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Neptune

Posted by: Kristoffson, Firewall Proxy

Cold, dark, and beautiful. That's Neptune. So far away that the rest of the system might as well not exist. Farcasting here is expensive, and arriving by ship is even more expensive and takes years. The planet itself is several shades of dark blue, and the highest winds in the Solar System batter anyone who tries to descend into its clouds.

Neptunian Culture​

There's two reasons to come to Neptune: to escape or to start over. The entire Neptunian system is home to barely 100,000 people. Here you are valued more for what you do than what you've done. Whether you're running from the law, from obligations, or from some jealous partner that you pissed off -- no one here cares.

There's your odd tourist, Xtreme sports enthusiast, or researcher too. Also among them is the odd prospector, looking for a gate. "Gates at Mars, Saturn, Uranus, and Eris! There must be a gate at Neptune!" Not yet, but it won't stop the cowboys from trying. oMost Neptunian life is concentrated on the planet's moons or on the few habs that circle the ice giant. Except for the handful of known aerostats floating around in Neptune's 2,000 kph winds, that is.

Neptunian Settlements​

Mushroom​

  • Habitat Type: Aerostat
  • Allegiance: Brinker

The brinkers on Mushroom embody the term paranoid: egocasting from a handful of trusted stations is the only way in. If you try to approach by ship, your molecules join Neptune's beautiful swirling clouds. Once aboard, you're held in psychosurgery until they determine why you're there. If the don't like the reason, you're 'cast off.

Mushroom is one of the few places to get an up-close look at neptune's roiling clouds and weather, but little research happens here. There are no radio or mesh transmissions allowed out; anyone found attempting to do so is exiled. The stat uses a few strategically places repeater satellites to receive transmissions, so the inhabitants at least stay up on current events and sports scores.

Who's footing the bill for this little venture and why? Ask any Neptunian about Mushroom and you'll get a shrug and a quick change of subject.

Supposedly there's a habitat called Jaques even deeper than Mushroom. But it probably doesn't exist.

Glitch​

  • Habitat Type: Processor Locus
  • Allegiance: Independent/Mercurial

Glitch is the largest processor locus in the system. It's a refuge for the smarts and most creative transhuman minds. The infomorphs that call it home claim you're smarter and more creative as soon as you enter thanks to their architectural protocols.

Glitch's systems allow infomorphs to communicate incredible amounts of information almost instantaneously with the entire locus. Egos arriving on Glitch tend to either leave right away or become permanent residents; those who stay and leave later say disconnecting from the locus is terrifying.

Mahogany​

  • Habitat Type: Cylinder
  • Allegiance: Mercurial

Mahogany was founded on the principle that uplifts and AGIs didn't require human intervention. It's now an inspiration for other mercurial colonies, but Mahogany's autonomy doesn't mean isolation. Its residents actively participate in system-wide scientific research, political activism, and media production. Mahogonans are most concerned with helping mercurials avoid persecution and establish new communities.

Afrik​

  • Habitat Type: Torus
  • Allegiance: Independent/Mercurial

Afrik is an attempt by mercurials to create a thriving, pre-Fall African ecosystem on a Torus hab around Triton. Unfortunately it never had the funding to fully realize its vision. The scientists running Afrik filled holes in the ecosystem using gene splicing, nanofabrication, and borrowed xenobiology. It's worth visiting if only for its uniqueness, but understand that it is not a zoo.

Neptunian Trojans​

By the numbers, there are more Neptunian Trojan asteroids than Jovian. Most aren't larger than 10 km across and aren't worth a damn in terms of minerals or volatiles, but they make a dandy place to hide. They're home to tiny, scattered communities of brinkers, survivalists, and other eccentrics; most stations house 500 transhumans or less.

Hawking​

  • Habitat Type: Beehive/Cluster
  • Allegiance:* Independent (Hypercorp)

Hawking is a hypercorps skunkworks facility. The local brinkers avoid it; ships that get too close are warned once and then fired upon with prejudice. ExoTech's Morgan Sterling is supposedly one of the facility's investors. Its research involves theoretical space drives.

On the upside, Hawking's remote location means any physics "mistakes" probably won't hurt the rest of the system...

Probably.

Ilmarinen​

  • Habitat Type: Beehive/Cluster
  • Allegiance: Anarchist/Brinker/Argonaut

Ilmarinen is a celebration of the cold and vacuum of space. Every available morph has substantial environmental tolerance upgrades. The station's residents freely mix and mingle with the chill and vacuum of the void beyond their walls. Areas containing plants and precious possessions have strict environmental controls; the rest of the hab can depressurize or drop drastically in temperature at any time. The station is a haven for engineers, designers, and techies who prefer to work free from hypercorp influence or control.