Inzhishfiet (world)

The world of INZHISHFIET (Knoellighz 0424) C4689EH-7 Hi failed to meet all the qualifications and criteria of Zhodani Morality’s Path and thus was cloistered by the Unabsorbed classification. It rests four parsecs inside the so-called Crystal Wall of Knoellighz and Zhodani Consulate. Even Zhodani are sickened by the strict society here. All craft are contacted by various beacons places at several, 100 Diameters locations, warning of the harsh Government and Law conditions on the mainworld.

• The system is occupied by a solar primary and a white dwarf secondary that is slowly losing its remaining mass and energy to the primary.

• There is one Gas Giant in the system and additional mainworld warning beacons are placed in high orbit to further declare INZHISHFIET as an Unabsorbed Zhodani world.

• Belters from outside this system continue to mine and haul minerals to nearby Aiak (Knoellighz 0423) as its taxes and Starport are ideal as an adjacent market.

• There are no Naval, Military or Corsair Bases in this parsec of space and due to the Unabsorbed rating the mainworld is labelled with, none in the near future are planned.

• Not a very hardy people under oppressive society, even the planet’s gravity of 0.35 of Terra-standard is denying its people strength and resilience to fight such stringent and religious Church and State abuses.

• INZHISHFIET is blessed only with a 1.1 sea level atmospheric pressure, which collides with its gravity. An individual can become ill as low gravity stresses respiratory systems, especially in continuous or repetitive activity. The planet orbits in slightly colder average temperature from Terra standards. Polar ice caps are larger and sea storms are limited to equatorial and tropics. Blizzards on temperate land masses are common, locking them in long seasons of winter.

• Wide archipelagos are home to the one billion inhabitants. Seagoing vessels, some with fast hydrofoil hulls, are the main transport of the lower castes. Their superiors enjoy faster aerospace transit of airplanes and jets. The planet is more than 80% covered by its hydrosphere. Deep trenches crisscross the ocean floors and are subject to mining and fracking. Fishing is a planet-wide industry as many larger, oceanic faunae remain in the dark trenches and only come shallow to feed and breed.

• The C-rated Starport has trouble upgrading due to lack of aid from the Zhodani Consulate. The system has no spacefaring units other than State-run, communications and spy satellites. Only a single Downport exists that tries to put a sterile face to visiting starships from other worlds. Many merchants conduct their business as quickly as possible upon seeing how Prole workers are treated by the upper castes of Nobles and Intendants.

• The population of INZHISHFIET is spread out over large islands and on floating platforms acting as artificial sea harbors and are serviced by low-caste boats and VTOL aircraft when upper castes check on production. The system was settled by colonists that the Zhodani Consulate failed to verify progress reports. Such oversight failure caused the Nobles to have free, unmolested reign over the Intendants which passed such oppression onto the Proles.

• Morality’s Path of the Zhodani Consulate has been sharply skewed in the favor of those local Zhodani who excel in psionics which has been elevated to a manifesto of holy purity and greatness. The local Church believes that those without sufficient PSI ratings have somehow committed “original sin” against Morality’s Path and lack of psionic potential indicates a lack of soul or spirit in the individual. Those who fail psionic testing at youth must, by law be marginalized off dry land to suffer a purgatory of sorts on the tumultuous seas and oceans. Intendant Zhodani are a disappearing minority barely fit for high society and thus are the bruised middle caste that is eroding on the upper and lower margins; they are seen as peasant psionics by the Nobles and traitorous sheep to the Proles begging for amnesty from abuses.

• Law is so evidently favoring the Nobles of INZHISHFIET that daily, legalized abuses in the name of the Church of Morality’s Path occur in plain sight and are often committed using psionic Talents to prove the point and differences between righteous and ‘sinners’. Weapons are almost nonexistent and the planet’s gravity, pressure and climate also serve to restrict physical uprisings if any; whereas psionics are not so hindered. Abuses are commonplace and legalized if Nobles commit them upon Intendants and/or Proles. Even though the world features psionics, the local Church has prohibited Psi-drug, psionic gear and gone so far to deny the world anti-psionic gear. Much of the world’s land-based technology features psionic triggers and security features. For example, an aerospace vehicle cannot take off without psionically triggered ignition or power plant switches.

• The economy of INZHISHFIET is mainly one of fishing, fishing byproducts, seafloor mining and fracking, coral reef harvested art, and long, sharp teeth of trench whale-sharks are valuable aesthetics of home decoration, jewelry, (and improvised weapons of the Proles). Though a High-Population world, the planet has yet to develop into an Industrial mecca and draw trade from the larger subsector. The oppressive taxes on merchant starships and local markets has denied the Industrial (In) code.

• Such is the restrictive Government and Law of INZHISHFIET, that only affluent Nobles are given passports for travelling beyond the atmosphere of this world. Referees should note that Passengers to or from this mainworld should consist at least one Distinctive Noble Passenger with family or entourage aboard their starship.

