The Future History In "The Star Beast"

Poul Anderson, "The Star Beast" IN Anderson, Alight In The Void (New York, August 1993), pp. 61-102.

See Procyon in:

Wikipedia

Poul Anderson Appreciation (scroll down)

Procyon is 11.46 light-years from Sol. In this fictional future, interstellar spaceships can travel at only half light-speed. The journey between Sol and Procyon takes twenty years.

Nearly nine hundred years ago, human beings colonized the Procyonite System where their long and bitter struggle for survival has involved a centuries-long war of extermination against the Czernigi. During that time, the Procyonites, as they now are, have had no contact either with Earth or with any other extra-solar colonies. However, a warship of mutated human beings from Procyon has just arrived in Earth orbit. Its captain, Felgi, and a squad of blaster-wielding guards descend in an armed boat. Felgi converses with Coordinator Ramacan who constitutes the sole government of an unarmed and undefended Earth. When Ramacan has confirmed Earth's defenselessness, Felgi announces that he and his men are taking over.

What Has Happened On Earth During Nine Hundred Years

Seven or eight centuries ago:

"'The ultrawave was discovered...'" (p. 72)

The ultrawave transmits solar power to the whole Solar System and can also transmit matter. Hence, teleportation. From teleportation, duplication, including duplication of rejuvenated, healthy bodies onto which memories can be electronically superimposed. Duplication and transmission enable individuals to live far apart. Robot ships can transport recorded personalities to extra-solar colonies with which there is no contact except through occasional curious wanderers.

Thus, yet another STL (slower-than-light) future history is summarized in a single short story.

Early Days

To us, an interstellar civilization, if there is ever to be one, is still in the future. However, when such a civilization does exist, its later generation will look back to its earlier days. The Enterprise crew in a later Star Trek series talk with vicarious nostalgia about the early days of interstellar exploration...

A Merseian reflects on the species that had preceded his people into space:

"Once upon a time humankind had borne the same universe-spanning ambitions that the Race did now."
-Poul Anderson, The Game Of Empire IN Anderson, Flandry's Legacy (Riverdale, NY, 2012), pp. 1-453 AT Chapter Six, p. 268.

In James Blish's future history, some beings remember the race that had preceded Earthmen:

"Some of them remembered much more vividly the now-broken tyranny of Vega, and did not know - some of them never had known - even the name of the little planet that had broken that tyranny."
-James Blish, Earthman, Come Home IN Blish, Cities In Flight (London, 1981), pp. 235-465 AT PROLOGUE, p. 241.

One Earthman returning home recalls the early days:

"...like voices from history: 40 Eridani, Procyon, Kruger 60, Sirius, 61 Cygni, Altair, RD-4 4048, Alpha Centauri..." (p. 408)

A Changed Galactic Periphery

Poul Anderson, "The Chapter Ends" IN Anderson, The Complete Psychotechnic League, Volume 3 (Riverdale, NY, July 2018), pp. 195-215; Chronology of Future, pp. 217-218.

This story is set fifty thousand years after the fall of the First Empire. (p. 202) That Empire begins some time after the Third Dark Ages which in turn begin in 3200. (p. 218)

We are invited to imagine a very different Galactic periphery after the events of "The Chapter Ends." The comparatively few human beings that had remained in the Sirius Sector of the Galaxy after the fall of the First Empire were scattered through hundreds of planetary systems, including those of Sol, Alpha Centauri, Procyon and Sirius. However, all of these populations will soon be evacuated to join the human quadrillions and their non-human allies in:

"'...the great star-clusters of Galactic center.'" (p. 201)

The periphery will be occupied by the Hulduvians, inhabitants of gas giant plants like Jupiter and Saturn, who, centuries hence, will colonize such planets in the Solar System. Hulduvian brains utilize cosmic energies in a way that differs from and interferes with the way that artificially adapted human brains utilize those same energies. Hulduvians, propelling themselves across interstellar space without needing spaceships, will arrive in the Solar System but will have no need for any of the inner planets. On Earth, the ruined towers of Sol City and the City Hall, market square and fountain with its statue of a dancing girl in Solis Township will continue to crumble. Also crumbling will be the long dead body of the one old man who had refused to leave.

Try to imagine such a Galactic periphery - although we would not be able to visit it.

Known Space, 2367-2505

The First Man-Kzin War began in 2367 and the Fourth ended in 2505. The Wars involved:

Alpha Centauri;
Sol;
Procyon A;
61 Ursae Majoris;
Sigma Draconis;
Barnard's Star;
Epsilon Eridani;
the extrasolar planets, Warhead/Canyon and Shasht/Fafnir.

Thus, any sf writer contributing stories to the Man-Kzin Wars sub-series of Larry Niven's Known Space future history could present different characters in different planetary systems during different Wars in different centuries. However, s/he is more likely to create a sub-sub-series with continuing characters and sequential events.

Of Poul Anderson's three contributions, "Inconstant Star" is a direct sequel to "Iron" and I expect "Pele" to complete the trilogy although I can be wrong.

"The vast Majority of the Man-Kzin Wars stories are set around the First War," according to Wikipedia. "Iron" and "Inconstant Star" describe incidents occurring immediately after the First War.

The Pioneers

It is a commonplace that past, present and future are relative terms but think about it. Everyone lives in their present. People in our future will reflect on their pasts, some of which will be earlier parts of our future. The crew in a later Star Trek series harked back to the pioneering days of James Kirk. When James Blish's Earthmen came home:

"...the challenges which were now ringing around the heads of the Okies were like voices from history: 40 Eridani, Procyon, Kruger 60, Sirius, 61 Cygni, Altair, RD-4degrees 4048, Wolf 359, Alpha Centauri... to hear occasionally from Earth itself was no novelty, but these challenges were almost like being hailed by ancient Greece or the Commonwealth of Massachusets."
-James Blish, Earthman, Come Home IN Blish Cities In Flight (London, 1981), pp. 235-465 AT CHAPTER SEVEN, pp. 408-409.

Poul Anderson's Dominic Flandry:

"...would much rather have lived in the high and spacious days of the trader princes, when no distance and no deed looked too vast for man, than in this twilight of empire."
-Poul Andeson, A Circus Of Hells IN Anderson, Young Flandry (Riverdale, NY, 2010), pp. 193-365 AT CHAPTER TWO, p. 209.

In Anderson's Time Patrol series:

"Thirty first millennium. Outlaws after the failure of the Exaltationists to cast off the weight of a civilization grown older than the Old Stone Age was to me."
-Poul Anderson, "Ivory, And Apes, And Peacocks" IN Anderson, Time Patrol (Riverdale, NY, 2010), pp. 229-331 AT p. 279.

See also:

Time Past And The Threshold Of The Future
Early Days