The Confederation Handbook

by Peter F. Hamilton

  After this, secondly, with the star’s growing instability wrecking the planet’s fragile ecology, the massive space manufacturing capability was switched to adapting asteroids into habitats. The asteroids chosen were orbiting more than 250m km from the star, putting them outside the predicted expansion photosphere. As this operation was far simpler than changing asteroids into giant starships, over 7,000 were created in just 200 years. Unlike the arkships, which were immediately lost to the Tyrathca upon completion, building these habitats was a near exponential-growth process, as new habitats used their industrial capacity to prepare yet more asteroids.

  By the thousand-year stage, Mastrit-PJ had become uninhabitable and was completely abandoned.

  However, no Mosdva was ever transported on an arkship, which were used exclusively by the Tyrathca. As soon as they had finished building one arkship, the Mosdva construction crew was cleared out of it and moved on to building the next one.

  However, the Mosdva could not be excluded from the asteroid habitats without recourse to a policy of genocide. So the Tyrathca tolerated their continued presence, knowing that their own numbers were expanding and necessitated an ongoing habitat-construction program. And with the exact conditions of this population expansion unknowable, they would need Mosdva technical ability to help adapt the habitats to the environment of the swollen sun.

  The Post-Expansion Era

  The star expanded into a red supergiant which engulfed all of the system’s planets. At the time of this expansion, there were 7,500 habitats, all orbiting within 3° of the ecliptic plane. The number of unused asteroids orbiting outside the photosphere was reduced to about 25,000, of which only 800 were larger than 5km in diameter.

  The new radiant heat levels (higher than predicted) meant that larger thermal-dissipation systems had to be constructed for the habitats. As a consequence, the habitats became even more engineering-dependent, which began a gradual shift of political power. Only Tyrathca breeders were capable of any meaningful technological activity, making all but the builder, housekeeper, and farmer vassal castes redundant. In habitats the soldier caste was bred solely to keep the Mosdva in line.

  The revolution to overturn Tyrathca dominance occurred over a hundred-year period, starting 10,000 years ago. Post-expansion, the habitats initially formed a cohesive one-nation grouping. But the scarcity of raw matter, and competition for the remaining asteroids to mine, reduced the Tyrathca to outright competition between individual habitats. Wars were thus fought over the remaining inert asteroids, and each inhabited asteroid reverted to complete autonomy.

  After that, the rise of the Mosdva to supremacy was inevitable. They controlled the habitat machinery and industrial facilities, a power which, as they discovered, enabled them to dictate their own terms to the Tyrathca.

  This was the time when contact with the arkships broke down. Maintaining the interstellar communication lasers was purely a Tyrathca concern; with the end of their unified star-girdling society, so both the reason and capability declined. The last arkship messages were sent 9,300 years ago. And although some arkships probably kept on sending messages to the home system for some time after this, nobody there was listening.

  The Mosdva Era

  Even today not all habitats are under control of the Mosdva. At their peak, before the revolutionary millennium, there were approximately 13,000 Tyrathca habitat asteroids orbiting the red supergiant. Of these a mere 2,000-plus now remain under Tyrathca control. Most of the rest have banded together politically and physically under direct Mosdva dominion. Also, late expansion-era habitation concepts have adapted and evolved considerably from the original centrifugal-force gravity chambers.

  The Mosdva with their climbing-adept limb arrangement are ideally suited to free fall, so have adapted extremely well to this environment. They no longer use rotating asteroids to live in. Such a use of mass was highly inefficient, most of the rock serving simply as a radiation and heat shield. Now they live in webs of tubing. These are huge disk-shaped structures, typically 8,000km in diameter, made up from a lacework of tube strands averaging 500m in diameter, although there is considerable disparity there. Each tube has a different function—habitation, food production, engineering, etc. They comprise sections linked together to form functional localized dominions which together make up the diskcity itself. The gaps between the tube strands are covered by reflective sheeting to prevent any light from penetrating to the far side.

  Diskcities orbit mostly in the equatorial band, 10–15m km above the top of the photosphere.

  Food for the Mosdva is mostly an alga or yeast grown in transparent piping in heavily foamed water. This piping forms their recycling system, in a mechanical biological arrangement. Plants grown inside the tubes are often of edible varieties. Energy for general web functions is generated from the temperature difference between the sun-facing and the space-facing sides of the diskcity. The space-facing side is studded with heat fins of various designs, and even direct radiance projectors.

  Dotted around the edge of the web are various chunks of captured mass, which are slowly being processed into raw chemicals for the industrial plants.

  By angling the diskcity towards the sun’s surface, it can be used like a sail, tacking to raise or lower its orbit and change its inclination—but only very slowly, such maneuvers taking several centuries.

  Fusion generators are used mainly to turn hydrogen into nitrogen, the scarcest of all life-essential elements, as well as carbon and other elements. Hydrogen is sucked from the surface of the photosphere by ships with magnetic scoops.

