A.C.E. 3/ACE CD 3.iso/files/docs/frontied.lha/FrontierGazetteer.doc

Text File | 1994-11-27 | 115KB | 2,160 lines

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           PRESENTS MORE SHYTE FOR YOU ON THIS FINE BORING DAY
         ======================================================

   FRONTIER - ELITE II - GAZETTEER       TYPED BY SHARD 16 NOVEMBER 1993
   =====================================================================

INTRODUCTION
------------

This gazetteer of selected worlds has been compiled for Faulcon De Lacey by
Darlitz the makers of the well known pocket holiday guides. The principle
contributor was our correspondent David Massey whose tireless travelling
made it possible for so many planets to be described. Such was the tight
schedule for writing this gazetteer his three assistants, Kathy Dickinson,
David Braben, and Ian Bell were called upon to contribute some of its
contents.  It serves as a brief introduction for the avid traveller or a
source of dreams for the sedentary explorer. The Sol System is described
first because of its historical importance along with the Achenar. Both
have headquarters of the two main players in the competition for galactic
rule, the Federation and the Empire. To aid the reader, we have included a
brief history of early part of mankind`s quest

A BRIEF HISTORY
---------------

1950s     First man in space, controlled nuclear fission, transistor, start of
        first nuclear arms race

1960s     First man on Moon, commercial fission power, integrated circuits,
        computers

1970s     Probes in Solar system

1980s     End of first nuclear arms race

1990s     First serious environmental problems on Earth, controlled nuclear
        fusion

2000s     First (minor) armed conflict between a nation and a "multi-national"
        corporation

2010s     First serious population problems on Earth

2020s     First international environmental protection enforcement agency,
        first commercial space station

2030s     Major energy crisis, fossil fuel restrictions, religious unrest,
        first baby born off Earth

2040s     World War III. Huge technological advancements. Huge loss of life,
        dreadful environmental damage

2050s     War gradually abandoned due to popular rebellions. Commercial fusion
        power

2060s     Rebuilding Dominance of corporations increased

2070s    First man on Mars, first permanent Moon base

2080s     Manned exploration of solar system, orbital cities around Earth,
        first interstellar probes launched,

2090s     First permanent Mars base, heavy industry on the Moon

2100s     Discovery of fossils on Mars, "hyperspace" discovered, humans
        throughout solar system

2110s     Arrival of message from first interstellar probe to Alpha Centauri
        system.  First pictures taken of an extra solar planet in the
        Lagrange point of the two main stars

2120s     Presence of life on Tau Ceti 3 detected, first armed conflict in
        space over rights in the asteroid belt.

2130s     Hyperspace capable probes sent to all nearby systems

2140s     Manned space craft sent to Tau Ceti.

2150s     Colony established on Tau Ceti 3 Major corporations sending first
        private colony ships

2160s     The race for the stars. Enormous production effort to produce colony
        ships, and mass exodus started,

2170s     First attempt to terra-form Mars started.

2180s     Life on Delta Pavonis discovered and made extinct in same year from
        bacteriological infection

2190s     Discovery of life on Beta Hydri 4, Altair 5. Human colonials
        spreading out of control

2200s     Earth environmental recovery program started, terraforming of Mars
        abandoned

2220s     Extinctions on Tau Ceti 3 increasing, Earth threatens to send a
        police force if nothing is done about it

2230s     Ultimatum sent to Tau Ceti ignored

2240s     First interstellar battle.  Formation of the Federation, founder
        members: Earth Tau Ceti, Delta Palonis, Altair, Beta Hydri.

2260s     Spread of Federation influence

2270s     Second attempt to terra form Mars started

2280s     Discovery of first non human relic in space. Origin still unknown in
        3200

2290s     First man "outside" on Mars (ie breathing unaided) on completion of
        terraforming

2300s     Remaining indigenous life on Tau Ceti 3 preserved in special
        enclosures

2310s     News of elimination of a reputedly sentient race on Achenar 6d by
        private colonists causes outrage in the Federation Achenar refuses
        to join Federation many terra forming projects started

2320s     Federation sends war fleet to Achenar Resulting enormous space battle
        won by Achenar

2330s     Spread of Empire from Achenar to surrounding worlds War between
        Empire and Federation

2340s     Continuing battles between Federation and Empire

2350s     Sirius corporation founded, and grew rich supplying the war fleets

2360s

2370s

2380s     Treaty signed between Empire and Federation,



Achenar
=======

This system consists of ten major bodies only one of which, Achena 6, has
habitated planets in its vicinity.  It is one of the only systems with
three worlds with a breathable atmosphere, although two are terraformed.
The most notable feature of this system is that it is the base of the
Empire and Emperor Hesketh Duval whose seat is on the natural world Achenar
6d (known as Capitol to locals).  The Emperor is of the Duval dynasty
decended from Marlin Duval. She was a wealthy woman, disenchanted with the
Earth administration and authorities. who set off with her own colonising
fleet to Achenar 6d because it was so far from Earth. Her leadership ended
when her brother, Henson oversaw a flying "accident" in which he perished.
The democratic government changed abruptly to one of strict Imperial rule,
and from then on the family assumed leadership. Female children in the
family are prevented with genetic techniques such is the vehement hatred of
Marlin Duval`s principles and vision of a world living in peace.

In the past the Federation has tried to get various emperors to agree to
joining them but his has been met with derision. The population growth
necessitated the terraformation of Achenar 6b and Henson oversaw the
eradication of a reputedly sentient race on Achenar 6d and began to
influence other systems, enraging the Federation. This led to the first
large scale space war, from which Achenar emerged victorious and, swelled
with success the Empire spread to other worlds. Sporadic battles were
fought for many years until finally, leaders of the Empire and the
Federation signed a treaty pledging to stay on amicable terms. It was not
worded so tightly that hostilities could not continue in the outer reaches
of territories while leaders displayed solidarity in public.

Tourists, once they have amassed the documents required to visit the
Achenar system, flock to see the Emperor`s palace on Capitol (6d). The
building is a vast structure of a pink glass like material which shimmers
in the sun and glows as it re emits the energy at night Foreign visitors
are welcomed by palace staff who use subtle pro Empire propaganda in an
attempt to undermine the Federation. This greeting is not extended outside
the palace grounds where a person with a Federation accent is met with
scorn unless money can be made out of them. The accent of the Empire has
evolved out of Achenanians trying to mock the standard Federation diction
by accentuating certain vowels.  To the foreigner their speech sounds
rather like a whine.

Such is the capitalist way of life, there are not many items that are
illegal to buy or sell, quite why the line is drawn at radioactives and
nerve gas is a mystery - perhaps they could pose the most significant
threat to the Emperor, should anyone feel ambitious? KD


Ackwada
=======

The official discovery of this system and its habitable planet is nowadays
accredited to Augustus Brenquith, although the Rockforth Corporation claim
the land deeds and development rights to the system. Thirty nine years
after the Corporation declared the system its own, an ancient message
capsule was recovered from outside the orbit of Jupiter in the Sol system,
tumbling in an uncontrolled fashion. It is now believed that the capsule
suffered a power failure immediately after returning to Sol by hyper space
and had been orbiting Jupiter for an untold length of time.

The discovery aroused considerable interest amongst archeologists on Earth
at the time and while the capsule was in transit to New Delhi University
there was heated debate as to whether the artifact should be opened or not.
When the capsule was studied, the seal was seen to be broken, so the matter
was resolved. Inside the capsule was a message crystal with the log of the
second five years of Augustus Brenquith's solitary search for new worlds,
his "glittering legacy", included in the list of planetary systems he had
stumbled upon was that of Ackwada

Ackwada is a benign world, with a gravity very closely matched to that of
Old Earth and a pleasant climate.  Many visitors and industrialists
attending Corporation functions are struck by the similarity to the home
world.  Locals tend to be bitter about this comparison, pointing out that
Earth has seen fit to launch four separate invasions on the planet in the
past.  In many ways Thompson's planet is one of the disputed zone, roughly
equally spaced between the heart of Federation and Empire. Rockforth
Corporation managed to preserve the colonys independence during the early
years, and this trend has continued, even though the Corporation holding
rights to the planet has changed several times since the founding

Rush's Camp is a heavily industrialised city, and raw materials are
transformed into the machines and tools needed by the developing system.
The outspill of pollutants and wastes is unrestricted, because of early
Corporation law, and the environment in the region of Rush`s Camp is
unhealthy except in protective wear.  The local life forms have mostly
fallen prey to heavy metal poisoning and carcinomas from effluents of the
different plants. The air near Rush`s Camp is not safe to breath for long
periods without a respirator or sophisticated filter system

Most people turn to Yorkville for relaxation. The Corporations owning the
World provide regular free shuttles between the two major cities and as the
local saying goes "Rush to work, Rush for pay, York you live, York to play.
The entertainment sectors of Yorkville are Corporation sponsored and this
has led to allegations amongst some neighbouring star systems that
organised crime has set up at Ackwada. This charge is vigorously denied by
all senior executives of the Corporations and legal actions are in progress
in several colonies in this regard. The Corporations have found the threat
of punitive legal damages and costly trials is an effective deterrent for
all but the most vociferous of their opponents

Ackanphi
========

At about the same time as the Ackwada system was being colonised by the
Rockforth Corporation, a consortium of smaller industrial groups laid claim
to the Ackanphi system.  There were five principle shareholders in the
venture,  Nagoshima,  Grendell-Hooper, Shan- Boorman, Memoryvista and
G'greenventure.  Unlike many joint corporation ventures, after initial
establishment of planetary bases the groups did not fall to squabbling over
exploitation rights.  The five corporations consolidated their positions
and ground together as a single trading entity to deal with outsiders.

The world of Biggs is only about half the mass of Earth, but has a
correspondingly smaller radius, so that surface gravity is almost Earth
normal introduction of terrestial flora and fauna proceeded in an orderly
fashion, thanks largely to the influence of rebecca Swaan- Schiffman of
G'greenventure. The environmental control policies introduced by the Big G
corporation (as it became known) have made Biggs an ecological show-case
for planetary management.  Cynics point out that because of the lack of
large predators on the planet, there were no native species needing
control, but a quick scan through the colony records quickly dispels that
peaceful illusion.

Early in the colony's history, there were a series of dangerous plagues and
diseases, which nearly ended the colony. The Shan-Boorman Corporation
imported a team of reasearch biochemists to tackle the problem and
Grendell-Hooper financed the building of a suite of laboratories. These
eventually grew into the Shan-Hooper Institute, one of the most prestigious
science academies of the known worlds. The plague was defeated after three
years of intense work and now all visitors are routinely inoculated against
fast disease and filigree on arrival at any starport. (The two diseases
are still endemic to the World of Biggs and quarantine laws are strictly
enforced)

The Institute was not disbauded after solving the initial acclimatisation
diseases, but remained and was expanded to encompass other fields of study.
Early in the history of the colony it was visited by Munkhouse Brewer, a
famous singer songwriter of the time and a friend of Siobhan Young the
poet. Munkhouse composed a fairly trite popular song declaiming the "fiery
skies and demons' eyes" of Biggs, but managed to convey to Siobhan the
haunting beauty of the Ackanphi system.

