Background: District 268

Message

BackworldTraveller · Thu Aug 10, 2023 8:42 am

Astrography
Location
This district is in the Spinward Marches Sector.

Darrian	Sword Worlds	Lunion
Five Sisters	District 268	Glisten
Menorial	Egyrn	Pax Rulin

Worlds
This is NOT a complete listing of the subsector

Location	Name	Categorisation	Trade Codes	Politics	Stars, Giants and Belts	Notes
SM 0931	Asteltine	B7A7402-A	Fl, Ni	NaHu	K7 V, M3 V, Belt	-
SM 1031	567-908	E532000-0	Ba, Po	NaXX	K5 III, D, Belt	Dying Star
SM 1040	Kuai Qing	C503758-A	Ic, Na, Va, Pi	NaHu	K3 V, Belts	Dominated by Trexalon Trading Corporation. Has a colony at Ochecate (SM0837) which includes Mewey and Aslan residents.
SM 1131	Faldor	E5936A7-5	Lt, Ni, Tz	NaHu	M2 V, Belts	Otarri Homeworld. 10% Otarri, 90% Human.
SM 1132	Bowman	D000300-9	As, Lo, Va	CsIm	M0 V, Gas Giant, Belts	Imperial Scout Base.
SM 1133	Squallia	C438679-9	Ni	NaHu	F0 V, Belts	Inter-State War recently concluded.
SM 1232	Walston	C544338-8	Lo	CsIm	M2 V, Gas Giant	Imperial Scout Base. Recent Volcanic Disaster. 70% Gvegh Vargr, 30% Imperial Human.
SM 1233	Flexos	E5A1422-8	Fl, He, Ni	NaHu	M1 V, M2 V, Belt	-
SM 1331	Datrillian	E427633-8	Ni	NaHu	M1 V, Gas Giant	-
SM 1332	Nirton	X500000-0	Ba, Va, Fo	NaXX	M0 V, Gas Giant, Belt	Interdicted by Imperium and Sword Worlds since 621.
SM 1435	Dallia	B885883-9	Ga, Ri, Pa, Ph, An?	CsIm	F2 V, Belts	Administers Elixabeth (SM1532)
SM 1532	Elixabeth	B426467-8	Ni	CsIm	M1 V, M5 V, Gas Giant	Imperial Naval Base, Administered from Dallia (SM1435)

Political Landscape
This subsector is an Imperial District, outside the Imperium's boundaries but with heavy Imperial influence. Several worlds are Imperial Client States. Imperial Administration is centred on Glisten (SM2036) with 100th Fleet (Glisten Based) patrolling the trailing half and 208th Fleet (Five Sisters Based) patrolling the spinward half.
Key Imperial players include the Duchies of Iderati and Glisten, the Imperial Interstellar Scout Service, the Imperial Navy, plus the mega-corporations Hortalez at Cie., Instellarms, Ling Standard Products and Su.S.A.G.
The Ag-Worlds Combine is a food-production based cartel that dominates the rimward end of the subsector. Dallia is a major competitor to that group.
The Sword Worlds and Darrians have settled the region previously, but none of their colonies have been successful in the longer term.

Other Notes
Isaac C. Heinlein and Phenray Vyctor were born on Bowman. Phoenix Bell was born on Dallia.

BackworldTraveller · Fri Aug 11, 2023 9:52 am

Mainworld
SM1133 Squallia C438679-9 Ni

: SM1133 Map.png (288.38 KiB) Viewed 367 times

: SM1133 Hex Key.png (63.42 KiB) Viewed 367 times

Planet
Size
Squallia is a 6200 km Diameter world with 0.35G surface gravity 5.5AU from the Star.
Tallest peaks are approximately 24km above sea-level and outside the atmosphere. At lower levels, peaks can be quite earth-like due to similar glacial remodelling effects.

The planet rotates in 8 hours and orbits the star in 10 years, 59 days, 20 hours, 38 minutes and 23 seconds. There is little axial tilt and thus only a small area at each pole is perpetually dark over winter and perpetually light in summer.

Atmosphere
Very thin oxygen-nitrogen.
0.2 Atm Pressure. (Boiling point of water is approximately 65 degrees C, equivalent of 11.2km altitude on earth)
Respirator required.
n.b. The star is type F0 V and the atmosphere provides limited UV protection.

Hydrosphere
80% Water - Mostly ice-covered. Only the 1500km each side of the equator is generally ice free. Some parts near the pole have ice-cover that is over 10km thick and completely fills what would be oceanic basins. The deepest ocean is 42km deep.

Biosphere
The world has an established biosphere. There is evidence of local biogenesis, but that was enhanced about 300,000 years ago with an eclectic mix of off-world, ice-tolerant land species - all released just south of the main equatorial mountain range. Many died off, and a few have crossed the ice and/or mountains to populate other continents. All have evolved significantly in the intervening period.

