22 Sept 2016

NaNo Backgrounder - Araminta - Commentary

Araminta is on her way to Colony Base 183 as I continue working on background info for NaNoWriMo and try to figure out what I'm doing this November.

The result was rushed.  Very rushed.  As in, I was working out details as I posted the story.  World names were left as marked filler.  I don't have a name for the world the base is set on.  Those would be important things to have if I choose Colony Base 183 as my NaNo project.  Some details I did need worked out, such as Araminta's name, appearance, and motive for volunteering for her next posting.  So, 50% there?  Adding to the chaos and quickness of writing the backgrounder, I had "Explorer Corps" instead of "Exploration Service" before I double-checked the name I used.  "Explorer Corps" is from the BatteTech setting, the name of ComStar's exploration branch.  Good thing I caught the mistake.

One thing that made sense to me was the Exploration Service's standard jumpsuit, the closest thing it has to a uniform.  Bright orange, which makes the person wearing the jumpsuit visible.  It gets used in areas where the wearer needs to be seen, such as ground installations with traffic and construction sites.  When Araminta becomes the junior constable at Colony Base 183, she'll wear the jumpsuit; she'll stand out from the colonists and still not look military.  That said, the jumpsuit isn't worn everywhere.  In the office on the starport before she was given the boot, Araminta wore something more comfortable and better suited for an office.  During her time on the mailships, where she was the only crew, being dressed became optional, especially near the end of the third week.

The Belanger High Port, the official name for the orbital starport, was loosely based on several space stations in media, in that they were also space stations.  The high port sees traffic passing through; not all ships are atmosphere-capable, and not all cargo is worth the cost of landing a large starship instead of using a shuttle.  With artificial gravity, there's no need to rotate the station, making docking easier.    There's a central docking bay for smaller ships; larger ones dock on the outer rings.  The high port is in geostationary orbit above the down port, the ground installation.  There are minor ports on the surface, mostly for cargo.

There probably should be a part two, where Araminta boards The Dusty Crater, with some drama as two people share a small space for a week without being able to step away.  It will be in mind as well as other background works to prep for November.

Tomorrow, more background work for NaNo.
Also tomorrow, over at Psycho Drive-In, Electra-Woman and Dynagirl.
Saturday, over at Seventh Sanctum, insights from Can-ConSF 2016.

No comments:

Post a Comment