kipling, but it should be remembered that Kipling may have had completely different ideas. The history below, told from a viewpoint in 2066 AD, doesn't distinguish between the different grades of data.
This file includes many other extrapolations. For example, With The Night Mail contains paragraphs which seem to indicate that its principal characters have a firm belief in reincarnation. This might be a religious belief, an indication that Buddhism has come to influence Western thought, but it's expressed so strongly that I have chosen to interpret it as a certainty, something that is generally known and has been proven beyond all reasonable doubt. Some of the reasons for this certainty, and consequences, are described below.
Critical analyses of the A.B.C. stories have suggested that the world Kipling invented is everything from an anarchistic paradise to a fascist dictatorship; I have assumed that it is somewhere between a Libertarian society and a Meritocracy, a reasonably benign capitalist system driven by the needs of trade and industry, but section 3.4 discusses some alternatives.
Kipling wrote in a period when science was going through rapid changes. X-Rays, radioactivity, and several new elements had recently been discovered, electrical engineering was advancing, and the Wright Brothers had just shown that heavier-than-air flight was possible. It seemed certain that more discoveries were waiting in the wings. Fleury's Ray (With The Night Mail) was probably inspired by X-Rays, or possibly by the French 'N-Ray' debacle of 1903. Remote controlled vehicles and other electrical phenomena (As Easy As A.B.C.) may have been based on the work of Tesla. The prominence of radium in these stories also owes much to the attitudes of the era; at this time radiation was generally considered to be a good thing, and rival health spas advertised the radioactivity of their waters!
The behaviour of some technology (most notably Fleury's Ray and Gas) will be strange to modern readers, who have the benefit of eighty years more scientific development. I have chosen to try to explain these devices in ways which cause the minimum conflict with known scientific laws, but in several instances have been forced to cheat outrageously to make things work. Kipling was occasionally a little too specific about the design of his 'digs, and matching the technology of the stories to the real world of densities, volumes, and horsepower involves some major headaches. The 'dig design rules, in particular, do not relate very well to the world as we know it.
Materials technology also caused a few problems. If you check the advertisements in With The Night Mail you'll notice a curious blend of old fashioned and modern materials. I've assumed that some old names are used for new substances - for example, that papier-mache propeller blades are actually made from a cellulose-based synthetic.
Extrapolation from these stories, and the accompanying articles and advertisements, has suggested a range of possibilities, from weather control to death rays. It should be emphasised that in most cases these ideas are inferred, or based on a few words, and may not have been in Kipling's mind when he wrote the stories.
I have previously published two short articles about the A.B.C. and its world, which appeared in Games Review Monthly in February and March 1990. They contained assumptions which I now feel were incorrect, as well as numerous errors and omissions which have now hopefully been corrected.
The Kipling Society provided some information on the A.B.C. stories. In particular one article, "The Dominion of the Unstable Air" by Donald S. Lopez, which appeared in The Kipling Journal (March 1982), proved very helpful.
The "historical" sections of this file owe a lot of their style to two sources; Olaf Stapledon's "Last And First Men", and Stableford and Langford's "The Third Millennium". My thanks to all concerned.
John Brunner's excellent collection "Kipling's Science Fiction" includes extremely useful notes on the historical background of the A.B.C. stories, Kipling's beliefs and politics, etc., and some of this information has found its way into this document.
The Encyclopaedia of Science Fiction contains an article on Kipling which suggested large chunks of section 3.4, "Alternate A.B.C.s"
Finally, and most importantly, Terry Pratchett helped me immensely with preliminary scanning and OCR of the Kipling stories; the subsequent 'pruf redding' is entirely my fault!
I have been unable to include some important items. I would be pleased to hear from anyone who can help me to add them to future releases, if they are not covered by copyright:
With The Night Mail was originally published in McClure's Magazine in 1905, then as an illustrated chap-book by Scribners in 1909. I have also seen references to a Doubleday printing of 1909, which may include the same pictures. I've only seen a small copy of one picture, which wasn't clear enough to scan; anything better would be greatly appreciated.
MacDonough's Song has been set to music by Leslie Fish.
Documents were typed using Borland's Sprint word processor, then exported to ASCII format.
Graphics were mostly modelled using Zing, a 3D presentation program, then exported to Micrografx Photomagic for final editing and effects. Art from Walnut Creek's "GIFs Galore" CD-Rom was used for backgrounds in a couple of pictures; unfortunately the original photographers weren't credited - thanks, whoever you are.
This list defines these terms as they are used in the A.B.C. stories, or in the material that follows.
Notes
[Extracted, with permission, from "Transportation And Civilisation" by Rowena Dell, Oxford University Press 2066]
In the early twentieth century the development of airships and aeroplanes (heavier-than-air flying machines, now obsolete) promised to usher in an era of change; no-one foresaw that these changes would eventually sweep away most institutions and governments. As we now know, "Transportation Is Civilisation"; change its speed and range and you change every aspect of civilisation.
Seen from our vantage point in the late twenty-first century, the events of the past century and a half seem to be an inevitable progression. We wonder why men made such idiotic mistakes, and telescope ideas and events which were actually decades apart. Sloppy scholarship and badly-researched fiction don't help. A recent cinematograph film, "The Madness Of Crowds", is a particularly flagrant case in point; supposedly set in the early years of the Great War, it showed cargo-carrying submersibles which did not exist in that era, and featured a daring chase in a bat-boat of a type first built in the late nineteen-sixties!
To fully appreciate the recent past, it's necessary to set these events in context. Perhaps it's advisable to look first at the early history of a tragic era, and trace the steps which led to the current state of affairs.
"...He was long on Kings. And Continental crises. I do not pretend to
follow British domestic politics, but in the aeroplane business a man
has to know something of international possibilities. At present, you
British are settin' in kimonos on dynamite kegs..."
The origins and events of the World War are so remote from modern civilisation that a larger work is needed to cover their complexities. In brief, the governments of Europe had made complex alliances, an interlocking web of associations and obligations that were supposed to ensure peace but were in fact guaranteed to precipitate warfare if any two states came into opposition. Inevitably this occurred.
Shortly before the war an event of crucial significance to aviation occurred; it was to have a profound effect on the conflict. In 1913 Germany tested anti-submarine mines in the shallow waters of the Heligoland Bight, a sheltered area of the North Sea. After one explosion alert sailors noticed that the sea was covered in burning bubbles. The gas flow continued for several hours, and a brave seaman (whose name has unfortunately not survived to be recorded in this account) rowed to the edge of the disturbance, then swam underwater to collect the unburned gas. Chemists analysed the samples, finding methane (98%) and a mixture of other gases. Roughly a quarter of this remainder was helium, which had previously been found only in tiny quantities associated with uranium deposits, and as a smaller fraction of the gas associated with American oil wells. It should be remembered that at this time natural gas was considered a nuisance by the oil industry, and released or burned.
The Germans thought that there might be oil below the gas, and made plans to mine it. Coastal gun batteries were built to protect the area, and a crude underwater drilling rig (actually a form of pile driver) was deployed in the early months of the war. By this time it was clear that helium could be important to the new military science of aeronautics and the growing German air fleet, so the Germans started to ship the gas ashore while continuing to look for oil. Meanwhile German organic chemists, at this time the best in the world, were developing self-sealing synthetic rubber membranes which could contain the evasive helium molecules. Liquefied methane was a necessary by-product of helium production, and was used as fuel; hydrogen 'digs were also converted to methane fuel.
Helium 'digs were immune to the effects of incendiary ammunition, unless a lucky shot penetrated their well-armoured fuel tanks, and their crews need not worry about sparks and flames. They could spend time at comparatively low altitudes over their targets. The 'dig Kaiser Wilhelm had survived nearly three hundred bullet and shrapnel punctures before it was finally destroyed, others endured even more damage.
The Kaiser Wilhelm first flew in June 1915, and attacked the British fleet in July and August. Only one ship was seriously damaged by its relatively small bombs, but the Germans apparently believed that they had destroyed at least three dreadnoughts; this miscalculation was encouraged by British agents, and may have affected German tactics in the Battle of Jutland.
Strong German aerial support, including the use of chlorine and other toxic gasses sprayed from the air, ended the stalemate of trench warfare, and the Germans made rapid advances into France. After taking horrific casualties the remnants of the British forces fell back to coastal positions, with volunteers staying behind to harass and delay the Germans while their comrades were evacuated. Eventually Germany was left in control of most of continental Europe, and a long war of blockade and attrition began. This defeat, and the work of German agents provocateurs, sparked disorder in many areas; most notably rebellions in Ireland, India, and Russia.
