Post by starmark2k on Dec 16, 2006 9:24:23 GMT -5
Colony Ship Origin: East Asia
Colony World: Nirvana
Climate and Terrain: -
The Fifth planet in a system of seven with binary suns, Nirvana is the only planet in the small system with a breathable Nitrogen/Oxygen atmosphere. It has three small moons. Two-thirds of the surface is covered by large polar ice caps, but, due to the gravitational pull of the two suns, there is quite a lot of geo-thermal activity. Around the equator is an ice-free, habitable tundra-like zone punctuated by large inland lakes--some quite acidic due to minerals such as sulphur. Although there are no volcanoes spewing lava, there are geysers, and even ice-geysers in the polar regions. The temperature in the equatorial regions ranges from +10C to –10C, depending on the “season” of the suns.
The terrain in the equatorial region is rough and rocky, with some mountainous/hilly outcrops on either side of the single geological fault line that runs along the equator. Plant life includes lichen, fungi, and various types of grasses, though no plants are larger than small shrubs due to the very short growing season, cool temperatures, and the fact that it doesn’t rain often. The lakes are composed of mostly water (from melted ice) but some of them are very acidic due to the minerals pumped up from the inner core by the geysers.
There are some natural caves, created by erosion and also by bacteria that ‘eat’ the minerals of the rocky outer crust of the planet. The caves are heated by underground thermal streams and steam vents.
History of colonization: -
When the colonists first arrived, they initially settled on the surface, but upon discovery of the warm, geo-thermally heated caves, the people decided to move underground. Here they harnessed the geo-thermal vents to produce power, enabling them to mine minerals and metals necessary to expand their colony. They also discovered a bio-luminescent bacteria (which they call Glo) in these underground caverns. They were able to ‘domesticate’ the Glo and use it as a light source, enabling them to grow some grain crops underground. They have also been able to extract a plasma-type material from these Glo bacteria, which they have been able to refine into a fuel which they can use for ion propulsion drives. The mines on Nirvana now mine exclusively to feed the Glo bacterium to produce more plasma fuel.
They have mining facilties on the three moons of Nirvana, as well as beginning to set up orbital space platforms around three of the six planets in the Nirvanic system.
Genetics: -
Due to the low light conditions in the certain sections of the caves (such as the mining sectors) some colonists have been genetically enhanced to have retinas that absorb more light, enabling them to see better in the dark. This has resulted in a two-tiered caste system, with the working-class people being known as Grafters, and the upper-class people (who live closer to the surface) being known as Patricians (although to the Grafters, they are known as Surfs, for being surface-dwellers.) Surfs make most of the political decisions and perform ‘thinking’ type jobs (teacher, lawyers, doctors, scientists, etc.), while Grafters do most of the manual labour work (mining, engineering, service, etc.).
Wildlife: -
A variety of fish, amphibians, and some small reptiles live on Nirvana. The largest of these is called a Brown-Spotted Howling Groat (because of their colour and the strange noise they make) and is a type of amphibian similar in appearance to a toad, but with soft fur like a seal and about the same size as small pony. The Black-Spotted Howling Groat is smaller, about the size of a large Labrador retriever dog, but not as common as its brown-spotted cousin. They have poisonous saliva, are omnivores, and are the top land predator (preying upon lesser amphibs, fish, and reptiles), but Nirvanans discovered they taste like chicken. Their fur is quite luxurious (especially the Black-spotted variety) and is made into high-fashion clothing. Years of over-hunting have seen the Groat numbers decline, and a conservation movement has started to regenerate the wild population. Some Nirvanans have attempted to domesticate Groats, but so far their efforts have not been all that successful.
Many of the inland lakes are heated by the underground hot springs, and so aquatic life is abundant. Native fish species are varied, depending on which inland lake they are found in. Crill (tiny shrimp-like creatures) are also in abundance, as are various types of mollusks, the most popular among the Nirvanans being the Panda Clam (called such as it is large (30 to 40cms avg. diameter) and its outer shell has two dark marks that look like eyes). The largest fish, found in only the largest lake (Lake Beria) is a type of ray which the Nirvanans call a Viceroy, as it has brightly coloured ‘wings’ and can leap out of the water and soar for a few metres at a time.
