Descartes (world)

Descartes/Winston (Hadji 0503)
Classic Era (1116)	E556584-6 Starport E Frontier - no facilities Size 5 Medium (8,000 km, 0.40g - 0.57g) Atmosphere 5 Thin Hydrographics 6 Wet World 60% Population 5 Moderate (400 thousand) Government 8 Civil Service Bureaucracy Law 4 Moderate Law (no light assault weapons) Tech Level 6 Pre-Stellar (nuclear)
See also	UWP
System Details
Primary	K0 IV G7 V
Planetoid Belts	1
Gas Giants	3

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Jump map from Travellermap.com

Descartes is an agricultural, nonindustrial world still lacking adequate means to expand its economy.

• As an agricultural world, this world is a near-ideal environment for producing quality foodstuffs of plant, animal, and other forms. Quality foodstuffs are a major export commodity for this world.
• It requires extensive imports of outside technology to maintain a modern, star-faring society. Having to import most manufactured and high tech goods drives the price up for these items at this world.
• It is a member of the Winston Democracy in the Winston Subsector of Hadji Sector.

• It orbits the system's secondary star.
• This is a temperate world, with a climate of pleasant, average temperatures, considered to be an ideal or near-ideal environment by many different sophont species.
• It is a member of the Martinique Cluster.

Description (Astrography & Planetology)

Stellar Data

Descartes is a binary star system.

• The primary is a turbulent orange subgiant.
• The primary is a yellow main sequence.

Descartes has two stars in the star system.

Primary
	Type	Category		Mass (Sol)	Temperature (K)	Luminosity
	K0 IV	Subgiant		2.3	4000 - 5000	4.67
	Unit	Diameter	Safe Distance	Habitable Zone	Jump Shadow	M-Drive Limit
	AU	0.03071	0.17924	1.72 - 2.8	3.071	30.71
	Orbit #	*	0	5	5	9
	Remarks		Active star: it produces high levels of EM noise.
Secondary
	Type	Category		Mass (Sol)	Temperature (K)	Luminosity
	G7 V	Main Sequence (Dwarf)		0.95	5480 - 5550	0.83567
	Unit	Diameter	Safe Distance	Habitable Zone	Jump Shadow	M-Drive Limit
	AU	0.0086	0.0758	0.88 - 1.56	0.86	8.6
	Orbit #	*	*	3	3	7
	Remarks		Approximately 110 AU from the primary.

Notes

The two stars of the Descartes system have an average separation of 110 AU and orbit a barycenter that lies between them.

• They have an orbital period around one another of 640 standard years.

System Data

The worlds of the system have been surveyed. They consist of:

• The mainworld, orbiting the secondary star.
• An unknown number of secondary rocky worlds. Most orbit the secondary star.
• x1 planetoid belt, orbiting the primary star.
• x3 gas giants, all orbiting the secondary star.

Mainworld Data

Descartes orbits within the prime region of the secondary star's habitable zone.

Mainworld Size (S)

Descartes is a Meso World between 7,200km and 8,800km in diameter. The world has a standard gravity between 0.4G and 0.57G. The horizon will appear about 4km away.

Mainworld Atmosphere (A)

Descartes has a pressure of 0.43 to 0.70 atmospheres. The Thin Atmosphere does not require survival gear although it may be hard on sophonts not accustomed to it.

• It experiences generally moderate temperatures.

Mainworld Hydrosphere (H)

Descartes has 55-65% of its surface covered by liquid water. It has significant large liquid bodies. Wilderness refueling is possible.

Mainworld Geography and Topography

No centrally held map of the world exists within AAB Library Data records.

(Blank map, predominantly watery world.)

History & Background (Dossier)

Descartes is a member of the Martinique Cluster, a cluster and trade route lying within the spinward-coreward quadrant of Hadji Sector.

Hadji Sector suffered widespread economic and financial collapse at the end of the 11th Century and the Martinique Cluster, already a backward area on the periphery of the region, was particularly hard hit. As the situation within the Cluster deteriorated the Winston Democracy stepped in, offering immediate but conditional material assistance to the area – the aid came at the requirement that those worlds receiving it become members of the Winston Democracy and accept Democracy authority. The Cluster's spinward worlds were the first to accede to these demands: the further trailing worlds saw the improvements on their interstellar neighbors and also chose to join.

The system's huge primary star causes interference, strange tones and noises, and heavy static on commo and sensors.