Young, and her artist companion Taylor Arkwright came to view the marvels
first hand, and stayed to capture the sights for themselves. The cycle
poem "Blazed by glory, insipid flesh" created a place for Young amongst the
very best and secured her the chair of the newly formed faculty of Arts at
Schneider university.  Taylor Arkwright shunned all publicity and instead
made a new colony on the third planet, funding a small dome base by selling
most of his early works.  For forty two years he worked in complete
obscurity, refusing contact with outsiders, painting and drawing the scenes
he beheld

Arkwrights anonymity came to an end when a persistant young artist, Dieter
Blemmring from Achenar, sought him out after seeing The third leaf in
Facece Central Museum.  Impressed by Arkwright's early work, Blemmring
sought out the master and persuaded the painter to let him visit Taylor's
Claim. Thus began the artists colony on Taylor's Claim, which has become a
refuge for painting, sculpting and all forms of representational art. Many
of the most famous works in known space are kept in the refuge, and it is
the ambition of all Empire artists to view the collection at least once in
their lives.

With science and the written arts established in the Ackcanphi system, it
was not long before other faculties, for performing arts, humanities and
philosophy were developed in Biggs. This has developed into a cultural and
aesthetic centre for the region. For some reason the local pirate raiders
have kept clear of the universities, museums and galleries of Biggs and the
planet and its Corporations are rightly proud of the high reputation it
holds amongst the cultured people of the Empire.

DM

Alioth
======

Alioth presents a star system of enormous potential, yet to be fully
exploited by its colonists.  It has had a chequered history in terms of
political dominance, and both Empire and Federation forces have fought over
the rights to control the system. The only period when both Empire and
Federation have acted together towards Alioth was the Quaterson revolution
of 2617 when the people of Gordonworld attempted to wrest freedom from both
major powers Quentin Devisises led a coup to try and establish Gordonworld
(then known as Fruitcake) as a local capital of free traders, but was
ruthlessly suppressed by a rare combined naval action of Federation and
Empire navies

New California was terraformed shortly thereafter, using an experimental
accelerated program of genetic modifications. The Empire initiated the
methods which met with mixed success in this trial planet. In later years
the approach has become more reliable but the native colonists of New
California occasionally exhibit unusual traits which are carry overs from
the mutagenic past. This is partly responsible for the favour show towards
the Federation by New Californians.  If carried out to the letter the
Empire's attitude to racial purity would call for a repopulation of the
colony and removal the affected inhabitants. To prevent this there is a
permanent petition for recognition as a Federation protectorate from the
population of New California

The experimental origins of the planet of New California in no way detract
from its beauty and the mutagens buried in the environment are of no danger
to tourists (NOTE: Anyone planning to stay longer than 300 standard days
should ensure they recieve the appropriate vaccination and chemical
therapies after 200 days and at regular intervals thereafter). The system
as a whole presents a stunning visual appearance, with an abundance of gas
giants orbiting the giant central star.  It has been compared in its
compelling beauty! to the sextuple sun systems of Andbephi or Ioaray. The
star inspired the flash-rock group Jjagged Bbanner's first quad platinum
recording "Sungrazing" which led to their enormous rise to popularity

The enormous hydrocarbon resources made available by the large number of
gas giants, as well as the primary star of the system have led to a huge
plastics industry based at this system. The scientists of Nesbitt Landing
introduced the quinker process and led to a revolution in robot production
techniques.  They still lead the Federation in many aspects of design and
production of automata, especially androids. These products are highly
sought after amongst the Empire worlds

DM

Altair - Biggs Colony
=====================

Out of the twenty bodies of this system this is one of two notable planets,
for their extreme conditions.  Biggs Colony is a jungle world with high
humidity and very interesting wildlife, which makes it a popular holiday
destination for those who like an adventure. Hotels abound and cater for
all tastes, even providing conditions for those who normally live in very
different environments.  In case they need a break while on holiday. For
example natives of Stevenson in the Phiagre system can rest in refrigerated
apartments.  Outside hotels, humans need to wear all enviroument suit such
are the extremes of heat and humidity on these sort of planets. When
tourists arrive on Biggs Colony they must sign a disclaimer in case they
are injured by any of the wildlife (unless on hotel property, such as the
animal free areas).  All sorts of life abound, and visitors not used to
this tend to go wandering unprotected, enchanted by the sights and sounds.
Jungle Search is a thriviug business which offers to search the jungle for
parts of a lost friends or relatiles of tourists, when they go missing, for
burial purposes

Many vaccinations are required if you intend to go on jungle treks, as the
deseases are as varied as the wildlife. When you leave a hotel you are
issued an environment suit, a stun gun, a large swat big enough to down an
Oort fly (you would need body armour to protect yourself fully from this
beast).  If you pale at the thought of close contact with nature, you can
take a trip on a Landcrawler which transports you through the jungle
protected by a Securifield

The second planet, Darkes Hollow is very hot and not pleasantly so - the
average temperature is 226 degrees Centigrade. The reason it is populated
at all is the ore available for mining is very rich in metals. Miners
families live there in small underground communities and the mining
corporation subsidises two holidays on Bigg`s Colony per year. Robots have
to do most of the surface work as the temperatures and radiation there are
too great for humans Power is derived from massive arrays of solar panels
which run the very powerful air reconditioning units for the settlements
below, and also drive the vast smelting operation Reputedly, enormous
danger money is paid to miners when they need to venture on to the surface
in their powered armour.  In order to do some urgent repair or other.
There have even been stories of disenchanted workers arranging for robots
to be unavailable when a good arises, just so they can receive the one-off
payment and leave the hated place forever.


Andceeth
========

Andceeth boasts a bustling starport in the city of Diamond, and travellers
from a host of worlds come to stay in the splendour and luxury of its
hotels.  These date back to the early days of the Federation, when Diamond
was  the major centre for Commercial transactions between planetary
govemments. Before the days of the Universal Bulletin Board and guaranteed
transfer.  The worlds of Andceeth were the banking centre for the
Federation

The mineral reserves for the largest companies of the Federation and many
planetary governments were stored in an enormous vault built on Trouble.
Andceeth two.  The violent surface storms, constant electrical discharges
and corrosive atmosphere were intended to deter would be raiders. The
actual banking and commercial centres were established on the more
congenial world of Capitol (not to be confused with the heart of the
Empire).

Despite the harsh conditious of Trouble, there were several recorded
attempts to raid the vault and make off with the biggest haul in the
history of crime.  None of the raids ever succeeded, although Hari van
Dryuver managed to penetrate all (of the outer defences before dying of a
heart attack brought on, so it is said, by the sight of so much wealth in
one spot Even if Hari had managed to leave the planet, it is still doubtful
that he would have escaped the enormous police presence maintained at the
time.

The most audacious attempt on the Federation reserves was launched by
Colonel Maximillian Wrekcht, one-time commander of the Empire's fifth
fleet.  Embittered by a series of defeats at the hand of the Federation he
attempted to destroy the vault by means of an asteroid bombardment, from an
orbit just outside that of the sixth planet. He entered the system with a
modified and heavily stealthed cruiser and managed to deflect three
planetoids towards Trouble before he was detected. The Federation were
able to destroy two of the missiles and shunt the last into the sun.
Maximillian was subject to court marshall in his absence, but most people
believe he died trying to ram the vault with his own ship in a final
defiant gesture at the Federation.

When the system of guaranteed transactions and Universal Bulletin Board
trading was introduced, the commercial heart of Andceeth was destroyed.
There followed a very turbulent period and fortunes were made and lost in
minutes in the chaos surrounding the charge. The world suddenly pluuged
from being the banking capital of the explored worlds to relatively
anonymous dot in most computer star banks.

Capitol now preserved a jealously guarded independence of both Federation
and Empire, relying on agriculture and mineral exploitation to support its
inhabitants.  The vault on trouble was seized by the planetary govemment
two months after the conversion to guaranteed transfer, and although much
depleted from its initial state, the mineral wealth contained there has
been enough to finance the colony towards complete self sufficiency. The
colony now runs on a democratic system and is a popular trading stop for
the communities of the surrounding star systems


Anlave
======

Anlave is a small, compact system, with a long and distinguish history in
the records of the Federation navy. It was originally colonised by a team
of experimental horticulturalists, eager to try and develop new citrus
crops in a different stellar system than Old Earth. In this regard, the
colony was a failure and the three new strains developed in the early
years, the plum lemon, ground fruit and the mugwach were engineering
disasters.  Vast tracts of land had been given over to the new crops and
when the market failed to materialise the colonists sought new income.

Luckily, at the same time, the emerging Federation navy were looking for
cheap land to establish dockyards and supply depots and accepted the offer
made by the colonists of Anderton. One continent was sold to the military
for their sole use.  This was sufficient to provide the scientists with
capital to fund their next series of crops the potato-grape, harricot
marrow, carrot-banana and lentil quince. These new arrivals also failed to
excite  the  gourmet palates of the Federation, and the scientific
entrepreneurs left Auderton, run out by irate farmers. Ironically, thirty
four years later the potato grape was revived, when it was found to provide
a perfect feed for the newly discovered Verrix beast of Phiagre.

The Anlave system was a focus for the third birthright wars, and many of
the early settlements were destroyed by bombardment. The Federation navy
took great losses during the surprise attack, but rallied round the
flagship of Adnmiral Ghenkis B'nami and in a flourish of innovative
surprise manoeuvres, recaptured the planet and drove the invaders away.
After the raid, the defences of the naval base were strengthened and
additional bases were established on Anderton's mine and Denver. Military
influence on the re established farming community on Anderton remains
strong.

With three planets having substantial military presence, and a wide variety
of environments to hand, Anlave was a natural choice for the first military
training academy outside the Sol system. It is also conveniently situated
at the heart of a moderately dense group of stars, and has several times
been a local administrative centre. This pivotal role in local space has
led to it being the focus of attention for nearby wars. The population of
the planet has varied cousiderably during its history, and the number of
settlements has in the past been far greater than at present. Although the
Academy has now moved to the custom world of Navy Central in the nearby Eta
Cassiopeia system, most of the naval administration remains including some
of the naval repair facilities.

Fraser is an interesting city to visit, but the bustle of constant naval
activity coupled with the tacitum nature of the native farmers and miners
means that it can be hard to get to know the people of the colony. The
museums of the planet are very well laid out especially the Menmory of
Gildur building in honour of the planets only truly great musician. A more
depressing, but equally impressive display is the Folly of mankind
exhibition, which graphically displays the desolation suffered in the wars
for the planet.


Arcturus
========

The main settlement is on Discovery, a planet with an oxygen atmosphere
and, like others of this type is used for agriculture to feed the rest of
the galaxy.  For those unaccustomed to living under a red giant, the red
light of day is rather unsettling, particularly during the summer when
there is permanent daylight, such is the inclination of the planet Some
find it disturbing and locals regularly see newcomers in a state of
hysteria as they try to get passage home prematurely. "Red people" as they
are known are said to be strange and this is attributed to the colour of
the light.

When the first settlers arrived, life was at an early stage of evolution so
was easily replaced by the species introduced. Despite the knowledge in
the field of ecology, humans still manage to end up with an imbalance due
to the complexity of building a system from scratch Evolution still does it
best, but then it does have time on its side.

Due to the orbital period, seasons last for around seven Earth years. this
is quite a daunting thought when that can mean seven years of almost
complete darkness or daylight For this reason, those who can afford it have
two homes, one in the southern and one in the northem hemisphere. If they
are very fortunate, a person may have a residence in another system. Those
who are less so, make do with artificial lighting to provide the
wavelengths essential for human survival. Even so, the suicide rate is
always high in the winter years. People born in different seasons have
distinct personalities, due to their formative years spent in one extreme
or the other.

