There are billions of stars, millions of planets, but there is only one man, Terrance McDoogal. Welcome to LIU Atlas.
LIU Atlas - Nivaria
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. I’m your host, Terrance “Doog” McDoogal. Today, we’re visiting the cold, icy planet, Nivaria. Both of Nivaria’s poles are dominated by massive glacial ice fields, leaving its slightly warmer equatorial region as the planet’s only inhabited zone. We’re heading down to this region to visit a city called Gas Port 7. Yeah…the city is actually called that. Let’s head down and check it out.”
Doog: “Gas Port 7 might not be the most charming name…but now that I’m down here, I can say with certainty – it’s one of the most accurate. Everything here seems to be built around this large gas facility. All these smaller buildings seem to support it. I see repair sheds, parts shops, and tank manufacturers. The taller buildings nearby seem to be worker dorms, and I’m sure there are plenty of other shops and businesses to keep these workers fed and entertained.”
Tervik: “Are you Doog?”
Doog: “I am.”
Tervik: “I’m Tervik, your guide.”
Doog: “Tervik, huh? Well, Tervik, what can you tell me about this place that its name doesn’t already give away?”
Tervik: “Gas Port 7 is one of twenty gas ports on Nivaria. All of these port cities were built at the foot of the polar glaciers – ten to the north and ten to the south. Most were built over or near Nivi villages. Gas Port 7 is no exception; it was built over Velkora, the village where I was born.”
Doog: “Classic LIU. Drop a new city over an older one – and somehow give it a worse name. I don’t sense that you’re all that upset about the changes, though.”
Tervik: “Only the oldest of the ancestors regret these changes. They hold on to the old names, and the old ways. The rest of my people welcomed it. In forty short years, we’ve gone from lousy agricultural homesteaders to an integral part of the galactic economy. More jobs. More money. Better technology. Trading one meaningless name for another…was worth it.”
Doog: “I see.”
Doog: “I am.”
Tervik: “I’m Tervik, your guide.”
Doog: “Tervik, huh? Well, Tervik, what can you tell me about this place that its name doesn’t already give away?”
Tervik: “Gas Port 7 is one of twenty gas ports on Nivaria. All of these port cities were built at the foot of the polar glaciers – ten to the north and ten to the south. Most were built over or near Nivi villages. Gas Port 7 is no exception; it was built over Velkora, the village where I was born.”
Doog: “Classic LIU. Drop a new city over an older one – and somehow give it a worse name. I don’t sense that you’re all that upset about the changes, though.”
Tervik: “Only the oldest of the ancestors regret these changes. They hold on to the old names, and the old ways. The rest of my people welcomed it. In forty short years, we’ve gone from lousy agricultural homesteaders to an integral part of the galactic economy. More jobs. More money. Better technology. Trading one meaningless name for another…was worth it.”
Doog: “I see.”
Doog: “What gas do you guys collect?”
Tervik: “Cryoclathrate-N. A gas trapped under immense pressure deep inside the glacier ice.”
Doog: “Never heard of it. Unless it’s similar to the gas under the immense pressure of taco night.”
Tervik: “Not even close. But it’s no surprise you haven’t heard of Cryoclathrate-N. It’s only found on a few worlds where the pressure and temperature are just right. You need these conditions to make the ice matrices – or cages – that trap the gas.”
Doog: “What’s it used for?”
Tervik: “Coolants and fuel enhancers, mostly.”
Doog: “I guess that’s useful.”
Tervik: “Cryoclathrate-N. A gas trapped under immense pressure deep inside the glacier ice.”
Doog: “Never heard of it. Unless it’s similar to the gas under the immense pressure of taco night.”
Tervik: “Not even close. But it’s no surprise you haven’t heard of Cryoclathrate-N. It’s only found on a few worlds where the pressure and temperature are just right. You need these conditions to make the ice matrices – or cages – that trap the gas.”
