The Beyond Subsector F: Freya

The Beyond Subsector F: Freya

System Data

Hex  Name                 UWP       Remarks                  {Ix}   (Ex)    [Cx]   N B  Z PBG W  A    Stellar                

---- -------------------- --------- ------------------------ ------ ------- ------ - -- - --- -- ---- ----------

0911 Nemesis              E5488DC-5 Lt Pa Ph Pi              { -2 } (A72+1) [6682] - M  - 114 12 CoLg G4 V                   

0915 Centrum              C5638C9-9 Ri Ph Sa                 { 1 }  (A78+1) [9948] - M  - 622 12 CoLg F6 V                   

0920 Angkor               E312775-4 Na Ic Lt Pi Sa           { -2 } (464+4) [4564] - -  - 812 12 CoLg M0 V M5 V              

1014 Tinzhy               C210200-8 Lo Co                    { -2 } (611-1) [1158] - -  - 812 11 CoLg M0 V                   

1017 Bran's Cage          X400100-8 Lo Va Co Fo              { -3 } (A01+3) [1179] - -  R 112 13 CoLg M1 V                   

1114 Talmut               D563469-6 Ni O:0911                { -3 } (331+1) [4185] - -  - 330 13 CoLg G1 V                   

1118 Bushido              A577738-C Ag Ht Co Pi              { 4 }  (G6E-3) [9B2G] - KM - 522 14 CoLg F9 V                   

1214 Shekerleb            A310798-B Na Pi Tz                 { 2 }  (96A+1) [7918] - K  - 521 10 CoLg M8 V                   

1215 Inagu                E654338-4 Lo Lt                    { -3 } (521-2) [3152] - -  - 621 11 CoLg K5 V                   

1313 Eswea                E445362-6 Lo O:1214                { -3 } (921+1) [616B] - -  - 910 13 CoLg M3 V M6 V              

1314 Jeremiah             A9758D8-B Pa Ph Pi Ho              { 2 }  (97A-3) [BA8B] - -  - 101 11 CoLg K7 V M2 V              

1319 Costen               D756434-4 Ni Ga Lt Co Tu Pa        { -3 } (431+2) [1135] - -  - 422 17 CoLg K3 V                   

1320 Chang                C865557-6 Ag Ni Ga Pr              { -1 } (445-1) [3417] - -  - 324 12 CoLg G5 V                   

1411 Bantu                C563655-8 Ni Ri Sa                 { -1 } (C51+1) [8566] - -  - 723 8  CoLg M1 V                   

1412 Techlan              BB85473-8 Ni Pa                    { -1 } (931-4) [1378] - -  - 314 14 CoLg K3 V                   

1414 Freya                A869646-B Ni Ri Ho                 { 2 }  (D58+3) [582B] - -  - 602 9  CoLg G5 V K2 V              

1415 Elba                 E571345-6 Lo He                    { -3 } (721+1) [41A9] - -  - 523 18 CoLg M0 V M2 V              

1417 Salin                E412456-8 An Ni Ic Tz              { -3 } (831-4) [3137] - -  - 313 12 CoLg M2 V M5 V              

1513 Descare              B543343-5 Lo Po Lt                 { -1 } (821+3) [3245] - -  - 421 12 CoLg K5 V M4 V              

1516 Wai                  D987300-6 Lo Ho                    { -3 } (621+2) [1178] - -  - 612 8  CoLg K8 IV                   

1519 Lini                 X110000-0 Ba                       { -3 } (400+3) [0000] - -  - 010 5  NaXX A2 V                   

1613 Navarre              A7776A6-B Ag Ni                    { 3 }  (859+1) [6947] - KM - 622 9  CoLg K3 V M3 V               

1614 Zterpyll             D564367-9 Lo Sa O:1414             { -2 } (721-1) [6168] - -  - 902 13 CoLg K0 V K4 V              

1617 Link                 B232312-A Lo Po Sa                 { 1 }  (C21+1) [445A] - -  - 413 10 NaHu M6 V                   

1618 Cypger               X510000-0 Ba                       { -3 } (900+1) [0000] - -  - 010 8  NaXX M0 V M9 V M3 V         

The Freya subsector has 27 systems and a population of 999 million sophonts, nearly all Humans and just over 600 million of whom live on the former League capital world of Centrum. Fifteen of Freya's systems belong to the 19 system Freyan Main which stretches from Garr in the Corella subsector to beyond the border of the Corellan League in the interdicted Examma system. Within the subsector, all but the three nearly unpopulated worlds of the Link Cluster are members or dependencies of the Corellan League.

