Line Thodesen

Dr Line Pedersen Thodesen was a Norwegian/French astrophysicist and engineer. She is probably the most important scientist in modern human history after Ian St. Vincent, and some would say she was even more important. Her continued work with the St. Vincent Drive and the creation of the Thodesen Light Drive enabled Humans to survive passages through Subspace and made large scale space colonization possible. Her discovery and work started what is now called the Exodus Era, with large scale colonization all over the immediate galaxy.

She was also the one to create the first interstellar warships on order from the UEE.

Early Life
Line Thodesen was born in the city of Bergen in Norway, a moderately sized city. She was initially interested in religion and psychology as subjects, and did well at school in preparation for applying to study psychology at the University of Bergen. She never applied for psychology, as she found the preparation subjects boring. She started to read about physics in her free time and found an interest in it, especially the work by Dr St. Vincent and Dr Mujikami.

She applied for the University of Copenhagen where she studied physics, engineering, astrophysics and advanced mathematics. She completed her postgraduate exams only three years after starting, and went directly on work on a doctorate thesis. She presented it after two years, where she described the possibility of several subdimensions similar to the one St. Vincent had discovered and made use of.

Career
Thodesen was approached by the EU Space Programme shortly after finishing her postgraduate exams, but she declined their offer for work, and instead concentrated on her doctorate thesis. After the presentation of the thesis she was once again approached by the EUSP and she agreed to their work offer. She was enrolled at the Geneva Space Research Centre where she became the head researcher within a single year of her arrival.

In 385 A.E (2245 A.D) Thodesen was barely 29 years old, and the leading authority on astrophysics and space engineering in the entire EU. Her interest for St. Vincent's work was rekindled in this period and she went over his notes and research data, believing she would be able to merge it with her own theories and ideas.

Thodesen worked dilligently on the St. Vincent Drive and the late doctor's research data for two years. She was mainly concerned with making the Drive use other, possible, spatial subdimensions she was certain existed. In the end she managed to tweak the Drive to be able to change between what became known as dimensional subbands. As a result it became possible for humans and living beings to survive the crossing of the event horizon of the dimension rift. The improvements on the St. Vincent Drive resulted in a +30% speed increase when inside the Light Way and it became much more stable (it was previously prone to meltdowns and other failures). After a year of simulations and testing the new Thodesen Light Drive was presented to the world. It was immediately out into mass production and withing ten months the first spaceships was equipped with the new Drive.

Thodesen was at this stage 34 years old and continued to work on astrophysics and engineering. The EU opened the Thodesen Academy and Advanced Research Centre in Belgium, named in her honour, in 2 E.E (391 A.E, 2251 A.D). She became the first lecturer and First Fellow at the academy. She still continued her work in Geneva, and devoted herself to advancing colonization and spaceship technology. With the assistance of Samuel Fourcade she perfected the mass driver system currently used to propel ships into the atmosphere. She also started work on a rudimentary artificial gravity system, but never completed it (it was later completed by her grandchild, William Thodesen Croke).

Private and Political Life
Thodesen started to take more interest in politics and in particular after the first colonies started to take shape around 15 E.E (2264 A.D) when the question concerning the UEF's role in governing the colonies from Earth. She was opposed to the idea of a sentralized Earth government which would retain control over the colonies. She joined the liberal socialist party in the EU parliament, and was chosen as a represenative for said party after the general election in the EU in 17 E.E (2266 A.D). She was faced by vocal opposition from the pro-UEF factions and she lost much support after a series of debates where she let her feelings run amok. She withdrew from the political spotlight after this, but remained active in the background, and remained as a representative in the EU parliament for a decade.

Around this time she married Christian Pedersen, a Norwegian scholar in theology. They moved to Paris where Thodesen continued her work in the EU Space Programme, but resigned her position at the Thodesen Academy. They had three children in this period. She officially retired in 65 E.E (2314 A.D) and concentraded on living peacefully with her family.

Late Life
The UEF continued to expand as more and more worlds and the need for more spaceships for transporting settlers and supplies and to bring back agricultural and mineral products from the colonies, were needed. Thodesen presented her ideas for the creation of a large drydock in Warth orbit where ships could be built in space, instead of down on Earth's surface and then use large amounts of fuel to launch into orbit. This was approved by the UEF Board of Ship Building and was completed by 56 E.E (2305 A.D) and started production of ships immediately after the grand opening.

In 76 E.E (2325 A.D) the Jericho-Afridi War (First Interstellar War) broke out and the UEE (it had changed name in the meantime) found itself in need of warships to fight the converted merchant ships the warring rouge nations were operating. They turned to Dr Thodesen, who reluctantly agreed to help the UEE. She made a new version of the Thodesen Light Drive which, although larger and demanding more space, allowed for much faster transisition through the rift portal and more efficient travel through the subbands of the Light Way. It was to be supplied only to warships which were generally much smaller than merchant and civilian ships, and that made them much faster and could overtake any converted merchant ship.

This was the last work she did, and she moved with her husband back to Bergen, her birthplace. She died there in 91 E.E (2339 A.D) at an age of 123 years. She was survived by her son and one of her daughters.

Legacy
Line Thodesen gave Mankind the opportunity to spread out and explore the galaxy. Through her scintific work she ushered in the next phase of Human history, for good or for worse. She was described as a warm, kind and brightly intelligent woman by those who knew her. She set the standards for future scientific work within the field of mathematical sciences and physics. She also destroyed several theories made by previously acclaimed scientists.

She is the most popular and most quoted scientist in Human history, and countless books and HD-vids about her and her life have been released over the centuries. She also left behind large numbers of unfinished theories and experimental data such as artificial gravity, experimental fast sublight engines and advanced starship hull designs.