Ektron (world)

Ektron/Darrian (Spinward Marches 0326) Milieu 1116 C432652-9 Starport C Routine: No Construction, Major Repair, Unrefined fuel Size 4 Small (6,400 km, 0.32g - 0.46g) Atmosphere 3 Vacuum (very thin) Hydrographics 2 Dry World 20% Population 6 Moderate (4 million) Government 5 Feudal Technocracy Law 2 Low Law (no energy weapons) Tech Level 9 Early Stellar (fusion)
See also	UWP
style="width: 220px; height: 250px;" Jump map from Travellermap.com
System Details
Primary	M1 V
Worlds	14
Gas Giants	3
Planetoid Belts	2
Cultural Details
Government	Feudal technocracy
Law Level	Low
Cultural Extension	2515
Army Size (BEs)	1
Economic Details
Technology Level	9
Economic Extension	D53-5 Resources D Very abundant Labor 5 Moderate (400 thousand) Infrastructure 3 Very limited Efficiency -5 Extremely poor
Importance Extension	-1
Resource Units	98
GWP (BCr)	7
World Trade Number	4
Trade Volume (MCr/year)	1,560
Starport Details
Classification	Class-C
Port Size	4
Building Capacity (Tons)	3,800
Port employees	140
Port passengers (annual)	11,000

Ektron has an unbreathably thin atmosphere and very little surface water. The system has a population between 1 million and 10 million sophonts, lacking the industrial base to be completely self-supporting. It is a member of Darrian Confederation in the Darrian Subsector of Spinward Marches Sector. 10% of the world's population is the Major Race Aslan. 80% of the world's population is the Minor Human Race Daryen.

• Ektron is a member of the Spinward Main.

Description (Astrography & Planetology)

Stellar Data

Ektron has a solitary primary star.

• It is a red main sequence.

Ektron has a solitary primary star.

Primary
	Type	Category		Mass (Sol)	Temperature (K)	Luminosity
	M1 V	Main Sequence (Dwarf)		0.5	3620 - 3660	0.08839
	Unit	Diameter	Safe Distance	Habitable Zone	Jump Shadow	M-Drive Limit
	AU	0.0047	0.0247	0.31 - 0.59	0.47	4.7
	Orbit #	*	*	1	1	6
	Remarks

Mainworld Data

The world has one of the shortest years in the Confederation, with an orbital period around its star of 89.1 standard days.

It orbits towards the inner edge of its star's habitable zone.

• It receives relatively high levels of stellar energy.

Mainworld Size (S)

Ektron is a Meso World between 5,600km and 7,200km in diameter. The world has low gravity between 0.32G and 0.46G. The horizon will appear about 3.6km away.

Mainworld Atmosphere (A)

Ektron has a pressure of 0.10 to 0.42 atmospheres. The very thin pressures require a respirator or Oxygen Mask. TL–5 or more advanced survival gear is required to settle this world.

• It experiences high temperatures.

Mainworld Hydrosphere (H)

Ektron has 15-25% of its surface covered by liquid water or ice. There may be a few small seas. Wilderness refueling is possible. Water for the inhabitants needs to be imported and extensively recycled. These worlds are Hell Worlds or Poor Worlds depending on their atmosphere.

• Dense fogs, mists, and steams rise from the warm waters.

Mainworld Geography and Topography

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

• Locally, detailed maps may be available.

(Blank map, predominantly dry world.)

Native Lifeforms

Abundant native life occupying every available ecological niche. Its metabolic functions drive the process of atmospheric renewal.

The low atmospheric pressure and lack of humidity results in some quite strange adaptations in native flora and fauna. Plants evolved huge waxy fronds or other extended surface areas to allow greater gas absorption, with smaller plants storing pressurised air within internal cists or hanging pods. Likewise, animals developed oversized thoraxes and lungs, using internal oxygen sacs to provide emergency reserves.

• Ektron's mountain leapers provide an insulating wool used for much of the local clothing.
• A family of fruit trees on Ektron retains carbon dioxide in its leaves, which locals use to brew a carbonated tea. The tea is exported to other worlds of the Confederation as a novelty drink.
• Native Ganguyr, a scaled quadruped, are hunted eagerly by Darrian Aslan – and by the gliding predators called Demuk.

History & Background (Dossier)

Ektron was one of the original Darrian Cluster worlds settled by the pre-Maghiz Darrians. It is conveniently located near the end of one spur of the Spinward Main, and within close proximity to the homeworld. This proximity nearly spelled the world's doom, when the EMP wave from Tanis swept through a few years after the Maghiz. Most of the colonists were living in domed cities whose electronics and systems were vulnerable to EM disruption, and about a quarter of the population perished when those systems failed.

The stranded survivors eked out an existence on their harsh world. The previous bureaucratic government was supplanted by a coalition of agricultural oligarchs whose monopoly on power was assured by the difficulty of growing food on Ektron. Under these landlords, the population lived in a miserable existence of semi-slavery, as agriculture on the world was extremely labor-intensive. The population began to go into further decline due to overwork, brutality and starvation, and by the time that Mire (Spinward Marches 0527) recontacted them, the population numbered less than fifteen percent of the pre-Maghiz level.

