There are billions of stars, millions of planets, but there is only one man, Terrance McDoogal. Welcome to LIU Atlas.
LIU Atlas - Excelsus
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 the season finale of Season 9 of LIU Atlas. I’m your host, Terrance “Doog” McDoogal. Today, we’re visiting the gas planet, Excelsus. Excelsus is much smaller than a typical gas planet, being classified as a gas dwarf. Excelsus’ smaller size is to its advantage, though. It’s not plagued with many of the features of its gas giant cousins. There’s less radiation, calmer winds, and lower atmospheric pressure. Excelsus’ habitability is further increased by the fact that it has an oxygen-rich layer of atmosphere. This habitable layer is where we are headed.”
Doog: “Excelsus’ oxygen-rich, habitable layer is about ten miles thick and is found a hundred miles down from space. It’s only here that there’s sufficient pressure and a breathable atmosphere. Of course, there’s no ground anywhere within this habitable layer, so residents must live in a floating arcology known as the Lofted City. The Lofted City, like many other structures on gas planets, utilizes advanced repulsor technology to ride the planet’s strong magnetic field. It floats gracefully among the planet’s thick clouds. Let’s get closer and check out the Lofted City.”
Doog: “Alright folks, I’ve been dropped off on the top section of the floating arcology. Unlike other arcologies, the Lofted City is open to the elements. It almost appears to be any other city in the galaxy…well…except for the amazing cloud-filled view that stretches below the horizon.”
Lissé: “That’s the beauty of the Lofted City, Doog. It has some of the best views in the galaxy.”
Doog: “I see that. You must be Lissé.”
Lissé: “I am. I’ll be your tour guide for the day.”
Doog: “Good to know. So, what can you tell us about this place?”
Lissé: “My people built this arcology long before our merger with the LIU, when we were still called the Galactic Bureaucracy. Its purpose was much different back then. Excelsus was a mining world, and the arcology helped with the extraction of Helium-3.”
Doog: “The Lofted City used to mine Helium-3?”
Lissé: “Yes, but the arcology wasn’t known as the Lofted City back then. It used to have a much more standard name, like EX-117.3 or something like that.”
Doog: “Not as catchy as the ‘Lofted City’.”
Lissé: “No, it wasn’t. A lot was different back then.”
Lissé: “That’s the beauty of the Lofted City, Doog. It has some of the best views in the galaxy.”
Doog: “I see that. You must be Lissé.”
Lissé: “I am. I’ll be your tour guide for the day.”
Doog: “Good to know. So, what can you tell us about this place?”
Lissé: “My people built this arcology long before our merger with the LIU, when we were still called the Galactic Bureaucracy. Its purpose was much different back then. Excelsus was a mining world, and the arcology helped with the extraction of Helium-3.”
Doog: “The Lofted City used to mine Helium-3?”
Lissé: “Yes, but the arcology wasn’t known as the Lofted City back then. It used to have a much more standard name, like EX-117.3 or something like that.”
Doog: “Not as catchy as the ‘Lofted City’.”
Lissé: “No, it wasn’t. A lot was different back then.”
Lissé: “There wasn’t this many people, for starters. And, of course, none of these bars, clubs, stores, or restaurants were here either.”
Doog: “What happened that changed everything?”
Lissé: “The Galactic Bureaucracy merged with the Ludgonian Empire and the Furnace Worlds of Fornacis to form the LIU.”
Doog: “What happened that changed everything?”
Lissé: “The Galactic Bureaucracy merged with the Ludgonian Empire and the Furnace Worlds of Fornacis to form the LIU.”
Doog: “The LIU actually made a place better? You don’t hear that much.”
Lissé: “Don’t jump the gun. Things got way worse before they got better.”
Doog: “How so?”
Lissé: “Excelsus is a gas dwarf. It’s smaller than a standard gas planet. This also meant that its reserves of Helium-3 were smaller too. The Excelsus mining operations couldn’t keep up with the production of other mining facilities owned by the Humans and the Fornacins. Excelsus’ economy crashed. Excelsus sat idle for nearly a decade. Its population moved elsewhere, and the arcology fell into disrepair.”
Doog: “Ok, that sounds more like the LIU.”
Lissé: “Don’t jump the gun. Things got way worse before they got better.”
Doog: “How so?”
Lissé: “Excelsus is a gas dwarf. It’s smaller than a standard gas planet. This also meant that its reserves of Helium-3 were smaller too. The Excelsus mining operations couldn’t keep up with the production of other mining facilities owned by the Humans and the Fornacins. Excelsus’ economy crashed. Excelsus sat idle for nearly a decade. Its population moved elsewhere, and the arcology fell into disrepair.”
Doog: “Ok, that sounds more like the LIU.”
