Coming up next on the Interplanetary Broadcast Network, an educational special entitled "Our Solar System"
Our Solar System
Humanity has come so far since our days of wandering the surface of Earth. Now a species who can truly call ourselves interplanetary, we are ever moving outwards and onwards to the edge of the solar system. There was once a time when the human race was defined by national borders of country on the planet Earth. Nations would battle over land and resource, leading to these countries frequently warring with one another and themselves.
After the Inferno war, with Earth just a shattered shell of a home, it became clear that this would not do. So followed a time of great peace and prosperity. During this time a great deal of funding was poured into space exploration with corporate interests now fully backing our continued survival as a species. When Kayla Interplanetary successfully set up a small lunar colony, the world rejoiced. It would now be possible to expand out to other habitable locations in the solar system. Free from Earth's gravity well, the now dubbed Lunar Base became the start of our expansion as a species.
Many years have passed and we are still moving outwards. Sadly the time of peace and prosperity has faded. The Inferno war is ancient history and history is quickly forgotten. Wars tend to be fought between colonised worlds, as well as regions on those worlds. Asteroid mining has now made resources abundant, and with fusion power it's now very quick and efficient to travel the solar system. Land is no longer as sought after, as we are constantly expanding to new territory. Our next sights are set on Saturn's worlds with colonisation on Titan now beginning.
Mining operations tend to be prominent in the asteroid belt, making the worlds closest the most desirable for resource gathering. Still, more recent mining endeavors have seen craft dispatched to the Kuiper belt which is a relatively untapped area.
The Colonies
There are currently 10 active colonies.
Venera Outpost
Earth
Lunar Base
Mars
PhoboDeima
Europa Base
Ganymede
Callisto
Io
Ceres
With no naturally occurring satellites, and a completely inhospitable surface temperature, colonisation of Venus was thought to be impossible. However researchers and cosmonauts from the remnants of Russia created a large space station originally launched into orbit around Earth. After hostilities emerged between the inhabitants of the station and the remnants of the US currently situated on Lunar Base, the station was launched towards Venus, creating a vast distance between themselves and the Lunar Base. The newly repositioned satellite was re-dubbed Venera Outpost.
With limited resource access and missions to extract from Venus being so costly and dangerous, the Venera Outpost is a cold and rigid place. Expansion is carried out on the station itself although this too is costly and so rarely performed. The early hostilities still exist between this colony and the lucrative Jovian colonies. This is exacerbated by the Outpost's large-scale military division operation.
The people of Venera Outpost are a proud race, with a cultural heritage that runs deep to their origins on Earth. Many of the inhabitants still identify as "Russian" even to this day. The outpost runs a space station on Earth which is heavily militarised to prevent raids by scrappers and bandits. The people are hardy from their close proximity to Venus and their various operations on the world.
Having recently acquired a quarter on Ceres, the outpost has gained in wealth and success with a production line of their own mining vessels. A second batch is due to trawl the Kuiper belt within the next five years.
The station has a large shipyard but a very heavy militarised border. Only persons who have special authorisation can enter. However Venera Outpost does not restrict emigration, resulting in many people born on the station leaving to find professions elsewhere.
The "cradle" of humanity. Earth was where humanity first roamed, living in tribes and eventually forging great civilisations that changed and fell with the seasons. One such fall was all too drastic and would doom the planet forever, however. When the Inferno war began and Earth was overrun by dangerous forces, the nations of Earth were forced to caverns beneath the surface as the land above was bombarded with wave after wave of nuclear missile. The goal was to defeat Willis, a very powerful dictator who had rallied support to his cause before unleashing his army on the unprepared planet.
Unfortunately Willis who was holed up in the Labyrinth at Knossos survived these blasts, they only served to mutilate and scar the once lush and beautiful world beyond repair. Eventually Willis was stopped by a final, devastating nuclear strike to his fortress which destroyed both him and his army. By this time it was too late though, and the Earth was dead forever. Research into development of active plant life failed on the hostile environment, although eventually seeing success on other colonies.
