There are billions of stars, millions of planets, but there is only one man, Terrance McDoogal. Welcome to LIU Atlas.
LIU Atlas - Mellarius
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 Galaxy, 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 gas dwarf, Mellarius. Mellarius is composed of mostly nitrogen and oxygen, making most of its atmosphere breathable. Only atmospheric pressure limits Mellarius’ habitability. We’re headed down to the planet’s thin, habitable band that’s about twenty-four kilometers down.”
Doog: “Alright folks, I’ve been dropped off on some type of airship. The only thing preventing us from sinking into the crushing depths are these balloons. That’s comforting. I’ll tell you what isn’t comforting, the humidity. Mellarius has a lot of water vapor in its atmosphere. I guess that’s why there are so many huge clouds.”
Doog: “Even though I’ve been to several gas planets over the years, I still get this uneasy sense of dread knowing I can fall to my death at any moment. That’s why I’m trying to move as little as possible. I’m just going to stand here, away from the edge, and wait for my guide. Can I get some service over here!”
Sammy: “Whoa, no need to shout.”
Doog: “Sorry, I needed to get someone’s attention without moving. Are you my guide?”
Sammy: “No, I’m Sammy, the ship’s mechanic. I think you’re looking for Holly. She’s not here yet.”
Doog: “Oh, great. Well, when you see her, tell her I’m standing right here.”
Sammy: “I know gas planets can be scary, but you’re perfectly safe on the Hive Queen. You’re safe to move around.”
Doog: “The Hive Queen? Is that the name of this ship?”
Sammy: “Yep. Hive Queen IV, if you’re getting technical.”
Doog: “That’s an odd name for a ship.”
Doog: “Sorry, I needed to get someone’s attention without moving. Are you my guide?”
Sammy: “No, I’m Sammy, the ship’s mechanic. I think you’re looking for Holly. She’s not here yet.”
Doog: “Oh, great. Well, when you see her, tell her I’m standing right here.”
Sammy: “I know gas planets can be scary, but you’re perfectly safe on the Hive Queen. You’re safe to move around.”
Doog: “The Hive Queen? Is that the name of this ship?”
Sammy: “Yep. Hive Queen IV, if you’re getting technical.”
Doog: “That’s an odd name for a ship.”
Sammy: “It’s quite fitting. The Hive Queen is the central hub for our fleet of drones. They come here to be repaired and get charged.”
Doog: “Drones?”
Sammy: “Yeah. Mellarius has plenty of resources, but they are spread across huge distances. A large drone fleet is the only way to cover enough ground…or…sky. Our ship alone maintains thousands of drones.”
Doog: “Drones?”
Sammy: “Yeah. Mellarius has plenty of resources, but they are spread across huge distances. A large drone fleet is the only way to cover enough ground…or…sky. Our ship alone maintains thousands of drones.”
Doog: “They sort of look like bees.”
Sammy: “I’d say mosquitoes given their proboscises.”
Doog: “Their what?”
Sammy: “Their needle noses.”
Doog: “Ah, I guess you’re right. Wait, they don’t use their needle noses like mosquitoes, do they? Are they down there stealing blood from sky whales or something?”
Sammy: “Nope. They gather pollen, mostly.”
Doog: “Pollen? That infers there’s some type of plant-life here.”
Sammy: “Yep, but I’m a mechanic, not a biologist. Holly’s going to have to help you with the wildlife. Look, I see her coming now.”
Sammy: “I’d say mosquitoes given their proboscises.”
Doog: “Their what?”
Sammy: “Their needle noses.”
Doog: “Ah, I guess you’re right. Wait, they don’t use their needle noses like mosquitoes, do they? Are they down there stealing blood from sky whales or something?”
Sammy: “Nope. They gather pollen, mostly.”
Doog: “Pollen? That infers there’s some type of plant-life here.”
Sammy: “Yep, but I’m a mechanic, not a biologist. Holly’s going to have to help you with the wildlife. Look, I see her coming now.”
Holly: “Hey Sammy! Sorry I’m late! I saw a flock of Hexhawks a few miles from here. I couldn’t resist. I had to soar with them for a bit.”
Sammy: “No problem. I showed Doog the drones and the airship. I left the wildlife to you.”
Holly: “Great! Nice to meet you, Doog. Shall we get started?”
Doog: “Yeah. Come on aboard the Hive Queen and commence the tour.”
Sammy: “I think you are going with her.”
Holly: “Yeah, you won’t see much wildlife from a slow airship. We need maneuverability. Come on and hop aboard. It’s perfectly safe.”
Doog: “Maybe you can get a bit closer? Like, super, super close. Maybe just land your balloon on the airship.”
Sammy: “No problem. I showed Doog the drones and the airship. I left the wildlife to you.”
Holly: “Great! Nice to meet you, Doog. Shall we get started?”
Doog: “Yeah. Come on aboard the Hive Queen and commence the tour.”
Sammy: “I think you are going with her.”
