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 (world)/Darrian (Spinward Marches 0326) New Era C432652-B 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 (6 million) Government 5 Feudal Technocracy Law 2 Low Law (no energy weapons) Tech Level B Average Stellar (large starships)
See also	UWP
Cultural Details
Government	Feudal technocracy
Law Level	Low
Cultural Extension	251C
Army Size (BEs)	1
Economic Details
Technology Level	11
Economic Extension	D53-2 Resources D Very abundant Labor 5 Moderate (600 thousand) Infrastructure 3 Very limited Efficiency -2 Fair
Importance Extension	0
Resource Units	156
GWP (BCr)	6
World Trade Number	4
Trade Volume (MCr/year)	2,331
Starport Details
Classification	Class-C
Port Size	4
Building Capacity (Tons)	2,849
Port employees	175
Port passengers (annual)	200

Era: New Era

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. This world is an Interface world, with a quarantine inspection facility for all ships. 20% of the world's population is the Major Race Aslan. 80% of the world's population is the Minor Human Race Daryen.

Description (Astrography & Planetology)

The world has one of the shortest years in the Confederation. It has a very thin atmosphere requiring Respirator/filter mask combinations for residents. 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.

Ektron has a solitary primary star.

Ektron
	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

History & Background (Dossier)

Other Data

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.

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 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.

• 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. The Spinward Marches Campaign (Game Designers Workshop, 1985), 22.
• Dave Nilsen. The Regency Sourcebook (Game Designers Workshop, 1995), 44.
• Martin Dougherty. Behind the Claw (Mongoose Publishing, 2019), 47.Martin Dougherty, Neil Frier. Behind the Claw (Steve Jackson Games, 1998), 47.
• EXTERNAL LINK: BARD-OPAL 9528 - Peter Gray
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science