Taming The Planet

Still in its infancy, the planet of Loki was inhospitable to terrestrial life. Volcanic eruptions split the ground and spewed thick clouds of gasses into the air. Harsh winds and violent storms tore across the lands. With no root systems to stabilise them the rivers carved and writhed across the bare rocks as they pleased. The high levels of erosion dumped sediment into the sea, itself whipped into a frenzy by the extreme weather. It was going to take a lot of work before a human could even think of setting foot on the surface, let alone live and work there.

With the main component of life (liquid water) already present, attention turned to the next major issue that needed addressing: the atmosphere. Thick with carbon dioxide and a host of other unpleasant gasses it acted as a greenhouse, raising the surface temperature of Loki to liveable but highly uncomfortable levels. To solve this issue- and by extent numerous other issues- arguably the most important family of organisms in Loki’s history were introduced: the grasses.

As anyone who’s attempted to weed a garden will tell you, grasses are hardy, fast growing, and will sprout practically anywhere. They were the ideal first colonisers of the planet. So after selecting numerous different species based on the latitude and environment they would eventually live in, uncountable swathes of grass seeds were sown on Loki.

Of course, the greening of the world was not that straight forward; with nothing organic on land there was no soil, so most seed lay unsprouted on the barren rock. But a few found their way into cracks and crevices, their tiny roots digging minute fissures into the rock, and grew. When they died and decomposed that organic matter accumulated, providing substrate for another seed to grow. This effect started to snowball, as the more grass grew the more substrate was created, allowing even more grass to grow in turn. It took time, but eventually the landmasses of Loki were covered in lush meadows of green waving grasses.

The effect on the climate was astonishing. The grass was like a factory, consuming the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and pumping out oxygen, eventually bringing it up to levels suitable for terrestrial respiration. As CO2 levels dropped so did the temperature, and the planet gradually cooled to a more pleasant, tolerable range, not unlike that of Earth itself.

As the roots locked down the new soil the rivers suddenly found themselves tamed. With the grasses now anchoring them the riverbanks were less inclined to be eroded away, and so the rivers slowed their wild passage, gradually settling into more stable channels. As erosion slowed the amount of sediment washed into the oceans also fell, allowing the waters to clear and become less saturated. As the oceans became more habitable seagrasses, phytoplankton and kelp were introduced, further stabilising the seabed and pumping oxygen directly into the water.

The once wild planet was now domesticated beyond all recognition. And now came the next step for the businessman’s plans: the introduction of animal life.