The Irish rebellion was the shortest and least successful; with hindsight it is hard to imagine how anyone could have expected it to succeed under any circumstances. The rebels were no real match for Ireland's police force, let alone the regiments of combat-hardened troops that had returned from Europe and were available to suppress them. Approximately ninety rebels died in two weeks of fighting. Ironically, most of the troops who suppressed the rebellion came from loyal Irish regiments.
In India the depleted garrison forces were greatly outnumbered. A dozen different mutinies, launched for as many reasons, smouldered through the war and on into the nineteen-twenties, causing devastation followed by famine, and leaving the way open for plague. Britain simply waited until the native forces were too weak to put up any effective resistance, then regained power by default. Afterwards there were claims that the British government had encouraged the spread of Spanish Influenza (see below) to India, but this seems unlikely; British troops probably carried the disease to India, but were the first to succumb to it.
The Russian army was unable to put up any effective resistance to the Germans, and suffered horrendous casualties. In 1917 a "soviet" (political organisation) led by the pacifist Kerensky seized power and immediately sued for peace. The move was popular in Russia, and delighted the Germans, who gladly accepted a complete Russian withdrawal to new borders which conceded nearly a hundred thousand square miles of territory.
Russia spent the rest of the war as a neutral, wholly concerned with internal affairs. Historical theorists believe that a majority of Russian conscripts would have joined the so-called "communist" uprising later that year if Russia had still been at war; as it was, most remained loyal and it was easily repressed. A series of reforms restored political stability until the mid-twenties, when a schismatic faction of the Russian Orthodox Church seized power. The reign of terror which followed has been extensively documented, and is beyond the scope of this article; suffice it to say that it kept Russia off the global political and military stage until the late nineteen-forties.
At the end of 1916 the land war in Europe was effectively over, although combat did continue in the Balkans, Middle East, and Africa. The war at sea had culminated in the battle of Jutland, a British victory which left Germany with a greatly reduced surface fleet. The German U-boat fleet was still active, and achieving some success, but Admiral Churchill and his staff developed new tactics (most notably the use of hydrogen 'digs to spot and bomb U-boats, combined with wireless links to surface vessels) which greatly limited their effectiveness. One German survivor (picked up from the U-boat which was rammed by the liner Lusitania) claimed his craft had been bombed four times in a week. Meanwhile German Zeppelin 'digs were making near-nightly attacks on Britain, and Britain had no 'digs capable of surviving prolonged hostile fire. Britain did have a growing fleet of heavier-than-air 'planes, which were used for defence and to make pinprick attacks on Germany, but their capacity and range were much too limited for serious offensive use.
Naturally British scientists and spies discovered many of the secrets of the German "terror weapons"; eventually Britain had its own helium 'digs. The first was HMA Nimrod, built in part from materials salvaged from the wrecked Kaiser Wilhelm, which flew in January 1917. Its maiden operation was a successful raid on the German drilling rigs, which hampered German 'dig operations for several months. At first Britain purchased helium from America, where there were numerous natural gas wells; later Germany denounced this as a breach of neutrality, and the USA was forced to end the trade, but by then Britain had its own supplies. Naturally America continued to extract the gas and use it for its own air fleets and civilian 'digs; Britain gave America full details of helium 'dig construction as part-payment for the gas. Several times in 1917 it seemed possible that America would be forced to enter the war, usually on the British side but once (after the accidental bombing of the American Embassy in Berlin) on the German, but each time this danger was averted.
By 1918 both sides were locked into what promised to be a long war of attrition, with air raids and battles between the opposing 'dig fleets the main form of combat. Allied fire raids had devastated large areas of the German countryside, and German reprisals had shattered many British cities. The British blockade was slowly strangling the German economy; there were no major sea battles, but the German dirigibles (now equipped with better armour-piercing bombs) kept the British fleet on the move and prevented its use to cover an invasion. Britain had its own helium sources, gas wells at several well-camouflaged sites on the South Coast, and both sides were developing chemical weapons and bombs of devastating lethality. Perhaps it is fortunate that the first Plague ended the war. As should be obvious, this was a mixed blessing.
The first modern Plague, known then as Spanish Influenza or 'flu, spread across Europe and the Balkans, then into the Middle East, Russia, and Asia, in the winter of 1918-19. At this time a high percentage of the soldiers and civilians on both sides were undernourished, injured, or suffering the effects of exposure to chemical weapons. In every corner of Europe hundreds of thousands of homeless refugees lived under conditions of appalling harshness. Years of blockades and short rations and a bitterly cold winter left little natural resistance, and this combination of disease and weakness proved lethal.
At first Britain seemed to be immune from the 'flu, spared by its isolation, but soon troops on leave carried the disease home from the Balkans, and others took it to India, Asia, and Africa.
The war effectively ended in March 1919, when the complex German supply organisation collapsed. Five years of war and military occupation had stretched it beyond all reasonable limits; as a result of the bombing and plague there weren't enough bureaucrats left to keep things running. For several weeks the German armies in the field and in occupation went unpaid and unfed. Many thousands deserted. Vast numbers of Allied prisoners of war simply walked home, easily escaping from guards who were too weak and disorganised to stop them; naturally there were appalling casualties, but eventually France, Belgium, Holland, and the other occupied countries were back in the hands of their own governments, and British soldiers were coming home in their thousands. The British government hoped to turn them into an effective fighting force and launch an invasion of Germany, but the Zeppelin fleet still posed enough of a threat to veto this idea. [For reasons then unknown the flyers of both sides came through the plague with few fatalities. We now know that prolonged exposure to high altitudes improves the body's ability to resist disease.] In any case Britain's own resources were stretched to breaking point, and an invasion could not have been sustained.
Eventually the Swiss government, backed by America, arranged the details of the peace. The terms were simple; all the combatants were to withdraw to pre-war boundaries, and there would be no reparations or reprisals. Colonies and other possessions that had changed hands were to be returned to their "rightful" rulers, the original colonising power; this phrasing naturally annoyed many Americans who resented European colonialism and found it convenient to ignore the continued use of former American Native lands, and the fact that America had its own colonies in the Pacific.
Meanwhile the plague was still raging across Russia and the Middle and Far East, and the first cases were occurring in India, Africa, and America. The epidemic continued until 1926, with sporadic outbreaks in 1927-9, then subsided. It is estimated that more than a hundred million died in this one epidemic, which eventually spread to every nation on Earth.
Once the firing stopped, both sides set to work repairing the ravages of war and (unfortunately) preparing for future conflicts.
The post-war period was notable mainly for the rapid growth of merchant aviation. By the late 'twenties more than two thousand civil and private 'digs were registered in Europe and America, a thousand more worldwide. The hydrogen 'dig was already obsolete; the last example of the type was an ex-French 'dig sold to the Turkish Army, which burned at its moorings in 1927. The first peacetime use of 'digs was the supply of food and medical aid to areas where the normal network of roads and railways had broken down. At first this was seen as a short-term measure; later it became apparent that 'digs were often a cheaper and faster alternative to surface vehicles. By the end of the 'twenties 5% of cargo was travelling by air; mostly perishable goods and other items which needed speedy transportation. This figure effectively doubled every decade, eventually stabilising at approximately 74% in the late sixties.
This era also saw a craze for 'plane construction, often with disastrous results. 'Digs had to be built by large teams of skilled craftsmen, using tools and materials that were already well-tried; by comparison, any fool could assemble a simple 'plane in his garage, and thousands did so. Unscrupulous entrepreneurs sold kits of parts to totally unqualified amateurs, who had little or no understanding of the laws of aerodynamics and made fatal mistakes in the assembly of their "kites". The tragic results could and should have been foreseen. Eventually the sale of these kits was banned in most countries, and stringent licensing laws stopped the most unscrupulous manufacturers, but the image of the 'plane was already fatally tarnished. Despite frequent attempts to revive the concept, and the fact that 'planes were then a good deal faster than 'digs, their safety record, short range, and limited cargo capacity doomed them to a minor role in sports and other leisure activities, and to eventual extinction as their performance was exceeded by 'digs.