The inhabitants of the Arcturus system ignore warnings from the Stellar
Monitoring Service, that the sun is not stable. Reports suggest that is
likely to collapse into a white dwarf in the next few thousand years, but
some studies say that it could be in the next hundred. Collapse would
produce massive doses of radiation which would be received by all orbiting
bodies, killing all life. Still, the locals insist on staying. Any change
in the sun`s state will be announced by the S.M.S. so visitors should not
be put off.

KD


Arexack
=======

Peter's Eden is a small mined out world resettled by followers Church of
KumByar, an obscure sect which believes in an after life made progressively
less awful by successive years of virtuous living. For 100 Arexack-years
after the founding of the colony (65 Earth-years of prayer, head shaving,
flagellation, and life-extending drugs) there was little trade with Peter`s
Eden since the settlers lived austere lives eating locally grown roots and
vegetables raw.

But then Galactic Play Boy Zack Blackbeam spent some ten million Credits on
HoloProjectors and meteorological control deviccs to stage a fake Coming of
KumByar on Peter's Eden.  The settlers, being religious and extremely
gullible, were totally taken in and so devastated to hear that their
ascendence to the Highest Level of Paradise was prevented only by the
"displeasing shave" of their leader His Magnificence the Right Holy Ssord
Rettu III

65 sin free years were promptly tarnished by the lynching of Rettu III and
74 years of bloody holy war that continues to this day. The Church is
violently divided over the interpretation of the phrase "displeasing
shave".  The traditionalists believed that KumByar had found them wanting
on grounds of insufficient baldness and now remove every follicle of hair'
from the body using micro laser surgery. The other side feel that shaven
skin is offensive in His Sight and, with the aid of imported hormonal
treatments, attempt to grow verdent hair over every part of their bodies.
This war has brought Arexack back into Galactic Trade, importing firearms,
defollicalation kits, and hair creams; exporting root crops and pelts.

IB

Ayethti
=======

Topaz has rich indigenous life, but little has progressed from the seas to
the land. For this reason most star catalogues class the world as a water
world.  It would be more appropriate to describe it as one enormous
paddling pool, with an occasional large hill. The world possesses no
really deep oceans, instead it has a thin covering of mineral rich water,
rarely deeper than 300m. The water is at an almost uniform temperature,
making swimming a very pleasant experience, since it is almost impossible
for a human to sink in the dense liquid.

Life forms on Ayethti have adapted to the rich mineral broth of the seas
and they out compete introduced life forms from the Federation and even
bio-engineered empire technology is no better than the native species. The
colonists of this world therefore farm the local fauna and flora, exporting
large quantities of protein rich plankton and krill like animals. Mining
of the mineral rich seas is conducted both directly, on land and
underwater, and indirectly by harvesting modified animals which filter and
concentrate desired salts from the water.

The planet orbits an M red flare star, and most colonists have flare
shelters beneath the protective water of Topaz. The starports are all
situated on land and have provision for shelter for all visitors. It is
mandatory for all visitors to signflare disclaimers and prove they have
adequate insurance cover before they are allowed on the world.

Flares are a spectacular sight and stellar seismologists normally provide
good warning of impending events. If you are present on Topaz when a flare
is publicised, it is worth delaying your leaving until after the event. A
local law on Topaz, followed in Simpsontown and Lomas (but less so at
Fortress  Sheehan)  is that a hotel resident can extend a booking
indefinitely during a flare this is very useful for a visitor since when a
flare is declared, hotel charges for new visitors have been known to
increase seven fold or more over the resident price.

Topaz may be well known amongst amateur astronomers and star gazers for its
flares but what makes it truly famous was the creation of Quitolline. It
is  amazing  that  until  the  Topaz  life forms were studied for
pharmaceuticals, over 80% of all space travellers were subjected to
hyperspace sickness. This is a tremendously debilitating syndrome which is
now almost unrecognised. Only the very few people who suffer from allergic
reactions to Quitolline need endure the disorientation of hyper-jump
sickness.  (And most such people really prefer to remain at home and do
their stellar travelling second hand by way of sensa- vid). Quitolline is
the most effective anti-h-sickness drug ever discovered and its synthesis
from naturally occurring forms on Topaz is a closely guarded secret. It
forms one of the major exports for the planet and system.

D.M.


Aymiay.
======

Cooperworld is a hot and steamy jungle planet, of the sort often depicted
in the more ridiculous high adventure yarns of the popular vid media. It
teems with native life and the raucous cries of the native fauna which fill
the night time can be unsettling to newcomers. The grail bat imitates the
sounds of a screaming human with uncanny accuracy and can be very
off-putting for the unwary. It is regrettable that the native colonists
seem to have developed a habit for playing practical jokes on new arrivals,
so any visitors had best be prepared for some sleepless nights

The jungle provides a fascinating and lively environment for tourists and
the world has a wide range of indigenous life. This has been allowed to
remain since the plant and animal life can all be assimilated by the human
digestive system.  This means that colonisation of the world has been
relatively cheap to carry out compared to terraforming, but the humid
conditions of the world have limited industrial development. Most income
for the world comes from organised hunting and exploration parties.

Lomasport forms the centre for the Revised Catholic Mission and has three
universities, each with a very high reputation amongst the federation
worlds.  The Grahamhurst theological college has produced some of the most
incisive philosophers and radical thinkers of modern times, as well as a
constant stream of missionaries to the outer systems and worlds of the
Empire.

Goldstein starport maintains ship repair facilities which are universally
acclaimed, and it is a major centre for used ship exchanges in this region
of the explored worlds.  The world is proud of its allegiance to the
Federation and adheres strictly to the legal code of Old Earth Visitors
from the Empire should be aware of the restrictions on the introduction of
slaves to the world. Any man or woman resident on the planet for a period
of more than thirty days is automatically decreed a free person and laws of
the Empire are not binding. This information is clearly stated in all new
immigration documents, but has caused diplomatic incidents in the past

DM

Bedaho
======

Bedaho is famous throughout the known worlds as the home of the goldskins.
There are very few worlds which do not leave some marks upon the human
population but few are as obvious as that of Bedaho. While many humans go
to some lengths to hide any effects their home planet might produce, the
population of Home delight in showing off their differences

Any form of life which grows on Home is infected by a native life form, at
the sub- cellular level.  It is entirely benign and some people believe
that it confers resistance to some viral infections. The only side effect
of infection is to turn the host creature a radient glow colour. A visit
to Home is like taking a trip into King Midas' court, the world glows with
gold from one horizon to the other. Every living creature on the planet
shimmers with life and glisters in golden hues. The crops are gold, the
trees are gold, the animals are gold and the people are golden.

The only other colours are pigments, produced in vast quantities by the
local chemical plants and used at every opportunity to break up the
landscape.  People from Home are probably unique in the known worlds for
preferring granite jewellery and jade ornaments to those of gold. There is
little demand on Home for the metal gold, except for electronics and
robotics, but other precious metals and luxury goods are always welcome.
There is a ready market on Home for off world animal pelts, any shape,
pattern or shade makes a welcome change to the locals who regard their
planet's life forms as being monotonously dull, despite the richness of the
colours involved.

There is a corresponding trade from Home to the rest of the known worlds
for goldskin leather. Astrogator Corporation signed an exclusive deal with
the planetary government of Home early this century giving it sole rights
to commercial use of goldskin leather in its ships and yachts. It is the
quality and colour of the leatherwork which marks an Astrogator spacecraft
as distinctive, quite apart form the other luxury features which it might
enjoy.  Several other companies use goldskin fabrics to give themselves an
edge in the luxury markets as well.  At one stage the uncontrolled
slaughter of native and imported animals threatened to turn the colony into
an anarchy, but intervention by the Imperial navy restored order. In
modern times the culling of local animals is strictly controlled by
government, and poaching carries a very heavy sentence and fine.

The exact nature of the organism which causes the goldskin effect is not
completely determined yet, though its effects are well understood. A
creature born on the planet or remaining there for a prolonged time (longer
than 30 days) will become infected by the organism and then acquires the
distinctive pigmentation within a few weeks. The colour is permanent and
goldskins who leave the planet remain golden but the organism is not passed
on by any form of contact. Empire technicians trying to get the goldskin
effect to appear in laboratory animals have so far failed to duplicate the
condition necessary for the organism to survive


Beta Hydri
==========

Conveniently situated approximately halfway between the centres of both
Federation and Empire it is one of the founding memebers of the Federation.
Following the first interstellar war.  This large system maintains a
thriving  civilisation  and trade.  The main World of Homeland has
established itself as a major centre for trading in luxury goods and the
downtown regions of Dickens and Hooper are renowned for precious metal work
and jewellery. The authorities on the planet have attempted to control the
spread of industrial technology, craftsmen and women provide high quality
finished work, for a price. Tourism is a major source of income for the
system, though several major corporations maintain large offices here,
because of the convenient location.

The terraformed world of New Caledonia was settled originally by two
families of mega millionaires of Scottish descent,from Capitol (before it
became the centre of Empire administration). They financed the conversion
of the world, and placed major constraints on its development. As was the
wish of the founding families, the world is devoted to game hunting and
fishing, with large areas of the planet given over to moors, fens and
forests despite the relatively high population.  The planet lives by
tourism and sporting events.  The planet also has a reputation for good
stables and has held the interstellar equestrian finals more often than any
other planet.

New Caledonia also has a reputation for producing the finest liquor in
civilied space with several distilleries vying for the highest accolades.
Many believe that the ultimate prize must be held for Fujiyama Old Gold, or
Glen Halycouia whiskeys

DM


Cemiess
=======

A curious system, thought to have lost its outer planets many millenia ago
due to a close encounter with another star system. The lack of gas giants
in the system delayed any major settlement until 3055, despite the inner
planet, Maxwell Rock being quite mineral rich (named after the ancient
explorer Pol Maxwell, now widely known from the popular dream sequence
"Maxwell Returns").  The early miners found the cost of bringing in their
own fuel outweighed the potential gain. It seems hard to believe now, with
the Core so thoroughly populated, that a known "mineral rich would be left
alone for so long, but in those days planets were plentiful and people
thinly spread.  The Core then was much like the Outer Rim today. It was
also before the invention of the shield generator so scooping fuel from a
star was out of the question

The Empire began terraforming Cemiess 2 in 3080, partly to satisfy the
enormous demand for outdoor space by its exploding population, and partly
as a political snub to the Federation. The Federation had previously
claimed the world, but the decision to start the terraforming process was
still tied up in bureaucracy. The Federal Senate had already postponed the
scheme three times in order to keep within budget on the New Worlds project
This was largely due to Governor Santorini of Tau Ceti (nicknamed Proxmire
by the press from some obscure historical reference) whose cost cutting
exercises are now seen as having been very destructive to Federal progress
in the long term. Nevertheless his tax cutting policies were popular at
the time, and he is still the longest serving govement there - 76 years up
to his assassination in 3098.  Emerald was first settled by imperial
colonists in 3101, shortly followed by a heavily armed group from the
Federation led by Admiral O`Brien. He personally supervised the building
of a major fortification in only three days (seen in the gung- ho
propaganda film "O`Brien`s War"), but all there died a week later from a
mysterious plague.  Both sides fought intermittently over Emerald for the
next thirty years ending when Imperial Clone Troops were sent in and the
imperial XV Fleet were stationed there. A diplomatic solution was finally
found in 3136 in the Emerald Treaty, which narrowly avoided an assault by
an enormous Federal task force, and brought about the uneasy peace we have
today. It is also why Cemiess is the only imperial system in which slavery
is illegal.  This was to satisfy Federal demands, but there is reputed to
be a thriving black market in them.