As a result of this, only the sick, stubborn, poor and the faithful stayed behind on the world. As humanity expanded out into the solar system, Earth was discarded along with all those still on it. Despite this, active military service on Earth still remains and there is a central government who operate from the caverns.
Generally Earth is a dangerous place to visit. With very little in the way of natural or useful resource, one of the main visiting points are the archives. They provide great insight into Earth history, although many records have been lost due to raids over the years.
There are many organised religious groups who occupy the caverns. Many of these groups shun inter-planetary colonisation and space travel in general. The surface is considered to be inhospitable, although bandit gangs live up there for extended duration. Suffice it to say, the crime rate on Earth is through the roof, making it a place where traveling without a military escort is incredibly ill advised.
Serving only as a testament to how our species can do wrong, the planet still stands as an interesting relic. The colony itself have recently begun to involve themselves in inter-planetary politics, although there are many issues to tackle on the planet itself such as starvation and disease on a world lacking in finances, resource and medical supplies.
As the first port of call in humanities colonisation of other worlds, the Lunar Base quickly grew from its foundations as a few habitable pods to a thriving city on the surface. It wasn't long before more major industry and development was being done on Earth's moon. Labourers and researchers who had grown tired of the stagnant life in the caverns of Earth flooded to the surface.
The Lunar Base really progressed in its development when spaceships were built there. These ships, free from the gravity well on Earth would be easier to launch with the new fusion engines and would make deeper exploration into space a fundamental possibility. Despite this, Lunar Base was the only colony for a while (not including the recently departed Russian space station that would become Venera Outpost).
A point was reached in which the inhabitants of the Lunar Base began to become disinterested in Earth politics, eventually resolving to elect a central government independent from the strained and broken governments of the desolate Earth. Thus the satellite forged its own distinct civilisation and the idea of colonies as nations was born. Work to mine asteroids began, but the feasibility was still poor. This pushed humanity onwards to the colonisation of Mars and the Jovian satellites.
In spite of this, Lunar Base stayed strong as its own independent colony. Though many would leave as the reach grew farther and wide, Lunar Base still housed a great number of technicians who worked the shipyards and constructed vessels. The colonisation of other worlds did provide a negative impact to the once prosperous satellite however, and a good portion of the Lunar inhabitants fell into poverty.
The base struggled on through hard economic times and periods of unrest. Despite the lack of wealth, the inhabitants are generally a proud people who work hard for a living to provide what little they can. The slums may seem distressing to an outsider, but they are small communities of gentle-minded but hardy people who want nothing more than to provide for their families and loved ones. The community spirit uplifts the quiet local slum communities.
Outside of the slums, there are prosperous regions too. The lunar base hosts a reasonable military and has an active scientific research sector. The ship and junkyards have become less fertile since the colonisation of Ceres, but are still functional. The satellite also serves as a stopping point for those wishing to travel to Earth.
In addition, there are popular tourist spots as well. The Sea of Tranquility has built itself into something of a resort, with many people choosing to retire there quietly. The Lunar Base still holds strong to its early heritage as the dawn of human colonisation, although it is no longer the spectacle it once was.
After the Lunar Base formed its own colony, development on asteroid mining operations was proving to be fruitful but costly. A team of explorers from the Lunar government decided that Mars was a more suitable base, with its closer proximity to the asteroid belt. The advent of fusion engine technology and the lack of a gravity well made the trip a breeze, and before long mankind had taken one small step onto the surface of Mars.
Starting with habitation pods similar to the Lunar Base, research was well underway into fusion powered atmospheric regulators. The first trials were carried out successfully, allowing the planet to have its very own atmosphere. It would take a long time before it was truly stable, as the atmosphere is quickly lost. However later trials in stabilisation of the atmosphere through the induction of a faux magnetic field were successful. These methods would become the de facto in later colonisations, taking only a period of approximately 30 years to complete an atmosphere.
