Speaking of the Gazetter entry, here's Draft #0.1. Yes, I know this is incomplete. I'll add more later, once I catch up at work (I'm finishing up a quick vacation). I've taken the liberty of making up a few throwaway references...
Tourism in Fenspace
There are a number of locations where Fen can vacation, and can reasonably expect to meet Mundanes who are also vacationing in Fenspace. There are also a number of locations in Fenspace where tourism is either unlikely or unwanted.
The most popular 'Dane tourist destination is Luna. It's close to Earth; once Fen spacecraft clear Earth's atmosphere, travel time to Luna is measured in minutes, not days or months. Luna is also close enough to Earth that the lightspeed communications lag is barely noticeable. Luna is home to Tranquility Base, the site of the first off-world human landing - a location respected by humans of almost all nationalities and philosophies, and guarded by the United States Coast Guard. 'Dane tourists with any curiousity about Fen life often visit the Metahuman Power Biomodification Research Institute in Kandor (by appointment only, and please don't comment on their lack of success) and the Senshi "memorial base" outpost in the Sea of Serenity.
The next most popular 'Dane tourist destination is the L5 station Stellvia. It has no intrinsic claim to fame; it isn't the first Fen space station, or the largest, or the friendliest. But is is the closest Fen space station to Earth, which makes it a natural transfer point for Mundane tourists venturing into Fenspace proper. This station takes pains to maintain a family-friendly reputation, much like the Disney corporation does for its theme parks (with the same relative level of effectiveness). Some 'Danes never get farther away from Earth than a week in Stellvia's small hotel complex.
Moving in-system, the only tourist attractions are those found in high Venus atmosphere: the Crystal Cities and the Cloud Tours. The Crystal Cities, terraforming stations of incredible intrinsic beauty, are architectural marvels in themselves; they are also home to a large fraction of the "Senshi" faction of Fen. (Tourists are strongly advised to keep in mind that these attractive, underdressed young females are not in the "adult entertainment" industry; those who forget this usually return to Earth in an ambulance.) A few of the Crystal Cities are primarily industrial centres, and discourage tourism; other Crystal Cities, including Crystal Tokyo, open their doors to visitors. The Cloud Tours are trips into the upper atmosphere of Venus to look at the colours and patterns in the clouds, run by professional gondoliers. A mediocre guide can turn this into a waste of an afternoon; an undine can make this an adventure that tourists will tell their grandchildren about.
Moving out-system from Earth, many ships make a habit of stopping at The Island. The first Fen "flying land mass" station, The Island is as safe a place to visit as Stellvia, but (in the words of its owner) is "much more Fen in facilities, clientele, and outlook"; many Fen prefer to get no closer to Earth than The Island. On the other side of the coin, if 'Dane tourists can handle The Island emotionally, then they're probably ready for the rest of Fenspace. The Island is also home to what may be the largest shopping mall off-Earth.
(mars - olympus mons, valles marineras, cydonia (face and pyramids), probe landing sites, helium - mention the terraforming project is slowly flooding the northern hemisphere; consult "GURPS Mars" for nuts-and-bolts)
(mars orbit - phobos (con facilities), deimos, starbase 1)
If you know where to look, somewhere between The Island and the Asteroid Belt, you can find a station called Candy Apple Red's. The people who work there are in the "adult entertainment" business, and enjoy a good reputation amongst Fen who patronize such establishments.
There is very little to see in the Asteroid Belt. Contrary to decades of space-opera fiction, the density of asteroids in the Belt is very low; it's extremely unlikely that someone standing on one asteroid would be able to even see another asteroid. There are small "truck stop and diner" facilities on Ceres, Juno, and Pallas, and an "Asimov" Fen colony "marooned off Vesta" (their words; they're actually in Vesta, and host a small college known primarily for its work in robotics and biochemistry), but none of these locations are tourist draws.
(jupiter)
(saturn - titan, tours of rings)
(further out)
Certain Fenspace locations have been declared off-limits to tourism. These include the entire planet Mercury and the Hephaestus mining station (in both cases, for the tourists' physical safety), the vessel Grover's Corners (by request of the owners), and the Hidden Asteroid (because a flow of tourists would make it difficult to keep the asteroid hidden). While tourists are unlikely to be shot on sight at these locations, casual travel to any of them is strongly discouraged.
Tourism Logistics: Tourism in Fenspace is controlled by the Fen. With a very small set of exceptions, mostly military, space travel outside of low-Earth orbit is controlled by the Fen for the simple reason that they own the spacecraft. Much of the tourist trade is managed by a few corporations that run large "luxury liner" ships that take weeks to make trips that Fen are accustomed to making in days; some is handled by independant operators in a fashion vaugely analogous to "tramp steamer tourism" on early-twentieth-century Earth. At the very low end of expense and reliability, most of the "Douglas Adams" Fen are almost always willing to pick up a hitch-hiker or two, if they have their own towels.
