Traveller Tuesdays - System Details for Baiti (Ark/0202)

System Details - Baiti (Ark/0202)

Baiti      0202 B475436-C  S Ni        620 Sx

UWP:	B475436-C	Location:	Crucis Margin/0202	System:	Baiti
Starport:	B	Good Starport (Shipyard: Spacecraft; Repair: Overhaul; Fuel: Refined)
Planetary Size:	4	Small (e.g. Mars) (5,600-7,199km)
Atmosphere:	7	Standard (tainted)
Hydrosphere:	5	Wet World (45 - 54% water)
Population:	4	60,000
Government:	3	Self-Perpetuatlng Oligarchy. (Government by a restricted minority, with little or no input from the masses)
Law Level:	6	Moderate Law (All firearms except Shotguns)
Tech Level:	C	Average Interstellar Community
Base(s):		Scout Base (Sphere Fenix)
Zone:		Green: Unrestricted
# of Planetoid Belts:	2		# of Gas Giants:	0

Marlan Primate Embassy, Kreft Outpost in the distance, on planet Baiti

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It turns out that the Baiti system, which orbits around a giant red star named Beta Aurelis, consists of 8 interesting orbits.  Although not conclusive, stellar physicists believe that there were originally four other occupied orbitals, that have been consumed by the expanding star over the millenia.

Orbit 1 - The first one, within the inner zone, contains a size 7 terrestrial world, known as Bleak, with two moons (Fault and Past).  Bleak is interesting, and normally would be completely scorched and barren, but its rotation means that the same side is almost always facing towards Beta Aurelis, so there is a very hot side, and a dark side.

• The band of twilight in between the two is very interesting.  The twilight zone of Bleak is home to some very interesting, pre-human ruins.  These were first discovered by the early colonists from Terra, but have never been satisfactorily explored.

Orbit 2 - The next orbit out is already in the habitable zone, but still within the jump shadow of Beta Aurelis.  This is a very small world, size 1, called Mite.  Mite has a natural satellite, Gnat, which is only slightly smaller.  The two have almost a coequal orbit around each other, but Mite, because of its slightly higher mass, remains the centroid (although it is wobbly).  Mite has no atmosphere and no free standing liquids.

• Mite has some very interesting crystalline formations in subsurface caves.  This has attracted a large (pop 7,000) processing facility to have been erected.  The entire facility is located in underground habitations, called Vinci Base.  It is run by the NamTek corporation. The value and properties of the crystals is kept under extreme secrecy.

Orbit 3 - The first orbit outside the jump shadow of the primary, is the world of Baiti itself - the main world of the system.  It is a size 4 world, but the natural atmosphere and hydrosphere make it a rare gem of a world.  Baiti has two moons, Tut and Ramses.

• Baiti features a B class star port, with a down port located at Kreft Outpost (the largest point of habitation, with a population of 8,000, mainly a startown around the port), and also a high station called Laughing Fish Orbital Starport.  The name Laughing Fish has some (forgotten) relevance to the early Chinese settlers of this system, from old (pre-Rule of Man) Terra.  
• In orbit around Baiti is a dispersed manufacturing facility, owned by Posix, a company that makes artificial metals and high strength metal foams (grown in microgravity).  The facility houses 7,000 employees and family members, but is spread over a dozen different facilities.  Much of the spaceship traffic in orbit around Baiti are Posix shuttlebugs flying back and forth between the different stations.
• Ramses is the home to a sizable Sphere Fenix Scout Base, which also operates the observation crew on the research lab in orbit over Frost, and the X-Boat courier station out in the Shank Ruin asteroid belt.  
• Tut is the home of a Marlan Primate missionary colony - they operate a very large TL-12 hospital, called Serene Harmony Station.  The missionary colony has a staff of 10,000, mostly technicians and medical staff, but also family members, and an entire meditation temple, with hundreds of monks.  The hospital has its services offered free of charge, but the Brothers and Sisters of the Temple along with Elder Farnush who runs the temple, refuses to allow weapons on the station.  Armed ships docking at the station (which is in orbit around the moon Tut) must agree to weapon-locks while in orbit at the station.  The Government of the Marlan Primate operates an embassy on the planet (Baiti), and this is under control of the secular government, not the temple.  It is located some distance from Kreft Outpost, but is in constant communication.