One final trend in 1920s transport was the first use of submersible cargo vessels. Several governments had suffered the political effects of prolonged naval blockades, and were determined to be seen to be taking steps to prevent a recurrence. The first submersibles were little more than water-tight surface ships with the ability to submerge for short periods. In practice they could rarely avoid surface attackers, let alone 'digs, but they were erroneously perceived as being a good deal safer than surface craft. New types of battery and engine later extended their speed and range, while streamlining and other techniques (mostly copied from the 'dig industry) allowed improvements in size and performance, most notably in the 'thirties and 'forties. Needless to say, these developments were paralleled by improvement of military submersibles, which at their peak in the late forties mounted firepower as devastating as any destroyer of the World War.
No discussion of this period should fail to mention the work of Barnes Wallis and Nevil Shute Norway, two great 'dig designers whose work, from the 'twenties to the early 'sixties, was a major influence on the whole world of aviation. Wallis developed geodesic hull construction to a fine art, and made great strides in reducing hull weight without losing strength, while Norway's work on aerodynamics literally halved the power needed for a given speed, and paved the way for Magniac's later designs.
Military development of the 'dig was also proceeding, behind veils of the strictest secrecy. Merchant 'dig manufacturers were providing a steady stream of innovations, mostly leading to extensions of range, speed, and cargo capacity. Government scientists used these devices, but the main emphasis was on improved firepower, and "secret weapons" of varying degrees of efficiency.
Historical records make it clear that the major European governments created the series of crises which began in the 'thirties, largely as a cynical means of manipulating their citizens. Insofar as it is possible to understand the mob rule called "democracy" which then controlled much of the world, it appears that the populations of Britain and Germany generally felt that they had been cheated of rightful victory, while the French felt that they had been "betrayed" by Britain, and that Germany hadn't been punished sufficiently. There was also strong resentment of America and Switzerland in all three nations. At the same time there was a sentiment against war, on the grounds that another major conflict would cause as much or more damage. Most "citizens" had somehow been induced to hold all of these views simultaneously.
Always sensitive to the manufactured moods of their "subjects", and desperate to retain power, the governments of Europe began to prepare for war while loudly decrying their enemies' warlike tendencies. For example, French Cabinet papers of the period discuss a series of measures which might provoke a war between Britain and Germany, which was expected to result in the emergence of France as the strongest power in Europe. Germany hoped to foment unrest in the British and French colonies. The British government seems to have pinned its hopes on a strong Anglo-American alliance, with the apparent intention of embroiling America in any future European war; while these intentions never bore fruit, the contacts forged in the twenties were later crucial in the establishment of the A.B.C.
All of these nations, and many others, prepared for war by increasing the regimentation of their populations. Everyone was registered, filed, recorded, and indexed. Fingerprints, photographs, and other personal details were kept by the authorities, and it was impossible to travel or buy any of a vast range of strategically important materials (such as petrol) without showing identification. Naturally there was a black market in forged papers and rationed goods.
The thirties and early forties were notable for a series of small wars which achieved little and would be tedious to list. Typically one of the major nations would interfere with the affairs of a small country, then another major nation would intervene to "protect the interests" of the threatened state. Usually this led to a series of aerial battles, damage to two or three cities in the beleaguered state, and withdrawal when both sides realised that neither had a deciding advantage. The Balkans and smaller Eastern European nations suffered particularly badly in these incidents.
By 1945 it is estimated that twenty million had died, without any decisive result. There were still apparently profits to be made from war, in loot and in its stimulation of industry, but any impartial observer could tell that they were becoming increasingly futile. There was increasing reluctance to risk more losses, regardless of "national pride" or "patriotism", and pacifist movements gained many new members. Naturally these organisations were heavily infiltrated by secret police, spies, and foreign agents, and it is remarkable that they achieved the little that they did.
As if to emphasise the futility of human conflicts, another influenza epidemic swept across Europe in the early 'forties. This time losses were initially light, because the privations of the Great War were absent in many areas, but the epidemic lasted much longer than the 1919 outbreak and eventually caused nearly twelve million deaths, mostly amongst children and the elderly.
The Fates that are so careful to shut the doors of each successive
life behind us had, in this case, been neglectful...
While most of Europe was concentrating on the carnage of the "Little Wars", a crucial spiritual development went largely unnoticed. At the end of the nineteenth century evidence was already suggesting the possibility of some form of afterlife. After the World War there was intense interest in this subject, mainly amongst the millions who had lost relatives, friends, and lovers to the war or the plague.
In 1934 sceptical scientists at Cambridge conducted the first comprehensive study of mediums under controlled laboratory conditions. The researchers prepared a hundred sealed and numbered packs, each containing objects belonging to the dead, all carefully screened to ensure that minimal personal details could be learned by normal means. For example, pack 45 contained a man's handkerchief without initials or other markings, a silver pocket watch without inscriptions, and a pair of reading glasses. All had belonged to an airman killed in 1916. None of the scientists who were present knew who had owned the contents of each packet, and the numbering was randomly changed twice (by different hands) between preparation and use. Over twelve days a team of four mediums successfully named the owners of forty-three of the packs, gave accurate descriptions of another twenty-four, and correctly stated that six were still alive. Five of these last six were "controls", prepared from the possessions of students and friends of the researchers, the exception was a sailor who had erroneously been recorded as dead but was subsequently found to have emigrated to New Zealand.
Unfortunately this experiment coincided with the abortive Spanish invasion of Gibraltar, and the subsequent short-lived occupation of Spain by Britain, which diverted public attention from its results. Allegations of fraud which clouded the issue are now known to have been engineered by the university authorities, who were (correctly) alarmed by the religious implications of the experiment. Psychic studies languished in obscurity until the late 'fifties, when the Cambridge work was taken up by American scholars, and finally received the attention it deserved. Experimental proof of reincarnation followed in 1965, leading to our present knowledge of these matters, and drastic changes in most religions. This is discussed in more detail below.
The disruptions to merchant aviation caused by the "Little Wars" gradually became a problem affecting all nations. Britain, in particular, was already heavily overpopulated and depended on trade for survival and raw materials. Most of the other global powers were similarly dependent on a steady stream of goods. By the late nineteen-thirties most of Europe and America, and parts of Africa and India, were covered by the first Lights; at this stage they were little more than an extension of the existing lighthouse network, and no more powerful, but it was already clear that any disruption could be disastrous. For example, four 'digs from as many nations were lost after an avalanche destroyed two of the Alpine Lights. Two were lost when the Gibraltar beacon was smashed by the Spanish invaders.
At this stage Lights were administered by national governments, but in many cases this was obviously nonsensical; some of the European beacons could be seen and used from four or five countries, and the range of visibility was gradually increasing as Lights became more powerful. Leaving them under local control, when so many governments were unstable or threatened by war, meant a continual risk of chaos.
In 1949 Britain and America, and their colonies and subject states, set up the Aerial Board of Control. It was initially supposed to be an administrative convenience, but gradually evolved into the global authority we know today. The A.B.C. initially had the following functions:
It soon became apparent that the A.B.C. could only function if it had the power to enforce the regulations it published. In 1952 the initial treaty was extended to allow the A.B.C. to operate its own vessels, which would be used to "enforce traffic rules" within "the areas controlled by all member nations". This extension adds the now-famous words "..free movement of traffic and all that it implies.", which are now generally seen as the keystone of A.B.C. policy.
The first of these vessels was H.M.A. Intrepid, a British gunboat, soon joined by 'digs from America and Canada. These first 'digs belonged to the A.B.C. in name only; in practice they were still operated by the states that owned them, and the A.B.C. presence on board was often no more than one or two officers. This proved to be an extremely uneasy compromise which led to several cases of favouritism, officers ignoring the activities of their own nations while finding reasons to impede vessels of other nations. There were also allegations of corruption at higher levels. These incidents led to a revision of the Board's constitution, and institution of the present system of appointments. These changes were intended to limit the Board's political power, but actually had the effect of concentrating power into the hands of a meritocracy, men who had genuinely been chosen for their intellectual capabilities rather than their political allegiance.
The problem of ship ownership was ended in an unexpected manner; scientists working for the A.B.C. invented the radium battery, and the first year's profits from this one discovery paid for eight purpose-built patrol ships, five Mark Boats, and personnel to man them.
By 1955 the A.B.C. was a truly international organisation, its mandate extending over most of Europe, North and South America, the British Empire, and the empires of the other colonial powers. Russia was added in 1960, when the chaos which followed the death of Rasputin III had subsided, China (temporarily) in 1964, and Japan and China (finally) in 1967. This astonishing rate of growth was mainly due to the real advantages of A.B.C. membership, and the penalties (most notably tariffs and bureaucratic red tape) suffered by non-members when trading with the A.B.C. nations. Governments of the member nations viewed the growth with considerable alarm, but were unable to find any reasonable alternative. Efficient 'dig travel was vital, and Lights and traffic control were essential; there was simply no way around it.