Doog: “What’s it used for?”
Tervik: “Coolants and fuel enhancers, mostly.”
Doog: “I guess that’s useful.”
Doog: “What’s your role in all of this?”
Tervik: “I’m a rig worker. I extract the Cryoclathrate-N.”
Doog: “It’s extracted from rigs?”
Tervik: “Yep, on the glacier.”
Doog: “If you’re a rig worker, why are you in the city?”
Tervik: “We work thirty days, then get five days off. It’s called rig-leave. It gives you a chance to unwind for a bit. Spend some credits. See the family. All the important stuff.”
Doog: “I picked the wrong profession.”
Tervik: “You don’t get days off?”
Doog: “If you consider ‘time off’ being trapped with your seven co-workers in a stinky ship flying to your next destination...”
Tervik: “Yikes.”
Tervik: “I’m a rig worker. I extract the Cryoclathrate-N.”
Doog: “It’s extracted from rigs?”
Tervik: “Yep, on the glacier.”
Doog: “If you’re a rig worker, why are you in the city?”
Tervik: “We work thirty days, then get five days off. It’s called rig-leave. It gives you a chance to unwind for a bit. Spend some credits. See the family. All the important stuff.”
Doog: “I picked the wrong profession.”
Tervik: “You don’t get days off?”
Doog: “If you consider ‘time off’ being trapped with your seven co-workers in a stinky ship flying to your next destination...”
Tervik: “Yikes.”
Doog: “I’m starting to feel a chill in the air.”
Tervik: “It’s the winds coming down from the glacier. It means we’re getting closer.”
Doog: “Closer to the glacier?”
Tervik: “Yes.”
Doog: “Are we actually going onto the glacier?”
Tervik: “If you want to see the rigs and the gas extraction.”
Doog: “I guess we have to.”
Tervik: “Don’t worry. My people used to be afraid of the glacier too. Avoided it for centuries. The elders said the ice gods would swallow you whole by opening pits beneath your feet or explode the ground around you without warning.”
Doog: “What?!”
Tervik: “Pre-industrial thinking. There are no ice gods. Those events have explanations. With the right tech, they can be predicted and avoided.”
Doog: “I hope so.”
Tervik: “Funny thing is, we’re the opposite now. You can’t keep us Nivi off the ice. We’re out there constantly. Working, drilling… living.”
Doog: “From ‘don’t step on the ice’ to ‘please go home occasionally.’”
Tervik: “It’s the winds coming down from the glacier. It means we’re getting closer.”
Doog: “Closer to the glacier?”
Tervik: “Yes.”
Doog: “Are we actually going onto the glacier?”
Tervik: “If you want to see the rigs and the gas extraction.”
Doog: “I guess we have to.”
Tervik: “Don’t worry. My people used to be afraid of the glacier too. Avoided it for centuries. The elders said the ice gods would swallow you whole by opening pits beneath your feet or explode the ground around you without warning.”
Doog: “What?!”
Tervik: “Pre-industrial thinking. There are no ice gods. Those events have explanations. With the right tech, they can be predicted and avoided.”
Doog: “I hope so.”
Tervik: “Funny thing is, we’re the opposite now. You can’t keep us Nivi off the ice. We’re out there constantly. Working, drilling… living.”
Doog: “From ‘don’t step on the ice’ to ‘please go home occasionally.’”
Doog: “I guess this is the ‘port’ in Gas Port 7.”
Tervik: “Yep. This is it. Gas goes out, supplies come in. Well, gas and our other export.”
Doog: “Wait there’s another export?”
Tervik: “Yep. This is it. Gas goes out, supplies come in. Well, gas and our other export.”
Doog: “Wait there’s another export?”
Tervik: “Yeah, we also export water, a byproduct of Cryoclathrate extraction. It’s bottled up and sold as Niva H2O.”
Doog: “Water? You sell water?”
Tervik: “Niva H2O, it’s glacial fresh.”
