Alnair

A pair of playful uplift Dolphins swim in the oceans of Opal. Its twin world Azure can be seen along with the impressive gas giant Lana

 

Overview

The probe that entered the Alnair system in 2243 expected only to find a hot and luminous B5 type star surrounded by a few large proto-planets and swarms of millions of metal-rich asteroids.

 It did not expect a stable planetary system of over fifty major bodies, four of which orbiting the large gas giant Alnair 5 (later renamed Lana) have compatible biospheres of an artificial origin found thought much of the core.

 Planetary systems of this type usually found round hot blue stars are widely believed to be artificial, possibly assembled from the abundant raw material found floating round such stars using advanced nanotechnology and mega-scale engineering techniques the likes of which can only be theorised at the moment. As to who constructed the varied and beautiful worlds of Alnair is a mystery (one of many in this part of the universe!) but analysis has shown that it happened hundreds of thousands of years ago and the builders left no trace of their technology or society (with one notable exception)

 The four habitable worlds of Alnair have somewhat unusual orbits. The small twin planets of Azure and Opal (twin jewels if you will) and the lush tropical Amazonia are in the two trojan points of the temperate and cosmopolitan world of Nova which in turn orbits the mighty ringed giant world of Lana with a host of assorted moons varying in colour and composition from the ochre and sienna coloured world of Lyxis` Claim to the violently volcanic, irradiated and vividly coloured innermost world of Krakatoa.

 Indeed the inhabitants of Alnair`s many worlds and habitats are justly proud of the immense beauty of their system, the original Alnairians must have had been quite the aesthetic connoisseurs.

 

History

Alnair is not just famous for its beauty, more the pivotal role it played in history and technology, most notably in the fall of the old style mega-corps and the development of artificial wormholes.

 In 2291 the same probe that was studying the worlds of Alnair with relish came across a distortion in the fabric of space-time at the trailing trojan point of Lana. Upon further investigation it revealed a wormhole, a long hypothesized (the legendary scientists Einstein and Bati-Bati Frume both theorized such quantum wonders centuries ago on their respective planets) tunnel through normal space threat allows near instantaneous travel between two points in space.

 The scientific establishment were tripping over themselves to get first-hand experience of such a discovery, to learn  more about wormholes (and possibly replicate them.) This soon attracted the attention of a few mega-corps and polities who also realised the potential for interstellar travel that the discovery brought.

Lana Delaney on board the first shuttle to land on Nova

One such person who got caught up in the rush for Alnair was Lana Delaney. A resourceful, ambitious and determined individual who had brought herself up from the slums of Earth to become a junior CEO in the StarLanes corporation, a company that was one of the first to use warpships for commercial purposes. Through not always conventional means of persuasion (her sexual exploits where often the topic of much gossip in the early days of Alnair) she managed to get the use of a warpship crammed with colonizing equipment and few idealistic scientists and adventurers and blasted off for the 9 year trip to Alnair, chased by three other ships racing to be the first to settle and therefore claim ownership of Alnair.

 When the Lennon and McCartney arrived at Alnair Lana shocked her employers by proclaiming Alnair to be an independent settlement and off limits to the all-powerful mega-corps except for trade.

 Such a move was so surprising as colonists on mega-corp ships were supposed to be checked for their loyalty to the company (the mega-corps had learnt their lesson from Beta Comae.) Whether the liberating influence of deep space or Lana`s experience of life in the slums of Earth were responsible for her dramatic proclamation is debated to this day but the outcome was another rich and important system fell through the clutches of the mega-corps.

 The Community quickly recognised Lana`s claim to Alnair (its is argued that the Community had a very strong influence on Lana`s actions) and when the chasing warpships arrived, two decided to side with Lana while the other (the Ayn Rand IV) toyed with the idea of fighting the claim but eventually stood down. This change of mind might have been blamed on the  GE Question of Sophistory  was spotted playing with kuiper bodies in the outer system and only the most brave or stupid individual would start firing off weapons when one of these mysterious beings is around.

Alnair quickly prospered under a technoanarchic government (modelled on the Iota Persei system), many varied groups of people settled in Alnair, away from the materialistic grip of life back home which gave Alnair its cosmopolitan mix of cultures and races.

 Study of the properties of the Wormhole became the University of Alnair`s, (a system wide institute set up to explore the many wonders and mysteries of the system) prime concern while Alnairian influence became strong in the local region, led by Lana herself who became as close to a national hero as the rather laid back Alnairians would allow  (as well as something of a sexual fantasy to most!)

 Towards the end of the 2420s the University (led by the respected AC Metric Musings) announced it had a quite economic way to reproduce another wormhole to a desired location. The Alnairian Wormhole Project consumed a lot of the systems funds and it had to go to its local allies for help but in 2454 the first artificial wormhole to be constructed by the Community ,leading to Pi Picis Austrini 28 l.y. away.

Despite protests from more avaricious citizens Wormhole technology was soon distributed throughout Community . This was a move that may have cost Alnair and its allies a lot of potential credits but brought great kudos throughout the Concourse ( and in the opinion of many later was better for the Community in the long run.)

 But while the Wormhole was being studied and replicated Alnairian publicly owned space lines were making headway throughout most of space (though avoiding contact with the Zarquons and other “dodgy” regimes ) bringing much wealth back home plus giving the chance for many Alnairians to see the Galaxy.

