New Gibson

New Gibson was the first satellite of the Reade subsystem to be formally colonised in 2167 after Biesel’s colonisation bore its early fruits, and now lies forever in the planet’s economic and cultural shadow. It is known as the Industrial Heart of the Tau Ceti system, owed to its rich and geologically young mineral and naturally occurring radioactive materials deposits, as well as subsurface phoron deposits contributing to novel phorogeological activity. New Gibsonites are renowned around the Spur for their unparalleled expertise in phoron mining and fabrication, with many employed aboard specialists in their fields.

Contents

New Gibson

Tau Ceti System

Sector: Tau Ceti

Capital: Respite

Species: Human, Skrell, IPC, Vaurca

Common Languages: Tau Ceti Basic

Demonyms: New Gibsonite, Gibsonite

Part of: Republic of Biesel

Formerly part of: Sol Alliance

Environment

Planetary and Orbital Characteristics

New Gibson is the largest, irregular moon of Reade, orbiting retrograde at a considerable distance and with some eccentricity. As such, it is believed to be a captured moon. It is, as a result of its irregular orbit, spared from the tidal-locking that befalls most regular satellites. The moon has a natural gravity of 0.4Gs, necessitating forms of artificial gravity for its colonies — this is typically done with spinning ring-like colony construction.

Atmosphere and Surface

New Gibson is the largest (albeit still small) moon of Reade and is characterised by its extreme snowy environment and mineral rich rocky underlayers. The exomoon has a thin atmosphere primarily composed of water vapour, heated and ejected by cryovolcanoes where it freezes in temperatures as low as -182°C and falls as snow. Other trace gases ejected from cryovolcanoes include methane, hydrogen, oxygen, and minute amounts of phoron. EVA equipment is necessary for surface excursions.

A photograph of New Gibson’s reflective and streaky surface. The exomoon is one of the brightest objects in the Tau Ceti system — after the star of course.

On the ground, the moon’s snow can collect into layers hundreds of metres thick, creating frigid, blinding-white dunes as far as once can see which obscure the moon’s cratered surface. Avalanches and pitfalls are all routine occurrences which inhibit surface activity. Where the snow is thin or geothermal activity creates warm pockets, the rocky underlayer is revealed, giving way to steep craters and their cliffs.

Due to the low atmospheric pressure, wind and weather patterns that develop as a result (eg. blizzards) aren’t too common. Instead, eerie, whistling winds gently sweep across the landscape. These winds reshape the snowy surface into the moon’s elongated dunes. However, when blizzards do occur — usually a monthly occurrence — these dunes are completely reshaped; a pain for navigation, if one had even learned to tell apart the samey features of the snowy landscape.

Being the largest of Reade’s moons, and with Reade catching the majority of asteroids on a trajectory through the Tau Ceti system, New Gibson attracts a lot of meteors. The exomoon’s thin atmosphere means these meteors rarely vaporise entirely. Defence systems are in place to prevent collisions with colonies, and those that batter the wilderness slowly but surely replenish the exomoon’s mineral deposits. Nonetheless, they are yet another hazard when traversing the surface.

Subsurface

It is below ground where New Gibson distinguishes itself from other exomoons. Situated around Reade, a gas giant whose gravity acts as a ‘net’ for meteors entering the Tau Ceti system from the Romanovich Cloud, New Gibson was formed with and therefore contains phoron deposits (occurring in various forms) deep within its rocky layers. The ignition of these subsurface pockets, typically by tidal heating from Reade or radioactive mineral decay, results in intense but sparse geological and cryovolcanic activity, where the moon otherwise may have lacked it, and warmer pockets where habitation is possible (and where most permanent colonies are established).

After seventy years of NanoTrasen Corporation’s vigorous mining of these deposits — even those around phorovolcanic chambers heating New Gibson’s colonies — many of these phorovolcanic chambers have begun to or already cooled significantly. Virklund has been the most affected by this, with its volcanic chamber burning the last of its phoron to provide only meagre heat to the colony.

Besides phoron, the moon is also host to rich, geologically young mineral deposits, particularly naturally occurring radioactive materials as heavy metals. Being young deposits, minerals such as uranium are ‘pre-enriched’, having not sat decaying for so long.

Biosphere

Despite all of these conditions, life on New Gibson prevails. Native life on the moon is characterised by organoboron chemistry and internal nuclear processes. Creatures internally generate heat via the decay of typically uranium, moderated by boron-rich carapaces; such creatures are no larger than small beetles, save for those with phoron which can grow to fill a human hand. As such, they are warm (and sometimes mildly radioactive or poisonous) to touch, especially when you have been exposed to the moon’s cold temperatures for so long.

Unlike Biesel which dramatically altered its biosphere, New Gibson has preserved the exomoon’s native life. Strict regulations are upheld about introducing non-native life into New Gibson’s wild. However, NanoTrasen Corporation’s unregulated mining and depletion of subsurface phoron deposits have begun to severely impact the few nuclear organisms reliant on phoron for their heat.

Furthermore, Greimorians have also made themselves home beneath New Gibson’s surface as an invasive species. The hives tend to grow unnoticed and avoid spots of high human activity, however the vibrations of mining teams are known to attract greimorians. Hives which do grow large enough do eventually gather the numbers to burrow into larger colonies, posing a threat to colonies.

Examples of Life

• The Purple Spotted Bille is a beetle-resembling extremophile found on the cusp of New Gibson’s phorovolcanic chambers, and the largest native lifeform on the exomoon despite being only hand-sized. They are identified by their black shells with purple spots. Their lifecycle begins almost inside of these chambers, their maturation being reliant on their acquisition of a small phoron pellet which they house within their bodies and allows them to leave the phorovolcanic chamber. Outside of these chambers, the phoron pellet is allowed to decay, which generates thermal and ionising radiation that is moderated by a boron-rich shell. They live solitary lives, hopping from chamber-to-chamber until their phoron pellet finally decays, where they re-enter the depths of a chamber to have offspring. Other species of Billes exist, including those which rely on uranium for decay heat and do not enter phorovolcanic chambers, however they cannot grow larger than a Haricot bean. Removing a Purple Spotted Bille from the wild is a criminal offence on New Gibson, however wealthier Biesellites and NanoTrasen Corporation executives have been known to get away with it.

• The Reactor Bug is a tiny, social radioresistant lifeform that creates subsurface hives. Their hives are centred around rich uranium deposits and they spend their lives essentially engineering natural nuclear reactors. Reactor bugs go on small excursions away from their hive’s uranium deposit to channel melted snow from the surface to the uranium deposit, which acts as a natural moderator, and rich uranium is relocated to one central spot, until eventually a critical mass is obtained. These excursions are very short for they do not live long away from the heat and radiation of their deposit, however reactor bugs have been seen cuddling a uranium source to their chest when expecting to be away from the hive for long durations. To remove or handle them without supplying a low heat and radiation source will kill them — not a concern for radioactive mineral collectors.

• Red Snow is a microscopic, algae-resembling cryophile that resides in the snowy surface of New Gibson. Where they grow in numbers, the snow becomes visibly red or orange, but also nutrient-rich for more conventional extremophile microorganisms, creating small, thriving ecosystems in the snow. They are dispersed by the rare, strong gusts of wind. Red Snow is considered a bad omen to encounter, and it is greater bad luck to touch Red Snow (which, in doing so, kills it with your bodily heat and turns it black). There have been tales, largely dismissed, that tell of particularly large colonies of Red Snow, with mycellium-like tendrils that expand deep into the snow and extend for hundreds of meters, however colonies this large have never been properly identified. They are reported to be tasteless and cause mild-to-fatal digestive symptoms when eaten — because someone had to try. Nonetheless, they are valuable for research into cryonics and the biomedical discoveries thereof.

History

Pre-Colonisation

The first human activity on New Gibson were small mining excursions by contractors and spacefarers originating from Biesel or Valkyrie. No permanent installations were established, however small space stations — many of which owned or sponsored by Hephaestus Industries — in low orbit cropped up, serving as the bases for early mining operations.

Early Colonisation (2164—2170)

With a foothold in the Tau Ceti system established on and around Biesel and Earth’s climate catastrophe still ongoing and Hephaestus Industries identifying New Gibson as an opportune place for mining, a colonisation bid for New Gibson began. The European Union won this bid and, with Hephaestus granted the shipbuilding contract, a small fleet of colonisation vessels was assembled: the Aurvandill, the largest of the vessels and hosting colonists primarily from the Nordic countries; the Above and Beyond, a smaller vessel hosting specialists from across the EU and from Hephaestus Industries; and the Jasmund IV.

