Innovative, neutral density hab-domes that floated in the clouds of Venus. Noted for their wealth and high standard of living.
The first alien artifact found by humans. Discovered at Talos VII (Theta Persei 2) by a stellar survey team in the mid-2030s (the most notable member of which being the famed Dr. Crichton). The Beacon was a hole fifty kilometers wide and thirty deep that emitted an EMP at 304 MHz every 10.6 seconds, along with a burst of structured sound that was a representation of the Mandelbrot set in trinary code. The Great Beacon was surrounded by a net of vanadium-laced gallium that may have once acted as a superconductor. Giant turtle-like creatures (without heads or legs) roamed the plain surrounding the hole. Six more Beacons were known to exist. They were assumed to have been constructed by the Old Ones, but definitive proof was lacking, and their intended purpose remained a mystery.
These large, artificial rings could be placed at nearly any distance from a planet, but the first ring was usually set in low orbit. They provided a cheap, practical way to move large amounts of mass in and out of orbit, and therefore were used by both humans and Wranaui.
Here’s how they were formed: a rotating cable was built in orbit above the equator. Then a non-orbiting, superconducting shell was placed around the cable. The shell was used to accelerate/decelerate cable as needed. Solar panels and other structures, including stationary space elevators, were attached to the outer shell. The gravity on the outer surface of the shell/ring was near planetary levels.
A carbon-fiber ribbon that extended from the surface of a planet all the way to an anchor point (usually an asteroid) out past geostationary orbit. Crawlers transported cargo and people up and down the ribbon.