by Liam Devlin
Belebrat (1011): The world of Belebat is a Guild port of call and the
D-class downport is wholly subsidized by them. This system's gas giants offer
wilderness refueling capabilities at Orbit 8 (LGG, 10 satellites), orbit 9 (LGG
3 satellites), orbit 10 (LGG 11 satellites), orbit 11 (LGG 4 satellites),
and the distant orbit 14 (SGG 4 satellites). Belebrat herself rests in orbit 5.
The binary M-class dwarf rests in orbit 6. There are three empty orbits: 0, 3,
& 7. Belebrat boasts on small moon.
When word of Dulinor's death reached Belebrat, the dictatorship was overthrown.
The government that arose, and still exists today, is a civil service
bureaucracy. It is this government's philosophy that running the state is a
task that requires alot of people, not just one man.
Guild traffic passes through here from Imimii into
Havensmist. The Guild maintains a school here for space
crews, recruiting by the local government's stringent selection process.
| Armed Forces (10%) | 90,000 personnel |
| Wet Navy (9%) | 8,100 personnel (2 MCs & 8 SCs) |
| COACC (20% x 1.5) | 27,000 personnel (67 CAC & 27 PAD batteries, all TL-7 SAMs) |
| Ground Forces | 54,900 personnel (2 DEs and 14,900 Security starport police) |
Path of Tears Government Characteristics Table
| Government | Civil Service Bureaucracy |
| Talent | Medium |
| Corruption | High |
| Cruelty | Medium |
| Aggression | Low |
| Paranoia/Xenophobia | Medium |
| Administration | Medium |
| Intrigue | Low |
| Diplomacy | Low |
| Military Strategies | Medium |
| Military Tactics | High |
| Leadership | High |
Pleru (1019): Pleru's 600,000 inhabitants are but a fraction of the two
million that once served this thriving asteroid mining system. Pleru balkanized
during the Imperial economic recession of 1124-27. Nation states abandoned the
monarchy and strove for independence. In the ensuing economic chaos, the world's
tech level declined to 7. Despite the Collapse that followed, the world has
maintained that level of technology ever since.
In 1130, as the machines went mad, a new world government reunified the planet.
A civil service bureaucracy formed to organize the nation states in order to
make sure that the resources for combating Virus were properly allocated. Most
of the casualties that occurred were those dwelling in space or in the rich
asteroid belt that sits astride the 2nd through 5th orbits.
Pleru rests in the 9th orbit around her K2 II primary. The Pleru system has no
gas giants. Two other worlds reside in the outer zone orbits of 10 & 11
(X-640000-0 & X-9A0000-0 respectively).
| Armed Forces (25%) | 150,000 personnel |
| COACC (20% x .5) | 45,000 personnel (112 CAC* & 22 PAD batteries**) |
| Ground Forces | 104,000 personnel (5 TL-7 DE's, 8 TL-10 BE's) |
| Space Forces (2% x .5) | 1,500 personnel (3 SC's)*** |
*These being 11 Daytona class orbital interceptors and 101 TL-7
Laramie class Sub-orbital interceptors.
**2 PAD batteries at TL-10 & 20 TL-7 SAMs.
***2 Morraine class Free traders (TL-10, 200dtns, NJ/1G) and 1
Petty class FatTrader (TL-10, 400dtns, NJ/1G). All are armed with
missile/sandcaster/laser mixed turrets.
Path of Tears Government Characteristics Table
| Government | Civil Service Bureaucracy |
| Talent | Low |
| Corruption | Low |
| Cruelty | High |
| Aggression | High |
| Paranoia/Xenophobia | High |
| Administration | High |
| Intrigue | High |
| Diplomacy | Low |
| Military Strategies | High |
| Military Tactics | Low |
| Leadership | Medium |
Current Clack: Pleru has been conducting a stand off with
Odew's ships for two years now, trying to reassure
themselves the Odewi are not vampire ships. Sooner or later they will arrange a
meeting, but on Pleru's terms: well away from the public eye, who are unaware
of their government's duplicity as yet.
N'mra (1113): N'mra is a central hub for Guild traffic through the
subsector traveling along the main. The 300 some odd inhabitants here are on the
payroll for the Imimii based Starfarer's Guild. This C-class downport is one of
three in the subsector, and is totally at their disposal. The Guild has taken
pains to conceal it, and if alerted, can be made to look like an E-class
starport in an hours time. The hangar here has maximum size for a 400dtn ship.
The folk here are a cheerless lot and haven't even bothered to ask themselves
why the Chirpers all died off. They only grumble that they have to farm and
garden for themselves.
This world's former asteroid mines were destroyed by the early strains of
Virus. The "downsiders" are all that remained of the shoreleave R & R
entertainment district for this once hi-tech LSP facility.
Odew (1116): Odew survived the war due to its relative isolation. Being
J-2 or greater from most every other system in the subsector, and those worlds
closest to it being strategically unimportant, enabled Odew to be bypassed.
Nevertheless, the recession of the Imperial economy affected their world. Having
no bases, she quietly slipped into her own importance as a junction world for
those ships transversing the subsector.
Odew's feudal technarchs managed their affairs well and helped to keep the tech
level from falling below 14 despite shortages of goods. Like Brating
(1618) and Base X (1617), she was a beacon of hope for a better aftermath
than what the embattled fleets of Dulinor and Lucan had left them with.
Odew's neighbors offered sparse hunting for the technologically hungry Virus.
This helped Odew to miss out on alot of Virus attacks.
