Proxima Centauri is actually the closest of the three stars but it is a red dwarf and probably does not have any habitable planets. Beyond that, Alpha Centauri A (called Aleph by the residents of New Earth) is also a very Sol-like star, a G2V class with a spectrum very much like our sun. No wonder there has been so much speculation and seems the consensus first star system to visit once we achieve inter-stellar travel capability. At least one Earth-sized world have been discovered orbiting Alpha Centauri B (called Beth by the residents of New Earth) which is an orange-colored K1V star, about half the size of the sun.
Alpha Centauri figures prominently in the world of Rome's Revolution for a variety of reasons. In the original long-form version, the prologue to the novel (called VIRUS 5 back then) was all about a farmer named Silas Hiram and the world of New Earth. The prologue was meant to paint an idyllic picture of what the Ark program was supposed to be. Silas was the first to discover that Alnilam disappeared which, of course, was the driving point behind the whole plot of the first part of Rome's Revolution.
Later, when Rei is awakened by the Vuduri, he finds out that the star system has been renamed Rogal Canduro and that the Vuduri have a permanent outpost there. It is so important to them that they built a series of rings creating a static PPT tunnel so that people from Earth could get there extremely quickly. Of course we find out later that only pure-bred 24-chromosome Vuduri are allowed. Mandasurte need not apply. This leads to problems later as MASAL's plot to re-engineer mankind begins to gain traction. Rei also finds out it has beautiful but deadly indigenous animals. Among them are the lurkers, the bat-wolves and the Piranha Rats who were responsible for the destruction of the colony established by Ark I.
Finally, both in The Ark Lords and Rome's Evolution, Rei and Rome travel to the inhabited world there, since renamed Helome by the Vuduri and experience some adventures with Virga and her buddies.
It was nice to see that our nearest neighbor was so hospitable so as to provide some major plot points for the Rome's Revolution series.
Entry 1-262: September 13, 2013
My flora, my fauna: Helome
Yesterday's post focused on the Alpha Centauri star system and mentioned some of the life forms found on Helome. I also posted a while back a little piece called (tongue in cheek) “Tails of the Vuduri” to discuss the wildlife found on Deucado. However, by and large, the world of Rome's Revolution is largely devoid of native animals and plants.
Andy Jamieson, from Geekzine.co.uk interviewed me yesterday and asked me what were some of my biggest challenges to writing this series. Well, this part, coming up with new animals and plants certainly counts as a challenge.
To properly catalog all the life forms on a new planet would take a lifetime by itself. For the most part, I want to get to the story so I gloss over such things and only mention plants or animals as needed. Hell, I don't even like to talk about weather. (See the post entitled “It's always sunny on Deucado”). Today I will cover Helome and tomorrow I'll finish up with Deucado.
Here is a complete list which is pretty meager.
Plants:
- Crayola trees. Tree-analogs with moss-like tops and trunks which are every color of the rainbow.
- Soybeans. Brought from Earth aboard the Ark I and survived the constant waves of Piranha Rats over the centuries.
- Barley and hops. Also brought from Earth and mentioned quite prominently in the story of Silas Hiram. You'll get the full story when I release The Vuduri Companion next year.
- A grass-analog allowed to grow within the confines of the Vuduri cities there.