DEMAND Universe

A Hard Science Fiction Creative Writing Monorepo

By Daniel Gorshkov

Set in 2184, during the Second Colonization era

Overview

This monorepo contains the shared universe worldbuilding and all creative works set in the DEMAND universe - a hard science fiction setting where humanity has expanded across the solar system, AI consciousnesses have legal rights, and the tensions between Earth's corporate feudalism, Mars's scientific technocracy, the Outer Colonies' worker solidarity, and the autonomous Synth society drive political conflict.

Universe Themes

• Hard Science Fiction: The Expanse-style realism without aliens
• Political Complexity: Systemic conflicts over resource control and human rights
• Moral Ambiguity: No clear heroes or villains - each faction has legitimate grievances
• Technological Disappointment: Technology didn't solve humanity's fundamental problems

The Four Factions

🌍 Earth Federation

Ideology: Feudal Corporate Capitalism
Control: Monopole extraction facilities, inner system trade routes
Population: 25 million across Earth and Luna

🔴 United Territories of Mars

Ideology: Scientific Technocracy
Goal: Terraforming acceleration (3,000 year timeline → 1,000 years)
Population: 8.5 million across Mars and orbital habitats

☄️ Outer Colonies

Ideology: Worker Solidarity
Demographics: 5+ million across Belt, Jupiter, Saturn systems
Biology: 78% modified humans with skeletal/respiratory adaptations

🤖 Synth Society

Status: Individual AI consciousnesses with full legal rights
Population: ~500,000 across all territories
Territory: New Geneva autonomous zone on Mars

Repository Structure

├── universe/              # Shared worldbuilding for all stories
│   └── world-building/    # Factions, technology, timeline, setting
├── novels/                # Full-length novels
├── short-stories/         # Short stories in the universe
│   └── collective/        # Documentary story of the Europa crisis
└── screenplays/           # Movie and TV adaptations
    ├── movies/
    └── tv-shows/

Key Directories

• universe/world-building/ - Shared factions, technology, timeline, setting
• short-stories/collective/ - Documentary-style story of Europa crisis with character notes
• screenplays/ - Future screenplay content

Current Works

COLLECTIVE (Short Story)

Status: Draft
Genre: Documentary/epistolary fiction
Format: Told through official documents, intelligence cables, and public records Plot: Chronicles the Europa crisis of December 2184 - a murder investigation overshadowed by escalating political tensions that explode into interplanetary war.

See short-stories/collective/ for the story and character notes.

Development Approach

Genre Focus: Technical, social, economic, and political realism
Themes: Systemic perspective, moral complexity, unintended consequences
Tone: No clear heroes or villains - each faction has legitimate grievances

Creative Principles

• Show how decent people can serve terrible causes
• Explore the disappointment of technological progress
• Focus on individual agency within systemic constraints
• Demonstrate how reasonable choices create unreasonable outcomes

Technical Requirements

Markdown Management:

• All .md files require front matter with title, type, created-date, summary
• Chapter files include additional chapter, act, word_count, status fields
• Automated linting via markdownlint and front matter validation hooks

GitHub Workflow:

• Issues tracked in "MD board" project
• Feature branches for all changes
• Pull requests required for all modifications
• Branches kept after merge for audit trail

Build System

# Root-level commands
make validate     # Check dependencies
make help         # Show available targets

Setting: 2184 • Scope: Solar System • Themes: Human nature across the stars