Galactic Expansion: -
There are three moons around Nirvana—Azora, Tiret, and Zuma. The first moon, Azora, is composed of mostly aluminium, and so a mining colony called A-1 was established using the parts of the colony ship. Other mining facilities were soon established on the other two moons, T-1 and Z-1, when it was discovered that they too were rich in certain metals. Currently, there are seven such mining facilities on Azora (A1 through 7), four on Tiret (Tee 1 through 4), and three on Zuma (Zed 1 through 3).
As Nirvana is the only habitable planet in the system, construction has begun on orbiting space platforms around three of the other six planets with plans to start up Glo-plasma producing facilites.
There are three major underground cities, each linked to each other by ion-drive subway systems, and several ‘villages’ surrounding them. There are some surface roads, but most of them lead to space-launching platforms that shuttle back and forth between the moons.
Politics: -
Nirvana is governed by a small group of elected officials which form a governing council known as the Darm. Darmic officials are elected once every six years, but there are no term limitations. Over time, the Surfs became mostly in charge of the government, although there is at least one Grafter on the Darm to appease the working population. The Darm elects a Prefect, whose job it is to ensure that the Darm runs smoothly and efficiently. A Prefect is elected at the start of each Darmic session. Again, there are no term limitations, so a well-liked Prefect can be a Prefect for a long while.
There are local councils with locally elected officials that take care of the day-to-day issues. These local councils report to their respective Darmic representative for their area.
All mining companies are taxed, monitored, and regulated by the Darm. This has had the effect of creating an illegal GP (Glo-Plasma) black market.
Military & Crime Prevention: -
Nirvanans are very proud of their military, and it is a requirement for all young people to spend at least two years in some type of governmental service, whether it be Darmic or local authority. The Nirvanan military is made up of mostly Grafters as the basic soldiers with Surf’s as commanding officers.
Nirvanans are raised to respect authority and accept their status from a very early age. Civil disobedience is rare, although there are still some criminal elements about (mostly poaching and smuggling GP fuel). Penalties for crimes against the state are severe, and capital crimes are normally punishable by death. Prisons are located on the surface.
Colony World: Nirvana
Climate and Terrain: -
The Fifth planet in a system of seven with binary suns, Nirvana is the only planet in the small system with a breathable Nitrogen/Oxygen atmosphere. It has three small moons. Two-thirds of the surface is covered by large polar ice caps, but, due to the gravitational pull of the two suns, there is quite a lot of geo-thermal activity. Around the equator is an ice-free, habitable tundra-like zone punctuated by large inland lakes--some quite acidic due to minerals such as sulphur. Although there are no volcanoes spewing lava, there are geysers, and even ice-geysers in the polar regions. The temperature in the equatorial regions ranges from +10C to –10C, depending on the “season” of the suns.
The terrain in the equatorial region is rough and rocky, with some mountainous/hilly outcrops on either side of the single geological fault line that runs along the equator. Plant life includes lichen, fungi, and various types of grasses, though no plants are larger than small shrubs due to the very short growing season, cool temperatures, and the fact that it doesn’t rain often. The lakes are composed of mostly water (from melted ice) but some of them are very acidic due to the minerals pumped up from the inner core by the geysers.
There are some natural caves, created by erosion and also by bacteria that ‘eat’ the minerals of the rocky outer crust of the planet. The caves are heated by underground thermal streams and steam vents.
History of colonization: -
When the colonists first arrived, they initially settled on the surface, but upon discovery of the warm, geo-thermally heated caves, the people decided to move underground. Here they harnessed the geo-thermal vents to produce power, enabling them to mine minerals and metals necessary to expand their colony. They also discovered a bio-luminescent bacteria (which they call Glo) in these underground caverns. They were able to ‘domesticate’ the Glo and use it as a light source, enabling them to grow some grain crops underground. They have also been able to extract a plasma-type material from these Glo bacteria, which they have been able to refine into a fuel which they can use for ion propulsion drives. The mines on Nirvana now mine exclusively to feed the Glo bacterium to produce more plasma fuel.
They have mining facilties on the three moons of Nirvana, as well as beginning to set up orbital space platforms around three of the six planets in the Nirvanic system.
