CONTENTS

CONTENTS ........................................................................................................................... 2 Foreword ............................................................................................................................... 5 References: .............................................................................................................. 5 Technical Stuff: ........................................................................................................ 5 Odin System .......................................................................................................................... 6 Description: .............................................................................................................. 6 Odin II ...................................................................................................................... 6 Odin IV ..................................................................................................................... 6 Tyrol system .......................................................................................................................... 7 Description: .............................................................................................................. 7 Tyrol V...................................................................................................................... 7 Kellog System ........................................................................................................................ 8 Overview .................................................................................................................. 8 Today ....................................................................................................................... 9 Kellog II .................................................................................................................... 9 Kellog VI................................................................................................................. 10 Final Tips ............................................................................................................... 10 Goss System ....................................................................................................................... 11 Description: ............................................................................................................ 11 Cassel (Goss II.) .................................................................................................... 11 Goss I..................................................................................................................... 11 Ellis System ......................................................................................................................... 12 Description: ............................................................................................................ 12 Ellis ........................................................................................................................ 12 Ellis IV (Seahorse).................................................................................................. 12 Ellis IX (Walleye) .................................................................................................... 12 Asteroid Bases..................................................................................................................... 13 Cathcart System .................................................................................................................. 14 Overview ................................................................................................................ 14 Origin ..................................................................................................................... 14 Transformation ....................................................................................................... 15 Protocol .................................................................................................................. 15 Commerce ............................................................................................................. 16 Tal System ........................................................................................................................... 18 Geddon System ................................................................................................................... 19 Chronos System .................................................................................................................. 20

Description: ............................................................................................................ 20 Kallis System ....................................................................................................................... 21 Kalis IV ................................................................................................................... 21 Kallis VII ................................................................................................................. 21 Hades System ..................................................................................................................... 22 Trise System ........................................................................................................................ 23 Eealus System ..................................................................................................................... 24 Stanton System ................................................................................................................... 25 Overview ................................................................................................................ 25 Settlement .............................................................................................................. 25 Stanton I: (MicroTech) ............................................................................................ 26 Stanton II: (Hurston) ............................................................................................... 27 Stanton III: (ArcCorp) ............................................................................................. 27 Stanton IV: (Crusader) ........................................................................................... 27 Nul System .......................................................................................................................... 29 Kilian System ....................................................................................................................... 30 Overview ................................................................................................................ 30 The Three Sisters ................................................................................................... 31 Magma (Kilian IV) ................................................................................................... 31 MacArthur .............................................................................................................. 31 Osha ...................................................................................................................... 31 Keene..................................................................................................................... 32 Kilian VIII ................................................................................................................ 32 Corin ...................................................................................................................... 32 Outer Planets ......................................................................................................... 32 Hadrian System ................................................................................................................... 33 Oso System ......................................................................................................................... 34 Orion System ....................................................................................................................... 35 History .................................................................................................................... 35 Today ..................................................................................................................... 36 Tiber System........................................................................................................................ 38 Pyro System ........................................................................................................................ 39 Rhetor System ..................................................................................................................... 40 Persei (Rhetor II) .................................................................................................... 40 Reisse (Rhetor III), ................................................................................................. 40 Rhetor V ................................................................................................................. 40 Oberon System .................................................................................................................... 41 Gonn (Oberon IV) ................................................................................................... 41 Uriel (Oberon V) ..................................................................................................... 41 3

Nemo System ...................................................................................................................... 42 Ergo ....................................................................................................................... 42 Nemo II .................................................................................................................. 42 Leir System .......................................................................................................................... 43 Mya (Leir II) ............................................................................................................ 43 Osiris System....................................................................................................................... 44 Etos (Osiris I) ......................................................................................................... 44 Fora System ........................................................................................................................ 45 Hyperion ................................................................................................................. 45 Rihlah System ...................................................................................................................... 46 Hadur System ...................................................................................................................... 47 Terra System ....................................................................................................................... 48 Description ............................................................................................................. 48 History .................................................................................................................... 48 Aero (Terra I).......................................................................................................... 49 Pike (Terra II) ......................................................................................................... 49 Terra (Terra III) ....................................................................................................... 49 Gen (Terra IV) ........................................................................................................ 50

Foreword
This is a list (currently in order of release) of Star Citizen Galactic Systems, with additional detail (where available). The information contained within is fluid in nature and subject to change (as time permits it will be updated). I hope you find it useful. A_Peace_Nik
Created from Star Citizen Data, complied on 31 July 2013 Version 1.0

References:
Roberts Space Industries Comm-Link Transmissions

Technical Stuff:
SED = Standard Earth Day UEE= United Empire of Earth

Strategic Value Scale:

Odin System

Ownership: United Earth Empire Planets: 4 Planetary Rotation: Osiris II 487 SED (Standard Earth Day) Imports: Food, Medical Supplies Exports: None Black Market: Weapons, Gemstones UEE Strategic Value Rank: Grey

Description:
Odin is one of the oldest star systems visited by man. Fifty thousand years ago, it was a vibrant solar system remarkably similar to Earth or Terra. Since that time, Odins star has degenerated into a white dwarf, rendering its planets icy nightmare worlds.

Odin II
Odin II is within the systems minuscule green band and is home to a variety of temporary UEE deep freeze expeditions, with the lack of surviving vegetation making it an ideal site for a weapons laboratory. Smugglers occasionally choose to call the system home, but their stays are infrequent Odin is too cold even for pirates and trained killers. Odin IIs moon, Vili, is frequently used as a corporate weapons testing range. As a result, something of a black market for weapons technology has grown up in the region: much of it is junk, but pilots have reported finding occasional deals on discarded top-of-the-line military-grade surplus. There is a thick asteroid belt close in, likely the remnants of a planet which did not survive the stars failure. The UEE formally bans mining in the system, although little effort is paid to enforcing this edict. The field is largely uninteresting, but intrepid miners have been known to hit on substantive caches of gemstones, making their trips worthwhile.

Odin IV
Odin IV is a gas giant and home to a UEE-sponsored hydrogen rendering station and fuel depot. Fuel is remarkably cheap here for this part of the galaxy, although accommodations are notoriously spartan. Known jumps to Baker, Helios and Osiris.

Tyrol system

Ownership: None Planets: 7 Planetary Rotation: Tyrol V 393 SED (Standard Earth Day) Import: None Export: Mineral, Elements Black Market: Sentient Trafficking, Narcotics, Mercenaries, You name it. UEE Strategic Value: Grey

Description:
Located near the Banu Protectorate, Tyrol is a powder keg. The star has entered the red giant phase of its evolution and scientists are predicting that it will go supernova soon. Therefore, the UEE has designated the system as a scientific/research zone, allowing the scientific community to set up to record the effects of a supernova up close. This also means that there is no real law presence in the system. If you can avoid the scientific research stations, you can find all sorts of disposable settlements on the planets. Most of them are used for smuggling operations while some are simply squatter camps, looking for free real estate before the system explodes.

Tyrol V
Tyrol V currently hosts the most organized settlement, known as Haven. The planet surface is burned out from the stars initial evolution to the red giant phase and most humanoids require some kind of thermal shielding in their clothes in order to avoid blindness and sunburn. Haven is built into the rock of a vast canyon in an effort to keep the temperature down. What started as a small network of tunnels expanded as more fugitives, criminals, expatriates, and outlaws decided to roll the dice and hide in a dying system. Jump-point connections to Charon System (UEE) and XiAn Territory.

Kellog System

Ownership: Developing System Planets: 6 Planetary Rotation: Kellog II 390 SED, Kellog VI 78,538 SED Import: Criminals, Export: Antimatter Crime Status: Very Low Black Market: Narcotics, Biological Goods Food Strategic Value: Blue

The jungle planet Xis Kellog system

Overview
Located near Vaduul territory, the Kellog system is home to a stark dichotomy. Kellog II (Xis) has been designated by the UEE Subcommittee for Development & Expansion (D&E) as a Developing World to a primitive species. A lush jungle paradise world, Xis would be otherwise ideal for human colonization. There is a small market for medicines and other organic goods collected with some risk on the planets surface. Flo-pets, the focus of a brief exotic animal fad among Earths upper class, were initially illegally trapped here. Meanwhile, the outer planet in the system is the infamous Quarter Deck Prison World, a maximum security penal facility home to hundreds of thousands of hardened criminals. The UEE allows prisoners at Quarter Deck to work their sentences in a full-process antimatter refinery; the fuel is thus available cheaply and raw materials involved in its creation are sometimes at a premium. Bounty Hunters should note that Quarter Decks booking officers are known to pay a reasonable rate for captured criminals. D&E dictums specify that the system is not to be tampered with and so the other planets have also been declared off-limits for mining and exploration purposes. The small army of police and guards that monitor Quarter Deck ensure that no one interferes with the planets or the species on Kellog II. Should they catch someone, they certainly dont have to take them too far. TRAVEL WARNING The Kellog System is located near what is generally considered Vanduul territory. Although the organization of Vanduul tribes is still not well understood, it seems that none have claimed Kellog as their own yet. Although no enemy raiders have yet been spotted in-system, travellers are advised to take extreme precaution in the region.