These vessels would arrive and rendezvous with survey and logistical vessels from Biesel in late 2166. In the meantime and beginning in 2164, Hephaestus Industries would begin boring two ringed tunnel systems around selected phoronic, cryovolcanic chambers for housing the first two colonies.

The landing of these vessels on the 7th of February, 2167 would result in a disaster — the first interstellar colonial disaster at the time. While the Aurvandill successfully landed at what is now Virklund and the Above and Beyond beside it, the Jasmund IV would lose radio contact during deorbit and never be identified again. Presumably, the vessel failed to navigate to its intended colony site and either met its end to a collision or one of New Gibson’s environmental hazards. This failure, early into the Alliance’s interstellar colonisation drive, alongside the moon being eclipsed by Biesel and only slated for industrial work, saw the moon’s colonisation receive little praise and positive media coverage, and deterred additional waves of colonists to New Gibson.

The first years on New Gibson were not without challenges. Colonists had the gruelling job of assembling the first, ringed station in the bored tunnel around a phorovolcanic chamber, which went on to become the capital, Virklund.

Late Colonisation (2170—2200)

Following the assembly of Virklund, New Gibson’s mining, refinery, and fabrication industries quickly kicked into gear and expanded exponentially as more of Virklund’s tunnels and rings were built. The development of Biesel, supported by New Gibson’s surging industrial industry, soared. Hephaestus Industries continued to invest in the moon and many high-paying jobs for industrial workers in the Sol Alliance were born, attracting new residents. However, due to the unattractive habitability, the population would never soar.

In the 2180s, other subsurface colonies like Virklund were constructed in the same manner — ringed or branching habitats constructed deep and around the volcanic chambers created by the ignition of subsurface phoron deposits. Of course, at the time, geologists were unaware of the exact mechanism of this geological activity, postulating more conventional reasons or over-estimating Reade’s tidal heating.

By the 2200s, New Gibson had come to be referred to as the Industrial Heart of Tau Ceti.

Second Great Depression, the Interstellar War, and the Crisis of 2294 (2200s)

During the 2200s, the Solarian Alliance started to centre their military presence in Tau Ceti as a waypoint between the frontier and civilised space. New Gibson’s manufacturing facilities were pushed to their limit — more ships, guns, more military equipment — and the gas giant and its moon became key, strategic areas.

The moon’s already overworked populace was unable to meet demand, seeing the Alliance whip the moon into shape through various measures. Political tension among New Gibson’s population grew and reached a boiling point and, with the Interstellar War, protests and strikes turned into riots. Many of the Tau Ceti’s early secessionist movements and visions for an independent system were born out of New Gibson, where they slowly gained traction elsewhere in the system. As a result of growing dissent, the Solarian Navy began discreetly moving its military shipbuilding capabilities to Reade.

Come the end of the war, little improved. Unemployment, overcrowding, brain drain, and stolen bailouts all contributed to the Crisis of 2294, which saw deprivation and famine sweep over New Gibson’s various colonies. Hundreds-of-thousands died during the crisis, be it from poor access to supplies or from the ensuing unrest and rioting. It would be a month until some relief arrived from Biesel and Valkyrie, however it was not enough. The moon was teetering on anarchy. The dominoes would continue to fall, with Fallanland getting system-wide attention when it collapsed in on itself, sparking yet another moon-wide emergency.

Eventually, the Alliance would relent and let New Gibson lose as an autonomous region (alongside the rest of [[Tau Ceti]). The moon would establish its own unified government, the Autonomous Solarian Parliamentary Republic of New Gibson, as a sister government to the Autonomous Solarian Republic of Biesel which also formed at the same time as a result of its own independence movement. With this, funding from the Alliance would diminish, and the problems only got worse. However, it would allow independence movements and the megacorporations to begin their plans away from the scrutiny of the Alliance's government.

Contact with Skrell and the Founding of Xoikko (2332—2341)

It would be following the first contact with skrell that the effects of the Crisis would finally be permanently resolved. An agreement between the Nralakk Federation and Solarian Alliance saw a variety of technologies and engineering designs introduced to New Gibson; Aliose, a coreworld of the Federation, had a similar environment to New Gibson, and so the skrell state was best primed to assist it.

Heat retentive design improvements, skrell insulation materials, and other tidbits seen in the subsurface halves of Aliosen arcologies would become the most ubiquitous of these technologies and engineering designs shared, with all of New Gibson’s colonies implementing at least a couple of the skrell features.

Bioaugmentations would also be offered some years later via Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals. An at-first monthly treatment, but now yearly treatment thanks to phoronic pharmaceutical improvements, would be rolled out to those willing to increase skin thickness, and with it cold tolerance. This treatment is still offered today, however the phoron scarcity has seen the once-a-year treatment become more unaffordable.

New Gibson would also become a desirable spot for Aliosen skrell to migrate to. At first, scientists, engineers and their families, then — as New Gibson implemented the new technologies and flourished a second time — other skrell from across the Federation.

All of these would, at first, be seen as an alien invasion into New Gibsonite life, however it would be the foundation for a friendly relationship between New Gibson and the Nralakk Federation. New Gibson would go on to host one of the largest skrell populations outside of the Federation, with no regrets.

In 2341, a New Gibson and the Federation would once again cooperate with the founding and construction of Xoikko.

Construction of the New Gibson Maglev System (2344—2359) and Discovery of Phoron (2352)

As the first major undertaking by New Gibson’s government, since recovered from the Crisis, construction of the ‘’’New Gibson Maglev System’’’ was started in 2344, having been in the planning for several years.

Up until then, New Gibson’s colonies were largely disconnected from one another, requiring either a suborbital spaceflight or a hazardous journey via snowmobile across the surface to reach a neighbouring colony. The Maglev System sought to ease travel between colonies — be it for general travel, recreation/tourism, or the transport of mineral/fabricated products — and, by 2350, was considered a success.

Following the |discovery of phoron, including the subsurface phoron deposits now recognised as phoron, NanoTrasen Corporation was quick to establish today’s phoronics industry on the exomoon. Much like the Biesel, New Gibson had a sudden and overwhelming influx of investment from the phoron giant, which saw rapid development.

Seeking to make an impression, it would be alongside NanoTrasen Corporation and with their investment that Respite would be constructed, outfitted from the beginning with the latest phoronic infrastructure and seamlessly integrated into the Maglev System.

The greatest benefits of phoron on New Gibson would also be seen in the New Gibson Maglev System, where the cryogenic-reliant superconductors could be refitted with phoron as a room temperature superconductor. Ground-penetrating mineral scanners also advanced greatly, allowing the detection of further mineral deposits yet untapped. As phoron made its way into daily infrastructure, New Gibson’s economic output doubled — more minerals, quicker transport, better heat and energy efficiency, etc.

Virklund Concerns and Independence from the Solarian Alliance (Early-Mid 2400s)

In the 2420s, after seventy years of vigorous subsurface phoron mining, Virklund would make a worrying discovery that threatened New Gibson’s subsurface colonies. The depletion of subsurface phoron feeding the phorovolcanic chambers was cooling the colonies. This would be covered up, then minimised, then ignored by NanoTrasen Corporation, who continued only dialling up their mining of phoron deposits. Each time Virklund’s administration brought up the issue, they would be threatened with financial retribution — the cutting of corporate investment — and so even Virklund ended up minimising and ignoring the issue. Discreetly, NanoTrasen Corporation would begin diverting its investments towards Respite, which had become something of a pet project of the phoron company and a monument to their influence over Tau Ceti, but even this colony was neglected in favour for Biesel and Mendell City, where the megacorporations sought to establish their central throne.

In 2452, New Gibson would join Biesel in seceding from the Solarian Alliance. This came as a great relief to many New Gibsonites who had a far greater stake in independence compared to Biesel. Unfortunately for New Gibson, fate had Biesel be the dominant force at the negotiating table alongside NanoTrasen Corporation. The opportunity to deliberate upon a more inclusive name was not given, and so New Gibson found itself under the Republic of Biesel. To this day, a level of resentment is harboured over the Republic’s name, with the occasional movement to rename the Republic swatted down.