In 1964 Fleury's Gas and Ray were patented by Pathe, the French photographic giant, and the efficiency and speed of 'digs were transformed. The French government somehow failed to realise the importance of the patents and classify them as secret, and they were published in all the A.B.C. nations. By 1967 most A.B.C. 'digs were converted to the new system.
1967 is also notable as the year in which war was finally acknowledged to be unprofitable. For decades increasingly desperate demagogues had attempted to justify unspeakable horrors by appeals to national pride, xenophobia, and sheer greed. It was usually argued that war was a major force for economic expansion, and that the winning side reaped many rewards, from loot to increased industrial productivity. In 1967 the brilliant economists Lennon and McCartney, of Liverpool University, systematically proved that no war of the twentieth century had truly been profitable; even the British conquest of Spain, which at first sight seemed successful, had led to disrupted trade, inflation, and a decline in the true standard of living.
While there was initially a popular notion that this "discovery" meant an end to war, this was far from the case. War was an important tool of the power-mongers and they had no intention of giving it up, even if it proved ruinously expensive. The A.B.C.'s control of trade was seen as a major obstacle to war, but paradoxically the A.B.C. had no mandate to intervene in events which did not disrupt trade. As a direct result, the late 'sixties saw the ludicrous "stopwatch" wars, fought to strict timetables to prevent A.B.C. intervention. Tragically, the A.B.C. was not then able to disarm national governments, and many thousands died in these futile conflicts.
Scientific studies of spiritualism languished in relative obscurity for more than thirty years. Throughout this period a succession of rogues and charlatans tried to capitalise on the implications of the work, notably by founding cults which seem to have been aimed largely at parting the rich from their money.
The new scientific frontier was reopened by a Professor Rhine in 1956. Although his early experiments suffered from inadequate controls, procedures were soon tightened to prevent any possibility of fraud. The famous "Sensory Deprivation Seances" of 1962-64 triumphantly proved that survival after death occurred, though details remained unclear; there was obviously some form of afterlife, but there was equally compelling evidence for reincarnation and the existence of active spiritual entities, called ghosts in earlier eras. The "ethereal vortex" model proposed by Rhine in the early 'seventies accounts for most of these phenomena, and Hawking's experiments in the eighties and nineties clarified the details to a point, but seventy years later there are still hopes for a more comprehensive explanation.
The world's religions had, of course, watched these experiments with great alarm. Most faiths believed in some form of spiritual survival, but were poorly prepared to deal with scientific proof of the matter. The discoveries emerging from America conflicted, in one or another respect, with most forms of dogma. Even Buddhism and Spiritualism suffered in this spiritual crisis, and other religions fared far worse. Catholicism emerged particularly badly; the Pope unwisely made a series of premature pronouncements on these matters while the research was continuing, and was widely derided as they were proved wrong. The doctrine of Papal infallibility never recovered from this blow, though of course many millions still remain faithful. The Protestant church and Judaism did a little better, but every major religion had its share of senior clergy who seemed to be unable to avoid foolish statements through the period of uncertainty.
Today we appreciate that death is simply part of a natural order of rebirth and regeneration. We die, spend an indeterminate period in the Ethereal Vortex, then are reincarnated for our next cycle of existence. Ghosts and other "psychic phenomena" are simply eddies in the vortex, shaped by unusually powerful minds or emotions, and are more often created by the living than by the dead. God's involvement in this process is assumed, but not proven; we have seen a tiny glimpse of the infinite, but dare not assume that we have all the answers.
Throughout the twentieth century the cyclic pattern of war, famine, disease, and recovery went almost unnoticed.
As the threat of war diminished, the population of most major cities increased enormously, and even more regimentation was enforced. An average "citizen" of this era was probably recorded in dossiers held by fifteen or twenty different departments. Every aspect of daily life was on file; criminal record, taxes, medical details of the most revolting intimacy, licences and permits, and so forth. If anyone stepped out of line, the governments of the day were ready to find a dozen excuses to restrict their illusory liberty. No one could be quite sure what was kept in his files, but everyone knew that the files existed. Essentially it was a system of state-sponsored blackmail, made worse by the hypocritical claim that it was done for the good of "the people" and "the state". The author apologises for use of these words.
The population increase was swollen by the immense strides that had been made in medicine, extending human life expectation above eighty. Though diseases related to overcrowding were widespread, they were rarely fatal, and patients (especially those in glacial sanitoriums and other isolated areas) added another burden to the planet's resources. The global population at the end of the 'fifties was approximately 2500 million, and rising fast. In 1968 and 1969 harvests were poor over most of Europe and America. By January 1970 food demand was beginning to outstrip production, as predicted by the philosopher Malthus in 1798.
By now the global distribution system was so efficient that a shortfall in Europe might be answered by a shipment from New Zealand, Africa, or Outer Mongolia. This efficiency was its undoing; it meant that shortages were suddenly felt everywhere, not just in one or two areas. Hoarders and speculators began to stockpile food. Although no-one knew it, a critical turning point had been passed.
Almost overnight an abundance of food became a famine. While the A.B.C. tried to organise fair rationing schemes, national governments began to cut out of the system in a futile attempt to "protect their citizens" (actually, of course, their own interests) at the expense of neighbouring states. Several governments decided to grab their "fair share" of food from countries that were in equally dire straits. The first shots were fired in February 1970, by the end of March half the world was at war.
In the following month more than 20% of the world's population died, mostly as a result of the use of nerve gas, rays, and other weapons of mass destruction. By the end of the year this figure had risen to 50%, with plague and riot taking their savage toll. Some cities vanished completely, burned by their inhabitants. Politicians were assassinated or lynched. Record offices were burned to the ground. Finally "the people" had noticed that their governments were responsible for most of their ills, and were taking drastic action to ensure that it would never happen again. MacDonough's Song, the well-known (but rarely performed) rabble-rousing hymn to anarchy, dates from this era.
The full horrors of the 'seventies have been documented elsewhere, and make painful reading even today. Suffice it to say that the A.B.C. gradually restored food supplies and order; if national governments had not interfered, it could have done so before anyone starved. The crisis is generally reckoned to have ended in 1975. The population of the world was then approximately eight hundred million (as near as could be estimated in conditions that were still chaotic).
Outbreaks of disease, and localised famines, continued into the early twenty-first century, but there were relatively few casualties. Humanity had learned its lesson, and there was little chance of another global disaster.
By the end of the nineteen-seventies most national governments were running again, though in a very restricted form. Usually the only officials were civil servants, their powers greatly restricted, and a few ceremonial figures (such as the Kings of England and Belgium) with no real power. "Politicians" were virtually extinct; indeed, the American humorist Ellison proposed setting up a "wild life sanctuary" in Washington to ensure the survival of the species. Thousands of old laws were abandoned; they had mostly been needed to regulate the affairs of overcrowded cities, and were irrelevant to the new circumstances of the human race.
The final results of this decade were a huge reduction in population levels, and a strong (and entirely justified) dislike of politics and crowds. Self sufficiency became the ideal; the population of most cities plummeted, and those who still preferred urban life took good care to ensure that they maintained an ample store of food and other essentials.
Essentially the situation remains unchanged to this day. Our modern civilisation is primarily rural, and even the largest towns are sparsely populated; today London has fewer inhabitants than in the seventeenth century, and they are spread over a much larger area! Improved roads and cars, and the ubiquitous 'dig, are mainly responsible for this diffusion. Modern horticultural methods make it possible for a family to live on the produce from a few acres of land, while automation, cheap electricity, and the use of remotely-played cultivators allows anyone to farm with a minimum of effort. The last London census showed that 87% of homes were self-sufficient in water, and 55% were self-sufficient in food; it can be assumed that most of the remainder maintained ample stores, or belonged to commuters who made their primary residence elsewhere. Note that only 58% of known residents returned the census forms!
Many of the madnesses of the past are virtually forgotten. Today it is hard to believe that our ancestors were prepared to kill for political or religious belief, or (just as absurdly) because of nationality or skin colour. We should be thankful for our sanity, and pray that these ridiculous aberrations will never re-appear.
