Planetform, Inc.

**ALLIES:**

Bretonia Police, Bretonia Armed Forces, Bretonia Corporations

**ENEMIES:**

Gaians, Outcasts, Criminals

Planetform Inc. specializes in the terraforming of non-viable planets in Bretonia and elsewhere.

## Rumors

* The Gaians harass us endlessly throughout Bretonian space. So far they haven't harassed our operations in Liberty - Atka and California Minor - but there's no telling if those will remain safe from them. We've attempted to explain our views to the Bretonian public, especially on Cambridge and New London, but they continue to sympathize with those terrorists.

* We use New London mostly as a supply base for our headquarters at Canterbury, right across from the Kensington Shipping Platform near Dover. Most of our shipments consist of Consumer Goods, Food, Water and Oxygen.

* Planetform's official view of the Gaians is that they are a terrorist organization engaged in open piracy. We do not understand why the Bretonian public sympathizes with this group of ruffians.

* We've got operations in California, Tau-31, and Edinburgh. Edinburgh was the problem child until Gallia rolled in there. The costly Phase 1 stage was interrupted, which probably means we'll need to start from scratch there. But I don't see Bretonia fielding the bill for that any time soon. Luckily the Harris project was a little further along, reducing that operation won't hurt it, just delay it.

* This is the headquarters for Planetform. We're the only corporation in Sirius that specialises in terraforming, that is, to alter climate on a planetary scale. The projects we undertake are gigantic, and take centuries to complete. That's why only the major Houses can afford our services. Even a minor adjustment would take at least a century and a half to do.

* Planetform has several ongoing projects. The California Minor project, which is nearing completion ahead of schedule. The Atka project in Hudson, which is getting started. The Harris project, which is all but suspended due to the Gallic invasion. And finally, the Ayr project. Officially, the status of that project is unknown until the damage can be assessed, but unofficially, it's likely to be abandoned.

* Leeds is dying, even without Gallia bombing the surface to bits. BMM has polluted the biosphere to such an extent that the planet is no longer capable of supporting life by itself. The atmosphere is toxic, but the government has refused to make that public, fearing a revolt that would put the Founders Day to shame. BMM refuses any kind of accountability for that. I wonder what they'll do now. They won't be able to muscle their way into New London or Cambridge as easily.

* I used to haul Silver up to Planet Harris in the Tau-31 system. Occasionally I can still slip through and sell it for a hefty profit, but it's very risky right now. Any Gallic patrols and any pirate out there will be gunning for you.

* We discovered the power of the Alien Organisms by accident. In 740, A Kusari ship hauling them across Tau-31 was attacked by pirates and ventured far off course. A hull breach killed the crew, and the ship drifted into the gravitational field of Harris. The Alien Organisms not only survived the impact, they flourished in the frigid, oxygen-deficient environment of the planet's surface. Add some raw Hydrocarbons and Fertilizers for them to feed on, and you get a rather rich primordial soup to feed a future ecology.

* Gaian terrorists target Planetform throughout Bretonia. It's strange that they have as much support as they do - one would think that their association with Gallia and the Corsairs would earn them few friends in Bretonia. I suppose we'll need to drag those academic types out of their ivory tower, and give them a healthy dose of reality by strapping them in with a Planetform Pelican bound for Harris...

* We bring in our basic supplies like Food, Oxygen, and Water from New London. The Gaians will even attack the lowly supply ships, if given the chance. Hells, they'll attack even empty transports if they belong to Planetform!

* There are rumblings that terraforming was never a viable technology. The founders of this company became very rich without ever having actually completed one project. The government did not want to admit to the Bretonian people that it had let Leeds become poisoned to the point of ecological collapse, so they sank trillions into terraforming as the solution to all of Bretonia's problems. Will it work? California Minor is almost done, but the Bretonian projects are far behind schedule, courtesy of the Gaian movement.

* Planetform was chartered in 450 AS at the request of the Bretonian government. Several Cambridge researchers teamed up with a group of experienced California atmospheric modification experts from Los Angeles. They outlined methods to transform arid, lifeless planets with minimal atmospheres into new locations for human settlement within 400 years. The company has since expanded it's potential to include arctic worlds which need their temperature raised.

* Those Gaians had the gall to attack this base the other day. I guess they were going for storage depots. Too many police and Bounty Hunters around. They chased them off pretty quick. A few Corsairs approached as the Hunters were mopping up, but decided againt attacking when their sensors picked up the two police patrols. Guess even they have their limits.

* Seems like these Gateway people have a much easier time with the criminal element than we do, except, of course, with the Corsairs and Outcasts. Nobody gets close with them, at least not on the legitimate side of the coin.

* California Minor is almost done. It is ironic that it will be done before the Edinburgh project, but there's good reason for it. For one, there isn't a hostile army stomping around in California, and two, the conditions on California Minor are a lot better. Naturally, our company has gained experience over the years in handling projects, which have allowed us to accellerate most stage one and stage two phases. I'm interested what the new carbon- and sulphurfluorides will do, they might allow us to shave off a few decades yet.

