There are billions of stars, millions of planets, but there is only one man, Terrance McDoogal. Welcome to LIU Atlas.
LIU Atlas - Recresco
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 are visiting the planet, Recresco. Recresco is an ocean world dominated by a shallow, planetwide sea. The planet’s only landmasses are rocky, elevated shoals. Most barely rise above sea level. One of these island shoals is our destination. Let’s head on down.”
Doog: “Alright folks, I’ve been dropped off near the coast of one of Recresco’s islands. They weren’t lying; it is just above sea level. I imagine a large wave could take this whole place out. While I wait for my guide, I need to come up with a few contingency plans. The big rocky pillars seem like the obvious choice, but there’s no way I’m athletic enough to climb something that steep. I’m thinking the little stilted huts are my best bet. Hopefully the locals are open to random strangers bursting into their homes during a wave emergency.”
Harley: “Doog, I presume?”
Doog: “Yes.”
Harley: “I’m Harlequin, but most off-worlders call me Harley.”
Doog: “I think I might call you underdressed.”
Harley: “Huh?”
Doog: “Your race doesn’t leave much to the…uh…imagination.”
Harley: “I don’t get it.”
Doog: “You’re not wearing clothes.”
Harley: “Did I leave my ventral sternite open again?! Is my petasma showing?! No, no. All my shell is in order. You scared me.”
Doog: “So, a shell is like clothing to your race?”
Harley: “Yes. We Boros don’t need fabric to protect us from exposure. Our shell does the trick.”
Doog: “I see. And Boros is the name of your race?”
Harley: “Yes, it’s short for Uroboros, our planet’s original name.”
Doog: “Yes.”
Harley: “I’m Harlequin, but most off-worlders call me Harley.”
Doog: “I think I might call you underdressed.”
Harley: “Huh?”
Doog: “Your race doesn’t leave much to the…uh…imagination.”
Harley: “I don’t get it.”
Doog: “You’re not wearing clothes.”
Harley: “Did I leave my ventral sternite open again?! Is my petasma showing?! No, no. All my shell is in order. You scared me.”
Doog: “So, a shell is like clothing to your race?”
Harley: “Yes. We Boros don’t need fabric to protect us from exposure. Our shell does the trick.”
Doog: “I see. And Boros is the name of your race?”
Harley: “Yes, it’s short for Uroboros, our planet’s original name.”
Doog: “Now that we got that out of the way, Harley, I need your opinion on a few contingency plans I’m floating around.”
Harley: “Plans?”
Doog: “Yeah, like what I’m going to do in a wave emergency.”
Harley: “We rarely get waves large enough to qualify as an emergency. The shoal protects our section of the shoreline from anything too fierce.”
Doog: “Why the stilts, then?”
Harley: “The tides. Sea levels rise and fall throughout the day. Occasionally, the sea rises high enough to inundate our little village.”
Doog: “That sounds bad.”
Harley: “Not at all. We actually welcome it. The high tides replenish our tide pools.”
Doog: “That’s what this little puddle is?”
Harley: “Yep. It fills during high tide and remains when the water recedes. We get most of our food from these pools, so the regular replenishment of nutrients is vital to both the creatures living in there and us.”
Harley: “Plans?”
Doog: “Yeah, like what I’m going to do in a wave emergency.”
Harley: “We rarely get waves large enough to qualify as an emergency. The shoal protects our section of the shoreline from anything too fierce.”
Doog: “Why the stilts, then?”
Harley: “The tides. Sea levels rise and fall throughout the day. Occasionally, the sea rises high enough to inundate our little village.”
Doog: “That sounds bad.”
Harley: “Not at all. We actually welcome it. The high tides replenish our tide pools.”
Doog: “That’s what this little puddle is?”
Harley: “Yep. It fills during high tide and remains when the water recedes. We get most of our food from these pools, so the regular replenishment of nutrients is vital to both the creatures living in there and us.”
