Constellations of Humanity

As I mentioned in my first post, I am currently writing an SF-comedy novel called Terminal 3. But I am not going to talk about Terminal 3. Instead, I will talk about the project I am planning to develop after I finish Terminal 3. It’s an anthology of 12 stories (lengths TBD, most will probably be novelettes, but it’s possible that a few end as short-stories or novellas). The work title: Constellations of Humanity. It takes place in a future where the different nations in our planet formed 12 major blocks that split the surrounding universe in 12 wedge-shaped quadrants in order to prevent a war on their expansion to the stars. Each story takes place in one of those dominions, which are named after the zodiacal constellations that is in the center of those (if they are seen through the perspective of Earth).

That kind of political arrangement was inspired by the Tordesillas Treaty between Spain and Portugal during the brief time they were both the two European only superpowers with Oceanic navigation capabilities. In order to avoid a war they decide to split the world in the 2: everything West of the Tordesillas line was to be exploited by Spain (most of the Americas except a strip of today’s Brazil and Canada’s Newfoundland and Labrador), what gave both nations what they truly wanted: Spain’s unencumbered access to the riches of the Aztec and Inca Empire and non-competition with its immediate neighbor over the Indian Spice Trade to Portugal . Obviously that treaty did not include the other European nations that quickly rose up to the challenge of colonization of New World over the territories claimed by both Spain and Portugal. The Dutch also quickly became a major competitor for Portugal Spice Trade.

Anyway, in my project there will be none of that. Everybody is included, although sometimes involuntary (in the future I imagined, Japan went back to its imperialistic aspirations and annexed the Koreas). Another feature is in this reality is a major enterprise called Zodiac Corporation that is present is every one of the 12 quadrants as has its own set of laws for their economic projects, although those laws are limited by Terran law (i.e., the laws from Earth, which still exists as a capital at which the 12 quadrants convene in a Senate).

Now, if you are thinking that it will be a gritty political epic, you thought wrong. Most of the stories are supposed to be about individuals that live in those quadrants. Most of them will be common folks. The first and only novelette of that anthology I wrote so far, for example, is about a girl who survived a civil war in the Pleiades and has to join the father, who was stranded in the Aldebaran solar system during the whole war. I submitted this story (named Trial of the Bull) to several magazines. The big ones such as Clarkesworld rejected it based solely on the query letter, without reading the actual story. I’m still waiting for answers for some and there is an e-zine that informed me that they are keeping it in their shortlist and will tell me in April if they will buy it.

I may write another post explaining what it all means, hopefully if I have the chance to announce that Trial of the Bull was sold. Crossing fingers!