Holly: “Yeah, you won’t see much wildlife from a slow airship. We need maneuverability. Come on and hop aboard. It’s perfectly safe.”
Doog: “Maybe you can get a bit closer? Like, super, super close. Maybe just land your balloon on the airship.”
Holly: “See, it isn’t so bad.”
Doog: “The key is not looking down…or up…or forward. I’m just staring directly at my microphone.”
Doog: “The key is not looking down…or up…or forward. I’m just staring directly at my microphone.”
Doog: “I’m not sure if it’s the humidity or the fact that I’m sitting on a park bench hundreds of miles up in the sky, but I’m getting sweaty.”
Holly: “Well, either way, let’s get a breeze going. Hold on tight, we’re going to up the velocity.”
Doog: “No, that’s not what I meant! Ahh!”
Holly: “Well, either way, let’s get a breeze going. Hold on tight, we’re going to up the velocity.”
Doog: “No, that’s not what I meant! Ahh!”
Holly: “Yes! They are still here!”
Doog: “Now that we’ve caught up with the massive birds, can we slow down?!”
Holly: “We need the speed to keep up with these guys. These are Hexhawks, the apex predator on Mellarius. They have six wings – two for gliding, two for flapping, and two smaller wings for steering.”
Doog: “Are they dangerous? They look big enough to eat us.”
Holly: “They are large enough, but they don’t seem to have much interest in human meat. I’ve theorized that human meat is too heavy. They need to eat lighter foods. When you spend your whole life in the sky, even the weight of what you eat matters.”
Doog: “Yes! I’m too fat! Never thought I’d be happy saying that.”
Holly: “That’s just my theory. Others have speculated that the humans might be so dissimilar in biochemistry, that the Hexhawks don’t even see us as food. They might not even detect that we are alive.”
Doog: “If they don’t eat us, what do they eat?”
Doog: “Now that we’ve caught up with the massive birds, can we slow down?!”
Holly: “We need the speed to keep up with these guys. These are Hexhawks, the apex predator on Mellarius. They have six wings – two for gliding, two for flapping, and two smaller wings for steering.”
Doog: “Are they dangerous? They look big enough to eat us.”
Holly: “They are large enough, but they don’t seem to have much interest in human meat. I’ve theorized that human meat is too heavy. They need to eat lighter foods. When you spend your whole life in the sky, even the weight of what you eat matters.”
Doog: “Yes! I’m too fat! Never thought I’d be happy saying that.”
Holly: “That’s just my theory. Others have speculated that the humans might be so dissimilar in biochemistry, that the Hexhawks don’t even see us as food. They might not even detect that we are alive.”
Doog: “If they don’t eat us, what do they eat?”
Holly: “They eat Flitterbirds. They are the little guys zooming around those pod plants. They move a lot like hummingbirds. They’re very agile.”
Doog: “Wow, those are quick. I can hardly see them.”
Holly: “Their blue coloration makes them even harder to see, especially against cloudless portions of the sky.”
Doog: “Wow, those are quick. I can hardly see them.”
Holly: “Their blue coloration makes them even harder to see, especially against cloudless portions of the sky.”
Holly: “Flitterbirds eat the nectar of the Mellarius Pod Plant. Their feeding activity helps pollinate the plant.”
Doog: “I get the other animals I’ve seen, but how do these plants work? How are they floating?”
Holly: “Simple, they’re mostly filled with hydrogen. Hydrogen makes them buoyant.”
Doog: “I thought this gas dwarf was mostly nitrogen and oxygen? Where does the plant get hydrogen?”
Holly: “Water vapor. Water contains hydrogen. The plant uses the sun to chemically separate water into hydrogen and oxygen. They use the hydrogen to float and release the oxygen.”
Doog: “That’s why there is so much oxygen on this gas dwarf.”
Holly: “Yep. These pods are the foundation of this planet’s ecosystem. They make the oxygen and are the start to the food chain.”
Doog: “I get the other animals I’ve seen, but how do these plants work? How are they floating?”
Holly: “Simple, they’re mostly filled with hydrogen. Hydrogen makes them buoyant.”
Doog: “I thought this gas dwarf was mostly nitrogen and oxygen? Where does the plant get hydrogen?”
Holly: “Water vapor. Water contains hydrogen. The plant uses the sun to chemically separate water into hydrogen and oxygen. They use the hydrogen to float and release the oxygen.”
Doog: “That’s why there is so much oxygen on this gas dwarf.”
Holly: “Yep. These pods are the foundation of this planet’s ecosystem. They make the oxygen and are the start to the food chain.”
Doog: “Pods make nectar from sunlight. Little birds eat the nectar. Hawks eat the little birds.”
Holly: “More or less. There are several microbial species in the food chain too. Some eat the nectar from the pods. Some make their own food. Others live on the birds.”
Holly: “More or less. There are several microbial species in the food chain too. Some eat the nectar from the pods. Some make their own food. Others live on the birds.”
Holly: “The pods are also the foundation of our economy.”
Doog: “Is that what the drones are collecting, nectar?”