Today
The Kellog System consists of six planets orbiting a G2V yellow dwarf extremely similar to Earths own Sun. Two of these worlds are inhabited and offer attractive trading opportunities to the interested trader: Kellog II, known as Xis, is slightly closer to the star than Earth, creating a lush tropical paradise world. Kellog VI is at the outer edge of the systems green band, a barely inhabitable rock which the UEE has converted into a prison world. A visit to Kellog is not for the faint of heart. The system is ranked SIX on the galactic insurance chart, meaning that should loss-of-vehicle occur there, there is no repayment of cargo fees and upgrade replacement would be available only at a slight loss. There is nothing necessarily dangerous in the system itself, particularly for law-abiding pilots, and the rating instead reflects a simple truth: there are limited reasons an honest person should be there in the first place.

Kellog II
Xis is the reason for the Kellog systems unusually high insurance rating (for a system with a distinct UEE presence). The planet is dotted with deep, multi-canopied jungles with a bio-diversity that rivals anywhere in the galaxy. From a warm sea that is home to ten-foot crab monsters to rainforests that play host to millions of insects, primates and, most famously, Flo-Pets.\ Few can forget the Flo-Pet craze of the previous decade: the unusual animal best described as a cross between a housecat and a jellyfish was all the rage on Earth, with the rich and powerful desperate to collect and breed them to show off their bejewelled internals. Kellog II was their point of origin, where the first of their kind was captured by an intrepid privateer who initially believed they might be as delicious as they look. (Further study has definitively established that Flo-Pets are not edible.) Interest in the creatures has fallen off, and the offspring of those initial creatures can now be found inhabiting the sewers of every significantly developed world. Visiting Xis is also strictly forbidden: the UEE Sub-committee for Development & Expansion (SDE) has identified the planet as a Developing World, citing the existence of the Orms, a primitive hominid-like species centered near the planets north polar regions. Orms have, in the past three hundred years, begun to develop more complex social interaction schema and extremely primitive stone age tool use. Although their culture is of interest to scientists (who sometimes buy equipment and preserved food depending on the season aim for winter) the Orms themselves are not worthy of note for traders: they produce nothing valuable and they, themselves, are not civilized enough for use as labor. The black market, however, is rampant. Although the planet is protected by a web of reconnaissance satellites, the UEE generally lacks the ability or the interest in properly policing the orbit. Incursions made without the proper amount of stealth are recorded and can harm a pilots citizen rating in the long run but there is little danger of running afoul of orbital batteries or encountering a stray destroyer squadron. Market Deals Kellog II BUY: BUY: BUY: SELL: SELL:

COPPER (UNREFINED) LUXURY GOODS BIOLOGICAL GOODS (ILLEGAL) PRESERVED FOOD LUXURY GOODS

+1 +2 +7 +1 +1

Kellog VI
Kellog VI is home to the UEEs massive Quarter Deck Prison World, a maximum security penal facility that incarcerates hundreds of thousands of hardened criminals. Quarter Deck is a fullprocess antimatter refinery, which means that the extremely valuable fuel is available more cheaply here than it is anywhere else in the galaxy. Antimatter processing is an incredibly dangerous affair and it kills dozens of prisoners a day but reduced sentences are given to those willing to perform the work, helping to ensure that the UEE navy and the merchant marine are fully fuelled. However, interested merchants should note that transporting antimatter is extremely dangerous. A fully upgraded cargo hold is necessary, and anyone attempting the run needs to broadcast in the clear their manifest: no pirate wants to tangle with an antimatter transport because the simplest engagement will quickly lead to an explosion killing all parties involved. The UEE has also developed a system by which wanted criminals can be delivered directly to Quarter Deck by properly bonded bounty hunters. A Class VI Justice Star satellite sits at the planets closest Lagrange Point, allowing processing, trial and sentencing to take place swiftly and efficiently. Booking officers on Quarter Deck frequently pay a premium for wanted men, reflecting the reduced cost to the UEE that comes with having prisoners delivered directly to the system. As on any prison world, there is also an active black market. Merchants who can deliver luxury entertainments to the planet without attracting the attention of UEE wardens are handsomely rewarded. Of special value on Quarter Deck are narcotics, which much of the population prizes as the sole escape from the danger and dreariness of forced antimatter mining. Market Deals Kellog VI BUY: WEAPONS (MilSpec) BUY: IRON ORE BUY: ANTIMATTER SELL: LUXURY GOODS SELL: NARCOTICS (ILLEGAL)

+2 +2 +5 +4 +6

Final Tips
Kellog is a system with an immense opportunity for prof it but it is one that inexperienced merchants should avoid at all costs. Hundreds of interested newbies have noted the profit margins and after-burnered straight to the system only to find themselves the target of the UEE forces guarding Quarter Deck or a tasty dinner for a Xisian seacrab. Dont make their mistakes: equip your ship properly, focus on stealth when dealing with any black market shipping and tread lightly, wherever possible.

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Goss System

Ownership: UEE Planets: 3 Planetary Rotation: Goss I 50 SED, Cassel (Goss II) 244 SED, Goss III 309 SED Import: Food, Energy supplies Export: Elements. Crime Status: Low-Med. Black Market: Kidnapping, Theft. UEE Strategic Value: Blue

Description:
Generally regarded as one of the most visually stunning systems in the Empire, the Goss System is a binary star system situated in the forefront of a massive emission nebula. Permanent bands of turqouise, gold and deep orange paint the sky from any location in the system. All three of Goss planets are inhabitable. The bulk of the systems economy comes from tourism, but Gossians pride themselves on being self sufficient. Long-haul traders will find few bargains here, as the system produces little worthy of export and gathers its raw materials internally, mining and harvesting resources from the inner planets as needed.

Cassel (Goss II.)

The main destination is the lush, thriving resort world of Cassel (Goss II.) The surface is largely tropical rain forests dotted with stately pleasure domes constructed to support tourists and dozens of launch arcologies that house the descendants of the original Goss settlers.

Goss I
Goss I is a low-atmosphere world with abundant heavy metals. Scattered pockets of well-paid miners are a reasonable market for luxury goods and black market items, although the systems strict export policies prevent shipping raw materials out-system. The Olympus Pool has dark side, too: the same nebula that delights tourists also acts as an effective curtain for several deep space pirate clans. Pirates are generally careful not to interfere in the tourism on Cassel but the brilliantly colored sky is believed to hide multiple clan operations facilities and supply chain master points. WARNING: gravity effects of the binary star have rendered portions of the system untenable to starships not carrying Level 7 shields or above. Consult current gravity maps before attempting transit!

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Ellis System

Ownership: UEE (corporate) Planets: 13 Planetary Rotation: Ellis IV (200 SED), Ellis IX (8,922 SED) Import: Mechanical Goods, Luxury Export: Fuel Crime Status: Medium (Gambling) Black Market: None UEE Strategic Value: Purple

Description: Ellis
Ellis is most famously home of the Murray Cup, the jewel in in-system star racings Triple Crown. The Ellis route runs through the densely packed inner worlds, through the twin asteroid belts and stops at one of Ellis VIIIs Lagrange points. A series of thousands of orbital monitoring buoys has been deployed throughout the system to monitor and broadcast race progress. During the offseason, aspiring racers and engine customization fans are allowed to run the track themselves for a small fee.

Ellis IV (Seahorse)
Ellis IV (Seahorse) is an entirely ordinary green-band planet save for an unusually high gravity for a settled world: over twice Earth standard. As such, Ellisians tend to be stocky and muscular and the planets fauna takes on a variety of interesting shapes (the best example being the aptly named flatcats.) Seahorse boasts a shining A+3 colonization rating from UEE Colonization Command.

Ellis IX (Walleye)
Ellis IX (Walleye) is a gas giant which has been patterned for use as a refueling world. Large freighters and warships form visually impressive queues to take on much needed fuel, and a service industry has formed for long-haul transport crews making layovers in the system during the lengthy Earth-Pinecone run. Nearby refineries dot the planets skyline and cheaply convert the raw fuel for mass export.