The Collapse called for a more vigorous form of rulership and there arose among
the technarchs one to unite them all. The Marquis of Tullamoor, Sir Harry O'Dew,
a direct descendant of the colony founder, struck out from his fiefdom to unite
the world under his rule. His success put an end to Odew's feudal society and
helped to stabilize the planet against further decline.
| Armed Forces (10%) | 1 million personnel |
| Wet Navy (7%) | 70,000 personnel (23 MC's & 67 SC's) |
| COACC (20% x 1.5) | 300,000 personnel (750 CAC & 300 PAD batteries) |
| Ground Forces | 570,000 personnel (28 DE's & 10,000 Security starport police) |
| Space Forces (6%) | 60,000 personnel (20 MC's & 60 SC's) |
Path of Tears Government Characteristics Table
| Government | Charismatic Oligarchy |
| Talent | High |
| Corruption | Medium |
| Cruelty | Low |
| Aggression | Medium |
| Paranoia/Xenophobia | Low |
| Administration | Medium |
| Intrigue | Medium |
| Diplomacy | Medium |
| Military Strategies | Medium |
| Military Tactics | High |
| Leadership | High |
Current Clack: The Chief of the O'Dew Admiralty, Siobhan "Molly" Hannity
has made contact with the worlds of Pleru &
Rotek to rimward. Pleru's paranoia against Vampires has
caused all conversations thus far to take place from far orbit (out of range of
her PADs). Rotek has been more promising, having a similiar government (a
constitutional monarchy descended from the world's former ranking nobility). The
Guild puts into port here, ostensibly for repairs, and to pass on the
scuttlebutt of the huge Vampire movements in the Khipge Main running down to
Brating.
Rotek (1119) is the second most populous planet in the subsector. Only
Khipge (0914) has more than Rotek's 440 million plus inhabitants. Virus
saw to the end of the Rotek Monarchy with its police state. A brewing rebellion
capitalized on the mayhem and seized power. The regime was overthrown and King
Edmar Hushuuti was hung. A mob stormed the Secret Police's headquarters and
burned it to the ground. One of the more progressive nobles, the Barony of
Isstek, took the lead and fought back against Virus.
Despite their technology level of 8, they lack the ability to leave the system.
Their small space force defends the immediate planet from raids, often luring in
Vampires within range of their PAD Silos positioned on the moons. In 1199, they
were contacted by the naval forces of O'Dew's world. Her grace, the Baroness
Vhauara Isstek is preparing the world for better times, and the chance to
regain stardrives.
Rotek sits in the 4th orbit (habitable zone). The nearest gas giant lies in
orbit 7 (SGG no satellites), the next at Orbit 8 (SGG, 1 satellite, a ring); the
next, at orbit 9 (LGG with 9 satellites, 2 rings, seven moons); and the last
lies at Orbit 10 (LGG, 10 satellites, 3 rings, seven moons). Rotek herself has
two small moons, her extant Scout base rests on the near one, with sensor
platforms deployed on the far one.
| Armed Forces (2%) | 8.8 million personnel |
| Wet Navy (8%) | 704,000 personnel (234 MC's & 704 SC's) |
| COACC (20% x 1.5) | 2.64 million personnel (6,600 CAC & 2,640 PAD batteries) |
| Ground Forces | 5.4516 million personnel (272 DE's & 11,600 Space Force marines) |
| Space Forces (02% x.5 x .25 x .2) | 4,400 personnel (1 MC & 6 SC's)* |
*All currently non-jump capable. These being:
Path of Tears Government Characteristics Table
| Government | Charismatic Oligarchy |
| Talent | Low |
| Corruption | Medium |
| Cruelty | Low |
| Aggression | Medium |
| Paranoia/Xenophobia | Low |
| Administration | Medium |
| Intrigue | Low |
| Diplomacy | High |
| Military Strategies | Low |
| Military Tactics | Medium |
| Leadership | High |
Current Clack: Rotek's leadership, especially that of the Baroness'
personal advisors, is excellent, and they enjoy popular support. Unfortunately,
the moderately corrupt bureacracy, a remnant of the former government, hampers
scientific breakthroughs with endless legislation on "environmental issues."
Unbeknownst to the leadership of Rotek, The Guild's best diplomatic captains
have hamstrung them with false information for decades. The public is tired of
throwing good money after bad and fruitless Jump-drive research. The Guild's
spies here (paid informants really) are hoping when the time comes they won't be
holding the bag when this scandal blows wide open, as it will, once O'Dew's
technicians arrive in 1200!
Niver (1411) was primarily occupied by a electronics manufacturer,
partially owned by Delgado Trading and GsBAG during the Third Imperium. The
inhabitants consisted of several thousand robots and some 400 humans. A strange
collusion has occurred since the Collapse, the now sentient robots and humans
are peacefully co-existing in a participatory democracy. Unfortunately, human
numbers have declined steadily to only a hundred or so due to the evershrinking
gene pool.
The Guild uses this world as a stopover for ships headed into Fromabes and other
parts of Havensmist subector. In truth, the port is open to all. From the
relative safety of orbit, ships from Valistor, have
spied nothing out of the ordinary and are thus planning a visit in the coming
months.
Sheqap (1516): Maintaining a small D-class starport dirtside here is a
single community of some 60,000 sentients. The town is run by a multiplicity of
families and allied clans. Tech has halted at TL-7 while farming is adequate to
their needs. The starport rests under the control of the whole community,
though certain families are vested with repairing Guild or Free Trader ships
that stop by.
Lawless doesn't describe the place well enough. Dueling and blood feuds are
commonplace, as is the revived concept of weregild. A small Bwap
community survived the Collapse and maintains order by maintaining the rough set
of "rules" by which people abide by. Everyone is armed and most have powerful
relatives somewhere in town. Despite the lack of "law", most visitors are well
behaved and pay their bills. Even the Guild's troublemaking policies fall short
of the byzantine family interpersonal relationships here, and they tip-toe
around for fear of sabotage or vendetta.