Northern Rangeria
31-03-2009, 19:51
Hello to you all.
I'm probably a foreigner here nowadays, having been gone for whopping six months, so I just thought I'd scope out any interest first for a scenario I've been planning.
****
The Maelstrom System
Location: Infinitus Tractus Cluster
Territory: The Principality
Status: Military no-jump zone.
Located at the fringes of Principality territory in the Cluster, the Maelstrom System is a region where the dangers of interstellar travels avail themselves. The central star of the system is in its violent death-throes. Scientists expect that within the next ten million years the violently bursting star will eventually collapse upon itself or go supernova. Its radiation is erratic, and violent solar flares paint the darkness of space in flashes of red and gold and orange, particle showers scouring the seven planets of the system like the whip of an angered taskmaster.
Due to these anomalous conditions, anyone who flies into the system can only pray to whatever gods they worship and hope that their journey will not be cut short. For this reason the Principality Fleet has declared the system a no-jump zone - any and all traffic to and from the system is firmly monitored at the Maelstrom Station (also referred to as Port Hellgate) at the outskirts of the system, and the Fleet observes the order with a fleet detachment making sure that the perimeter remains untouched.
The Principality, however, is not keeping out unwanted visitors only because of worry for their safety. For the Maelstrom System is also a source of potential wealth. Of the seven planets Maelstrom Prime - or Hades - is the source of a rare crystalline mineral called Nikulite. This black, obsidian-like substance is better known outside the scientific circles as Hellglass, due to its origins in planets close to unstable stars, a truly infernal environment. As a material Hellglass is an interesting and valuable one: its sheer strength and lightness makes it ideal material for ablative shielding, and its properties as a reagent in anti-matter annihilation have been known to give a tremendous boost in energy production.
However, the hellish conditions of the Maelstrom System prohibit any chance for long-term, let alone permanent mining operations in Hades. During the star's active phase the planet is almost constantly showered by fierce solar flares, scouring its surface and reacting with the surface so Nikulite is formed. Many foolish smugglers and illegal miners have met their end when they were not careful enough, or fast enough to escape the wrath of the dying sun.
But even a raging star calms down once every few years, making mining operations in Hades possible. This is the one and only opportunity for industrial enterpreneurs to enter the system, and mine Nikulite in the crystalline landscape of scorched earth and boiling Nikulite-poisoned seas. The Principality maintains its hold on the system, and all mining operations are under the jurisdiction of the Fleet Commander, who with the help of a local magistrate administers the system during the weeks, months or - extremely rarely - years when the star is gathering her breath. The mining operations are perilous and may be cut short at a moment's notice once the star begins to awaken; the Principality levies heavy taxes in the form of mining permits and a cut on the mined Nikulite ore; but still, the profit to be gained in Hades is still tremendous. It is not a venture for the foolish or the faint of heart, but it's a way to make your fortune overnight.
Now the sun is approaching its dormant stage, and the Principality officials announce the opportunity to buy mining permits in the system. Port Hellgate will become a buzzling boomtown in space, as it is the only legal point of entry to the system - and the destroyers and frigates are ready to mete out swift justice to those who would try and make a fortune without giving the Principality its dues.
What are you, then? Are you a captain of a mining vessel striking out on his own? A gun-for-hire to keep the miners protected from rivals and smugglers? A middleman in Port Hellgate, hoping to get your first pick of the Nikulite mined? A smuggler trying to breach the quarantine? Or perhaps a space-jockey who wants to see one of the forbidden territories of the universe? No matter who you are, the Maelstrom System may be the place where you make your fortune - or meet your demise.
***
OOC: If this little bit made you interested, post below and let me know what would bring your nation/character/company to the Maelstrom System.
Note: I'm looking more forward to character roleplay in the interplanetary wilderness, not massive assault fleets.
I'm probably a foreigner here nowadays, having been gone for whopping six months, so I just thought I'd scope out any interest first for a scenario I've been planning.
****
The Maelstrom System
Location: Infinitus Tractus Cluster
Territory: The Principality
Status: Military no-jump zone.
Located at the fringes of Principality territory in the Cluster, the Maelstrom System is a region where the dangers of interstellar travels avail themselves. The central star of the system is in its violent death-throes. Scientists expect that within the next ten million years the violently bursting star will eventually collapse upon itself or go supernova. Its radiation is erratic, and violent solar flares paint the darkness of space in flashes of red and gold and orange, particle showers scouring the seven planets of the system like the whip of an angered taskmaster.
Due to these anomalous conditions, anyone who flies into the system can only pray to whatever gods they worship and hope that their journey will not be cut short. For this reason the Principality Fleet has declared the system a no-jump zone - any and all traffic to and from the system is firmly monitored at the Maelstrom Station (also referred to as Port Hellgate) at the outskirts of the system, and the Fleet observes the order with a fleet detachment making sure that the perimeter remains untouched.
The Principality, however, is not keeping out unwanted visitors only because of worry for their safety. For the Maelstrom System is also a source of potential wealth. Of the seven planets Maelstrom Prime - or Hades - is the source of a rare crystalline mineral called Nikulite. This black, obsidian-like substance is better known outside the scientific circles as Hellglass, due to its origins in planets close to unstable stars, a truly infernal environment. As a material Hellglass is an interesting and valuable one: its sheer strength and lightness makes it ideal material for ablative shielding, and its properties as a reagent in anti-matter annihilation have been known to give a tremendous boost in energy production.
However, the hellish conditions of the Maelstrom System prohibit any chance for long-term, let alone permanent mining operations in Hades. During the star's active phase the planet is almost constantly showered by fierce solar flares, scouring its surface and reacting with the surface so Nikulite is formed. Many foolish smugglers and illegal miners have met their end when they were not careful enough, or fast enough to escape the wrath of the dying sun.
But even a raging star calms down once every few years, making mining operations in Hades possible. This is the one and only opportunity for industrial enterpreneurs to enter the system, and mine Nikulite in the crystalline landscape of scorched earth and boiling Nikulite-poisoned seas. The Principality maintains its hold on the system, and all mining operations are under the jurisdiction of the Fleet Commander, who with the help of a local magistrate administers the system during the weeks, months or - extremely rarely - years when the star is gathering her breath. The mining operations are perilous and may be cut short at a moment's notice once the star begins to awaken; the Principality levies heavy taxes in the form of mining permits and a cut on the mined Nikulite ore; but still, the profit to be gained in Hades is still tremendous. It is not a venture for the foolish or the faint of heart, but it's a way to make your fortune overnight.
Now the sun is approaching its dormant stage, and the Principality officials announce the opportunity to buy mining permits in the system. Port Hellgate will become a buzzling boomtown in space, as it is the only legal point of entry to the system - and the destroyers and frigates are ready to mete out swift justice to those who would try and make a fortune without giving the Principality its dues.
What are you, then? Are you a captain of a mining vessel striking out on his own? A gun-for-hire to keep the miners protected from rivals and smugglers? A middleman in Port Hellgate, hoping to get your first pick of the Nikulite mined? A smuggler trying to breach the quarantine? Or perhaps a space-jockey who wants to see one of the forbidden territories of the universe? No matter who you are, the Maelstrom System may be the place where you make your fortune - or meet your demise.
***
OOC: If this little bit made you interested, post below and let me know what would bring your nation/character/company to the Maelstrom System.
Note: I'm looking more forward to character roleplay in the interplanetary wilderness, not massive assault fleets.