12

Asteroid Bases

The asteroid bases will take on two forms: the first is active smugglers bases with trading and the seediest bars in the galaxy offering some of the most dangerousand lucrativemissions outside the law. The second is secret supply depots that you can discover, raid and contest yourself. Their locations wont be on any map, the stuff of legend and hearsay. Youll learn about them at seedy mining bars or through tireless exploratory scanning of asteroid bases or even by outfitting your ship to stealthily follow successful smugglers. There you may find anything from a thriving smuggler community, an intergalactic bazar trading black market goods at great prices or an abandoned cache of weapons and upgrades thought hidden in deep space by their previous owners. And once discovered, the abandoned worldlets could make for an excellent hidden squadron base as long as no one reveals their location or follows you home!

13

Cathcart System

Ownership: Lawless (Pirate) Planets: 0 Planetary Rotation: n/a Import: Refuse Export: Salvage Crime Status: High Black Market: Weapons UEE Strategic Value: Purple

Overview
Cathcart is widely recognized as a pirate system, and its reputation in the UEE expends little treasure trying to downplay. At heart, Cathcart is a galactic junkyard with no natural planets and no particular redeeming qualities. Its been humanitys prime dumping ground for radioactive debris, failed starship hulls and out-of-date space technology for generations. The only enforced rule: leave the route between jump-points clear at all time. The inhabitants of Cathcart have constructed makeshift environments by lashing together wrecked ships, orbital platforms and anything else that can be re-pressurized. Its an interesting environment that has spawned a truly unique subculture but the huge population of pirates, smugglers, mercenaries and outright killers means that anthropologists wont be documenting it any time soon. Cathcarts largest world is called Spider, a sprawling mass of abandoned UEE warships spiralling in ever-increasing mated tendrils around an ancient colony ships massive hull. Visitors are encouraged to keep their suits on during their stay, as the shoddy construction of the inhabited areas often gives out. Still, its a great place to pick up a bargain if you arent picky about what century your ship upgrades came from.

Origin
Astronomically speaking, Cathcart is basically void: a star with no true planets and only a loosely defined chain of asteroids and worldlets orbiting far from the theoretical green band. In theory, there is no reason anyone should ever have lived here. What is now known as the galaxys junkyard came from humble beginnings. The system was first charted roughly five centuries ago and almost immediately abandoned. It was initially listed as a Class C military restricted system, with plans to construct a listening post complex but rapid advancements in scanning technology meant that large-scale orbital listening posts no longer needed to be built so far from the core worlds. The Navy abandoned the partially constructed habitat platform structure to the void little realizing where it would lead. Then, the system spent almost two hundred years as a government dumping ground. Seeking to create a series of spatial boneyards, the UEE selected Cathcart as an ideal (if distant) location for storing decommissioned spacecraft. 14

The reasoning was simple: without planets or other major bodies, spacecraft would be easily stored in the void of Cathcarts deep space. Craft stored there, far from most environmental influences, could be easily reactivated in times of crisis. A pair of pre-fab processing factories were towed in-system and for decades the system began collecting all varieties of obsolete military spacecraft: fighters parked in space, end to end for hundreds of kilometers; abandoned destroyers, cruisers, frigates and carriers; all stripped of various needed or classified systems, berthed together as far as the eye could see. But Cathcart was out of sight and out of mind from the UEE command structure. Spacecraft decommissioned from the nearby frontier could easily be left there but without access to the homeworlds supply chain, they were too expensive to effectively scrap and too difficult to re-crew or maintain for crisis .As galactic expansion moved beyond the Cathcart region, the UEE effectively abandoned the area. Eventually, the spacecraft salvage rights were sold off to the highest bidder and the entire system was reclassified as private industry

Transformation
Thats where Cathcarts history becomes fuzzy. The system quickly became a trash pile for private industries wishing to dump crippled hulls, toxic materials and all other varieties of odds and ends. Who the first pirate was who realized the universes largest man-made mess could be a reasonable home is lost to history, but by 2750 Cathcart had a well ensconced pirate population. Individual pirates and smaller clans made the surplus military and civilian hulls their homes, retrofitting them with makeshift atmospheric containment systems and eking out an unlikely living, preying on each other as much as they did on convoys passing through nearby systems. Enter Spider, a sprawling worldsized mass of crippled starships, abandoned colonizers and ancient platforms, all held together with pleximetal and prayer. Spiders origin story is more the realm of myth than recorded history. Clan legends claim its creation was overseen by a unified pirate alliance which constructed the planetoid together. Tens of thousands of pirates and smugglers worked alongside one another, lashing together old habitat modules, destroyers, carriers and colony ships to form a living, breathing city of sorts. Modern anthropologists consider this story unlikely, pointing out that pirate organizations have never been able to work together for very long. In all likelihood, a single pirate clan spent the lives of countless imprisoned slaves to construct Spider, and then lost control over the facility during an interclan conflict. Whatever the background, Spider is now one of the most fascinating domains in space: by far the largest place in the galaxy where pirates openly congregate, and unique in that it has garnered enough respect for even the larger groups to treat it as an effective free port. Spider remains the only commonly known pirate facility. The UEE is as aware as any citizen is, but is unwilling or unable to expend the treasure to destroy the facility. Many speculate that Spider plays an important role in keeping piracy organized and that it is not in the governments best interest to scatter the various clans to the winds.

Protocol
The first thing to remember is that Spider is always changing. The abandoned Indefatigable-class battleship you docked with to purchase narcotics a month ago may be an agro-habitat today or it may have been blown out into space after a pricing dispute with a no-nonsense buyer. Spider is 15

also constantly expanding: junk located in Cathcart and crippled prize ships are added to the maze on a daily basis. Understandably, taking a wrong turn can be extremely hazardous to your health. When you enter Spiders airspace, you take your life into your own hands. No insurance company will begin to insure a spacecraft visiting Cathcart. The only thing going for you is the fact that it is the rare domain where pirates will almost never turn on their own. If you are accepted as part of a pack, the wolves will not strike. Establishing your credentials can be tricky. Without the right codes available for the right price in surrounding systems you wont survive a minute from arrival in-system. While there is no organized government patrolling Cathcart, plenty of low-caliber pirates hang around the jump point waiting to prey on hapless travellers. Begin signaling your ID codes before you enter the system; take no unnecessary chances here. TRAVEL WARNING Travellers to Spider can access different docking ports with different passwords. Note that these expire quickly and that using an incorrect password can flag you as hostile! Use at your own risk: Charms Weapons eggbrain Lances Lair (organs) 42equinox Dace Clan Headquarters dorrit Spinward Toxin Farm highnoon Spider itself, the largest gravity source in the system, cant be missed, but if you need to fly on autopilot it is at 145 mark 200 mark 30 (Nav 7 if you are using an ACorp standard projection unit). A docking approach is, again, tricky. In short, the process changes constantly: the most recent docking protocol (which we warn you may be obsolete by the time this article is published!) is that you need to signal a tower four times for an approach vector. Any other number of signals will immediately designate you a target. Once youre in, though, youre in! Culture aboard Spider is deceptively pleasant: everyone knows themselves to be in the company of thieves and any business done is no more or less honest than you would find in a public square on Terra. Dont anger the locals, of course, but thats good advice on any world. One important note: every segment of Spider has a different decompression alarm so watch for flashing lights, beeping sirens or anything that might be trying to get your attention. The energy fields that contain the atmosphere are in no better repair than any of the other systems on Spider so dont be separated from your helmet and pressure suit. At the center of Spiders winding ramps and disparate starship hulls is a makeshift pirate court for settling on-world disputes, part of a fascinating and so far unexplored pirate subculture now taking shape. Appropriately, this is located on the unfinished platform hull that the Navy initially designated to be a listening post. Beware disputes are most often settled the old fashioned way: with a duel to the death. Visitors are encouraged to bet on the outcome! Market Deals Spider BUY: BUY: BUY: BUY: SELL: SELL:

NARCOTICS (ILLEGAL) SLAVES (ILLEGAL) BIOLOGICAL GOODS (ILLEGAL) WEAPONS (OBSOLETE) LUXURY GOODS CLASS 4 FOOD

+7 +5 +5 +8 +4 +3

Commerce
What can you sell on Spider? Basically, anything with a clear preference for luxury goods. Those trying to build a life on the artificial world crave anything from the home worlds high quality foods, games, books, electronics and the like and will always pay a premium for them. 16

Illegal resources are not in demand because they are usually in surplus: go to Spider if you need to buy drugs, bootlegged products, slaves, cybots, human organs or stolen goods of any sort. You will probably find what youre looking for; if not today, then within a week. Owing to its origin as a junkyard, Cathcart is also a great place to pick up ship upgrades if you dont have a problem with technology that may be a century or two out of date! Market Deals Hidden Gems Spider isnt the only landing platform in the Cathcart System so keep an eye out for stray signals that might lead you to one of the smaller bases. Theyre kept off the map with good reason but if you can locate one, youll get an amazing deal on its specialty illegal cargo!