Bran's Cage (1017 X400100-8)

A barren world in orbit around a red dwarf sun, Bran's Cage has been interdicted since the Ninth Expedition, more than a thousand years ago. The League's only official public information about the world, besides the interdiction posting that discourages any use of the system and directs transient ships to the outer gas giant, states that Bran's Cage is a "security installation." A thousand years of legend has given the system, once simply known as Argun, its own mythology. In most accounts, the planet is a prison, home to a maimed and insane immortal Storm Knight named Bran, a victim of a failed experiment to make a genetically superior soldier. He cannot die or be killed, nor can he be released. He lives in a subterranean prison on a cold dark world. His robot jailors are his only companions. The truth is not known, but for a thousand years, a rotating task group of CLSF ships out of Bushido has stood guard over an apparently desolate world.

Centrum (0915 C5638C9-9)

A moon of the inner gas giant of an F6 V star, Centrum was colonized from Corella -1482. For more than two thousand years, Centrum was the administrative capital of the Corellan League, but for the past few centuries, the planet has struggled to regain its influence and prosperity.

Physical Characteristics

As the largest moon of the gas giant Prospero and the second resonant moon in a string of three, Centrum experiences significant tidal stress during its 61-hour orbit around Prospero. The stress causes widespread volcanism which has brought significant deposits of rare earths and metals to the surface. Most of Centrum is dry desert, but its two oceans provide very livable conditions to their significant drainage basins.

History

In -1482 Centrum became the second world to be colonized from Corella. Originally named Miranda and settled to mine rich lanthanum deposits, the world took the name Centrum when it became capital of the Corellan League after the Reformed Constitution of -1409. Centrum remained capital of the League until the First Corellan League Crisis of -1237, when both Centrum and Valhalla seceded from the League to protest the world of Corella's increasing attempts to dominate League policy. The secession merely amplified Corellan influence. And after a century of independence, Centrum's role in convincing Valhalla to join it in returning to the League led to the signing of the Treaty of Centrum in -1132 and Centrum resumed its role as legislative and administrative capital.

From -1132 until 742 the members of the Corellan League Grand Assembly met in the ornate Grand Assembly Hall in orbit around Centrum. The structure underwent many renovations and expansions over the course of its long history, but like the world it circles, it has struggled with decay and irrelevance since the capital moved to Corella after the failure of the Federal Constitution.

The Directorate, the bureaucratic government that had ruled Centrum since its days of independence, was not able to recover from the loss of influence and funds associated with the shift to Corella. In 956, the Committee of Free Radicals (CFR) revolutionary movement overthrew the Directorate and initiated the Great Simplification, attempting to undo layers of regulation two millennia deep. The resultant chaos led to millions of deaths and further damaged the faltering economy. In 988 the CFR fell to a military coup, inaugurating a period of junta rule that lasted until free elections in 1013. Another four decades of faltering civilian rule led to the 1059 seizure of power by the Committee for an Orderly Future (COF), which with Consortia support managed to stabilize the economy. The COF remains popular but exercises control over the media and education system and has not managed to increase Centrum's industrial and technological base to pre-CFR levels. Only in 1098 did Centrum's population once again top 600 million citizens and emigration, a low birth rate, and stagnant life expectancy threatens to reverse the population gains of the past decades.

Social Characteristics

Society on Centrum gives the impression of being worn out. The centuries-long decline is evident in the Highport, Grand Centrum Station, the habitat which was once housed Grand Assembly Hall. While renovations continue to improve services and construction proceeds on a working shipyard, what was once a bustling Class A starport is now a half-empty Class C installation, with abandoned compartments, rotting hydrogen tank farms and unused port terminals. A portion of the installation is a working museum and a larger portion is an inoperative museum piece. The cities have the same ambiance, with some neighborhoods functioning and working towards renewal and others near-abandoned, with five-hundred-year-old towers slowly falling apart and battle damage from three revolutions over the course of the past 150 years left unrepaired. While the people of Centrum are not particularly unfriendly, many are not welcoming of offworlders, especially those from more prosperous worlds. There is a large exception, as those associated with the COF or employed by various Consortia tend to be more optimistic and open to outside ideas. Among this hopeful group is the Mirandan Restoration Front (MRF), an organization whose official purpose is to change the name of the world back to its original, but whose unstated goal is to escape the bonds of association with a world that used to be important, and return to a world that was once a prosperous growing society more than two thousand years before.

