My Universe Concept, Thought experiment Options

[Svea Rike]

-WILL CONTINUE TOMORROW, TO TIRED RIGHT NOW BUT PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK SO FAR-

So for some time now, couple of months maybe, I've built this science-fantasy universe in my head and I thought that maybe I should share it with you guys to see what you think about it. It is primarily a science-fantasy universe (fantasy here meaning there is a god but there is no magic or dragons or such) with a little bit of hard science and soft science thrown into the bunch. I call this universe...

SOLEMN SPACE

Solemn - Adjective

1. solemn (comparative more solemn, superlative most solemn)
2. Deeply serious and somber.
3. Somberly impressive.
4. Performed with great ceremony.
5. Sacred.
6. Gloomy or sombre.

The universe is not fully fleshed out but I'm working on it. It'll probably end up on my computer, nothing to be done to it and forgotten in time but if I upload part of it here, I can get back to it in the future if I may feel so. So anyway...

The setting is several centuries in the future, around the 29th century, in an alternate solar system. The Sun gets a twin star with enough power to allow life on more than just one planet in the Goldilocks Zone. The extra gravitational force also brings in more planets, greatly expanding the solar system. From the innermost ring to the outermost: Mercury, Terminus, Janus, Quirinus, Venus, Tellus, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Pales, Uranus, Neptune, Diana, Vulcan, Apollo, Pluto and Vediovis – eight of which are capable of supporting human life, being neatly secured in the Goldilocks Zone.

• Tellus – What most humans refer to as Earth is our home planet. The history is pretty much the same, except for astrologers discovering more planets obviously. The Egyptians worshipped both suns, but the Aztecs believed the other one to be the sun’s evil twin. In the 23rd century, humans launched probes onto potentially habitable planets, and did find out that they are capable of supporting intelligent lifeforms in many varieties. Even better was that the biggest difference in gravity was on Pales with only 1.3g, slightly stronger than Earth but still habitable. Unfortunately, the atmospheric conditions were wildly different than that of Earth, so if they wanted to colonize these planets (which they wanted) they needed to terraform them. The Outer Space Alliance, a continuation of the American Defense Pact between the United States and Canada, proposed sending drones to do the work whilst the Chinese Colonial Nations, led by the People’s Republic of China, wanted to send human workers to speed up the colonization process (and to get rid of large amounts of people from China, which was rapidly getting overpopulated). In the end, the United Nations allowed both power blocs to colonize each their own planet, with Mars, Pales and Diana going to the CCN while the OSA got Venus, Quirinus and Janus. Immediately, both superpowers started competing over control of Earth, which was at the center of it all. The CCN had a bigger population, numbering in the trillions several centuries following terraforming, while the OSA had access to much better technology in the form of graphene, nanotech and EM-drives. A war between the two powers would be devastating, and following a series of terrorist attacks, natural disasters and an economic downturn, a war is almost inevitable.
• Venus – With a gravity 0.9g, Venus was always a close contender for colonization. The problem was that the atmosphere was far too dense for any Earth animal, and terraforming it would take millennia. However, an ingenious solution was found: Instead of constructing colonies in the ground, they constructed colonies that float on the dense cushion of gases swirling about. These floating cities became home to millions, but they were plagued by vicious flying predators that lived on Venus. So, they installed anti-flyer turrets everywhere, which soon lowered the value of homes in the cities, throwing the Venusian cities into poverty. The upper class, which has access to large mining corporations are able to thrive in luxurious floating mansions by mining the valuable gases found in the lower atmosphere and sending it back to Earth. The capital of Venus is Skylight, which is connected to all other cities via sky-bridges.
• Mars – Very similar to Earth, Mars was given to the CCN by the United Nations, much to the dismay of western scientists. Nonetheless, the CCN took huge advantage of Mars and sent more than 45% of its population to colonize the planet. Wild flora and fauna was already growing on Mars thanks to the two suns, but neither the CCN nor OSA expected to find sentient life there. Glass-dome hexacian, as they were called, are six-limbed humanoids with a skin made of extremely though flexible glass, hence the name. The glass is presumed to form in the mother’s womb during pregnancy, at temperatures exceeding 3000⁰ Celsius. They can use their six limbs to travel very fast, running on four of them like a horse. Hexacians are capable of constructing tools and homes made out of stone, wood and clay, and have been reported to tame wildlife. The Chinese wants to harvest their glass skin to see if it can be used for something, but the UN has forbidden any hunting of extraterrestrial wildlife until first contact is made (Hexacians have no knowledge of us, as far as we know). The capital of Mars is Àolínbāsī, a city inside the Mariner Valley.
• Quirinus – An interesting planet that has a thin atmosphere, which allows cosmic radiation to seep in unhindered. The radiation has done something to the natural wildlife, giving them apparent psychic powers such as telepathy and telekinesis. It is unknown how this works, but scientists have captured several dead specimens and their brains show large amounts of gamma radiation. What’s more interesting is that the creatures doesn’t seem to use these powers that often, only to reach food that’s too far out or to lure away predators. The biggest predator on the planet is the Shadow Walker family, which can use their abilities to bend light waves around themselves and effectively become invisible. Colonies here are constructed on large stilts above the ground, to avoid predators. The capital of Quirinus is Gloireville.
• Pales – Pales is a planet that is tidally locked with the sun. This means that all the time, half the planet is completely sun-covered, while the other sits in absolute darkness. Chinese colonies were able to overcome this by constructing cities on the breaker, the equatorial ridge between the dark and light sides, providing for an endless evening. Wildlife on the light side hibernate in the large deserts, sucking up the small amounts of moisture that gets there, and then moves on. On the dark side, however, animals developed bioluminescence to better facilitate life in the dark. This creates fantastic lightshows, bringing in tourists from both the CCN and OSA. The capital of Pales is Guāngchéng.
• Janus – A planet whose very unstable continental plates have created massive mountain ranges and extremely deep valleys. Fauna here have all developed wings over the years to better move around in the mountains, something the colonists did not like. Wyverns, basically a lion/rhino combination with wings, are the top predator. But the colonists did not want to lower the home prices with anti-flyer guns, and opted to construct large glass domes over their cities, preventing flying predators from attacking them. Survey teams have concluded that large amounts of valuable minerals can be found deep inside the mountains, but mining is a hazardous work not only thanks to cave-ins, but also the flyers. The capital of Janus is New Cedon.
• Diana – A planet with little landmass and very large oceans, which creates violent hurricanes and cyclones year round. However, the Chinese had a brilliant idea that would attract all kinds of wealthy colonists: Build it underwater. Pre-fabricated cities were literally dropped from orbit, guided down by drones and submerged under the water. Space elevators connected to space stations transported colonists to and from the underwater cities, which were quote-un-quote “absolutely glorious to live in.” Marine life created a thriving submarine fishing industry, and to taste the delicious Hǎilóng fin soup is something only the rich and wealthy can afford. The capital of Diana is Shuǐxià Chéngshì, the only city with a space elevator (currently, more are being constructed).

This post has been edited by Svea Rike: 7 Aug 2014, 22:51