Population
The population is approximately 7,000,000 split between 32 major population centres of 100,000 to 200,000 population each and accounting for 2/3rds of the population between them. The remainder of the population is scattered between small drifts of a few thousand inhabitants or so.
Small coastal settlement

The world has nearly 11000 permanent soldiers, but each state tends to utilise mercenary forces to bolster these numbers as necessary - at least one dispute seems to qualify for such measures each decade.

Government
There are 32 separate colonies on Squallia recognised by the IISS.
6 are pro-imperial and have client-state status (including Haager). These states are mostly under the influence of Imperial Megacorporations. e.g. Haager is effectively controlled by LSP.
The remainder are not client states (including Ijmee) - mostly because they don't have mineral resources coveted by the Imperials.

Law
The law level quoted is that at the Starport. The levels of restriction and enforcement vary by state and location.

Starport and Trade
The planet is non-industrial and has multiple Starports - none of which have spacecraft construction capabilities. There are no orbital platforms. Lighterage from orbit can be arranged.

Despite the lack of industry, the primary resource sector (Mines) is alive and well.

History
453: Squallia was settled by colonists from Fornice (Spinward Marches 3025) during the Fornice-Mora population crisis.

1101-1105: The Brushwar is fought between Haager and Ijmee. Elements of the 3951st Imperial Marine Regiment were deployed by the Imperial Navy from 1102 to stabilise the region, protect Haager from Ijmee's attacks* and provide an off-world adjudicator in the dispute.
*Specifically, to protect Imperial (LSP) Mining interests in Haager.

BackworldTraveller · Sun Aug 13, 2023 2:11 pm

Mainworld
SM1232 Walston C544338-8 Lo, Scout Base

: SM1232 Map.png (307.98 KiB) Viewed 351 times

: SM1232 Key.png (55.57 KiB) Viewed 351 times

Planet
Size
Walston is a satellite that is 7259km in size orbiting at 0.2 AU from the primary, Albin's Star. It has 0.6G surface gravity.
Walston has a surprisingly robust magnetosphere that is able to deflect the periodic flares from Albin's Star. These flares make spectacular light shows when they are in full swing.
Walston's volcanism is enhanced by being in a 3:2 orbital lock with the next world out in the system. It has a high spin despite the expected slowing effects of being so close to the primary star and its magnetic field. One day is just 8 hours long.
Atmosphere
Walston itself has a cool climate and a thin oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere tainted by mild pollutant (sulphur-dioxide) affecting low-elevation areas.
Hydrosphere
39% of the surface is covered by water. There is a significant fresh-water filled caldera that covers nearly 1% of the surface and explodes about every 400,000 years. The most recent explosion was about 80,000 years ago.
Biosphere
The Biosphere includes a healthy native biosphere in the sea, while the land lifeforms are all imported, and struggling in a harsh climate and atmosphere that has acidified and warmed considerably over the last half-millennia. As a result, the population relies upon the sea for its staples and supplements this with a few land-grown luxuries nursed through the growing year by attentive farmers and herders.
Barren lands west of the main settlement

Population
The population is about 3000, of which 2100 are Gvegh Vargr.
All the permanent population live at the Starport on Settlement Island, or on various ranges (farmsteads) within 50km.
Why this settlement site was selected is obscure. The original records have been lost and the placement on the most volcanically active and seismically dangerous fault on the planet now seems foolhardy. The population are, however, congenitally stubborn!
Government
There is a Human run, self-perpetuating oligarchy that controls the Starport and the major ranges.
Law
Open display of weapons is forbidden except to law-enforcement and other government personnel.
Starport & Trade
The port contains little but a landing area and basic cargo, passenger and starship fuelling and re-supply buildings. There is no local manufacturing sector other than the artisan construction of spares for expensive, mid-tech vehicles, plant and equipment.

History
IN 1105, much of the eastern half of Settlement island was covered in a blanket of volcanic ash. The island's land surface expanded by 23 square-km during this eruption, although much of this is soft ejecta and is being rapidly eroded by the ocean
Walston's 1105 Eruption

