Sapphyre (world)

A977200-D

Starport	A	Excellent: Starship Construction, Overhaul, Refined fuel
Size	9	Large (14,400 km, 1.03g - 1.33g)
Atmosphere	7	Standard (tainted)
Hydrographics	7	Wet World 70%
Population	2	Low (800)
Government	0	No Government structure
Law	0	No Law
Tech Level	D	Average Stellar (holo data)

Astrography and planetology

The name of the world is truly descriptive, native micro-organisms in the oceans metabolize copper salts dissolved in the water, producing an intense blue color which is beautiful to behold. The metal salt saturated water droplets in the air trigger crippling allergic reactions within a matter of minutes.

Binary Solar System

Sapphyre Binary Star System
Star Name	Hierarchy	Category		Mass (Sol)	Temp (K)	Luminosity (Sol)
Sapphyre M3 V	Primary	Main Sequence		0.37	3270 - 3430	0.03081
	Unit	Diameter	Min Distance	Hab Zone	Jump Shadow	M-Drive Limit
	AU	0.0017	0.0146	0.18 - 0.35	0.17	1.7
	Orbit #	*	*	0	0	4
Star Name	Hierarchy	Category		Mass (Sol)	Temp (K)	Luminosity (Sol)
Sapphyre K0 V	Secondary	Main Sequence		0.88	5170 - 5270	0.63928
	Unit	Diameter	Min Distance	Hab Zone	Jump Shadow	M-Drive Limit
	AU	0.0038	0.0663	0.78 - 1.4	0.38	3.8
	Orbit #	*	*	3	1	5

Native Lifeforms

Though Sapphyre has a chemistry which is profoundly non-Terran, it is still home to a wide variety of complex lifeforms which have evolved to cope with Sapphyre's metal saturated environment. Some secrete metal compounds into their carapaces which are shed at intervals, while others incorporate metals directly into their skeletal or other body structures.

The most surprising example of this was discovered in the early years of the Third Imperium. Some classes of Sapphyrian fauna have nervous systems consisting of pure metallic fibers carrying modulated electrical signals.

Described by Scout Service biologists as 'organometallic robots,' such life forms are almost unique in Imperial space, and Sapphyrian life is the subject of intense study.

History and background

Sapphyre small population is entirely female humans, who own and lease portions of the world for mining of the planet. The locals are both immensely wealthy and extremely isolationist. A small group of Imperial officials and a number of Sternmetal Horizon employees serve as the planetary liaisons.

Imperial High Nobility

Sapphyre, as a member world of the Third Imperium has a member of the Imperial Nobility overseeing the world.

It holds the estate of an Imperial knight.

World Starport

Sapphyre has a Class A Starport, an excellent quality installation which includes all the expected amenities including refined fuel for starships, brokerage services for passengers and cargo, and a variety of ship provisions. There is a shipyard capable of doing annual maintenance, overhauls and other kinds of repair, and construction of both starships and non-starships. Most ports of this classification have both a Highport and a Downport.

The local starport is operated by the Imperial contractors and corporate employees.

Historical Data

Sapphyre was settled ~550 by an all female group of ex-Medurma Pact military personnel, led by Vice-Admiral Madelaine Takachiho of the Pact Space Force. She was, apparently, an extreme feminist who resented the 'male domination' of the Pact government and military. She fermented an uprising against the Vlisrikaa family and ruling hierarchy. She, and at least two dozen of her senior staff were sentences to death for their crimes. They managed to escape in commandeered Space Force auxiliary vehicles. Talachiho's attempted coup is referred to as the "Sapphic Betrayal" and the Vice-Admiral is a figure of hatred among native Medurmans.

The details of the events after Talachiho's flight from Medurma remain unclear, but Pact and Aakhri Empire archives suggest her band took up piracy to survive. They managed to capture cyrogenic gamete storage systems from an Aakhri colonization vessel, which gave them the means to have children. As commerce trading was becoming too dangerous, Talachiho decided to establish a settlement on Sapphyre, well away from patrol routes.

Through a combination of sperm genoselection and infanticide the 'Takans' have managed to maintain an all-female population to the present day. Since the discovery of Sapphyre's immense heavy metal resources in the early 300s, and the world's designation as the duchy capital in 498, the Takans have become immensely wealthy through grants of land to Sternmetal Horizons and the Imperial government. Though most have left Sapphyre for more comfortable and pleasant worlds, perhaps a hundred Takans still make their homes on the world living in complete seclusion on private estates and only dealing with outsiders through comlinks or S'mrii-designed robots.

Visitors to Sapphyre should note the terms of the Takan land grants prohibit anyone apart from direct representatives of the Imperial Government from permanent residence on world. Imperial corporations usually rotate their work force on and off planet on a six to twelve month cycle. Sapphyrian habitation complexes tend to be as modular as possible so they may be rearranged to suit the tastes of the new arrivals with little fuss.

References and contributors

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

Citation Missing - Signal-GK 7
Marc Miller. First Survey (Imperium Games, 1996), 84.
Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science

↑ "Jump Map API" and map location from Travellermap.com

[1] "Jump Map API" and map location from Travellermap.com

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