Earth
Over the last few years the Commonwealth population on Earth as started to shrink as the demand for new colonists outstrips population growth. From a peak of 1008m in 2151, the population has now fallen to 947m and it is expected to continue falling as the Commonwealth?s centre of gravity moves to Leonidas in the Sparta system. For the moment at least Earth is still the leader in many ways, supporting fifteen of the Commonwealth?s twenty-six shipyards and thirty of its fifty-three research facilities. Even so, Earth?s shipyards lie empty while those on Leonidas are full and the signs of industrial decline are everywhere on the homeworld. Leonidas has fifty percent more construction factories and many of the Earth?s mineral resources have been mined out, leaving Duranium as the only accessible mineral. Small quantities of Boronide, Vendarite and Sorium remain but all at 0.2 accessibility or lower. Deliveries of new mineral supplies from the Pylos II mining colony are being shipped direct to Leonidas and freighters regularly arrive to remove Earth?s remaining mineral stockpiles. No more research facilities will be built on Earth due to a shortage of Mercassium and the facilities that are still in operation are gradually being shipped out to the research colonies on Corinth II and Troy III. Unemployment is becoming more widespread and colonist applications are at record levels.
Although Earth still has eighty percent of the Commonwealth?s planet-based refining capacity, the stockpile of Sorium is down to eleven thousand tons and the remaining 10,000 tons in the Earth?s core will be split between all three Earth-based powers. A new home will soon have to be found for the four hundred and twenty fuel refineries located on Earth. Due to the steadily decreasing importance of the homeworld population, Vice Admiral Cooke has been promoted from planetary governor to command the newly formed Core Sector. He has been replaced by Rear Admiral Charlie Jarvis, an officer with an extensive scientific background who will boost the output of Earth?s research facilities. As production falls and shipbuilding is reduced to a minimum, Earth will become primarily dedicated to research, wealth production and trade.
Population Information
Rear Admiral Charlie Jarvis: Research 30%, Population Growth 15%, Shipbuilding 10%
Population 947m / Wealth 36000 / Trade 42
SY 15 / RL 30 / SP 2 / NA 4 / MF 2 / CFF
CF 334 / OF 180 / FF 251 / FR 420 / MN 751 / AM 6 / GTF 10
MS 100 / FB 5 / DST 4
Fuel 7.9m
Mineral Deposits
Duranium 424,723 Acc: 0.9
Boronide 64,969 Acc: 0.1
Vendarite 4,813 Acc: 0.15
Sorium 10,830 Acc: 0.19
Leonidas
Leonidas, capital of the Commonwealth, is a boom town on a planetary scale. Located in the Sparta system and closer to the Earth than Uranus due to the location of the jump points in Sol and Sparta, Leonidas has the largest extra-solar population of any Earth-based power at 377 million. In contrast to Earth, her shipyards are busy and her skies are full of ships. However, even with such a large population and fifteen colony ships on a regular run from Earth, the colony is struggling to support all of its industry. Transport of factories to Leonidas has been slowed down of late because of the population constraints. The planet itself is generally warmer than Earth with a sub-tropical climate over much of the habitable area. Half the planet is covered with water, great quanities of which are in large lakes and small inland seas. Gravity is much lower than Earth which has led to a variety of extreme sports, not to mention some record breaking athletic achievements. The Leonidas Naval Academy is now half the size of the Earth Academy at Dartmouth and produces a third of the Commonwealth officer corps, leading to a friendly rivalry between graduates.