Doog: “How much did you get paid for that little bit?”
Tervik: “Paid? I’m not getting paid. I just enjoy the cold, revitalizing refreshment of Niva H2O – it’s glacial….”
Doog: “Alright! Enough!”
Doog: “Water? You sell water?”
Tervik: “Niva H2O, it’s glacial fresh.”
Doog: “How much did you get paid for that little bit?”
Tervik: “Paid? I’m not getting paid. I just enjoy the cold, revitalizing refreshment of Niva H2O – it’s glacial….”
Doog: “Alright! Enough!”
Tervik: “Connections between the rigs – called MCEP’s – and Gas Port 7 are vital. Crews rotate in and out, supplies get refreshed, and gas gets offloaded. The port has a fleet of vehicles to make it happen.”
Doog: “Like what?”
Tervik: “Like that little machine behind you. It’s a Glacial Personnel Transport, or GPT.”
Doog: “GPT in GP7 to get to MCEP. I’ll try to keep all the acronyms straight.”
Tervik: “No cargo space, but it can carry up to three workers. Fast. Reliable. It’s what most crews use.”
Doog: “That’s our ride?”
Tervik: “It is.”
Doog: “Like what?”
Tervik: “Like that little machine behind you. It’s a Glacial Personnel Transport, or GPT.”
Doog: “GPT in GP7 to get to MCEP. I’ll try to keep all the acronyms straight.”
Tervik: “No cargo space, but it can carry up to three workers. Fast. Reliable. It’s what most crews use.”
Doog: “That’s our ride?”
Tervik: “It is.”
Doog: “I guess it’s time to get cold.”
Tervik: “Cold equals money for us Nivi. Helps that we have fur, though.”
Doog: “That feels like an oversight on my part.”
Tervik: “Cold equals money for us Nivi. Helps that we have fur, though.”
Doog: “That feels like an oversight on my part.”
Doog: “How far away are these MCEP’s? Feel free to answer in how many fingers I’m about to lose to frostbite.”
Tervik: “Depends.”
Doog: “Depends?! Do you not know where the rigs are?”
Tervik: “Not exactly. They’re mobile. MCEP – Mobile Cryoclathrate Extraction Platforms.”
Doog: “They move? Are they smaller than most rigs?”
Tervik: “They move slowly. But no, they’re still quite large.”
Doog: “I need to see this.”
Tervik: “Depends.”
Doog: “Depends?! Do you not know where the rigs are?”
Tervik: “Not exactly. They’re mobile. MCEP – Mobile Cryoclathrate Extraction Platforms.”
Doog: “They move? Are they smaller than most rigs?”
Tervik: “They move slowly. But no, they’re still quite large.”
Doog: “I need to see this.”
Tervik: “Ah, a GLT. That means we’re getting close.”
Doog: “Oh great, another acronym. What’s this one?”
Tervik: “Glacial Logistics Transport.”
Doog: “I hope there’s not going to be a test on all this later because I already forgot what GTP and MPEC stood for.”
Tervik: “GPT and MCEP. GPT is Glacial…”
Doog: “Don’t bother.”
Doog: “Oh great, another acronym. What’s this one?”
Tervik: “Glacial Logistics Transport.”
Doog: “I hope there’s not going to be a test on all this later because I already forgot what GTP and MPEC stood for.”
Tervik: “GPT and MCEP. GPT is Glacial…”
Doog: “Don’t bother.”
Doog: “How does a GLT tell you we’re close.”
Tervik: “They’re heading to a MCEP too, and they’ve got much better positional data. The LIU didn’t mess around when it comes to getting their gas. A GLT could find a rig or GP7 in a whiteout blizzard. The gas must flow!”
Doog: “So, the GLT is the gas shipper?”
Tervik: “Yep. Since the rigs are mobile, they couldn’t be hooked to traditional pipelines. The GLP is the solution. Its four tanks can hold 200 tons, and it still stays stable on the ice. It has a small cargo deck too.”