* We tailor the Terraforming Gas mixture to the planet it is destined for. If we have a planet that requires a rapid heating we can produce the more expensive Sulfur Hexafluoride compound. That is over 3 times more efficient then standard Carbon-Fluorides. It also has a lower density, so it won't pool near the surface.

* Best steer clear of the Bounty Hunter folk that visit this base. They aren't exactly nice people. Hell, a number of them had some years in Newgate before joining their ranks. Still, they help out when the Gaians give us grief, so it's not all bad.

* With Stokes out of commission, Planetform has had to find another source for our terraforming gases. The asteroids drifting into the system are quite rich in certain compounds that can be processed into greenhouse gases. Once processed, they are transferred to terraforming projects that require a temperature elevation to kickstart a new climate.

* This project? Unexpected, but quite beneficial to the company. Up until now we've been relying on third parties for our Terraforming Gases - which were mostly industrial byproducts riddled with impurities, and not entirely suitable to the terraforming process. But as byproducts or even waste, they were dirt cheap to acquire. However, the war with Liberty means that those produced by ALG can't be delivered to the Liberty projects quickly, and the Gallic invasion has eliminated Stokes as a source, most likely for decades to come. Producing them ourselves seemed a logical choice.

* I'm just a transport crew worker. Our transport's still being loaded so we've got some time to ourselves. We'll be headed for California Minor once we're loaded. The project there is on schedule, perhaps even a little ahead right now. I hear Liberty is moving people onto the planet already, but that's a bit premature if you ask me. The conditions aren't very comfortable yet.

* Good day sir, welcome to Merthyr Tydfil. Or M.T. as it's more commonly known to our pilots. 'Tis a bit of a mouthfull otherwise. It's not a new station anymore, but it's new to what we use it for. BMM used this place to mine Beryllium from the planet we orbit, but they've found a better source in Cambridge.

* The Terraforming Gases we produce here are mainly Carbon-Fluorides. They are more expensive to produce, but the upside is that they last a lot longer. Gases like carbondioxide and methane are quickly washed out of the atmosphere, but Tetra Fluor Methane will remain in the biosphere for thousands of years. An ideal compound for long-term climate adjustments on planets with a tendency to revert to their natural climate. The only problem is it's tendency to settle near the surface, causing it to pool in fissures and caves.

* Stokes was the main source of terraforming gases until it fell. They were a byproduct from the refining activities the BMM did on that station, and often contained minor toxic impurities. Still, they were a very cheap source of greenhouse gases, BMM was quite glad to be rid of them rather then adding to the Leeds smog clouds.

* Planetform has only a few operations left right now. The Harris operation is put on hold - but even a terraforming operation on hold requires an amount of maintenance. Until a climate adjustment is stable, planets will want to revert to their natural, less human friendly state. But it's not all bad - we're planning to initiate stage one on Atka in Hudson soon. That might annoy Rheinland, but they're no longer in control of that system.

* I really don't get what the Gaians have against terraforming. I can understand the wish to preserve the ecology of Gaia, since it is unique, and one of the few Earth-like environments mankind has found in the Sirius sector. But I really don't see what their problem is with us bringing dead, lifeless worlds to life. It's not like anyone is harmed by creating life on a planet.

* The terraforming job at Harris was almost complete. We were preparing a new bread-basket for Bretonia, only to have it threatened by Kusari, and now I fear it is being delivered into the hands of Gallia. Last I heared the project is still going, albeit at a lower pace. They were up to the final phase - the establishment of an ecology. What a shame.

* I am getting out of this sector as soon as I can. I hear that there are new terraforming projects going on in Rheinland and with the GMG, I should buy myself a one-way passage through Kusari and see what is on the other side of Sirius, as far away from the warzone as possible. I'm sure the GMG or Daumann would hire an experienced terraforming engineer.

* I'll admit, my favorite part of this new partnership is that it got me out of Bretonia. And getting out of Bretonia means no more Green Party and their nonsense about despoiling nature blah blah blah. We enhance nature. We take the crud that nature failed to deliver on and turn it into a thriving ecosytem. Of course, in Hudson we have Xenos and Rogues... but at least they don't sputter on and on about Gaia and her blah blah blah. They just shoot.

* Synth Foods knows agriculture, Cryer knows genetic engineering, and Planetform knows filtration and geoengineering. The combination is a scientific and technological powerhouse. The ability to do true terraforming and ecoforming. Samura executives must be quaking in their slippers at the thought. Their paltry efforts to develop terraforming technology can't compare to the storm of innovation that we're about to unleash on Sirius.

* We will take efforts to preserve the bacteria on this planet. We're not worried about them going extinct due to climatological changes. They live off the compounds ejected from the thermal vents on the ocean floor, which is a naturally isolated biosphere. If anything, the introduction of more nutrients in the water should cause their numbers to increase. We're planning to maintain a presence here even past stage 3. These Xenobiotic Filters generate a nice, steady stream of revenue for the company, it would be foolish to abandon that.