Population Information
Rear Admiral Zoe Berry: Mining 30%, Shipbuilding 25%, Production 10%
Population 377m / Wealth 14361 / Trade 42
SY 9 / SP 2 / NA 2 / MF 2 / CFF
CF 506 / OF 80 / FR 105 / MN 259 / AM 9 / GTF 2
MS 30 / FB 1 / DST 4
Fuel 4.9m
Minerals
Duranium 594,636 Acc: 1
Neutronium 291 Acc: 0.13
Corbomite 7,546 Acc: 0.49
Boronide 51,244 Acc: 0.1
Mercassium 14,960 Acc: 0.72
Vendarite 18,044 Acc: 0.1
Sorium 163,405 Acc: 0.7
Uridium 69,674 Acc: 0.4
Corundium 75,744 Acc: 0.1
Gallicite 36,392 Acc: 0.9
Corinth II
Corinth, with a population of seventy-five million, is the second largest colony of the Commonwealth and serves as its primary extra-solar research centre with eighteen research facilities. In recent months, a large number of construction factories have been moved to Corinth, allowing the colony to use its mineral resources to build its own reseach facilities rather than relying on facilities being transported from Earth. Almost two hundred factories are in place on Corinth, permitting the construction of a research facility every year, although the number of mines will have to be increased to keep pace with the demands of the factories. Corinth is an ocean world with vast ice caps and spectacular snow-covered mountain ranges covering many of the islands that make up thirteen percent of its surface area. The planet is generally colder than Earth and for most of the year the temperature is barely above freezing except near the equator. Colonists on Cornith are a hardy breed and often from a scientific background, far less concerned about the wintry weather than the extensive universities and other centres of learning and research.
Population Information
Commodore Matthew Turner: Research 30%, Production 20%, Growth 15%, Wealth 10%
Population: 75.3m / Wealth 3149
RL 18
CF 193 / FR 2 / MN 92 / AM 4
MS 5 / DST 1
Minerals
Duranium 389,701 Acc: 1
Neutronium 30,990 Acc: 0.1
Corbomite 134,950 Acc: 0.5
Tritanium 25,940 Acc: 0.6
Boronide 164,490 Acc: 0.1
Mercassium 224,209 Acc: 0.9
Vendarite 105,360 Acc: 0.4
Sorium 25,760 Acc: 0.4
Uridium 76,710 Acc: 0.9
Corundium 197,890 Acc: 0.1
Gallicite 41,790 Acc: 0.1
Athens IV
Athens IV is in many ways the forgotten colony of the Commonweath. Although the third largest extra-solar colony in terms of population, no heavy industry has been transported to the planet and its inhabitants live a mainly agrarian existence. Athens is located two jumps from Sparta via the Ithaca system and is the only major colony not yet connected by jump gates to the homeworld, although construction is currently underway. Several years ago the nearby colony of Troy III, located on the far side of Ithaca, was chosen as the Commonwealth?s secondary research facility after a drawn out bidding process between the two colonies. The government of Athens IV was promised that as recompense for losing out to Troy, the colony would eventually become the Commonwealth?s primary fuel production centre due to its extensive, accessible Sorium deposits. However, the recent construction of fuel harvesting ships has caused many to reconsider the value of that promise.
Athens IV is probably the most similar of all Commonwealth colonies to Earth. Seventy percent of the planet is water, the gravity is only five percent above Earth standard, the air is of a similar density and the day is exactly twenty-four hours long. The temperature is a little higher but that is welcomed by the many farming communities. Green rolling, hills and sparkling river valleys cover much of the planet?s main continent. There are many on Athens IV who value their idyllic existence and hope the promised heavy industry never materialises, which is proving the subject of heated debate between the two main political parties on the planet, one determined to ?bring Athens into the 22nd century? and the other equally determined to ?preserve our planet?s unspoiled natural beauty?.
Population Information
Commodore Chealsea Black: Pop Growth 30%, Wealth 30%, Research 10%
Population: 9.3m / Wealth 459
DST 1
Mineral Deposits
Duranium 332,928 Acc: 0.1
Neutronium 29,593,600 Acc: 0.1
Corbomite 29,593,600 Acc: 0.1
Boronide 4,161,600 Acc: 0.1
Mercassium 39,137,540 Acc: 0.1
Vendarite 15,555,140 Acc: 0.6
Sorium 18,352,660 Acc: 1
Uridium 41,731,600 Acc: 0.1
Corundium 10,653,700 Acc: 0.1
Gallicite 2,890,000 Acc: 0.1
Troy III
With both Leonidas and Corinth II struggling to host the industry that Commonwealth freighters were able to transport from Earth, Commonwealth leaders decided to create a secondary extra-solar research centre to take some of the surplus capacity. The obvious candidates were Troy III and Athens IV, colonies with slowly growing populations that could provide a ready workforce for several research facilities. Both colonies prepared bids highlighting the benefits of the their two worlds but Troy won in the end primarily because the colony was suitable for little else. While Athens IV could be a future mining and refining site, Troy III has no significant mineral resources except for Gallicite. Five research facilities are now in place under the command of Captain Mason Cooper, an expert in energy weapons.