With all this in mind, Mars was a huge stepping stone in the development of colonies and the traversal of the solar system. For one thing, the asteroid belt afforded the inhabitants of the Martian colony with a great deal of wealth and prosperity. With more researchers abandoning Lunar Base and moving to the red planet, the colony grew until like its predecessor, it too forged an independent government.
Mars was not without its deal of problems. Around this time, work had already begun on colonising the early Jovian satellites, but the red planet was becoming over-saturated. With a higher population than the government or the unstable atmosphere could afford to keep, the idea was posited to expand out to the two Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos. Colonies forged on these moons initially resolved the problems.
One of the offshoots of this was that the moons grew their own lucrative space stations, driving a lot of wealth and resource production from the surface of Mars. With many people flocking to the moons instead, the Martian government was soon in disarray and were forced to play their hand in controlling production on Phobos and Deimos. This created many disputes and caused widespread industrial action in the space-stations.
Eventually when the unions and the Martian government were unable to settle disputes, a full scale civil war emerged. Phobos and Deimos split off from the Martian colony, becoming a joint colony called PhoboDeima. Although small, success and wealth bolstered a decent sized military and arms trading to the moon colonies was fervent. Soon, large scale missile strikes were launched onto the surface of Mars and for the first time since the Inferno war, humanity faced conflict.
The war has since placated, but not without its casualties. For one thing, Mars has become more poverty-stricken without a solid means of production. The government maintains a decent level of wealth and overall the people are not starving, but there are slums and poor areas prone to famine. The Ganymede military frequently carry out active service on the world, with other armies providing voluntary support.
The situation is far from stable, and attacks occur at undesirable intervals. This is a warning to all people seeking to make a life on Mars, the planet has its own serene beauty but with the scars of war, it really lives up to its name. Visit with caution.
Forged into colonies as a means of controlling over-population on the Martian surface, Phobos and Deimos were originally extensions of the planetary colony. However their position made them more fruitful locations for a space station, with each sporting a single one. From here asteroid mining was far more fruitful and space travel was considerably easier.
The moons themselves are very small, so as people flooded to them they soon became over-crowded, with many habitation modules spreading outwards from the stations. To settle this, colonies began to forge beneath the surface, with Phobos and Deimos each boasting their own set of underground caverns similar to the system on Earth.
As hostilities between the moons and Mars ramped up, it wasn't long before a civil war erupted. However Phobos and Deimos had the high ground. Becoming their own unified colony known as PhoboDeima, the moons had a number of tactical advantages. Less natural surface gravity meant launching ships and planetary missiles at Mars was more feasible than Mars doing the same back. The success of the space stations and the wealth incurred by trade also paid off.
Sporting a very powerful military, and arms acquired through trading, PhoboDeima would prove to be a formidable colony. They also had the advantage of a protective cavern system allowing the people to stay well protected during attacks. Their attacking of Mars was entirely provoked in the first place, but as the years have marched forward the sympathy throughout the solar system has shifted away from PhoboDeima.
Its position and the frequent hostilities have made the colony heavily militarised. Although still proactive in mining and trading, PhoboDeima is a much more tightly controlled colony. Immigration and Emigration are all but forbidden, with few being permitted to either leave or enter the moons when not on trade envoys. Because the denizens are unable to trade freely themselves, the moons have become an active target for pirates smuggling contraband.
This had led to an increase in crime which is only responded to with military action. As a colony it is generally off-limits, and its position towards Mars also makes the Martian surface inhospitable.
Ganymede have recently boycotted trade with PhoboDeima after the senate passed a ruling. This has created a hostility between the colonies, and there is fear that a Ganymede/PhoboDeima war may be unfolding. Coupled with the hostilities between Io and Ganymede, this has led to additional fears of a full on colonial war.