Freya (1414 A869646-B)

Freya is the only remaining Human world in The Beyond settled directly by Sindalian Empire loyalists. The original settlement in -1570 was as a forward base for an invasion of Corella that never happened. Most of the strike force was withdrawn to deal with problems closer to home, but a small crew remained to maintain their tropical island base. Nearly all the current six million citizens of Freya can trace at least one ancestor back to the three hundred that remained behind. Freya orbits the brighter component of a G5 V / K2 V pair of stars. It lies near the inner edge of the habitable zone and the equatorial regions are nearly too hot to be tolerable. Most of the world is ocean. Noatun, the single major continent, is centered in the upper northern latitudes and has a primarily wet tropical climate.

Despite its origins, Freya joined the League in -1451, prior to the fall of the Sindalian Empire, and has remained a member ever since. Until 534, Freya was the site of a major CLSF base, but after a century of peace with the Aslan, the League consolidated its forces on the Freyan Main to the forward base at Navarre.

Freya remains a pleasant place to live and is one of the top destinations for those who can afford interstellar holidays. Many coastal towns on Noatun and on the Gersemi island chain are focused the tourism industry, and there, visitors outnumber natives. The Freyan standard of living is second only to Valhalla and citizenship is difficult to obtain. Applicants for anything more than a 180 standard day visa are required to show not only the means to support themselves and any dependents, but the ability to contribute to the Freyan economy.

Freya maintains a small outpost on Zterpyll, a habitable moon at the League's border on the Freyan Main. The marginally viable mining operation and small garrison on site are likely more a reaction to the CLSF's preference for Navarre than any real expansionist ambition and assignment to Zterpyll is considered a career-ending hardship post.

Jeremiah (1314 A9758D8-B)

The world of Jeremiah is a hot harsh world. Passed over by pre-Imperial colonization efforts, the world has been ruled by the Jeremiahan Congregation of God since their arrival in 557.

Physical Characteristics

The planet Jeremiah orbits near the inner habitable zone of the K7 V orange dwarf component of a binary star system. Tidal dragging has slowed the world's rotation to produce a 94 hour day. Deserts dominate the inner regions of the world's supercontinent and storms pound the shores of the vast Northern Ocean. Sandstorms make the air unbreathable for long days at a time.

History

The Jeremiahan Congregation of God dates back to the Second Imperium. Its Solomani founders believed that Vilani cultural influence was leading Solomani people away from the word of God and corrupting them by encouraging them to "conform to the failed patterns of a Godless ambitionless society". The Jerimiahans were prevalent in the Core and Massilia Sectors during the final centuries of the Second Imperium and into the Long Night. While never a large congregation, their Solomani views put them at odds with many of their neighbors and as the Third Imperium grew, some contingents set off to settle new worlds on the frontier. One group reached The Beyond in the sixth century, settling Jeremiah in 557.

The Jeremiahans joined the League as part of the agreement to allow settlement and protection of their world and despite believing that most League members were corrupted by demonic influence or, worse, had non-Solomani blood. Still, the basic philosophy of the Congregation was to protect their own from the future disasters that awaited the unbeliever. While some conversion of pure outsiders was advantageous, the standard approach to dealing with those outside the Congregation was to avoid confrontation and accept any help that did not corrupt the true faith. For the mainstream church, this included accepting the technology of the League and participating as separate but equal members. The Congregation's mainstream considered the future Rupture which would destroy the universe for all but the faithful to be a distant proposition and the End Times to be nearer the "End of Time" which some philosophers thought might be the heat death of the universe. However, the offshoot Revelationist Congregation believed the Rupture was coming soon and this schism led to the 705 departure of the Revelationists to the world they would eventually call Garr.

