Oxgae

Oxgae is a genetically engineered algae that was invented by Regal Calculus to terraform their company planet Initium Novum, which like most planets, did not have life. Oxygen is reactive so natural planet formation causes most oxygen to bond with other elements, making every Earth like planet (protoearths) found so far, hot and full of carbon dioxide.

Before Oxgae, all previous attempts to terraform a planet failed, as the scale require for an industry to terraform a planet was quite naturally, a planetary scale. With no existing population or industry, no one had yet managed to raise the financial capital to terraform a planet. With similar budget limitations Regal Calculus scientists decided to take a different tack. In a moment of brillance, they realised that life multiplies, and so life itself could very quickly reach a planetary scale. Not only that, but as its not Earth, large oceans could be converted to the task.

Green Oxgae

The first and once planned to be only Oxgae created, was green Oxgae. It was designed to use sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide into long chain hydrocarbon solids and an oxygen gas. They also produce nutrients designed for humans (rather than the plant itself), and absorb very specific minerals, so it can serve as a food source if all else fails. Oxgae was based on algie and designed to float on top of water. It was also designed to die after 62 hours of being in the dark, so it can be easily removed from a body of water by simply covering it. Like tomatoes, Oxgae grows more the higher the carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere. It also goes dormant when the atmospheric CO₂ levels reach Earth's relatively low 0.03%, where as it ages, a lot will die back. The result is that a protoearth can gain an earth like atmostphere.

To work on a planetary scale, green Oxgae is seeded into oceans where it rapidly multiplies and will eventually cover the whole ocean. Within ten years it would have consumed most of the carbon dioxide and will start to die back. Planets terraformed this way are recognisable as they have large green oceans and barren land masses.

Red Oxgae

Securing fresh water is the second most important process after securing air. Red Oxgae was designed to suck in and store everything disolved in water, leaving the water pure and the red Oxgae toxic. It was later realised that the red Oxgae actually contains masses of valuable resources, so lake beds can be dredged for valuable dead red Oxgae. Deemed as a higher priority as a source of fresh water and mineral wealth, red Oxgae only goes dormant at 0.02% CO₂ atmospheric levels.

Colonisation

For a new colony, the most efficient method of terraforming is to seed the large water bodies with green Oxgae that can more quickly convert the atmosphere and produce food, and seed the small water bodies with red Oxgae as the smaller bodies will more quickly be made into pure/fresh water lakes. Keeping the water bodies a particular colour makes processing more efficient, as mixed Oxgae requires sorting and water suface area is a limiting factor (even if huge).

The only fast and effective form of terraforming is to have a world that is already similar to earth, but usually a carbon dioxide atmosphere, known as a protoearth. A key part to Oxgae working is to have a vast ocean. As the genetically modified algae Oxgae was invented by Regal Calculus it was first used on their planet Initium Novum, founded 2128, is placed in the ocean and readily multiplies to fill the ocean and change the atmosphere to one similar to Earth in about ten years. As it is very costly to visit and terraform a planet, generally they are done with purpose and tend to be desired by strong willed individuals. Society has named these people Champions.

Writers Notes

Oxgae is a trademarked brand name and so can be written as a name, i.e. with a capital 'O'. Equally it is meant to be used in place of algae and so can be written with a lower case 'o'. Either is correct.