* Atka is gearing up to have stage 1 terraforming initiated. We've done a thorough geographical analysis of the planet. To make this planet comfortably habitable for human life, the average temperature will need to be raised between 30 and 50 degrees celcius. The planet has large glaciers that cover most of the land masses, and a liquid ocean beneath roughly 20 meters of solid ice. The ocean is being kept liquid by volcanic activity at the seabed, and plays host to a wide variety of microorganisms, but no macrocellular life. The soil beneath the land ice is suitable for plant life, but contains only trace amounts of nutrients.

* We get the Consumer Goods for our population from Fort Bush. It's ironic that those goods are being manufactured at the Huntsville by the relatives of the Rogues and Xenos who try to hijack the shipments when they enter Hudson. What's even more ironic is when those criminals get captured by the Alma they get sent to the Huntsville to manufacture more Consumer Goods for us. The Liberty sense of justice. I approve.

* It's certainly an exciting time to work for Planetform. After years of speculation that the company was spiraling into bankruptcy due to missed deadlines on Harris and Ayr, we've struck gold with these new filter packs. And the strategic alliance we've made with Synth Foods and Cryer is going to make all three companies a fortune. On top of that Liberty has pushed the Atka project up again, and with the Alma guarding us, the Xenos shouldn't be a problem anymore. Bloody marvellous!

* We'll need to induce greenhousing in the atmosphere to raise the temperature. We can do that by releasing Terraforming Gases, especially the Fluoride based ones we produce at Merthyr Tydfil. Then as the glaciers melt and the water levels rise, the atmosphere will thicken with moisture and start to create weather systems. Once the soil is exposed, stage 2 will start - introducing nutrients into the soil along with microorganisms to kickstart a planetary ecology. Stage 3 will be the stabilisation of the climate and ecology, and introduction of human-grown flora and fauna, as well as the establishment of colonies on the surface. Our client will take over control of the planet from that point. All in all, with the improvements to our technology over the years and the situation planetside, we think we can initiate stage 3 in roughly 70 years.

* The Xenobiotic Filters find plenty of use on various mining and industrial stations. We are shipping out to mining stations like Graves, Stokes, Fujisawa, and Birmingham. Fresh water isn't too much of a problem, usually, but recirculating air on a mining station can be problematic. Traditional filters can only do so much.

* With the war between Kusari and Bretonia now over, all the Prisoners of War Kusari sent our way are going home. Well not all of them, some look set to stay on and start a new life here. I guess they figure they have nothing to go home to, what with those Gallians coming down even harder on them. Out here on Miura, life is cold and hard - but there is great opportunity here and everyone is embracing it.

* This place is growing like you wouldn't believe! Cheap domes built by Synth Foods are popping up all over the place. Not that we grow food under them, they are to keep out the bitter cold. Before IC started delivering these new shelters, we had to get around in polar suits. The buildings under these domes consist mostly of old shipping containers.

* Between the wars in the Taus and the threat of Samura getting into terraforming, Planetform has had to expand operations. Our Floragro sales from California Minor open up a lot of revenue for us. We also partner with Synth Foods to distribute Synth Paste to various bases. I'm heading out to the Taus, with stops at almost all the stations there.

* We purchase our Synth Paste from Los Angeles. Without it, Planet Harris would soon starve. Despite the risks of the war front, the cargo is so cheap that we can afford to lose some every so often. Cargo, I mean. We can't afford to lose the pilots.

* We bring in our Terraforming Gases from Birmingham in the Manchester system. At least there aren't any of those dreadful Gaians in this corner of space.

* We bring in the bulk of our supplies from other places in Liberty since there is no agriculture or industrial manufacturing here. We've set up a chemical processing plant to produce Floragro, but that's the only production going on so far. We get our Consumer Goods from Fort Bush, and Basic Alloy from Manhattan.

* Planetform, Inc. has operations in two Bretonia systems in addition to this one: Edinburgh and Tau-31. The Edinburgh project has been plagued from conception by terrorist activity in the area. Our headquarters is in the New London system at Canterbury.

* Liberty has been quite accommodating to our needs. We certainly haven't had to contend with anything like the Gaians. They are more pragmatic here. The primary use of this planet following the completion of our project will be synthetic Food production, now that Los Angeles is becoming too dry.

* Some time ago Planetform discovered that the Alien Organisms found in the Edge Nebula systems had very high reproductive rates, and could exist in quite hostile conditions. One of their primary functions is to dissolve the carbonate rocks found in abundance here, releasing elemental oxygen and carbon dioxide in the process.

* The use of Alien Organisms dramatically accelerate the terraforming process. Original estimates for California Minor were in the 400-year range. We now think we will be able to complete it in 840 AS, less than a quarter of the original estimate.

* The Oxygen is mostly used for the terraforming machines, which run around the clock. Their purpose is twofold: to increase Oxygen content in the air around the base, and to introduce various atmosphere forming gases like carbon dioxide and nitrogen into the atmosphere. We still have at least fifty years before this operation is completed.

* Most of our Water is hauled in from Freeport 4 in the Magellan system. The thin snow layer that covers this planet is actually quite recent, a product of our Phase I cloud-seeding efforts. California Minor is still too cold and arid for sustainable agriculture.

*NOTE: Page generated on the 28/10/2023 at 17:59:47 UTC*