Other Notes

BackworldTraveller · Sun Aug 13, 2023 10:06 pm

Mainworld
SM 1031 567-908 E532000-0 Ba, Po

: SM1031 Map.png (230.38 KiB) Viewed 336 times

: SM1031 Hex Key.png (35.27 KiB) Viewed 336 times

Planet
Size
A 7894km diameter planet with 0.61G surface gravity.
It orbits on a 42-year period at about 19 AU. The planet rotates once every 48 hours.
Atmosphere
The very thin atmosphere with 0.3 atm Pressure. It is a Standard Oxygen / Nitrogen Mix with a taint caused by pollutants - mostly extra-planetary in origin. The oxygen levels are surprisingly high for such a young and unstable biosphere.
Atmospheric pressure is rising slowly. As various gasses have defrosted, the composition and pressure has altered significantly. Current pressures are thought to have been reached about 10,000 years ago.
Hydrosphere
24% of the world is currently covered by ocean. The sea-level is rising at about 10cm per year.
Biosphere
The biosphere is of mixed (sometimes unidentified) origin and unknown initial incidence. Dating the terraforming event(s) is complicated by the rapidly changing baseline and a complete lack of funds.
Population
None. It is unclear if the group that performed the bio-forming ever settled the world.
Government
None
Law
None
Starport & Trade
The Starport is a cleared area of fused rock with a trio of solar-powered beacons. The IISS maintain the beacons annually, at which time they recover the astronomic data collected from the automated instruments observing the stars death.

History
This planet only became habitable about 70,000 years ago. The current state of the planet's ecosystem points to it having been seeded in relatively recent pre-history. The planet has survived two waves of interaction with the thrown-off outer envelope of two separate stars - and the second stellar death is still doing so!
In 420, Mtume Denuli accidentally found gemstones (later called Denuli Crystals) on 567-908.
The IISS has been monitoring the death of the star since 425.
Future
The star will shine brightly as a planetary nebula, and then reduce to a White Dwarf in about 800,000 years. As that happens, the world will return to its previous deep-frozen state. In the mean time, it is being re-modelled as temperatures fluctuate and solar-winds batter the magnetosphere: surface temperature will vary above and below the current habitable status at intervals across the intervening period.

System
Stars

Laragii or Khrer: K5 III
- Young Giant star. This has been on the AGB branch for under 100,000 years.
  - Dust flung from this star is starting to arrive in Bowman, Asteltine and Faldor.
Shekkug: D
- Once the larger twin of Laragii; but this became a White Dwarf about 1.5 Myr ago

BackworldTraveller · Mon Aug 14, 2023 1:51 pm

Mainworld
SM 1131 Faldor E5936A7-5 Lt, Ni, Tz

: SM1131 Map.png (388.82 KiB) Viewed 294 times

: SM1131 Key.png (106.96 KiB) Viewed 294 times

Planet
Size
A 7699km diameter planet with 0.55G surface gravity.
It orbits on a 50-day period at about 0.2 AU. The planet rotates once every 50 days. It is tidally locked.
The libration effects mean that the width of the habitable region is larger than might otherwise be expected.
Atmosphere
The dense atmosphere with 1.8 atm Pressure. It is a Standard Oxygen / Nitrogen Mix with a taint caused by high levels of CO2. The dense atmosphere makes the twilight storms potentially deadly at relatively low speeds.
Earth-sheltered wind-resistant housing

Hydrosphere
25% of the world is currently covered by "ocean" - much of it frozen solid in huge ice-sheets. These equatorial sheets are whipped by warm winds from the sun-pole and the water cascades into the twilight zone. Sunlight melts the snouts of glaciers as the wobble tilts that side of the planet towards the star - and it re-freezes as it's tiled away.
Biosphere
The biosphere is limited to a thin band between the line where temperatures never raise above zero to that where the final extremophiles can no longer survive the heat.
This is the home of the Otarri, a group that evolved in this equatorial band but have never gained the technological imperative to expand into beyond it.
Population
Between 5,000,000 and 7,000,000 sophonts live on this world, within whom just a few tens of thousands Otarri survive in their ancient pattern in a nomadic hunter-gatherer-fisher existence. There is rumoured to be a small Jonkeereen colony well to sun-ward of the main Human settlements.
Jonkeereen Rocks

Mica: A Jonkeereen

Government
The region nearest the Starport is governed by a Charismatic Dictator. The Otarri don't recognise that the settlers have any authority over them, and neither do many of the more distant settlers.
Law
Moderate at the starport, but strictly enforced with off-worlders. Varies with the distance from the port. More remote settlements don't have much access to the centralised Police Service, or the courts.
Starport & Trade
The planet runs to a number of landing fields, but the natives don't encourage shipping to overstay or crews to mingle beyond the starport fences.

History
The Otarri are an amphibious species that follow the seasonal flows and floods occasioned by the axial wobble. Generally, they occupy those areas that are of little interest to the Human settlers - and vice-versa.
Otarri Seeker

The Human permanent settlements are all relatively recent. Traders have called from the sword worlds for hundreds of years but the world had not been seen as a valuable source of anything until the early 900s. There was a battle in the system during the 3rd Frontier War (984) between an Imperial Squadron and a Sword Worlds Navy logistics convoy attempting to sneak through. One sword-worlds vessel crashed onto the ice of the cold-pole, and a few of the crew managed to make it from the crash-site to the Starport - three years later.

Footnote: The TravellerMap, TravellerMap World-Builder and Traveller Wiki agree on little - I have thus gone my own way here.