Comments, corrections, or additions to what's here, anyone?
-Rob Kelk
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
Tourism in Fenspace
There are a number of locations where Fen can vacation, and can reasonably expect to meet Mundanes who are also vacationing in Fenspace. There are also a number of locations in Fenspace where tourism is either unlikely or unwanted.
The most popular 'Dane tourist destination is Luna. It's close to Earth; once Fen spacecraft clear Earth's atmosphere, travel time to Luna is measured in minutes, not days or months. Luna is also close enough to Earth that the lightspeed communications lag is barely noticeable. Luna is home to Tranquility Base, the site of the first off-world human landing - a location respected by humans of almost all nationalities and philosophies, and guarded by the United States Coast Guard. 'Dane tourists with any curiousity about Fen life often visit the Metahuman Power Biomodification Research Institute in Kandor (by appointment only, and please don't comment on their lack of success) and the Senshi "memorial base" outpost in the Sea of Serenity.
The next most popular 'Dane tourist destination is the L5 station Stellvia. It has no intrinsic claim to fame; it isn't the first Fen space station, or the largest, or the friendliest. But is is the closest Fen space station to Earth, which makes it a natural transfer point for Mundane tourists venturing into Fenspace proper. This station takes pains to maintain a family-friendly reputation, much like the Disney corporation does for its theme parks (with the same relative level of effectiveness). Some 'Danes never get farther away from Earth than a week in Stellvia's small hotel complex.
Moving in-system, the only tourist attractions are those found in high Venus atmosphere: the Crystal Cities and the Cloud Tours. The Crystal Cities, terraforming stations of incredible intrinsic beauty, are architectural marvels in themselves; they are also home to a large fraction of the "Senshi" faction of Fen. (Tourists are strongly advised to keep in mind that these attractive, underdressed young females are not in the "adult entertainment" industry; those who forget this usually return to Earth in an ambulance.) A few of the Crystal Cities are primarily industrial centres, and discourage tourism; other Crystal Cities, including Crystal Tokyo, open their doors to visitors. The Cloud Tours are trips into the upper atmosphere of Venus to look at the colours and patterns in the clouds, run by professional gondoliers. A mediocre guide can turn this into a waste of an afternoon; an undine can make this an adventure that tourists will tell their grandchildren about.
Moving out-system from Earth, many ships make a habit of stopping at The Island. The first Fen "flying land mass" station, The Island is as safe a place to visit as Stellvia, but (in the words of its owner) is "much more Fen in facilities, clientele, and outlook"; many Fen prefer to get no closer to Earth than The Island. On the other side of the coin, if 'Dane tourists can handle The Island emotionally, then they're probably ready for the rest of Fenspace. The Island is also home to what may be the largest shopping mall off-Earth.
(mars - olympus mons, valles marineras, cydonia (face and pyramids), probe landing sites, helium - mention the terraforming project is slowly flooding the northern hemisphere; consult "GURPS Mars" for nuts-and-bolts)
(mars orbit - phobos (con facilities), deimos, starbase 1)
If you know where to look, somewhere between The Island and the Asteroid Belt, you can find a station called Candy Apple Red's. The people who work there are in the "adult entertainment" business, and enjoy a good reputation amongst Fen who patronize such establishments.
There is very little to see in the Asteroid Belt. Contrary to decades of space-opera fiction, the density of asteroids in the Belt is very low; it's extremely unlikely that someone standing on one asteroid would be able to even see another asteroid. There are small "truck stop and diner" facilities on Ceres, Juno, and Pallas, and an "Asimov" Fen colony "marooned off Vesta" (their words; they're actually in Vesta, and host a small college known primarily for its work in robotics and biochemistry), but none of these locations are tourist draws.
(jupiter)
(saturn - titan, tours of rings)
(further out)
Certain Fenspace locations have been declared off-limits to tourism. These include the entire planet Mercury and the Hephaestus mining station (in both cases, for the tourists' physical safety), the vessel Grover's Corners (by request of the owners), and the Hidden Asteroid (because a flow of tourists would make it difficult to keep the asteroid hidden). While tourists are unlikely to be shot on sight at these locations, casual travel to any of them is strongly discouraged.
Tourism Logistics: Tourism in Fenspace is controlled by the Fen. With a very small set of exceptions, mostly military, space travel outside of low-Earth orbit is controlled by the Fen for the simple reason that they own the spacecraft. Much of the tourist trade is managed by a few corporations that run large "luxury liner" ships that take weeks to make trips that Fen are accustomed to making in days; some is handled by independant operators in a fashion vaugely analogous to "tramp steamer tourism" on early-twentieth-century Earth. At the very low end of expense and reliability, most of the "Douglas Adams" Fen are almost always willing to pick up a hitch-hiker or two, if they have their own towels.
Comments, corrections, or additions to what's here, anyone?
-Rob Kelk
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012