Serenity

The planet Serenity (New Canada III) is very similar to Earth; gravity, temperature and atmosphere are all within a few percent of Earth-normal. A day is a few minutes longer than a day on Earth, and a year a few weeks shorter. (Star Trek: Banshee Squadron)

Geology
Serenity is tectonically very active. Spectacular, sheer mountain ranges result from crustal upthrust at plate boundaries, and several impressive volcanoes tower above hot spots. The land area is very much like that of Earth, with environments ranging from tropical rain forests near the equator to frozen tundra near the polar regions. A vast desert dominates the central part of the northern continent, while elsewhere are green, fertile valleys and forests. Mighty river systems drains most of the continent into the southern ocean.

The southern continent is still a mystery. It is unexplored, but is known to be covered by thick rain forests and jungles. A huge, mist-shrouded mountain peak sticks out of the forest canopy deep in the heart of the land.

Nearly 2/3 of the surface area of Serenity is ocean, which is churned by a tidal cycle that's powered by the gravitational pull of Serenity's larger moon Moose.

Biology
Serenity's biosphere is as diversified and abundant as Earth's, although somewhat more primordial. It supports a vast diversity of plant, avian, and insect life as well as a great diversity of fish and crustaceans. The dominant life forms are a curious combination of mammalian and reptilian characteristics: warm-blooded, having both scales and fur, laying eggs instead of bearing live young. There are persistent rumors of large creatures resembling Earth's dinosaurs inhabiting the impenetrable southern continent, but the existence of such has yet to be proven.

Imported Earth grains and livestock have little difficulty adapting to Serenity's conditions.

Meteorology
Serenity's atmosphere is nitrogen-oxygen, rich in water vapor. The climate ranges from arctic conditions in the polar regions to tropical conditions near the equator. Serenity is tilted on its axis in a manner that gives it seasons that are very like those of Earth.

Habitation
Three hundred years ago, a ship of El-Aurian colonists landed on Serenity, and the planet has been sparsely populated ever since. It wasn't until the arrival of the humans and Starfleet twenty years ago, however, that the population began to rise dramatically. Where once a few hundred farmers made a living on the fertile soils, today the population is over 500,000, with most of those divided between Serenity City, Lake Town, and the SF Marines Base.

Today, the primary settlement on Serenity is Serenity City, located on a huge bay on the northern continent. It is a bustling, modern metropolis of over 380,000 inhabitants. All manner of facilities and entertainments can be found downtown. The broad, flat landing fields of Serenity Spaceport dominate the Spaceport Quarter, and the office towers of the Starfleet sector base can be seen in the Starfleet Quarter. Scattered all over the rest of the continent are many other small settlements, fishing villages, mining towns, cattle ranches, etc. Starfleet maintains a large Marine training facility on the east coast, built during the First Mulluran War.

There are no human settlements on the southern continent due mainly to the impenetrable jungle that completely covers the land area. There are persistent rumors however, of sightings of native aboriginal inhabitants there.

Serenity City
Serenity City is the largest settlement on the planet, and the capital city. The population is over 380,000 full-time residents. The city is divided into sectors, called 'Quarters', for residential, industrial, commercial, administrative, docks and warehousing, spaceport, and Starfleet uses. Unlike the rest of the planet, which is rather rustic, Serenity City is very new and completely modern in every way.

Lake Town
Built partly on the shores of Blue Lake and partly on pontoons and stilts above the lake itself, Lake Town's primary export is fish. It also serves as a base for explorations further into the continent's interior and is a very popular tourist destination. The main street is lined with souvenir shops and hotels. The tallest building (three stories) in the entire town is the Ogopogo Inn. A small spaceport/airport services the settlement.

Local folklore says Blue Lake is home to a lake monster named Ogopogo in honor of the legendary lake monster in Canada on Earth, and much of the tourist trade is dependent on sales of Ogopogo memorabilia.

Starfleet maintains a small field office in Lake Town, near the spaceport.

An old cemetery lies some distance southeast of Lake Town on the edge of the Cairn Hills. The graveyard is ancient, used by the very first settlers on Serenity more than three hundred years ago. Nowadays it is almost forgotten by almost everyone, and local legends claim the area is haunted by the ghosts of those buried here.

Vesputian Monastery
One hundred miles north of Serenity City along the banks of the Serenity River is the impressive Vesputian Monastery. Similar in appearance to a medieval castle, the monastery is surrounded by hundreds of acres of rich farmland, and is home to several dozen Vesputian Monks. The monks grow many exotic crops for their own use and for export. They value their privacy, so the idle traveler is strongly cautioned against straying too close to their lands.



Starfleet Marines Training Facility
Built as a forward arming and refueling point (FARP) during the First Mulluran War of 2384, the SFMC Training Facility is situated on a broad plain on the eastern coast of Serenity. The base is complete with administrative and educational buildings, barracks, hangars for small spacecraft repair and storage, ammunition and fuel dumps, parade grounds, and landing tarmacs.



Taylor Oceanographic Institute
Named in honor of the famous cetacean biologist Doctor Gillian Taylor, who oversaw the reintroduction of the extinct species 'humpback whale' into Earth's oceans. The Institute is situated in a broad bay on the large island Tranquility's eastern coast and studies all aspects of Serenity's deep oceans. Its isolated placement was intentional, meant to put it as far away as possible from man-made environmental contaminations.

Fishing Villages
There are many small fishing villages scattered about western Serenity, where the waters are warm and the fishing is most productive. Living so close to the often-wild and unforgiving sea, the fishermen have become among the hardiest—and gruffest—inhabitants of Serenity.

Mining & Lumber Towns
High in the Serene Mountains are the mining and lumber towns — small communities that look almost like the old mining towns from Earth's Ancient West. Miners dig for precious metals, but also for more commonplace elements used in construction. There is an ongoing search for dilithium, but none has yet been found.