Geography 2. Gerunda

GERUNDA

Moving closer to the star from Litmus you pass the orbit of three gas giants and one more planet, and then reach Gerunda. That was the destiny chosen by some among the ships in their **** effort to escape the large shadows.

Gerunda is a planet twice the size of Earth and has little more than three times the mass of humanity home planet. It had an atmosphere close enough to our to be made breathable in the course of 7,5 centuries by the introduction of plants genetically designed for this purpose. Days last 55 hours and there is neither satellite nor any other astral body in position to block the light periodically.

The first generations stablished themselves in floating cities build from what they could save from their space ships. They followed the sun, avoiding the darkness, and has to cultivate all their food indoors, fungus and algae mostly.

During those first generations, when all humanity on Gerunda lived in islands surrounded by transparent glass, with walls that where a maze of mirrors designed to make the light reach as much as possible of every corner, they had a serious problem. They could not produce one percent of the energy they had to consume to keep living like that. The most optimistically prospects didn’t offered solution for that. Wasn’t an urgent problem, since they manage to save enough fuel from their space-ships to last for a dozen generations with their current populations. Nevertheless, that was a serious concern for them.

Colonizer Culture at this point in History was based in plan for hundreds of generations, given the duration of those travels between stars. And they considered their obligation to design a way of life that could, theoretically, be sustained for millions of years without count with the surprises of technological advancement.

To have only 300 sy (standard years: the same than Earthling years) of fuel, no chance to escape and no realistic prospect to find more, was a big source of drama for the people living in those times.

The managed to send seeds of their modified plants in the winds, to rain everywhere on the surface. However, they would not dare to stay for the night anywhere, and every exploring mission had to last from morning to before sunset. Leaving enough time for them to reach a Heliopolis in the sky.

Humans had spread toward the system, and some surviving colonies lasted more than others, but communication was difficult. They had no idea that Litmus existed and was enduring well. Most the communication during the early decades was about difficulties, cries for help, and last messages from dying colonies.

Until the first mages make contact with elder vampires had been accepted for four decades as true that Gerunda was the last surviving outpost in the system.

(On Gerunda we find the Nation of Amaterasu, and its capital, the city of Austin. Where many of our stories will take place)