Imperial Nova 1: The Belt | rory-joscelyne

Imperial Nova Trilogy

Imperial Nova 1: The Belt - click the images for more information

Imperial Nova 1: The Belt

The UESPA-2 Hawking takes off to find UESPA-1 The Moore. A year into their dull and fruitless mission, they've lost contact with Earth and their personalities are beginning to grind. As answers fall short of mysteries and sabotage seems more and more likely, the crew begin to pull themselves apart to find the answers - just how can five anti-social outcasts depend upon each other on a ship with a potential threat on the loose?

Imperial Nova 2: Dogs of War

Having recovered The Moore from Jupiter's orbit, the Hawking begins it's return journey home. After a year of wading through the Asteroid Belt, the ship is met by a ship that should not exist - The SS Defiant. This all-American crew seems open and friendly enough, but the fact that America lacks the technology to build such a ship without the assistance of others adds confusion to mystery, and just what is in the Defiant's Botanics Bay?

Imperial Nova 3: The Fourth World

Returning home in a less than perfect state, the Hawking crew discover their 'disappearance' has led to the planet to dive head-first into all out war. Colonel Green's American agenda strengthens in the face of invasion attempts from China, under the dictatorial command of Lee Kuan. While the two enemies duke it out, the Russian nemesis returns. With the nuclear fire already in full flood, the chances for global peace seem further from reach than ever.

i NOVELS IN THE SERIES_

i CHARACTERS_

i VIDEO GALLERY_

04 IN 1: Theme Music

03 IN 1: Cast Interviews

02 IN 1: Behind the Scenes

01 Imperial Nova 1 Trailer

i IMPERIAL NOVA: The Belt

i BEHIND THE SCENES GALLERY_ i development art..._

In 2047, the had world split into several Nation States, each run by it's own far-right politicians. They grew so large that the only targets left for food, resources and power were each other. As the threat of war escalated, the United Nations forced the five key Superpowers to collaborate in a space program, intended to clear the air and start the healing process. This culminated in the successful launch of UESPA-1 The Moore.

When the Moore disappeared, the tension between the nations increased exponentially, as each suspected the other of sabotage. Despite all the odds, the UN managed to broker a deal for a second flight to find out what became of the Moore.

UESPA-2 The Hawking took off in 2049 to find UESPA-1 The Moore. But as they approached the last known co-ordinates of The Moore, communications with Earth broke down and they drifted alone through the Asteroid Belt. Stuck on a ship with a crew they don't trust, the Hawking's crew find their ethics begin to decay as violent tensions rise to paranoia. As answers fall short of mysteries. and sabotage seems more and more likely, the crew begin to pull themselves apart to find the answers - just how can five anti-social outcasts depend upon each other on a ship with a potential threat on the loose?

United Earth Space Probe Agency Uniting the tense nations of Earth was never going to be easy, but the United Nations agreed to set up a joint space program and the UESPA was the fruit of that compromise. After the disappearance of UESPA-1 The Moore, the program was almost shut down. However with tensions brewing ever hotter, it was decided instead to build a second vessel to discover the fate of the first. The UESPA-2 Hawking was built on the remaining resources.
Russia Russia sparked fury from America by creating the Nuclear Fusion engine (With the UK) and refusing to share the technology with them. This, along with constant threats and espionage activity, led to public relations between the nations returning to a Cold War state. Russia's invasion into Eastern European territories has also added further detriment to the power of that region, taking back many Soviet territories such as Slovakia.
United States of America As the USA's oil reserves depleted, their allies in the UK were forced to refuse to share the vital Nuclear Fusion reactor they needed so dearly. To compound issues, China launched a nuclear strike on the US and one missile devastated the heartland of Ohio. An emergency military unit was sent in to restore the Sanctuary Districts before being ordered to slaughter the most hopeless afflicted. This became known as the Ohio Incident, with Colonel Green becoming the evil face of the tragedy.
European Union Europe began losing ground to invasions from other invading parties for decades before the Hawking took off. The Scandinavian countries entered into an agreement with the UK to make the Northern Alliance. Russia began taking over Eastern Europe (such as Slovakia) and China spread themselves across the Middle East and into Turkey. With little weaponry and it's aim at political peace crumbling, the European Union stands as one of the few nations openly calling for a truce.
United Kingdom/Northern Alliance The UK helped form the Northern Alliance in an attempt to distance itself from the failing European Union and to maintain the core fishing seas with Scandinavia. It also worked with Russia to successfully build the first Nuclear Fusion reactor, a partnership that has had grave implications on the "special relationship" with the USA. As the possibility of war looms, the UK does it's best to stay out of the firing line, angering all sides by failing to ally with China, Europe or the USA.
Republic of China/Eastern Coalition The Eastern Coalition (Known as ECON) is run primarily by the conquering spirit of the Chinese government - led by the seemingly unstoppable Lee Kuan. Under his guidance, the once great country found itself turn ever more militaristic, taking over neighbouring countries akin to the ancient line of Khans. His success is extraordinary, taking in most of Asia, the Middle East and into Europe - as well as successful attacks on the US. They have become one of the world's most feared nations.