From Mars, natural progression moved towards the Jovian satellites. Europa became the first port of call. With the chemical composition necessary for life and an atmosphere to easily exist, it would be a relatively easy world to colonise. The initial colonies were created beneath the icy surface, where the water was heated and oxygen could easily be siphoned.
The development of these aquatic pods drew researches in droves to the moon, and the new colony became a favourite for researchers and scientists. This leaning never quite faded away, with Europa becoming the central research hub in the solar system.
With reasonable access to resource, Europa is fairly affluent but the local colonial population who are not active in research tend to be humble. With marine life flourishing in the solar system's first true ocean, Europa also became a popular resort for fishing, bringing the ancient profession of the fisherman back into being.
Europa is a peaceful and tranquil colony. With a central government who portion most of their money into creating the shared research colony, the planet houses scientific quarters for almost all other colonies with the exception of PhoboDeima. There is an active military, but unlike most other colonies they do not maintain their own. Rather, the military on Europa consists of hired soldiers from other colonial military forces.
Europa Mission Control is the leading operator in extra-terrestrial scouting missions. The Mission Control also oversees a number of mining operations, handling the logistics for other colonies and corporations who wish to dispatch mining vessels but are unable to get clearance from their local colonial government.
From Europa, Ganymede seemed the next logical to house a colony. The large size of the planetary moon coupled with pre-existing atmosphere and a magnetosphere made the moon a perfect location for what had now become a fairly streamlined colonisation process.
Ganymede was a commercially successful colony from its birth, but its location helped things tremendously. Providing easy access to the asteroid belt without there being an intrinsic need to navigate the belt, there was a great deal of demand for industry on the planet.
The re-factoring of an ocean created a sea that was even more impressive to many than Europa's quiet charms, but it was soon overshadowed by production. Buildings were erected in record time and much of the surface became covered by human inhabitants. The moon is still expanding today, with some quiet corners as of yet untouched by humanity and retaining their naturalistic charm.
Ganymede City, the capital on Ganymede is by far the biggest city in the solar system, and some experts suggest it may be as of yet the biggest city in all known human history. A haven for all walks of people, there is nothing you will not find in the capital. Whether visiting the colonial government buildings or art galleries, to trawling the back-streets looking for bars.
The senate on Ganymede is the largest colonial government, with the moon frequently lending the services of its military to disputes on other colonies. Most recently, Ganymede's intervention with the Martian crisis has caused tensions between Ganymede and PhoboDeima to escalate and there are fears of an all out war between the two colonies.
One of the more interesting points about Ganymede despite its wealth and success is that the moon still retains elements of once separated Earth culture. Cultures who have been lost in the archives centuries ago now exist in sectors on the colony. Racial boundaries largely disappeared long ago, and this colony is a testament to that.
It is not without its share of problems. Far from being a paradise, there are slums and a level of crime on a par with any large city, but for many the world presents opportunity and freedom.
Io was once a leading colony, with a booming culture of asteroid miners. However the colony fell on hard times after the value of water decreased. Previously water was one of the main resources that asteroid mining had made abundant, and Io with its proximity to the asteroid belt was profiting from this.
The trouble came when Ganymede, Europa and Callisto's oceans were fully accessed. Water was no longer a resource in scarcity, and Io's value fell. With no naturally occurring water sources, Io could not lay hand to water without mining, whilst its neighbouring worlds now had an abundance.
In the resulting market crash, many prominent industries went under. The result was a tragic loss of economic stability. People lost their jobs and livelihood and were forced into poverty. The colony began to struggle and the government fell.
In the anarchy that followed, gang warfare reigned supreme on Io. Without a stable economic structure, many of the gangs turned to underworld criminal activities, resulting in a high level of crime and corruption. Eventually a government was established, but it too was corrupt and forced to subdue its people with martial law.
The result is that the once proud colony became a shell of its former self. It is now a world associated with poverty and crime. Many aid workers are sent out to Io to try and assist civilians living in the slums. There have also been a number of wars between Io and other colonies, resulting in military intervention from the neighbouring worlds.