DB


Enaness
=======

The colonist of this system established a rigourous communist hierarchy on
the only oxygen atmosphere planet of the system. The regime has prospered
and the body politic dominate the other worlds starports. The population
of the worlds are booming and increasing in prosperity. All mining and
industrial interests are state owned and largely automated Slavery is
strictly forbidden and freedom is assured to anyone arriving in the
territory regardless of race. Religious ceremonies of any form are illegal
and commitments made in such circumstances are regarded as void under
Enaness law

All inhabitants of the system have a birthright guaranteed by the state,
which is a single journey ticket to either Earth or Capitol, no other
property is acknowledged.  political indoctrination begins early on in
childhood, but anyone declaring a desire to leave free to do so. There is
no return permitted, however immigration to the worlds is strictly
controlled and all goods are turned over to the state on arrival. Traders
and visitors sometimes find the attitude of the inhabitants to material
goods disconcerting

The academy of Rymhananman is justly famous for its theoretical physics and
chemistry departments.  It also boasts the foundation established by
Wyksyrndra Baranha to explore and exploit Enaness 4. WyKsymdra is famous
for his conjecture that the fourth planet of Enaness was the homeworld of a
civilised alien race, who later terraformed Charles Colony when they
rendered their own world uninhabitable by excessive pollution.  The
evidence for his theory is hotly disputed by many eminent archeologisls,
but they are at a loss to explain the peculiar mineral deposits of Enaness
4 and the absence of ancient fossils on Enaness 5 The abrupt appearance of
life sprung full grown in all its glory suggests to Baranha tentative
evidence of the works of an ancient spacefaring civilisation.

If this theory is correct, there is no doubt that the alien species, and
all tangible artifacts have disappeared during the intervening millenia.
Part of the work of the foundation is to analyse the native species of
other alien worlds and see if there are any anomalous similarities across
worlds.  The task is monumental and no conclusive results are expected for
at least a century. The Foundation is supported by voluntary contributions
from a number of trusts and charities. For information about donations,
consult your local library database

DM


Epsilon Eridani
===============

This system has nine planets, three of which are home to humans. The most
noticable, is the inner pfanet New California, terraformed by the Cisco
Corporation in 2958.  This large conglomerate made a fortune with a
patented terraforming method and now they have interests in innumerable
fields.  It is a beautiful world with stunning panoramas everywhere;
flowers exotic trees, rivers and mountains have been carefully placed to be
aesthetic.  In fact it is so consistently picturesque that some people
become distressed.  When they are used to worlds with pockets of scenic
beauty scattered amongst jungles of the urban type, it all gets a bit too
much on New Califomia where there isn't so much as a discarded vidicube
wrapper in the verdant garden

Most come here for the Cisco Theme Park which was set up with no expense
spared and costs a fortune to visit. It is well worth it though because
you can live in a world of almost any fantasy you wish, even murder (slaves
are very useful). If you want a break from the lushness outside, you can
elect to stay for a day at the Ancient London Earth World of 1995. Every
effort has been made to make it as authentic as possible, it even has the
stench of pollution

Every fantasy theme has its own complex which is self contained, with
actors to help tourists play a part in adventures and feel that it is real.
You can pay a little extra and have a personal android servant that looks
exactly like the personality of your choice for when you are relaxing in
the hotel section. The most frequently attended is the Erotic Pleasures of
the Galaxy Centre which is not for the prudish or the faint hearted Amongst
the customers there are always a number of private detectives doing
research for angry clients who think their partner is up to no good having
found receipts from Cisco Theme Park

There are more wholesome themes on offer and it is not worth describing
more because one man`s fantasy may be the every day drudgery of another.
Remember there are always psychiatrists on hand to help you prepare for
reality when you have to return home.

KD


Eta Cassiopeia
==============

A very unusual system, which went unexplored for a long time after a small
error in the Comprehensive Star Survey of 2153 logged the system as a
binary with no planets.  It is the only system known, so far, with
habitable worlds in the Trojan points of a large planetary body with all
three bodies moving in exactly the same orbital path, separated by 60
degrees

Both these worlds, Trojan and Feynman have indigenous life and examination
of their biological structure shows them to be based on the same DNA-like
genetic mechanism as each other. Current theories suggest that particles
spread along the orbital path following an asteroidal impact with Trojan,
on which life was just emerging, and reached the atmosphere of Feynman
relatively intact. Though there is evidence for a major glancing impact on
Trojan in its early history (thought by some to have helped form its moon),
this is highly contested by some scientists. The Federal Navy terraformed
the only moon of the gas giant between in the 2970s to give an ideal
training ground for planetary assault troops, and now that the Naval
Academy has been moved here, it is the foremost naval training centre.
There are no surface settlements for civilian visitors, they must disembark
at the orbital station "Morgues Mortuary." The station was named (at first
it was only a nickname) after a tyrannical naval training sergeant
Maximillian Morgue.  He was found guilty of abusing his position and was
executed, following a mutiny after twenty of his recruits died in a single
horrific incident

Both Trojan and Feynman are largely agricultural worlds. Trojan is more
heavily populated, and was the first to be settled. It is also where most
of the light service industries which supply the Navy are based. The Navy
import most of their heavy equipment from other nearby systems (especially
from Camp Powell in AC+79 3888). Since the joint government here highly
discourage the polluting heavy industry this would require. Feynman (named
after an ancient physicist) is almost entirely agricultural, and is joked
about within the navy as being the most boring place for shore leave. The
well known saying getting leave on Hicksville, was started here.

DB


Exbeur
======

The planet Sheehanworld was initially overlooked in the exploitation of
this region of space, the Federation gained a very firm grip on the planets
and nearby star systems and relied on mainly automatic mining ships to
develop the region.  Because of this human population of the stars was
relatively slow.  There were furthur setbacks for the first colonists on
the planet, with the first two settlements being wiped out by mysterious
plagues

The natural life on this cold planet were naturally hardy and many intrepid
explorers fell victim to local parasites which managed to find comfortable
hosts amongst the humans The planet is not an ice world, although it has
large glaciated regions. There are fertile areas close to the equator and
most humans choose to live there. The life on Sheehanworld is no longer
harsh.  Federation cultivators and harvesting machines have cleared large
tracts of all native species and Earth basic stock has been imported to
take over the cleared land.

The most successful animals imported to the planet have come from the
antipodes of Earth with kangaroos, duck billed platypuses and wombats
providing a peculiar set of creatures to exploit a foreign ecology. The
success of the duck billed platypus is especially remarkable considering
its own precarious existence on Earth itself, where the animal is mainly
confined to zoos and breeding laboratories.  An ironic turn about is
provided by the rabbit, which wreaked such havoc when it was introduced to
Australia on Earth; it completely failed to find a foothold on Sheehaworld,
in fact, the Sheehanworld parasite which killed most of the rabbits
introduced is now used on Earth to control the population back in Australia

The planets of Exbeur are not known for the commercial crops grown there,
but rather as the centre of operations for the Federation mining concerns
which operate in the volume of space nearby. Exbeur is home for one of the
Federations largest mining fleets, and repair facilities for automated
mining equipment can be found here, for Federation owned machines. Some
Corporation vessels have service contracts here, but these are rarely
leased to individual traders

The miners of the Federation are renowned as rough and ready types and
strangers wandering into any of the planetary bars or saloons may be
surprised at the frequency of fist- fights. The experiences of a real life
Exbeur miner, Douglas Mounthilbert form the basis of one of the most
popular vid-series, Times of Splendour back at the Federation heart.
Although the series has glamorised the events considerably, historians such
as Aldwaith Rumbart are quick to disclaim the series as popular trash, but
have to agree that in many matters of detail it accurately portrays the
early development of the Exbeur system and establishment of Camp Biggs and
Nakamichi Depot.

There is a museum in Nakamichi Depot to the memory of Mounthilbert,
containing some of the most remarkable footage ever captured on vid. A
restored version of the vid can be enjoyed by anyone visiting. It records
how Douglas managed to defend one of the local farmers from attack by a
leopard hawk, one of the local predators. The "hawks were a bane of the
early colonists" once the plagues were overcome, and Mounthilberts battle
is the only recorded incident where a man bested one of the creatures with
his bare hands, as well as being the storyline for may plays and an episode
of Times the event captured the imagination of Jjagged Bbanner who
dedicated their recording Death and Dishonour to the memory of Douglas (The
Mounthilbert estate found the title offensive and tried to sue the band,
but were unsuccessful)

DM


Exioce
======

O'Rourke Colony is not a particularly hospitable world, since the surface
temperature of the World never goes above the freezing point of water. It
became of interest to the scientific community when the rest of the system
was explored. The third planet shows evidence of being terraformed in the
very distant past, although the corrosive atmosphere suggests a very
different life form than humankind was responsible. This discovery led to
massive research investment by both Federation and Empire in the system.
Thatcher Starport grew out of a group of industrial chemists investigating
the origins of the Exioce III "biosphere". It is now a centre for the
fabrication of super conductors and related products

Experiment was terraformed by the Empire and this world is now the heart of
the system.  Being so much nearer to the star, it maintains a far more
clement climate with a year half as long as that of O'Rourke. From its
early beginnings as a research station to monitor closely the terraforming
process, de Gaul Depot has become the centre for administration in the
system.  There are abundant mineral resources amongst the worlds of the
system and it is a major production centre for computers and robotics.

Attempts  to  introduce livestock onto Experiment have been largely
unsuccessful, and O'Rourke colony has a polar climate, severely restricting
the animals able to survive there Polar bears and seals have adapted well,
competing on equal terms with the indigenous life forms, but no other Earth
animals have adapted to the conditions. A fierce native predator has been
christened the Yeti, after a mythical creature from antiquity, and has been
responsible for the deaths of over two hundred research staff during the
history of the colony. this in turn has made the system attractive to big
game hunters.

D.M


Extila
======

The farmers of Carter`s World are justly proud of their reputation for
producing some of the richest harvests of the Empire. Food exported from
the World find their way to Achenar, Facece and even Earth, where the
ground tree is a favourite delicacy amongst the high society and luxury
catering industry.  We cross bred grain varieties of of Carters World are
reputed to make the finest bread in the known worlds and the Revised
Catholic Mission of Aymiay insist that all their holy wafers be made with
pure Carter wheat

The populace of Carter's World are a racially mixed group, with several
waves of settlers with different backgrounds landing and making a fresh
start under the harsh light of Eltila. The planet has an "open door"
policy for immigration and the relatively simple and disorganised feudal
ruling system suits an agricultural life style. Despite the variety of
racial backgrounds" the inhabitants of Carter`s World have a very uniform
appearance to off- worlders. The harsh sunlight and the high gravity have
bred a distinctive bulky dark skinned race with a marked distain for any
kind of pretension

The indigenous life forms of Carter's World are tolerated, but not pampered
a local hexapod is used as draught animal by most farmers. But with
typical Carter bluntness it is called beast and has no more formal name.
The local fauna compete fairly evenly with imported Achenar and Earth
stock, but the native plant life is not compatible with human digestive
tracts and so imported varieties are farmed. A few verrix can be found
hauling loads for the most prosperous farm communities. The imported
verrix are highly prized and more than one local war has broken out over
disputes about land use with the animals. These wars are highly localised
affairs and tradition forbids the use of military or heavy weapons.
Disputes are usually between neighbouring villages and rarely escalate
furthur.