Tervik: “They’re heading to a MCEP too, and they’ve got much better positional data. The LIU didn’t mess around when it comes to getting their gas. A GLT could find a rig or GP7 in a whiteout blizzard. The gas must flow!”
Doog: “So, the GLT is the gas shipper?”
Tervik: “Yep. Since the rigs are mobile, they couldn’t be hooked to traditional pipelines. The GLP is the solution. Its four tanks can hold 200 tons, and it still stays stable on the ice. It has a small cargo deck too.”
Tervik: “There she is, an MCEP!”
Doog: “That is fairly large for something that moves.”
Tervik: “All the drilling power, storage capacity, and processing ability of a stationary rig. It just has four massive mechanical legs carrying it around.”
Doog: “You mentioned something about it being slow earlier. How slow?”
Tervik: “She’ll do 6 miles per hour (9.7 kph) in an emergency, but we usually keep it slower. Lessens the chances of accidentally decompressing the Cryoclathrate-N.”
Doog: “So if it trips, we all explode?”
Tervik: “That would be an oversimplification… but yes.”
Doog: “Slow seems good in that regard, but doesn’t it take forever to get anywhere?”
Tervik: “Not really. The gas forms in pockets throughout the glacier, and they’re usually not too far apart. Once an MCEP drills to depth, it can harvest a single pocket for a week… sometimes a month.”
Doog: “Just sitting there?”
Tervik: “Just sitting there. And pulling up tons of gas the whole time. When it finally moves again, it’s usually only a day or two to the next pocket.”
Doog: “A day’s commute for a month’s work… not bad. My crew’s got it backwards – month of travel for a day of work.”
Doog: “That is fairly large for something that moves.”
Tervik: “All the drilling power, storage capacity, and processing ability of a stationary rig. It just has four massive mechanical legs carrying it around.”
Doog: “You mentioned something about it being slow earlier. How slow?”
Tervik: “She’ll do 6 miles per hour (9.7 kph) in an emergency, but we usually keep it slower. Lessens the chances of accidentally decompressing the Cryoclathrate-N.”
Doog: “So if it trips, we all explode?”
Tervik: “That would be an oversimplification… but yes.”
Doog: “Slow seems good in that regard, but doesn’t it take forever to get anywhere?”
Tervik: “Not really. The gas forms in pockets throughout the glacier, and they’re usually not too far apart. Once an MCEP drills to depth, it can harvest a single pocket for a week… sometimes a month.”
Doog: “Just sitting there?”
Tervik: “Just sitting there. And pulling up tons of gas the whole time. When it finally moves again, it’s usually only a day or two to the next pocket.”
Doog: “A day’s commute for a month’s work… not bad. My crew’s got it backwards – month of travel for a day of work.”
Doog: “It’s even bigger up close. That’s what she said.”
Tervik: “How close was she?”
Doog: “Ahem…changing the subject – what’s that little entrance up there?”
Tervik: “You’re looking at the front access bay. Crew, supplies, equipment – everything goes in through there. The winch hauls it all up, and from there, you can reach all the other levels.”
Doog: “Levels?”
Tervik: “Yes. There are multiple levels and rooms for multiple functions. You’ve got drilling controls, processing units, storage tanks, and living quarters . Oh, and don’t forget the piloting bay – someone has to drive this thing.”
Doog: “Do you ever get to drive?”
Tervik: “I used to…before the sneeze incident. Apparently, the LIU doesn’t like their MCEP’s dancing a jig, even if it was an accident.”
Doog: “Did it at least improve morale?”
Tervik: “Two of my coworkers fell off.”
Doog: “So…mixed reviews?”
Tervik: “How close was she?”
Doog: “Ahem…changing the subject – what’s that little entrance up there?”
