Terra - AD2140

The people of the planet Terra, commonly known to its inhabitants as "Earth", knew they were not alone in the galaxy. Among many, there was great fear that the "others" in the galaxy would seek the exploitation of their homeworld and the demise of the indigenous Humans that would stand in their way. In an effort to escape this fate and ensure the continued existence of Humanity, a small group constructed colony ships and departed for the far-away region of the galaxy called the Perseus Arm. They hoped that a journey across a vast region with very few star systems, in a direction away from where the known "others" were, would allow Humans to endure no matter what happened to Earth. To understand these people, and the civilizations they founded in the Perseus Arm, it is necessary to know a little about the world they left behind.

Geography

Terra is the third planet orbiting a main sequence, Class G2V yellow star the Humans named Sol. The planet's surface is approximately 70% liquid water covered, with six major identifiable land masses. (Curiously, Humans historically identified seven land masses, but two of these are physically contiguous, with an indistinguishable border.)

The planet had a seasonal water ice cap covering an expanse of water at one pole. A land mass covering the opposite pole alters thermodynamics enough to keep a permanent ice cap, though this was receding due to climate change. It has one natural satellite, officially named Luna, but often referred to simply as "the Moon" by inhabitants of the planet.

Terra exhibits atmospheric content and temperature profiles considered normally survivable - not surprising as it is the origin world of the species that defined "normal". Average annual temperatures range between -20C and +30C, depending on latitude, though extremes of -90C and +60C were on record. The atmospheric makeup is 78% N₂, 21% O₂, with approx 1% other trace gases, dominated by CO₂.

Planetary History

The Sol system, including Terra, is approximately 4.6 billion years old. Since the original accretion of the planet, Terra has undergone significant physical evolution and climatic change. Not long after its initial formation, a collision with a slightly smaller body resulted in the redistribution of materials into the Terra and Luna pair that exist today.

Less than 1 billion years after its formation, simple life arose on the planet. Biologic activity converted the atmosphere to an oxygen-rich one, allowing increasingly complex life to arise. Tectonic activity rearranged land masses constantly, resulting in significant climate changes as well. There were several periods, called Ice Ages, when polar ice extended far beyond its modern limits; at least once in the planet's history, it become completely ice-covered.

Cultural History

The modern (i.e. since the arising of sentience) geography of the planet significantly affected the cultural development of Humanity. Temperatures, availabilty of fertile, food-producing land, and presence of mineral resources resulted in early civilized cultures arising in several places, though it was the civilization that dominated the land mass called Eurasia that advanced fastest and farthest scientifically. These people were not unified, however, having established several nation-states which were often at war with one another.

Approximately four hundred years before the departure of the colonists, the people of Eurasia had colonized the land masses called Africa, North and South America, and Australia, wiping out some of the less advanced cultures of Humans encountered there, and suppressing most of the rest. Two hundred years ago, the people of the North American continent began to grow significantly in military capability and technological prowess; became a significant global power. In the two hundred years since, technology has resulted in a move toward global civil administration and trade, but people continued to keep their "cultural heritages" alive.

Cultural and Historical Impact on the Perseus Arm Colonists

There are representatives among the colonists of every significant "old culture" of Terra, but even before the ships departed, these had self-organized themselves into three distinct groups. Upon reaching the Perseus Arm, each of these groups ultimately settled by themselves, forming the cores of the three Human polities that exist today:

the people originating from cultures located on the eastern pacific ocean rim founded the first of the three Perseus Arm colonies. Most of the descendents of people of the Firstfall Collective came from cultures that stressed duty, obedience to authority, acceptance of one's place in life. The adoption of a highly bureaucratic governmental system and the embracing of artificial intelligence systems guiding that bureaucracy seem to stem from elements of these cultures.

The people of the African and South American continents originally founded the New Terran Confederation. These peoples represented many cultures, but most had one thing in common: they had at one time been dominated by invaders (usually Eurasian or North American) who arrived with superior technology. Distrust of "other" and fear of superior tech never faded in these people. To the contrary, encounters with the T'ka'an and Scasalesians caused them to amplify, ultimately resulting in the governmental shift that brought about the New Terran Hegemony.

The people of the Eurasian and North American continents also claimed to represent many discrete cultures that had been developed in the various nation states which existed in the regions. But these cultures also shared some core values: independence, creatitivity, and ambition were to be rewarded. These shared values formed the core principles of the Persean Republic.