Tau Ceti (world)

World information sheet

Star system Tau Ceti world III colony Tau Ceti
Astronomy
class of primary G8.5 V
apparent size 0.64°
mean distance 0.68 a.u.
perihelion 0.67 a.u.
aphelion 0.69 a.u.
axial tilt
annual period 0.58 years
119.3 local days
local day 42.6 hours
Geology
diameter 11 098 km
0.87 x Earth's
density 5.0 g.cm-3
0.9 x Earth's
surface gravity 7.7 m.s-2
0.79 gee
escape velocity 9.3 km.s-1
period of low orbit 93 minutes
vulcanism none
tectonics none
Climate
visible illumination 100% Earth's
temperature 9 C (cool)
daily temp. var. ± 9 C
seasonality 0.2 x Earth's
windiness 0.7 x Earth's
Oceans
coverage 84%
composition water
tidal range 1.7 m
1.1 x Earth's
Atmosphere
main gases N2, O2
traces &c.
pressure 0.64 bar
oxygen 0.19 bar (30%)
class breathable
half height 6.81 km
boiling point 88 C
Interstellar
spaceport Scale 5
elevator
nearest neighbour Hijra
distance 19.1 LY
sector Central
SHQ Old Earth
distance 11.9 LY
Population
habitability 74%
carrying capacity 5.98 E+9
population 5.91 E+9
population density 96 p.km-2
settlement structure Megasprawl cities

Glossaries & keys

Society
diversity conformist
structure interest associations
household type nuclear
kinship system bilateral
gender authority equal
sex roles equivalent
stratification Subdued; favouring the old and a very few rich.
social mobility Difficult, non-wage income being heavily taxed.
customs Clothing: costume marks profession and social mode and varies with time of day.
values Equality.
Appropriate accomplishment.
“Education” (meaning vocational training).
taboos Tall poppy syndrome: excessive effort, achievement, or consumption is resented.
Slacking.
peculiarities The young are workers, receiving wage subsidies to 75; the old are rentiers, drawing on superannuation funds after 75.
The lifestyle of the wealthy is very discreet and inconspicuous.
manner Serious and reserved
problems & current issues
Government
world unity Alliance
name none acknowledged
type technocratic
succession meritocratic
structure bureaucracy
head of state none
chief executive none
features Treaties require that the colonies "harmonise" their policy and laws.
Inter-government working groups of bureaucrats harmonise policy and legislative proposals.
Colonies have figurehead parliaments.
Law & Enforcement
source Statute
legislature Plebiscite
enforcement gendarmie and independent detectives
powers & resources 9/10
judgement expert jurors
procedure inquisitorial
protections basic (4/10)
penalties mindwipe for murder, rape
reconstruction for lesser felonies
onerous service for minor crimes
peculiar laws Lethal weapons drastically restricted.
Private powered vehicles are restricted.
corruption 12% (very clean)
Economy
industrial organisation Social democracy with wage subsidies
development level 8.5
currency 1 écu = 0.377 SVU
real exchange rate 1 Cr/SVU
nominal GDP 3.4 E+14 Cr
nominal GDP/head 58 000 Cr
real GDP/head 58 000 SVU
inequality 0.259
Celestial objects
class size (°) size (full moons) period (hours) tides (m)
sun G8.5 V 0.64 1.16 42.6 1.69

Places

Constituent colonies

Avalon

New Sunrise

San Pietro

Ys

Gogmagog

Hell

Zinfandel

Alcuin

Major cities

Sights, wonders, and monuments

  • Missahan Historic Preserve where the first colonists ever landed
  • Thundering Veil Nature Park

Remarks

  • Tau Ceti was the first colony established from Old Earth, the first to found a university, the first to attract mainstream migrants. It was long the most populous, is still at least equally the most technologically advanced and richest. Tau Cetians consider it to be the most urbane and sophisticated.
  • There are eight colonies on Tau Ceti: Avallon, New Sunrise, San Pietro, Ys, Gogmagog, Hell, Zinfandel, and Alcuin. De jure they remain separate sovereign entities, and insist vehemently on separate representation in the Imperial Senate. There are no global institutions on Tau Ceti other than the Space Traffic Control Authority and the International Court of Arbitration (which settles disputes arising under treaties). The colonies do not allow that there is a government of Tau Ceti, nor a coalition, nor a union. There are just eight very sensible government that play nicely together, consult often at all levels, an co-operate at the dictates of common sense.
  • In practice the laws and policies of the Eight Colonies are closely harmonised by “inter-governmental working parties” of bureaucrats. By steering the legislation put to plebiscites, these have managed to reduce the nominally sovereign parliaments of the colonies to irrelevance.
  • Nine centuries of un-interrupted high-tech communications and transport on Tau Ceti have meant that any cultural differences that might have been established in Tau Ceti's early days are long since erased. Tau Cetian culture is geographically uniform: its fashions and subcultures extend to all eight colonies.

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Copyright © 2013 by Brett Evill