Cemen is a relatively Earth-like planet in orbit of a star similar to Sol and has one unnamed moon. It is home to a primarily subterranean race, who call themselves Sedyr.
In terms of geography, Cemen has two continents, one slightly smaller than the other, and two oceans. The planet is, for the most part, tectonically stable and any kind of tremors or quakes are extremely rare. For some (yet to be determined reason) the colonists from Earth arrived on Cemen in two separate ships, one significantly after the other. The Sedyr emerged to greet the first colonists and help them learn to live on the planet, but had mostly retreated back to their underground homes by the time the second ship of colonists arrived. What would eventually become known as the East Continent was, in time, united into a single empire, which was later broken into four monarchies. The other continent, later known as the West Continent, became and remained a republic. All trade and travel between the continents is under the purview of a group known as the Pleasure Society, who exist outside the authority of any continental government. Possibly due to the influence of the (almost) immortal Sedyr, many of the social structures and governments on Cemen remain relatively stable for long time periods. Another possible influence of the Sedyr on the human colonists is a retention of words, concepts, and holidays that the colonists were supposedly conditioned to forget in the attempt to make them forget Earth.
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This is background to all of my colony worlds novels and a good deal of the rest of my writing. Please note two things:
-this is fiction set on an alternate Earth -I truly hope we have a much brighter future ahead of us than this In the year 2054, a pair of graduate students from a small university made a huge break through in beyond light speed travel. The small craft they created could go anywhere on Earth in the blink of an eye. However, fearing they would lose credit for the discovery, the students enlisted the support of a wealthy philanthropist. He provided the location and means of building a full scale prototype capable of space flight and atmospheric re-entry. When the prototype was ready, the philanthropist obtained clearance for a single test flight for his ‘private space yacht.’ At the appointed time, the students launched their craft. Once outside Earth’s atmosphere, they activated the beyond light speed engine for the fastest ever trip to the moon and back. The success of the trip was broadcast to Earth via the International Space Station. However, instead of returning to the Earth’s surface, the students refueled and restocked at the ISS. This time they took their craft to Mars, where they visited the surface. Again, they returned to the ISS to refuel and restock. But this time, they contacted the United Nations. They explained that they did not want any one country to have control of this new travel capacity. The UN agreed that this was best and a new International Space Agency (ISA) was created. The students gave this new agency the plans and specifications for their craft. The students and their prototype never returned to the Earth’s surface. Instead, they visited each planet of the solar system, each time returning to the station with new information and images for Earth’s scientists. Each trip also assisted in refining and improving their prototype. All modifications were transmitted to the ISA. But when the students attempted a trip to the nearest solar system, they and their craft vanished. In the meantime, the ISA began construction of a fleet of exploratory craft. Supply and passenger ships were also commissioned by various countries and individuals. Elsewhere on Earth, a separate group of scientists was investigating means of reclaiming land damaged by pollution and nuclear disasters. By 2055, they had succeeded in creating a ‘terraforming kit’ capable of rehabilitating even the worst damaged sites. In 2056, the ISA began adapting the kit for use on the moon and Mars. 2060 saw the grand opening of the Lunar Research Station. 2062 saw the founding of the colony on Mars and the establishment of an international station in orbit over Neptune. Neptune Station was the command centre for the exploratory fleet launched in 2063. The fleet was made up of thirty small, self-sustaining ships, each assigned to explore one of the newly designated sectors of space. With Earth as the point of origin, four quadrants were established. Each quadrant was further broken into sectors. The ship crews were tasked with finding potential for mining, uninhabited Earth-like planets, and terraform-able planets. Earth was rapidly becoming increasingly over populated and many countries were looking to establish offworld colonies. The severe winter of 2065 caused an unprecedented population explosion the following year. The resources of Earth and Mars were taxed beyond their limits. In an effort to resolve the crisis, thousands of ‘undesirables’ were loaded into colony ships and conditioned to forget Earth and never again seek outer space. They were then sent to the planets the exploration teams had recommended for colonization. Even with this, Earth remained overpopulated and tensions rose between countries. Eventually, any pretense of civility and international co-operation died and the UN was destroyed. Lunar and Neptune Stations were abandoned, exploration was disrupted, and Mars colony was left to fend for itself. Nuclear war broke out on Earth, drastically reducing the population and rendering much of the land unusable. I never knew we had an actual attic. I've been down to the basement many times because the laundry machines and root cellar which I use for pantry space are down there. But I've never even considered there might be usable space above the bedroom ceilings.
But as I'm sweeping the ceiling in the upstairs hall, evicting spiders who have probably lived here for generations unnoticed, the broom pushes up a section of the ceiling. Frowning, I push a little harder and as the section of ceiling rises, a ladder slides down. I hop back out of the way, somewhat startled. How did I never know about this? Setting aside the broom, I venture up the ladder, testing each rung carefully as I go. It's sturdy enough. Once my head is through the hole, I survey what I can see by the very dim light. It looks like some kind of storage. It also looks extremely dusty and likely to only get darker. I retreat for the moment, although leaving the ladder down, to finish what I had been working on and consider what I've discovered. Once I'm finished my cleaning of the upstairs hall, I go down to put the broom away. Washing my hands thoroughly, I prepare and eat some lunch, since the clock is claiming it's midday. Then I gather a pile of clean rags and check the batteries in the flashlight I keep on hand for emergency blackouts. Feeling more or less adequately prepared, I carry the rags and flashlight upstairs and up the ladder to set them on the attic floor. There is a pounding on the front door. I frown warily, since I'm not expecting company. But I descend first the ladder, then the stairs and go to see who it is. Through the ornate window in the front door, I can see two of the men in the stiff, stark suits standing on the porch. I slide the door chain, a mostly useless security precaution I rarely bother using, into place before opening the door as far as the chain will permit. "Can I help you?" The two men exchange what looks like a surprised glance before dropping down to one knee and bowing their heads. "Your highness." www.smashwords.com/books/view/1049506 Starting next week, I will return to posting content from my writing. Today, I'm just checking in to wish you a Happy New Year. Here's to a better year than the last one.
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AuthorAlexandra A. 'Lexa' Cheshire is the author of numerous novels and short stories published through Howling Wolf Books. Lexa is a wife, mother, cat owner, and music lover. Archives
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