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Ventus

Karl Schroeder

“Ventus is a terraformed world gone haywire, where the human colonists have lost control over the massive, intelligent network of terraforming machinery that runs the planet.”

In preparation for the arrival of human colonists, the planet Ventus was seeded by an autonomous probe with a suite of terraforming nanotechnology. To coordinate the terraforming effort, advanced AIs called “Winds” were created. Using raw materials from the planet, the Winds slowly changed the planet’s atmosphere andsoil, transforming it from a lifeless, poisonous world to a veritable garden, with pre-built cities and mansions ready for their human masters to arrive. The Winds toiled away over the years, maintaining the fragile artificial ecosystem of Ventus – without their efforts, the planet’s livable environment would degrade and become poisonous once more.

Centuries later, the colonists arrive to populate the planet. But something has gone wrong: the Winds no longer recognize mankind, and begin attacking all human ships and technology as threats to the precarious ecosystem.

From Wikipedia

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