There are billions of stars, millions of planets, but there is only one man, Terrance McDoogal. Welcome to LIU Atlas.
LIU Atlas - Attra Hens
The Ludgonian Industrial Union's galaxy contains billions of stars and billions of planets. Unfortunately, most residents of the LIU could only name a handful of these worlds. In order to improve astronomy grades across the LIU, TV2 has started a new program called LIU Atlas. Follow our host, Terrance McDoogal, as he takes you on a tour across the LIU and some of its more obscure worlds.
Note: This episode is presented in full screen. The corresponding dialogue is underneath each photo.
Note: This episode is presented in full screen. The corresponding dialogue is underneath each photo.
Doog: “Welcome to another episode of LIU Atlas. Today, we’re visiting the hellish planet, Attra Hens. Attra Hens orbits Attralode, a rare type of neutron star with extremely powerful magnetic field, known as a magnetar. This magnetar is one of the galaxy’s strongest; its field averages readings of 10^15 gauss. That’s a quadrillion gauss. I don’t know what a gauss is, but I’m told standard stars have a field measurement of 1 to 2 gauss – so, yeah, it has a lot more gauss. This field engulfs Attra Hens, causing several odd effects: massive auroras, magnetic storms, and, in some cases, floating rocks. This is going to be a weird one. Let’s head on down.”
Doog: “Alright folks, I’m on the surface. You’ll notice I’m sporting some gear today. I have this uncomfortable rebreather that keeps the magnetized metal dust from shredding my lungs. I also have this umbrella-looking thing on my back. It’s a personal oscillating shield. It’s the only thing keeping me alive right now. If it fails, it would be a race to see what rearranges my atoms first, the gamma radiation or the magnetism.”
Doog: “I’m standing next to some type of building. It looks like it has the same type of shielding.”
Vorinth: P-O-S! P-O-S! Turn on your P-O-S!”
Doog: “Excuse me?! You want me to turn you on, but you’re calling me a piece of sh…”
Vorinth: “Personal. Oscillating. Shield. P-O-S.”
Doog: “It’s not on?!”
Vorinth: “No. The indicator light is red. Red, you’re dead. Green, you’re clean.”
Doog: “Alright, let’s see. There we go. That was close. Whew.”
Vorinth: “You’re acting pretty nonchalant for a man who almost experienced cell death to all of his cells simultaneously.”
Doog: “Just a typical Tuesday for me. At this point, I’ve almost died so many times that I’m starting to think I’m immortal.”
Vorinth: “You’re not.”
Doog: “Then why am I still alive?”
Doog: “Excuse me?! You want me to turn you on, but you’re calling me a piece of sh…”
Vorinth: “Personal. Oscillating. Shield. P-O-S.”
Doog: “It’s not on?!”
Vorinth: “No. The indicator light is red. Red, you’re dead. Green, you’re clean.”
Doog: “Alright, let’s see. There we go. That was close. Whew.”
Vorinth: “You’re acting pretty nonchalant for a man who almost experienced cell death to all of his cells simultaneously.”
Doog: “Just a typical Tuesday for me. At this point, I’ve almost died so many times that I’m starting to think I’m immortal.”
Vorinth: “You’re not.”
Doog: “Then why am I still alive?”
Vorinth: “This building’s shielding extends well beyond its walls. Far enough to protect the communication arrays and fuel storage. You’re simply alive because you didn’t step too far from the building. You’re not immortal, you’re lucky.”
Doog: “I don’t think anyone that watches this show would call me lucky, but I guess every POS has a good day.”
Vorinth: “Huh?”
Doog: “The acronym means something else where I’m from. It’s a self-deprecation thing. Enough about me, though. What is this building?”
Vorinth: “This is a worker dorm. It’s where I stay along with my off-world counterparts. It also acts as a communication tower. Local communication is nearly impossible, with the electromagnetic interference, but we can get subspace communications.”
Doog: “So, you can talk with other planets, but not your neighbor?”
Vorinth: “Yes.”
Doog: “Why do you need to communicate with other planets?”
Vorinth: “When we have enough magnetic ore, we need someone to come pick it up.”
