Glisten (world)

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Alien Moon 138c2-0.jpg
Glisten/Glisten (Spinward Marches 2036)
Classic Era (1116)
A000986-F
StarportA Excellent: Starship Construction, Overhaul, Refined fuel
Size0 Asteroid/Planetoid Belt
Atmosphere0 Vacuum
Hydrographics0 Desert World 0%
Population9 High (8 billion)
Government8 Civil Service Bureaucracy
Law6 Moderate Law (no firearms except shotguns)
Tech LevelF High Stellar (anagathics)
See also UWP
System Details
Primary K9 V
Planetoid Belts 1
Gas Giants 1
style="width: 220px; height: 250px;"
Jump map from Travellermap.com [1]

Glisten is a high-population ring of many small worldlets (planetoids AKA an "asteroid belt"), not capable of retaining an atmosphere or water, and are both non-agricultural and industrial in nature with a billion or more sophonts in population size.

  • 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.
  • As a group of industrial worldlets, well-developed manufacturing and processing sectors are major business here. Manufactured goods are a major export item.
  • The worldlets are, for the most part, unable to produce quality foodstuffs and must import them.
  • It is a member of the Third Imperium in the Glisten Subsector of Spinward Marches Sector in the Domain of Deneb.
  • This is a "high technology" world with technology achievements at, near, or over technology standards for Charted Space.
  • This world has an Imperial Naval Base, capable of handling warships.
  • It also has an Imperial Scout base, capable of handling IISS starships and personnel.
  • Glisten is a member of the Spinward Main.
  • It lies on (and is the namesake of) the Glisten Arm.

Description (Astrography & Planetology)

Stars

Glisten has a solitary primary star named Gliss.

  • It is an orange main sequence.

Solitary K Type.jpg

Glisten has a solitary primary star.
Gliss
Solitary K Type.jpg Type Category Mass (Sol) Temperature (K) Luminosity
K9 V Main Sequence 0.59 3850 - 3930 0.15775
Unit Diameter Safe Distance Habitable Zone Jump Shadow M-Drive Limit
AU 0.0057 0.0329 0.41 - 0.78 0.57 5.7
Orbit #  *  * 2 2 6
Remarks None

System Data

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

Mainworld Data

Glisten is an Asteroid Belt mainworld.

Asteroid Belt 06.jpg

It is one of the major high-tech industrial centers of the Marches and consists of a number of separate planetoid cities, most of which specialize in a particular industry or social role.

Mainworld Size (S)

Glisten is an Asteroid 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.

Mainworld Atmosphere (A)

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

Mainworld Hydrosphere (H)

The Glisten belt contains a few icy bodies. A few belt objects 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 chart of the belt exists within AAB Library Data records.

Blank World Map Asteroid Belt.png
(Placeholder chart, asteroid belt.)

History & Background (Dossier)

Glisten is the collective name for a large number of settlements in the inner planetoid belt orbiting a solitary star; a center of commerce and industry—not just for the subsector, but for the entire Spinward Marches. The name derives from one of the early and primary settlements on the asteroid named Gliss Ten.

The belt is home to most of the system’s population, who would not normally refer to themselves as Belters. That term carries with it connotations of small mining habitats and semi–nomadic prospectors whereas the people of Glisten live in large cities. The fact that their homeworld happens to be a belt does not give them any sort of kinship with Belters proper – and most ‘real’ Belters would agree wholeheartedly.

World Starport (St)

Glisten has a Class A Starport, an excellent quality installation which includes all the expected amenities including refined fuel for starships, brokerage services for passengers and cargo, and a variety of ship provisions. There is a shipyard capable of doing annual maintenance, overhauls and other kinds of repair, and construction of both starships and non-starships. Most ports of this classification have both a Highport and a Downport.

The words “highport” and “lowport” don’t apply to Glisten. Instead of the usual paring of a large planetary base and orbital station, the subsector capital’s starport is a cluster of asteroids. Such a port is known as a "beltport". This allows it to be just as large as any other class A lowport, yet still be able to service starships that lack landing capabilities.

Among the installations there are an enormous yard owned and operated by Ling-Standard Products as well as smaller and more specialized shipbuilders such as Bilstein Yards.

Glisten's naval base is the home port of the subsector fleet. The immediate region around the base is a restricted area and is heavily patrolled, with sensor outposts constructed on a number of asteroids to give better coverage. It is also has an extensive scout base, which is located near the primary starport. In addition to a huge fleet of cutters dedicated to the ongoing effort to chart and catalogue every asteroid in the belts, the base is home to the usual flotilla of communications and exploration vessels.