In terms of climate and geography, the sulphur volcanoes are a sight to behold and one of the few things now worth visiting Io to see. The world has a warm, temperate climate and a harsh desert landscape. Famine is not an issue with the availability of bio-sphere plant-life, but there is a shortage of water since the industry fell through.
Travellers are welcome on Io, but advised to proceed with caution. It is not a very safe place to be.
When the ice on Callisto was melted through, the ocean flooded to the surface. Amongst the early colonists was a man named Francis Schrauwen, head of the highly wealthy and successful Schrauwen industries. He made it his goal to turn the planet into his dream resort.
And so began the conversion of Callisto into what some have described as "paradise". Water was purchased in high quantities to add to the growing ocean levels, giving Callisto the most impressive ocean on all of the colonies. The entire surface was soon covered by water, with the bio-pods that people occupied as the atmospheric conversion took place being converted into floating resorts and mansions.
Callisto came to be seen as the haven of the rich and the famous. Many wealthy and successful individuals reside on the moon, and it is the single most popular tourist destination in the solar system.
For an expensive couple of weeks, visitors can surf the warm waves and lay back on the artificial beaches. Where tidal heating fails, the planet is warmed through artificial measures with many of the moon's underground fusion reactors working overtime to provide the heat required for it to become a "tropical paradise". The sea-life has been refactored from remaining specimens on Earth, selected only for their beauty and luxury (there are no sharks on Callisto, although attempts have been made to put them there by eco-activists).
Its beauty and its luxury are also Callisto's weakest points. If you don't have the money, you will be treated with hostility on the world. There are slums on the colony, unbeknownst to many. However these are routinely evacuated with the colonial military forcing the inhabitants to emigrate to "less successful colonies". For a business who has success one minute and disaster the next, this can prove to be particularly harrowing.
Many ethics campaigners have shown public outrage at the manner Callisto treats its poor. Suggestions were passed to the senate on Ganymede that trade with the world be ceased until they could resolve what have been described as "severe human rights breaches" but nothing has come of it so far. Frequent campaigns draw upon the beaten and bruised who were forced from the world by the elite.
If you have the money, it certainly is a beautiful world in terms of look and feel, with a questionable underlying political structure.
Originally, Ceres was inhabited without full on Colonial status. The dwarf planet was an ideal point for a mining station, given that it was positioned inside the asteroid belt. The base was built by a corporate interest and several others began to set up other bases on the planet.
In a discussion on Ganymede between Colonial leaders, it was decided that the non-colonial basis of Ceres meant that it should be free for the other colonies to utilise. The free traders on Ceres disputed this entirely, but were accommodating enough to sell portions of their bases and space stations to other colonies for a rental fee.
And so Ceres began to be a place where military units trained, space-ships were built and resource stock-piles were gathered before shipping out to other worlds. Some people set up to live on the planet with a means to avoid having to frequently commute and visit, and so it gained a civilian sector too.
After a ruling with the Colonial leaders in Ganymede passed that their fees to use the planet should be waived, the traders on Ceres came together and agreed to forge a central government, giving Ceres a colonial status and making in the most recently created colony in human history (having been adapted to colonial status a mere 10 years ago).
The newly forged government saw no means to shut down the various colonial facilities and operations, instead only serving to tax them for their use as opposed to the previous charge. This meant that the colonies were paying more, but given how fruitful the location was, this would be a small price to pay.
Ceres is really a place to visit if you're looking to spend. The markets and trading posts are enormous and varied. You can find any trinket from any culture in the solar system on Ceres, as it retains a portion of all other colonies. Military cadets will likely be sent to Ceres if their colonial army has a base here (most do). Scientists and technicians are also frequently dispatched as most colonies prefer to use the research and ship-building facilities on Ceres over their own.
Most new grade mining ships such as the Dalia, which recently made headlines for its disappearing crew, were commissioned in recent years by mission controls operating from Ceres.
