Westes
Westes is a planet in deep space located in the Polosian Galaxy originally discovered by the Sayaffallan Space Program in 1979 and eventually colonized with full habitation in 1985.
Physical characteristics
Shape
The shape of Westes is approximately oblate spheroidal. Due to rotation, Westes is flattened along the geographic axis and bulging around its double equator. The diameter of Westes at the double equator is 93 kilometres (27 mi) larger than the pole-to-pole diameter. Its size is approximately four times the size of Micras and features 60% of its surface being water with interspersed land mass scattered across it.
Chemical composition
It is composed mostly of gold (32.1%), oxygen (30.1%), uranium (15.1%), magnesium (13.9%), petroleum (2.9%), nickel (1.8%), calcium (1.5%), and zinc(1.4%), with the remaining 1.2% consisting of trace amounts of other elements. Due to mass segregation, the core region of Westes is estimated to be primarily composed of iron (88.8%), with smaller amounts of nickel (5.8%), sulfur (4.5%), and less than 1% trace elements.
Surface
The total surface area of Westes is about 910 billion km2 (351352964273.626 sq mi). Of this, 60.8% is below sea level and covered by ocean water. Below the ocean's surface are much of the continental shelf, mountains, volcanoes, oceanic trenches, submarine canyons, oceanic plateaus, abyssal plains, and a globe-spanning mid-ocean ridge system. The remaining 39.2% not covered by water has terrain that varies greatly from place to place and consists of mountains, deserts, plains, plateaus, and other landforms. Tectonics and erosion, volcanic eruptions, flooding, weathering, glaciation, the growth of coral reefs, and meteorite impacts are among the processes that are believed to constantly reshape the surface of Westes over geological time.
Colonization
First Station of Colonization
The First Station of Colonization was built in 1980 after the first space vehicle arrived and entered Westes atmosphere for the first time, shortly after entering atmosphere a series of small probes were sent into the atmosphere of Westes delivering key components and parts necessary for construction of the research station. The first goals of the program was to test and determine the key natural resources of Westes and to determine the potential and possibility for extracting those natural resources successfully.
The First Station was developed with 16 sleeping/habitation modules for 16 residents who came spread out over the course of 2 months. The diagram to the right shows a part of the habitation module designed in the original First Station. In the research module of the station there was space for the analysis of materials collected and provided by the rovers sent out on small expeditions in the surrounding area as well as direct data arrays showing up to the minute information on atmospheric conditions including oxygenation within the environment as well as the balance of CO2 and other important variables needed for life and survival on Westes.
Within six months of the first station being in existence on the planet of Westes the first human explorations of the planet began with space explorers venturing out of the station within protective suits to gather more detailed information from in ground probes and other devices to study the levels of the planetary chemical composition. One observation that was noticed was that Westes observes traditional day and night cycles and has four moons visible to the naked eye during the night cycle which is believed to regulate the tidal patterns in the oceanic aspects of Westes itself. In addition to this the external galaxies and sky patterns are visible to the naked eye during both day and night cycles adding great diversity to the visible texture, pattern and light within the sky.
After eight months it was determined the atmosphere was suitable for human habitation outside of protective gear and the first exploration without the extensive protective suiting was conducted and the arrival of twenty more researchers and scientists occurred two weeks into this month. After ten months additional materials arrived and construction began on Station II located approximately 120 miles from Station I with a communications and data uplink from the original station.
Construction of Station I
Construction of Station I was conducted with standard carbon fibre reinforced steel pylons transported by auxiliary probes to Westes and assembled with interlocking fiberglass modules with glass portholes for observation reinforced by triplex grade steel and carbon fibre as well as MLI level insulation to prevent intrusion of harmful gradients from the planet into the station. The construction of the Station I was conducted primarily by robotic arms and by personnel in protective suiting as no extensive testing had been done at this point into the atmosphere on Westes.
