Ad Astra update

I'm thinking about the simple addition of a single Latin word, which is relatively well-known, to this setting; AD ASTRA FEROCITER is unique yet not exactly difficult. I like it. But I better do something with it quick, or it'll be swiped out from under me by my inaction, I suspect. Although... if that's the case, it's hardly the worst thing ever. I continue to believe that Ad Astra is itself too simple, and too commonly used. There are several series of books, books, games, and now even a movie (although I don't know how many people saw it; I constantly forget that it exists myself) that use that name already. Although the Latin adjective is in some ways tainted by association with the motto of corrupt tech barron Jeff Bezos, it's still both good Latin and a good sentiment in general for the type of swashbuckling action space opera that I want Ad Astra to be. 

I've made a few minor changes. I'm pretty sure now that when I named the Carrick Grand Marches that I either deliberately made the choice (and then forgot about it) or subconsciously made the choice to use the name of the Republic space station in Old Republic, which is Carrick station. I actually don't love that, but on the other hand, Carrick has that kind of old-fashioned Anglo-Saxon feel to it that is perfect, so I doubt that I'll change it. However, I will point out that my focus has kind of migrated away from the Carrick Grand Marches, and I'm more interested now in the Emerus Marches, and the soon-to-be arriving Viomium Marches and Machesk Frontier sections; both also Bernese colonies. I'm also thinking in many ways of taking the focus of the action, for that matter, off of the Bernese strictly speaking. I still see them as kind of the "protagonist peoples" of the area, but I think actual protagonist characters may be those who wander a bit farther from home, and they may go to Bernese worlds, but just as likely peregrinate to other places. In fact, given the supposed relative peacefulness of most Bernese worlds, they probably spend more of their "story time" outside of the Bernese worlds entirely, for that matter. So, the Bernese worlds in the Colonial Main would be the places that maybe they're fighting to preserve and protect, to some degree, but not necessarily where any such stories would be as likely to be set. There's simply not enough derring-do required on a peaceful world, for the most part.

That also highlights some minor changes in nomenclature. Not that I actually mention it much, but I had at one point named this entire sector, on the big map, the New Alderamin sector. I don't know where I got that name; probably just picked it off a list given to me by a name generator. It means very little to me now, though, and I don't like it very much. If it actually matters, I'll call this sector the Rubicon sector, named for the river which Caesar famously crossed when Pompey and the corrupt Senate tried to trap him with procedure to remove him from power and probably murder him. Caesar, of course, percieved the trap, crossed the river anyway, the Roman people celebrated him for doing so, those who thought that they could entrap him fled and were eventually soundly and completely defeated, and Caesar ended up going from success to success after that until he was actually murdered. Crossing the Rubicon has now entered our vocabulary as an expression for making a risky gamble on which success or failure has big implications for your entire future; a kind of point of no return type of decision. Given the political situation of the Rubicon sector, especially the Colonial Main, I think I like that. Plus, it's timely to us Americans right now, as we hope that Donald Trump crosses the Rubicon and commits to draining the swamp rather than retreating from their attempts to illegally and tyrannically steal the election from us, because the result if he doesn't is that we become an oppressed people living under a neurotic communismistic tyranny for the foreseeable future. But with regards to my space opera, that's probably neither here nor there, of course, unless I get sent to a gulag for wrongthink and can't continue to work on it.

The Colonial Main is a new bit of nomenclature that I've started tossing around in some of my most recent planetary system data sheets. I see most of the bottom third of my sector map as belonging to this Colonial Main, so called because most of the spacefaring nations within it are colonies of bigger empires or polities elsewhere. The Bernese Colonies are contrasted with the Bernese Main, which is the space occupied by the Bernese Monarchy proper, the very smallest southern portion is shown at the very top of the map. There's also an Imperial or Seraean Main, a Revanchist or Republic Main, etc. Not everything has to be called a "Main" but it works quite well, plus it gives me that Colonial swashbuckling Spanish Main piratey feel that I like. The "protagonist space" of the Colonial Main is therefore the portion of the sector map that is south of the Cilindarean and Dhangetan... er... mains, and west of the Imperial fringe on the far east of the sector map. It specifically excludes, however, the Reaver Worlds (mostly just because I don't want to mess with them) and probably the Altairan Ascendency worlds, even though by stellar geography they should be part of it, I don't actually intend to develop those. It also specifically includes, even though I would otherwise exclude them, a few Dhangetan worlds which extend into the same space, and probably need to be detailed because they're more likely to be used in some fashion.This makes the Carrick Grand Marches and its most immediate neighbors to the galactic east and southeast and northeast the frontier of the Colonial Main space. In fact, I have no intention of doing much (if any) development east and south of what I've already done with the exception of a few systems that are specifically called out. And I haven't prioritized doing the westernmost edge of the Colonial Main very much either, because that would threaten to get me caught up in doing the Altairan Ascendency due to sheer proximity, if for no other reason. For that matter, although I've been threatening to do this for a long time, I've actually got some stuff in the works that would make it a reality, I'm about ready to be done tinkering with world-building at a macro scale altogether.

Check out the page listed in the link below, including the updated map attached. Every system that has some development done is a link to a subpage on the wiki. Those that aren't links haven't been done yet. I had earlier italicized a few systems of the Galaide Worlds that I hadn't done, but I've decided that they aren't a priority at the moment, as I doubt I'll be using the Galaide Worlds in the near term. Rather, the red-highlighted systems are those that are high priority to finish before I quit macro world-building. The blue highlighted systems are medium priority; to be done after the red ones are complete, but only whenever I get around to it, and I'll probably do them in parallel with some other stuff. I do actually have some main characters and situations ready to be developed into a plot outline, so I'm going to start telling actual stories in Ad Astra Ferociter. Much delayed and overdue, but still. And I've added some additional italic lower priority ones to do on the Western edge, including finally the Altairan worlds, but those are even lower priority than the blue ones, and I doubt I'll get to them anytime soon, if really even ever. Anything that isn't specifically so highlighted I have no plans to develop at all.

The image is one that I found simply by doing a Bing image search for vintage space opera, although it doesn't seem to be too old fashioned of a picture relative to the covers of old magazines from the 40s and 50s, etc.

https://sites.google.com/site/adastram20/home/setting

As an aside, that gives me, in terms of macro world-building:

• 11 high priority (red) worlds to develop. By the time I roll up the randomized details, massage the results if I don't like them, type out the results plus the text summary, find an image somewhere online to accompany it, etc. it takes a good half hour to an hour to do one. I know, that's kinda slow, but much of that time is spent on getting the formating correct. And I think that I tend towards the lower end of that estimate most of the time anyway. When I'm sitting at my computer, I tend to make time to do one of them a day, mostly.
• 16 medium priority (blue) worlds to develop. More, but they are much lower priority, so they can just be dribbled out as they come.
• 20 low priority worlds, not counting the Altairan Ascendency worlds, which adds an additional 14. Something to tinker with after the red and blue worlds are done, when I'm in the mood. Granted; that's still 61 worlds, and I highly doubt that I'll get that done anytime at all soon. I mean, I've only done 64 in all at all, and I've been tinkering with this for some time already. And that does include some worlds that are off map, or otherwise won't ever be used.