Doog: “How did it recover?”
Lissé: “The LIU found new uses for the dilapidated arcology. Excelsus was rare in that it was located in a habitable layer with a breathable atmosphere. The old mining arcology wasn’t taking advantage of this. The LIU realized that the gas dwarf could be a tourist haven. It offered fresh air, unparalleled views, and the chance for various air-sports, like hang gliding. The old mining arcology was renovated into the Lofted City.”
Doog: “So that’s the economy here? Tourism?”
Lissé: “It’s a large part of it, but the Lofted City’s economy is more diverse than that.”
Lissé: “The LIU found new uses for the dilapidated arcology. Excelsus was rare in that it was located in a habitable layer with a breathable atmosphere. The old mining arcology wasn’t taking advantage of this. The LIU realized that the gas dwarf could be a tourist haven. It offered fresh air, unparalleled views, and the chance for various air-sports, like hang gliding. The old mining arcology was renovated into the Lofted City.”
Doog: “So that’s the economy here? Tourism?”
Lissé: “It’s a large part of it, but the Lofted City’s economy is more diverse than that.”
Lissé: “The Lofted City is also home to a company called Re-Chain. It happens to be one of the galaxy’s most important industries.”
Doog: “Re-Chain? Never heard of it.”
Doog: “Re-Chain? Never heard of it.”
Lissé: “Most haven’t, but it’s one of the galaxy’s most important financial institutions. When renovating the arcology, the LIU decided to make use of the city’s interior, which wasn’t as tourist friendly. They installed millions of processors that help maintain a blockchain.”
Doog: “Blockchain? I have no idea what that is.”
Lissé: “Really? Uh, how do I explain this in layman’s terms? A blockchain is a continuously growing ledger of transactions that are all linked and secured.”
Doog: “Nope. Still not registering to me.”
Lissé: “Alright. In the LIU Galaxy, there are trillions of financial transactions happening every minute, from some Joe Schmoe purchasing a stick of gum to a company buying millions of computer parts. Every transaction is recorded in a ledger, so the banks know where money needs to be moved. These ledgers are processed into secured-chains of information. They can't be modified or erased without effecting the whole chain. It makes transactions around the galaxy tamperproof and trustworthy.”
Doog: “That makes some sense.”
Doog: “Blockchain? I have no idea what that is.”
Lissé: “Really? Uh, how do I explain this in layman’s terms? A blockchain is a continuously growing ledger of transactions that are all linked and secured.”
Doog: “Nope. Still not registering to me.”
Lissé: “Alright. In the LIU Galaxy, there are trillions of financial transactions happening every minute, from some Joe Schmoe purchasing a stick of gum to a company buying millions of computer parts. Every transaction is recorded in a ledger, so the banks know where money needs to be moved. These ledgers are processed into secured-chains of information. They can't be modified or erased without effecting the whole chain. It makes transactions around the galaxy tamperproof and trustworthy.”
Doog: “That makes some sense.”
Lissé: “There’s so many transactions taking place that the blockchains must be broken down into regions. Every region of the galaxy has its own blockchain. Re-Chain takes the blockchains from the various regions and chains them together. It’s the blockchain for the blockchains.”
Doog: “Despite the fact that you said blockchain, like, eighty times during your explanation, I think I get what you are saying. Excelsus has the mother of all ledgers.”
Lissé: “That’s one way to put it.”
Doog: “It seems sort of weird that the LIU would entrust such an important task to a renovated mining facility.”
Lissé: “Excelsus wasn’t chosen randomly. It has lots of features that make it an ideal world for the Re-Chain. As I already said, it had plenty of open space for the millions of required processors. But, more importantly, Excelsus sits close to Nuntius Station #3.”
Doog: “It has access to instantaneous communication with the rest of the galaxy.”
Lissé: “Exactly. The blockchain wouldn’t be much use otherwise.”
Doog: “Despite the fact that you said blockchain, like, eighty times during your explanation, I think I get what you are saying. Excelsus has the mother of all ledgers.”
Lissé: “That’s one way to put it.”
Doog: “It seems sort of weird that the LIU would entrust such an important task to a renovated mining facility.”
Lissé: “Excelsus wasn’t chosen randomly. It has lots of features that make it an ideal world for the Re-Chain. As I already said, it had plenty of open space for the millions of required processors. But, more importantly, Excelsus sits close to Nuntius Station #3.”
Doog: “It has access to instantaneous communication with the rest of the galaxy.”
Lissé: “Exactly. The blockchain wouldn’t be much use otherwise.”
Lissé: “The presence of the Re-Chain elevated the economy more than tourism ever would. Obviously, Re-Chain makes lots of money on minor transaction fees, but that wasn’t even the best part. Re-Chain requires thousands of high-tech, high-paid workers to operate. We have system analysists, computer engineers, tech-repairmen, energy experts, et cetera. Excelsus’ population is mostly made up of upper class workers.”