Station II
Station II was constructed on October 20, 1980 approximately 120 miles from Station I with a communications data uplink to ensure connection with Station I. The purpose and intent of Station II was to provide a further glimpse into the mountainous environment of Westes specifically near to the original landing site of space explorers. Station II was designed with observation capabilities enhanced so as to be able to observe the surrounding environment in both day and night. Station II was finished on November 20, 1980 approximately 1 month after construction began and soon testing began on deep core uranium ore found within the mountain and surrounding areas. In addition to this Station II began observing signs of wildlife particularly tracks of wildlife near bait they left outside of the research station.
On December 3, 1980 observation journals record that a family of six polar bears came within 5 feet of the glass of the Station to observe the people inside. These polar bears were recorded to be abnormally large in size with a height of 12 feet when standing on their hind legs and a paw size over 3 feet. Large amounts of aviary activity was also recorded with birds frequently flying overhead and gliding onto the top of the Station and perching there before flying off again. Space explorers at Station II frequently sent out rovers on long distance expeditions of significant length to get the lay of the land and on December 10, 1980 the scientists at Station II assembled and launched the first manned glider ever to fly on Westes which provided an aerial view of the land as it flew on a straight trajectory to Station I.
Station II would expand and grow in size on January 1, 1981 as more parts were brought from Station I by crews to formally add several new modules. Also work began on creating an informal dirt and gravel road linking Station I with Station II and allowing it to be more formally connected than it was before. Station II also installed a new gradient solar array allowing it to self power many vital communications equipment that previously was running on solar stored batteries delivered once a week from Station I.
On June 3, 1981 a survey crew was sent out approximately 300 miles northwest of Station II to map the terrain while survey crews were sent out the same distance in the northeastern and southeastern and southwestern directions to map out the terrain for a formal chart based map. The survey crew on the northwest side found level ground near a large inlet that they believed to be linked to an oceanic area. On June 10 the initial phase of construction for Station III began and was supervised by frequent visits by staff from Station II and occasionally Station I.
Station II construction
Station II was constructed from aluminum alloys with reinforced plexi-glass allowing for reinforced viewing areas all along its outside frame. The hexagonal and polygonal shaped buildings were designed to offset any snow or percipitative accumulations that might occur during the course of the year at Station II, the frames were cast and pre-designed in Sayaffallah with minor modifications made at Station I before being transported to the location of Station II.
Station III
Station III began construction on June 10, 1981 and concluded construction on August 10 approximately 2 months after it began. Station III included an airport landing strip and helipad as well as separate buildings for male and female lodging and a naval research facility connected to the main central hub buildings by underground tunnel. Station III was designed overall functionality in mind and as a means by which to accelerate research and exploration of the surrounding area. On September 1, 1981 it was discovered that the body of water on which Station III sat was not an oceanic inlet but instead on a major lake system spanning over 1600 miles in total length connecting to 4 other lakes of comparable or lesser size.
The discovery of the lake system was a major one that bolstered research as scientists and researchers endeavored to not just catalog the geographical scope, scale and size of the major land features of the surrounding area but to also find the local wildlife species and plant types and their potential uses around the area. It was discovered that the lake sloped down with a granite surface along the bottom of the lake down to a total depth of 912ft and maintained its depth of 912 feet for over 1200 miles of its total length and it was also discovered that the marine wildlife in the lake included whales typically known to humans to be salt water only animals however on Westes these animals seem not to be limited to salt or fresh water but seem to have the ability to survive in both equally.
Station III would end up becoming the final station on Westes and would eventually expand to include housing elements for over 150 individuals by 1985 and included a formal reception facility for arriving space vehicles. Station III was formally linked via paved road with Station II & Station I in 1989.
Station III construction
Station III was the first station to be constructed using materials from the surrounding area. Timber was felled around the site and was used to put together the frames for the various buildings and research stations. In addition solar panels were transported from Sayaffallah to Westes and transported from Station I to Station III for installation and use. Station III is entirely self sufficient with its own compost system for the destruction of waste and solar for power and heating as well as recycled rain water and fresh water filtration for the water supply at the station.