17

Tal System

Ownership: XiAn Empire Planets: 7 Planetary Rotation: 240 SED (Tal II), 359 SED (Tal III), 566 SED (Tal IV), 673 SED (Tal V) Import: Raw Materials Export: Textiles, Processed Goods, Weapons Crime Status: Low Black Market: Narcotics UEE Strategic Value: Green Tal is a system on the edge of the XiAn Empire and one which has been generally receptive to extended human presence. The entire planetary series is what the XiAn call a Production System: every planet has been carefully planned and patterned as a specific work zone. Each inhabited world (Tal II through V) is filled with factories, refineries, food production domes and other facilities and each planet has a specific purpose in a larger production chain. One visually surprising element of Tal is that the XiAn love of large scale organization means that they have actually colour coded their Production System worlds: EVERY structure on Tal II is a bright yellow, Tal III purple, Tal IV dark green and Tal V a burnt orange. Humans regularly express their disbelief that such a system is even possible, although it goes a long way to explaining why XiAn frequently have trouble adapting to the chaos of human cities. Although the actual system is far more complex than a simple summary can provide, merchants should know that Tal II produces large scale space fabrication, Tal III food and textiles, Tal IV processes hydrogen and antimatter and Tal V is responsible for end-stage processing of weapons. The XiAn are happy to purchase raw materials for use on their factory planets and they sell surplus production runs at fair prices. Its not the best place in the galaxy to score a deal, but dealing with the XiAn is as close to being able to guarantee a small profit as you can find.

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Geddon System

Ownership: Banu Protectorate Planets: 1 Planetary Rotation: 299 SED Import: Food Export: Black Glass, Gray Oil Crime Status: Low Black Market: Chemicals UEE Strategic Value: Green Geddon is a system of a Banu Protectorate, located two jumps behind the Perry line. It is home to a single planet, TatKo. TatKo is a barren, windswept mass of volcanic rock. Its no place for a human beingcertainly not one without a light pressure suitbut its the ideal environment for the Banu. The planets churning, underground volcanoes help produce the systems main exports: black glass for producing circuitry and a gray oil, the so-called planetblood which is used as a high-end space engine lubricant. Both products are exceptionally pure; the TatKo Seal graphic which confirms their place of origin is the mark of highly respected products. The weather patterns on TatKo are turbulent at best, lethal on the average day. Therefore, the cities are massive enclosed arcologies driven deep into the planet surface. Nicknamed Spires by UEE travellers due to their resemblance to massive spikes driven into the planet. Docking at a spire can be exceptionally difficult, starship accidents during landing here are common. The polar regions of Tatko are a source of bad-ice, a highly illegal frozen combination of water and refinable poisons.

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Chronos System

Ownership: UEE Planets: 2.5 Planetary Rotation: Archangel Project 360 SED Import: GeoEngineering Products, Export: None Crime Status: Low Black Market: None UEE Strategic Value: Red

Description:
Site of the infamous Synthworld Project. Chosen because its a sparse, vast, empty system. The planets Chronos I & II are dead worlds on an orbit very close to their sun. An ELE destroyed the planets on the outer half of the system, offering the perfect opportunity to design the Synthworlds distance and orbit from the sun for optimal planetary conditions. When the project began, there was a lot of traffic in and out of the system, but now, money and enthusiasm has waned. Deemed by some as an embarrassment, a financial vampire by others, the Synthworld stands as a half-constructed monstrosity that most doubt will ever be completed. The government is still struggling to make the project a success. Though its star has fallen, the SynthWorld Project is still an excellent place for traders to offload raw materials. With the proper bribes, contractors can bring in heavy metals, construction equipment and shipped labor to be sold at inflated government prices. Those who live outside the law should be wary: there may be no place in the galaxy worse for conducting illegal business. The UEEs elite 18th Battle Fleet is on permanent station at Chronos and have spent years with little to do aside from practice their aim.

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Kallis System

Ownership: UEE Scientific Outlay Planets: 9 Planetary Rotation: Kalis IV 322 SED Import: Research Equipment, Luxury Goods Export: Rare Metals Crime Status: Low Black Market: None UEE Strategic Value: Grey Kallis is a system still in its infancy. All the planetary masses are still forming and cooling. Its not ideal for colonists and with the exception of some rare metals in unusual concentrations its not great for merchants but all eyes are on the system in the scientific community. As such, the system has no native population or representation in the UEE senate; it is officially governed by a panel of Imperial researchers.

Kalis IV
Kalis IV, survey number DXP-55.7c, has attracted particular attention because of its believed similarity to Earth at this stage of a star systems formation. Survey teams are observing the planet from orbital stations and spy-eye recon drones twenty-three hours a day and the work is less than thrilling. The potential for studying how an Earth-like planet is formed is exciting, but all parties involved know that it will take tens of thousands of years to gather the necessary data. Black market traders might be advised that the crews manning these posts will be looking for other forms of entertainment to fill their days.

Kallis VII
Kallis 7th planet, a gas giant, has been identified as a potential refueling station, although only a small Lagrange platform currently exists there. The belief is that Kallis may become a jump hub as expansion into this region of the galaxy continues; canny real estate investors would be advised to purchase land deeds immediately.

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Hades System

Ownership: Unaligned Planets: 3.5 Planetary Rotation: 377 SED Hades III Import: None Export: None Crime Status: Medium Black Market: None UEE Strategic Value: Green The Hades System was named by someone with a sense of humor: it is the apparent graveyard of an ancient civilization everything is dead. Exo-historians theorize that the race destroyed itself in a system-wide civil war. Of the four planets, three have been utterly devastated by bombs and weapons unlike any which have been developed by mankind. The fourth planet was literally cracked in half but still sits in orbit, a lasting memorial to this ancient and ultimately suicidal war. Less-than-noble archaeologists frequent the system, hoping to find some evidence of the advanced war making technologies used by theHadesians to destroy themselves. There has been little progress on this front, however, and the system is not at all a hotbed for weapons sales: it seems the inhabitants of these worlds wiped each other out quite thoroughly. Most traders avoid traveling through Hades, as the whispers around the shipping hubs are that the system is haunted. Shippers claim to have encountered the ghostly visage of the blue man while traveling near the star.

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Trise System
Ownership: Banu Planets: 1 Planetary Rotation: 209 SED Import: Foodstuffs, copper Export: Medical, Printed Material Crime Status: Low Black Market: Poisons (Religious) UEE Strategic Value: Orange A single planet orbiting close to a star, the Trise System is not one of the galaxys most inviting spots. To the Banu, however, it is holy ground: the location of The Council, their religious collective. The Council is responsible for the dictums that define Banu society, but their own calling requires that they be separated from their people in so much as is possible. As a result, Trise is located deep in Banu territory far from any populated systems. There are no great Banu pilgrimages, though, so do not expect to move worshippers to and from the system. The idea that the collective must be separate from the society is law. In fact, shippers take note, The Collective prefers human and XiAn goods specifically because they wish to avoid the influence of their own people and theyre willing to pay top dollar to maintain their philosophy. Banu monk equivalents do produce elaborate copper-based artwork which has a certain kitsch value; their healers concoct a variety of medicines which have been shown to have a positive effect on human disease.

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Eealus System

Ownership: XiAn Empire Planets: 5 Planetary Rotation: 430 SED Import: Foodstuffs Export: Fertilizer Crime Status: Low Black Market: Animals UEE Strategic Value: Purple Eealus is the XiAn Empires prime nature preserve. Per XiAn policy, there are in fact four identical nature preserve worlds scattered around the empire (two are kept secret, one is designated backup and Eealus is prime.) The planet was laid out from the ground up to act as a massive zoo/terrarium and features every single species located in the XiAn sphere of influence. Despite the planned nature of the world (like most XiAn worlds) it is a truly beautiful place. Eealus imports food and a great deal of other natural resources in order to maintain the artificial environments needed to simulate every XiAn world on a single planet. For the less scrupulous, there is an eager black-market for species stolen from Eealus. Be warned that the XiAn do NOT take kindly to attempting to import species from other worlds without their permission. A flo-pet outbreak some years back has lead to a shoot first, dont bother asking question ever policy among XiAn customs patrols. For humans not interested in the vast cultural riches of an ancient empire, Eealus is best known as the setting for pop sensation Xandis debut music video.

