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Arkab Prior B - The Necklace
Galactography > Regions of Space > Middle Regions/Hinter-regions
Galactography > Sephirotic Empires > Mutual Progress Association
Galactography > Systems and Worlds > Systems & Worlds A - B
Galactography > Sephirotic Empires > Mutual Progress Association
Galactography > Systems and Worlds > Systems & Worlds A - B
MPA system with hundreds of Bishop Ring Habitats. | |
 Image from Steve Bowers | |
| Arkab B can be seen in this image, behind Alliance bishop ring; also visible is distant Arkab A | |
Arkab Prior B - Data panel | |
| Star | Arkab Prior B ; part of a binary system with Arkab Prior A |
|---|---|
| Separation of A and B stars | 3309 AU (9900 epoch) |
| Stellar Class: | A5 |
| Luminosity: | 13 x sol |
| Distance from Sol | 378 ly |
| Current allegiance: | Mutual Progress Association |
| Planets: | Bayer: Epistellar superjovian, orbit 0.8 AU, diameter 200,000 km, converted to a Deep Well Industrial Zone. One remaining satellite Gzeut, hosting extensive energy farms and processing nodes. Main population centre: Boltzmann (pop. 18,000) - mostly Clan Esase, heat-adapted humans. The extensive asteroid belt and all other satellites of Bayer have been dismantled and are being utilised to construct the A1B Necklace. |
 Image from Steve Bowers | |
| Frunobulax Ring, a temperate maritime ring | |
Arkab A and B were first colonised in 4311 a.t, Arkab A being allocated to the Negentropy Alliance, Arkab B allocated to the MPA.
During the Version War Arkab Prior B was occupied by Negentropist forces from 4520 onwards; the territory was returned to the MPA after hostilities ceased.
Construction of the Necklace was started in 6800 by the Mutual Progress alliance under the terms of the Prior B territory agreements.
The first one hundred habitats, each originally of the open-ring type known as Bishop Rings were finished by 7500, many more have been added since (total number of habitats in 9900 was 213)
Construction of a second string to the necklace has been commenced at 3.5 AU orbit, but no habitats have been completed to date.
Since 8110 thirty two habitats have converted to MPA-Keterism and are now solid state computronium structures with virtual post-singularity inhabitants. These habitats have converted the carbon, aluminium and oxygen of the original habitats to diamondoid and corundumoid computronium and are often known as the Jewels or Jewelled Habitats, with external decorative shells of diamond, sapphire and ruby.
All habitats are two thousand one hundred and six kilometres in diameter, and rotate at various speeds to produce various values of artificial gravity. The width of the ring floor is eight hundred and seventy kilometres in each case, giving a total living space of 5.8 million square kilometres each. The total area of available living surface at present in the Necklace is more than twice that of an average Earth type (Gaian subclass) planet, and this value will increase as more are constructed. Each habitat is open to space at the sides, with a 100 km high carbonfoam atmosphere wall to prevent loss of volatiles.
Non-virtual population 18 Billion all species. (mostly near baseline or tweak, some splice, provolve, neogen, rianth.
Average non-virtual population per habitat 98 million.
Virtual population (mostly MPA-Keterist, rarely leaving the jewel habitats) 76 billion estimated.
Each habitat is edge on to the local star, and collects stellar energy for processing and industry and also for illumination of the inner surface. This illumination is emitted by the central Lamp (or Luminaire) and is controlled to produce a tailored climate, which is specific to the ring concerned.
Since 8729 the habitats have been connected by the Tubeway Cable, a continuous ring maglev vacuum railway which replaced the former rotating slingshot transport system.
 Image from Steve Bowers | |
| Xero, a desert ring | |
Examples of Ring Habitats with specific climate regimes:
Tropical (maritime) Frunobulax, FooBar, AnseTropical (stormy) Bermoothes
Tropical (rainforest) Manaus, EfeTropical (desert) Micah, Xero, Elsirac
Temperate (rainforest) Ñadi
Temperate (maritime) Rendell, Alliance, Sulphur Blossom
Temperate (steppe) Piedmont, Ishim
SubPolar (maritime) Hoy, Xo'on
SubPolar (desert) Ulan, Kochil
To'ul'h (wet greenhouse) So'ul'll'ss'oo's (completed 9945)
New Martian (low pressure terraformed) Hellas, Carter
 Image from Steve Bowers | |
| Rendell, a temperate ring | |
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Development Notes
Text by Steve Bowers
Initially published on 14 July 2003.
Initially published on 14 July 2003.
Additional Information
Fiction relating to Arkab Prior B
Betrayals - a Novel set largely in the Necklace
Betrayals - a Novel set largely in the Necklace
