Difference between revisions of "Magash (world)"
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Revision as of 16:42, 7 October 2013
| Magash/Sabine (Deneb 0316) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classic Era (1116) | A400A56-F
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| New Era (1200) | A400976-F
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| See also | UWP | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Magash binary star system was known to ancient Solomani astronomers as Albiero. While possessing no habitable worlds, it has several gas giants, around one of which orbits an airless rock that contains one of the most remarkable discoveries in Charted Space. For nearly 500 miles under the surface is an enormous layer of hydrated rock, containing more water than found in all of the oceans on Terra, which is close enough to the surface to be "mined" by interested settlers. But this body is actually the result of tectonic migration from an even more vast body of water that surrounds the planetary core, the Twilight Sea. The Sea contains enough water to fill Terra's oceans five or six times over, but what is even more remarkable is that it contains and supports life.
Surveyors discovered this fact in 115, and a Vilani colony was established here in 133. Because of the bounty provided by the Twilight Sea and Hydration Zone, most of the early settlements broke off from each other and formed their own governments. In every case settlers built their cities in large impact craters, building wall-to-wall pressure domes that provided plenty of room for future expansion. Today most of these domes have been replaced by huge structures that resemble giant teardrops burrowing into the ground, with the sharp end being a large tower that houses shuttle or starports and most of the local industry. Drilling into the Hydration Zone brings water, air and organic material that provides most local life support needs.
The world is dominated by the megapolises of Iikilama and Zimanum, which are linked complexes of several habitats. Economic competition between these two, and with other Midway high population worlds in conjunction with neighboring cities were historically fierce and marked by guerilla actions and industrial espionage. Magash's cities are topped by laser and mass driver turrets originally intended to shoot down frequent meteors and comets, but eventually became deterrent weapons during the long cold wars between these factions.
Since the Collapse, however, the loss of the Third Imperium and the threat of Virus has forced the warring factions into a shaky coalition. This was done more out of practical considerations like preserving the world's technological lead in the face of the TL-15 cap imposed by the First Regent than out of any love for each other. But since the Collapse the benefits of linking their economies together has outweighed conflict, and economic specialization has blurred the traditional boundaries between the larger factions. This grudging acceptance and integration has been helped by massive immigration by Frontier refugees, and the fallout of the Ashasi devolution.
New habitats have been constructed to make room for the new additions, and in many cases the elites of various cities have formed joint venture communities like the famous Rainbow Vale, the Regency's high powered genetech center that is currently rolling back the frontiers of genetic engineering and research. Despite some erosion of technological skills and abilities, the world is banging on the TL-16 door, and could easily transform itself overnight. Thanks to the Rainbow Vale and other genetech centers, Magash is a major source of biological products for the rest of the Regency. The world is also a major shipbuilder, though its higher gravity keeps it from taking full advantage of its cheap manufacturing and labor. One transport innovation built since the Collapse are Tractor/Repulsor driven high speed trains that link all of the worlds habitats into a single network and is cheaper than traditional grav and space transit. All of these developments are supported by Ivy Curtain schools like the Universities of Iikilama and Zimanum, which are heavily grounded in sciences and technology.
The population is strongly mixed, and are friendly to offworlders. The local communal militaries have been tentatively unified since 1140 under a special master appointed by the subsector government. Local troops often wear outlandish and brightly colored clothing to identify themselves to local citizens, thereby forestalling lingering suspicions left over from the cold war days. In many cases local police have taken over many of the military's functions, and take a very high profile themselves in promoting local civic order and duty. Some specialized forces are actually media savvy units staffed by officers with acting abilities and skills whose exploits are splashed across the local media nets to underscore civic unity, public duty and "brotherhood with all sophonts."
- ↑ "Jump Map API" and map location from Travellermap.com