Visitors to Carter's World are made welcome and the local hospitality is
freely extended to one and all.  Most visitors find the 2.8 standard
gravities a bit daunting but booster shots can temporarily overcome this.
Unless a traveller has grown up in high gravity environments, strenuous
exercise should be avoided. There are organised tourist visits of all the
famous planetary features of Caters World and tourists are advised to keep
with the registered tours.

DM


Facece
======

Known as the second capital of the Empire, this system is the home of one
of the major Empire fleets. The commercial and industrial heart of the
system is the oxygen atmosphere planet of Topaz, famed for its spectacular
rift valleys and tremendous waterfalls. Mineral exploitation development
of Topaz is confined to deep mines and the planet supports a thriving
tourist industry in addition to the vital administrative support it
provides the Empire Many of the Empire's most prominent politicians and
officers have their second homes on the lake shores of Topaz

The eighth planet, Peter's Wreck has been taken over by the military, and
training bases have been established there, for this reason the planet is
interdicted and no casual visitors are allowed. It corresponds closely to
the military worlds of the Federation such as Navy Central on Eta Casiopia.
The military industrial complexes of the Facece system are self supporting,
with military fuel synthesis using the abundant power in the system. If
your credit is sufficient, there are no better facilities in the Empire
than those available here for equipping a vessel.

The proximity of so much Empire force means that the traveller in this area
has little to fear from pirate raiders, though adherence to Empire law is
of prime importance. For the visitor from the Federation, Topaz seems like
a condensation of all things Empire, and in many ways the regime is
enforced more strictly than on Capitol. Tourists must be absolutely sure
that all papers are in order and always keep their identity disks to hand

The planet of Topaz has been colonised for almost as long as Capitol and
bears the marks of some of the early excesses of the Empire, particularly
with regard to the race laws and early eugenics programs. The native life
forms have been rigorously suppressed and Earth forms have taken control
completely. The Quagga was introduced early on in the colonisation program
and vast herds now roam parts of the planet. Topaz is almost unique of the
known planets since an attempt to introduce rabbits to exterminate native
herbivores failed completely early in the colony's history.

DM


Fawaol
======

The Fawaol system was originally explored by scouts from the Darius
Foundation in an attempt to find a planet which could be used as a base for
genetic engineering research. The first colony was established two years
after discovery of the planet and a wide variety of animal life was
imported from all the oxygen atmosphere worlds of explored space. The
Foundation intended to exploit the different forms and experiments were
undertaken to cross breed and geneticalty combine strains from entirely
different evolutionary groups

The work was undertaken in strict secrecy, since the manipulation being
conducted were of highly dangerous and illegal nature. No-one is likely to
know of the results of the work, however, since the early experimental
records and "creations" were destroyed in a series of raids by extreme eco
terrorists on the principal laboratories of the Foundation. Documents
related to the experiments had been leaked to concerned orgaisations, and
their contents were so horrifying to the general public that although one
hundred and seventy four terrorists were arrested by planetary authorities,
all were acquitted on technicalities.

The Empire sent armed forces to finish the work of the terrorists and the
Darius Foundation was destroyed forever. There remained the question of
what to do with the enormous range of animals left after the laboratories
were dismantled. Quentin Cholmondley presented a proposal to convert large
tracts of the world, (renamed Tracy after the commander of the Empire
fleet) into game reserves and zoological gardens. The intention was to
provide micro environments tailored to each group of species and establish
the largest series of free range habitats in space, where animals from all
planets could be seen in conditions as close as possible to the wild.

After the success and popular acclaim for the ecological fighters the idea
of confining the creatures through artificial barriers was dismissed, and
alternative methods of separating the widely different animal species were
sought.  In addition to the use of geological features and artificial
earthworks, several biological methods are employed in the game parks of
Tracy.  These range from the poisonous and repellant gemini worms of
Ackandso to the genetically enhanced tigers of Achenar, which are used to
confine large herd animals to their prescribed lands

Tracy has a twelve hour day and though the change of day length does not
affect many of the imported species, few purely nocturnal hunters manage to
flourish and have to be assisted by the zoo staff instead. The zoos are
staffed on a permanent basis by teams of rangers and scientists who perform
all necessary culling in a controlled and systematic fashion. The Empire
retains a police force to deter poachers and game hunters and unlicensed
killing of any creature on the world is illegal and carries stiff penalties
and fines

D.M.


Laedia
======

Mansfield Colony began as a Federation re supply depot for deep space
exploration The initial colony was provided with workshops and hyperdrive
repair facilities and automated Federation mining equipment was brought to
provide the necessary raw materials The local ecology of the main continent
suffered terribly due to the unenlightened attitudes of the commanders of
the Federation navy at the time. In retrospect, the damage that was done
to the planetary environment seems terrible but at the time the single idea
uppermost in the minds responsible for space exploration was expand

At the time Laedla was explored and developed, there was serious concern
amongst humanity in general that there was a belligerent extra terrestrial
race waging war on new planets. Many ships were disappearing near Zelada,
Ququvc and Aymiay and the federation was keen to expand in a different
region in case the fears of non-human encounters were verified

To this day, the loss of thirteen exploration vessels within a single
sector in three months remains unexplained, but similar bursts of losses
have occurred on different occasions at the edges of expanding human space.
The threat of alien invasion or warfare has diminished however, since no
active encounter has ever been recorded and no trace of non-human
civilisation has been reliably confirmed on any planet.

Mansfield colony was put together in a frenzy of panic, when the Federation
anticipated a war which never emerged. The colony was equipped with a mass
of sophisticated robotic equipment and machine shops, but few colonists.
The second stage of colonisation set out to reverse this trend, immigration
by thousands of peasant farmers from worlds bordering the Empire. As the
population changed from military dominated mining and refurbishing to a
more agricultural base, the Federation navy presence was reduced

The Empire invaded Mansfield colony in force on Lightning Thursday, and the
Federation forces were overwhelmed within two hours. It was the greatest
set-back the Ghurka regiment of the Federation has ever suffered and it
confirmed the Empires Clone troopers as their elite forces. The empire
ensured that the Federation could not reclaim the world by establishing
strong fortifications at Maxwell City and Suzuki town and two naval bases
off planet.

Once the Empire had taken control of the population, they lost no time in
re- establishing an industrial economic base for the planet. The world and
the outer planets are all donated by Empire mining concerns, and Mansfield
colony is a net importer of food in some years. This is due to Empire
reliance on single strain crops which can be very vulnerable to epidemics,
when the entire world crop of a particular type may be destroyed.

DM


Lave
====

The trading centre for this region of unusual systems. Through some
unexplained quirk of nature all systems have just one inhabited woirld
orbiting a single star. These systems are often known as ."The Old Worlds"
as they were amongst the first to be settled, despite there lack of gas
giants.  They were also renowned for their lawlessness as only the
corporate states in the region had any police force to speak about

"Lave is most famous for its vast rain forests and the Lalian tree grub" as
the main planet used to be desrribed on the now outdated Data on Systems
publication from the Elite Federation of Pilots. Much of the rain forest
has now been cut down by irresponsible locals wishing to raise cattle, and
the famous tree grub is on the verge of extinction in its natural habitat.
Unfortunately it is very sensitive to its environnient and all attempts to
breed them in captivity have so far failed. The ecological demonstrations
made up almost entirely by off- worlders) here are almost continuous; so
much so that many come here regularly on their vacations in order to
protest.  Indeed, ironically the dictator Dr, Walden once reffered to the
protesters on a vid interview as "Our thriving tourist industry" and also
said "The system's economy depends on them so much so that we cannot afford
to stop cutting down the forests!".

DB


Liaedin
=======

The hot white star of Liaedin sears the surface of Schneider Colony with a
bright artinic glare. The inhabitants have come to learn that hiding from
the light especially in the midday hours is vitally necessary to avoid
dangerous skin cancers. In local slang a trip out in the midday sun is to
invoke "death from above".  The locals have a very sanguine attitude to
life and death, since in the past few hundred years they have been subject
to far more death from above than just the sunlight.

Schneider Colony has had numerous starports established in the past and New
Cousens is only the latest in a long line of local capitals. The remains
of some of the others dot the landscape here and there, scattered amongst
radioactive craters and pock-marks form other debris of the almost
continual skirmishing over the planet between the Federation and Empire The
planet is catalogued in most libraries as being "disputed" but the true
situation is that the population are in an almost continual state of civil
war, and neither the Federation or Empire seem very keen to end the
situation

The burning surface of New Cousens supports a very vigorous form of native
life which have a very rapid growth cycle. Some plants sprout from nothing
to full growth reproduce and then decay within a single day, since they are
killed by the midday light. Earth crops have not adapted well to the harsh
environment and most colonists survive on hydroponic crops grown in
filtered light in sheltered darkhouses. There are few large animals native
to the world; the largest so far discovered is a burrowing worm 20 metres
long which inhabits the tropical deserts which lie in two bands just South
and North of the planetary poles

The presence of the giant worms in the deserts of Schneider Colony was
revealed by the peculiar metal rich patterns detected in the initial
orbital survey of the world conducted by Theodore Schneider. He believed
the intricate patterns to be the work of native intelligences eager to give
messages to visiting astronauts.  When it was discovered that they were
merely the waste products of a native worm with less intelligence than an
average dog, Schneider relinquished claim on the world and flew off in
search of true extra terrestrial intelligence

Theodore Schneider left the colony in the hands of two families, the
Blossoms and the Faveots.  The Blossom family contracted a group of
planetary engineers to persue the exploitation of the seas, which are very
mineral rich.  The Faveols imported Empire technology and bred a hybrid
worm which burrowed deeper into the deserts and actively sought out mineral
rich earth.  The Faveols leave a trail of enriched ores as they move
through the ground which can be easily harvested with cheap mechanical
devices.  The secrets of the sea mines and the hunting worms have been
protected diligently and handed down from one generation to the next and
are undoubtedly the best kept secrets on the planet

It has become traditional to call for assistance from either the Empire
(for the descendants of the Faveols) or the Federation (for the Blossoms)
at the slightest infringement of the convoluted territorial laws on
Schneider's Colony, or if mineral quotas are exceeded by either family.
The Federation and Empire both seem content to continue the dispute,
perhaps viewing it as a good testing ground for new military hardware,
without wishing to start conflict in more prosperous areas,

The Federation maintain a small permanent force at Wilson Base, on Ulrichs
rock while the Empire has taken over Moore's World and the small starport
of Smith Town Visitors to any of these worlds should be aware of the
constant tension which prevails and the delicate potitics which prevents
full scale war from breaking out here. Be very careful to ensure that all
documents are up to date and accurate before venturing into this system

DM


Liaququ
=======

The water world of New California is famous for the wide range of medicines
which the abundant ocean life provide. The World is devoid of advanced
life forms with no natural vertebrate forms. Evolution appears to have
pursued a similar route as on Earth with plants and simple life developing
in the oceans, but the most advanced species are equivalent to the
terrestial  echinederms.  Despite the unsophisticated anatomy of the
animals, the ocean teems with life and it yields an abundant harvest for
the farming communities which now inhabit the world

The life forms of New California may lack sophistication, but a huge
variety of developments have occurred in the benign environment of the hot
ocean. On Earth some of the most potent poisons known to mankind are found
in the jellyfish, and this is true of Liaququ's planet as well. Early
settlers fell easy prey to the local creammis floaters and flying drevis
froms with their potent nerve toxins. Even nowadays, the fish farmers have
to beware of the swarming migration patterns of whip slimes.