The planet itself has similar environmental conditions to Earth in terms of gravity, temperature and atmosphere but there is very little water on Troy. Small inland seas are surrounded by thousands of miles of endless steppe and covered by an azure, cloudless dome. Short thick grass or shrubs provide the vegatation and the few trees are stunted caricatures of their earthly counterparts. There are no mountains to speak of and the only high ground is provided by a few rocky hills. Those colonists applying to travel to Troy want open skies and open land and they get both in abundance.
Population Information
Captain Mason Cooper: Research 30%
Population: 8.8m / Wealth 333
RL 5
DST 1
Mineral Deposits
Corbomite 13,860,730 Acc: 0.1
Boronide 19,829,210 Acc: 0.1
Sorium 40,335,200 Acc: 0.1
Gallicite 38,502,020 Acc: 0.6
Thessalonica-II
Thessalonica is unique as the only colony of the Commonwealth that requires domed cities to keep its citizens alive. Two million people survive on the oxygen and heat pumped into the domes by the colony?s extensive infrastucture while in orbit above their heads seven Gaia class terraforming ships gradually transform the atmosphere. Originally, the Commonwealth planned to fully terraform Thessalonica before bringing in colonists. Discovery of large quantities of abandoned infrastracture in the neighbouring system of Alexandria prompted a change of plan and the infrastucture was soon transported into Thessalonica so that colonisation could begin ahead of schedule. With almost thirty million tons of accessibility 0.7 Duranium, Thessalonica is seen as an ideal location for a colony but there is still a great deal of terraforming work to be done. Even when sufficient oxygen has been produced to make the air breathable, the domes will still be needed due to the temperature, currently at minus twenty celsius. Greenhouse gases will be manufactured to gradually raise the temperature until the day when the icebergs drifting in Thessalonica?s extensive oceans start to melt and the domes can finally be dismantled.
Population Information
No Governor Assigned
Population: 1.9m / Wealth 71
Mineral Deposits
Duranium 28,576,800 Acc: 0.7
Corbomite 2,802,276 Acc: 0.1
Boronide 5,645,376 Acc: 0.1
Vendarite 22,581,500 Acc: 0.6
Sorium 46,656 Acc: 0.1
Uridium 1,052,676 Acc: 0.1
Corundium 4,901,796 Acc: 0.1
Alexandria IV
Alexandria IV is an archaelogists dream. Immense frost-covered ruins rise from rocky islands scattered across the largest ocean ever seen by humankind. Of the original Alexandrian inhabitants there is no sign, save for a few images and broken statues portraying a vaguely humandoid, reptilian race. The planet itself is twice the diamater of Earth, with a thick atmosphere and gravity of 1.44G. Ninety-three percent of the surface is covered in water and the surface temperature is barely above freezing. When the planet was first discovered the temperature was even lower and only the Commonwealth?s terraforming efforts have raised it to a level where humans can survive without domed cities. Many scientists theorise that the reptilian inhabitants lacked terraforming technology and abandoned the planet when the temperature dropped. One can only imagine the effort required for an entire civilization to escape a dying world before they all froze to death.