One worrying trend has been a steady slow decline in population, which may be related to the common prejudice against crowds. Although we are all free to travel, surprisingly few choose to do so, and the percentage drops a little every year. We avoid crowds, and travel invariably involves some degree of crowding. This means that populations may be becoming isolated and inbred. It is not yet clear if this is a permanent trend, but it is known that the A.B.C. is investigating the matter. Findings have yet to be announced.
From this account it should be clear that the development of our global civilisation is mainly due to the evolution of the 'dig, and to the social changes that followed. To quote the A.B.C. motto, 'Transportation is Civilisation'. We have near-perfect transport, and it has led to a form of civilisation which is far superior to that of our ancestors. It is hard to imagine what the world would be like if the 'dig had never been invented, or had never succeeded; perhaps we would all fly aeroplanes instead, and matters would otherwise be unchanged, perhaps we would have seen an end to war half a century earlier. Perhaps the human race would have lapsed into barbarism and anarchy. Speculation about these events is futile.
2000 AD sees the world of the A.B.C. at its best; a tragic century is ending, and the network of global industry and commerce is at its peak. War is almost forgotten.
Nations still exist, but they are "governed" (for want of a better word) by civil servants with very limited powers, who maintain the few organisations that can't be run as businesses or charities. Most of the business of diplomacy and statesmanship is obsolete; almost all of the tiny residue is handled by the A.B.C.
Currently all but a handful of nations belong to the A.B.C.; the main exceptions follow:
The society typified by the A.B.C. represents the ultimate triumph of the Victorian work ethic; industry and trade create wealth, and wealth creates new industry and trade. Surplus profits are used to improve everyone's lot. No-one seems to be poor, apart from the patients aboard a charity-funded lunger and the owner of a tramp 'dig, who is poor only in comparison to other 'dig owners. Commerce is the main driving force in the world, far stronger than politics or religion. The articles accompanying With The Night Mail show this very clearly. It's notable that a 'dig that rips the roof off a house is dealt with by the civil courts, other aviation offences are handled by the A.B.C. in its role as regulator of transport, the nearest thing to a criminal court in the story.
The implications for employees are less cheerful. With the exception of charities, there are no equivalents of socialised medicine or welfare. If you are ill, you lose pay until you recover (unless you have insurance to cover your wages). If you lose your job, find another or start queueing at a soup kitchen. These problems aren't as bad as they might seem, since people are rarely ill and the world's economy is booming; everyone needs more staff, and will train applicants who lack relevant experience. Working hours are short, and wherever possible shifts are flexibly timed to suit the individual.
The "official" currencies of the A.B.C. are UK pounds and US dollars, both based firmly on gold and permanently locked at an exchange rate of one pound to four dollars. The Canadian and Australian dollar and Indian rupee are also locked to the pound sterling, and thus indirectly to the dollar, other currencies are stable but subject to slight fluctuations in value. Inflation is almost nil, and currency speculation is seldom profitable. Prices are extremely stable, and taxes very low; typically under 5%, with minimal efforts made to collect them.
Credit cards are unknown. A store might give a particularly valued customer a credit account, but there are no national or international credit systems. This is mainly because the information needed to run them could not be gathered without invading privacy; even if this were not the case, computer technology is limited to punch-card machines, calculating engines, and a few huge valve-based prototypes. A global credit network would have to be run by telegraph and ledger, and would be impossibly cumbersome.
The global transport system is running at peak efficiency, and the skies are crowded; the catalogue of 'digs and submersibles encountered in one flight includes four other postal packets, at least eight or ten liners, a tramp, a "disabled Dane", a drogher, a Mark Boat, several deep-sea freighters, a lunger, several furriers, fruiters, beef boats, ore-flats, petrol-tankers, and grain carriers, with dozens more seen but not named. The whole world is over-illuminated by the A.B.C.'s Lights; in many areas it is hard to see the stars at night.
Journalism is declining. The prejudice against invasion of privacy is very strong; investigative reporters are almost extinct, other journalists limit themselves to simple reportage. For example, a 'bat racing magazine might have an article about new racing rules, or an authorised interview with the current champion. It won't carry a muck-raking article about graft in the racing board, or a headline story about the sex life of the current champion. Journalists have been lynched for less.
The city is already outmoded, made near-obsolete by decreased population and improvements in transportation. The few city centre slums that survived the wars and the Malthusian crisis have been demolished, their occupants moved to the suburbs. No-one wants to see crowds or disease again, so housing is spacious, and each house stands in its own grounds. The largest cities exist mainly as commercial, industrial, and cultural centres; only hardened urbanites want to live there! Smaller cities are either depopulated or still in use because of some special feature, such as academic eminence. For example, Chicago was a boom town in the twentieth century, but had nothing to offer that couldn't be found elsewhere. In 2000 AD it's a city in decline, by 2065 it will be a quiet country town. Over the same period London's population density also declines, but mostly because it is spreading out over progressively larger areas.
'Planes are still in use, and have an edge in cheapness and speed over the 'dig, but they are generally regarded as uncomfortable and dangerous, and running costs are high. Their image is like that of high-powered motorbikes, speed boats, and sports cars in our own society. 'Planes are marketed as passenger and sports machines, but there are few commercial 'plane services. Even this limited popularity won't last, as 'dig speeds improve; by 2065 the 'plane is extinct, a victim of technological obsolescence. Bat-boats are seen in a kinder light; no-one attempts to sell them as anything other than a toy for the rich, and as such they succeed very well.
Technology routinely available in this era include radio, pollution-free nuclear power (the gas/ray system used in 'digs is also the basis for gas turbine power stations), a variety of plastics, synthetic gemstones, high-capacity fuel cells and batteries, and all the apparatus of flight. Nearly all vehicles are electric; 'digs and submersibles use Fleury's Gas and Ray to generate electricity, smaller vehicles use radium and helium "batteries" (the word is an archaic survival; they are actually sophisticated fuel cells), which can store vast amounts of power indefinitely. Oil is still used, sometimes as an emergency fuel but more usually as a lubricant and as the basis for industrial chemicals. Although not mentioned, the gadgets referred to in As Easy As A.B.C. may already exist in this era. Some devices common in our world haven't been invented, or are rarely encountered; these include domestic television, electronic computers (big and only found as experimental prototypes), radar (still experimental), and radio-navigation (very limited and inaccurate). See sections 5 and 6 below for more details.
There may be female members of the A.B.C. Board (see section 3.0), but women are still seen mainly as wives and mothers, and in supportive roles like nursing. The story mentions several; "little Ada Warrleigh" the racing professional, an anonymous woman aboard a tramp 'dig, a "pretty girl" aboard a Planet liner (or possibly another reference to the woman from the tramp), Captain Purnall's daughter, nurses (presumably female) on a public lunger, and (in the book review) the wives of Lavalle and the Mayor. Only the first is a notable public figure, and it's significant that she is a sportswoman, not an administrator or executive.
Psychic research has produced one of the biggest changes. People no longer have a primitive fear of death; they don't fear Hell or extinction of their souls because they know that they will be born again. This doesn't mean that they are suicidally brave, since death means an end to the current personality. Mediums, and the techniques developed by science, make it possible to get a sketchy idea of a subject's previous life, but that doesn't do the previous incarnation much good. See section 7, Death And Beyond, for an overview of this field.
All homes are lit and heated electrically; power is cheap and abundant, generated by pollution-free Fleury turbine stations. Global warming isn't a problem, partly because weather forecasting is an exact science, and partly because of low population and pollution.
Electricity generation is best handled by large companies, but no-one wants to be totally dependent on them. Most homes have an emergency supply, usually a few radium or helium batteries, ready to cut in if the mains are interrupted; larger buildings and farms usually have their own generators. Similarly, most homes have their own water tanks, fed by wells or gutters and water filters, and a secure food store. Cars are electric, and are usually capable of speeds in excess of 100 MPH, with a range of several thousand miles between charges. Electric motorcycles have been built with the same performance, but they are unpopular in a world where most people expect to live more than a hundred years; the only readily-available models resemble electric bicycles, with top speeds around 35 MPH.
Families tend to be closely knit, and make much of their own entertainment. Every house has its piano or harmonium, and a good selection of family games. Domestic radios and phonographs (record players) are common. Stereo sound has been invented, but the equipment is expensive and unpopular. Most scientifically-minded boys build their own G.C. receivers, and spend happy hours listening to 'digs and other aerial traffic. Television is not found in the home; it was popular in the last years of "The People", and was a major tool in the manipulation of public opinion. Afterwards no-one wanted to revive it.
