Epsilon

Epsilon is a highly urbanized world that is almost entirely dominated by cities that have grown and merged to the point that they are now only distinguished by name, culture, and government. It is thought that every intelligent species on Epsilon arrived as colonists in the deep past well before the Ancient Space Age, but no one has any idea who has been there the longest, so the name "Epsilonian" simply refers to a number of species that has inhabited Epsilon as long as anyone can remember. The name Epsilon comes from a planet-naming convention based on the Greek alphabet used during the Ancient Space Age, a system that has been all but abandoned everywhere else.

## Geology and Ecology

There used to be some mildly interesting geology on Epsilon, but the original colonists must have decided it wasn’t worth preserving when it came to urbanization (and the limited archaeology of the planet suggests that was probably about right). Preservationists through the ages have ensured survival for what is probably the most important of the native animal and plant species, mostly in enormous zoos so large and exquisitely engineered that they might be called wildlife preserves. There are no oceans on Epsilon, but a good number of lakes provide fresh water and hide beneath city sectors supported by large beams extending to solid ground below. The atmospheric balance of Epsilon is maintained by widespread algae roofing, personal gardens, and vertical farms, and strategically placed forests of genetically engineered trees that consume, convert, and/or store surprisingly large quantities of industrial by-products. There are also city parks that can rival the size of some cities on other planets, and many suburban areas that are more green than gray.

## Civilization

Epsilon is home to an unclear number of "native" species, including several that have clearly come from offworld (such as the Vannu and one species possibly from ancient Arnost), but have been a part of Epsilon for its entire cultural history. In the course of that history, genetic science has allowed for some amount of inter-species breeding-- some more successful and more ancient than others. As a result, there is little use drawing clear lines between one Epsilonian species and another. They are all called "Epsilonian" as if it were a species, and when medical or other biological questions arise, it is often easier to do a full genetic sequence than to trace the subtleties of an individual's lineage.

### Culture

The long-term diversity of Epsilon has led to even more interesting cultural phenomena. While there is a tremendous fluidity of people from one city to another, and no subgroup is completely impermeable, Epsilon has given birth to a staggering number of subcultures and communities of a staggering variety of compositions. Many are dominated by a single species and language, many are completely diverse with translation and accommodation being the norm. But there are also communities with exactly two species with clearly defined cultural roles, or societies of one species that have almost entirely adopted the lifestyle of a very different species, or communities that have taken a single element of culture and created an entire culture centered around that. Religions, languages, cuisines, fashion, arts, music, and all other aspects of culture are constantly evolving, splitting, recombining, and otherwise producing every manner of new form on Epsilon. Nothing can take over everything else because everything else is already everywhere. It is a planetwide jungle of cultural diversity in much the same way that Tolb is a planetwide jungle of biological diversity.

### Galactic Significance

Epsilon hosts the governing council of the Galactic Armada, the Epsilon Library, and is a major trade hub for a great many industries. In the wormhole travel network, Epsilon is one of the most connected nodes, with a great deal of space travel passing through Epsilonian space (except within a regional branch of the network). As such, Epsilon is usually the first place a new civilization puts an interstellar embassy, making it the de facto capital of the independent galaxy.

### Economy

Epsilon hosts multiple independent economies on a single planet, several of which are larger than most solar systems'. The galactic economy, based on the Standard Galactic Currency Units, is naturally a major force, and some spaceport regions operate almost entirely on Units without converting at all. The largest Epsilonian economy, however, is called the Epsilon Network, and uses the Epsilonian Bit as its currency. The Epsilonian Network includes major trade routes around the planet, mostly of food, fuel, and raw materials, and also includes shipping of food and labor with Epsilon-Minor. As such, this economy is fairly stable and its currency is accepted in all but the most local-focused businesses. There are also several planetwide economies specific to several cultures, industries, and religions, but most of the other economies are regional and center around one or more urban hubs.

## Epsilon-Minor

Epsilon-Minor is another planet in the Epsilon system which orbits closer to the sun but passes within easy reach of Epsilon's orbit several times in a year. It is entirely dominated by farms, and provides a great deal of the food for Epsilon. While Epsilon itself has a great number of vertical farms and small-scale food producers, it could not survive for more than a month or two without shipments from Epsilon-Minor or further out in the galaxy. Since the population of Epsilon-Minor is so small and made entirely of Epsilonians, and since shipments from Epsilon-Minor are relatively easy compared to interstellar trade, most Epsilonians do not consider the food shipped from Epsilon-Minor to be imported at all.

The variety of foods grown on Epsilon-Minor reflects the diversity of needs of Epsilon, and anything needed in large quantities is grown there. Most spices and non-staples are imported from other systems, as well as a great deal of the same foods grown on Epsilon-Minor, to meet demand. If the wormhole travel network were to go down and Epsilon had to rely solely on Epsilon-Minor, there are rationing plans in place that would allow Epsilon to maintain its population indefinitely, albeit at a lower (but by no means sub-poverty) standard of living.