Doog: “So, this is a mining world?”
Vorinth: “Yes.”
Doog: “I don’t think anyone that watches this show would call me lucky, but I guess every POS has a good day.”
Vorinth: “Huh?”
Doog: “The acronym means something else where I’m from. It’s a self-deprecation thing. Enough about me, though. What is this building?”
Vorinth: “This is a worker dorm. It’s where I stay along with my off-world counterparts. It also acts as a communication tower. Local communication is nearly impossible, with the electromagnetic interference, but we can get subspace communications.”
Doog: “So, you can talk with other planets, but not your neighbor?”
Vorinth: “Yes.”
Doog: “Why do you need to communicate with other planets?”
Vorinth: “When we have enough magnetic ore, we need someone to come pick it up.”
Doog: “So, this is a mining world?”
Vorinth: “Yes.”
Doog: “What do you mine?”
Vorinth: “Lodestone. It’s a super-ferrous compound – an ultra dense crystalline matrix saturated with aligned magnetic domains.”
Doog: Blink…blink…blink…
Vorinth: “Uh…it’s a powerful magnetic ore.”
Doog: “Got it. You’re mining magnets.”
Vorinth: “Not ordinary magnets. Eons of exposure to the magnetar have changed the alignment of the compound’s atoms. They don’t just react to magnetic fields; they generate them. The ore is hypermagnetically active, meaning it warps localized fields and induces polarity in nearby objects. It’s an essential component in many of the galaxy’s technologies: shield generators, artificial gravity, fusion containment, weaponry, medical imaging, nano-bot control, etc.”
Doog: “Science-ish, useful magnets. Got it.”
Vorinth: “Lodestone. It’s a super-ferrous compound – an ultra dense crystalline matrix saturated with aligned magnetic domains.”
Doog: Blink…blink…blink…
Vorinth: “Uh…it’s a powerful magnetic ore.”
Doog: “Got it. You’re mining magnets.”
Vorinth: “Not ordinary magnets. Eons of exposure to the magnetar have changed the alignment of the compound’s atoms. They don’t just react to magnetic fields; they generate them. The ore is hypermagnetically active, meaning it warps localized fields and induces polarity in nearby objects. It’s an essential component in many of the galaxy’s technologies: shield generators, artificial gravity, fusion containment, weaponry, medical imaging, nano-bot control, etc.”
Doog: “Science-ish, useful magnets. Got it.”
Vorinth: “POS systems are expensive, cumbersome, and fragile. Not ideal for mining floating rocks. In order to mine the Lodestone economically, my race, the Resitī, were relocated here.”
Doog: “Wait, this is not your home planet?”
Vorinth: “No, we were relocated from the planet, Residuae. Residuae is slightly similar to Attra Hens. Residuae also orbits a magnetar, but a much smaller one that is much further away.”
Random Resitīan: “Vekrell! Sie amine, Vekrell!”
Vorinth: “While we have resistance to the magnetism and radiation, we did not evolve to survive in conditions this extreme.”
Random Resitīan #2: “Dasif sie amine! Vekrell!”
Vorinth: “This causes a slow breakdown of my people’s bodies. It is called Lode’s Bane.”
Random Resitīan: “Dyiton sie LIU voiur, Vekrell! Sie amine!”
Doog: “What are they shouting?”
Vorinth: “They are calling me Vekrell. In my language, ‘ve’ means void or empty. ‘Krell’ means morality. According to them, I am empty of morals.”
Doog: “Why are they shouting that at you? What did you do??”
Vorinth: “I chose to become a loyalist and work directly with the LIU.”
Doog: “What exactly do you do for the LIU?”
Vorinth: “I serve as a liaison between the Resitī and the LIU. I translate, relay orders, and report behavioral shifts. I understand our culture. The LIU does not. This allows me to see problems faster.”
Doog: “In their eyes, you’re a traitor?”
Vorinth: “Yes.”
Doog: “Does that bother you?”
Doog: “Wait, this is not your home planet?”
Vorinth: “No, we were relocated from the planet, Residuae. Residuae is slightly similar to Attra Hens. Residuae also orbits a magnetar, but a much smaller one that is much further away.”