The deadly venom of many of the species of New Califomia have spawned a
thriving pharmaceutical trade. The factory and laboratory ships of major
interstellar drug companies keep track of the ocean currents and harvest a
rich variety of natural drugs and medications. They also serve to notify
the resident fisheries of unexpected concentrations of dangerous fauna

Many varieties of aquatic life from Earth and other worlds have been
introduced to the oceans of New California. Local environmental lobbies
have made no progress at limiting the import of foreign life forms. In
many cases the introductions have been unsuccessful and several ambitious
commercial farming ventures have come to nothing. The dolphins and killer
whales of Earth and the barabous and inqoqo of Cemiess have done
particularly well, but are not commercialty exploited due to their
recognised intelligence levels. The most successful commercial fish crop
is the stinger of Facece which is the local staple food and a valuable
export.

The largest predator on New California is a species of eleven limbed
starfish known as Godzilla, a historical reference of uncertain origin.
The naturalist and environmental lobbyist M'harma Dennet has captured on
film the remarkable fight between a godzilla and a sperm whale following
the battle in an aircraft and finally diving into the ocean to catch the
final moments as the godzilla dispatched the giant mammal. The fiIm has
won several awards including the prestigious DIGMA bronze star.

DM


Phekda
======

The Phekda system was opened up by three major corporations simulaneously.
Kamawachi,  Bell Traket and Inter-market.  A brief spell of mutual
cooperation soon degenerated into fierce corporate warring, resulting in
the destruction of most of the original bases. Several small pressure
groups converged on the planet of New California and set up independent
operations, using military hardware from a nearby war to enforce their
independence. In the uncontrolled warring, much of the indigenous life was
destroyed by bacterial warfare and radioactive fall-out. Many parts of the
World are still contaminated.  The entire system now operates as an
anarchic state and visitors must be prepared to deal with each individual
entirely on their own merits

It is a dangerous system to visit, especially on a casual basis, since
there is no law enforcement in the system. Every once in a while the
Federation attempts to impose order but the fiercely independent colonists
resort to guerilla tactics to maintain their freedom. Any traveller
visiting the system during such a sortie can expect to be treated in a very
undignified fashion and may even have to stand trial as a spy. The system
is also a haven for escaped convicts and bounty hunters

All in all a highly uncivilised region and well worth missing by any law
abiding citizen

DM


Phiagre
=======

Stevenson is a cold world orbiting an isolated star of this ternary system.
It is a Corporate planet, but runs along the lines of the Empire rather
than the Federation, and visitors and tourists must be sure to have all
papers and identification readily to hand if they land at either Fortress
Birmingham or Nakamichi's Camp. Despite the martial sounding name Fortress
Birmingham has never been the focus of military action and the history of
the planet has been quite peaceful the civil war which established the
planet as an independant Corporate run World occurred within a decade of
first landing and the government structure has all the merits and
deficiencies of a long established bureaucracy.

There was a great movement towards eco awareness at the time of the
colonies foundation, and pledges to conserve the native forms were forced
on the Corporations from the outset.  This proved to the companies
advantage when the native flora were later exploited commercially. The low
mean temperature of the world has produced some extremely hardy plants and
animals, of great interest to scientists and with huge commercial spin
offs.  There is geological evidence that the planet has had a much warmer
climate in the past, and this may in part explain how the life forms of
this world have proved so adaptable to other worlds

Few companies or individuals with an interest in terraforming and planetary
modification will be unfamiliar with grana-root. This had become one of
the major planet- breakers for terraforming operations. It can out-compete
many simpler plants and directly consume tailored bacteria (strains
IGH\CFi\ag I, IV and V), breaking up earth and soil to provide fertile land
for grain crops. At the same time, the spread of grana root is controlled
by appilex, a burrowing worm also derived from one of the creatures of
Stevenson

For many, though, the most familiar of the animals of this world will be
the verrix which is probably to be found on more worlds than any other
single species except mankind itself.  The giant creature, with its
enormous musclepower and placid nature is standard equipment for many new
colony ships.  Transported as fertilised ova it has replaced mechanical
tractors on many emerging worlds, especially those of the Empire and bio-
engineering oriented Corporations.  Records indicate that the verrix can
grow to approximately three times the size of the Earth elephant. It is an
omnivore and can adapt to digest most foods though the potato grape of
Anlave is known to be the ideal feed for the animal. Finally, many
colonies have found that the versatile hair and hides of the creatures have
reduced the need for expensive import of materials from off-planet during
early years of colonial development

Verrix for export are genetically pure "strains" geneticaly modified to be
sterile after three generations. This is a Corporation device, to ensure a
continuing market for their animals. The strict quarantine Laws and heavy
penalties for import or export of the live animals are designed to maintain
the Corporations strangle hold on the verrix market. Visitors to the
verrix farming regions are welcome. The sight of herds of the enormous
creatures trampling the plains, herded by enhanced polar bears from Exioce
is quite amazing.  as one poeticatly inclined visitor stated "the polar
bears seem to dance around the verrix as if they were stoats herding Cows
on Earth"

The O'Hanlon orbital station has excellent repair facilities and boast a
number of first class hotels. The sight from the station of the planet and
ternary system are quite spectacular Phiagre is an interesting stopover
between the Federation and Empire and well worth a visit by even a casual
tourist

DM


Quince
======

The second planet of this system, New America was claimed early in the life
of the Empire and has stayed loyal from the very beginning. The population
are fierce bound to the Empire and many of the most fanatical of the
Empire's regiments have a core of Quincet soldiers. The Empire's tolerance
of genetic manipulation has found a ready hold in the people of Quince and
here more than anywhere else in the worlds the principles of directed
development have been pursued

The most deadly insult which can be delivered to a native Quincet is too
long or too hard.  This can be difficult for someone brought up in the
sheltered worlds of the Federation.  It is quite possible to meet
engineered humans with very heavily adapted physiques to enable them to
operate effectively under the seas, or high in the mountains of New America
and even the occasional attempt at growing extra limbs can be glimpsed now
and then since dueling is permitted in Empire law, and choice of approach
is left to natives visitors should be careful when wandering the streets of
any of the major starports not to gawp too openly

The principles of directed development mean that most births on the planet
are planned, indeed "Designed" but the inhabitants are also masters of
genetic grafting and implant surgery" so a person's form is very flexible.
If you make friends with a native during one visit, you may be surprised at
their appearance when you next meet them. The enhancement possible by the
best of Empire technology is frowned on by Federation law, but is available
at a price to anyone who wants it, in the laboritories of Simpson Town.

DM

Quphieth
========

An independent world in which feudal land barons are propped up with aid
from the Empire.  To avoid this world and its interesting biology being
consumed by the Federation

The Quphieth system was first visited by Augustus Brenquith, a rich
eccentric from Old Earth who spent the latter half of his life exploring
and opening up new stellar systems He was one of the great early explorers,
and left Earth in a highty modified Griffon class freighter. His ship was
"extensively altered" to enable it to make very long jumps (for the time)
and most of the cargo space was converted to life support and message
capsules.  He left Earth just after the third algac war and vowed never to
return. His aim was to explore the surrounding stellar systems and provide
a legacy of inhabitable planets for the people of Earth

For a period of 35 years, message capsules from Brenquith returned to the
Sol system bearing news of new worlds or hazardous planets which he had
encountered.  Each new arrival spurred a wave of colonists out from the
home planet to the new World. His descriptions of the planets he visited
were often poetically tinged, and after so long without human company
became rather unreliable but were always great media sensations

His initial description of Quphieth centred mainly on the rich and diverse
life of the main continent.  And he wrongly concluded from his initial
aerial survey that there was no large animal life present, only a rich
variety of plants and insects. The world is now famous for the peculiar
biology which has produced the most successful non standard (neither plant
animal nor fungoid) life form so far encountered. All the creatures of
Quphieth combine features which lead to classification as plant and animal,
according to Earth standards and they continue to surprise and amaze
scientific surveys to this day

The system is now most famous for the so called "whispering palms" which
produce sounds and mimic the cries of local flying creatures. These plants
form huge forests and the din created when the planimals echo the sounds of
a violent thunder storm have to be heard to be believed. Visitors to the
system are restricted, and export of the local species has been strictly
controlled ever since the Doleviera incident. It is unusual for permission
to be granted for individual trips to any of the islands, where scientists
are still attempting to catalogue the local life forms.

DM.


Ququve
======

This thinly populated federation world is home to the great funkenstromer.
Works, a giant industrial chemical conglomerate which furnishes the
fittings and equipment for 30% of all federation ships. The conglomerate
favours undeveloped worlds for its industrial bases, since there is less
danger of law suits from ecological activists. The federation law enables
the company to establish single owner sites and prevent access by casual
investigators.  Funkenstromer also build very efficient security systems
and all their plants are very well guarded

New America was named with a good deal of sarcasm by the first colonists.
They found a grim forbidding world and the original choice of name was
"Inferno" but too few visitors caught the reference to Dante's outermost
hell and the name was changed by common vote. Life on New America was
confined to the seas before the arrival of mankind and the giant ice floes
and continental shelf were effectively sterile. The world was therefore
ripe for plundering by the conglomerates which started work with a huge
investment in robot task forces.

The charter of planetary development drawn up by federation beaurocrats for
New America set firm limits on the emission of effluents and toxic wastes.
These are restricted and controlled so that the seas do not become polluted
by industrial effluent.  The emission of greenhouse gases is strictly
controlled and minimum levels of emission for each type of industry were
established and agreed with the conglomerate. Any site not meeting the
emission requirement must supplement its own waste gasses with additional
quantities generated deliberately to bring the levels above the minimum

Company meteorologists are monitoring the condition of the world carefully
and new guide lines for gas levels will be presented as soon as the target
heating of the planet has been achieved. It is hoped that the warming of
the world can be conducted in a controlled fashion so that the native life
is disturbed only marginally, but the surface of the planet will be made
far more accessible. So far the development is proceeding pretty much to
plan, according to the spokeswoman for the conglomerate. The sudden bloom
of weltsers leaf in two of the planetary seas and the consequent
extermination of the bottom grazing wirromin skate are put down to freak
environmental accidents.

Until the surface of New America warms considerably, or the industrial
development  exceeds  reasonable limits, New America supplements its
industrial output by operating as a winter sports centre. The facilities
available at Scott, the major starport, are second to none in the
Federation.  There is a thriving market amongst the wealthy visitors for
all manner of luxury goods and provisions.

DM


Riedquat
========

Like Lave, this is one of the Old World systems, with just a single planet
and star. It has now been in a state of anarchy or civil war for some five
hundred years and it seems very unlikely that a stable government will ever
be successfully established, since the anarchic attitude is so ingrained in
the planet's culture Social stability depends on large family groups or
clans, and minor wars between them are continually breakiug out, keeping
the thriving arms importers busy. There have been attempts in the past to
start up local weapon manufacture but typically family rivalries tend to
end up with the factories being destroyed.  Indeed there is no heavy
industry to speak of because the investment required to build a factory is
far greater than that to destroy it.