Lissé: “And those upper class, high-paid workers like to spend money. A whole economy has developed around their needs. All these stores, restaurants, and clubs are powered by their spending. The abundance of nice stores and restaurants also increases tourism.”
Doog: “Everything is feeding off this Re-Chain Industry.”
Lissé: “Yep.”
Doog: “Does Re-Chain need any TV Hosts?”
Lissé: “Probably not, but I’m sure you could get into Excelsus’ service industry.”
Doog: “As long as it doesn’t involve food. That one court mandate I have is pretty strict on me not handling food. A guy forgets to wear pants one day and his whole food career disappears.”
Lissé: “I’m not sure I want to hear any more about that.”
Doog: “Everything is feeding off this Re-Chain Industry.”
Lissé: “Yep.”
Doog: “Does Re-Chain need any TV Hosts?”
Lissé: “Probably not, but I’m sure you could get into Excelsus’ service industry.”
Doog: “As long as it doesn’t involve food. That one court mandate I have is pretty strict on me not handling food. A guy forgets to wear pants one day and his whole food career disappears.”
Lissé: “I’m not sure I want to hear any more about that.”
Doog: “I guess the Lofted City gets its name from more than its elevation. It sits higher than most cities in wealth and luxury too.”
Lissé: “I guess you could look at it like that.”
Doog: “I’d love to live someplace like this. I could never afford it though. I guess my dream of living here is just a bit too lofty. Lofty…see what I did there.”
Lissé: “Unfortunately.”
Lissé: “I guess you could look at it like that.”
Doog: “I’d love to live someplace like this. I could never afford it though. I guess my dream of living here is just a bit too lofty. Lofty…see what I did there.”
Lissé: “Unfortunately.”
Lissé: “The Lofted City has a little something for everyone. Do you like world class food?”
Doog: “Who doesn’t?”
Lissé: “Well, the city has dozens of five-star restaurants and hundreds of four-star restaurants.”
Doog: “I’d settle on a nice two-star joint. That’d be a step up.”
Lissé: “What about hotel accommodations? Do you want sky-view rooms, swimming pools, skywalks, luxury spas? The Lofted City has all of that.”
Doog: “I’ve developed the ability to sleep almost anywhere. My ship only has two beds. Hotels aren’t really important to me.”
Lissé: “Your loss. What about bars and clubs? You look like a guy who parties hard. We have hundreds to choose from.”
Doog: “I could be tempted into a bar. I’ve been known to indulge on occasion. That might help with the sleeping situation too. I really can sleep anywhere with the proper amount of booze.”
Doog: “Who doesn’t?”
Lissé: “Well, the city has dozens of five-star restaurants and hundreds of four-star restaurants.”
Doog: “I’d settle on a nice two-star joint. That’d be a step up.”
Lissé: “What about hotel accommodations? Do you want sky-view rooms, swimming pools, skywalks, luxury spas? The Lofted City has all of that.”
Doog: “I’ve developed the ability to sleep almost anywhere. My ship only has two beds. Hotels aren’t really important to me.”
Lissé: “Your loss. What about bars and clubs? You look like a guy who parties hard. We have hundreds to choose from.”
Doog: “I could be tempted into a bar. I’ve been known to indulge on occasion. That might help with the sleeping situation too. I really can sleep anywhere with the proper amount of booze.”
Doog: “Speaking of booze, I’d have to be loaded to get onto one of those.”
Lissé: “A hot air balloon?”
Doog: “Yeah. I don’t do heights.”
Lissé: “You realize that Lofted City is essentially a form of hot air balloon, right? We’re floating thousands of feet in the air.”
Doog: “I didn’t really think about it until now. Great, now I’m getting anxiety sweats.”
Lissé: “No need to fret. The Lofted City is stable. It’s not going anywhere.”
Doog: “I would hope. Seems more trustworthy than a balloon, that’s for sure.”
Lissé: “A hot air balloon?”
Doog: “Yeah. I don’t do heights.”
Lissé: “You realize that Lofted City is essentially a form of hot air balloon, right? We’re floating thousands of feet in the air.”
Doog: “I didn’t really think about it until now. Great, now I’m getting anxiety sweats.”
Lissé: “No need to fret. The Lofted City is stable. It’s not going anywhere.”
Doog: “I would hope. Seems more trustworthy than a balloon, that’s for sure.”
Lissé: “They’re more stable than you’d think. Thermal lifting pads and thrusters make these balloons a lot safer than a standard open-flame balloon.”
Doog: “You still won’t catch me in one. I don’t see the point.”
