Cluster: Serpent Nebula

System: Boltzmann

Bekenstein

World Type: Garden

Richness: Depleted

Element Zero: None

Iridium: Poor

Platinum: Poor

Palladium: Poor

Orbital Distance: 1.8 AU; Orbital Period: 2.4 Earth Years; Radius: 6,050 Km; Day Length: 21.3 Earth Hours; Atmospheric Pressure: 1.17 Earth Atmospheres; Surface Temp: 43 (mean) 25 (habitable zone) Celsius; Surface Gravity: 0.9 G.

Description: Bekenstein was the recipient of the first wave of Earth’s colonization efforts. Its founders had a decidedly less agrarian plan than Eden Prime.

The mission of Bekenstein’s first colony was to become Earth’s first off-planet manufacturing base, ingratiating humanity into galactic culture by producing needed goods.

Meeting with mixed success for the first generation, Bekenstein then leapfrogged its competition by producing high-grade luxury goods that were sent straight to nearby markets via the Citadel.

Today, Bekenstein is known as “the humans’ Illium”—a place where new-money tycoons flaunt their wealth and the have-nots are rarely spoken of.

Feynman

World Type: Jovian Giant

Richness: Poor

Element Zero: None

Iridium: Moderate

Platinum: Poor

Palladium: Poor

Colony Founded: 2158; Population: 5,425,000; Capital: Milgrom; Orbital Distance: 15.2 AU; Orbital Period: 59.4 Earth Years; Radius: 40,196 Km; Day Length: 16.9 Earth Hours.

Description: A hydrogen-methane gas giant, Feynman is of far less interest to the colonists of Bekenstein than its moons.

All 24 are under heavy development by three rival firms: Hoshichiri Heavy Industries, Guanghui Solutions, and the Dynamis Corporation.

These three firms are under ironclad contracts to sell their raw materials exclusively to corporations based on or orbiting around Bekenstein, a situation which has led to heavy investment on Bekenstein from manufacturing corporations looking to get a piece of the action.

Feynman itself has been relatively untouched by the mining concerns as its strong magnetosphere and great dark storm cells create a barrier to all but the newest generation of scanners.

Thooft

World Type: Rock

Richness: Moderate

Element Zero: None

Iridium: Moderate

Platinum: Poor

Palladium: Poor

Orbital Distance: 3.6 AU; Orbital Period: 6.8 Earth Years; Radius: 3,247 Km; Day Length: 34.2 Earth Hours; Atmospheric Pressure: 1.88 Earth Atmospheres; Surface Temp: −5 Celsius; Surface Gravity: 0.2 G.

Description: Technically named T’hooft (Dutch for “the head”), Thooft is a dwarf planet with a moderate carbon dioxide atmosphere and rich deposits of periclase.

Originally put on the star charts when a human scout ship needed to discharge its drive core and wasn’t able to reach the system’s gas giants in time, Thooft has seen some development by Hoshichiri Heavy Industries.

Periclase from the asteroid can be found in common industrial products, such as industrial cable insulation and fire-resistant prefab housing walls.

Veltman

World Type: Jovian Giant

Richness: Poor

Element Zero: None

Iridium: Moderate

Platinum: Poor

Palladium: Poor

Orbital Distance: 7.1 AU; Orbital Period: 19.0 Earth Years; Radius: 61,755 Km; Day Length: 14.0 Earth Hours.

Description: A hydrogen-helium gas giant, Veltman is home to the koshiroten, enormous storm cells that appear as whitish spots and are visible as far away as Bekenstein.

As with most other colonized gas giants, Veltman’s orbital space sports a variety of helium-3 refueling stations for merchant vessels.

Of particular note among the orbital stations is the Dynamis Corporation’s facility for manufacturing metastable metallic hydrogen, despite the risks involved in manipulating the powerful mass effect fields needed to do so.

Citadel warships, which use the substance in their thrusters, can frequently be seen docking at Veltman as a result. This makes the Boltzmann system one of the most heavily patrolled in Citadel space.

Wheeler

World Type: Rock

Richness: Moderate

Element Zero: None

Iridium: Rich

Platinum: Poor

Palladium: Poor

Orbital Distance: 0.85 AU; Orbital Period: 0.8 Earth Years; Radius: 7,894 Km; Day Length: 60.5 Earth Hours; Atmospheric Pressure: 2.35 Earth Atmospheres; Surface Temp: 165 Celsius; Surface Gravity: 1.9 G.

Description: Wheeler is a sizable rock planet. Its atmosphere is a hostile mix of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which poses little hazard to remote robo-mining.

Modern equipment can easily tolerate the planet’s temperatures and gravity. Wheeler’s crust is rich in bauxite and other light metals used in fabricators the galaxy over.

System: Widow

Citadel

World Type: Space Station

Richness: Not Minable

Element Zero: Not Minable

Iridium: Not Minable

Platinum: Not Minable

Palladium: Not Minable

Total Length (Open): 44.7 Km; Diameter (Open): 12.8 Km; Population: 13.2 million (not including keepers); Gross weight: 7.11 billion metric tons.

Description: Supposedly constructed by the long-extinct Protheans, this colossal deep-space station serves as the capital of the Citadel Council.

Gravity is simulated through rotation, and is a comfortable 1.02 standard Gs on the wards and a light 0.3 standard Gs on the Presidium Ring.