The Federal Constitution of 732 represented a direct threat to the separation preferred by the Congregation. Jeremiah led the opposition to the Federal Constitution, but failed to prevent its ratification by two-thirds members. For the ten years it was in effect, Jeremiah was the leading voice calling for its repeal. In the end, it was the direct threat of succession by Jeremiah and a dozen member worlds that led to the abolishment of the Federal Constitution in 742.

Social Characteristics

Most of Jeremiah's 100 million people live in low density low-rise cities scattered in the most habitable river valleys of the planet, far from the stormy shores and away from the worst sandstorms. Worship is more important than economic activity, and while overall technology is as advanced as it is on Valhalla, the average Jeremiah consumes that technology much less. Even ownership of a ground car is considered wealthy and grav cars are unknown except among high Congregation officials. The Congregation owns all means of production and provides all services, making this religious dictatorship functionally equivalent to an authoritarian socialist state. It is not a particularly strict authoritarianism, as Jeremiahan philosophy does not place strict limitations on behavior or thought. Jeremiahans believe they are already chosen by God to survive the Rupture. Therefore, right action is more of a demonstration of this truth to others than a strict requirement for salvation. Anyone who does not threaten the power of the Congregation or flaunt societal mores is left to their own devices, within reason. Enforcement of laws is little different than it would be in a fairly strict secular state and non-violent infractions are dealt with by requiring restitution and corrective instruction to prevent reoccurrence more than by punishments or long-term incarceration.

Jeremiah contributes ships and troops directly to the CLSF but by law does not allow mixed crews aboard its vessels except in emergency situations such as medical and recovery efforts. To outsiders, they appear as polite, reserved people, but their feelings of superiority over non-believers and non-Solomani is often just below the surface.

Nemesis (0911 E5488DC-5)

Settled by followers of the ancient Terran Greek Goddess Nemesis in 764, Nemesis is one of the most isolated worlds in Charted Space outside a major rift. The nearest system to its G4 V sun is four parsecs distant. One of these worlds is Talmut, a colony maintained by the Matriarch of Nemesis as a gateway for authorizing travel and trade with Nemesis itself. Since few League starships can manage a four parsec jump, most ships bound for Nemesis carry enough fuel for a pair of two parsec jumps. The high cost in time and effort of a four-jump round trip to Nemesis discourages most outsiders from visiting the world, and those who arrive without a proctor from Talmut aboard their starship are warned by radio beacons to stay away from the world. The Corellan League Star Fleet maintains a small defense force in orbit around Nemesis to provide security and customs inspections and prohibit unauthorized landings. Ironically, the jump-4 vessels that ferry Nemesis's representatives to and from the League Assembly and provide communications services to the rest of the League are among the most advanced ships in the sector.

The Matriarch of Nemesis is the head of a bureaucracy of priestesses dedicated to the worship of the philosophy of the Nemesis, who extracts retribution on those who succumb to hubris. Founded during the Long Night on the world of Vhodan in the Vland Sector, the Matriarchy interprets the hubris of Humaniti to be the belief that they could be like gods, achieving mastery over beast and machine and traveling among the stars. As such, they and their followers have chosen to live simple vegetarian lives on an isolated world, limiting contact with the corrupting influences of technology more advanced than what is required for basic medical care and survival on a world whose atmosphere is tainted by near constant volcanic activity.

An ascetic movement within the Matriarchy practices the complete abandonment of technology, living a gatherer existence on a large remote island, isolated by thousands of kilometers of ocean from the rest of this isolated world. However, the mainstream followers of Nemesis accept the basics of town and farm life and of simple machinery lacking in any sort of computerized circuitry or "thinking capacity". But even use of this basic technology requires strict adherence to codes of conduct that make their use a cumbersome ordeal.

If asked, the Traveller's Aid Society will state that it has not listed Nemesis as an Amber Zone for two reasons: First, nobody goes there unless they have a very good reason. Second, anyone who fills out the proper paper forms, accepts a proctor from Talmut as a non-paying passenger for the round trip, and abides by all the rules they agreed to by signing the forms, is treated with respect and at worst politely told to leave upon any violation. In truth very few meet the first of these conditions and most of those people are discouraged from their travels by the conditions spelled out in fifty pages of paper forms.