Lissé: “Aw, come on. You get a breathtaking 360-degree view of endless clouds. You could take a lady friend for a romantic cruise, or grab one of the larger gondolas and throw a sky party.”
Doog: “I’ve always wanted to join the ten-thousand-mile-high club.”
Lissé: “You might lose your deposit doing that, but go for it.”
Doog: “You still won’t catch me in one. I don’t see the point.”
Lissé: “Aw, come on. You get a breathtaking 360-degree view of endless clouds. You could take a lady friend for a romantic cruise, or grab one of the larger gondolas and throw a sky party.”
Doog: “I’ve always wanted to join the ten-thousand-mile-high club.”
Lissé: “You might lose your deposit doing that, but go for it.”
Lissé: “Ballooning is just one of many sky sports offered here. Hang gliding, parasailing, and skydiving draw many tourists to the Lofted City.”
Doog: “That’s a solid pass on all of those.”
Doog: “That’s a solid pass on all of those.”
Lissé: “Yeah, it’s not everybody’s favorite thing.”
Doog: “So, what’s there to do for people that don’t like recklessly endangering their lives?”
Lissé: “Plenty. Follow me.”
Lissé: “Plenty. Follow me.”
Lissé: “I’ve already told you about the dining and drinking options here, but there’s a lot more to do.”
Lissé: “Personally, I think the biggest upside of the Lofted City is its fresh air. Pollution is nearly non-existent. The little pollution there is, is highly diluted in the massive atmosphere.”
Doog: “How is that a thing to do?”
Lissé: “Well, sometimes, it’s nice to just sit and relax on one of the city’s many open plazas. Play a game of Conquest with a friend…”
Doog: “How is that a thing to do?”
Lissé: “Well, sometimes, it’s nice to just sit and relax on one of the city’s many open plazas. Play a game of Conquest with a friend…”
Lissé: “…or enjoy the breeze while you sip on some coffee.”
Doog: “Shoot the breeze while enjoying the breeze. Got it.”
Doog: “Shoot the breeze while enjoying the breeze. Got it.”
Lissé: “Uh…sure. Anyway, couples, old and young, come here for romantic weekends. There’s nothing more romantic than hanging out together with a beautiful view.”
Doog: “Yeah, and if it doesn’t go well, there’s plenty of overhangs to jump off.”
Lissé: “That escalated quickly.”
Doog: “Sorry. Romance and relationships are a sore spot for me.”
Doog: “Yeah, and if it doesn’t go well, there’s plenty of overhangs to jump off.”
Lissé: “That escalated quickly.”
Doog: “Sorry. Romance and relationships are a sore spot for me.”
Lissé: “I see. Well, forget romance. How about some bromance? Come with your pals. Check out the stores. Get yourself looking good. The Lofted City is packed with high-end stores.”
Doog: “Very few people on my short list of friends could afford to shop at high-end stores. And…I can’t believe you said ‘bromance’.”
Lissé: “I know. I’m kind of disappointed in myself for saying it. I said it purely for the segue from romance.”
Doog: “Very few people on my short list of friends could afford to shop at high-end stores. And…I can’t believe you said ‘bromance’.”
Lissé: “I know. I’m kind of disappointed in myself for saying it. I said it purely for the segue from romance.”
Doog: “Well, can you think of anything else, bro?”
Lissé: “You’re never going to let this go, are you?”
Doog: “Probably not, broseph.”
Lissé: “The one time in my life I get to be on TV, and I say bromance.”
Doog: “Don’t get too worked up about it. No one watches my show.”
Lissé: “You’re never going to let this go, are you?”
Doog: “Probably not, broseph.”
Lissé: “The one time in my life I get to be on TV, and I say bromance.”
Doog: “Don’t get too worked up about it. No one watches my show.”
Doog: “Well folks, the Lofted City is pretty amazing. High paid, upper-class workers from the important blockchain company, Re-Chain, have brought wealth and class to this floating city. A whole industry has evolved to cater to these workers. These industries have also attracted tourists; not that Excelsus and the Lofted City need any help in the tourist department. Millions of tourists already come here for the amazing views and sky-sports. Well, that wraps up the episode and Season 9 of LIU Atlas. See everyone next year! Happy Consumerism Day to all!”
Note: The lower portions of the arcology handle many of the city’s day to day functions, like power generation, water treatment, and other maintenance tasks. The citizens living here do not have access to sky views or open plazas. They’re considered the poor of Excelsus, even though the make more money than an average LIU citizen.
Note: The lower portions of the arcology handle many of the city’s day to day functions, like power generation, water treatment, and other maintenance tasks. The citizens living here do not have access to sky views or open plazas. They’re considered the poor of Excelsus, even though the make more money than an average LIU citizen.