  Lana Delaney uploaded into an artificial body in 2430 at the ripe old age of 251 becoming the immortal “Mother to Alnair”, to sit back and see how her dream would develop through the ages. She had long ago relinquished any cultural power that she had, finding, as she had hoped that any one person would find it very difficult to enforce their views on others in Alnair. Lana now lives largely as a recluse with other friends, mostly from the time of the Lennon and McCartney, making public appearances at the occasional festival, teasing the gossipy media with sightings in unlikely places and in times of national crises, such as the Zarquon War.

 Alnair`s distaste for the covetous and manipulative mega-corps had long been known and had brought it an equal number of allies and enemies. Such hostilities came to a head in 2635 after decades of protest and heated debate in the Concourse against Community involvement with the Zarquon Empire when a trade and media war broke out , threatening to tear the Community apart.

 Due to the average Community citizens nature though, politics and beliefs aside they were all one united family ( and whose family doesn`t argue most of the time ) and Alnair soon came to the aid of its former trade enemies when the Zarquons became less covert in their takeover of Cesola and the surrounding sectors. Alnairian fleets in the CDF were at the forefront of the fighting most notably in the Battle of 345 G2Tauri, the Stand at Aldebaran and the liberation of the Villippola capital system of Xechia Parripessa.

 These days Alnair is a rich, varied and highly populated system dripping with history with millions of tourists every year, is a powerful voice in the Concourse and highly regarded for its stands against excessive materialism and for sentient rights

Politics

Lana Delaney’s stand against the mega-corps in the founding of Alnair set the course for centuries to come. Being free of Mega-corp and Earther influence it attracted radicals but also many tired of having to slave away to make someone else rich. With the bountiful resources, four viable worlds and the wormhole Alnair soon prospered where perhaps a lesser system with the same ideology would have been sidelined .

Alnair`s liberal, anarchic values and social conscience have led it to voicing its concerns many times throughout history and on occasion resorting to more militant means of protest such as cyberian attacks in such cases as the Arcturian expulsion. It has become a leader of the Progressivist cause in the Concourse and its views accepted as wise if not a little hot-headed.

Its Technoanarchic government is derived from Iota Persei and uses AI systems to regulate the utilities (though not self-aware so they don’t run off and explore the universe or get delusions of grandeur! ) while people go about their business under the anarchist philosophy of “ do anything you want but harm no-one else ”  Corporations are either publicly owned or owned by the employees. Matters that effect Alnair as a whole are voted for by the citizens (and a citizen is anybody regarded as being remotely sentient abiding with the Treaty of Elysium.)

 

The city of Emmerson on Nova. Most Alnairians prefer  to live in large cities which are very relaxed and cosmopolitan.

Alnair is a core progressive system with a highly vocal and militant minority who remind others that the Galaxy as a whole is a horrible place that should be changed for the better and that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. Most Alnairians dabble with such groups as End Injustice Now (EIN), Money Isn’t Everything (MiE), and Free Will or Nothing (FWoN) in their youth and either join a Cyberian Direct Action group, enter politics in the Concourse (seen as the boring option) or get on with their life until something really important and relevant happens (after all, it takes a lot of energy to be angry all your life!)

Its allies in the Concourse include the Sirian Unity , Noraide, Iota Persei, the Novagen Unity, Beta Comae and generally any nation that calls itself progressive or anti-mega-corp.

 Nearby colonies such as Pi Picis Austrini and Xi Scorpii soon became immersed in Alnair`s beliefs and culture and a loose association grew (Alnairians would never be involved as anything distasteful as empire-building), primarily for trade but also as a united front against its political enemies in the Concourse.

 By the late 25^th century this loose association had become as formal as it was every going to get, not so much a political entity per say but an informal agreement to look out for each other and to fund massive new projects such as extensive wormhole links to other sectors and new colonies in the region on the frontier.

Major systems that consider themselves either part of the Technoanarchy of Alnair or partners with include;

Name	Distance from Alnair  (l.y.) and star type	Comments
Beta Alnair	4.01  K2 dwarf	Terraformed world of Aria colonised in 2467
Tau Gruis	15.95 G3 dwarf	Low gravity world of Alaska noted for its winter sports
Delta Alnair	16.35  G5 dwarf	Terraformed in 2439
Theta Indi	17.95 A5+A7	Double system with three habitable worlds. Considered a laid back suburb by Alnairians
Epsilon Alnair	18.74 G5 dwarf	Terraformed in 2589
Zeta Alnair	18.95 K3 dwarf	Ryanmar closely orbits the gas giant Snoopy
Calle`s Star	22.23 F7 dwarf	Primarily inhabited by Eses who once followed the charismatic extropian leader Calle
Eta Alnair	22.50 G8 dwarf	Terraformed in 2645
Zeta Alnair	26.21 G1 dwarf	Terraformed in 2678 but covered mostly in tundra, which its inhabitants have grown fond of

 

 

Homer	26.84 K7 dwarf	Star and planet named after a millennial culture-hero
Akkahumba	27.06 K5 dwarf	A mostly savannah world colonised by Ape Uplifts
Alpha Indi	27.11 K0 giant	Cresendo is a small terraformed moon of a gas giant
Phi Gruis	28.45 F5 dwarf	Irreverance was colonised in 2425. Known for its island cultures who live an anarchic party culture until they grow out of it or live in a permanent pharmological-nirvana/hell
Smart Move	67.89 G0 sub-giant	First of Alnair`s frontier colonies, settled in 2665
Purple Haze	76.90 K7 dwarf	Colonised in 2690
Iota Alnair	101.67 G2 dwarf	Colonised in 2695 and mostly designated an wilderness planet for dinosaur-type novagens