Most forms of public entertainment still exist, but auditoriums and stadiums are built to minimise crowding. Instead of rows of seats, most provide less rigid arrangements, with screens or strategically- placed potted shrubs used as psychological buffer zones between small groups of seats. Often these arrangements include tables and food service. Of course there are always exceptions to such sweeping statements; some theatres, especially music halls, try to maintain the atmosphere of earlier eras, and still keep rows of seats.
The largest places of entertainment are the great halls at Earl's Court (Kensington) and the Crystal Palace (South-East London). Both are used for exhibitions and concerts. Earl's Court also hosts indoor sporting events, while the Crystal Palace is famous for its firework displays, generally considered the finest in Europe; Earl's Court is surrounded by houses and can't compete for safety reasons. Generally Earl's Court caters to popular tastes, the Crystal Palace to more "highbrow" activities, but there is a good deal of overlap.
A typical citizen of this age (incidentally, the word "citizen" is VERY bad taste, and never used in polite society) usually lives near his workplace, but may commute hundreds of miles by 'dig (occasionally by 'plane) or car on one of the uncrowded roads, roughly comparable to the motorways and freeways of our own world. He doesn't commute by train - passenger railways no longer exist, apart from a few tourist lines. There's a good chance that his work will be related to transportation or the 'dig industry, if only at third or fourth hand, but it's a mistake to assume that everyone is passionately interested in aviation - as a comparison, many people in our "information age" are bored by computers.
For recreation he may be interested in sports, but he probably doesn't follow football (whether American, Rugby, or Soccer) because these games submerge the individual players within the team. Generally people prefer sports that emphasise individual excellence or skill. For this reason cricket is still as popular as ever in Britain, and is now played everywhere in the English-speaking world (which includes most of India, Africa, and Asia); there is a good chance that the Hawaiian team will win the Ashes this year, and it has replaced baseball as America's most popular sport. Baseball is still moderately popular in America, but has never succeeded elsewhere. For those who prefer mechanised sports, 'bat and 'plane racing are particularly popular, with motor racing (now all-electric) still fighting a gallant rearguard action in third place. Horse racing, polo, and other equestrian sports are as popular as ever.
The wife of our "typical citizen" (do NOT use this phrase in her presence unless you carry smelling salts) probably spends her day tending to home and garden, visiting friends, or shopping at local stores. Women don't need to spend much time on housework; technology has led to many advances in the home, not least the development of recyclable fabrics and automated tailoring machines which make most forms of laundry work and mending unnecessary. These and other domestic improvements are discussed in Section 6, on technology, below.
On the subject of shopping, it should be mentioned that supermarkets and other large-scale food suppliers have never become popular, since everyone prefers diversification; if one market takes care of all your needs, your freedom of choice may become restricted, and you will experience major problems if something goes wrong with its supplies. If ten shops supply your needs, the range of products stocked should be greater, and it's unlikely that all of them will be affected by a single breakdown. Large department stores do exist, but are not as common as in our own world, and there is no equivalent of a shopping mall. Mail order catalogue sales are very popular, especially in isolated areas.
As an example of daily life, here's an extract from the diary of Brian Snelgrove, a G.P.O. postal clerk resident in East Sussex and working at the Highgate receiving tower in London:
Thursday, December 14th, 2000
Only managed to get eight hour's sleep - knew we shouldn't have had
that bloater for supper. Weather good but will be rotten this
evening. Blow should end before I leave work, I hope. Kippers for
breakfast - lunch really, since I'm on late shift. Martha served mate
instead of tea, said she thought I could do with a change. It's
apparently all the rage with the smart set, but I wonder if they
usually have it with kippers! Mowed lawn and did a few jobs around
the house. Must remember to check water tank for leaks: we should
have about 15000 gallons under the front lawn, the gauge says we're
below 9000. Car booked for 50,000 mile service and new radium
battery, will drop it in at garage on way to work.
Later: 5.30 'dig was four minutes late, due to strong winds. Should have allowed for them when they posted the timetable! Will complain to 'Dig Co. when I pick up next season ticket. Sat next to George Perkins, a nice chap but he will keep chatting about 'plane racing and his last incarnation. Very boring, but now that Watson has retired there's no-one else I know that still likes football - not that there are any decent players these days. Got to the sorting office in a bad mood, then Jones called in and said he was ill; third cold in four years, poor chap, and of course he loses four or five day's pay every time he's ill! Robertson is still on his management course, so Geary wants me to go out on the coach for the Quebec packet. Telephoned Martha - she's not very pleased, it means I'll miss afternoon tea with the vicar tomorrow. Not all bad then....
Friday, December 15th, 2000.
2 AM: Really foul storm, serves me right for thinking ill of the
vicar! Have spent most of night in flickers. Barlow wanted to play a
few hands of rummy when we'd finished sorting, but the cards kept
falling off the table. I keep telling him to get a magnetic pack,
they only cost three bob. Broke vacuum bottle while I was pouring
tea, nearly damaged a few bills. No great loss to the world if I had
ruined them, but very unprofessional, especially when there's a
reporter aboard! I think he may have seen the cards, hope he doesn't
mention it in his article.
7 AM: Storm over, got three hour's sleep in the end. Arrived Quebec early morning, will be flying back tonight. That reporter is stopping on here for a few days, so with a little luck we'll take it easier on the way back - I do hope so, I'm still feeling a little queasy from last night, and the lobster the night before! Forecast good for return journey, but must remember to buy some travel sickness tablets....
The years around 2000 AD are a good era for role playing, because the dynamic of society favours expansion and new discoveries. Technology is improving rapidly, and fortunes can be won or lost in new industries. Some nations still don't belong to the A.B.C., so exploration and exploitation still offer interesting possibilities. Older people remember the "good old days" and horrors of the twentieth century, and may have some surprising stories to tell. The first Forgotten Futures adventure is set in 2001. Here are more ideas:
More game ideas for this era can be found in later sections. For the sake of simplicity it's best to assume that in 2000 AD most people feel mild unease if they are exposed to crowds, but do not immediately suffer a phobic reaction; by 2065 the aversion to crowds is much stronger. Some optional rules for this phobia can be found in section 2.3 below; if you wish to use them in 2000 AD, please feel free to do so.
Take the world of 2000 AD, throw in a few more famines and epidemics, and wait sixty-five years. More cities have been abandoned, and the prejudice against crowds and invasion of privacy is MUCH stronger. Game rules for this prejudice, treated as a phobia, can be found below.
Nations are obsolete. The world is run, quietly and with minimal intervention, by the A.B.C., and no-one else wants the job. Most people are apathetic about anything outside their own family life, and candidates with the temperament for public office are in very short supply.
The global transport network is still operational, but the volume of traffic has declined; the only 'digs mentioned are the "keels" of the A.B.C. Fleet - this is understandable over Illinois, which has pulled out of the system, but less explicable over the Atlantic or Britain.
Avoidance of crowds has paid off; most forms of violent crime are virtually unknown. In Illinois, where this prejudice is particularly strong, there hasn't been a newspaper since 2038 or a murder since 2043. This assumes that the authorities know everything that's going on, which may not necessarily be the case. Neighbours who are determined to mind their own business could be an ideal cover for a serial killer, or for domestic violence.
'Planes are no longer manufactured, since 'digs now out-perform them in every way. All the other technology mentioned in With The Night Mail exists, or has been replaced by better alternatives. Gadgets which are definitely in use by 2065 AD include ground circuits (force fields), remote controlled vehicles, flying loops (tractor beams), and surfacers, road making machines which can literally melt rock. Radio has improved, with voice communication at all ranges and much clearer reproduction of sound. Commercial television is still out of favour. Radar is still experimental, and Lights are still the main element of navigational systems. Accurate navigational computers and moving-map devices are in common use, but are still essentially mechano-electric, not electronic.
With the decline in the birth rate, the importance of motherhood and the general status of women has greatly improved. We only see two women in close-up in this story, but both are confident and proud; a farmer's daughter who is willing to take on the flagship of the A.B.C. fleet with a five-plough cultivator, and a "laughing woman" who is prepared to suicide to defend her children from the ideas of "Serviles".
Most people now expect to live at least a hundred years, and average height is now 6ft 6in (2 metres); the "Serviles", averaging less than 6ft, show signs of ill-health and are "as grey-haired as the ravaged, harassed heads of old pictures", their faces showing unmistakable marks of stress and emotion. Improvements in diet, better medical care, and avoidance of crowds, disease, and stress are the main reasons for this change, but eleven hours sleep a night is part of the price paid for good health. Although one or two late nights won't do much harm, most public entertainment now ends by ten p.m. at the latest.