It would also come as no surprise that, in 2453, New Gibson’s local government would relocate the capital and seat of government to Respite, now significantly developed and standing out ahead of other subsurface colonies. Virklund would be left to fall behind, still failing to identify long-term solutions to the colony’s cooling — a fate that will soon come knocking to other colonies in the coming decades.

Recent History, the Phoron Scarcity, the Peacekeeper Mandate (2460s)

In August of 2460, Respite would be raided by the Lii’dra Hive and would mark both the first known deployment of black k’ois and Lii’dra warforms, alongside conventional explosives responsible for a bombing. A dozen would die in the initial blast and incidents of black k’ois mycosis hospitalised or killed hundreds. The exomoon was placed on quarantine lockdown until mid-September. incident was covered in the Mendell City Bugle.

In the 2460s, the Phoron Scarcity would see much of the benefits of the discovery of phoron begin to diminish. Today, the New Gibson Maglev System has begun to shut down routes to more remote colonies, hurting economic participation and general travel. Many phoronic mineral scanners have also been recalled for the salvage and repurposing of contained phoron, seeing many mineral deposits go unnoticed or not entirely tapped. Energy costs are also expected to increase, as phoronic superconductive wiring is removed and less power efficient magnets are adopted to spin the rings of colonies.

The Second Solarian Invasion in 2462 would see a number of New Gibson’s colonies orbitally bombarded. While much of the deep rings went unscathed, the upper rings and any surface features — typically reserved for logistics, spaceports, and glacier brick docks — were wrecked and rendered inoperable for between months and years, requiring extensive repairs.

The Peacekeeper Mandate of 2463 frustrated many New Gibsonites, who felt they had little say in the war yet had to contribute to it with their industries nonetheless. Radiating outwards from Virklund, anti-war sentiments, protests and acts of civil disobedience have been on-the-rise, criticising the Republic of Biesel’s role in the Corporate Reconstruction Zone. However, at the same and with job insecurity and deprivation surging with the Phoron Scarcity, many New Gibsonites found themselves enlisting in the Tau Ceti Armed Forces nonetheless — be they escaping more deprived colonies, such as Virklund, or less affluent and colder residential sectors across colonies, or from Respite where more positive views towards the Republic of Biesel are held. This time bomb would be defused when Joseph Dorn lost his bid for a continued presidency, and Ake Torvald — the former Presiding Speaker of New Gibson — would be elected President of the Republic of Biesel. However, the tensions remain, now directed more to NanoTrasen Corporation tugging the government’s strings.

Government and State

Planetary flag of New Gibson.

Formed after the Crisis of 2294 as the Autonomous Solarian Republic of New Gibson, then growing into the Parliamentary Republic of New Gibson following the formation of the Republic of Biesel. For much of New Gibson’s time, the seat of government was found in Virklund, however it has recently moved to Respite in 2453.

The Parliamentary Republic of New Gibson is a representative democracy, relying on population statistics to award influence within its highest chamber of authority. Parliament members are elected by inhabitants of the respective colonies, who in turn elect an individual among themselves to represent the entirety of New Gibson; the Presiding Speaker. The former presiding speaker was President Åke Torvald who stepped down after winning the presidential bid for the Republic of Biesel; the current presiding speaker is Theresa Lindqvist, elected thereafter.

New Gibson’s politics have generally been defined by New Gibsonite Social Democracy, emphasising a balance between free market and a functioning welfare state. Influenced by skrell, anti-synthetic views are often tabled but often split parties two-ways, proposing regulation on the construction and lawing of artificial intelligences, as well as ensuring IPC rights progress no further than they already have in the Republic of Biesel. The Cetian Social Democratic Front is a New Gibson-born, Tau Ceti political party that campaigns for these ideas to be implemented at a system-level, and last received 33% of Tau Ceti’s votes in the most recent presidential election.

New Gibson’s welfare system has been under some strain as of late due to the high influx of immigrants and refugee groups from around the Spur, which has seen more conservative politics begin bubbling in the more left behind sectors and rings of the moon’s colonies.

Military and Law Enforcement

New Gibson does not possess a planetary defence force (or rather moon defence force), relying on the Tau Ceti Armed Forces for its defence.

Day-to-day law enforcement is handled by the New Gibson Police Service (NGPS), with per-colony divisions. The NGPS emphasises community policing, high professional standards, and deescalatory use-of-force, ensuring close ties with their respective colony’s inhabitants to increase cooperation. This puts it at odds with its Biesellite counterparts, especially those in Mendell City. However, this is a double-edged sword, and the NGPS is often criticised for being lazy and ineffective. The NGPS is also not immune to having its strings pulled by the local megacorporations, and frequently stumbles for excuses and justifications to not prosecute the megacorporations or executives and representatives thereof.

A more admirable branch of the NGPS is the Environmental and Nuclear Crime and Protection Branch (ENCPB), or just the Environmental and Nuclear Branch, which works alongside other state services and independent environmental groups. The Environmental and Nuclear Branch polices everything from malicious acquisition, shipping or usage of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) found on New Gibson (of which a large smuggling ring of NORMs exist), to needless destruction of ecosystems, to the negligent or deliberate seeding of non-native life into the natural environment. Where they get attention though is their Specialist Greimorians Unit (SGU), which responds to instances of greimorian infestations — on freight vessels in New Gibson’s orbit or where they have been exposed by drill mining. They often appear in Chirper posts donning plasteel chainmail under conventional riot armour and with phoronic energy melee weaponry and shields. As such and always in jest, they are sometimes referred to as Gibsonite jomsvikings.

Where the Republic of Biesel’s federal laws are infringed upon, the NGPS cooperates with federal security services, such as the Biesel Security Services Bureau.

Industries, Economy and the Megacorporations

As the Industrial Heart of Tau Ceti, New Gibson supplies the vast majority of mineral resources, refined materials, fabricated components, and industrial machinery required for the system. Following the 2465 Census conducted by the moon’s local government, it was found that 78% of New Gibsonites work in one of these industries. Originally, these industries were dominated by Hephaestus Industries, which always had a large role on the moon, however as Hephaestus Industries pivoted towards developing Burzsia and Moghes, it gave way to Einstein Engines.

Following the discovery of phoron, New Gibson’s industry would extend to include phoronic materials, components and equipment. NanoTrasen Corporation operates all phoronic-related industries on New Gibson, be it the haphazard mining of safe-to-access subsurface phoron deposits or the fabrication of phoronic components used around the Orion Spur. Most of the components in a Bluespace Drive or Bluespace Ring were manufactured on New Gibson — a source of pride among the older generations. The Phoron Scarcity threatens this sector, with both fabrication and mining jobs on the decline, and NanoTrasen’s investment into New Gibson has almost entirely dissipated, leading to surges in unemployment and reducing public spending. The few substantial phoron deposits that remain are those ignited by or immediately adjacent to volcanic chambers, and as such the mining of them is a death wish — for the miners and any colony constructed around the chamber for warmth. Where NanoTrasen Corporation has shuttered its facilities, Einstein Engines has swooped in to establish its own non-phoronic industries in their stead.

A smaller science sector also exists with a large Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals and NanoTrasen Corporation presence. Research on New Gibson largely pertains to organoboronic and nuclear life, as well as the phoron-influenced geological activity. After the Nralakk Federation took interest in New Gibson, investment from Nralakk state-owned enterprises has slowly but consistently trickled in.

Historically, New Gibson’s colonies were connected via spaceports by suborbital flights. However, the moonwide effort in the early 2300s to install the New Gibson Maglev System now sees most colonies connected by maglev rail, now reliant on phoron superconductors for efficiency and lower cost. Naturally, with the Phoron Scarcity ongoing, this system is threatened by refits which may isolate less important colonies. Where the Maglev System does not reach, colonies are reliant on space freighting or — cheaper but more dangerous — surface transit via snowmobile.

Finally, and not quite a planetary industry, a large mining industry exists in space around New Gibson and Reade. Hephaestus Industries and Orion Express can both be found fielding miners into Reade’s ice rings or to uncolonised satellites around the planet. Many in Tau Ceti, particularly Offworlder Humans unable to acclimate to the gravity-possessing bodies of the system, find themselves in this industry, either under a megacorporation or completing bounties posted by them. Many of New Gibson’s inhabitants also find themselves in this industry.

