Monday, 6 September 2021

The Future History Of Nauru

The Stars Are Also Fire, 23, pp. 304-306.

A mid-Pacific, phosphate-exporting, island nation, later impoverished, bought by Fireball as a possible site for a spaceport.

(However, spaceport construction was delayed by turmoil on Earth, then by Guthrie's death. When download Guthrie fully controlled Fireball, space activity had moved off Earth.)

Sold to Brandir, inherited by Lilisaire, offered to Aleka as a homeland for the mixed human-intelligent seals community. 

A 200 square kilometer plateau with a freshwater lagoon, coral cliffs, sandy beaches and a surrounding reef.

That is much future history and some geography summarized in few words.

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

The curious history of Nauru reminded me of the real world history of the Principality of Liechtenstein. That state came into existence when the Prince of Liechtenstein (from lands held in Lower Austria, btw) purchased the Lordship of Schellenberg and the County of Vaduz to become the Principality Liechtenstein, formally created as such as by the Holy Roman Emperor in 1719.

This was because the Princes of Liechtenstein needed to rule a state which did not own allegiance to any other lord except the Emperor if they were to qualify for a seat in the Imperial Diet. Reminiscent of how Fireball and then the Lunarians found it convenient to control a state, no matter how small, which had a seat in the parliament of the World Federation.

Ad astra! Sean