i IMPERIAL NOVA 1 - WHERE TO BUY

KINDLE VERSIONS

£3.60 - UNITED KINGDOM

$5.00 - UNITED STATES

KINDLE VERSIONS

EUR 3,83 - DEUTSCHLAND

PAPERBACK VERSIONS

$11.00 - UNITED STATES

£8.00 - UNITED KINGDOM

EUR 10,70 - FRANCE

EUR 10,70 - DEUTSCHLAND

EUR 10,30 - ITALIA

EUR 9,88 - ESPANOL

Colonel Green - US Military Despite his actual rank, Philip Green is known as 'Colonel' which is believed to have stuck from his years in active combat. An ageing military officer, Green is reponsible for many atrocities by America to other nations and it's own people - including the massacre of Ohio citizens after it suffered a nuclear strike. Despite his evil actions, Green only cares about protecting America from the conquering nations of China and Russia, and is prepared for history to mark him as "The Monster".	Captain Pavlov Conrad The Russian leader of the Hawking, Conrad's past is a colourful mess. After serving in Russia's invasion of Slovakia, he was imprisoned for treason and stripped of his honours. His son disconnected himself from Conrad in shame, to pursue a career in politics. Despite this, he was put forward for the second space mission. Angry, disenfranchised and tired, Conrad's attempts at improving life on board ship are often counter-productive.	Commander Jack Sanders A product of his xenophobic military, Sanders finds himself growing bored of the ship and stressed out with the mission. His anger for China is amplified by Sean, which he sees as an insult, and he often creates much of the friction on board. Despite this, Jack is a loyal soldier, and will follow orders to the letter. However he begins to find that hiding his crimes behind the veil of carrying out orders wears very thin when faced with the victims of his actions.
Doctor Kate Jefferson German, methodical and professional are three words that would sum up Kate. While she appears to be the most professional member on board, her nature rubs against the other crewman on board, despite all of her attempts to help the crew unite. She feels responsible for Conrad, as she feels to blame for his arrest in Slovakia, and tries to fight her own feelings for him to keep the mission free of emotion.	Engineer Janice Ramis The British Engineer, Ramis is the most anti-social person the crew have ever had the misfortune of coming across. She arranges her daily schedule in such a fashion as to avoid even seeing the crew, is verbally (and infrequently physically) violent to them if they try to get close but is the most advanced engineer in the UK. Knowing that, despite her skills, she'd be useless in war time, Ramis was sent onto the Hawking - a lifestyle that suits her fine. She's more alone in space.	Officer Sean McCartney Despite being Irish, Sean was sent by the Chinese as their communications representative on the Hawking. With no explanation as to why, and a refusal to alter their choice, the Chinese became the subject of even more contempt for making a mockery of the mission. Sean is the most unfortunate of souls, constantly on the receiving end of abuse and injustice, even on board ship, which he might have been able to avoid if he wasn't so annoying.