Holly: “Yes. The nectar of these pod plants contains several monosaccharides, or simple sugars. These sugars make the nectar very tasty.”
Doog: “Is that what the drones are collecting, nectar?”
Holly: “Yes. The nectar of these pod plants contains several monosaccharides, or simple sugars. These sugars make the nectar very tasty.”
Doog: “So, the drones are like bees–they fly around and gather nectar.”
Holly: “Yep. Thirty-two hours a day, these drones are buzzing around gathering nectar.”
Doog: “And they take this nectar back to the Hive Queen airship?”
Holly: “Nope. There’s one more step before this stuff is edible.”
Holly: “Yep. Thirty-two hours a day, these drones are buzzing around gathering nectar.”
Doog: “And they take this nectar back to the Hive Queen airship?”
Holly: “Nope. There’s one more step before this stuff is edible.”
Doog: “What is that?”
Holly: “We call them Storage Spheres. Drones deposit their haul into a sphere when their storage gets full.”
Doog: “Why not take it to the ship?”
Holly: “The nectar needs to be processed before we ship it off.”
Doog: “And how does this honeycombed ball process it?”
Holly: “Remember those microbes I was talking about earlier?”
Doog: “Yeah.”
Holly: “The sphere is full of them. Don’t worry, it’s by design. The microbes break down some of the nectars' more complex sugars, leaving the sweet monosaccharides. The process takes a few weeks, so we have several Storage Spheres spread across our portion of the planet.”
Holly: “We call them Storage Spheres. Drones deposit their haul into a sphere when their storage gets full.”
Doog: “Why not take it to the ship?”
Holly: “The nectar needs to be processed before we ship it off.”
Doog: “And how does this honeycombed ball process it?”
Holly: “Remember those microbes I was talking about earlier?”
Doog: “Yeah.”
Holly: “The sphere is full of them. Don’t worry, it’s by design. The microbes break down some of the nectars' more complex sugars, leaving the sweet monosaccharides. The process takes a few weeks, so we have several Storage Spheres spread across our portion of the planet.”
Holly: “Every few weeks, we unload the processed nectar from the sphere and bring it back to our ship. From there, it’s bottled up and sold across the galaxy. Do you want to jump on down and get a closer look at the sphere?”
Doog: “Do I want to jump down onto a floating platform with no railings and look at a ball swarming with mechanical mosquito bees? No thanks.”
Doog: “Do I want to jump down onto a floating platform with no railings and look at a ball swarming with mechanical mosquito bees? No thanks.”
Holly: “We call this processed pod nectar, Mellifex. It’s used as a natural sweetener. You’ll find it in a lot of dishes in this part of the galaxy.”
Doog: “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Mellifex.”
Holly: “Unless you do a lot of cooking, I’m not surprised. However, I’m positive that you’ve used one product that contains Mellifex.”
Doog: “What’s that?”
Doog: “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Mellifex.”
Holly: “Unless you do a lot of cooking, I’m not surprised. However, I’m positive that you’ve used one product that contains Mellifex.”
Doog: “What’s that?”
Holly: “Buzz Cola.”
Doog: “Buzz Cola! The galaxy’s most misleading soft drink. I’ve drank a few in my time and never once got a buzz.”
Holly: “It’s called it ‘Buzz’ because the drones buzz around to make it.”
Doog: “That does make more sense. The commercials with the kids drinking it should have been a sign.”
Holly: “Yeah, probably.”
Doog: “Unintoxicating as it might be, Buzz Cola is pretty good.”
Holly: “And now, you know how it’s made.”
Doog: “Very cool. Thanks Holly. Glad we didn’t die together today.”
Doog: “Buzz Cola! The galaxy’s most misleading soft drink. I’ve drank a few in my time and never once got a buzz.”
Holly: “It’s called it ‘Buzz’ because the drones buzz around to make it.”
Doog: “That does make more sense. The commercials with the kids drinking it should have been a sign.”
Holly: “Yeah, probably.”
Doog: “Unintoxicating as it might be, Buzz Cola is pretty good.”
Holly: “And now, you know how it’s made.”
Doog: “Very cool. Thanks Holly. Glad we didn’t die together today.”
Doog: “Well folks, that’s Mellarius. The planet can be summed up pretty easily. It’s home to these amazing pod plants. They filled the planet with oxygen, and now, larger creatures can breathe. They make nectar, which starts the planet’s food chain. They even provide sweet sugary drinks to the rest of the galaxy. Despite the dizzying heights, vertigo, and humidity, Mellarius was bearable. Oh well, see ya!”
Note: Increased food competition from harvesting drones, has caused a decline in Flitterbird numbers, which has caused a reduction in Hexhawk populations. However, the pod population has increased due to more pollinators. From the standpoint of the LIU, these results are promising.
Note: Increased food competition from harvesting drones, has caused a decline in Flitterbird numbers, which has caused a reduction in Hexhawk populations. However, the pod population has increased due to more pollinators. From the standpoint of the LIU, these results are promising.