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Stanton System

Ownership: UEE (Corporate) Planets: 4 Planetary Rotation: MicroTech (350 SEG), Hurston Dynamics (588 SEG), ArcCorp (730 SEG), Crusader Industries (1554 SEG) Import: Raw Materials, Manpower Export: Weapons, Electronics, Computer Tech Crime Status: Low Black Market: None UEE Strategic Value: Purple

Overview
The Stanton System is a corporate business park writ large: a series of four massive Super Earth planets terraformed for their resources. Though built by the UEE proper, they have since been sold off to the highest bidders support construction of the Synthworld. Some of the largest corporations in the galaxy purchased rights to the worlds, at a cost of trillions of galactic credits. Despite the ridiculous corporate names, the transfer of the SuperEarths was initially largely ceremonial; the population of MicroTech did not suddenly belong to the corporation and each world ad its own dynamic economy. Since that time, however, the corporations have begun consolidating power and generally moving to bleed the planets dry. The planets do act as corporate headquarters for the companies in question and they are home to wholesale production facilities where an eager merchant might find a good deal. MicroTech produces electronics, including handheld sensors and computer software upgrades for starships. Hurston Dynamics is a serious weapons provider for the civilian market, ArcCorp builds fusion engines and Crusader Industries constructs and operates slow boat colonies

Settlement
Even without the inevitable Human intrusion, Stanton would have been an anomaly. Boasting a wide green zone with four inhabitable super earths, the system is, from a cosmological perspective, unusual. Strictly speaking, star systems as purely inhabitable as Stanton simply dont exist.

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The combination of the proper star type with the evolution of four especially large Human-suitable biospheres requiring limited terraforming is so unlikely as to strongly suggest design. Meanwhile, the divergent ecologies on Stantons four worlds are of significant interest to scientists of all stripes. No one is sure exactly who first settled the Stanton system. All indications are that it was discovered by a free agent trader and that word of the location and its potential riches spread slowly on the electronic grapevine. By the time the UEE noticed the systems existence, all four planets had populations numbering in the tens of thousands. That notice spelled their doom. A quartet of super earths are an extremely rare find and the Empire quickly declared Stanton to be a case of eminent domain, citing a need to protect and extend nearby jump lanes. Without formal colonization papers on file, the existing inhabitants had little choice: prospectors, survivalists and other squatters have little means to protect themselves from the might of a Bengal-class carrier. The Empire was then stymied. As is often the case, wanting was a great deal more interesting than having. With a down economy in the midst of a hundred-year colonization drought, the UEE had few options for actually exploiting Stanton. UEE naval engineers conducted the small amount of required terraforming, a series of underfunded military outposts were established, and then Stanton sat unwatched for another generation. The decision was ultimately made to sell the system piecemeal to the highest bidders. Mega corporations were quietly contacted and asked to bid for their own planets. The winners are believed to have flushed trillions into the UEE economy: MicroTech, Hurston Dynamics, ArcCorp and Crusader Industries. In a remarkable lack of originality, the four worlds are now named MicroTech, Hurston, ArcCorp and Crusader. The mega corporations moved in slowly but surely, initially refusing to displace the existing inhabitants of the system (technically, they bought the land and not the people or anything already constructed there). Over the years, however, the system has become fully corporatized and the initial settlers have been (often literally) driven underground. The super earths are now dotted with factories, corporate headquarters, testing ranges, mining facilities and other company facilities. Only those working for the corporations (or anyone leasing their space) come to live in the Stanton system, inhabiting orderly company towns. Today, Stanton is a great place to travel if youre interested in the materials produced by several of the galaxys most successful corporations or if you think you can make a profit shipping these companies the goods they need to keep working. TRAVEL WARNING Visitors should note that while the standard United Empire of Earth penal code technically applies in the Stanton System, the UEE does not police the region. Private squadrons and hired mercenaries belonging to the inhabiting super corporations enforce their own laws here.

Stanton I: (MicroTech)
Stanton I, home to the MicroTech corporation, is a large and generally cold planet. The temperature is the result of an error during the UEE terraforming process, which lead to unusually dense cloud production. MicroTech produces MobiGlas here, a now-standard piece of digital assistive technology used by nearly anyone traveling off-world. Although MobiGlas has become ubiquitous, MicroTech specializes in all forms of electronics, including those found in ship systems. This world is a good place to start looking for advanced sensor technologies which could provide an edge while dogfighting. Space on the world is leased to smaller companies, including some of MicroTechs competitors... probably because it allows the corporation to keep a close eye on them. 26

Buyouts among successful Stanton I-based startups are common. Visitors are advised to seek work and cargo news at Wallys Bar; just dont ask for Wally. Market Deals MicroTech BUY: ELECTRONICS SELL: HYDROGEN

+3 +1

Stanton II: (Hurston)

Stanton II is home to Hurston Dynamics, an aristocratic family-run weapons manufacturing concern which has bled the world dry. Stanton IIs ecosphere has been largely destroyed, with almost all indigenous life killed by the mining and manufacturing processes here. Hurston builds several lines of reliable weapons, and pilots looking for specialized guns might do well to visit here. The planet also produces a variety of munitions which are sold to other companies, and transport assistance is always well compensated. Workers are imported for year-long factory or mining contracts; few choose to re-up. Stanton is always in need of cheap labour and is a good source for traders looking to move antimatter precursors. Market Deals Hurston BUY: ANTIMATTER BUY: EXPLOSIVES SELL: LABOR

+2 +2 +4

Stanton III: (ArcCorp)

ArcCorp, Stanton III, is the most visually impressive of the worlds today. While the other planets, even polluted Hurston Dynamics, retain some indication of their natural origins, ArcCorp is now an entirely constructed world. All of the terrain has been sculpted, zoned and built upon, leaving nothing for nature. ArcCorp builds fusion engines in bulk, using the underground resources on Stanton III to provide engines for hundreds of thousands of civilian spacecraft every year. Traders porting at ArcCorp are advised that in addition to deals on weapons, they can find just about anything else here. ArcCorp is absolutely indiscriminate about who they lease property to, and hundreds of other smaller companies have made their home near the worlds north polar region. Anthropologists familiar with the XiAn have posited that ArcCorp is the closest human equivalent to a XiAn factory world, and many have drawn the conclusion that our civilization will someday evolve along the same lines. Market Deals ArcCorp BUY: FUSION ENGINES BUY: MINING EQUIPMENT SELL: REFINED BASE METALS
(E.G., COPPER, IRON, TUNGSTEN)

+3 +1 +2

Stanton IV: (Crusader)

Stanton IV is Crusader, called Cl by the natives; it is an unusual world. Formed midway between a telluric world and a gas giant, Crusaders small rocky core is enshrouded in an especially deep low-density atmosphere. Initial UEE terraforming efforts failed to allow unfettered habitation of the planet itself, but rendered the atmosphere breathable at high altitudes. The planet then became home to a militaryconstructed latticework of inhabitable floating platforms, since expanded exponentially to suit the needs of Crusader Industries.

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The situation is unusual, but ideal for Crusader, which makes large-scale commercial transport ships which would otherwise need to be built beyond the atmosphere. Being built in open air allows the cost of these ships to be reduced by almost 40% on the back end, which is often passed along to consumers. The company also provides quality housing for their employees both in planet side domes and in habitats woven into the latticework and the portion of the world available to visitors is usually considered the nicest port in the system. The shipyards themselves are eerily beautiful, with huge transport ships suspended in mid-atmosphere surrounded by a lighted webbing of Crusader facilities. Market Deals Crusader BUY: WEAPONS (LEGAL) SELL: STARSHIP SUBSYSTEMS

+2 +2

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Nul System
Ownership: None Planets: 5 Planetary Rotation: no inhabitable worlds Import: none Export: none Crime Status: Low Black Market: Slaves UEE Strategic Value: Grey Nul is a Classical Cepheid star, a yellow supergiant that pulsates (swelling 10-15% in size and luminosity) approximately every few months. Due to the variable nature of the star, attempts to terraform have not been successful, so the system was simply abandoned. To the public (and most law enforcement) there is nothing of interest in the system. To a sliver of the criminal element, its the site of a slave market, set up for randomly determined times and locations to keep it under the radar. This guide cannot, in good conscious, advise pilots to engage in human trafficking. Even with a less human set of morals, it would be ill-advised: modern slavers are just as likely to take a hapless cargo pilot right alongside his victims. The only advice is: avoid at all costs.