Random Resitīan: “Vekrell! Sie amine, Vekrell!”
Vorinth: “While we have resistance to the magnetism and radiation, we did not evolve to survive in conditions this extreme.”
Random Resitīan #2: “Dasif sie amine! Vekrell!”
Vorinth: “This causes a slow breakdown of my people’s bodies. It is called Lode’s Bane.”
Random Resitīan: “Dyiton sie LIU voiur, Vekrell! Sie amine!”
Doog: “What are they shouting?”
Vorinth: “They are calling me Vekrell. In my language, ‘ve’ means void or empty. ‘Krell’ means morality. According to them, I am empty of morals.”
Doog: “Why are they shouting that at you? What did you do??”
Vorinth: “I chose to become a loyalist and work directly with the LIU.”
Doog: “What exactly do you do for the LIU?”
Vorinth: “I serve as a liaison between the Resitī and the LIU. I translate, relay orders, and report behavioral shifts. I understand our culture. The LIU does not. This allows me to see problems faster.”
Doog: “In their eyes, you’re a traitor?”
Vorinth: “Yes.”
Doog: “Does that bother you?”
Vorinth: “Bother me? No. They think it’s an insult – like I’m supposed to feel bad for not dying. But I’m alive. I eat real food. I sleep in the safety of a shielded tower, in a bed without coughing up blood. I’m outside hours and hours less than the others.”
Doog: “I see. At least the laborers get kegs of beer for their suffering.”
Vorinth: “Those are not beer containers. It’s artificial protein sludge.”
Doog: “Protein sludge?”
Vorinth: “Us Resitī are carnivorous predators. On Residuae, we ate Vortar, various species of burrowing rodents. Vortar do not survive on Attra Hens. A synthetic Vortar protein was created for my people on Attra Hens.”
Doog: “But you get the real stuff? I see why they hate you.”
Vorinth: “Do they hate me? Or do they hate themselves for not choosing this position for themselves?”
Doog: “Perhaps both.”
Vorinth: “Perhaps.”
Doog: “I see. At least the laborers get kegs of beer for their suffering.”
Vorinth: “Those are not beer containers. It’s artificial protein sludge.”
Doog: “Protein sludge?”
Vorinth: “Us Resitī are carnivorous predators. On Residuae, we ate Vortar, various species of burrowing rodents. Vortar do not survive on Attra Hens. A synthetic Vortar protein was created for my people on Attra Hens.”
Doog: “But you get the real stuff? I see why they hate you.”
Vorinth: “Do they hate me? Or do they hate themselves for not choosing this position for themselves?”
Doog: “Perhaps both.”
Vorinth: “Perhaps.”
Vorinth: “Dense concentrations of lodestone float, aligning with Attra Lode’s magnetic field lines. It makes the lodestone easy to find, to say the least.”
Doog: “Wow, the floating rocks are cooler than I thought – and, as a lazy guy, I admire easier.”
Vorinth: “I should clarify. While it is easier to find, it is not easy to extract.”
Doog: “Why?”
Vorinth: “Without gravity anchoring the floaters, they tend to obey momentum physics. Hit one too hard, and Newton’s Third Law creates unfiltered violence throughout the area. The floating rocks fly everywhere.”
Doog: “Wow, the floating rocks are cooler than I thought – and, as a lazy guy, I admire easier.”
Vorinth: “I should clarify. While it is easier to find, it is not easy to extract.”
Doog: “Why?”
Vorinth: “Without gravity anchoring the floaters, they tend to obey momentum physics. Hit one too hard, and Newton’s Third Law creates unfiltered violence throughout the area. The floating rocks fly everywhere.”
Vorinth: “That’s why the mining platforms have gripping arms, multi-directional thrusters, and precision sensors. They keep the floating rock still even as it is struck. Struck by non-ferrous titanium tools might I add.”
Doog: “I was curious about that. Everything you use must be nonmagnetic.”
Vorinth: “Titanium, industrial-grade plastic, platinum electronics, and galvanized zinc make up the majority of the equipment.”
