Aurantia

An image of Aurantia, famous for its majestic clouds than span the entire planet

## Astronomical Information

### Moons:

Xena
Tarrin
Valda
Vox
108 Dwarf Moons

## Atmospheric Charateristcs

### Atmospheric Composition:

65% Hydrogen
22% Helium
5% Ammonia

## Political and Social Data

### Corporate Presence:

High

**Aurantia** is a fairly average-sized gas giant under control of the United \*Terran Federation, situated in the \*Terran Bubble of Nilus. Positioned within the interstellar neighborhood of Tythia, Aurantia is considered a noteworthy world of the federation. Aurantia acts as a major hub of trade and population near Tythia, housing numerous atmospheric colonies. These utilize advanced anti-gravity engines to stay floating in the atmosphere, though in the past, large balloons of helium were utilized.

Aurantia's most unique property is its rich ecosystem of flora and fauna in its upper clouds. These organisms are confined to roam the endless clouds of Aurantia for their lives, devoid of any stable ground to stand upon or waters to soar through. As a result, these lifeforms have adapted unique evolutionary advantages to combat the hostile clouds of Aurantia. The most prevalent of these are balloons of helium-gas, which assist the lifeforms of Aurantia to perpetually glide amongst the clouds.

Many of these species possess unique lifecycles. A group of species, called sinkers, for example live out their entire lives descending deeper into the clouds. These lifecycles were especially common on the earliest of organisms of Aurantia, before helium-balloons had evolved. As there are fewer natural barriers such as mountains or oceans, most species can be found residing virtually everywhere on the planet. As a consequence, life on Aurantia is not as diverse as on terrestrial planets.

## **Atmospheric Settlements**

In totality, two thousand fifty four atmospheric settlements have been constructed floating in the clouds of Aurantia. These settlements vary heavily, though many of them share the same purposes. These purposes include gas-mining, sanctuaries of native species, inhabitation and more. Most of these settlements are used by the latter purposes, not reaching much more than a kilometer in size. Only two hundred and twenty seven of these settlements are suited for Human habitation, spanning tens or even hundreds of kilometers in diameter.

Most atmospheric settlements are powered and kept afloat, as of this date, by advanced gravity generators that yield repulsive gravitational forces with particles that are purely the opposites of gravitons. However, in the initial periods of colonial expansion, all settlements relied on balloons filled with light gases such as helium to stay afloat. These were reported to be successful, though plenty of of them were destroyed by indigenous life, forcing the Aurantia's population to invest in new technologies of remaining inside the clouds.

The majority of these atmospheric settlements are found in the top layers of Aurantia, especially in regions where the pressure is similar to that of Theras or other Human-inhabited worlds. Nonetheless, multiple research stations have been constructed in the lower cloud layers, which are strangely as filled with life as the upper clouds. Because of the foundation of these research posts, humanity now has a much more advanced perspective on life.

## **Biology**

   The upper could layer of Auralia is home to a vast and diversified ecology. Like other lifeforms in the universe, all life on Auralia is carbon-based. However, the organisms employ ammonia as a solvent rather than water, which is supposed to be considerably more frequent as a solvent than ammonia. Aurantia's lifeforms inhale hydrogen and emit methane, as is commonplace on gas giants harboring life.

In the clouds of Aurantia, photosynthesis is a typical technique for creatures to acquire energy. However, there are other sources of energy for a lifeform, which are widely used as sunlight is sometimes obscured by clouds. Kineticsynthesis is the simplest and most common technique of getting energy from the environment by transforming the kinetic energy of fast winds into organic molecules like acetylene, ethylene, and ethane. Microscopic organelles, which are similar to the cells seen in most organisms, facilitate this. The existence of hydrogen and methane, both of which are abundant in Aurantia's atmosphere, is also required for the process. On the other hand, many predators, parasites, and detritivores do not produce their own energy.

## **Ecology**

In comparison to otherwise dynamic and complex terrestrial worlds, Auralia has few different habitats, hence its life is significantly less diverse while being vastly more numerous. Due to the lack of natural boundaries such as oceans and mountains, practically any species can be found almost anywhere on the planet. This is because temperature variations are unaffected by changes in latitude since all heat originates deep within the planet's interior. There is a small increase in gravity at higher latitudes due to the planet's rotational flatness, but this does not affect life enough to account for what could be called a different environment. Latitude, on the other hand, still produces two separate biomes: zones and belts.

Rain forests and deserts share some traits with zones and belts. Zones emerge when the wind blows upwards. Because of the surface ammonia clouds, they appear as larger, lighter stripes in the planet's atmosphere, and they are home to the majority of the planet's life. The ascending wind transports nutrients from below and helps organisms stay afloat, resulting in a flourishing ecology. In contrast, belts appear to be dark, tight zones with strong descending wind currents that drag nutrients and live beings down to the planet's interior. As a result, belts serve as Aurantia's principal natural barrier, however animals can still cross through them if required.

Another possibility is to separate biomes vertically. Temperature and pressure fluctuate drastically within the range where life thrives, resulting in layers with significant differences in species composition. Some animals have evolved to dwell in the planet's top layers, which are colder and less dense, while others have developed to live closer to the planet's core, where pressures and temperatures are higher. There are other species that can exist in both environments, seamlessly switching between them as needed. As a result, the richness of Aurantia's life is linked to depth rather than latitude.