|
Downbelow (also known as Pell's World) is a fictional planet in American science fiction and fantasy author C. J. Cherryh's Alliance-Union universe. It was the first planet discovered by humans with an advanced ecosystem and, more significantly, intelligent alien life in the form of the Hisa. Pell Station, a space station prominent in this universe, orbits the planet. Downbelow features in a number of Alliance-Union universe novels, in particular ''Downbelow Station'' (1981) and ''Finity's End'' (1997). ==Discovery== During the Earth Company's drive to colonise the stars, a planet orbiting Tau Ceti was discovered by a probe in 2093. The probe captain named the planet "Pell's World" and its star "Pell's Star" after himself. Pell Station was built in orbit around the planet, and the stationers soon began referring to the planet as Downbelow, while the station itself became known as Downbelow Station. Pell's World is similar to Earth, except for a perpetual blanket of cloud that covers the entire world, resulting from a predominance of greenhouse gases. Humans quickly established a foothold on the planet, requiring only gas masks and air tanks to breathe in an atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide and airborne biologicals. They built research and agricultural stations in sealed domes that required no gas masks, and, with the help of the local Hisa, cultivated crops on the open plains. A shuttleport for ferrying personnel and light cargo to and from Upabove (as the space station was called on the planet) was established, and a launch pad for unmanned rockets constructed for lifting agricultural produce to the station. Heavy equipment and other large cargo was "dropped" to the planet from the station in capsules equipped with parachutes. That Downbelow is a living planet caused a stir, but it was the discovery of sentient life that sent shock waves back to Earth, sparking off moral, religious, philosophical and policy debates. Then, to aggravate an already delicate situation, Pell Station became a source of agricultural goods and other luxuries, hitherto only available from Earth. This economic advantage disrupted the whole balance of power in the Alliance-Union universe, and became one of the main contributing factors to the outbreak of the Company Wars in 2300. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Downbelow (fictional planet)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|