Orbit 4 - The next orbital out, also within the habitable zone, contains the ice world Frost, size 3.  Frost has no natural satellites.

• Frost is currently under interdiction because of an out of control scientific research project, originally run by the Araminta Scientific corporation, now under control of the Science Directive of the Sphere Fenix Scout Service.  Araminta Scientific built the orbital lab, Research Station K-Nova (staff of 40), and from there introduced robotic agents into the biosphere on the surface of Frost.  These self-replicating machines quickly got out of hand, and began building amazing structures on the surface.  The company maintains their innocence, and claim that something "took control of the robots".  The station is now watched over by Scout Service personnel, and the planet (Frost) is under patrol (aerial only, not surface).

Orbit 5 - The fifth orbital of interest contains another small rock, similar to Mite, called Little Erg (size 1 rocky world).  It has two smaller satellites, Lance and Fount.

• Lance has some interesting geo-thermic properties (especially for such a small body), and a small remote station is operated there, by a skeleton crew (and robots) of NamTek corporation personnel - they collect energy, and use it to provide for NamTek starships coming into system.  This is often a point of contention to the operators of the Baiti starports, who see it as lost profit.

Orbits 6,7 - The sixth and seventh orbitals contain asteroid belts.  Both of these are still within the habitable zone.  It is guessed that both were once planets, but that something catastrophic happened to them.

• Char Belt is home to Harbison Stadium - a major grav ball facility, with training camps, multiple arenas, hotels, restaurants, and facilities for tournaments featuring up to 12 teams.  The local team is sponsored by the Scout Service academy, and this is their home stadium.  The Sphere Fenix Scout Service team are called the "Hummingbirds" and have had a winning record in recent years.
• Shank Ruin Belt is home to an X-Boat courier base, Waymark Station, operated by the Scout Service.

Orbit 8 - Finally, the eight orbital, outside the habitable zone, and in the outer zone, is the planet Fatal.  Fatal is the same (roughly) size as Baiti, but it is so far away from Beta Aurelis, that it is not really suitable for large scale colonization.  Fatal does not have any natural satellites.

• The dark and cold surface of Fatal conceals an underground facility known as the Chalmers School.  It is operated by a very old committee of trustees, along with a staff of about 80 (faculty and technicians).  The students are the sons and daughters of noble land owners from Baiti as well as other worlds, who are to be educated in the fine, old traditions of Vilani style noble house traditions.  This includes, as well as traditional education in liberal arts, math and sciences - also important skills such as courtly graces, fencing, poison detection and so forth.

The population of 60,000 Sphere Fenix citizens that call Baiti home live, mostly, dispersed over the northern continent of the planet.   The largest concentration (8,000) is at Kreft Outpost, which is mostly a startown surrounding Baiti Downport.  The planet government comes under the rule of the Humas household, with Duke Yancy Humas IV as the current ruler.  House Humas controls government house at Kreft Outpost, and is in theory due the tax receipts of the inhabitants, and serves as a go between providing Sphere Fenix with news from their Marlan Primate neighbors through the embassy here, and providing the Marlan Primate secular government (operating through their Earthly Heaven corporation) with access to Sphere Fenix mercenary troops.

The remaining 52,000 live in dispersed colonies across the northern continent, in communities centered around family-bond units (consisting of sometimes a dozen or more adults in a "contract marriage" arrangement, with multiple generations of children and extended family members - more like a small company or village than a traditional family).  These are largely self-sufficient, augmented by robots, and seek to harvest the sylph weed that grows across the northern climes.  These family-bond units are somewhat nomadic, following the floating seas of sylph weed waiting for it to come into bloom for the harvest, and avoid upsetting the delicate balance of the ecosystem, prefer to ride the giant tarbants (8000kg beasts, used for riding and pulling vehicles and loads).

The southern continent is home to a minor race, the Racivi - a short, slender race of beings appearing like a flightless bird, but with evolved arms and hands replacing wings.  They have a society of clans and chiefs, and live at approximately TL-2.  They are not especially fond of humans.

Here is a map of the main world.  Kreft Outpost is located at "A".  The northern continent is at "B", and the southern continent is at "C".