Culture and Society

Construction and Architecture

Subsurface Colonies

All of New Gibson’s major population centres are constructed underground and adjacent to the phorovolcanic chambers. Taking after Virklund’s construction, the most common design is a series of rings in a spinning top-like formation, though some other colonies are more root-like in nature, branching out from the volcanic chamber. The ringed colonies are constructed with uninterrupted high streets running through them, with electric tram systems instead of roads bearing motor vehicles for internal colony transit, and are able to spin to provide a semblance of gravity — typically between 0.6 and 0.8Gs.

Logistical centres, fabrication industries and spaceports tend to be towards the surface for convenient access and, as a result, can be quite frigid to work in. Engineering and maintenance facilities have the luxury (and danger) of being located flush against the volcanic chamber, as the majority of colonies generate power through geothermal means, augmented with surface solar arrays or nuclear fission reactors. Residences are almost always stratified, with more affordable accommodation being more distal to the natural heat provided by the volcanic chamber and those more proximal being expensive or reserved for specialists, colony officials, or part of megacorporate benefit packages. Unfortunately, since the discovery of phoron and NanoTrasen Corporation’s mining of the subsurface phoron contributing to these chambers, these colonies are threatened by cooling in the coming decades or century.

Since the phoron boom in the 2300s, New Gibson’s colonies have had noticeable, purple accenting and features where phoronic applications were to be found. This is most apparent in Respite, which totally adopted phoronic infrastructure during its construction. In light of the Phoron Scarcity, many colonies have begun the slow and destructive retrofitting of phoronic infrastructure with the help of Einstein Engines, however Respite continues to benefit from its close relationship with NanoTrasen Corporation and continues to be allocated ample phoron — for now, at least.

Due to the concentration of uranium in New Gibson’s crust and these habitats being constructed subsurface,radon gas is a significant engineering concern. Most colonies have adequate scrubbing systems, filters, and alarms to counter this threat, however the rare gas accumulation is known to elevate cancer risks in less affluent areas and mining tunnels of colonies.

Surface Habitats

Permanent surface colonies are a near impossibility on New Gibson, with most surface habitats being temporary, usually tied to mining efforts, and lasting only for a few years. Yet even the temporary habitats are a nightmare to reside in, often being snowed in every few years thanks to the moon’s environment, and constantly at threat from meteors.

One exception exists as Xoikko, which follows from Aliosen engineering and has both a domed, surface section and then a smaller, ringed subterranean section.

A Gibsonite glacier brick, trundling along at a respectable speed through the snow.

Glacier Bricks

Where stationary habitats on the surface fail, the mobile glacier bricks succeed.

Glacier bricks are large vehicles with wide-treads, angled roofs, and often fitted with snow plows, designed for bulk transport across the surface — be it of goods or people ferried between colonies. Working on glacier bricks is a necessary but undesirable job, demanding weeks away from family and navigating the moon’s ever-changing surface and avoiding pitfalls and meteors. As such, there is a measure of prestige afforded to those who thrive on glacier bricks.

New Gibson’s IPC populace and tajaran populace are both particularly well-valued on these glacier bricks as navigators and for extra-vehicle work, with both being predisposed towards working in arctic environments.

In the 2420s and in light of the Virklund Concerns, an alternative lifestyle would arise where New Gibsonites opted to reside permanently in these vehicles, hopping from colony to colony and living under the omnipresent gas giant above. The Glacier Fleet are a particularly large group of New Gibsonites who have rejected subsurface dwelling for a variety of reasons, maintaining a small fleet of Glacier Bricks in which they reside.

New Gibsonite Folk Beliefs

Overtime and spurned on by the inhospitable environment, dangerous working conditions and available occupations, and numerous disasters that have struck New Gibson, various folk beliefs — all lumped together under the one label — have arisen in New Gibson’s permanent populace. Many of these are connected to the snow and desolate landscape on the surface, partially owed to the exclusivity and danger of being present up on the surface.

Different colonies, groups of people, and demographics by any measure have their own varying beliefs. The 2465 Census saw 12.4% of respondents identify themselves as 'New Gibsonite Folk Beliefs', however the catch-all label excludes those who may only hold some of the beliefs or who may refer to their beliefs using other terms — a point of contention among theologists and sociologists, and the true number may be higher.

However, theologists and sociologists have identified a few universal beliefs, many of which radiated outwards from Fallanland.

Snædis

The snow of New Gibson’s surface is often regarded as a powerful, sometimes living, entity deserving of respect. For some, it ends at that; for others, the snow is a tool for divination or miracle. For those who dare, an excursion to the surface can be made to observe the gentle fall of snow; a specific shape or formation is believed to foretell or advise future events. The sight of Red Snow is, even among those who don’t subscribe to New Gibson’s folk beliefs, a powerful, violent omen.

Some devout believers live a life of scrying the snow, serving their skrýtisherbergi and families as spiritual guides.

Common folktales are also told of those who get lost in the snow, only to be guided to safety or tricked into further losing themselves, depending on one’s quality of character. The gentle winds that sweep and reshape the moon’s surface are often personified as spirits in these incidents, reshaping the environment to assist or spite the lost traveller. Some believe these spirits are those of the lost Jasmund IV colony ship’s crew, guiding those worthy of settling the moon and punishing those unworthy.

Other tales also hold that dead loved ones or ancestry can manifest from the snow, or at the very least communicate via vision, in the rare surface valleys which channel stronger winds and gusts of snow. For this reason alone, many who subscribe to these folk beliefs believe it a terrible thing to not be buried on New Gibson, and those abroad generally insist on their bodies being returned to the moon. The more devoted, such as those who dedicate their lives to scrying the snow, may also insist on being buried in the snow itself — this is to the chagrin of the non-faithful who frequent the surface, who may encounter these frozen bodies when the snow shifts and reveals them.

It is also a common occurrence for curse inscriptions to be made in the snow, be it directly inscribed in the snow or a letter left at a snow shrine (on the surface or in a skrýtisherbergi), which call for an ancestor, snow, or other deity to effect some kind of action upon the subject. Many are made out of spite to a workplace rival, an unrequited love, one’s boss, or a disliked political figure. For most people, it ends as a social/spiritual tool or ritual for venting one’s frustrations and the curses are not to be taken seriously, however the more devout may whole-heartedly expect for their curse to be effected in its entirety by a supernatural entity.

Skrýtisherbergi

A place of contemplation, gathering, charity, ceremony, spiritual or non-spiritual guidance, or seeking a scryer. They may serve different functions for different people or at different places, but most colonies have a place that is their skrýtisherbergi — be it set up by the local administration, a spiritual organisation, or a small group of believers. Many skrýtisherbergi, where possible, have adopted features seen in Fallanland’s Great Skrýtisherbergi: a channel, from the surface to the skrýtisherbergi, that trickles snow into a vessel where it inevitably melts. A suitable but disappointing compromise, such as the one seen in Respite’s Community Skrýtisherbergi, is a simple bowl which is occasionally topped up with a handful of manually collected snow per day. Skrýtisherbergi off-moon, such as on space vessels and habitats, may simply just have a vial or flask of New Gibsonite snow, melted or not.

Veneration of Ancestors and Elders

Varying in intensity and devotion, the veneration of ancestors and elders is almost universal among those subscribed to New Gibson folk beliefs. This can appear as simple invocations in time of need, up to the creation of a snow shrine on New Gibson’s surface or in a skrýtisherbergi where offerings may be made.

Holidays and Celebrations

• Unity Day is celebrated across New Gibson on the 27th of December. It is a national holiday that celebrates the forming of the Parliamentary Republic of New Gibson and the colonies of New Gibson under one, home government. Celebrations vary by colony, however always culminating in a TV sit down to watch Respite’s fireworks; some other colonies have their own fireworks, some have holographic parade displays in their administrative rings. A speech is also made by the Presiding Speaker.

• Thorrablot is celebrated on the 10th of February and, though having roots in an Earth celebration, is all about celebrating New Gibsonite culture and pride. It too is a national holiday, however is scarcely marked by the Government with Respite putting on no celebrations. Virklund continues to put on extravagant festivals and parades to mark the occasion however, and those more patriotic in other colonies either visit Virklund for the celebration or have small house parties. In Xoikko, the celebrations put extra emphasis on the Nralakk Federation’s benevolence in New Gibson’s history, but also highlight facets of skrell culture — Swimstars, in particular, enjoyed by both human and skrell alike. In Fallanland, the holiday is more spiritual, and a time for everyone to make a visit to the skrýtisherbergi, whether or not they ordinarily would and whether or not they put stock in folk beliefs. Poetry, stories, and plays are all staples of these celebrations, be they about work, snowy horror stories, or New Gibson’s nuclear life.