Doog: “There’s food in there?”
Harley: “Lots. Want a salad? Pick some Salicurls growing around the edge. A quick snack? Snag yourself a few crabs or clams. Need something a bit heartier? Meatier? Lop off some Nem.”
Doog: “Is it a pool or a pantry?”
Harley: “Ha. Both.”
Doog: “I’m not a salad type of guy, but I like the sound of something meaty and hearty. What exactly is a Nem, though?”
Harley: “See that eyeball sticking out? That’s a Nem. They’re soft-bodied filter-feeders that live in and around tidal pools. They eat the microscopic organisms and organic particles suspended in the water, and then we eat them. Well, parts of them.”
Harley: “Lots. Want a salad? Pick some Salicurls growing around the edge. A quick snack? Snag yourself a few crabs or clams. Need something a bit heartier? Meatier? Lop off some Nem.”
Doog: “Is it a pool or a pantry?”
Harley: “Ha. Both.”
Doog: “I’m not a salad type of guy, but I like the sound of something meaty and hearty. What exactly is a Nem, though?”
Harley: “See that eyeball sticking out? That’s a Nem. They’re soft-bodied filter-feeders that live in and around tidal pools. They eat the microscopic organisms and organic particles suspended in the water, and then we eat them. Well, parts of them.”
Doog: “Parts?”
Harley: “Nem are resilient animals. We can harvest portions of their bodies without killing them.”
Doog: “They survive getting parts of their bodies cut off?!”
Harley: “Easily. But it gets even better. Nem are also highly regenerative. The parts we take eventually regrow. As long as we never take too much, too often, Nem are a sustainable source of food.”
Doog: “Explain it in terms of pizza. I might understand better.”
Harley: “I’m not too familiar with pizza, but I’ll try. You eat half your pizza. You leave it alone for a week. When you return, the whole pizza is there again.”
Doog: “Infinite food glitch.”
Harley: “More or less.”
Doog: “Is that what’s cooking over there?”
Harley: “Sure is.”
Doog: “Smells good enough. I’d try it. How does one acquire a Nem? I’d never go hungry again.”
Harley: “It’s not that simple. You’d need more than one. If you allow it to regenerate naturally, you can only harvest it a few times a month.”
Doog: “How many do you have?”
Harley: “My little village has dozens. There’s at least one in every tide pool.”
Harley: “Nem are resilient animals. We can harvest portions of their bodies without killing them.”
Doog: “They survive getting parts of their bodies cut off?!”
Harley: “Easily. But it gets even better. Nem are also highly regenerative. The parts we take eventually regrow. As long as we never take too much, too often, Nem are a sustainable source of food.”
Doog: “Explain it in terms of pizza. I might understand better.”
Harley: “I’m not too familiar with pizza, but I’ll try. You eat half your pizza. You leave it alone for a week. When you return, the whole pizza is there again.”
Doog: “Infinite food glitch.”
Harley: “More or less.”
Doog: “Is that what’s cooking over there?”
Harley: “Sure is.”
Doog: “Smells good enough. I’d try it. How does one acquire a Nem? I’d never go hungry again.”
Harley: “It’s not that simple. You’d need more than one. If you allow it to regenerate naturally, you can only harvest it a few times a month.”
Doog: “How many do you have?”
Harley: “My little village has dozens. There’s at least one in every tide pool.”
Harley: “It’s not any different than having a fruit tree that bears fruit throughout the year, or an animal whose milk can be collected repeatedly.”
Doog: “Yeah, but it’s meat. Nobody wants unlimited milk and fruit. They want meat. I’m surprised your village hasn’t been taken over by the LIU. You’re sitting on a hot commodity.”
Harley: “Oh, the LIU is very involved in the Nem trade, just not here.”
Doog: “Yeah, but it’s meat. Nobody wants unlimited milk and fruit. They want meat. I’m surprised your village hasn’t been taken over by the LIU. You’re sitting on a hot commodity.”
