On the Moon, Lunarians are now outnumbered by Terrans who have become able to settle permanently. A few of Selenarchic descent retain "...a fragment of former wealth." (p. 47) Others have colonized Proserpina, an iron asteroid in the outer Solar System, from where they mine the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud. Because Earth, Luna and Mars now have an equilibrium economy, Earth is terminating its production of antimatter. Proserpinans want to continue using antimatter but have nothing to trade for it. Although they do have fusion power, robotics, industry and nanotech, they might have to stop expanding - which is probably what the cybercosm wants.
Captain Lirion from Proserpina has arrived on Luna and is meeting Lunarians, including leaders of the Rayenn. The cybercosm has sent Venator to spy on Luna. The game is afoot and the plot thickens.
6 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Exactly! Proserpina was no "apparent" threat to the cybercosm, which could have easily continued selling antimatter to the Proserpina Lunarians. The fact it was not willing to do so is very suspicious and makes me think the AIs ruling Earth somehow thought mankind posed some kind of long term danger.
Ad astra! Sean
If you have fusion reactors, you can make antimatter.
Yes. I didn't think that exactly but I did think that, with nanotech etc, the Proserpinans sound as if they have enough to enable them to keep expanding.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling and Paul!
Either Anderson made a mistake here or he did not know or think at the time he was writing HARVEST THE FIRE that antimatter could be produced like this.
Ad astra! Sean
For some reason, in HARVEST THE FIRE, antimatter must be produced on Mercury.
Kaor, Paul!
Either an error or Anderson did not know otherwise at the time.
Ad astra! Sean
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