Doog: “I see. So, you ship this ore out as is or must it be processed in some manner?”
Vorinth: “Magnets of this power can not be shipped until they are properly secured. It would cause chaos on any shipping craft that attempted to move raw lodestone. Let’s head to the factory. Follow me.”
Doog: “I was curious about that. Everything you use must be nonmagnetic.”
Vorinth: “Titanium, industrial-grade plastic, platinum electronics, and galvanized zinc make up the majority of the equipment.”
Doog: “I see. So, you ship this ore out as is or must it be processed in some manner?”
Vorinth: “Magnets of this power can not be shipped until they are properly secured. It would cause chaos on any shipping craft that attempted to move raw lodestone. Let’s head to the factory. Follow me.”
Doog: “Lode’s Bane looks terrible. The workers look like they’re in agony.”
Vorinth: “It is slow, painful, and messy.”
Doog: “What does it do to them? I know you mentioned something about coughing up blood.”
Vorinth: “It starts with muscle pain. Have you ever worked out or done hard labor? It’s like that type of muscle pain. Only, it’s never better. You are always sore.”
Doog: “Obviously, I’ve never worked out, but I have labored. This antique microphone isn’t light you know.”
Vorinth: “The unending soreness lasts several years before the symptoms begin to worsen. It manifests as a cough – first phlegm, then blood. The soreness intensifies, making every cough torture. Near the end of Lode’s Bane’s progression, disorientation, vertigo, and loss of coordination are common. My people call this, Vellagaran, or ‘drunken stumbles’. Vellagaran signifies the beginnings of brain damage.”
Doog: “Sounds terrible.”
Vorinth: “Vellagaran means the body’s defenses have failed. The magnetic fields are now directly interfering with the brain’s bioelectrical signals. From there, it varies. It depends on which system has been compromised the most. Perhaps, the brain can’t regulate heart rate or body temperature. Perhaps, the brain can’t monitor blood sugar or coordinate breathing. The brain failure results in death, in some manner, within months of experiencing Vellagaran.”
Doog: “What type of timeline are we talking about? How long do workers last on Attra Hens?”
Vorinth: “Six to ten years.”
Doog: “WHAT!?”
Vorinth: “Yes. These conditions are lethal. Do you understand my decision now? Vekrell, traitor, and loyalist are badges of honor. I will live fifty years longer than the name-callers.”
Vorinth: “It is slow, painful, and messy.”
Doog: “What does it do to them? I know you mentioned something about coughing up blood.”
Vorinth: “It starts with muscle pain. Have you ever worked out or done hard labor? It’s like that type of muscle pain. Only, it’s never better. You are always sore.”
Doog: “Obviously, I’ve never worked out, but I have labored. This antique microphone isn’t light you know.”
Vorinth: “The unending soreness lasts several years before the symptoms begin to worsen. It manifests as a cough – first phlegm, then blood. The soreness intensifies, making every cough torture. Near the end of Lode’s Bane’s progression, disorientation, vertigo, and loss of coordination are common. My people call this, Vellagaran, or ‘drunken stumbles’. Vellagaran signifies the beginnings of brain damage.”
Doog: “Sounds terrible.”
Vorinth: “Vellagaran means the body’s defenses have failed. The magnetic fields are now directly interfering with the brain’s bioelectrical signals. From there, it varies. It depends on which system has been compromised the most. Perhaps, the brain can’t regulate heart rate or body temperature. Perhaps, the brain can’t monitor blood sugar or coordinate breathing. The brain failure results in death, in some manner, within months of experiencing Vellagaran.”
Doog: “What type of timeline are we talking about? How long do workers last on Attra Hens?”
Vorinth: “Six to ten years.”
Doog: “WHAT!?”
Vorinth: “Yes. These conditions are lethal. Do you understand my decision now? Vekrell, traitor, and loyalist are badges of honor. I will live fifty years longer than the name-callers.”
Vorinth: “Ahh, to be among my Vekrell kindred.”
Doog: “These Resitī are Vekrell too?”
Vorinth: “Yes, they are. They work in the safety of the magnet factories.”
Doog: “I don’t hear anyone shouting at these guys.”