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Kilian System

Ownership: UEE Planets: 14 Planetary Rotation: MacArthur (488 SED), Gimbal (690 SED) Import: Weapons, heavy metals, luxury items, spare parts Export: Weapons (surplus) Crime Status: Low Black Market: Narcotics, gambling UEE Strategic Value: White

Overview
The construction yard for the mighty UEE Navy and the birthplace of the Bengal-class carrier. Scores of shipyards work 24/7 building and resting destroyers, orbital stations, planetary defenses and other space assets. As with any navy base, merchants can make a killing offering less-than-legal entertainment options but anyone thinking to ship anything especially harmful under the eyes of the bulk of UEE Navy will not last long as a smuggler. On the legal side, Kilian is always in need of raw materials for starship hulls, spare parts for operating the fleet and there are even shipping contracts available to civilians willing to bring munitions constructed elsewhere. Several spacecraft companies maintain formal showrooms in the Kilian System, including Roberts Space Industries and Anvil Aerospace. Located near the eastern systems, Kilian is also where recruits from Terra go for basic training, and is the source of the traditional space shanty Off to Kilians Fields. Kilian is where young soldiers go to learn the art of warfare and where old soldiers return to fade away. For them and most other Humans, it is the shining symbol of UEE military might. Located at the heart of the Empire, a single jump line away from Terra, and home to hundreds of military barracks, training facilities, shipyards and support facilities. Kilians economy is based entirely on the massive military presence, with weapons manufacturers and ship designers flocking to the system to offer their wares. Between the shipyards at Naval Station MacArthur to the Marine headquarters on Corin, Kilian may be the safest place in the galaxy . . . if youre on the right side of the law. Kilian itself is a white A-type main sequence star orbited by fourteen planets. The discovery of Kilian occurred early in mans expansion into the galaxy. Terraforming of green-band planets began very early, as did the garrisoning of military forces here. While there was no specific plan to build out the system specifically as a military base, it naturally evolved from a forward base in the early days of exploration to the most important headquarters in the galaxy, as power shifted towards the region of space surrounding Terra. 30

Only the UEE Army continues to maintain their formal headquarters on Earth; the Navy and Marine top commanders now direct troop and ship movements from armoured city-bases on planets in the Kilian System. As a collateral development, Kilian has generated a large civilian population and is fully represented in the UEE Senate.

The Three Sisters

The first three planets in Kilian are dwarf worlds known informally as the Three Sisters. The sisters travel close to the star and are essentially uninhabitable rocks. Limited metallurgical resources are mined on the smallest of the sisters, Kilian III. For the most part, the worldlets are an outlet for UEE weapons testing exercises: their surfaces bear the scars of hundreds of years of antimatter blasts and railgun impacts.

Magma (Kilian IV)

Kilian IV is the systems primary mining outpost. As the name chosen by a particularly uninventive explorer indicates, Kilian is covered in superheated metals and features heavy volcanic activity. No land area on Magma is stable, so miners operate flying carryalls capable of jetting entire massive refinery complexes from place to place.

MacArthur
Home of UEE Navy headquarters and birthplace of the Bengal-class strike carrier! MacArthur (named after a famed army general of the previous millennium, in what naval personnel choose to find amusing irony) is home to the largest Human naval base in the galaxy. Its where tens of thousands of naval aviators train every year and where all major naval exercises are planned and coordinated. The planet is orbited by countless rings of spatial moorings and drydock facilities. The largest ships in the known universe, including the Bengal, are constructed in the space around MacArthur. As a result, MacArthur is a place where merchants can make a killing. On the legal side, merchants can bring in processed ores, weapons components, shield generators and a myriad of other elements needed for constructing large warships. Those affiliated with the black market can also get rich on MacArthur, as the planets population of lonely ship crews has a variety of appetites. The latter category should be warned, though, that there are more standing military patrols in the Kilian system than there are anywhere this side of the Vanduul line.

Market Deals MacArthur

BUY: BUY: BUY: SELL: SELL: WEAPONS SHIELDS THRUSTERS ENTERTAINMENT (BLACK MARKET) IRON +2 +2 +1 +4 +2

Osha
Osha is a small terraformed world, home to many of the families and support personnel for the systems military population. Its a temperate world that has been highly constructed: arcologies now dot the surface, providing homes for hundreds of thousands of husbands, wives and children of military personnel who are either assigned elsewhere in the system or deployed to distant stars. There is some profit to be made shipping to Osha, whose population generally seeks luxuries from the rest of Human-settled space.

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Keene
Slightly larger than Osha, Keene is another civilian world. Unlike Osha, Keene is the domain of military-aligned corporations and businesses. If a manufacturer has a military contract, you can bet it has a home office located somewhere on Keene. Manufacturers compete for factory slots on the world because an in-system factory allows one to be a much more efficient supplier. This means that regardless of resources, everything from toilet paper to starship bulkheads is manufactured here. Roberts Space Industries and Anvil Aerospace both maintain formal showrooms on Keene which may be visited by civilians.

Kilian VIII
Kilian VIII is an ocean world with an open secret: it is highly toxic to the point of total inhospitability. What appears from orbit to be a tropical paradise is in fact an orb of high-density fluid consisting of water, ammonia and more volatile liquids. No current space suit technology is capable of protecting a Human on VIIIs surface and even most starship hulls will dissolve with minimal contact.

Corin
Home of the UEE Marines, Corin is a deadly ice world that is used for Marine command, housing and training. Dotted with icy tundras and craggy rock caves, Corin is technically outside the systems green band. The Marines maintain a massive underground base, but also require that all trainees survive a six-month boot camp on the planets surface. Marine units not in the field are engaged in constant wargames here. Corin is one of the bestprotected worlds in the galaxy, with a Marine carrier preventing unauthorized access at all times. The best advice: do not approach. TRAVEL WARNING All pilots are warned not to attempt any approach vector to Corin. The UEE Marines garrisoned there have a standing shoot-to-kill order for all spacecraft entering their airspace. Insurance does not cover hull replacement for craft destroyed attempting to break past the cordon around Corin.

Outer Planets
Kilian X through Kilian XIV are uninhabitable. X has a thin atmosphere and a dense mineral-rich surface. Metal rights to the planet are currently locked in an ongoing court battle, so only claim hoppers need apply . . . and the massive military in the region makes that an unappealing prospect for all but the boldest miners. Kilian XI is a gas giant which is used primarily for in-system fuel supply. Automated harvester platforms surround the planet, gathering resources for UEE shipyards. Kilian XII, XIII and XIV are small, essentially dead worlds of little interest. Kilian XIII, sometimes called a haunted planet, does feature an impressive smoky-quartz surface that looks like nothing else in the galaxy.

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Hadrian System
Ownership: UEE/XiAn Joint Occupation Planets: 3 Planetary Rotation: Hadrian II (300 SED) Import: none Export: human cultural goods Crime Status: Low Black Market: Narcotics, gambling UEE Strategic Value: White No one loves Hadrian; famously known as the No Mans Land where the bulk of the warships of the UEE and XiAn fleet maintained their stalemate, Hadrian is now one of the most famous checkpoint systems for pilots traveling between UEE territory to XiAn proper. Anyone traveling through Hadrian can expect to be scanned at least three times: by an initial human patrol, by a combined customs patrol near the inner system and then by a XiAn force holding station at the other sides jump point. Smugglers interested in bringing anything illegal into XiAn controlled space would be advised to avoid Hadrianor at least invest in some heavy duty electronic countermeasures. Pilots are advised not to wander off the buoy-marked space lanes; unexploded anti-ship space mines are commonly discovered in the system.

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Oso System
Ownership: UEE Protectorate Planets: 6 Planetary Rotation: Oso II (290 SED) Import: none Export: none Crime Status: Medium Black Market: Oso Meat UEE Strategic Value: Grey Oso has been designated by the UEE as a developing system off-limits to interaction and trade. A small military garrison maintains this edict, although they are generally willing to look the other way for the right price. As such, Oso is regularly visited by traders of all stripes looking to ship between here and the XiAn Empire. Osoians are the most developed of all the primitive species discovered by the UEE. A furry, multilimbed race that communicates through flashes of color generated by chameleon cels that are patterned across their forehead-equivalents. Human scientists find the natives to be endlessly fascinating, and Earths universities are full of graduate students suggesting new ways to study and attempt to communicate with the Osoians. The XiAn, however, have a more tragic take on the species: they find them to be delicious.

