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Marcus Hector Cüpernik
Historical note: Mark Cooper was the very first character created back in Roleplay project IXS Enterprise together with fellow Amaranth Legacy writter TheStellarExplorer, alongside the mention of Proton Prime in this article. This was the beginning of Distant Worlds idea to born
Marcus Hector Cüpernik: The Father of Interstellar Travel
Marcus Hector Cüpernik, better known as Mark Cooper, was one of the most renowned mathematicians of the early United LunaTerra era and a pivotal member of the Scientific Assembly. He is celebrated for his groundbreaking work in deciphering the mathematical structures underlying the Archangels' research drone discovered on Venus. His research unlocked the final piece needed to mathematically complete the elusive M-Theory, bridging superstring theory with supergravity and revealing the fundamental architecture of gravitation across dimensions. Cooper's contributions paved the way for humanity's journey into higher-dimensional travel, earning him the title of "Father of Interstellar Travel."
Early Life
Mark was born in the Quebec region of Canada province, into a wealthy family of businessmen and actresses. Raised in privilege, his life was one of opulence and indulgence from the start, and his inflated ego made him an unpopular figure among his peers at the local educational center. Teachers often found him arrogant and difficult to deal with, yet they couldn’t ignore his prodigious talent for mathematics. For Mark, equations and abstract problems seemed to solve themselves, as if numbers were an innate language he was born fluent in.
Despite his brilliance, Mark’s teenage years were marked by questionable company and reckless behavior. Being the spoiled son of an affluent family, he attracted all kinds of attention—girls eager to win his favor, and less savory individuals hoping to exploit his status. Among the chaos, there was one person who stood out: Robert Roussel, a friend from a nearby economics department who acted as an older brother figure to Mark. Robert was one of the few people who could see through Mark’s bravado and cared enough to confront him about his self-destructive tendencies.
The Turning Point
After graduating, Mark’s family relocated to Armstrong City on Luna, where he enrolled at the prestigious Alan Shepard University on the Yuri Gagarin One orbital planetport. He pursued mathematics and theoretical physics, with a particular interest in supersymmetry and the mysteries of higher-dimensional space. However, despite his immense potential, Mark remained unfocused. His Terran apartment, gifted by his parents, became the epicenter of wild parties, filled with excessive alcohol and questionable substances.
One fateful night, during one such party, Robert decided to attend. As the night descended into chaos and the guests eventually left, Mark, intoxicated and leaning dangerously over his balcony railing, was confronted by Robert’s palpable disappointment. That moment struck a chord deep within Mark. The man he considered a brother—the one person who had always believed in him—now looked at him with pity and disapproval.
Something changed in Mark that night. For the first time, he allowed himself to be vulnerable, opening up to Robert about the emptiness he felt beneath the hedonism. Robert, ever the steadying presence, helped Mark stand back up—both literally and metaphorically. He encouraged Mark to embrace his extraordinary gift and channel it into meaningful work.
A Path to Greatness
From the moment Mark Cooper redirected his life toward mathematics. His studies centered on supersymmetry and its sub-branches, fields that had captivated physicists since Edward Witten's Second Superstring Revolution in the late 20th century. Witten’s formulation of M-Theory unified five models of superstring universes and incorporated the field theory of eleven-dimensional supergravity. It elegantly bridged the Type IIA and E8×E8 string models via S-duality.
However, the elegance of M-Theory belied its complexity. Experimental validation was nearly impossible given the limitations of 21st-century technology, and the theory was shelved, left as an unopened chest requiring a key yet to be forged. For most, M-Theory was a curiosity, but for Mark, it was a calling.
Mark found himself drawn to the interplay between the Anti-de Sitter (AdS) space and the holographic principles outlined by AdS/CFT correspondence. He theorized that quantum fluctuations could create a projection of the universe, where dimensions bent and distances between them tightened. This phenomenon, in his view, revealed a potential resonant frequency within AdS space, a frequency that might allow for piercing into higher dimensions. This speculative yet tantalizing concept connected deeply to the vibrational nature of strings. Yet, without the necessary tools or resources, his ideas were placed alongside M-Theory in the archives of the unprovable.