Harley: “Oh, the LIU is very involved in the Nem trade, just not here.”
Doog: “Where then?”
Harley: “Farther inland, away from the tidal floods.”
Doog: “I thought the tides were an important part of the process. They bring the nutrients or something.”
Harley: “They’ve developed alternative methods. Follow me.”
Harley: “Farther inland, away from the tidal floods.”
Doog: “I thought the tides were an important part of the process. They bring the nutrients or something.”
Harley: “They’ve developed alternative methods. Follow me.”
Harley: “As we continue along the coast, you’ll notice that the island is becoming much rockier and the tide pools more infrequent. We generally consider this the end of our traditional harvesting grounds.”
Doog: “And apparently, it’s the start of the LIU’s domain.”
Harley: “Yes. Beyond this point, LIU infrastructure will become a lot more common. Mostly pump stations.”
Doog: “Pump stations?”
Harley: “I mentioned before that the LIU is also harvesting Nem, but deeper inland. In order to do this, they need to pump nutrient-rich water from the coast to their facility.”
Doog: “And apparently, it’s the start of the LIU’s domain.”
Harley: “Yes. Beyond this point, LIU infrastructure will become a lot more common. Mostly pump stations.”
Doog: “Pump stations?”
Harley: “I mentioned before that the LIU is also harvesting Nem, but deeper inland. In order to do this, they need to pump nutrient-rich water from the coast to their facility.”
Doog: “Hey! We’re trying to do a show here! What’s with all the commotion?!”
Harley: “It appears my cousin is trying to relocate a Nem. We don’t like them being so close to the pump intake. They’re much safer closer to our village.”
Doog: “That’s a Nem? It’s way bigger than I was imagining. I mean, I only saw its eye before.”
Harley: “It’s a healthy one, for sure.”
Harley: “It appears my cousin is trying to relocate a Nem. We don’t like them being so close to the pump intake. They’re much safer closer to our village.”
Doog: “That’s a Nem? It’s way bigger than I was imagining. I mean, I only saw its eye before.”
Harley: “It’s a healthy one, for sure.”
Doog: “So, it’s dangerous near the pipe?”
Harley: “Does the ‘No Swimming’ sign not give it away?”
Doog: “Is that what it means? I thought it meant party hats required for swimming.”
Harley: “The pipe draws in two hundred liters per second, so your party would be very short.”
Doog: “Two hundred?!”
Harley: “Over seventeen million liters per day. Although, there is a caveat – not all the water pumped goes to the LIU facility. These pump stations perform another task. They reduce the seawater through vacuum evaporation, concentrating its nutrient load. Only nutrient-concentrated water gets pumped onward to the facility. The other half is condensed and returned to the sea.”
Doog: “That’s still a lot.”
Harley: “A lot for one station. There are many.”
Harley: “Does the ‘No Swimming’ sign not give it away?”
Doog: “Is that what it means? I thought it meant party hats required for swimming.”
Harley: “The pipe draws in two hundred liters per second, so your party would be very short.”
Doog: “Two hundred?!”
Harley: “Over seventeen million liters per day. Although, there is a caveat – not all the water pumped goes to the LIU facility. These pump stations perform another task. They reduce the seawater through vacuum evaporation, concentrating its nutrient load. Only nutrient-concentrated water gets pumped onward to the facility. The other half is condensed and returned to the sea.”
Doog: “That’s still a lot.”
Harley: “A lot for one station. There are many.”
Harley: “They all lead here. This is the LIU’s main Nem processing center.”
Doog: “Very thoughtful of the LIU to just name it ‘Nem’.”
Harley: “Actually, it’s a backronym. The LIU repurposed Nem into N.E.M. – Nearly Endless Meat.”
Doog: “Very thoughtful of the LIU to just name it ‘Nem’.”
Harley: “Actually, it’s a backronym. The LIU repurposed Nem into N.E.M. – Nearly Endless Meat.”