Slavery here is rife, as captured members of rival families are either used
as slaves on their vast farms, or sold on the open market to generate
foreign currency to buy arms.  The major battles tend to be seasonal,
mainly since most of a family's income is spent on weaponry, and much of
their income comes from the grain harvest, once every 131 days (a local
year). Each family tries to get its harvest out as soon as possible, so it
can wipe out its hated rivals before they get their order of weapons.
Quite often a hard pressed family will be almost out of ammunition
immediately before harvest, so this is a good time for a rival to attack.
It has beeu known for families to cooperate, especially distant families in
different hemispheres (since the seasons occur there at different times)
but these agreements rarely last more than a few seasons

The harmless Riedquatian mouse is much prized for its delicate meat and
extremely soft fur, used to make the much treasured "mousemat" coats, sold
throughout the known worlds. Many families farm them, and there is still a
thriving population in the wild. A wild mouse is particularly treasured if
found scavenging on a battlefield, as the flesh is supposed to be
especially succulent.

DB

Ross 128
========

Travellers do not flock to Ross 128 or to its only inhabited planet, Grants
Claim When Maurice Grant claimed it, it was through an over ambitious
desire to build an independent colony that he could rule without question.
His early surveys suggest that the planet was mineral rich and promised an
exciting future amassing wealth from mining Unfortunately, he discovered
that in every body of people there are always a few who ask questions, and
awkward ones at that, then don't settle for a feeble answer. Whilst
answering a few of these at his Citizens' Clinic he was assassinated.
Grant's analyses proved to be erroneous as minerals were only to be found
in small pockets here and there the mines were soon abandoned. The
remaining would be leaders realised that it was not an easy job to govern a
population driven mainly by greed and the resulting economic collapse was
devastating.  The Federation stepped in and "rescued' the colony on the
condition that it came under their control. The populace greeted them with
open arms and promptly found that their home was to become a prison colony

The prison, nicknamed "The Warren" is a vast underground complex of cells
accommodating miscreants of every kind. The security is very tight and few
have seen beyond the visitors' hall without being an inmate. For this
reason rumours are rife, and include tales of genetic experiments,
prostitution and corruption.  It is true that the prisoners experience
great hardship due to the manual mining at minus four degrees centigrade.
It is no holiday for the warders either and there are reports of some of
the narcotics intended for use in prisoner obedience programmes being
diverted to the staff. Nobody outside really complains because they are
glad that someone else is willing to do the job

Don't forget, if you ever have a loved one serving a sentence, you need a
permit to see them.

KD.


Ross 154
========

A very small system with little to attract any interest. The only reason
it is mentioned here is the curious ecosystem on the ice world Merlin. All
the indigenous life is beneath the ice of the vast salt water ocean, which
covers the entire world. It exists in large pocket of gas trapped beneath
the permanent stable ice sheet, and in the oceans themselves

It wasn't until 2775 when Burt Hackrington Smythe made the series of
documentaries "Heaven Under the Ice" that it was understood how such a
world managed to sustain the large shoals of merlin fish found here. The
ecosystem is based on a lichen which grows on the walls of air filled
chambers under the ice.  Living off the weak red light which filters
through from above.  The lichens produce oxygen to give a mixture
surprisingly breathable by humans and they form an insulating layer.
Typically the temperature inside can be as high as 20 degrees centigrade,
heated by the thick layer of rotting vegetation which floats on the surface
of the sea below.  A whole host of other species graze on the Lichen,
lighting the cavity with their various glowing body parts, and species such
as the Merlin Plesiosaur with its fierce red glowing eyes (much valued for
its silky hide) travel between these oases, eating a few of the grazing
creatures at each stop.

The life cycles of these cavities is tens of Earth years. They start as
little high pressure bubbles deep under the ice, and can grow up to about
five kilometers across, giving the truly beautiful panoramas depicted by
Hackrington Smythe. The cavities slowly migrate to the surface as the ice
above them melts, and their eventual death can be quite spectacular when
suddenly a crack forms in the ice above the cavity and the pressure is
released.  There is a long rumble as water floods the cavity, then rushes
up through the hole formed, forming a giant moss laden geyser on the
surface above. The shoals of merlin fish rush to the sound of rumbling, to
feed on the debris which falls into the sea below, and it is for this
reason that the fishing industry on Merlin was so easy to establish. No
fishing fleets are needed - each factory simply releases an explosive
charge in a man-made cavity below the reprocesing plant and an hour later
it is full of fish. Strict controls are enforced to prevent overfishing
since the early private fisheries almost wiped out the stock in only four
years

The only surface settlement is the windswept Sirocco Starport. It is built
directly on the ice sheet, and is used to supply the numerous fish
processing plants built under the ice. It is also through here that the
huge tonnage of fish is exported to the surrounding worlds. The seedy
starport diner, The Ecstatic Gourmet, serves an excellent dish called
Merlunch which is a pie made with pickled merlin fish. It sounds off
putting but regular travellers to this area make a point of visiting the
diner just for this, rarely risking the other fare

D.B


Sirius
======

Most visitors to the Sirius system are disappointed at how little there is
to see, given its importance in human history. It has numerous firsts to
its name, in addition to being the brightest star in the sky of Ancient
Earthbound humans.  Doubtless the guides in the Sirius Museum Complex on
Lucifer will tell you, this was the first entirely corporate system and the
location of the first commercial production of Anti-matter based fuels

Most historians now tell a different story, however, about how Sirius
became rich during the First Interstellar War. The Sirius Corporation was
set up by a group of rich industrialists from Earth, in order to exploit
the discovery of a way to store a stable atom of anti matter within a
complex molecule. And use it as a fuel Sirius first started production in
2350, supplying the Federation war fleet, whose ships had been adapted to
use the new fuel This caused a major swing in the Federation's fortunes,
but only a few years later Imperial ships were similarly equipped,
cancelling the advantage, It is now known that Sirius supplied both sides,
engineering convenient shortages whenever one side was winning, thus
greatly prolonging the war (and increasing their own income). Though it is
not denied by Sirius today it is blamed on a few unscrupulous individuals,
who are now long dead. This Gazetteer does not wish to suggest in any way
that the Sirius Corporation today would do any such thing

Lucifer itself is an interesting planet. It orbits Sirius B very closely
indeed hence the enormous power the corporation can extract using the coils
wrapped around the planet and from their solar collector panels. Visitors
should beware of the high radiation levels mainly from Sirius B, but also
from the fuel plant. The numerous volcanoes are quite a sight and small
craft can be hired to go on a sling shot path close to the fearsomely dense
white dwarf.  This is supposed to be the "ride of a lifetime," though be
warned - there have been many fatal accidents.

DB


Tau Ceti
========

This system is remarkable in that it was the first on which life was
discovered off Earth. The first intrepid pioneers led by John Taylor set
up a settlement and named it Taylor Colony. They were very successful and
used the fertile land for agriculture which was fully automated. The
population grew rapidly and revenue was earned from hunting which more or
less wiped out the indigenous life. When word got back to the Authority
for Ecological Control they became concerned and issued guide lines for
conservation, which were duly ignored.  The hunting of wildlife and
destruction of habitats continued until Earth threatened to send a police
force. John Taylor was a particularly hot headed individual and started to
insist that independence from Earth was granted to the Tau Ceti system.
Trade embargos failed and finally a military force was sent out by Earth
believing that Tau Ceti would not have the resolve to resist. A battle
followed which resulted in an impasse - surprising the authorities.
Eventually after much diplomacy the deadlock was broken was by forming the
Federation including Tau Ceti and Earth amongst others as founder members.
The unfortunate creatures that fuelled the whole debacle which led to this
extremely powerful alliance, virtually died out. Today they remain in
small numbers in enclosures and sanctuaries

KD


TILIALA
=======

Valhalla is a small, hot world, comprising equal parts of tropical jungle
and desert. Water covers only one third of its surface, but they team with
native life.  The seafood of Valhalla is a gourmet`s dream, complicated
only by the dangers involved in fishing on the planet, which is subject to
violent storms throughout the year. The Valhalla serpent is incorrectly
named, since it is anatomically related to the mammal like native animals
of the world. It grows to lengths in excess of thirty metres in the deep
ocean regions of the planet and careful control of hunting of the creatures
maintains the population at a suitable level. The serpent is the source of
cabitol oil and greaver, used in pharmaceuticals and beauty products
throughout human space, and its brilliantly patterned hides adorn the
wealth of the Federation

Similarly striking animals inhabit the jungles of Valhalla, perhaps the
best known being the Rajah Sphinx, now unfortunately extinct in its native
habitat, but preserved in zoos throughout the galaxy. The Trupin Sphinx
reins in the wild, however and safari tours to see it in situ are arranged
on an ad hoc basis.  Valhalla is a relatively light world, with few
accessible mineral deposits, so competition for land has been slight and
the ecological management of the planet has proceeded in an exemplary
fashion

The sister world of Democracy has been terraformed and is the site for most
mining and industrial activity in the system. The world is dense and
mineral rich, and is heavily exploited. The combination of a naturally
fertile "organic" world and a heavily industrialised and mineralised
artificial world is very successful and many of the wealthiest people of
Federation call the system home.

D.W


Wolf 630
========

This is an amazing system in fact a combination of coorbital systems,
including Wolf 629 and the white dwarf VB8 (named after Van Beisbrock in
ancient times).  The sky provides a stunning spectacle as six different
bodies are visible together. The scene from Landfall has been made famous
by the painting, Six Sisters by Dee Kosmala

Landfall, the only planet is home to the Second Founding Fathers, a rich
group of individuals who wanted to set up an ideal world. They named their
capital Mayflower City and set up an agricultural community which has grown
to enable a major export industry to flourish. The inhabitants are an
insular lot because they do not have any other planets in their system, and
view foreigners with suspicion so a reduced gene pool has resulted in much
inbreeding

Landfall orbits a brown dwarf named McCarthy, a spectacular sight. It was
named after an ancient astronomer who was not taken seriously when he
discovered it. The inhabitants of Landfill like to think it was the first
brown dwarf known to Man but those of other systems dispute this.

The indigenous life had to be very hardy as it had to withstand the high
levels of radiation from the white dwarf as it cooled and from McCarthy.
Thus the very irresponsible introduced life from Earth did not cause too
much of an ecological problem because most of it died out.

K.D.

Zeaex
======

The territorial rights over the Zeaex system has been disputed between the
Empire and Federation for over two centuries. The mineral rich inner
planets, together with a diverse range of gas giants make this an economic
centre for the region. The presence of a habitable world greatly increases
the system's strategic importance. The inhabitants of the worlds of this
system try to balance the need for trade with a desire to be left well
alone.  Tourists are welcome, but many are viewed with deep suspicion by
the residents.  Both Federation and Empire have naval bases within the
system, which limits the efforts of pirates but puts pressures on
legitimate traders.

