Eta Cassiopeia
Valhalla’s idyllic temperate climate proved a great
attraction for the mainly European settlers who set about tailoring the world
to be as like home as possible.
A binary system 19 l.y. From Sol, Eta Cassiopeia was first investigated by an ESA probe in 2105. Before that the European Federation had heavily invested in Sol System projects such as orbitals, asteroid colonies and settlements on Mars (though Martians where always suspicious of the Earthers) and outposts in the outer Solar System.
The European Federation had always worked in partnership with
other economic superpowers in the colonisation of interstellar space, ever
since the Centauri mission. At the time no one planet was totally European in
lineage though European nations found themselves involved in most ventures
throughout known space.
Voices where rising in the
European Parliament though for a totally European colony where its culture and
society could develop and prosper. This sentiment was quite common at the time,
a new feeling of nationalism had taken over the terran nations again (though
no-where near the xenophobic levels of the industrial and information ages) and
although nations states had declined on Earth in relevance, regional culture
and heritage was still considered important to many.
The viable world of Valhalla
was found to be a most attractive world indeed, studies of the local fauna
showed a very similar genetic structure to that of Earth (it was systems such
as these that gave rise to the artificial ancestry of most life forms in the
region.) The planet showed no nasty quirks such as lethal amounts of radiation
(such as Lucifer in the Centauri system) or geological instability and a
massive project to colonise the world was put into motion.
The EF decided to build a
fleet of 12 ships on the first wave of colonisation, which at the time was
considered a massive undertaking. Europe was certainly not doing things by half
and though some of its citizens argued the money should be spent elsewhere
(strengthening environmental defences for example) a certain feeling of pride
spurred on the construction of the fleet in the Trieste shipyards above Luna.
After a 23 year journey
through deepest space the Europa Fleet arrived in the Eta Cass system in
2147. The various nationalities divided up the islands and continents among
themselves each having illusions of re-creating European culture on an alien
world light years away. Hence regions called Britannia, Germania, Bohemia, and
Catalonia etc.
It is perhaps lucky for Valhalla that its indigenous life forms
were so compatible with terran forms. The colonists spent little time worrying
about the effects their actions were having on the planet as they set about
building their cities, designing their parklands, planting their vineyards and
dreaming up fanciful medieval style castles on top of mountains and on
artificial islands.
For a century this historical re-creationism continued until most
outsiders considered the Valhallans behaviour as nothing more that out-dated
nostalgia and tacky theme park like re-creationalism. The new generation of
Valhallans who had been brought up having never seen Paris, London or Rome felt
that they should be trying to build a new version of European society rather
than try recreate a rosy-tinted view of European past.
If they really wanted to rebuild the past why not include the
horrific dark side of European history argued the younger generation. Why not
build Albert Speer’s vision of Nazi Berlin or do away with democratic government
and have the planet ruled by royal families, mocked the youngsters.
Eventually the older generation saw the error of their ways and
instead tried to blend the styles and cultures of Europe into something new.
Whole populations where encouraged to leave there own regions and take up the
challenge of blending their culture with others.
So by the mid 23rd there were for example a curious
dialect of English and German spoken in the cities of Cousteau Bay,
Scandinavian families producing great wine in the vineyards of southern Bohemia
using old Italian methods and it was agued that should FTL travel become a
reality then the Valhallan planetary football team could wipe the floor with
any opposition!
When warp travel did finally arrive Eta Cassiopeia became one of
the top ten tourist destinations for the wealthy “FTL Glitteratti.” With one of
the highest populations outside of the Homeworlds Eta Cass had a very
cosmopolitan and urban feel. Thousands, then millions and then almost a billion
travelled their each year as interstellar travel went down in price. Eta
Cassiopeia was seen as the closet one could get to visiting Earth without
having to pay the shocking prices that the old world charged for everything
from hotels to a coffee in a New York deli!
Eta Cassiopeia ,being quite an old system not as rich in metals
and rare elements as others so heavy industry was never going to be the making
of the system. But the tourist money allowed great projects to be funded
,culminating in the terraforming of Da Vinci in 2400 a world which orbits the
cool yellow red star Eta Cassiopeia B every 35 days.
A Ti`Thal settlement on Da Vinci (Eta Cassiopeia BII).
Eta Cass has the largest population of Ti`Thals in the region.