Doog: “So, how do we get into this joint? It’s a massive building, but I only see occasional loading bays – not an actual entrance.”
Harley: “There's not really a need for a public entrance. The only thing we bring in regularly is nutrient-rich seawater. Things mostly leave this facility.”
Doog: “By things, you mean meat.”
Harley: “Yes.”
Doog: “We enter through the loading bay then?”
Harley: “Indeed.”
Harley: “There's not really a need for a public entrance. The only thing we bring in regularly is nutrient-rich seawater. Things mostly leave this facility.”
Doog: “By things, you mean meat.”
Harley: “Yes.”
Doog: “We enter through the loading bay then?”
Harley: “Indeed.”
Harley: “The LIU has taken Nem farming to an entirely new level. They've developed specialized tanks that maintain ideal water conditions, and nutrient-rich diets that dramatically accelerate regeneration. Limbs that once took weeks to regrow can now regenerate in just days. They've even developed precise harvesting schedules to maximize meat production without killing the Nem.”
Doog: “Crazy. And look how many there are. There has to be thousands of them.”
Harley: “Tens of thousands.”
Doog: “That’s a lot of replenishable meat.”
Harley: “Even more if you consider the number of facilities on Uroboros in total.”
Doog: “Crazy. And look how many there are. There has to be thousands of them.”
Harley: “Tens of thousands.”
Doog: “That’s a lot of replenishable meat.”
Harley: “Even more if you consider the number of facilities on Uroboros in total.”
Doog: “What about the Nem? How do they like the arrangement?”
Harley: “Hard to say. The Nem do not possess measurable intelligence or communication skills. We don’t really know how they feel. I’d like to think they’re just as happy here as they are in the pools. Sure, they may be harvested more in the facility, but they live in an essentially perfect environment. Surely, they have to like that.”
Doog: “What are your thoughts?”
Harley: “My thoughts?”
Doog: “Yeah. I think you Boros have an affinity for the Nem. I mean, we just saw your cousin rescuing one a few minutes ago. They mean more to you than you let on. They’re like pets to you…pets that you occasionally eat parts off of. Ok, maybe pets is a stretch.”
Harley: “Perhaps we have a bit more of an appreciation of the Nem than the LIU does.”
Harley: “Hard to say. The Nem do not possess measurable intelligence or communication skills. We don’t really know how they feel. I’d like to think they’re just as happy here as they are in the pools. Sure, they may be harvested more in the facility, but they live in an essentially perfect environment. Surely, they have to like that.”
Doog: “What are your thoughts?”
Harley: “My thoughts?”
Doog: “Yeah. I think you Boros have an affinity for the Nem. I mean, we just saw your cousin rescuing one a few minutes ago. They mean more to you than you let on. They’re like pets to you…pets that you occasionally eat parts off of. Ok, maybe pets is a stretch.”
Harley: “Perhaps we have a bit more of an appreciation of the Nem than the LIU does.”
Boros: “Alright, let’s see. Meat-bag #XFKNN9EH is next. It’s scheduled for a bilateral posterolateral appendage excision and one anterior feeding appendage. Get down there and get to chopping.”
Cyclops: “Will you stop trying to sound so clinical? I’m chopping off the back tentacles and mouth tentacle. Keep it simple.”
Boros: “Somebody’s grouchy today.”
Cyclops: “It’s these stupid goggles! Can we make ONE thing in this galaxy for people with less than two eyes?!”
Doog: “Yeah, you guys definitely have a deeper appreciation.”
Harley: “Well, some of us do.”
Cyclops: “Will you stop trying to sound so clinical? I’m chopping off the back tentacles and mouth tentacle. Keep it simple.”
Boros: “Somebody’s grouchy today.”
Cyclops: “It’s these stupid goggles! Can we make ONE thing in this galaxy for people with less than two eyes?!”
Doog: “Yeah, you guys definitely have a deeper appreciation.”