Jonkereen Travellers Digest 19 p27 No Background Kate Lebherz.jpg

World Population (P)

Glisten has a population of 8,000,000,000 sophonts (billions).

The population of the Glisten system numbers in the billions, housed in large cities built on asteroids all through the belt. Each city has its own administrative apparatus, all of which ultimately form part of the efficient but dull Glisten Coordinating Authority, a civil service government that runs the system as a whole. Laws are moderate but with so many settlements, housing vast numbers of people, scattered across the entire system, a rather stodgy administration has emerged with a fair amount of red tape wrapped around almost any activity.

  • The belt is home to a small community of Jonkeereen.

There is also a community of what could be called true Belters within the system. Although not officially part of Glisten’s population and not counted among it, the Belters are subject to local laws while they are in–system and most are willing to comply. However, there are groups who routinely ignore comm–channel restrictions, traffic control instructions and other governmental rules which are considered very important by the people and government of Glisten.

Urbanization

There are several planetoid cities each specializing in agriculture, light and heavy industry, and even an artists’ colony. However this is not taken to extremes. Almost all settlements have some industry, some food production and some technical capabilities. There are a number of more general settlements, but these are of much lesser economic importance than the great centers for trade and industry.

The capital of the system is Glisten City, a huge metropolis that grew out of the much smaller Gliss Ten settlement chosen as administrative center for the system long ago. Glisten City is the site of the huge starport and serves as the main center for trade and business of all kinds as well as the administrative capital. Many other cities are fairly specialized in their industrial or social activities.

Linguistic Topography

The following languages are most commonly heard:

World Government (G)

Glisten is governed by a Civil Service Bureaucracy. The leadership of the government is 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. The bureaucracy may be the full government bureaucracy or a section with limited jurisdiction but considerable influence like the military.

World Law (L)

Glisten has a moderate 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. All firearms except shotguns, and anything more destructive, are typically regulated or prohibited.

World Government (G)

Glisten is governed by a Civil Service Bureaucracy. The leadership of the government is 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. The bureaucracy may be the full government bureaucracy or a section with limited jurisdiction but considerable influence like the military. Glisten serves as the Imperial Subsector capital.

Imperial Landed Nobility (N)

Glisten, as a member world of the Third Imperium, holds the estates of three members of the Imperial Nobility, who are charged with overseeing the world.

Trade Data

  • Importance: 5 (very important)

World Economy

  • Resources: D (very abundant)
  • Labor: 8 (hundreds of millions)
  • Infrastructure: H (very comprehensive)
  • Efficiency: +4 (advanced)

With its large industrial complexes and extremely high tech level, Glisten is an important exporter of technological goods across the sector and beyond. Its shipyards are widely renowned.

World Culture

  • Heterogenity: 8 (discordant)
  • Acceptance: E (extremely xenophilic)
  • Strangeness: 4 (somewhat distinct)
  • Symbols: E (somewhat abstract)

Academic Institutions

The Glisten system attracts large numbers of students to its academic institutions, which include the Glisten Institute of Planetological Studies (GLIPS) and the Mining School of Glisten, which is associated with GLIPS but autonomous.

  • The Mining School receives funding from several corporate and Megacorporate sources, which offer scholarships for promising students in the prospecting, extraction, processing and management disciplines. Ex–students are recruited in large numbers by mining corporations across the sector.
  • The Glisten Institute of Planetological Studies is one of the largest universities in the sector. One of GLIPS’ major fields of studies is geneering. As such, a few hundred Jonkeereen are employed here at all times for study by researchers and students alike. Most of the Jonkeereen originate on Callia or Melior — though the Imperial Ministry of Colonization is sometimes prickly about GLIPS “stealing its Melioran Jonkeereen.”

World Timeline

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

Original Data

Editor's Note: the non-canon write-up of the system radically differs from the details presented by Traveller Map:

System Data

The Glisten system is centered on the star Gliss. It has a single gas giant, Nasmi, and no rocky planets. There are two planetoid belts, of which one is designated as the mainworld.

Mainworld Data

Glisten contains two asteroid belts, the Glisten Belt and the Pluvis Belt, circling Gliss. Although both are highly populated, the Glisten Belt is designated as the mainworld.

Sub-planets in the main Gliss Belt and the Pluvis Belt typically have diameters of less than 1000 km; the minimum size to achieve a spherical shape is approximately 600 km, depending on the mineral mixture of its composition. Bodies between 60 km and 600 km tend to be a bit 'lumpy' or irregular in shape, with those smaller than 60 km tending to be radially non-symmetric.

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.
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