0502 Altair

0502 Altair A 252AD8-H Gas Giant

Starport Type A - Altair starport is the most advanced facility in the subsector. Its shipyards are capable of producing highly advanced starships like their pursuit ships and deep space vessels (DSVs), although the great majority of production is in the form of lower-tech civilian starships for export to friendly neighbouring systems. The starport features the subsector's only beanstalk, connecting the downport and highport and allowing a vastly greater transfer of goods and personnel through the gravity well than is possible on other worlds.

Planetary Size 2 - The planet itself is small, at just over 2,000 miles in diameter, with extremely low gravity - which suits the massive industrial complex of the Altairans just fine.

Atmosphere Type 5 - The thin but otherwise standard atmosphere would naturally disperse into space if left to its own devices, but advanced atmospheric processors maintain it at this level.

Hydrographic Percentage 2 - There are three small oceans on the planet, which is generally rather arid, covering about 20% of the surface.

Population Size A - Cloning, cyberisation, and a highly advanced sysem of food production, medicine, and housing allows Altair to support a massive population of over 37 billion people.

Government Type D - Altair is ruled by its A.I. 'god', whose commandments are obeyed without question or hesitation - literally, as it is in constant speed-of-light communication with all of its subjects.

Law Level 8 - It is common for Altairans to carry knives which double as multi-purpose toolkits (and which are highly sought-after as trade items), but no other weapons are permitted on planet.

Technological Index H (17) - Altairan technology is far beyond anything else in the subsector.

Notes - Before the Fall of Man, the Collective was a Blusunn Megacorporate sponsored agenda to terraform the Altairan region of space for human colonization and habitation. To this end, 2,000 employees were genetically modified to maintain the various A.I. Machines in place upon hostile worlds that would guide the process of change. With the lack of communication and guidance during the Fall, the Collective took on new directives more guided toward their survival. Guided by experimental A.I. formulated gene mapping, further genetic manipulations were performed upon the surviving populace and these results were carefully cloned and refined into a strictly controlled breeding program that would ensure a genetically diversified population.

The results were a hardy (+1 STR, +2 END) species capable of thriving in thin and/or tainted atmospheres as well as human baseline environments. Their brains had been reconfigured with nanite technology to communicate over large distances via radio waves, and as a by-product, also enjoy a heightened artificial group intelligence on a semi-subconscious level. This group intelligence manifests itself as an intuition or awareness not unlike psionic ability.

The Altairans revere technology, specifically their A.I. 'god', without whom they would not exist. Their religion is one of mathematics and logic, of oneness and unity, and it is said their clerics of this faith can indeed perform miracles. Skeptics among the Free States League researchers insist that their abilities are nothing more than programmed nanite machinations. However, this, in and of itself, is remarkable and well beyond the technological norm of known space.

The Collective is regarded by the Free States League as a hostile or dangerous species, by virtue of the wide spread dominance of artificial intelligence in their culture. Though skirmishes between the two powers is common, neither side is yet committed to outright warfare. The and the Teal-Vandor Confederacy, however see vast profits in forming an allegiance with the collective, if for no other reason as to gain one more ally against the so called “Tyranny of Leaguers”.