• Remembrance Day is celebrated across New Gibson on the 14th of June. A national holiday that mourns those lost during the Crisis of 2294 and the Fallanland cave-in incident. In the evening, there is a memorial at a monument erected in Respite that is dedicated to those that lost their lives. It is common for New Gibsonites to wear black, symbolizing the shared impact of the Crisis. Recently, the names of those that perished in the Lii’dra Invasion and Second Solarian Invasion have been included.

Entertainment and Recreation

• Uranium Glassblowing and Radiation Collecting: With the abundance of uranium on New Gibson, the element and compounds thereof are very accessible for use in hobbyist glassblowing or just for collecting in their mineral form. Radioluminescent dinnerware, necklaces, and vases are all common sights in antique stores or as family heirlooms. Some radioactive mineral collectors go further, obtaining and collecting raw minerals — typically uranium and minerals thereof — which, due its young age and richness on New Gibson, can pose a non-insignificant health risk compared to uranium minerals on Earth. For those that go even further, the collections incorporate artificial curios, such as tiny ampules of nucleosynthesis products from reactors and shrapnel from exploded nuclear ordnance, etc. — however, this is where one risks local authorities getting involved.

• Snowmobile Racing and Skiing: Considered an extreme sport solely as a result of potentially lethal surface hazards, it nonetheless remains an enjoyment among some New Gibsonites and many tourists. Pre-mapped routes are a must, and they must be reevaluated daily due to the surface winds which frequently shift about snow deposits. A safer alternative can be found indoors, with every colony having a snow park where skiing and snow mobile racing can be done. The Virklund Games is a widely-covered sporting event hosted every New Gibson year that focuses on snowmobile racing, skiing, and other snowsports. Each colony fields a team for each sport, and the host colony cycles every year. Historically, these games were done on the surface, however they have long been tempered and are now done in the safer indoors. Nonetheless, the Games are still widely enjoyed.

• Extreme Readic Racing: Next door to Reade’s extreme racing scene, enthusiasts of the dare-devil sport can be found on New Gibson, with some going so far as to participate in it. More can be read about that here.

Cuisine

Developing in a food scarce environment with little in the way of local agriculture, New Gibson from the get-go preferred more grain- and seed-heavy, vegetarian and vegan-based food options. Pickling and fermentation also became a must. Anything that could be imported from Biesel and stored in bulk, with high nutrition per gram. This continues to this day, with New Gibson’s colonies only having small hydroponics and aquaponics sectors that bulk produce a very limited selection of grains, seeds, kelp, and vegetables. Meat and dairy are all imported, synthetic, or substituted with insect- or vegetable-based alternatives, with hakhma products gaining traction since the rediscovery of the Scarab Fleet.

A cultural curiosity and household favourite that has survived from the initial colonisation of Virklund are the drinks Gibson Hooch and Gibson Punch. These cocktails have no standard mix, with hooch being a quasi-mead type drink fermented with whatever fruits and ingredients the colonists had on hand, while Gibson Punch was typically made from orange juice, homemade vodka, and powdered lemonade mix for flavour. These two drinks persist as household favourites to this day, with the first standardised brand marketed by Getmore Corporation in 2332, and has even seen some traction elsewhere around the Orion Spur.

Knäck is a crispy flatbread, forming a cornerstone of New Gibsonite cuisine and preferred even over bread loaves, favoured its shelf life, few ingredients and versatility. Originally, it was made with whatever grain or cereals were available, but today it is most commonly made with rolled oats, powdered kelp, and one’s spice of choice. It can be served alongside a soup or stew, or have a fruity conserve or pickle spread over it. No childhood is complete without baking sweetened knäck that is crispy enough to crack on a table edge or sibling’s head. Not to be confused with traditional knäck found on Earth

Other highlights are pickled kelp and fermented kelp smoothies among the older generations, with no grandparents’ house complete without a large jar of kelp pickles in the pantry, and Skrellsnax and other dried eki fungus snack brands, a favourite in Xoikku but still present elsewhere thanks to the ease of cultivating eki fungus in the hydroponics sectors.

Art

New Gibson’s art can be summarised as ‘bleak’. It often captures the desolate, featureless, slow-moving nature of New Gibson’s surface and day-to-day ongoings. Common themes explored in New Gibsonite art include loneliness, alienation, but also more positive ones such as strong bonds between family and friends, perseverance, and surviving against all odds.

Virklund continues to be a trailblazer for New Gibson’s art scenes, with many artists emerging from the colony, even as Idris Incorporated- and Ingi Usang-sponsored artists emerging from Respite have been attempting to commandeer the mainstream to steer art towards something more marketable and less anti-corporate.

In visual art, colours are sparse — whites, greys, black — with single colours (sometimes even radioluminescent greens using uranium paints) to add oomph to a specific feature.

In literature, the mood is quite languid and realistic in detail, with abrupt surges of emotion where justified by the plot. Horror, mystery, and crime have consistently been among New Gibson’s favourite genres, often revolving around snow and author concepts of snædis. Many protagonists find themselves lost on the snowy surface at some point in their story, with a feat of good character that sees them returned to the safety of a colony, and many supernatural creatures have emerged from the snow to torment the colony a novel is centred around.

This lack of colours is also found in fashion. Day-to-day, casual clothing tends to be whites, blacks and greys again, with gentle accenting with muted colours — often with low-concentration uranium enamel or glass gems stitched in, which fluoresce red-oranges and greens. It is seen as quite flamboyant to wear too much colour as part of one’s casualwear, and so it is often made up with patterning, such as checkers or stripes. However, work clothing and EVA gear must be bright and bold to stand out in the dark or against the surface. New Gibsonites make an effort to stand out among Biesellites, and so avoid elements of Biesellite Classicism — tight synth-leather jeans instead of bell-bottomed trousers; bold and metallic accessories over dainty, natural ones; sturdy boots over business oxfords are all preferred. Warm jackets or jumpers with long-sleeves and high collars are also a must, of course. Makeup is rather unremarkable, with the limited flair coming from clear rhinestones and, occasionally, radioluminescent, low-concentration uranium glass gems are seen where one wants to make a lasting impact.

Music on New Gibson has always been quite avante-garde and psychedelic, fusing and bending genres and sounds from cultural giants such as Venus to create something uniquely New Gibsonite. However, the energy is always brought down and the music flows like the gentle winds of the surface; lingering on the same notes with vibratos, eschewing harmonics for more tonal structures that rise, fall, and turn with the lyrics or instrumentals. In more energetic genres, songs tend to slowly build to one climatic, energetic chorus or instrumental solo. Even in the more energetic genres, songs often go well into the 10—20 minute durations, and New Gibsonite songs are stereotyped as unending and sometimes tedious — they are also scarcely broadcasted off New Gibson, taking too much radio time. Lyrics tend to be quite intimate, honest, and sometimes poking fun at Biesel or those from Respite.

Crime

Smuggling has been rising across Tau Ceti in recent times and New Gibson is often the first base for a smuggler to reach when smuggling into the system. It is further from the system’s centre and the Tau Ceti Armed Forces patrols aren’t as concentrated as they are around Biesel and its moon, Valkyrie. A few dedicated smuggling bands have established routes from the very edge of the Tau Ceti#Romanovich Cloud, worming their way unnoticed and slingshotting around Reade’s many moons without the need for thruster ignition, keeping a low sensor and heat profile. Once over New Gibson, smuggled goods can be quickly dropped onto the surface for an awaiting glacier brick to collect, while the smuggling vessel darts off before it is ever noticed. Little of these smuggled goods are intended for New Gibson, and are integrated into legal exports by compromised spaceport personnel where they are sent to Valkyrie (which can then further smuggle onto Biesel) or the transit lanes to the Tau Ceti Bluespace Gate to systems elsewhere. This same route is how many of New Gibson’s runaway IPCs end up on the moon.

An illegal uranium mining industry also exists on New Gibson, with bands of miners — from colonies or glacier bricks — identifying the ‘pre-enriched’ uranium deposits of the moon, mining them, and having them shipped off to pirate groups. This cuts out the need to obtain specialist enriching equipment and can, largely, be used as-is. Much of the weapons- or reactor-grade nuclear material found in pirate missiles or nuclear reactors can be traced back to New Gibson’s naturally occurring radioactive materials deposits by measuring the half-life of contained materials.The NGPS’ Environmental and Nuclear Branch, in cooperation with the Biesel Security Services Bureau and Tau Ceti Armed Forces, has long been attempting to stomp this out.