The new Confederation government outlawed slavery, emancipating the local population. New colonists were settled on the world to prevent recidivism, but an alternate form of income was necessary to preserve the status quo and support the world. The conversion from subsistence farming to profitable plantation cultures were complicated by Ektron's dry, thin air, preventing the use of offworld crops. Botanists and planters scoured the backcountry for suitable native plants instead. A number of crops were developed, but the salvation of the world came from an unlikely source, a plant called Ektron or Effervescent Tea.

World Starport (Sp)

Ektron has a Class C Starport, an average quality installation which features amenities including unrefined fuel for starships, some brokerage services for passengers and cargo, and a variety of ship provisions. There is a shipyard capable of doing maintenance and other kinds of repair. Ports of this classification generally have only a downport, unless this is a trade port or system with an hostile environment mainworld.

World Population (P)

4,000,000

World Demographics

• Aslan, 10%
• Darrian, 80%
• Other (mostly Solomani), 10%

World Languages

• Te-Zlodh
  • Written te-zlodh uses a syllabary of flowing symbols, known as yaser te-yulep (the old script). When the Solomani arrived at Darrian, a new Latin-based alphabet, rome te-yulep ('the Roman script'), was introduced. Currently, yaser te-yulep remains in use for legal documentation, classic literature, poetry and news bulletins, where the speed and efficiency of the syllabary allows for rapid reading. Scientific and educational documentation are written in rome te-yulep.

World Government (G)

Ektron is governed by a Feudal Technocracy. Society divides itself based on the technical requirements of the society. Each of these functions are granted as a fief to an individual or group. Leadership of these fiefs determines the head of the government.

World Law (L)

Ektron has a low law level. There are few laws, covering only important areas. There may be few or no law enforcement officers, the expectation is citizens will bring law breakers to the attention of the Judicial system. Legal proceedings will be fast, with few people involved. For interactions outside of the framework of the laws, cultural norms dominate. Portable energy weapons, body pistols, explosives, and poison gas are typically regulated or prohibited.

• The Taledh Code is the basis of Darrian law.

Economic

Corporations

• Dhoshu Systems: a Darrian corporation involved in food production and distribution.
• Tharnitia Denus: a transport and logistics corporation that operates postal services and maintains terminals on all worlds within the Darrian Confederation.
  The name literally translates as "Transport Company".
• Zloril: a manufacturing corporation specializing in electronic equipment such as computers, sensor systems, and entertainment devices.

Tea

Ektron Tea is an unassuming shade-loving shrub with one unusual feature: the leaves, in addition to yielding a powerful and tasty caffienated beverage, naturally store CO₂. When the leaves are carefully processed and packaged, this CO₂ can remain until it is released by immersion in hot or cold water, creating a wonderful carbonated drink. (No doubt the Brits are recoiling while they read this. But there's no accounting for taste in the far future.)

Most Ektron Tea was sold to the local Darrian market, where it was an enjoyable counterpoint to the usual serious diet of the average citizenry. The Third Imperium was slow in discovering this delicacy, until Makhidkarun began importing it into the rest of the Marches after the Third Frontier War. The drink has developed a significant reputation in the Confederation, often being used as a homeopathic cure for colds, allergies and hangovers.

Since the 1150s the drink has become affordable enough, thanks to expanded cultivation, for average Regency citizens to purchase and enjoy. The drink is marketed by several beverage companies under various distinctive brand names, including Vesuvius ("Vulcan Tea"), Akiracha ("ChaCha Brew") and Shumikkir-Makhiduran ("Effervesia", which comes in flavors like lemon and strawberry).

References & Contributors (Sources)

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.

• Marc Miller. The Spinward Marches (Game Designers Workshop, 1979), 8-9.
• Marc Miller. The Spinward Marches Campaign (Game Designers Workshop, 1985), 18-19.
• Marc W. Miller, Robert Parker, Nancy Parker, Matt Renner. Darrians (Game Designers Workshop, 1987), 22,32.Pete Nash. Darrians (Mongoose Publishing, 2010), 22,32.
• Marc Miller. Imperial Encyclopedia (Game Designers Workshop, 1987), 94-100. (UWP only)
• Rob Caswell. "Domain of Deneb: Sector Data." MegaTraveller Journal 3 (1992): 47-58. (UWP only)
• Dave Nilsen. The Regency Sourcebook (Game Designers Workshop, 1995), 44. (UWP only)
• Martin Dougherty, Neil Frier. Behind the Claw (Steve Jackson Games, 1998), 47.
• Mike West. The Spinward States (Avenger Enterprises, 2008), 108. (UWP only)
• Martin Dougherty. The Spinward Marches (Mongoose Publishing, 2008), .
• Martin Dougherty. Behind the Claw (Mongoose Publishing, 2019), 80-84,86,88. (UWP only)
• Peter Gray - BARD-OPAL 9528