Campaign:NHNE/Worlds/Sulphur

Sulphur is the innermost planet of the New Earth System

Astrography

see: New Earth System for astrographical context

Sulphur is a planet that orbits the star Flare-Bright at .91 AU. It take 284 days to do so.

Planetology

Summary

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Sulphur is a hell world. There is no water what so ever. And the atmosphere is just nasty being significantly carbon-dioxide and running to near the upper limit for the technology.

Starport

Sulphur has a Class E Starport, a frontier quality installation with few expected amenities. There is limited fuel for ships and a terrible variety of ship provisions. Even the water tastes foul! There is no shipyard of any kind, but there may be parts and technical support for doing minor services and repair given a bit of ingenuity.

The entire facility consists of a 2000m runway and a pair of landing pads each having one air-tight connection to the main facility. To add insult to injury, the traffic control tower charges a full Cr1000 for its services unless the landing vessel is carrying station supplies on a charter run.

Size

Sulphur is a Meso World of 11,100km in diameter. The world has a standard gravity of 0.9G. The horizon will appear about 4.7km away.

While the planet is near enough to become tide locked it is not. It has a spin that is incredibly long. About once per 43 years. The existence of the massive "Hewell Crater" (or "Hell Crater") suggests that the planet was struck by a massive body sometime in the last 200m years, reinstating a slow spin.

Atmosphere

Sulphur has an Insidious Atmosphere which requires the use of a Hostile Environment Suit or Vacc Suit, but extreme conditions cause the corrosive effects to defeat any personal protective measures in a few hours. TL–10 or more advanced survival gear is required to settle this world. (n.b. The protective systems are not manufactured on world, but imported from Poseidon or New Earth - There is an extensive supply of spares).

Hydrosphere

0% of Sulphur's surface is covered by liquid.

Population

Sulphur has a population of 11,000 but few of these are permanent residents. Almost no-one is daft enough to live here for more than a few years (the prisoners have no choice).

The entire population is mining the unusual mineral formations on the edge of "Hell Crater" which includes many types of crystal not seen elsewhere in the system, and a seam of industrial-diamonds in quantities that are cheaper to produce than manufactured ones.

There is a high-security prison (known as New Hell) about 1000km from the starport. The prison is run by New Heaven. This has a 100km exclusion zone and the guards will shoot unexpected vessels or vehicles that approach it.

Government

Sulphur is run by the Sulphur Cooperative. (The existence of the prison is a source of contention, but the cooperative receives a peppercorn rent from it.)

Law

Sulphur runs an inquisitorial legal system and you are considered guilty until proved innocent. Having said that, there aren't many actual laws - and it has NO corporate law at all. All transactions are considered personal.

Technology

Sulphur relies, almost entirely, on technology imported from off-world.

Biology & Ecology

None

Military

None

Economy

The economy is solely dependent upon Mining.

Culture

The planet has a very unusual culture with a heavy emphasis on mutual help and assistance - Cash is not king. The women on the station have a much higher status than the men - who outnumber them by many to one. Insulting a woman can be a serious mistake with harsh penalties.

The pot-plants that have been brought to the planet are looked after with great tenderness. They are considered a vital part of the sir-systems.

New workers or visitors to the planet are advised that a local guide is advisable.

History

Sulphur was first mined in 272. It had been visited just twice before that.