• Distinctive to this world’s oceans are the Trench Whale-sharks. Massive gill-breathers are capable of deep depths, slow metabolisms, voracious eating periods and violent pod-based breeding season. Use of a hunted whale-shark’s carcass involves many products and very little of the beast is wasted. Proles, quietly and stealthily smuggle sharper, longer teeth of this oceanic hunter as improvised knives and swords. A Trench Whale-shark’s tooth delivers the same damage as a Dagger, Blade or Cutlass. All are double-edged, serrated and fashioned to wooden or coral handles. Depending on quality of craftsmanship, these teeth can easily reach into 1000Cr per tooth, weaponized or not. Teeth used as weapons are secretly passed as family heirlooms among the abused Proles. Some of the weapons are confiscated by authorities who find them and either re-sell them on black markets or repurpose them as décor by Nobles.

Classic Era: 1105

Conditions continue as they have since initial colonization, settlement and stratification of this world’s populace. Without sufficient oversight verification of the Tavrchedl’ of the Zhodani Consulate, the Government and State merge quickly and Laws are railroaded through legislation to the glee of the local interpretation of Morality’s Path religion.

Rebellion Era: 1116

The distant Rebellion in the Rimward Imperium is little felt by INZHISHFIET and has little effect or attention from the Nobles and Intendants. Yet Proles lucky enough to hear news of the disruption in the Third Imperium first germinate the idea of revolting during these years.

Hard Times: 1120

The difficulties, social and technological erosion during this era is however felt intensely by this mainworld. The Unabsorbed rating imposed on INZHISHFIET creates fewer and further between visits by merchants of the local subsector. More Vargr, second-hand, far merchants visit the Downport than Zhodani. It is at this time that the ocean-going Proles begin to stockpile their crude weapons in secret caches in floating, surface platform hulls and secret ships’ lockers.

Virus Era: 1130s

Due to the crystallized Tech Level of INZHISHFIET by its Jump-2 neighborhood and the Unabsorbed classification, this world suffers little more than the occasional drive-by bombings by Vampire fleets refueling in-system before moving on. Noble land-based towns are hit hardest as they feature the highest concentration of TL 7 computing. Virus plays scorched earth destruction of Noble computer networks until they are shut down by psionic switches early in the era. Afterwards, only Vampire fleets cull the islands populations as doomslayer afterthoughts and computations. The system suffers unhindered incursion and transit by the possessed vessels until liberation comes from inside the Zhodani Consulate with the ease of quarantine protocols taken up by the mainworld.

Empress Wave: 1143

The Nobles of INZHISHFIET received precognitive and transmitted mail message warnings of the Empress Wave as it swept through Knoellighz Sector. But without sufficient Tech Levels to shield the planet, an evacuation ranging from permitted travel to outright, fear-driven exodus favors Nobles and barely acknowledges Intendants’ need for evading the “Yonder Chilling Thought”. The Empress Wave is the godsend to the mainworld’s Proles and cells of resistance fighters gather and plan to overthrow the fleeing Nobles. In 1143, just as Noble families bribe their way off-world in desperate Doom Trade as Passengers, Vampire fleets either capture such vessels by infection or destroy the psionic threats outright.

This is the signal the lower caste Proles need to conduct a coup of planetary proportions. Storming every beach, harbor, delta and shore with ships and towed platforms, a revolution occurs and throws the entire globe into an Armageddon thankfully of conventional means. Without the Nobles’ psionic passcodes, triggers and switches, Intendants are wiped out to the man as the waves of enraged Proles cuts down all but a few Nobles in the battles upon every island city. The mainworld is without government for two years starting in 1143 and ending in 1145 as Proles seize the Vampire-scorched Downport and adjacent planetary Capital. The UWP in this span of time is D468802-6, showing a degradation of the Starport, Population, (many casualties on all castes are suffered), Government, Law and Tech Levels.

The mainworld stabilizes finally in 1147 when the Proles calm enough to enact a Government of 4, utilizing haphazard planetary computer networks, manually disconnected at the detection of Vampires. Law calms down to 2 as locals proudly carry their Trench Whale-shark teeth as a sign of the successful rebellion and weapons become more common. Nuclear weapons are banned, but nuclear power is kept at only one large island home to the Capital and Downport. Solar, wind, wave action and fuel cells become the power source common on INZHISHFIET. In 1140 the UWP of this world is C468802-7 as recovery, distasteful of Virus’ time and effort even curtails technophobia and xenophobia. Proles even come to welcome liberation by the Zhodani Consulate, easily taking up the quarantine protocols at TL 7 capability. Trade is eager but slow to restart as the world welcomes both Zhodani and Vargr-quarantined vessel arrivals.

In 1150, INZHISHFIET’s classification is carefully lifted by the subsector Capital at Zhiblchins (Knoellighz 0321). The mainworld however must continue to prove its value well into the next century by peacefully allowing Nobles and Intendants to return to the mainworld. Throughout the rest of the century, psionic protection gear and anti-psionic devices leak into the markets from smugglers of polities such as the Infinity League and Ascendancy Pact.