  In most webs there are knots and tangles. These tend to be the oldest parts, some still with Tyrathca settlements inside them. They started out being the original asteroids, which were tethered together, then their mass was progressively mined to produce the web tubes. Some of these sections are very ancient, and in disrepair.

  The acquisition of new solid mass is now a slow process for the diskcities. Nearly all of the remaining outer asteroids have been captured. In pursuing their takeover policy, the Mosdva are now starting to physically assimilate the Tyrathca asteroid habitats. A diskcity can systematically pursue an independent asteroid, but takes centuries to perform the rendezvous. Eventually the two will collide, at which point the asteroid’s mass is fed into the refineries, allowing the web to continue expanding. The diskcity usually destroys the target asteroid’s heat-exchange systems several decades before the rendezvous, ensuring that there are no Tyrathca left alive when the asteroid is dismantled.

  The independent Tyrathca asteroids have little defense against this process of absorption. Their asteroids possess few spaceships, and even fewer weapons, leaving them with little in the way of space-warfare technology. As it was always the Mosdva who piloted ships during the pre-expansion era, the breeders would now need to fly the ships themselves. Though they are more than capable of maintaining and flying spaceships (as the arkships prove), engaging in space warfare requires pilots with the kind of innovative mental agility which the Tyrathca simply do not possess.

  Mosdva Society

  Due to the difficulty in mining hydrogen, ships traveling between diskcities are mostly lightsail types, so in general there is little spaceflight. There is no trade between diskcities because that would involve losing precious mass from the disk itself.

  A diskcity is typically divided up into several dominions, essentially separate nations which have constantly shifting alliances with other dominions. The inner dominions tend to be larger, with a high manufacturing capacity; while the outer dominions around the rim concentrate most of their effort on constructing and flying the scoopships. The raw mass which the ships carry back is then shipped to the inner dominions in exchange for finished products. All dominions retain enough industrial capacity to maintain their own life-support systems.

  The Mosdva Language

  The Tyrathca and Mosdva share a common language, although one that has seen several divergences between its use on astero
ids, arkship colonies, and diskcities. The language is itself derived from the one formerly used by the Ridbat, and taught to early slave Mosdva. As the Tyrathca gradually acquired sentience, they naturally adopted the Mosdva language.

  2. Kiint

  A. From Pre–2611 Information

  Jobis

  The Kiint homeworld, Jobis, is 187 light-years from Earth, with an F2 star and 1.2 (Earth standard) gravity. It was discovered in 2356, and the Kiint race joined the Confederation in 2357. The Kiint are unique, out of all the technologically advanced xenoc species encountered so far by humans, in that they have no real interest in starflight (see Psychology, page 251).

  Physiology

  The Kiint are physically impressive, and are the largest sentient species in the Confederation. They are oxygen-breathers, with a standard biochemistry and cellular composition. Although the female gestates the fetus in her womb, they are not strictly mammals, and their blood temperature does not remain constant, but serves as a coolant fluid dissipating body heat through the hide.

  They have been sentient for at least 200,000 years, and their organs and cells are highly evolved, with an efficiency several times greater than humans’. Part of their musculature is tractamorphic, with cells able to expand or contract, and in some cases twist. The Kiint body is 9–10m long, 3m broad, and covered by a white hide. It has eight legs, all equally thick and 2m long, resembling those of an elephant. Despite their bulk, their tractamorphic muscles give them considerable agility, so they can run swiftly, although they do not accelerate easily. The neck is inclined upwards to raise the crown of the head slightly above the main body.

  The Kiint has a very wide face, with a central ridge dividing it into two planes. It has two eyes halfway up the face, and a series of six breathing vents are positioned below the eyes on either side of the central ridge, angled downwards, with furry fringes undulating constantly to act as dust and particle filters. The base (chin) of the head is slightly pointed, like a beak section for the mouth, and there are two other hinged beak sections behind it. The ears consist of long triangular membranes situated above and behind the eyes.

  The Kiint’s arms are tentacle-like appendages emerging at the base of the neck; composed almost entirely of tractamorphic muscle cords, they can assume a variety of shapes. Hand-analogues on the ends of these resemble large pods of flesh when inert, but are freeforming and able to produce fingers, suction cups, pincers, etc., within a considerable size range. This enables the Kiint to perform the most delicate kind of manipulation as well as feats of brute strength.

  The Kiint are herbivores, and seem able to digest a wide range of xenoc plants. Because of their size, they generate a great deal of body heat, and so prefer a cool (temperate) climate. When working in tropical climates, they wear jackets woven with thermal-duct fibers to keep them cool. Jobis has a 1.2 gravity field, and a 27hour day; the year is 420 (local) days long. The star is an F2 type.