World Starport (St)

Descartes has a Class E Starport, a frontier quality installation with few expected amenities. There is unrefined fuel for starships and a limited variety of ship provisions. There is no shipyard of any kind, but there may be parts and technical support for doing minor services and repair. Ports of this classification generally consist of a downport.

World Population (P)

Descartes has a population of 400,000 sophonts (hundreds of thousands).

• This is a Nonindustrial World, too small to support the complete chain of production of most goods from start to finish.
• The population almost entirely consists of humans of Solomani descent.

Linguistic Topography

The most commonly heard languages are:

• Rim Anglic, a dialect of Anglic and the principal language of the Confederation.

World Technology Level (T)

Descartes possesses a Technology Level of TL–6.

• Common Communication technologies for this TL include: Telephone, radio, and television.
• Common Power Generation technologies for this TL include: Early fission power generation, advanced water and wind generation of electricity.
• Common Transportation technologies for this TL include:
  • Land: Improved automobiles, early ATV's, and dedicated AFV's.
  • Water: Amphibious vehicles, improved submersibles, and early SCUBA gear.
  • Air: Early jet aircraft and rotorcraft VTOL's.
  • Space: Early unmanned rocket delivery systems and early manned orbital rockets.

World Government (G)

Descartes is governed by a Civil Service Bureaucracy. The leadership of the government takes another form (democracy, dictatorship, oligarchy), but the bureaucracy leadership influences policy. The government leadership may select the bureaucracy leadership, but not its membership. Usually the governmental leadership is divided, or incapable of setting policy, and the bureaucracy provides a stabilizing influence. This ruling bureaucracy may be the full government bureaucractic apparatus or a section with limited jurisdiction but considerable influence, like the military.

World Law (L)

Descartes has a moderate law level with laws covering many areas of government and interaction. These laws are simple enough that most people can act as their own advocate, though for serious issues a professional is recommended. Law enforcement officials will be present, but not in great numbers. Light assault weapons, and anything more destructive, are typically regulated or prohibited.

World Timeline

Major events that have affected this world and the wider region that it lies within:

• -9235: far to coreward, the Vilani discover jump drive technology. Over the centuries pioneers and settlers gradually spread across Charted Space.
• -4678: the Hivers discover jump drive technology.
• -4045 to -2204: the Ziru Sirka controls vast territories.
• -2431: Terrans discover jump drive technology.
• -2404 to -2215: the Interstellar Wars. The young Terran Confederation battles against the ancient Vilani Ziru Sirka.
• -2204 to -1776: the Rule of Man administers the former Ziru Sirka.
• -1999: the Aslan gain jump drive technology.
• -1862 to -1110: the Terran Mercantile Community is active within the region.
• -1776 to 0: the Long Night.
• -1118 to 380: the Aslan Border Wars.
• -1110 to 588: the Terran Mercantile Community gradually becomes the Old Earth Union, shrinking to control the region around Terra.
• The Year 0: to coreward, the Third Imperium is founded.
• 300-420: the Imperial First Survey charts the system.
• 380: the Peace of Ftahalr ends the ongoing Aslan Border Wars and establishes understandings regarding human and Aslan influence.
• 588: the Old Earth Union and the former territories of the Terran Mercantile Community are annexed by the Imperium, moving its border adjacent to the Aslan Hierate.
• 604-622: the Imperial Civil War.
• 624: the Imperial Express Boat Network is established.
• 704: the Solomani Autonomous Region is formed.
• 800-820: the Psionics Suppressions.
• 871: the Solomani Confederation is founded.
• 940: the Solomani Autonomous Region is dissolved.
• 990-1002: the Solomani Rim War.
• 995-1065: the Imperial Second Survey includes data for the system.
• 1065: the Second Survey is published. Information about the system becomes widely available.

References & Contributors / Sources

This article is missing content for one or more detailed sections. Additional details are required to complete the article. You can help the Traveller Wiki by expanding it.

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 Mongoose Publishing or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Peter G. Celella, James Holden. Solomani & Aslan (Digest Group Publications, 1991), pages 8-11. (sector named, dot maps locating the worlds of the sector)
• Andy Slack, David Thomas, David L. Pulver. Alien Races 2 (Steve Jackson Games, 1999), various pages. (useful background for the sector)
• Michael Taylor. Fighting Ships of the Solomani (QuikLink Interactive, 2009), various pages. (useful background for the sector)
• Author and Contributor: Jo Grant (development of the sector)