The South needed more political power to protect their way of life. For that they needed more people and more representatives in Washington. The Indians who lived east of the Mississippi River didn’t count for that. Previous presidents had maintained that the Indian Nations had a right to their territory. Andrew Jackson Indian Removal Act gave him the authority to “request” the Indians to move, thereby giving the South more land. More breathing room.
The Arnami really do have a kazillion eyelids. Their amazingly light-sensitive eyes can see deep under the ocean surface. Normal surface light would blind them if it weren’t for the eyelids. And yes, all those eyelids closed against the light make their eyes look solid black. Real freaky the first time you see them. Or the hundredth. I’m real glad they wear shades when among other humans.
Sunnydale is the name of the system, the star, and the primary colonized world. Well, technically they call the star Sunny, but that’s getting picky from an outside point of view. The world is a lovely place to live, with similar gravity, atmospheric pressure, and temperature ranges to that of Earth. She’s slightly larger, giving her much more land to live on. In general, she’s one of the most comfortable worlds humanity has colonized in our march to the stars.
The European branches of my family considered America a threat to their future. They saw an issue that could break it. Slavery. The North was opposed to the very idea of Slavery on religious and economic grounds. The South depended on Slavery to maintain their economic power, but the 3/5ths representation clause in the Constitution doomed their long-term political power. Only Southern expansion could reverse that trend. My family helped them.
I love visiting the Arnami worlds. Yeah, most of them got Winter Contingencied during The War, but those that survived are something else. Yes, they do live under water. No urban legend there. Heck, a bunch of them live in the Great Lakes, so I actually grew up with them. Most of their cities are pretty shallow, close enough to the surface anyone can see them. But they go pretty deep when they want to. They rarely live on land. Too dry, too bright.
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