Hot, resource-rich world in the Old Solar System. | |
Image from Steve Bowers | |
Mercury in the Current Era is surrounded by two large orbital ring structures, with numerous elevators extending to the surface. These rings are home to billions of virtual sophonts, and play vital roles in transport and heat management. |
Mercury Data Panel | |
System: | Solsys |
---|---|
Primary: | Sol |
Planet: | Mercury (Sol I) |
Planet Type: | Small, rocky world, Hermian type. This world has a large, molten core heated by tidal flexing and primordial radioactivity. |
Distance from Primary: | orbits Sol at a mean distance of 0.387 AU. |
Radius: | 2439 km |
Density: | 5.44 gm/cm3 |
Gravity: | 0.378 gee |
Day | 59 days |
Year | 88 days |
Axial Tilt: | 7 degrees |
Satellites: | none |
Atmosphere: | Mercury originally had negligible atmosphere |
Average Surface Temperature: | between 350°C and -170°C. |
AI | AI overseers: The Lares |
Polity | Name: Mercury Administration (Umbrella Body) Symbol: The Mercury Administration Flag. Affiliation: The Solsys Organization / Fomalhaut Acquisition Society. First manned landing: 129 AT |
Territory and Population | Population: 36 billion sophonts (64% sophtwares, 18% vecs, 4% Martian tweaks, 3% superiors, 2% cyborgs, 9% other). Most of the embodied population live in the subterranean levels, while the Sophtware population mostly live on the orbital structures Caduceus Alpha and Caduceus Beta. A small but influential number of Sun Miners maintain holiday homes on the outer shell. Territory: Mercury and Cis-Mercurian space; the intra-mercurial bands are considered protectorates but have complete autonomy. |
Government and Administration | Government: Mercury Administration, democratic council overseen by the S1 entities known as the Lares; composed of 86 sub-polities, many with considerable autonomy; member of the Solsys Organization, with close ties to the Fomalhaut Acquisition Society. |
Economics and Local Infrastructure | Currency: Osmium standard, Solar credit Major Industries: tourism, helioanakalyptics, arts and crafts, pilgrimage Angelnetting: in some locations |
Travel | Major Spaceports:. Surface: Mercury Interplanetary, also many smaller ones Orbital structures: Caduceus Alpha orbital ring, Caduceus Beta orbital ring, Helios Major spaceport; Clarke Docks; numerous smaller stations Hazard Rating : orbitals 0.0 to 0.2 planet 0.0 to 2.5 (Mercury has severe space weather on occasion) Visa Restrictions: Two to three month waiting period for a surface visa (this period can be considerably shortened if one has the right contacts and/or can find a bribeable official Freedom of Movement: Some habitats not accessible to bionts Environmental Requirements: Vacuum suit (with temperature control) required for non-biont areas Sites of Interest: Still based on Mercury are a number of ancient solar observatories, most of them robot outposts. Although the ais inhabiting them still continue the original duty of the forecasting of solar flares, for the most part they seem more interested in aesthetic contemplation of the endless variations of solar activity. These outposts are also a popular spot with Sun Miners, who have a friendly sim art and cultural exchange relationship with the virtuals. |
Image from The Astronomer | |
Mercury at the start of the Solsys Era, before mining operations commenced |
Image from Steve Bowers | |
Subverted mining machines approach the Exa Energy Base dome habitat on Mercury, at the start of the Technocalypse Event |
Image from Steve Bowers | |
A self-luminous lake in Bism, the deepest carvern level on Mercury, with the city of Stalactitopolis suspended above it. |
Image from MacGregor | |
1: Pre-Technocalypse flag of the Mercury Development Zone (including the Alliance of Near-Solar Habitats). 2: Flag used by Mercury in the First Federation era. 3: Flag of the Mercury Administration, which blends elements of the previous two plus a blue stripe for the Solsys Organization. |