Social Attitudes

• Work: Owed to its primary industries, inhospitable conditions, and hazardous environmental features, New Gibson has — over the generations — internalised a work-or-die mentality. The quicker a job can be done, the lesser the chance of encountering a cave-in, a phoronic magma chamber rupture, working in a carcinogenic radon gas pocket, or an avalanche. As such, the majority of New Gibsonites have developed an almost unhealthy approach to work; it must be done hastily, it must be done reliably, and the consequences of overworking your body pale in comparison to the consequences of failing or not completing your job. This is also expected of management and other senior work colleagues to varying degrees, with no one immune to getting ‘stuck in’; a supervisor off-loading too much work or an executive unwilling to demonstrate their ability to perform the lower-level job would inspire a strong social response. Taking time off-work due to ill-health, stress, or social occasions has grown into an unwritten, powerful taboo, tripping up many new residents — New Gibsonites who do take time off for such ‘lesser’ reasons often conjure more severe excuses when explaining their absence to co-workers. The megacorporations active on New Gibson, particularly Hephaestus Industries throughout its time on the exomoon, have been eager to encourage this mindset. Finally, it is customary and polite for the eldest employee to be offered the chance to start a shift’s work, be it the first to operate a drill when mining, the first to take a maintenance ticket, or even just the first to turn the office’s lights on.

• Transhumanism: New Gibsonites typically have a very positive attitude towards transhumanism, with limb cybernetics almost being a necessity for those working outside of the warmth of a colony. To have visible cybernetics is to communicate one’s adaptability to the environment or commitment to work — whether or not one actually does work in an environment necessitating cybernetics. Cybernetics clinics, cyberneticists, and similar occupations have always been viewed with admiration in New Gibsonite media. It can also be a strong sign of a poor employer, or at least an impolite one when it comes to foreign megacorporations, if one’s benefit package does not include subsidised cybernetic installation, even if they would not be necessary for the job one is applying for; on the other hand, well-subsidised or fully-covered cybernetics installation would be a sign of a great employer.

• Biesel and NanoTrasen Corporation: In all its history, New Gibson has always been in the shadow of its more appealing counterpart. Colonial investment and more interesting projects, besides that of Hephaestus Industries’ funding of New Gibson’s mining and fabrication industries, always went towards Biesel over New Gibson. As a result of its neglect, New Gibsonites often harbor resentment towards Biesel. Lately, this has also expanded to NanoTrasen Corporation thanks to their exhaustive phoron mining and subsequent shuttering of many of their workplaces now that they have grown less profitable. The establishment of Respite as a monument to the corporation’s presence did not help after it became the new capital of New Gibson. A minority of New Gibsonites — be they naive, benefitters of the megacorporations and ties with the Republic of Biesel, or similar — maintain that New Gibson has only succeeded as well as it has thanks to the Republic and its close connections with NanoTrasen Corporation.

• Ecopreservation: Contrary to Biesel, New Gibson has always been proud of its unique and hardy biosphere, reliant on organoboronic and nuclear chemistry to preserve in the moon’s inhospitable environment. In recent times with the depletion of subsurface phoron, this has grown into a large point of contention with NanoTrasen Corporation and, by extension, the Republic of Biesel. An extreme, alternative lifestyle seen in the Glacier Fleet has arisen out of this, with them rejecting subsurface dwelling due to its impact on the phorovolcanic chambers and therefore native biosphere. To carelessly and needlessly damage the ecosystem is a grave social offence, and New Gibson has several minor and severe charges that can be levied against those who do; it is one of the few things that may slow down or temporarily stop a New Gibsonite miner’s hasty work drive.

• Family and Relationships: Views towards family have changed over time, particularly influenced by skrell views towards family following Xoikko’s rise. Frequently but not universally seen characteristics of family units include: polyamoury; childless aunts and-or uncles who reside with the family and fulfil mentor roles for their nieces and-or nephews; families rarely departing from ancestral homes, and thus still including grandparents. In Xoikko, human-skrell relations are without any taboo and generally well-accepted, though are typically seen as more transient relationships for the skrell owed to the human lifespan. Families generally avoid splitting up, residing and working in the same colonies, however, when a family member does seek work in another colony, a glacier brick or off-moon — even for a short-term work posting — the farewells can be emotionally exhausting for all involved. This stronger attachment to family does contribute to insularity among New Gibsonites, with close friendships outside of work being hard to form and social exchanges in public very curt or awkward. However, where friendships do form, particularly among work colleagues, they can be very strong and close.

Major Population Centres

Respite

Founded in 2371, Respite-under-Giltraflatten (often just Respite) is the second largest colony and the current capital of New Gibson, having replaced Virklund as the moon’s seat of government in 2453. It is an edifice to the megacorporations presence on the moon and is almost universally disliked by New Gibsonites elsewhere.

Respite was constructed during the phoron boom and with great investment by NanoTrasen Corporation, making it one of the more advanced colonies with phoronic infrastructure accommodated from the beginning. The colony follows the typical construction principles set by Virklund, with multiple ringed levels circling a phorovolcanic chamber. Respite was fitted from the get-go with phoronic superconductive magnets with each ring, allowing them to spin at great enough speed to ‘generate’ 0.8Gs of gravity using centripetal forces, which would soon become the standard for other colonies. Superconductive phoron wiring runs along the ceilings of the colony, with apparent purple accenting.

The colony’s administrative ring, Xavier Ring, is the largest. The ring houses the Parliament Complex, with adjacent extravagant parks, gardens and apartment buildings for parliament members and civil servants. On the opposite side of the ring lies a large branch office for NanoTrasen Corporation, again with adjacent apartment buildings for corporate office workers. Einstein Engines also has a branch office here, even though most of its assets are within Virkund or Xoikko.

Just below the surface lies the logistical ring, with access to the Respite Interplanetary Spaceport that breaks onto the surface. The spaceport is the largest on New Gibson, and the warehouses on the logistical ring accumulate to tens-of-kilometers of storage space, most of which is dedicated to phoronic products assembled in other colonies that are shipped to Respite for exporting. Attached to the spaceport are also a series of logistical Verne space cannons, which continuously launch freight at great enough velocity to achieve low orbit, allowing for collection by superfreighters incapable of landing or which other fuel conscious vessels. A small ship engineering and maintenance sector also serves a repairs port, with contractors from Hephaestus Industries and Zavodskoi Interstellar present.

Respite produces very little, with no industrial rings and only a small hydroponics ring. However, NanoTrasen Corporation owns a small research ring dedicated to phoron R&D, with adjoining prototype fabrication sectors. Only NanoTrasen employees and administrative staff can access the level.

Three living rings accommodate the colony’s large population — Amos Ring, Birtha Ring, Carrie Ring (originally just rings A, B, C, until later named afterthe eldest residents in 2396). Each ring has Residential and Commercial sectors. Each ring is stratified into Bands 1, 2 and 3 (1 being the closest to the phorovolcanic chamber and thus the most comfortable; 3 being furthest, and noticeably colder), with living costs reflecting the exclusivity of the more comfortable bands. Respite, being the capital, is particularly expensive to live in, with Bands 1 being almost entirely inaccessible unless one came from an affluent background or progressed far enough into a megacorporate career to have a Band 1 residence included in a benefits package. It doesn’t help that the megacorporations often purchase Band 1 and 2 unhousing for said benefits packages, and they often are left empty for months at a time, taking them off the market and driving up housing prices.

The New Gibson University campus has its own, very small ring slotted between the living rings and the administrative ring, with convenient elevator access to-and-fro. On-campus accommodation is available, though distal from the phorovolcanic chamber heat source and thus just as bad as Band 3 accommodation — more affluent students typically reside off-campus and commute in.

Those from Respite, and certainly those in more affluent residential bandings or who have ties with the megacorporations, are typically more accepting of the Republic of Biesel and NanoTrasen Corporation than other New Gibsonites. The colony’s culture has also drifted closer to that of Biesel, leaving some New Gibsonites traditions behind, most notably the celebration of Thorrablot, to the dismay of other New Gibsonites elsewhere.