Wildlife
On Westes there is a large variety of wildlife including several new species of animals that have been discovered as well. The common denominator that seems to link all animals except those in the sea is their ability to survive in all environmental conditions primarily dying from starvation due to a lack of protein or food sources or because of predatory activity by other animals in the hierarchy within the planet.
Land
A wide variety of over 26,000 different varieties of land-based animals ranging from insects to micro parasites to large variety of carnivorous and herbivore mammals have been discovered as well as reptiles and amphibians. Animals on Westes tend to be migratory regardless of species and tend to move in familial units, migratory patterns are not motivated by climate but tend to be more motivated by geography and availability of principle feeding sources. Because of a lack of climate related interference in migratory and life span patterns animals on Westes are seen in a variety of extreme climates so long as there is available food in those areas.
Large herds of animals can be seen in wide expanses grazing on nutrients and hunting together in packs however in forested areas there is a large diversity of animals that typically hide during the day and emerge at night for hunting while larger predatory animals do the bulk of their hunting during daylight hours and rest during the night cycle. These patterns of animal movements on Westes tend to follow a seasonal cycle dictated by the cycle of moons. During the winter for example only two of the four moons are visible and typically animals are less engaged and more hibernative during this period than in the summer time in which four moons exist.
Typical reproduction however sees land animals reproducing at significant rates repopulating beyond what existed before creating surpluses of both predators and prey and thus ensuring the overall biome system is self sustaining and able to continue to grow. Researchers examined closely the reproduction patterns of a variety of land based species and determined that reproductive volume of offspring was directly linked to the ability of the animals to attain the amount of food they needed in any given area that they existed in. While those animals who were not reaching their needed food intake often produced a significantly smaller amount of offspring. Animal reproduction on Westes is directly linked to the satisfaction of the needs of the animals being met with the amount of offspring being the direct result.
Sea
Marine mammals are also widely abundant on Westes however unlike their land and air counterparts the marine mammals tend to have acute sensitivity to the temperature of the water and the level of oxygenation present in the nutrients they absorb naturally within the water. Researchers have found direct correlations between water temperature, oxygenation volume in nutrients and overall PH levels and the ability of marine sealife to survive over a long period of time. It is not uncommon however to see sea life once thought of to be exclusively salt water to swim up rivers and enter into freshwater biomes and to co-exist there in a manner not seen in other places.
The over riding lesson that researchers have observed is that as species develop in marine environments they adapt to their surroundings over time and the strongest aspects of the marine clime end up surviving and establishing themselves as lingering species that ultimately support the biodiversity seen in many of these areas. Researchers initially were stunned to see saltwater crabs in the freshwater lake system since the only way for crabs to get in would be through a small river connecting to the sea. But what they discovered in the course of their research was that salt water crabs had a direct biological link to a strand of fresh water crabs that have developed in the lakes and that these crabs were able to go on land for significant distances so long as they had a source of water whether it be a small pond or a large lake to refresh their system in.
Sea life reproduction seems to mirror that of their land based counterparts in that it is directly tied to their ability to achieve maximal food intake and meet their sustainment needs. Researchers discovered however that temperature also affected reproduction with animals regardless of climate needing a slightly warmer area temperature within the water in order to have a successful delivery of offspring. These findings led to the conclusion that sea life reproduction is directly associated with the comfortability of the animals and their ability ensure total survival of themselves and offspring during the pregnancy and birth process.
Air
Avian populations are numerous in Westes and are the most migratory populations. Researchers have found that migration occurs by avian species dependent on the moon and solar cycles in each season rather than by climate. Avian species tend to be diverse in number and tend to fly in solo populations dependent on their own internal schedule which as mentioned earlier is dictated by the moon and solar cycles on Westes.
There are over 1200 known species of birds on Westes ranging from small song birds to predatory birds. All of these populations share a consistent trait and that is a set proclivity towards a certain set altitude that they are extremely unwilling to deviate from for any reason other than their own death or the birth of offspring. Typically these birds will burrow for their nest either at high altitude or low altitude depending on their survivability metric and will make adjustments as needed depending on the moon and solar cycles in Westes.