Harley: “Well, some of us do.”
Harley: “The Nem have two different cuts of meat. The appendages and the foot.”
Doog: “I didn’t see any feet on the Nem.”
Harley: “Not feet like yours. A Nem has one large, muscular foot underneath its body. It uses it to crawl along the seafloor and anchor itself in place. It's also the meatiest part of the animal.”
Doog: “It might not be the most scientific, but can we just call them tentacles and a tail?”
Harley: “Sure. The meatier tail is much more muscular and dense. It offers a juicier, more toothsome experience. Because the foot – or tail – can only be harvested once a week, this cut is much more expensive. It’s generally shipped out intact under the designation: Meat Grade 1.”
Doog: “And the tentacles?”
Harley: “Ground into a meaty amalgam called Meat Grade 2. It is much cheaper because there are more tentacles than tails, and they can be harvested much more often. A tentacle can be re-harvested every two days.”
Doog: “How much are we talking per month?”
Harley: “Roughly a hundred kilograms of meat per month. About forty kilograms of Grade 1 foot meat and sixty kilograms of Grade 2 appendage meat.”
Doog: “Per individual?”
Harley: “Yes. Facility-wide, the LIU produces around 1000 metric tons of NEM meat per month.”
Doog: “That’s a lot of meat, and essentially for free.”
Harley: “Not free. Pumping water and condensing nutrients costs money. Keeping the tanks ideal costs money. Staff costs money. That being said, NEM is among the most cost-effective food producers in the galaxy.”
Doog: “Wow. Anything else to add, Harley?”
Harley: “Nope.”
Doog: “I didn’t see any feet on the Nem.”
Harley: “Not feet like yours. A Nem has one large, muscular foot underneath its body. It uses it to crawl along the seafloor and anchor itself in place. It's also the meatiest part of the animal.”
Doog: “It might not be the most scientific, but can we just call them tentacles and a tail?”
Harley: “Sure. The meatier tail is much more muscular and dense. It offers a juicier, more toothsome experience. Because the foot – or tail – can only be harvested once a week, this cut is much more expensive. It’s generally shipped out intact under the designation: Meat Grade 1.”
Doog: “And the tentacles?”
Harley: “Ground into a meaty amalgam called Meat Grade 2. It is much cheaper because there are more tentacles than tails, and they can be harvested much more often. A tentacle can be re-harvested every two days.”
Doog: “How much are we talking per month?”
Harley: “Roughly a hundred kilograms of meat per month. About forty kilograms of Grade 1 foot meat and sixty kilograms of Grade 2 appendage meat.”
Doog: “Per individual?”
Harley: “Yes. Facility-wide, the LIU produces around 1000 metric tons of NEM meat per month.”
Doog: “That’s a lot of meat, and essentially for free.”
Harley: “Not free. Pumping water and condensing nutrients costs money. Keeping the tanks ideal costs money. Staff costs money. That being said, NEM is among the most cost-effective food producers in the galaxy.”
Doog: “Wow. Anything else to add, Harley?”
Harley: “Nope.”
Doog: “Well folks, that’s Recresco. This ocean world is home to extraordinary creatures called Nem. Nem can survive having large amounts of their flesh being cut from their bodies. They can even regenerate those lost parts. The local Boros take advantage of this to keep a steady supply of meat in their village, but the LIU has taken it to entirely new heights. They keep tens of thousands of Nem in captivity under ideal conditions so they can be harvested over and over and over again. N.E.M. or Nearly Endless Meat supplies meat to countless worlds across the galaxy at a fraction of the cost of other meat operations. You know what’s weird? I’m closing up this episode while I stand next to boxes of meat from an animal that is still alive. Crazy. Oh well, see ya!”
Note: Renewable livestock harvesting has reduced animal slaughter on this world by 96%.
Note2:
Note: Renewable livestock harvesting has reduced animal slaughter on this world by 96%.
Note2:
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