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Orion System

Ownership: Abandoned Planets: 8 Planetary Orbital Periods: 466 SED (Orion III - Armitage) Import: n/a Export: Gold, Platinum (if you dare) Crime Status: n/a Black Market: n/a UEE Strategic Value: Red

History
The Orion System was first charted by a long-range UEE destroyer squadron in 2650. Low on fuel, the squadron made the transit to Orion in the hopes of collecting space borne hydrogen off the shoals of the systems gas giant, Orion VII. The unit ended up spending three weeks in system and producing in-depth star maps of the region. The system was found to contain a single habitable planet (Orion III, named Armitage by the explorers), few exploitable natural resources, and no additional strategic jump points. Locating nothing out of the ordinary, the UEE gave little thought to the system for the next two decades. Following the upheavals of the 2660s, a strong colonial movement surged through the human home worlds as politicians began to extol the virtues of once again reaching out for the galaxy. Despite lacking a strong selling point, Orion was chosen for one of the dozen-odd colony programs established during that period. Ostensibly a corporate project, the UEE-backed Project Far Star aimed to build the most distant human colony ever established; a record for the history books rather than any sort of practical settlement. Within five years, Armitage was a bustling, if unnecessary colony. However, colonists discovered a profitable lode of precious metals (chiefly gold and platinum) in the systems asteroid belt and began to exploit that with some success. Modular farm construction began in earnest with the goal of someday providing food for nearby systems as Far Star expanded core ward. This all ended on August 9, 2681, when mankinds greatest menace made their entrance: a heavily armed Vanduul raiding party struck the main post on Armitage and slaughtered the colonists there to the last man (one citizen, a farmer, remains unaccounted for). The UEE was truly taken by surprise: there had been absolutely no indication of an aggressor species in the region, and intelligence from spy networks among the Banu and the Xian had failed to mention the Vanduul raids those races had recently suffered. 35

Violence on Armitage was on a scale unprecedented in recent history and it immediately captured the attention of humanitys home worlds. The UEE deployed research assets to the region to study the threat, ultimately determining that the Vanduul considered Armitage to be a feeding world. Vanduul warrior hordes seem to travel nomadically, occasionally revisiting past areas that they have identified as reservoirs of natural resources. As such, though they considered Armitage their world, they had only set foot on it once in the previous century. They were either nonplused at finding a working human settlement on territory they used for supply or they were overjoyed at finding a new species of prey. Vanduul attacks continued with some frequency: in six months, outposts throughout the Orion system had been raided fifteen times and casualties among the colonists were unsustainable. Although in public, politicians were out for blood and promised an eradication of the Vanduul threat, the truth was that deploying sufficient naval units to Orion would have been a logistical nightmare. The system was too far away to extend the existing supply chain and the reward was symbolic in nature. In two years, as the public furor subsided, Armitage was officially abandoned as a human colony world. The image of UEE fighters escorting a lengthy chain of transport ships away from the system remains ingrained in many memories. TRAVEL WARNING The following message is broadcast from star beacons at every nav point in the Orion System: The United Empire of Earth has formally abandoned this Star System. The UEE cannot guarantee the safety of craft traveling through this region. Standard galactic insurance coverage will not apply within the confines of this sector. Approach at your own risk.

Today
Orion III consists of bleak, windswept plains pockmarked with the after-affects of Vanduul antimatter bombardment weaponry: blast craters and radioactive zones. Ironically, the ferocity of their attacks completely eliminated the new-gnu herds they once hunted on the planet which, in turn, reduced the frequency of subsequent Vanduul visits to the system. A few abandoned farm modules still stand and the skeletons of several human cities still exist in the form of wreckage overtaken by natural vegetation. Occasional Vanduul settlement sites can also be found, although there is little of interest beyond the curiosity implicit in standing where one of mankinds deadliest enemies once cooked dinner. Why visit Orion? The simplest answer is that there is absolutely no practical reason to visit the Orion system or land on Armitage itself. The planet is home to a small settlement of humans. Living underground, they are the descendants of colonists who refused to leave when the UEE vacated. A hardy people, they are extremely insular and self-sufficient; they have little regard for the Empire and almost no interest in trading. It is possible to sell basic substance items, but without a great deal of markup. Luxury goods are worthless here and nothing is available for sale. Deposits of gold and platinum can still be located in the asteroid belt, but prospecting them is time consuming and transporting goods so far from the core worlds is a daunting logistical task. Vanduul hordes do make transit on occasion to pick up food from Armitage and ore from the asteroids, and a pilot foolhardy enough to want to test his mettle against them could reasonably do so here. As the ecosphere on Armitage dies, Vanduul forays are becoming increasingly uncommon. The best tip for those seeking to engage the Vanduul here is that you should attack when they arrive in the system rather than as they are leaving; Vanduul only visit feeder worlds when they are low on supplies and are of reduced combat efficiency. 36

But even a starving Vanduul is the greatest challenge a fighter pilot can face, and remember that the UEE will not pay bounties for kills scored in a red restricted system such as Orion. Often forgotten is the fact that Orion is also the abandoned doorstep to the galaxy beyond known space. Astrophysicists predict that there are at least two unexplored jump points in the system and they believe that these in turn snake core-ward to regions now abandoned as human expansion has waned. As it is impossible to qualify the unknown, there is no way to promise that lucrative jump points or interesting galactic features lie beyond Orion but if theyre anywhere, it is certainly one of the best places to start. With the proviso, that is, that a jump point on the far side of the Orion System is just as likely to lead you to more Vanduul forces as it is to unearth untold treasures. Market Deals Orion III We cannot recommend any lucrative trading paths in the Orion System.

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Tiber System
Ownership: Vanduul Planets: 2 Planetary Orbital Periods: n/a Import: Medical Export: None Crime Status: None Black Market: Medical UEE Strategic Value: Purple To the Vanduul, this system was called Korathen. To humanity, Tiber. To the soldiers and pilots of the UEE expeditionary forces, it had another name: the Grinder. Historically, Tiber has been a staging area for Vanduul raiding groups preparing to raid UEE territory. The UEE has made countless attempts to shut down the system, from antimatter bombing the two charred planets to launching full scale military campaigns against the Vanduul warships garrisoned here. None were ever succesful, and the efforts cost the lives of countless spacers. Tiber II is known as the Tomb, a larger world which has attracted the destroyed wreckage of thousands of starships and other weapons. Occasional bombings flatten the junk, but new layers pile up with some frequency. Fearless salvage crews might find Tiber II a good source of old technology, although the salvage crew capable of facing off the frequently active Vanduul forces in the system hasnt been found yet The Vanduul have recently begun harvesting Tiber I for their war machine. Massive Vanduul reclimators are literally sloughing the planet into molten ore to construct new ships to replace those lost in the Grinder.

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Pyro System
Ownership: Lawless Planets: 6 Planetary Orbital Periods: 710 SED (Pyro VI) Import: Oxygen, Food Export: None Crime Status: High Black Market: Narcotics, Atomics UEE Strategic Value: Purple

Pyro is a lawless frontier system with a bright central star undergoing a prolonged nova phase. Pyros sun went nova long before mankind reached for the stars and little is known of the original makeup of the system. Six burned-out planets remain, none of which are capable of supporting llfe. Every planet in the system is at some level of decay: from Pyro Is slow infusion into the star to Pyro IV being knocked out of orbit in a meteor strike and slowly being subsumed by Pyro Vs gas giant. There is little inherently interesting in the Pyro system. The planets were quickly mined out of any remaining precious metals shortly after the systems discovery and the gas giant Pyro V is a mediocre refueling point at best (the atmosphere contains a poor hydrogen mix.) Persons unknown have established a mysterious space station in orbit around Pyro. The least damaged system in the world, Pyro VI is still an uninhabitable world so why a pristine orbital station was built there is unknown. The current inhabitants, primarily pirates and other criminals seeing to lay low, are happy to have it. TRAVEL WARNING: Any improperly shielded spacecraft will sustain residual damage from Pyros star while making transit through the system.

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Rhetor System
Ownership: UEE Planets: 5 Planetary Orbital Periods: 385 SED (Persei), 315 SED (Reisse), 510 SED (Mentor) Import: Food, Electronics Export: Labor, Research Crime Status: Low Black Market: Stims, Artwork UEE Strategic Value: Grey Rhetor is home to the centerpiece of the United Empire of Earths private university system. With three separate inhabitable planets each boasting galaxy-class institutions, Rhetor is the destination of choice for future starship engineers and Xian romantic lit interpreters alike. An advanced degree from a school in the Rhetor system, even a secondary university, almost assures a job on Earth or Terra.