  The Kiint can adapt to terracompatible environments easily. Their life expectancy is unknown, since the Kiint are not forthcoming on such personal topics. They possess an ability similar to the Edenist affinity. This mode of communication has long since supplanted their voices, and they no longer retain the ability to make sounds. All Jobis animal life seems to participate in this Kiint affinity to some degree.

  It is apparent that the flora and fauna of Jobis have undergone considerable modification. The planet’s biosphere is remarkably benign. The animals are nonaggressive (though none of them has been raised to sentience), and the plants are mostly nutritional. To what degree the Kiint have modified themselves can only ever be speculative.

  Psychology

  The Kiint do display a recognizable emotional range, although all their responses seem milder than among their human equivalents. While they are undeniably more intelligent than humans, the Kiint do not possess the same curiosity about the physical universe—or at least they no longer display this characteristic. They have already achieved a level of technology exceeding that of humans (and also the Tyrathca), and have subsequently replaced scientific research with philosophical and cultural development.

  Their sole interest in the Confederation seems to be in the opportunity it provides to them for observing other sentient entities, though the amount of actual observation which could be undertaken by the few ambassadors they have dispatched elsewhere must be very limited. This lack of curiosity about external affairs is perhaps best demonstrated by their absence of interest in starflight. The few Kiint ever to discuss the subject claim that they themselves experienced an extensive starflight era 130,000 years ago, but one they abandoned once they had reached their technological zenith. For once mastery of their physical environment was achieved, they saw no reason to explore the universe further, since all they ever encountered were variants on the same themes, in both life and cosmology.

  The only time any Kiint have demonstrated any real enthusiasm for anything involving the Confederation was regarding the Laymil research project funded by the Lord of Ruin. Several Kiint are now assisting with the task of analyzing the Laymil race, and the instrumentation they have made available to the other researchers has proved invaluable. The Lord of Ruin does not make any payment to the Kiint involved in this project, as they participate simply because they desire to.

  Although never gregarious, they can form friendships of a sort with humans, especially with individuals they regularly come into contact with.

  Reproduction

  This is another subject on which the Kiint are notoriously reticent. However, they do seem to practice monogamous relationships, though none has ever been observed mating. Duration of pregnancy is unknown, but given their large size is estimated at fifteen (Earth) months. Only one infant has ever been born inside the Confederation: Haile, the child of two researchers at Tranquillity.

  Economy

  Their economy is difficult to assess; in fact it is doubtful that the word “economy” as we understood it can even be applied. No manufacturing equipment has ever been seen on Jobis, but the Kiint seem to have mastered replication technology, though again this has never been demonstrated to humans.

  Their house domes appear to provide all their everyday needs. What their non-everyday needs might be has never been ascertained.

  The Planet Jobis

  Jobis is a pleasant world (gravity apart), with extensive vegetation. Thanks to the Kiint’s careful nurturing, most of its surface now resembles slightly wild parkland. There is no visible infrastructure of any kind, and the house domes are mostly gathered into small towns and villages, though a great many are also scattered at random over the rest of the land surface. There are none, however, to be found in the equatorial bands. These buildings enclose several partitioned areas separately dedicated to sleeping, eating and leisure, and they always possess a bathing pool. These house domes are built from many different substances, from ancient cut stone to modern composite.

  There is no ground or sea transport system. All human visitors are required to land at a Confederation outpost, the small town called Urich, which comprises mainly embassies and trading company offices. The Kiint have provided this town with air capsules so that the humans there may travel around Jobis. These capsules are capable of traveling at extremely high speed (typically Mach 30), and accelerate at over 70 gees. The counter-acceleration force generated inside them leaves the occupants completely unaware of the flight. Yet no Kiint has ever been seen to use one of these capsules.

  Kiint ambassadors always travel on human-manufactured starships, flying out in human spaceplanes or flyers to get aboard them. The CAB issues a special license for carrying Kiint passengers, which demands an extremely high standard of machine maintenance and flying proficiency.

  The most startling aspect of the Jobis star system is the triad moons. These are three identical moonlets, measuring 1,800km in diameter, positioned at Jobis’s Lagrange One point. Nothing about this formation appears natural, from their equidistant spacing to th
e actual composition of the moons themselves. They are composed of an aluminum silicon ore, and devoid of any geographical surface features. All the Kiint will say about them is that they were an old experiment.

  Constant (passive) probing by human starships has revealed nothing to indicate the method of their formation/construction, nor what type of experiment they involved.

  Government

  The exact nature of their government is unknown. However, since the Kiint possess a type of affinity, their system is assumed to be similar to the Edenist consensus. When a Kiint ambassador speaks in any official capacity, he or she does so with total personal authority, and there is no referring back to Jobis for confirmation. The Edenists did once hope that this similarity would allow them to develop uniquely strong ties with the Kiint but, while relations between the Kiint and the Edenists are cordial, the Kiint take care not to demonstrate favoritism towards any Confederation faction in particular.