Heavy metals are mined on the innermost world of Cambridge's Hole, named
after the miner Gramboume Cambridge who was first to stake claim to the
world.  He  invested heavily in mining machinery and obtained the
exploitation rights to the system from the Federation. Erronsa Ashfield
followed Grambourne to the system ten years later with permission to mine
granted by the Empire. Ashfield, with her husband Francis established a
base on the second planet, having failed to force Cambridge from the
innermost world.  The Ashfields made an early fortune exporting rare gems
to the Empire, while the Federation provided a ready market for Cambridge

A bitter rivalry developed between the two camps and naval vessels of both
sides once threatened to escalate the conflict into open warfare. The
confrontation was averted by the majority of colonists on Democracy,
petitioning both Earth and Capitol to have the mineral rights to the rest
of the system given to the settlement of Newtown in the ensuing legal
battle the armed forces were called to other areas and the situation
settled into a more peaceful state The mining families on the inner planets
retain only ten percent shares in the profitable mineral trade.

As with many worlds in the so called "disputed zone", neither Empire nor
Federation have dominance.  Travellers from the Federation may find the
presense of so many slaves distressing, but visitors from the Empire will
be equally disturbed by the lack of imposed discipline and positive
discrimination for racial and minority groups. The worlds and colonies of
the disputed zone are a mixing ground for two very different cultures and
this can be experienced in full at this world.

D.W


Zearla
======

The Zearla system is home base for the vast majority of the miners who work
the nearby worlds and systems in this sector of space. The city of
Jeffries on Fraser homes the head office of Wreaken Construction and
Mining, the most prosperous of the independent mining and development
companies which work at the edge of the Federation Employing over a quarter
of a million full time staff and owning sole mineral rights to some forty
nine planets.  The Wreaken company can be found throughout most of the
frontier and Federation Worlds

With such a concentration of mining interests on Fraser it is not
surprising that there are a large number of starports, all offering
excellent  repair facilities to miners and traders alike.  Whatever
facilities are not provided at one of the Fraser bases can almost certainly
be acquired at nearby Andceeth. The Earth like world of Charles Colony,
orbiting Enaness is also nearby, but its rigourous communist principles
deter many casual visitors

The Zearla system is well developed, from the smelting planet of Jamesons
Wreck named after the unfortunate Naomi Jameson who crashed while chasing a
metal rich comet towards the star but survived for three days before being
rescued, to Leetown on Cooperworld, the seventh planet. The only solid
world between Jameson's Wreck and Cooperworld not to boast a permanent
settlement of some type is Zearla 2, locally known as Nemesis, which has no
mineral wealth to speak of and whose crust contains sizeable fractions of
volatiles.

The surface of Nemesis is unstable and six attemnpts to establish bases on
the planet have ended in disaster. The number of lives lost trying to
populate this inhospitable world is one hundred, despite the best efforts
of standby rescue teams.  The local miners use the planets name as a
powerful curse and the more superstitious will even climb out of its
orbital plane to avoid the taint of its path!

D.W.


Zeessze
=======

The first thing to strike a person casually browsing through a planetary
catalogue is the remarkable similarity between the systems of Sol and
Zeesse.  This superficial similarity led to very high hopes amongst the
initial settlers, who christened their world paradise This hopeful start
was soon dispelled when the colonists arrived at their destination. The
first bases were established on the minor planet Gonzalez's Grave, named
after the unfortunate shuttle pilot whose crash landing was to be
symptomatic of the initial set-backs the colonists experienced

The starport of Oliver, on Gonzalez's Grave was built to schedule, and
probes to the third planet were sent out. They reported back a very
differcnt picture to that given by the Earth bureau of colonisation.
(Recall that this was in the second wave of emigration when Earth was
suffering severe population pressures and almost any measure was regarded
as fair to rid the planet of excess). The planet was verdant and new life
forms were abundant but it is smaller and denser than Earth, giving rise to
very high surface gravity

The initial colonisation of the world was hampered because humans were
unable to work for more than a couple of hours at a time before needing to
rest. In these early days of exploration and exploitation, transport costs
for machinery was prohibitive between systems so most early colonisation
work was performed by human labour (some historians suggest this is the
origin of the Empire's slave culture). Quite apart from the high gravity
the world was far hotter than the colonists, originally from Lappland and
the Siberian pan- conurbation were accustomed, and many immigrants died of
heat exhaustion before a second wave of colonists introduced a more
sensible work regime

The world was re-christened New America after a botanist showed the
similarities between the climate of the world and of Ancient South American
forests on Earth. This provided the first clue to conquering the planets
indigenous life forms.  At first, and for several generations the local
fauna and flora successfully resisted the attempts of Earth phenotypes to
take over.  Earth crops could only be grown in restricted areas and local
carnivores and raptors made the world a dangerous place to explore.

Qui Luk Soo introduced a number of slightly modified strangler vines from
Earth stocks, and this small start led eventually to the taming of large
parts of the jungle planet for human use. The problem of labour was partly
solved by the introduction of genetically "improved" gorilla stock, which
could be trained to perform simple clearing and construction work. A brief
but  extremely  violent  assault  on the colony by a war band of
eco-revolutionists destroyed all the facilities for the gorillas, who
"escaped" into the wild.  Some were able to find their way back to the
community, but to this day there are some feral gorilla tribes in the
heartland of the jungles.  These are the subject of intense study by
anthropologists and are covered by Federal interdict from all further
tampering by mankind

With the passing generations, the human stock of the system have adapted to
the strong gravity of their planet, becoming heavily built and muscular.
It is sometimes hard for visitors to distinguish men and women of the
planet, but given their violent tempers and general impatience, it is
important to get it right if you are a tourist. New Americans do not
suffer fools gladly.  The jungle of the world is still inhabited by a
number of very dangerous native predators, including the Quivol and
Nii-worm, which claim a respectable annual toll of lives if your interest
in visiting the planet is hunting, do not expect to find native guides
cheap to hire, nor eager to venture into the relatively unexplored Southern
continents

New America is home of the modern Ghurka assault regiment, which saw action
in all the major wars against the Empire.  In the past century, the
fighting men and women of the regiment have seen action in several disputed
systems and even the Empire clone troops hold them in high regard. They
are normally planet fighters, preferring and training for ground action
rather than space warfare, so they play littLe part in current naval
actions against pirates Occasionally they are used as "shock troops" in
recovering Frontier world where organised crime has established too strong
a hold and threatens the economic stability of the Federation

DM


Zelada
======

The Zelada system was colonised at roughly the same time as Ququve but by a
fundamentalist religious sect, looking for a world to conduct a penance for
humanity.  The  conditions  they found on New Africa suited their
requirements to a remarkable degree the life was tough, uncompromising and
harsh.  The arrivals on New Africa had to cope with a bitter climate,
coupling torrential sleet and electrical storms with hurricane strength
winds and fast moving glaciers. The first three settlements were overrun
by these natural forces and all of the initial equipment they brought from
Quphieth was lost within the first dccade

Modern archological and palaeontological surveys of the planet reveal that
at one time the temperature of New Africa was much more benign than at
present.  The world is going through a very prolonged ice age, but before
the current cold cycle there was the opportunity for life to colonise the
land.  The animals which are native to the land of the new Africa are
fierce hunters and can survive in the harsh climate which will freeze a man
to the bone in seconds the early colonists had to re-learn primitive
hunting skills and attributes in order to survive and their descent into
primitivism was swift

The strict conditions the early settlers had placed concerning interference
with the colony from outside meant that no contact was established with the
groups  for  three  generations.  The early religious settlers had
emphatically stated that no outside communications would be accepted and
supplies would be destroyed.  It was entirely by accident that the
Birchwood New Spirit of the Lord Woodwind Ensenmble en-route for Aymiay for
a concert performance, was precipitated out of hyper space near the Zelada
system.  The crew of the ship were able to reach orbit around New Africa
and put down an emergency shuttle. The tiny settlement thus formed was
later to grow into Rush Depot the planet`s largest starport.

While the musicians tried to eke out an existence at Rush Deput, the crew
ship searched for the original colonists. No evidence of the original
camps was found but primitive society of the final remnants of the
religious order was encountered living a nomadic life hunting the local
omnivores and harvesting wild grasses and roots Instead of making contact,
the ship Captain decided to leave the remnants of humanity in peace and
instead sent an emergency rescue message to the Federation, describing the
plight of both groups

New Africa was recolonised by an assorted group of wanderers, to no set
plan.  The initial colony had failed and a sort of planetary squatter's
rights became the norm in establishing rules on New Africa. This trend
continues today, and the planet suffers under an anarchy with no clear
constitution nor allegiance.  Zelada system has become synonymous with
banditry and hi-jacking, but the mineral rich outer worlds still attract a
lot of miners and hopeful traders visit the system despite the high
incidence of piracy, and freelance bounty hunters find the bulletin boards
of Zelada a useful hunting ground for information

DM

SOL
===

Earth
=====

Steeped in history, the Earth has suffered many adversities before becoming
the resort that it is today. Humanity began here and documented accounts
tell of three planet bound wars, the last one in 2040 almost bringing
extinction due to the loss of life and environmental damage. For these
reasons the Landscape has changed beyond all recognition since then mainly
due to devastation and depopulation of nearly all the cities and towns.
The final insult was a viral pandemic, for which no cure was found and many
perished who were not resistant to it

As the world was rebuilt corporations became more influential and the
balance of power went in their favour. After the war, fierce competition
between them made it possible for space to be conquered whereas previously,
that was seen as unimportant and exploration budgets were cut

As extra terrestrial settlements were established industry was moved off
the Earth along with many people.  An intensive environmental rescue
program saved the planet and it again became the beautiful place it once
was.  It became both a very up-market tourist destination and the
Federation capital with only the extremely rich being able to live there
Many native extra terrestrials aspire to visit their roots and save up for
many years just to be able to say they have been to their ancestors`
birthplace

KD


Mars
====

In 2290 Mars became the first planet to be terraformed successfully but not
before  several  aborted  attempts.  Major corporations based their
administration centres here when land was very cheap in the early days and
Mars seemed like the Garden of Eden compared to the ravaged Earth. The two
major cities are Qnetnisset and Olympus Village both are very cosmopolitan
and manicured in appearance.  There are many bijou bars and restaurants
designed for businessmen to impress and to strike deals in privacy. All
sorts of servive and entertainment industries thrive as they pander to the
needs of the over indulged. The environment is tailored to be tasteful,
even the animal life looks like an attractive accessory, so whilst it is
Earth like, Mars has a very sterile feel about it

KD


The Moon
========

Heavy industry was moved here in the early days. And it is based around
the only starport, Apollonius city. This is another must for the tourist
being the first city to be built on an airless surface. The majority of
the settlement is subterranean and the vast halls like chasms are quite
breathtaking.  Many beat a path to the famous Museum of Humanity which has
many rare exhibits from early space exploration, you will wonder how we
managed to get where we are today!

K.D


Space stations Columbus and Titan City
======================================

Columbus orbits Io around Jupiter and Titan City orbits Titan around Saturn.
Both are of historical interest only in that they used to be fabulous holiday
resorts when they were the most distant settlements. Unfortunately with easier
travel they changed from very pleasant venues to the vacation destinations of
the masses. The quiet atmosphere has been shattered by loud music intended to
confince you that a good time is being had by all. It blares forth from gift
boutiques selling such items as a bottle of Genuine Red Spot Gas and Saturn
Ring Rock jewellery.

K.D.

       HAVE FUN GUYS AND REMEMBER ITS ALL FOR FUN
           aLL DoCs DoNE By SHaRD/N&B