Ceti Epsilon

Summary

Tau Ceti with Ceti Epsilon in orbit. Artist rendition by Pablo Carlos Budassi. Image Credit.

• Ceti-E is one of the eight planets orbiting the star Tau Ceti, and the only one that is habitable.
• The planet is a super-earth, nearly four times the mass of Earth. Due to its distance from its star, the planet has an atmosphere that keeps it at a blistering 60 degrees Celsius around most of the planet.
  • Compared to Earth, Ceti-E orbits only 0.552 AU from its star. If it were in the Solar system, it would be roughly between Mercury and Venus’ orbits.
• It is the headquarters of SCG Fleet’s Second Fleet. Its location in the middle of Sol and the more distant Copernicus system made it a logical choice.
  • Additionally, its location makes it a trade hub between the SCG and the outer colonies.
• Ceti-E has a thicker atmosphere than that of Earth. While similar in composition, its pressure is significantly higher at 150 kpa at sea level. This pressure results in a much calmer weather cycle than that of Earth, but this has its disadvantages.
  • The planet is by and large an arid wasteland. With 60 to 70 degree summers at the equator, little life can thrive besides small critters, shrubs, and cacti-like trees.
  • There is no growing season on Ceti-E. Almost all of the planet’s food is grown in hydroponic tents and livestock is managed in factory farms to protect them from the harsh heat. The price of fresh meat, thus, is higher than on most planets; the average citizen would prefer to purchase soy-based substitutes that cost far less.
• The vast majority of people live either near the south or north extremes of the planet. Here, the weather is more tolerable, comparative to the weather on the Earth’s equator.

History

The Tau Ceti system was first reached by humanity in the year 2140 by the Terran Commonwealth Expeditionary Corps. In the following years, surveys by the organization identified Ceti-Epsilon as the first habitable world besides Earth within humanity’s reach since it had begun colonizing the stars a few decades prior. In the following years, largely only government bodies, and corporations began the long journey to the untouched world.

Following the accidental discovery of bluespace travel and the Kruger rift in 2145, the system gained extended attention from both government and private bodies looking to capitalize on the groundbreaking advance in space travel. With the financial backing of major corporations like NanoTrasen and the Zeng-Hu Group, the first gateway was constructed to link the Tau Ceti system with Sol in 2171. Following its construction, independent settlers from all over Sol flocked to the developing planet. Many were workers from the corporations that aided in the gateway’s construction. In the following decades, Ceti-E developed at a blistering pace, becoming the Terran Commonwealth’s bridge to the further regions of space.

Following the outbreak of the war between the Terran Commonwealth and Ares Confederation, Ceti-E lost contact with the Sol system for a time while the link between their gates was re-established. Still a developing colony with few federal bodies devoted to its management, corporations headquartered on the planet began to take the reins. What followed was a period of rapid urbanization at the poles of the planet and the establishment of the status quo that still exists in Ceti-Epsilon’s society.

When contacted by Sol in 2231, Ceti-E welcomed the newly-formed Sol Central Government. Some are keen to point out that corporate operations in Tau Ceti still receive generous tax cuts compared to that of other colonized worlds; one of the many compromises made in return for its allegiance with the SCG.

Culture

Ceti-Epsilon is the only habitable world in the Tau Ceti system. Culture in Tau Ceti, including its many orbital platforms, is seen as an extension of the culture of Ceti-E.

Because of its brief loss of contact with Sol starting in 2202, its settlers developed a unique culture separate from where they once were from. Corporations played a large role in keeping Ceti afloat during this period; they play a role in the lives of most citizens. The largest buildings in the planet’s cities always have banners of Zeng-Hu, NanoTrasen, Hephaestus, and many others plastered for all to see.

The Zeng-Hu corporation has played a large role in the advancement of prosthetic technology and began marketing their products as “augmentation” rather than simply to restore function. Bionics play a keen role in society; your phone may be linked to mechanical eyes you have installed, your latest job may have required a data-chip ID card, or maybe seeing celebrities with cosmetic parts inspired you to get your own. Critics have argued that pushing these products to the general populace is a predatory practice, but as of 2311, no action has been taken by the SCG to regulate non-weaponized prosthetics or bionics.

Major Settlements

95% of the planet’s inhabitants live in or around its urban centers at the northern and southern extremes.

Icon

The capital city of Ceti-Epsilon, and headquarters of the SCGF’s Second Fleet. It is located near the north pole of the planet, and is a sizable urban metropolis home to some of the largest structures the planet has. Many of the government’s organizations head their offices here.

The city is made up of dozens of minor districts, however the two of particular note are the Center District, home Zeng-Hu Pharmaceutical’s current headquarters, and the Fleet District, where the headquarters of the Second Fleet and their many carrier groups are based from.

The average citizen from Icon finds themself living in a mega-building apartment. Individual houses are a rare sight in Ceti, which has historically preferred to use the restricted space of the north and south poles efficiently rather than develop large suburban neighborhoods. Compared to the average dwelling in the SCG, however, residents of Icon have an above-average quality of life even at the lower-middle class level with access to both necessities and luxuries within their city district.

The wealthiest, on the other hand, own the penthouses that stay in view from every corner of the city.

Scadde

The largest city in Ceti-Epsilon’s southern hemisphere, Scadde (Pronounced SCAD-EE) was established soon after Zeng-Hu staked its claim of Icon. Here, Hephaestus created what was initially a small community for its miners that developed into a large, if austere, urban center. The city is shadowed by smog due to the various factories and assembly lines dispersed between residential buildings.

With cities like Scadde, Ceti-Epsilon is the SCG’s largest exporter of mechanical and electronic components ranging from exosuits and prosthetics to AI cores and the ever so scarce bluespace circuit used in positronic manufacture.

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