Merak (world)

Merak/Euxene (Aldebaran 0310)
Classic Era (1116)	C00047C-B Starport C Routine: No Construction, Major Repair, Unrefined fuel Size 0 Asteroid/Planetoid Belt Atmosphere 0 Vacuum Hydrographics 0 Desert World 0% Population 4 Moderate (50 thousand) Government 7 Balkanization Law C Extreme Law (no privacy) Tech Level B Average Stellar (large starships)
See also	UWP
System Details
Primary	A1 V
Planetoid Belts	0
Gas Giants	0

style="width: 220px; height: 250px;"

Jump map from Travellermap.com

Merak is a ring of many small worldlets (planetoids AKA an "asteroid belt"), not capable of retaining an atmosphere or water, and nonindustrial in nature.

• These worldlets warrant hazardous environment precautions.
• Life in a vacuum requires great discipline. After all, it only takes one forgotten seal on a vacuum suit to spell death. Those who survive tend to be very methodically-minded and attentive to small detail.
• The worldlets require 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 Solomani Confederation in the Euxene Subsector of Aldebaran Sector.

Description (Astrography & Planetology)

Stellar Data

Merak has a solitary primary star.

• It is a blue-white main sequence named Merak. It is also known as Beta Ursae Majoris / β Ursae Majoris

Merak has a solitary primary star.

β Ursae Majoris
	Type	Category		Mass (Sol)	Temperature (K)	Luminosity
	A1 V	Main Sequence (Dwarf)		2.05	8800 - 9300	12.33498
	Unit	Diameter	Safe Distance	Habitable Zone	Jump Shadow	M-Drive Limit
	AU	0.0199	0.2913	3.33 - 5.78	1.99	19.9
	Orbit #	*	0	6	4	8
	Remarks		Active star: it produces high levels of EM noise.

System Data

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

• The mainworld.
• x4 secondary rocky worlds.

Mainworld Data

Merak is an Asteroid Belt mainworld.

Mainworld Size (S)

Merak is an Asterioid Belt or Planetoid Belt consisting of a few very large objects with diameters of hundreds of kilometers, thousands of bodies of a few kilometers in diameter, and millions of smaller objects. Asteroid Belt is used when the belt is the mainworld of a system. Planetoid Belt refers to any non-mainworld belt within a system.

Mainworld Atmosphere (A)

None of the bodies within the Merak belt retain an atmosphere.

• The belt is in vacuum conditions, requiring the use of a Vacc Suit.
• TL–8 or more advanced survival gear is required to settle this world.

Mainworld Hydrosphere (H)

The Merak belt contains a few icy bodies. A few belt objects may have frozen volatiles on their surfaces.

• Wilderness refueling is possible within the belt, provided a suitable icy object can be found.
• Water for the inhabitants is generally imported and is extensively recycled.

Mainworld Geography and Topography

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

(Placeholder chart, asteroid belt.)

History & Background (Dossier)

Solomani Security keeps a close eye on things to ensure the security of the Confederation and the well-being of its loyal citizens. Almost anyone could be a SolSec informant, passing on all sorts of useful information: some gain a reward or benefit for their actions, others are coerced, but many see it as an act of duty to help protect the Solomani state and its interests.

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

World Starport (St)

Merak 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)

Merak has a population of 50,000 sophonts (tens 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 Solomani humans.

Linguistic Topography

The most commonly heard languages are:

• Euxene French, a Terran language principally spoken in the Euxene Cluster.
• Rim Anglic, a dialect of Anglic and the principal language of the Confederation.

World Technology Level (T)

Merak possesses a Technology Level of TL–11 or TL-B in Hexadecimal Notation.

• Common Communication technologies for this TL include: Holovision, Personal Global Communications, and advanced Translators.
• Common Power Generation technologies for this TL include: Increasingly advanced fusion plants and advanced fuel cells.
• Common Transportation technologies for this TL include:
  • Land, Water & Air: Personal G-Tubes and advanced gravcraft.
  • Space: Advanced interplanetary spacecraft (System Craft).
  • FTL: Jump Drive-2.

World Government (G)

Merak has a Balkanized Government. There is no central world government. The world has several governments competing for control of the world. These may be allies, cooperating, competitors, or at war with each other.

World Law (L)

Merak has an extreme law level which covers every area of interaction. Laws are complex, detailed, and difficult to understand. Every interaction with the government requires an Advocate. Law enforcement is omnipresent and strict. Legal proceeding can take months to years to resolve and may involve dozens of people. A world with this law level may be an Amber Zone or a Red Zone. All objects specifically manufactured as weapons are typically regulated or prohibited (with no exception for private residences; visiting starships are only protected so long as they stay within designated starports and approach corridors). Civilian movement is rigidly controlled. Travel documents are frequently checked. There is no legal concept of privacy (save for those who can claim necessity for official government business). The police are free to inspect anyone and anything at any time.

Trade Data

• Importance: 0 (unimportant)

World Economy

• Resources: 8 (moderate)
• Labor: 3 (thousands)
• Infrastructure: 3 (very limited)
• Efficiency: -1 (average)

World Culture

• Heterogenity: 5 (harmonious)
• Acceptance: 4 (extremely aloof)
• Strangeness: 2 (typical)
• Symbols: E (extremely abstract)

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.
• -4045 to -2204: the Ziru Sirka controls vast territories.
• -2431: Terrans discover jump drive technology.
• -2404 to -2215: the Interstellar Wars.
• -2204 to -1776: the Rule of Man administers the former Ziru Sirka.
• -1776 to 0: the Long Night.
• The Year 0: to coreward, the Third Imperium is founded.
• 300-420: the Imperial First Survey charts the system.
• 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.

• John Harshman, Marc Miller, Loren Wiseman. Classic Traveller Supplement 8 Library Data (A-M), (Game Designers Workshop, 1981), various pages. (Library data entries)
• John Harshman, Marc Miller, Loren Wiseman. Classic Traveller Supplement 11 Library Data (N-Z), (Game Designers Workshop, 1982), various pages. (Library data entries)
• John Harshman, Marc Miller. Solomani (Game Designers Workshop, 1986), IFC, pages 3, 28. (sector named, background for the sector)
• Peter G. Celella, James Holden. Solomani & Aslan (Digest Group Publications, 1991), pages 8-11, various others. (dot map locating the worlds of the sector, background for the sector)
• Steven Eric Schwartz. MegaTraveller Periodical Imperiallines 2, 1991, page 5. (Bootean Federation, background for the sector)
• Michael Taylor. Fighting Ships of the Solomani (QuikLink Interactive, 2009), page 5. (background for the sector)
• David L. Pulver. Solomani (Mongoose Publishing, 2012), pages 50, 118, 119, various others. (background for the sector)
• Martin J. Dougherty. The Order of Prometheus (Mongoose Publishing, 2023), various pages. (scenarios and background for the sector)
• Zho Berka's Maps (Classic Era UWP Data for the world)
• CORE Data Site (UWP Data for the world)
• Author & Contributor: Garnfellow (development of the sector)
• Author & Contributor: Leroy W.L. Guatney of the Federation Development Agency (FDA) (development of the sector)