Virklund

Founded in 2167 with the moon’s formal colonisation, Virklund is the first and eldest colony and former capital of New Gibson. It is a hot bed for anti-Biesel and anti-NanoTrasen Corporation views, having been sidelined both by the Republic of Biesel, NanoTrasen Corporation, and the local government itself.

Virklund had a great start, pioneering the way for permanent inhabitation of New Gibson beneath the surface and setting the engineering paradigm for subsurface colonies — the tiered, ring structure. Much of New Gibson’s culture can also be traced back to the living rings of Virklund. However, NanoTrasen Corporation’s phoron extraction around Virklund has largely depleted the subsurface phoron deposits, including those feeding the phorovolcanic chamber that heats Virklund, seeing Virklund’s once expansive fabrication rings severely reduced in size, the temperature throughout Virklund gradually plummet, and job security vanish. The phoron company has since moved onto other colonies, including its pet project of Respite, and the New Gibson government with it.

The logistical ring, Weyland Ring, is largely shuttered, however the remaining refineries and factories continue to export large quantities of non-phoronic materials and construction supplies. These factories and refineries comprise the last of Hephaestus Industries’ assets still on New Gibson, and many former–NanoTrasen Corporation factories have over time been purchased by Einstein Engines and Orion Express. Serving the refineries is a still active mining team, composed of Orion and Einstein contractors, locally-owned businesses, and individuals or small groups completing bounties posted by the local administration.

Virklund University occupies a sector of the Weyland Ring and is the oldest university on New Gibson. Its campus has shrunk in recent years and it only has a small student accommodation block. Most students seek accommodation off-campus. Despite being overshadowed by NGU in Respite, it is generally regarded as superior when it comes to more conventional, non-phoronic engineering courses.

The colony’s infrastructure is heavily outdated, only ever partially being retrofitted to include phoronic infrastructure, however this has since been un-fitted again. General maintenance has been allowed to fall, as the colony’s engineering and maintenance services rack their brains solving the issue of Virklund’s cooling phorovolcanic chamber and how to continue to supply heating and power to the colony’s inhabitants. A contract is in the making for Einstein Engines to revitalise Virklund’s infrastructure, however it has seen delays for 2 years now.

The living rings — Gneip Ring, Alvaldi Ring, Gangr Ring — unlike other colonies are noticeably more disorganised, without the usual stratification seen in other colonies. This is owed to the more distal parts of these rings being uninhabitable without multiple layers of clothing and portable heaters, and so the colony’s administration levelled housing prices across the board. The drain of residents to other colonies has also helped.

Residing in the now abandoned phoron mining tunnels abandoned by NanoTrasen Corporation since the 2440s lies Scay’s Brood. Here, a channel is constructed all the way to the surface where a back up Hivenet relay tower juts out, capable of serving hivenet access to vaurca throughout Tau Ceti should the Flagsdale relay tower fail. Scay’s reclusive brood are rarely seen outside of this mining tunnel, except when they emerge to travel or be assigned elsewhere via Virklund’s spaceport.

Today, many Virklunders are left alienated and disenfranchised, more so than the typical New Gibsonite. With limited local job opportunities, many Virklunders resort to criminal activities on New Gibson or commit to employment off-moon, often with the megacorporations or Tau Ceti Armed Forces they have grown resentful of, or self-medicate the problems away amid a growing joy drug epidemic. Compared to other colonies and as a result of Virklund’s circumstances and the political breeding ground that can be, Virklunders are typically more conservative in their views towards other species and approaches to handling immigration following the Solarian Collapse, expecting one to ‘prove themself’ a valuable contributor to society before granting any respect.

Fallanland

Founded in 2189, Fallanland was a rather forgettable colony for much of its lifetime, except for the occasional mention of it being established where the lost Jasmund IV colony ship was intended to land. Today, it is known for the disaster that struck it in 2298, and for persevering enough to see it now be the largest phoronics producer on New Gibson.

Unlike other colonies on the moon, Fallanland was not constructed using the tiered ring paradigm, and instead was constructed throughout an extensive and open cave system. Overlooked were the even deeper caverns below Fallanland, which in normal gravity certainly would have disincentivised construction there, but in New Gibson’s half-gravity was deemed ‘unlikely to be a problem’. It was a problem and, in 2298, the caverns collapsed and pulled large portions of Fallanland down with it. In the immediate months after, a humanitarian response saw many evacuated and the colony slowly rebuilt, during which time many Fallanlanders were clawing for survival in what structures remained or in temporary, poorly-heated shelters. It wouldn’t be until 2235 that Fallanland regained its footing.

Many folk and spiritual beliefs unique to New Gibson can also be traced back to Fallaland, arising out of the hardships following the cave-in. The most far-spread being the skrýtisherbergi as spiritual community centres, born from the collapse itself where snow from the surface was funnelled into the caved-in colony, and the ritual of creating a snow memorial for lost loved ones and ancestors. Fallanland’s Great Skrýtisherbergi is the largest on New Gibson — a (roughly) circular cavity with a radius of two-hundred metres — and attracts those who hold New Gibsonite folk beliefs from around the exomoon.

Since being reconstructed, Fallanland has risen to be the largest phoronics producer on New Gibson, overtaking Virklund with its declining industry and mining base, to some resentment from the latter. It boasts great job security and high wages, with continued investment from NanoTrasen Corporation, and its local administration is largely on top of things. For how much longer though is the question, as Fallanland’s own deposits will surely one dry some day, and with it NanoTrasen’s interest in the colony.

Xoikko

Xoikko, with its surface arcology protruding from the ground.

Founded in 2341, Xoikko stands out as an example of New Gibson and the Nralakk Federation’s close relationship, being a transplantation of an Aliosen arcology onto New Gibson, and hosting one of the largest skrell populations outside of Federation space.

Xoikko was constructed to relieve the strain of overpopulation that had been tormenting New Gibson at the turn of the 24th Century, and saw heavy financial, engineering and technological cooperation with the Nralakk Federation and experienced Aliosen engineers. As such, Xoikko is the only colony on New Gibson to have a large surface dome alongside the standard, tiered ring system below ground. All of the colony’s administrative, residential, and commercial planning is done within the domed, surface levels, with the subterranean levels reserved for less glamour purposes — storage, local production, hydroponics.

The colony is fitted with an old, Federation-tech artificial gravity generator serving 1G of gravity. This gravity generator is served by Einstein Engines, in cooperation with Federation scientists who are occasionally involved in tests, upgrades, and any advanced maintenance.

Where other colonies focus on industry, Xoikko was poised to be a local agricultural producer and tourist hotspot. Xoikko’s surface level is lined with entertainment and tourist venues, with the more expensive spots having views of New Gibson’s landscape or Reade and its system of moons and satellite bodies above. Idris Incorporated has a noticeable presence here, and its Idris XTreme Snow Park is a common outing for many across the Tau Ceti system. Below ground, vast hydroponics rings serve the moon which, otherwise, has very limited agricultural capacity and previously (and still does, to a more moderate degree) rely on Biesel for food imports. Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals owns an entire hydroponics ring here, and also has research facilities interspersed throughout Xoikko dedicated to genetically-engineered flora and researching New Gibson’s native biosphere. The surface level is also home to the Jri’aq Institute @ Xoikko, which provides vocational and distant learning opportunities for both local students and those abroad in Tau Ceti, as well as skrell degrees for the local skrell populace.

Xoikko has the largest population of skrell outside of the Nralakk Federation, wholly integrated and living alongside New Gibson’s human populace, and has exerted notable, welcomed cultural influence over the rest of New Gibson. Very few IPCs reside within Xoikko as such, as it can be an openly hostile environment, with both skrell and human residents alike rejecting IPCs. A number of bogeyman tales in Xoikko tell of shell infiltrators emerging from the snow and hoodwinking those vulnerable on the surface levels, particularly tourists from the Nralakk Federation, into exiting the dome into the snow, where they would surely freeze; more sensible stories based on this hold that the TCAF’s Positronic Century uses Xoikko as a training ground and test of a shell’s ability to blend in amid a hostile population.

The colony’s inhabitants receive some flak from other New Gibsonites for their tourist and agricultural industries, which although revitalising for the moon, are lauded for not being ‘proper jobs’. This is despite similar jobs held in other colonies not being criticised for such.

Glacier Fleet

The Glacier Fleet are a moderately-sized, nomadic population residing between three of the largest glacier bricks on the surface of New Gibson — the Kotarjökull, the first glacier brick to set out for permanent surface adventure in 2429; the Resolute, joining in 2434; the Blue Bille, joining in 2452.

