Beyond the Stars

Genesis

ForbiddenPlanet SFSD round three - colonisation.

This one must be set five hundred years in the future and reveal why humans have not colonised the selected planet previously. It must also include five of ten quotes (bold). A fellow contestant selected the dwarf planet, Quaoar.

~*~

Genesis - part 1

"Time is running out. If we stand any hope of making this planet habitable, we have to ignite Genesis now!"

"What is this pre-occupation you have with dying, Professor Brand? I think living is much more attractive. We wait a few more seconds for the pod to reach a safe distance."

"Feck it, Pattin, once Quaoar moves out of what little sun actually reaches this humanity-forsaken rock, it'll be another hundred years before we have another chance at it. Just hit the button!"

Captain Holmes gave his helmsman a signal to proceed before shielding his eyes against the glare as Genesis' reflective panels moved into alignment. Each panel redirected magnified solar rays into a pinpoint within the device's heart. Seconds later, Genesis harnessed enough electricity to send a spark deep beneath the surface of Quaoar's moon, sending atoms into a frenzy of movement.

"The containment field is holding. Censors show a minute rise in temperature at core already. Congratulations, gentlemen," Professor Brand said, not looking up from his data pad. "Part one of our mission is accomplished."

"Well that was rather unspectacular," Holmes said with disappointment. "I was expecting a light show."

Prof laughed. "I suppose you prefer the simplicity of an interrogation chamber?"

"It beats playing around in that dark, dank hole of a planet for the next year."

"I hate to be the one to break the news, but it will take approximately five years for the moon to defrost enough for the helium to reach maximum luminosity; two hundred and eighty degrees warmer to be exact. By the time the domiciles are built it should be glowing nicely."

"Yeah, but we'll have some light before then, right?" Pattin asked. "It's not like flicking a light switch, more a gradual build up?"

"If everything goes according to schedule, it should reach stage red in forty-five months. Until then we'll have to rely on the ship's generators for light. We should start feeling a slight rise in Quaoar's surface temperature by month fifty. At maximum strength, the resulting average planetary temperature won't be significant, but it should keep us from freezing to death."

To be continued...