A New Life on Luna and a Family Legacy
In his tenure with the Scientific Assembly, Mark developed meaningful relationships with colleagues, one of whom—a Martian-born researcher—would become his spouse. Together, they raised their daughter, Marie Dyson-Cooper, who later carried her father’s legacy forward. Marie became the leading settler on Ross 128 b, contributing to its development into thriving colony, after whom the planet was named Dyson Terra
The Venusian Discovery
Mark’s life took a monumental turn when an unidentified extraterrestrial object was retrieved from the hostile surface of Venus. Its discovery shocked humanity, sparking existential debates across Sol. The device, deemed incomprehensible by most, was sent to Luna for study. Mark, now a leading figure in the Scientific Assembly, joined a select team tasked with uncovering its secrets.
Late one night, left alone in the lab with the object, Mark found himself battling exhaustion. Suddenly, a glow emanated from the device, accompanied by scrolling text of unknown symbols on what appeared to be a monitor. The alien script resembled mathematical patterns used in basic arithmetic—a universal primer. Mark quickly deciphered the logic, his instincts as a mathematician bridging the gap between human and alien understanding.
As he engaged with the device, a strange presence seemed to guide his hand. Unknown to him at the time, this was the Lotus Facility. It provided insights and translations, driving Mark to write equations faster than he thought possible. His adrenaline surged as his ideas coalesced into the solution for the M-Theory key. With this breakthrough, Mark unified supergravity and superstrings through the resonant energy of Anti-de Sitter space.
The final equation revolutionized humanity’s understanding of the universe. Mark collapsed from the mental strain, slipping into a week-long coma. The alien device, now silent, was locked away for further study. Upon awakening, Mark wasted no time, determined to transform his discovery into a practical application: dimensional travel.
Twenty years of intense collaboration birthed The Anti-de Sitter Drive, a machine capable of manipulating resonant energy fields to access higher dimensions. It was the culmination of Mark’s life’s work. Despite skepticism from the scientific community, Mark was resolute. To prove the drive’s viability, he volunteered to retrofit his personal Kepler-Class interplanetary cruiser, Proton Prime, with the revolutionary engine.
On November 22, 2279, Mark conducted the first public test of the drive. Broadcasting to the entire solar system, he initiated the experiment in the orbital zone between Jupiter and Saturn. As the drive powered up, the space around Proton Prime began to distort, stars stretching and twisting in a surreal display of relativistic effects. Mark felt the ship vibrate violently as space folded in on itself.
Suddenly, the engine overloaded, and Mark was thrust into a higher spatial dimension. The experience was disorienting, darkness engulfed him, punctuated by flashes of vibrating energy. His sensors failed to register comprehensible data, but the voices of the Lotus Facility echoed in his mind, incomprehensible yet oddly comforting.
Without warning, the engine exploded, hurling Proton Prime back into three-dimensional space. Mark found himself on a collision course with an unfamiliar planet. Despite the catastrophic failure of his maneuvering systems, he braced for impact as the cruiser plummeted into the atmosphere.
A Strange New World
Emerging from the wreckage, Mark donned an emergency spacesuit. The air was thick with oxygen, chokingly so, and the lush jungle surrounding him teemed with unfamiliar flora. Above, a gas giant with shimmering rings dominated the sky, a breathtaking celestial tableau. Though stranded, Mark’s heart swelled with a sense of wonder.
Spending nearly 15 years on the planet until his death from natural causes, Mark meticulously documented his experiences each week. He affectionately named the planet Emerald for its vibrant, glimmering green jungles. These logs, rich with insight and discovery, were recovered years later by the crew of the CRS Graviton during the mid 24th-century Distant Worlds Expedition.
In time of 26th Century, the moon Emerald would ascend to a place of prominence, becoming the capital of the reformed United Sol Command—the spiritual successor to the United LunaTerra and the Martian Technate. Its selection as the new capital symbolized a fresh chapter for humanity, rooted in exploration, resilience, and the legacy of pioneers like Mark Cooper.