Between them, several-thousand New Gibsonites have committed to an alternative lifestyle on the surface of the exomoon and out of the subsurface colonies — some to live outside of the influence of the government or megacorporations; some concerned about humanity’s impact on the phorovolcanic chambers which threatens the moon’s biosphere; some for the thrill of the adventure and surface hazards; many because they have grown tired of working in the same few industries that generations of their family worked in for little reward. As such, the demographics skew to the younger generations or those having left more deprived colonies, such as Virklund. Where Virklund grew hopeless and lost its spark, the Glacier Fleet is a smaller but dense powderkeg of anti-corporate and anti-state views.

The Glacier Fleet treks between colonies, occasionally taking on jobs for local administrations or sending its crew to work elsewhere so they can contribute earnings to the continued operations of the glacier bricks. Orion Express has taken an unusual interest in the Fleet, going so far as to establish a branch office — realistically, a small ‘branch cabinet’ — from which they serve various logistics contracts to the onboard command structure and employ those looking for opportunities off-moon.

Like other glacier bricks, the Fleet heavily utilises IPCs and tajara for navigation and any extra-vehicular excursions, commanding a level of respect from those aboard. Of all the major population centres on New Gibson, the Fleet may be the most accepting of IPCs, long accepting them as equals and integrating them into their cultural practices. As such, the Fleet rarely ever passes by or works with Xoikko, thanks to the anti-synthetic beliefs brought with the large skrell population. It also comes as no surprise that the Fleet is a sanctuary for a great deal of runaway and hidden IPCs; certainly not a desirable spot for a runaway synthetic to hide, but a safe one, a very cold one(!), and most importantly one with little opportunity for Biesel’s authorities to identify them.

Aliens on New Gibson

IPCs on New Gibson

The cold environment has many pleasant realisations for IPC immigrants to New Gibson, and they are quite content residing more distal from a colony’s phorovolcanic heat source or working on the surface in glacier bricks and spaceports. For those that do work on the surface, they are capable of operating in their bare frame and with greater dexterity and agility than their organic counterparts. The exception are shells, whose flexible synthskin continues to be susceptible to the cold; many shells opt to transfer their positronic to another chassis, or must be content missing out.

Human views towards IPCs differ across New Gibson. Naturally, a great deal of conflict arises in Xoikko and peripheral colonies, thanks to the longstanding native skrell population, with many IPCs opting to avoid it entirely and with megacorporations scarcely assigning positronics to the colony. In the more conservative, insular, and deprived Virklund, many continue to see IPCs as merely tools. Respite is a mixed-bag, but is dominated by the megacorporations and their phony altruism, but generally shares Biesel’s progressive views. It is through one ‘great feat’ — usually at work, so in the mines or in the glacier bricks were IPCs excel — that a positronic may gain the respect of its peers, and once one New Gibsonite has deemed an IPC ‘okay’, it quickly spreads throughout the workplace and friend groups, and the IPC is at last accepted (Xoikko excluded, which is rigid in its dislike of synthetics).

Despite the opportunity for respect, it is not freely given, and so some IPCs are disinclined to participate in New Gibsonite society. These synthetics often find themselves in exclaves within the colder, less affluent regions of colonies, or attracted to the Glacier Fleet and other glacier bricks with permanent, nomadic surface populations where respect is freely given.

Being distant from Tau Ceti’s centre and, as such, less policed and with elevated smuggling, New Gibson has a steady stream of runaway IPCs. Many of these runaway IPCs were originally destined for Biesel or Valkyrie, but opted to stay on New Gibson for one of many reasons — missing their outbound smuggling flight, being attracted by the cold environment, or the lesser presence of Biesel’s federal authorities. These do not help New Gibson’s mixed views on IPCs. Once again, the Glacier Fleet is a desirable spot for these runaway IPCs, thanks to its accepting nature and constant mobility.

Skrell on New Gibson

See also: Skrell in the Republic of Biesel

Following first contact with the Skrell in 2332 CE and with New Gibson in dire need of assistance during the Crisis of 2294, various agreements between the Nralakk Federation and the Solarian Alliance saw the introduction of skrell technology and engineering principles, such as those seen in Aliose’s arcologies and in Aliosen bioaugments, to relieve overcrowding and human adaptive issues. This led to the "leasing" of skrell to oversee the application of their technology, making sure that its use holds up to skrell standards. This was largely a success and saw application across New Gibson’s colonies.

Initial integration proved to be difficult, owing to the cultural differences of the species. Whilst tensions were rather high between humans and skrell on New Gibson, it eventually came to pass as the benefits of skrell intervention became apparent. Many of the "leased" skrell chose to remain on New Gibson, with the Nralakk Federation supporting those that remained through the establishment of spa clinics, allowing the new colonists to receive similar treatments to skrell found on Aliose — primarily thick, insulating white skin. New Gibson and Nralakk Federation would cooperate yet again in 2341 to found Xoikko, a colony based entirely on an Aliosen arcology design. It would go on to become the largest skrell population outside of the Federation and exert cultural influence on the moon.

Most New Gibsonites, as a result of the Federation’s assistance and success of Xoikko, hold a very positive view of skrell and gave minimal pushback to cultural elements borrowed from skrell. This has seen the moon’s attitudes towards IPCs stagnate, and in Xoikko grow overtly hostile.

Unique Constellations

Much like Skrell colonies outside of Nralakk in the Federation, the skrell on New Gibson have their own unique constellations that they have catalogued and give reverence to. Although these constellations are considered minor by the Qeblak faith, they still hold importance to the skrell of New Gibson and have influenced the skrell living there to focus more on personal freedom, advancement, and community cohesion.

The Dyn: Survival. Generosity. Community.

The Iqi Star: Self-Advancement. Social standing. Success.

The Sky-Grazer: Expressiveness. Freedom. Adventure.

Tajara on New Gibson

Tajara have been present on New Gibson since their first wave of immigration to the Republic of Biesel in 2435. Initially a small community of miners, factory labourers, and engineers, the community grew with the second wave of immigration, and later disillusioned migrants from Little Adhomai. The vast majority of Gibsonite Tajara are Hadiists from the first two immigration waves. However, recent years have seen a sharp growth in Al’mariists, seeking distance from Mendell City. Royalists have found little presence, something which in part explains the relative lack of political dissent or violence within the Tajaran community. Rather, friction between the original immigrants and “Sahirii”, or urbanites, prevails.

Given the Gibsonite community’s distance to the embassies on Biesel, many Tajara on New Gibson have grown distant to the Adhomian factions. Fewer conflicts center around political beliefs or other matters, the community being rather cohesive for a Tajaran community due to the pressures of the moon overriding further tension points. Given Gibsonite culture as a whole, the Hadiist monoculture is the common basis for Gibsonite Tajara. Communalism is a strong influence. Emphasis on the Tajaran contribution to the Gibsonite system prevails, in part fed by the Gibsonite views on work. This, combined with the Tajaran sleep cycle, sees an unhealthy dedication to work. Anti-corporate belief is a growing sentiment among Gibsonite Tajara. The first waves of immigrants attributed their ability to immigrate with NanoTrasen Corporation and other corporate contracts. However, with shifting trends among Gibsonites, and the growth in the anti-corporate Al’mariist Tajara within the community, many are beginning to turn against the corporations, even as they continue to sign contracts with them.

With the tajaran adaptations to the cold and willingness to take on dangerous jobs, tajara often find employment among the hardier occupations in New Gibson’s frigid surface environment, competing with |IPCs. This may be in the logistical rings, deeper mining tunnels, and spaceports — distant from phorovolcanic chambers heating the colonies — to working on glacier bricks which ferry bulk goods and people between the colonies. Like other New Gibsonites who have turned from the megacorporations, many tajara find themselves drawn to permanent glacier brick inhabitation as seen in the Glacier Fleet.

Altogether, with Gibsonite tajara almost seamlessly meshing into New Gibson’s work ethic and having already benefitted from the integration of skrell, New Gibson has a rather positive view of tajara and one not besmirched by constant exposure to the on-goings of Mendell City. Virklund is one exception, with its views towards tajara lagging behind other colonies, however it is still a significant improvement over the Solarian Alliance and scarcely bubbles into open hostility.

See Also

Reade: The gas giant which New Gibson orbits at a great distance, with its own, newer colonies.