Oceans Above: The Habitable Zone is Everywhere

Oceans Above is a tale about the future of space settlements. It is based on the current state of knowledge in astronomy and astrobiology. Recent discoveries indicate that warm oceans are common in large asteroids and moons. This radically alters both the ease of human settlements and of life forming independently elsewhere. In the next 100 years, AI will surpass human intelligence, robots will do all dangerous work, fusion energy will bring unlimited power, and fusion will ignite a new era of exploration, enabling mass migrations across the solar system. With the elimination of aging, a population explosion ensues. The solar system then becomes densely populated, with life thriving on thousands of worlds. The interiors of moons and planets are warm thanks to radioactive heating, creating an abundance of habitable environments safe from deadly cosmic particles and solar activity. Thousands of asteroids in the Oort Cloud become choice real estate if you can get there. As a rogue planet passes, select individuals embark on a journey to leave our solar confines. Two esteemed scientists enlighten the crew with lectures on the worlds that will serve as humanity's galactic archipelago. However, a formidable organization staunchly opposes the notion of leaving the Sun's embrace, setting the stage for a conflict that puts Project Hitchhiker in peril. The future of the human race hangs in the balance in multiple ways.