The World of The Drifting

The year is 3051. Humanity has spread out amongst the stars, settling on multiple planets in multiple far-away star systems. They have established and keep contact with various other alien civilisations. Warp travel is widespread, though the quality is not made equal, and ticket prices vary greatly.

Naming Conventions

Every observed object in space has its own specific designation, but these are hard to keep in mind and use for casual conversation. Most objects that actually come up in non-professional contexts every once in a while have either human-given names, easier shortenings of their official designations, or humans’ best approximations of their names in alien tongues.

In casual speech and writing, as well as any context really that doesn’t require the full scientific designation, establishing what object one is talking about tends to go something like this:

Planets and other standalone objects that orbit their star are referred to as "Star-Object". In the case of our Earth, this would be Sol-Terra.

Objects that orbit something other than the star in their system, such as moons orbiting planets or other moons, are referred to as "Star-Orbited object-Object". In the case of our Moon, this would be Sol-Terra-Luna

Objects that are part of larger formations within their star system are typically referred to as "Star-Formation-Object", since there tends to be so many of them if a formation is present that laymen seldom know more than one or two by name. In the case of our Orcus, this would be Sol-Kuiper-Orcus. The common descriptors of formations, such as "belt" or "disc", are typically omitted in these designations to make them a bit less clunky.

Stars that haven’t been charted or aren’t frequented by humanity may also be referred to as "Formation-Star". An example of this is Pegasi-Markab or Pegasus-Markab. Please note that grouping stars by Terran constellations is long considered obsolete even from a strictly Terran viewing perspective. However, humans are notably sentimental and tradition-loving creatures and have thus clung onto the old constellations all this time. Stars part of Terran constellations are thus subject to obsolete grouping. No one in casual speech seems to mind this, those who do are most often just being annoying. The more scientifically accurate common-speech designation of the abovementioned star would be Birak-Markab, as from a universal-human perspective it is considered to be part of the Birak Group standardised by Alexandra Birak in 2344.

Referring to a star frequented or frequently contacted by humans with the above designation of "Formation-Star" instead of simply "Star" tends to come off as ignorant or even condescending, if used outside of establishing familiarity. It is comparable to pointing out a capital city of a country you’ve personally never been to and speaking of it like it is a tiny village no one’s ever even heard of (or would care to).

The Planet Vaanedorh

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The Project

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Introduced Species

European fallow deer (Dama dama) – The only large herbivore introduced by humans. Primary hunting target. Preyed upon by grey wolves. Chosen for their colour variety and historical status as trophy animals.
Grey wolf (Canis lupus) – The only large carnivore introduced by humans. Meant to keep the deer (and secondarily rabbit) populations at bay. Secondary hunting target, typically trophy only. The original set of animals were picked from a mix of European and North American populations.
European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) – Highly successful small herbivore. Primary hunting target. Introduced with a variety of captive-bred and half-domestic crossbreed morphs to make hunting for pelts more rewarding. Achieved a large population in a relatively short time both because they’re, well, rabbits, and due to some pretty grave miscalculations about wolves’ and Harris’s hawks’ ability to sucessfully dispatch them.
Harris’s hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) – The only bird species introduced initially. Meant to keep the rabbit population under control. Not intended as a hunting target. The only Terran bird of prey known to be social and hunt in groups.
Domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica) – Derived from Terran feral populations. Introduced later and not as part of the original Project. The initial population of birds was left over from a large-scale, unrelated research project after its end, and the ruling Ethics Board deemed it preferable to release these domestic animals on a planet in no way prepared to house and sustain them, over humane euthanasia. They provide another food source of Terran origin to the already well-adjusted Harris’s hawks and are seldom hunted by humans.

Native Species

Tallcrane - Sometimes also called dragons, these highly social predators stand at approximately 10 metres (33 feet) tall, with their bodyplan reminiscent of Terra's azhdarchid pterosaurs. Despite their powerful wings and capability of long-distance flight while expending little energy, they typically hunt on the ground, galloping at alarming speeds after their prey in open plains over short distances. They're obligate carnivores, feeding on fresh kill and domineering any carrion they take a liking to, but they also have a notable sweet tooth and will happily supplement their diet with fruit. But above all, there is nothing a tallcrane likes more than puzzles, strange objects, and colourful things arranged in a satisfying pattern, and they will spend a significant part of their downtime and socialising engaging with these things (or seeking them out to bring them back to the group for sharing).
Legwing - Strange quadrupedal omnivores standing at about the same shoulder height as Terra's Puma concolor, albeit with a much stranger body plan. The forelimbs are dexterous knuckle-walkers while the hindlimbs are both powerful and winged, giving the species its common name. The tail is reptilian, well-muscled and rather rigid, requiring effort from the creature to make it anything but horizontal. Rearing back, these creatures can form a stable tripod with their winged legs and powerful tail, allowing their forelimbs free range for whatever they want. They can also walk bipedally in a somewhat clumsy raptorial stance if needed, but they only do this if their hands are full. They make their home in forested islands in and at the edges of savannah-like biomes and hunt similar to Terran Panthera leo (if said Panthera leo could also leap into the air with the use of wings), though a large part of their diet is also made up of foraged (and seemingly...cultivated?) plant matter. Where the ranges of legwings and tallcranes overlap, the two species would have been observed cooperating and socialising, if anyone had bothered to look.
Kite - Large aerial filter feeders that migrate between the Northern and Southern temperate regions of the planet in a continuous loop. Mature adults only land to produce young, otherwise a grounded kite is a sign of grave injury, sickness, or impending death for the animal. The juveniles spend the first stage of their life on and near the ground before they're physically fit for the eternal journey of the adults of their species. The taxonomy of Vaanedohr's lifeforms is not mapped, but some may theorise kites and tallcranes to be distant relatives based on some morphological similarities, though mature kites lack all adaptations for effective grounded life.

Research