Electric Sleep- Background Information
(Author's note: The setting for the Electric Sleep series is a bit complex, so I've set up this page to give an overview of the cast of characters, some of the terminology and the general information about society in the setting. Pardon any untidiness, as much of this was copied directly from my personal notes when first writing the fics.)
Delphi Station
The space station upon which the series (or at least the vast majority of it) is set upon. Its main role is to host the suite of radio telescopes used by the mining megacorporation Oracle Prospecting Enterprises (or just "Command" to the station's inhabitants and employees) to find new inhabitable worlds and asteroids with sufficient resources for mining operations, whose coordinates are then sold to mining and colony interests. Large enough to sustain approximately under a hundred crew members for an indefinite period of time, whose roles include analyzing data from the telescopes, maintaining the physical integrity of the equipment and the station itself, and relaying any information about potential resources to Command.
FTL Technology
Current FTL technology uses trans-Newtonian technology to reduce the mass of an object until it can be accelerated beyond the speed of light. Going fast enough to travel between star systems in a reasonable timeframe is expensive, so most people tend not to do it unless they really have to. For sub-light travel, most larger ships use Orion Pulse drives. Smaller ones use fusion torches. As a consequence of the relative scarcity of FTL travel-capable ships, it is common for people to employ couriers to carry out the exchange of goods between systems that require comparatively rapid transportation.
FTL Communications
The majority of less-important communications that occur between planets or star systems are relayed via specialized courier ships in the same manner as the goods mentioned in the "FTL Technology" section, akin to the Pony Express or 21st-century “snail mail”. More important communications are relayed via Quantum Entanglement Transmitters (or QETs), which exploit the property of quantum entanglement to instantaneously send messages over a theoretically unlimited distance. Technically, these could replace the courier ships, but the expense of building them combined with the rarity of the materials used in their creation make it financially unfeasible as of the story’s present time. The MacroNet is formed from several of these QETs networked together to connect various computer systems, essentially acting as an interplanetary version of the Internet.
Earth, the Colonies, and the Government
Earth itself is primarily urbanized now, though some natural areas have remained intact as nature refuges. The Moon and Mars are home to human colonies, as well as a small handful of other planets outside the solar system. However, the sheer distance between Earth and its colonies as well as the impracticality of direct rule has led to the formation of a loose confederacy or alliance between them in lieu of a single unified government. While all human colonies are nominally subservient to the government of Earth, in practice they are autonomous communities for all respects and purposes. This is exaggerated in the case of the colonies outside the solar system, as a result of the expense and difficulty associated with FTL communications.