Vorinth: “They are free from the scrutiny of the miners, the most affected class. They do suffer more than I, though. They are exposed to the dangerous lodestone more than I am.”
Doog: “You mentioned that the lodestone had to be processed in some manner before it can be shipped. Is that done here?”
Doog: “These Resitī are Vekrell too?”
Vorinth: “Yes, they are. They work in the safety of the magnet factories.”
Doog: “I don’t hear anyone shouting at these guys.”
Vorinth: “They are free from the scrutiny of the miners, the most affected class. They do suffer more than I, though. They are exposed to the dangerous lodestone more than I am.”
Doog: “You mentioned that the lodestone had to be processed in some manner before it can be shipped. Is that done here?”
Vorinth: “Yes. The lodestone is heated into a more malleable state using fusion furnaces. The molten lodestone is placed into cylindrical die cavities, creating a final magnetic form”
Vorinth: “This cylindrical puck is then fitted into a computerized component. This allows the magnetic properties of lodestone to be manipulated.”
Doog: “Manipulated?”
Vorinth: “Perhaps, ‘controlled’, is a better word choice. The component controls the magnets’ field and polarity. Once attached, the magnet responds to programmed inputs.”
Doog: “So, it’s safe now.”
Vorinth: “Yes. The magnetic field’s aptitude is arrested by the electronics.”
Doog: “Manipulated?”
Vorinth: “Perhaps, ‘controlled’, is a better word choice. The component controls the magnets’ field and polarity. Once attached, the magnet responds to programmed inputs.”
Doog: “So, it’s safe now.”
Vorinth: “Yes. The magnetic field’s aptitude is arrested by the electronics.”
Doog: “So, it’s safe to touch.”
Vorinth: “Well, technically, but maybe you shouldn’t.”
Doog: “Come on! I want to say I’ve touched some of the galaxy’s most powerful and dangerous magnets!”
Vorinth: “Maybe one little poke.”
Doog: “Alright, here we go.”
Vorinth: “Wait, Doog! Touch the magnet, not the controls.”
Vorinth: “Well, technically, but maybe you shouldn’t.”
Doog: “Come on! I want to say I’ve touched some of the galaxy’s most powerful and dangerous magnets!”
Vorinth: “Maybe one little poke.”
Doog: “Alright, here we go.”
Vorinth: “Wait, Doog! Touch the magnet, not the controls.”
THUNK
Doog: “Ow! What’s happening!”
Vorinth: “You turned the magnet on! Your respirator was pulled onto the magnet.”
Doog: “I hurt my face and pulled every neck and back muscle I have – and even some I didn’t know I had!”
Vorinth: “Let me get in there and shut it off.”
Doog: “Lode’s Bane is real! I can confirm!”
Vorinth: “I’ve never seen it manifest in this manner, but I can’t argue. There, you’re free.”
Doog: “Ow! What’s happening!”
Vorinth: “You turned the magnet on! Your respirator was pulled onto the magnet.”
Doog: “I hurt my face and pulled every neck and back muscle I have – and even some I didn’t know I had!”
Vorinth: “Let me get in there and shut it off.”
Doog: “Lode’s Bane is real! I can confirm!”
Vorinth: “I’ve never seen it manifest in this manner, but I can’t argue. There, you’re free.”
Doog: “Well folks, I believe I’m currently experiencing a concussion. I believe my head achieved hyperspace speeds on its way towards that magnet. I can barely organize my thoughts. Let’s see. Attra Hens is a planet. This planet is near a Magnetar. The Magnetar makes the rocks on Attra Hens extremely magnetic. Poor imported workers are forced to mine this stuff. It is used for many things. Oh well, my face hurts. See ya!”
Note: While standard stars have an average gauss of 1 to 2, they can reach higher gauss levels. Magnetic arcs (aka sunspots) can reach 3,000 gauss – still nothing in comparison to a Magnetar!
Note: While standard stars have an average gauss of 1 to 2, they can reach higher gauss levels. Magnetic arcs (aka sunspots) can reach 3,000 gauss – still nothing in comparison to a Magnetar!