It's hard to engage public attention and overcome the customary dislike of crowds, and this is proving a real problem for the entertainment industry. The horrors of the past are often good box office, but soon pall; impresario Leopold Vincent mentions a successful re-creation of a complete railway train, but a rival's attempt to show "primitive" life with sewing-machines, maypole-dances, and cooking on coal-gas stoves was an expensive failure. Domestic entertainment hasn't changed much, but classic theatre is in decline (too much emotion is displayed, and most of the events portrayed are too remote from everyday life), while cinema is mostly limited to documentaries and musical spectaculars. Most of the events that make for good cinema no longer occur, and the excesses of history are too violent to attract a large audience.
Kipling shows us a rural area, but there is an implication that the scenes he describes simply emphasise conditions found in most areas. All of the apparatus of trade and transportation still exists, but is somehow remote from everyday life. People are apathetic about society, and less inclined to travel or spend much time away from home.
As Easy As A.B.C. begins with a question; "Isn't it almost time that our Planet took some interest in the proceedings of the Aerial Board of Control?". If you asked a hundred people in 2065, fifty or so would refuse to answer on the grounds that you had no business asking, most of the rest would just say "no". To quote Kipling again, "Easy communications nowadays, and lack of privacy in the past, have killed all curiosity among mankind". Attention is devoted to family and home, with very little left for national or international events. Think of life in this era as 'The Waltons' with 'digs, remote-controlled cultivators, and perfect weather forecasts, and you won't go far wrong: "Well, John-Boy, looks like the South Forty will be hit by hail on Thursday afternoon. Better start gathering the harvest today..."
A typical Illinois family lives on its own farm, using cultivators to maintain the land. Farms were often looted during the famine eras, and their occupants have learned to take precautions against any repetition. Each farm is hedged in by a thick belt of artificially- aged forest, which should prevent mob intrusions. Ground-circuits, originally designed as cattle fences, are also used to deter intruders, and as a last resort a five-plough cultivator can do a lot of damage. Typical equipment for a farm includes a generator, usually based on a small Fleury turbine system, water purifiers and tanks, and well-protected food stores.
Children attend school in the nearest town, picked up and dropped off by the school 'dig. Their parents own their own cars and trucks, more prosperous farmers may own 'digs, but it's more usual to have produce picked up by a commercial shipper. Each farm has a landing slip, of course, usually a meadow fitted with guide Lights and some bollards for anchor cables.
"In a big city there's bound to be a few men and women who can't live
without listening to themselves, and who prefer drinking out of pipes
they don't own both ends of. They inhabit flats and hotels all the
year round. They say it saves 'em trouble. Anyway, it gives 'em more
time to make trouble for their neighbours. We call 'em Serviles
locally. And they are apt to be tuberculous."
While most people are content with their quiet lives, there will always be a minority who can't accept the status quo. The problems posed by "Serviles" are mainly a result of the freedoms of this era. "Citizens" of earlier eras were used to propaganda, and had a limited ability to withstand or ignore it; modern people lack this capacity, and tend to take things literally. When they hear someone preaching something that they know to be lies and dangerous nonsense, their natural response is anger. For their part, the "Serviles" honestly believe that they have been deprived of a say in government, and refuse to admit that the whole structure of society has retreated from anything resembling democracy. Police forces and mayors still exist because people see a need for them, and a few people actually like that sort of work; if they are seen to be abusing their positions an average farmer simply returns home, refuses to contribute to local funds, and waits for them to mend their ways.
The crisis depicted in As Easy As A.B.C. is extremely unusual, a once-in-a-lifetime event that is unique even in the experience of most members of the A.B.C.. This incident excepted, life in this era is comfortable, predictable, and a little dull - not necessarily an Utopia, but close enough to keep most people happy.
In this era dislike of crowds is very strong. If you wish to use this within the game, a special characteristic roll may occasionally be needed. Characters must use MIND against a Difficulty number to stay calm when crowded:
| Situation 50-100 people 100-200 200-500 500-1000 |
Difficulty 2 3 4 5 |
| Modifiers: | |
| Per 1000 additional people Confined area Relaxed, happy atmosphere Tense atmosphere Violent atmosphere or events |
+1 +2 -2 +2 +4 |
Reactions to a failed roll should include anxiety or panic attacks, fainting, running away (possibly triggering a stampede by everyone else who has failed to stay calm), or violence, at the discretion of the referee.
Panic apart, this is a boring era for gaming. Society is stable, and has lost a lot of the dynamic that made 2000 AD so interesting. There are a few possibilities, but they aren't mentioned in As Easy As A.B.C. or implicit in the nature of society. For example, there might be a global Democratic conspiracy, but there is absolutely no evidence to support this idea. Here are a few simple ideas; most of them can easily be adapted and used in a campaign set in 2000 AD:
Given the information in the two A.B.C. stories, it's hard to predict what will happen next. Obviously 'digs will continue to get faster and better, and the technology of aviation will improve in all respects. Unfortunately there are fundamental limits on the speed of all propeller-driven aircraft, and a complete rethink may be needed to approach or surpass the speed of sound.
Space travel ought to be possible, but appears not to have been developed in the period covered by these stories. Any advances in this field must wait on the development of powerful rocket engines or some other form of propulsion, and is outside the scope of this worldbook.
The population decline predicted in As Easy As A.B.C. is probably the biggest threat to stability. If it continues many of the remaining cities will probably fall apart, their residents dispersing to the countryside and smaller villages. Without urban centres some essential services may be unavailable; efficient medical care is one obvious possibility, but commercial organisations may also suffer. If there is an underlying medical reason for the decline, Pirolo will probably find a cure eventually. If it is a disease of the psyche, recovery may be more difficult.
Could there be another bout of madness? Perhaps, but it seems unlikely. The A.B.C. monitors the world very carefully, and will intervene to stop anything that threatens stability. For example, steps will probably be taken if global population levels ever approach those of the nineteen-sixties again. Only one organisation seems likely to trigger the public dislike of "authority" again, and that is the A.B.C. itself. Fortunately all A.B.C. policies are firmly against anything that might be construed as "leadership"; the A.B.C. is generally perceived as a neutral arbiter, and while it remains unbiased there is little risk of any real opposition.
...that semi-elected, semi-nominated body of a few score persons of
both sexes1, controls the Planet. Transportation is Civilisation, our
motto runs. Theoretically we do what we please, so long as we do not
interfere with the traffic and all it implies. Practically, the A.B.C.
confirms or annuls all international arrangements, and, to judge from
its last report, finds our tolerant, humorous, lazy little Planet only
too ready to shift the whole burden of public administration on its
shoulders.
With the Night Mail
1The words "of both sexes" are omitted from this passage when it is quoted in As Easy As A.B.C., and it is the only point in either story which admits that women might have any role in the operation of the A.B.C.. This may be accidental, or a simplification of the text, but it is possible that Kipling had second thoughts about the matter before writing the second story.
The A.B.C. is essentially a police organisation which has accidentally acquired some of the trappings of government without ever really wanting them. The table that follows shows the principal committees and their responsibilities within the Board, but it is greatly simplified, since the areas of responsibility of the committees frequently overlap. Even when responsibility seems to be clearcut, it should not be assumed that this precise scheme will always be followed; while the A.B.C. maintains excellent discipline, there is a good deal of flexibility, and someone who is nominally of low rank may give orders to a "superior" in appropriate circumstances.
| Traffic | Control stations | Lanes and Levels |
| Mark Boats | ||
| Lights | Engineering | Installation |
| Operation and maintenance | ||
| Planning | Publications | |
| Scientific | Meteorology | Weather bulletins |
| Survey | Maps and charts | |
| Standards | Publications | |
| Research | Aeronautic Department | |
| Medical Department | ||
| External researchers | ||
| Patents | Publications | |
| Accident Investigation | ||
| Legal Affairs | Licencing Bureau | Examinations & Certification |
| Courts | Publications | |
| Treaties | ||
| Administration | Personnel section | Discipline & Promotions Board |
| Financial section | Payroll | |
| Auditor's Office | ||
| Training | Colleges and Schools | |
| Examinations & Certification | ||
| Fleet | Planning office | Publications |
| Construction | Engineering | |
| Material & Supply | ||
| Operation | Planning | |
| Logistics | ||
| Towers & Docks | ||
| Publications | Books | Sales & Distribution |
| Charts | ||
| Miscellaneous Publications |
14_insig.gif shows A.B.C. insignia and some commercial logos.