Salin (1417 E412456-8)

The world of Salin is a small tidally locked world in orbit around the smaller of a pair of red dwarf stars. It would be unremarkable and uninhabited except for two factors. The minor factor is that the system lies on the only jump-2 route from Bushido to the rest of the Corellan League. The major factor is that the insignificant world is home to what was once a very significant Ancients site. Near Salin's north pole is a crater whose ejecta still carry traces of a megacity-sized Ancients installation. Beyond the crater's rim lie four shattered but still recognizable domes more than 200 meters across. All but one of these is little more than shards of molecular bonded materials. The fourth dome, Delta Dome, is far from intact, but it sits atop deep tunnels that stretch across many cubic kilometers. The Delta Dome Catacombs have been objects of study and exploration since their discovery two thousand years ago. For the past four centuries, the Katrina University Salin Archeological Initiative (KUSAI) out of Bushido has maintained a permanent research facility at Delta Dome. Despite Bushido's attempts to annex the system, the League considers Salin a dependency of cultural significance held in trust by the entire League and maintains a small CLSF ground contingent to protect the site from unauthorized entry. Perhaps to spite the League, KUSAI has issued permits to private applicants to explore the Catacombs. Salin's population of 30,000 people is centered on Delta Town and consists mostly of private citizens and organizations intent on finding unknown treasures deep underground. The CLSF's attempt to limit the arrival of new treasure-hunters is mostly enforced by the refusal to authorize any sort of starport facilities on the planet. Only the fusion-smoothed stone pads at KUSAI and a few pads for the private use of registered treasure hunters can accommodate landing ships, and no pad can support ships larger than 1000 tons displacement.

Articles

Acrux-class Heavy Cruiser

The Acrux heavy cruiser is most prevalent capital ship in the Corellan League. Produced in large numbers by the shipyards at Valhalla and, in much smaller numbers, under license by Jeremiah, the Acrux-class design is more than a century old and not as advanced as ships produced by Corella or Lyheric. However, mass production and corrections based on decades of service has turned the 50,000-ton vessel into a solid hard-hitting design with no fundamental operational flaws.

Equipped with a 7000-ton particle accelerator spinal mount and numerous particle beam, missile, and torpedo bays underneath a tough coating of crystaliron armor, it is able to stand in the line of battle against any enemy likely to be encountered in defense of the Corellan League. While not designed as a carrier, the Acrux can hold up to 45 standard 35-ton fighters or attack boats and 150 ships troops. With a standard complement of nearly 800 crew and troops and the capacity to support 135 more personnel, the Acrux is equipped with a flag bridge and is often the flagship of heavy-hitting task groups and even entire task forces.

Valhalla has 24 Acrux warships in active service with the CLSF and another 24 in service with the Valhallan Star Force. To date, Jeremiah has completed two Acrux warships: Wrath of God is in service with the CLSF and Righteous is the flagship of the Jeremiahan Defense Force.

Gryphon-class Heavy Fighter

The Gryphon is the standard heavy fighter of the Valhallan Star Force and as such is also the most prevalent heavy fighter in the CLSF. It is designed for long-range strike missions with endurance to support its crew of two for days, if necessary, and enough missiles to achieve significant stand-off capability. Highly maneuverable and capable of bursts of speed sufficient to outrun or out-maneuver most foes, it is well-regarded by both commanders and crews.

Gaja-class Attack Boat

The Gaja is the standard small unit operations boarding and landing vessel of the Vahallan Star Force and CLSF. Based on the same basic airframe as the Gryphon, Valhalla produces the Gaja for export both within and outside the League. Capable of carrying a squad of soldiers to their destination under fire and delivering them in both boarding and jump operations, the Gaja also performs customs control duties at major starports across the League.

Thunderbolt-class Heavy Fighter

The Thunderbolt is a short range strike fighter capable of incredible speeds and strike power, especially for its level of technology. While based on the same frame as the Gryphon, it is not as highly regard by its pilots, as the camped cockpit and intruding barbette mount make long duration flight uncomfortable. Armed with a particle accelerator, the Thunderbolt is capable of rendering real damage to even heavily armored ships, but the radiation effects of the weapon limit its utility except in all-out war situations, a scenario that the Corellan League has not faced since the end of the Aslan Expeditions almost seven centuries ago.