Tervik: “You’re looking at the front access bay. Crew, supplies, equipment – everything goes in through there. The winch hauls it all up, and from there, you can reach all the other levels.”
Doog: “Levels?”
Tervik: “Yes. There are multiple levels and rooms for multiple functions. You’ve got drilling controls, processing units, storage tanks, and living quarters . Oh, and don’t forget the piloting bay – someone has to drive this thing.”
Doog: “Do you ever get to drive?”
Tervik: “I used to…before the sneeze incident. Apparently, the LIU doesn’t like their MCEP’s dancing a jig, even if it was an accident.”
Doog: “Did it at least improve morale?”
Tervik: “Two of my coworkers fell off.”
Doog: “So…mixed reviews?”
Doog: “How deep does the drill go?”
Tervik: “As deep as we need it. Depends on the depth of the pocket. Could be a few dozen meters… could be hundreds. We can handle anything within a kilometer of the surface, which is basically everything.”
Doog: “And once you hit it?”
Tervik: “We keep it stable. Pressure and temperature have to be just right. Too much of a change…”
Doog: “…and boom?”
Tervik: “Yeah, rapid gas expansion fractures the ice, and it's a bad day for everyone on board.”
Doog: “So…no sneezing…”
Tervik: “Exactly. Gentle drilling and controlled extraction are a must.”
Doog: “Careful, patient work, all while freezing out here.”
Tervik: “That’s the job.”
Doog: “Well, Tervik, I think I’ve learned just enough to never try this myself.”
Tervik: “That’s probably wise. Well, let me get into my uniform and get to work.”
Doog: “See ya, Tervik.”
Tervik: “As deep as we need it. Depends on the depth of the pocket. Could be a few dozen meters… could be hundreds. We can handle anything within a kilometer of the surface, which is basically everything.”
Doog: “And once you hit it?”
Tervik: “We keep it stable. Pressure and temperature have to be just right. Too much of a change…”
Doog: “…and boom?”
Tervik: “Yeah, rapid gas expansion fractures the ice, and it's a bad day for everyone on board.”
Doog: “So…no sneezing…”
Tervik: “Exactly. Gentle drilling and controlled extraction are a must.”
Doog: “Careful, patient work, all while freezing out here.”
Tervik: “That’s the job.”
Doog: “Well, Tervik, I think I’ve learned just enough to never try this myself.”
Tervik: “That’s probably wise. Well, let me get into my uniform and get to work.”
Doog: “See ya, Tervik.”
Doog: “Well folks, that’s Nivaria. This mostly frozen planet is home to the Nivi. They’ve moved on from their old ways, fully embracing the industrial LIU life…and they seem happy about it. The ice is no longer something to fear, it’s something to exploit – thanks to its rare concentrations of Cryoclathrate-N. Out are the old names, and in are the acronyms: GP7, MCEP, GPT, and GLT. Honestly, I’m still trying to keep up. IYKYK. Oh well, TTYL.”
Note: Cryoclathrate-N remains stable only under very specific pressure and temperature conditions. If either condition changes too quickly, the gas can rapidly expand, fracturing the surrounding ice and releasing large amounts of energy.
The largest recorded decompression event on Nivaria displaced over 1.2 million tons of ice. The MCEP involved was never recovered, though several pieces were eventually found… miles apart.
According to the LIU, it was an extremely rare event. Their data shows that MCEP operations are “99.7% safe.” The remaining 0.3% has been classified as “educational.”
Note: Cryoclathrate-N remains stable only under very specific pressure and temperature conditions. If either condition changes too quickly, the gas can rapidly expand, fracturing the surrounding ice and releasing large amounts of energy.
The largest recorded decompression event on Nivaria displaced over 1.2 million tons of ice. The MCEP involved was never recovered, though several pieces were eventually found… miles apart.
According to the LIU, it was an extremely rare event. Their data shows that MCEP operations are “99.7% safe.” The remaining 0.3% has been classified as “educational.”
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