Although the ruins are thousands of years old, some are still remarkably intact. The Commonwealth?s archaelogical teams have found information leading to new technologcal discoveries while the cybernetic teams have worked steadily to restore abandoned facilities to working order. So far, a significant number of factories and mines have been restored as well as two shipyards and a maintenance facility. Twenty old missile silos are now back in operation and the teams have even found a small supply of missiles that appear to be well beyond our current technology. As the population on Alexandria is not yet large enough to support these facilities, several mines and factories have been transported to Sparta while infrastructure has been moved to Thessalonica. One point seven million colonists are now living on Alexandria IV, many of them explorers and amateur archaeologists eager to brave the cold for the chance of lifetime. Whether Alexandria will ever become a major colony is debatable because its minerals have been mined by the previous civilization to the point where they are all accessibility 0.1. However, the restored maintenance facility could provide a useful forward base for survey units or small warships and a stockpile of four million litres of fuel has been discovered that could resupply those ships.
Population Information
Commander Joseph Pritchard: Growth 30%, Mining 15%
Population: 1.7m / Wealth 65
SY 2 / MF 1
CF 1 / FF 6 / FR 2 / MN 8 / AM 9
MS 20 / FB 1 / DST 5
Fuel 4.0m
Mineral Deposits
Duranium 169,280,000 Acc: 0.1
Neutronium 95,550,620 Acc: 0.1
Corbomite 107,122,500 Acc: 0.1
Tritanium 64,802,500 Acc: 0.1
Mercassium 15,288,100 Acc: 0.1
Vendarite 12,709,230 Acc: 0.1
Sorium 61,152,400 Acc: 0.1
Uridium 330,570 Acc: 0.1
Corundium 104,755,200 Acc: 0.1
Gallicite 127,012,900 Acc: 0.1
Samarkand III
Samarkand is both the furthest Commonwealth colony from Earth and the most recently established. Lying at the end of the jump chain Earth ? Sparta ? Corinth ? Delphi ? Samarkand, the system was discovered in November 2152. The planet is smaller than Earth with a thin atmosphere and required limited terraforming to bring the oxygen content up to a breathable level. However, the axial tilt of only seven degrees and the balmy average temperature of 27C make this a very pleasant planet on whch to live. Vegetation is similar to that of Earth?s Carribean islands and the land mass is composed mainly of archipelagoes around the equator with extensive sun-drenched beaches. In addition to its attractive climate, Samarkand is also home to alien ruins on some of the northermost islands and while they are not as impressive as those on Alexandria, they are still semi-intact in places.
So far only 340,000 colonists have made their home on Samarkand, although the list of colonist applications is longer than for any other Commonwealth colony. Its distance from Earth precludes further colonisation for the moment as all colony ships are currently employed on the routes from Earth to Leonidas and Corinth II. In addition, there are virtually no accessible minerals on Samarkand so its usefulness is limited, unless the cybernetic team on the planet finds something interesting.
Population Information
Captain Rachel Kaur: Growth 30%, Research 15%, Wealth 10%, Trade 10%
Population: 0.34m / Wealth 14
OF 1 / FF 1 / FR 1 / MN 1 / AM 3
MS 4
Mineral Deposits
Neutronium 1,557,501 Acc: 0.1
Sorium 5,531,904 Acc: 0.1
Uridium 4,875,264 Acc: 0.1
Pylos II Mining Colony
Pylos II is a primarily automated mining facility which is actually based on the thirteenth moon of Pylos II, a super-jovian in the Pylos binary system. A small crew runs the two hundred and twenty-four automated mining complexes on the moon and for the first few years of operation, the colony was a very lonely place with ships visiting no more than once a year to collect minerals. Recently, jump gates were constructed at either side of the Thessalonica ? Pylos jump point, allowing unescorted freighters to visit more regularly but far more importantly allowing direct communication with Earth and all the other colonies within the jump gate network. While Pylos II is still the least desired posting in the Commonwealth, at least the command staff can now keep up with every episode of their favourite Tri-V programmes.
Planetary Information
Commodore Henry Brady: Mining 30%, Production 10%
Population 0m
AM 224
Mineral Deposits
Duranium 587,774 Acc: 0.8
Neutronium 198,442 Acc: 0.9
Corbomite 116,492 Acc: 0.7
Boronide 491,354 Acc: 1
Vendarite 4,849 Acc: 0.4
Sorium 93,964 Acc: 0.7
Gallicite 108,377 Acc: 1
Steve
