YOUNG VOLCANOES

𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙨 + 𝙚𝙣𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙

Excerpts taken from The Systems and Enhancements: History Revisited by Dr. Unathi Cortrell, published U182.

"There are eight known planetary systems: Deleus, S'ali, Ceti Uraleko, Chaem'ol, Dikornus, Elni Lutera, Kuliav, and Aldriet. Though there are many overlapping similarities between each system, it is essential to note that each has several planets and species and, therefore, many overlapping and differing cultures. The distinct cultures of the systems and their planets will be discussed in later chapters, but general descriptions are below.

"Deleus consists primarily of populated asteroids and more minor planets that orbit three suns (known colloquially as the Triad). There are three inhabited asteroids and two dwarf planets, and the combined gravity fields of the three suns keep the planets' orbits in check. Due to the strong gravitational field, there are few instances of debris crashing into the planets as it is difficult for anything, meteor or otherwise, to be pulled from the Triad's orbit.

"S'ali cannot support much life, with its lone star, a red dwarf star, only able to support life on the closer planets. There is one exception, the planet Uilia, which will be discussed in depth later. The star's gravitational pull is feeble, resulting in often unpredictable orbit patterns among the planets.

"Considered by most to be an undesirable wasteland, Ceti Uraleko has only one known inhabited planet, Oamia. Four main stars share gravitational dominance in the system, and Oamia's proximity to them has lead to a rare mono-biome spanning the whole planet: a harsh desert with little in the way of wildlife.

"Chaem'ol is, for all intents and purposes, a major hub of life. Teeming with dozens of recorded planets (and more nearby that are undiscovered), it is the largest out of all eight systems-the diameter being nearly twenty kiloparsecs.

"Dikornus, upon its discovery, was entirely uninhabitable. There were no major stars, and all four of its planets had no survivable atmosphere. However, with the invention of synthetic stars and the increase in researchers voyaging to the planets, there will likely be colonies in Dikornus soon.

"Elni Lutera has four planets and two suns, with an asteroid belt along the system's edge. However, only one planet is safe for wildlife: Tuvora, a tiny dwarf planet closest to the suns. The other three either have no atmosphere or a poisonous one.

"In Kuliav, one can find the two largest planets of any system: Poliv and Xinus. This system does not have any main stars; instead, the planets are caught in each other's gravitational field. However, due to the lack of any central star, Poliv and Xinus are perpetually in nighttime. Additionally, their gaseous makeups allow the planets to generate enough heat to support life.

"Finally, Aldriet is the 'central' system, nearly equidistant to all the other systems. Similar to Chaem'ol, Aldriet is filled with crowded planets, twenty in total. It has five stars, each a reasonable distance from the other to keep the many planets within their gravitational pull. The most noteworthy planet in Aldriet is Di'orne, where the current head of the Intergalactic Federation, President Kyre of the Aenai family, is located. His child, only known to have been born in U175, is set to take the presidency by their twentieth Unit.

"Though each system is different in its own right, there is one thing that is nearly the same across the galaxy: enhancement laws. Dr. Zedo Ferric, a resident of the planet Oamia, first invented Enhancement-inducing nanites during U179, having used it on his child following the amputation of their arm in an accident.

"Ferric allowed open access to the plans for enhancement-nanites (E-N), hoping to help people across the galaxy. However, rampant misusage and improper implementation led to an eventual galaxy-wide ban of E-N's.

"In general, E-N's are meant to pick up the slack where one's body falls short. Whether it be a missing limb, a dysfunctional eye, or severe brain damage, E-N's are designed to assist the user. Throughout units, there have been many protests and lobbies for decriminalizing E-N's alongside laws allowing for safer use and application of the nanites.

"As of U181, there have been 5.1 million deaths from improper nanite implementation, more than double the 2.2 million arrested for being Enhanced. Unfortunately, one cannot say whether the laws surrounding the Enhanced and E-N's will change in the near future."

- author's note

i can't believe it took me like two weeks to write less than 1k words :') y'all worldbuilding is HARD, and i haven't even finished yet. and just for clarification, a 'unit' is basically the galaxy's standard version of our year. however, it's a bit longer: roughly one and a half earth years.

also, there are noble clans/families all throughout the galaxy, and whichever one holds the most power at the time, their head is the president. elections only occur at an international level, if at all.

anyway, i know this doesn't cover everything, but hopefully it makes sense! if you have any questions about the systems or the enhanced, please feel free to comment on this chapter or pm me! i'll do my best to answer :)