Election to the Board is one of the few processes which still involves something like democracy. Members are nominated to represent geographical areas, but must be voted into office by existing Members of the Board. There are usually between 100 and 120 Members; the exact number varies as terms of office end and new Members join.
The procedure is reasonably simple; whenever the seat representing an area falls vacant, interested parties (national governments, educational, scientific, and commercial groups) are asked to suggest replacements. Usually there is a list of four to six possible candidates, who will be invited to stand for election. Some refuse; the names of the remainder are put before the Board. Each candidate is voted on separately; Members can vote for or against, or abstain if they have no opinion. The votes cast against each candidate are subtracted from the votes cast for the candidate. To be eligible, a candidate must have a modified final score representing at least a third of the Board's possible votes. The candidate with the highest modified score is elected, if anyone still qualifies - sometimes there are no survivors. The maximum term is five years, but a two-thirds majority of the board can dismiss a Member at any time, and naturally all Members are free to resign. Members may NOT be re-elected after resignation unless they spend at least five years out of office.
For administrative convenience the Board is permanently based in London, with regional offices in every member nation. This upsets those who believe that this gives the Board a pro-British bias, but a fixed base is simply less trouble than rotation between several sites. In any case the Board's job is administration, not pandering to public sentiment. Realistically, an organisation that regulates trade and transport might as well be based in one of the strongest trading nations. An artist's sketch of the Thames, with the A.B.C.'s Whitehall mooring tower behind the old Houses of Parliament, is shown in 21_ABCHQ.GIF, while its location is shown on the map 19_LONDN.GIF
Members of the Board do not receive a salary, but are paid expenses and receive a number of "perks", such as use of Board 'digs and priority over all other vessels. Members are expected to serve on various committees, whose responsibilities are described below. There are six to ten Members on each committee; documents emanating from the committees are usually signed by the Chairman and two deputies.
This key committee is responsible for the safe operation of traffic and all it implies. It is responsible for the allocation of Lanes and Levels. Traffic control is handled by ground controllers, based near some District and all Main Lights, and by Mark Boats. Vessels of the Fleet are often assigned to patrol the busier lanes, or set to watch areas with a poor accident record, and act as traffic police. The main rules governing routing and levels were agreed by the 1949 London Conference, which established the A.B.C.; for obvious reasons they are usually known as the Conference Rules
See the magazine accompanying With The Night Mail for activities of the Traffic Committee.
A technical committee responsible for the operation of all classes of Light. Their installation, and to a large part their operation, is carried out by the engineering department. Local and Guiding Lights are almost always automatic, powered by local power sources or radium batteries, while District and Main Lights are based on a variation of the Fleury turbine system and need constant attention. These installations are often combined with ground control stations, meteorological offices, G.C. transmitters, and other facilities. The committee decides what types of Light will be used at a given station, and ensures that the choices are suitably publicised.
See With The Night Mail and As Easy As A.B.C. for the locations and details of Lights. See the following .gif files for graphics:
This committee oversees the diverse scientific projects run by the Board, or by civilian organisations with Board funding or guidance. Their most important areas of responsibility are meteorology, and of course the preparation of daily weather forcasts, and continual preparation and updating of maps and charts by the survey organisation. Research is naturally very important; the A.B.C has its own departments for aeronautics and high-altitude medicine, and encourages or funds university studies and commercial work in many other fields.
The scientific committee sets most of the standards used in aviation; officially approved frequencies and flare colours, propeller power ratings, and so forth. These are regularly published and amended. One long-term goal in this process is conversion to metric units, which would greatly simplify most work. In 2000 AD this process has just begun.
The A.B.C. runs an international patent system. A.B.C. patents are recognised by all member nations, and operation of the system naturally gives the A.B.C. early warning of any interesting or threatening discovery.
A final responsibility of this committee is accident investigation; while 'dig accidents are usually survivable, there are often important lessons to be learned from a wreck. A.B.C. accident investigators often work closely with insurance organisations, but (officially) great care is taken to ensure that there is no commercial bias. In practice Lloyds and the A.B.C. are on very good terms, which may occasionally lead to a conflict of interests; see section 4.3 for details.
The advertisements in With The Night Mail mention several A.B.C. scientific publications and A.B.C.-approved devices.
This committee superintends the A.B.C.'s traffic courts; under exceptional circumstances it will over-rule an unfair decision, but it has no obligation to do so. It is also responsible for the licensing of 'dig drivers and other personnel, and for granting certificates of airworthiness, both essential if a craft is to be insured. Note that an unlicenced driver may legally fly an uncertified 'dig without insurance; everyone involved risks liability and enormous expenses if there is an accident, but a few idiots do it every year.
This committee also oversees most of the international treaties to which the A.B.C. and its member states are signatory. These include postal and customs pacts and the 1949 Conference agreements.
Decisions of the traffic courts are mentioned in With The Night Mail.
This committee supervises the day-to-day operation of the Board. It is responsible for recruitment and salaries, for training, and for purchasing of all materials the Board needs, from pencils to 'digs. It also audits the other departments.
As an airborne organisation the A.B.C. needs a considerable number of 'digs; more than a hundred Mark-boats, several hundred fast patrol boats (which, assembled, constitute the Fleet seen in As Easy As A.B.C.), and hundreds of other craft, from small cargo carriers to gigantic research vessels; in 2000 AD there are even a few 'planes! Details of some of these craft can be found in section 5. The Fleet committee is responsible for the day-to-day management of these 'digs, their deployment, and their construction.
It is generally assumed that the Fleet can cope with any military problem that is likely to arise, but intervention by such a vast force may not always be the best answer to every difficulty. It seems likely that the A.B.C. has an intelligence arm, possibly run by the Fleet Committee, but this has never been confirmed.
The A.B.C. currently has no ground or naval forces. There are skeleton plans for such forces if they are ever needed, but putting them together in a hurry would be an organisational nightmare.
A Mark Boat is seen in action in With The Night Mail. Most of As Easy As A.B.C. is concerned with the actions of the Fleet in 2065 AD. The following graphics files show vessels of the Fleet:
This committee is responsible for the A.B.C.'s substantial publishing output, including weather forecasts, maps and charts, technical manuals, scientific reports and papers, yearbooks, etc. While the official language of the A.B.C. is English, these documents are translated into the languages of all member nations.
Membership of this committee is usually seen as a boring chore, but this service is as vital as any other part of the Board's operation. The A.B.C. is currently the world's largest consumer of wood pulp and printing ink, a fact that frequently leads to jokes that A.B.C. 'digs are hot air balloons!
A.B.C. publications are mentioned in the advertisements accompanying With The Night Mail.
There is a good deal of overlap between the functions of these committees, and Members often serve on several committees that involve their interests. For instance, Victor Pirolo chairs the Scientific Committee in 2065 AD, takes an active role in aeronautical and medical science, and has a hand in vetting many scientific publication. He is also involved in the Fleet Committee, since his designs are the basis for most recent A.B.C. 'digs, and takes part in any decision affecting his native Italy. He was co-opted onto an ad-hoc committee sent to investigate the Illinois incident.
While the A.B.C. wields enormous influence in the air, it has no interest in activities on the ground unless they seem likely to disrupt transportation. Unfortunately no-one can be quite sure what will cause problems. Any civil disorder is seen as a sign of danger; crowds and invasion of privacy the cue for a major investigation. Pirolo's interest in the falling birthrate may just be scientific interest, or may represent official A.B.C. policy - he will probably get A.B.C. backing for any experiments he undertakes.
So far this section has concentrated on the highest echelons of the A.B.C., but of course the Board employs many thousands of officers and men. The table of organisation, ranks, and salaries are as follows:
| Board | |||
| Fleet | Ground Operations | Salary P.A. | |
| Admiral | Controller-General | £4000 | |
| Captain * | Controller (Main) | £3000 | |
| Commander * | Controller (District) | £2500 | |
| Lieutenant | Lieutenant | Chief Engineer | £2000 |
| Second Lieutenant | Second Lieutenant | Engineer | £1500 |
| Leading Airman | Leading Hand | Fitter | £1000 |
| Able Airman | Trained Hand | Trained Hand | £800 |
| Airman | <|||