Genetics: -
Due to the low light conditions in the certain sections of the caves (such as the mining sectors) some colonists have been genetically enhanced to have retinas that absorb more light, enabling them to see better in the dark. This has resulted in a two-tiered caste system, with the working-class people being known as Grafters, and the upper-class people (who live closer to the surface) being known as Patricians (although to the Grafters, they are known as Surfs, for being surface-dwellers.) Surfs make most of the political decisions and perform ‘thinking’ type jobs (teacher, lawyers, doctors, scientists, etc.), while Grafters do most of the manual labour work (mining, engineering, service, etc.).
Wildlife: -
A variety of fish, amphibians, and some small reptiles live on Nirvana. The largest of these is called a Brown-Spotted Howling Groat (because of their colour and the strange noise they make) and is a type of amphibian similar in appearance to a toad, but with soft fur like a seal and about the same size as small pony. The Black-Spotted Howling Groat is smaller, about the size of a large Labrador retriever dog, but not as common as its brown-spotted cousin. They have poisonous saliva, are omnivores, and are the top land predator (preying upon lesser amphibs, fish, and reptiles), but Nirvanans discovered they taste like chicken. Their fur is quite luxurious (especially the Black-spotted variety) and is made into high-fashion clothing. Years of over-hunting have seen the Groat numbers decline, and a conservation movement has started to regenerate the wild population. Some Nirvanans have attempted to domesticate Groats, but so far their efforts have not been all that successful.
Many of the inland lakes are heated by the underground hot springs, and so aquatic life is abundant. Native fish species are varied, depending on which inland lake they are found in. Crill (tiny shrimp-like creatures) are also in abundance, as are various types of mollusks, the most popular among the Nirvanans being the Panda Clam (called such as it is large (30 to 40cms avg. diameter) and its outer shell has two dark marks that look like eyes). The largest fish, found in only the largest lake (Lake Beria) is a type of ray which the Nirvanans call a Viceroy, as it has brightly coloured ‘wings’ and can leap out of the water and soar for a few metres at a time.
Galactic Expansion: -
There are three moons around Nirvana—Azora, Tiret, and Zuma. The first moon, Azora, is composed of mostly aluminium, and so a mining colony called A-1 was established using the parts of the colony ship. Other mining facilities were soon established on the other two moons, T-1 and Z-1, when it was discovered that they too were rich in certain metals. Currently, there are seven such mining facilities on Azora (A1 through 7), four on Tiret (Tee 1 through 4), and three on Zuma (Zed 1 through 3).
As Nirvana is the only habitable planet in the system, construction has begun on orbiting space platforms around three of the other six planets with plans to start up Glo-plasma producing facilites.
There are three major underground cities, each linked to each other by ion-drive subway systems, and several ‘villages’ surrounding them. There are some surface roads, but most of them lead to space-launching platforms that shuttle back and forth between the moons.
Politics: -
Nirvana is governed by a small group of elected officials which form a governing council known as the Darm. Darmic officials are elected once every six years, but there are no term limitations. Over time, the Surfs became mostly in charge of the government, although there is at least one Grafter on the Darm to appease the working population. The Darm elects a Prefect, whose job it is to ensure that the Darm runs smoothly and efficiently. A Prefect is elected at the start of each Darmic session. Again, there are no term limitations, so a well-liked Prefect can be a Prefect for a long while.
There are local councils with locally elected officials that take care of the day-to-day issues. These local councils report to their respective Darmic representative for their area.
All mining companies are taxed, monitored, and regulated by the Darm. This has had the effect of creating an illegal GP (Glo-Plasma) black market.
Military & Crime Prevention: -
Nirvanans are very proud of their military, and it is a requirement for all young people to spend at least two years in some type of governmental service, whether it be Darmic or local authority. The Nirvanan military is made up of mostly Grafters as the basic soldiers with Surf’s as commanding officers.
Nirvanans are raised to respect authority and accept their status from a very early age. Civil disobedience is rare, although there are still some criminal elements about (mostly poaching and smuggling GP fuel). Penalties for crimes against the state are severe, and capital crimes are normally punishable by death. Prisons are located on the surface.
by JasraLantill