IN1: Full Cast Shot From left: Keith Chanter (Colonel Green), Abby Forman (Janice Ramis), Chris Storozynski (Jack Sanders), Rob Stow (Sean McCartney), Kim Tobin (Kate Jefferson) and Ian Morton (Pavlov Conrad)
IN1: Colonel Green Speech Rehearsal The Presidential Podium was built specially for the shoot by Paul Viggo Joscelyne.
IN1: Colonel Green Office Rehearsal Colonel Green suggesting that the purpose of war is to gain intel on your enemies and crush them while their backs are turned.
IN1: The Threat Sanders being held by his own pistol, now in the hands of Conrad.
IN1: Engineering Decks Ramis and Sanders having an argument through several glass doors.
IN1: Unused Ship Scene An unused sequence where Ramis offends Sanders on purpose, implicating that he'll never see his wife and children again.
IN1: Sean on the Hawking Sean worried about the lifesign coming up through the ship towards him.
IN1: Launch HQ Conrad and Kate prior to Launch
IN1: Prepping the Launch HQ Preparing the short cut of Sanders shouting at Ramis prior to take-off

Cover Design Mark III The final book cover was re-imagined to give more depth to the artwork. All artwork was commissioned from Jesper Ullbing. The title font was simplified into a decayed look to match the themes, and the depth of the Asteroid Belt before Jupiter gives a darker and more immediate feel to the book.
Cover Design Mark II The same design technically as Mark I, except this design had commissioned artwork made by Jesper Ullbing. The texture of the artwork is far darker and matches the harsher themes of the plot than the saturated original test.
Cover Design Mark I A test for the cover art, with artwork found online except the background which was made by Miranda Ketchen. This was when the story was still in the theatre script phase, which is why it has dates for a theatrical production on the bottom.
Cover Design Mark I Alternate Another test for the cover art, with artwork found online except the background which was made by Miranda Ketchen. This was then given a digital distortion of scanlines and pixelation, along with a green palette, to signify an alien presence. This was when the story was still in the theatre script phase, which is why it has dates for a theatrical production on the bottom. It also has an alien connection which was prevalent in the theatre script and was removed from the novel for a deeper plot
Website Concept - Homepage While the novel was still under pen, this concept art was made in Photoshop. The idea was to design a site that worked like a sci-fi user interface panel, that would also be easy to use with a touch screen tablet. The design was overly colourful and garish, and the information has some errors (The novels no longer take place in 2056), but this was an early way of thinking into how to easily interface the content seen now on this site, and the social media sites.
Website Concept - Media page While the novel was still under pen, this concept art was made in Photoshop. The interesting items of note in this concept art are the changing backgrounds per page, the humorous garbage I added below the videos and the video image of Actor Auditions. This is a screengrab from actual audition pieces from 2012, when the story was in movie script format. Several actors tried out for the parts, they were even cast, but the movie budget couldn't be found.
Website Concept - Ship page While the novel was still under pen, this concept art was made in Photoshop. This has a few elements of ship description that may be of interest, however it was more of a test to see how large an artwork would need to be to fit the majority of home monitors without repeating.
Hull Concept Art Conceptual ideas for the hull of the ship. The Docking Ring doubles as a Botanics Bay and Shuttle area, the Communications Tower would be a ring shape of antennas, but with the maintenance tower from inside the ship in one of the pylons. The Habitat Ring would include the spiral corridor, the main living areas and the Bridge - which would have an iris at the top for the Captain's chair to rotate upwards and look through. Artwork by Paul Viggo Joscelyne
Conrad Concept Art Initial sketch concepts of Captain Conrad's outfit. Naked figure artwork by Miranda Ketchen.
Sanders Concept Sketch Initial sketch concepts of Commander Sanders' outfit. Naked figure artwork by Miranda Ketchen.
Jefferson Concept Sketch Initial sketch concepts of Doctor Jefferson's outfit. Naked figure artwork by Miranda Ketchen.
Ramis Concept Sketch Initial sketch concepts of Engineer Ramis' outfit. Naked figure artwork by Miranda Ketchen.
Sean's Concept Sketch Initial sketch concepts of Officer McCartney's outfit. Naked figure artwork by Miranda Ketchen.
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