Persei (Rhetor II)

Persei, Rhetor II, is a haven for think-tanks and theoretical research. It is home to the elite government-sponsored UPARQ campus, home to the brain trust that has overseen much of the UEEs technological advancement in recent years. As a result, access to Persie is extremely limited: undergraduates without security clearances need not apply. An elite naval guard garrison is stationed here on constant assignment.

Reisse (Rhetor III),

Rhetor III, Reisse, is a stark contrast: it is the heart of the UEEs youth movement. For six generations, Reisse has found itself on the opposing side of whatever political group happened to hold sway over the Empire. The fourth planet, Mentor, claims a similar number of students as Reisse, though the significantly colder climate seems to keep them focused on more practical studies.

Rhetor V
Rhetor V is a beautful multicolored gas giant: you can often find local students and pilots dosing up on Color and staring at the planet. Rhetor has been preserved by the Earth Sights Trust as a national park; refuelling here is strictly forbidden.

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Oberon System
Ownership: Lawless Planets: 7 Planetary Orbital Periods: 286 SED (Gonn), 355 (Uriel) Import: Oxygen, Reactors Export: Heavy Metals Crime Status: Medium Black Market: Weapons UEE Strategic Value: Purple

Gonn (Oberon IV)

Oberon IV, Gonn, is home to a robust mining community like those found in the most distant places on Earth: a group of humans seemingly unconcerned with their own welfare in an impossibly harsh environment. The world is not terraformed, and inhabitants must brave extreme heat and cold in order to survive but the process is worthwhile, with massive exports of titanium, durasteel and tungsten. Countless robotic refineries allow the miners to offer processed alloys rather than simply raw ores.

Uriel (Oberon V)
The historical centerpiece of the system is Oberon V, Uriel. One of the saddest stories in modern terraforming, Uriel represents an attempt to raise the core temperature to make up for the lack of heat from Oberons neutron star. The attempt was considered a sure thing and its failure left three slo-ships of colonists bound for the world trapped and forced to either eke out a life underground or die of exposure. A competitive, family-based society has formed on the world, with seven major clans vying for control of scant few resources. Several above-ground settlements have sprung up in recent years, although they have a distinct expiration date. In five years, a swarm of 70-year cyclical insects will devour all organic matter above sea level. Attempts at extermination in advance of the deadline have thus far been unsuccessful. As the saying goes, the most valuable thing someone can ship in the Gonn system is Urielians away from it.

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Nemo System
Ownership: UEE Planets: 3 Planetary Orbital Periods: 344 SED (Ergo) Import: Electronics Export: Water, Food, Crude Oil Crime Status: Medium Black Market: Narcotics, Slaves UEE Strategic Value: Blue Nemo is a mid-range human-settled system centered around a tropical water world, Ergo.

Ergo
Ergo produces vast quantities of undersea oil and has been settled with a series of orbital-dropped platform cities. Although there is no denying the fact that the planet exists largely to supply other more populous systems, the Ergonians have developed their own unique culture. Unlike most water worlds, absolutely no indigenous life has formed on the planet, so visitors hoping to find an unusual fish will be disappointed. The highlight of the Nemo system is the so-called Space Whale. A naturally forming asteroid located in safe orbit around Nemo III, the planetoid resembles nothing so much as an Earth whale suspended in space. The locals have taken the whale as their own, constructing a nearby tourist trap for visitors to the system. Here you will find readily available t-shirts and shot-glasses with phrases ranging from the obvious I Saw the Space Whale! to the utterly inexplicable Ergo, I Got Blubbered.

Nemo II
Nemo II is a resource and refining world, producing a variety of mid-class alloys.

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Leir System
Ownership: Lawless Planets: 3 Planetary Orbital Periods: 275 SED (Mya) Import: None Export: Graphite, Crystals, Heavy Metal Crime Status: None Black Market: Luxury Goods UEE Strategic Value: Purple

Mya (Leir II)

Leir II, Mya, is home to the Outsiders, a fringe society that rejects civilization. Leir was a corporate terraformed world which was abandoned after cultists staged an armed takover. Rather than retake the world it was decided to simply let sleeping dogs lie, cutting the group off and waiting for them to turn upon themselves. Surprisingly, this has not happened. The group stabilized into a thriving society very quickly and managed to fit in quite nicely on the world. The Outsiders, who claim to oppose mankinds arrogance and refuse to export anything from their sanctuary, now have quasi-normal relations with visiting traders. High quality made-goods can be purchased for a significant outlay, although the Outsiders still will not purchase anything from other planets. The Outsiders operate a strong local militia which operates top of the line ship hulls (apparently their one nod to off-world commodities.) Miners operate unobstructed on the other two worlds in the system. Neither are terraformed and as a result require standard deliveries of machinery, oxygen, food and luxury supplies.

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Osiris System
Ownership: Developing Planets: 2 Planetary Orbital Periods: 345 SED (Etos) Import: None Export: None Crime Status: Medium Black Market: Biologics UEE Strategic Value: Orange Osiris is a small system featuring only two planets: the inhabited Etos (Osiris I) and an outer gas giant that has become ideal for refueling. Etos has not been settled by humanity and remains largely uncontested by the galaxys other races. Scientists believe that Etos I is capable of eventually being terraformed.

Etos (Osiris I)
Etos is located on the edge of the habitable zone very close to Osiris star. Life on Etos is primarily nocturnal, with the Etosian equivalent of higher primates just starting to appear. More advanced life on Etos has evolved an interesting adaptation, a thick rubber-like skin that protects it from the stars damaging radiation. Other life forms have evolved to avoid the sun altogether, living in complete darkness in the planets extensive network of underground caves. Although Etos is technically protected by UEE mandate, little is done to guard the planet from poachers or other criminals who wish to use it as a base.

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Fora System
Ownership: UEE Planets: 5 Planetary Orbital Periods: 342 SED (Hyperion) Import: Luxury Goods, Food, Labor Export: Silica Crime Status: Full Black Market: Narcotics, Pleasure Bots UEE Strategic Value: Blue Fora is, for lack of a better description, a known pirate system in UEE space the only of its kind.

Hyperion
Home to Hyperion, a dusty outpost planet, Fora has evolved into a safe zone in an area of space littered with Outsiders and Banu. Pirates, smugglers and worse frequently call the place their home and are largely ignored by the local police garrison. Terraforming problems left the world awash in perpetual Hyper-Clay dust storms. The stuff coats nearly every surface and has such a low silica content as to be useless for mining purposes. Hyperion has a single landing area, Shoel, and no practical exports. If youre on the run, though, its a good place to hide bounties rarely reach this area of space. Other worlds in the system are completely dead, although they make a good hiding place for larger spacecraft. Fora does have one additional point of interest: it is probably the safest area to cross into Banu space undetected. As a result, you are likely to encounter plenty of smugglers in the systems environs as well as the occasional UEE special operations team.

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Rihlah System
Ownership: XiAn Planets: 6 Planetary Orbital Periods: 615 SED (Shorvu) 831 SED (VI) Import: Electronics, Heavy Metals, Industrial Machinery Export: Outsource Weapons Crime Status: Low Black Market: Weapons Surplus UEE Strategic Value: Purple Rihlah (a XiAn word meaning source of strength) is the first system past the Perry Line. Rihlah was originally a major staging area for XiAn military forces and was processed as a military zone. All of the planets and resources in the system have been converted to a martial nature, helping to build and maintain the defensive capabilties of the system. The XiAn have ramped down their buildup in the region, leaving the system in the middle of an identity crisis. Redesignated for industrial and trade purposes, Rihlah has shuttered the invasion countermeasure systems for now. One result of the change is that the strong military presense is now used to handle border and system security, making it an inopportune point for smugglers to try and break into XiAn space. The system is home to two XiAn-inhabited worlds, Shorvu and Xi. Standard XiAn interaction and trade warnings apply to all settlements on both.

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Hadur System
Ownership: Transitional Xian Planets: 4 Planetary Orbital Periods: 247 SED (Hadur II), 363 SED (Hadur III) Import: Heavy Metals, Fertilizer, Water, Oxygen, Heavy Machinery Export: None Crime Status: None Black Market: Weapons UEE Strategic Value: Blue Hadur was part of the Perry Line ceded to the XiAn as part of the Akari/Kray Treaty. The XiAn have begun terraforming a pair of planets in the system and are willing both to employ human labor and to purchase human-delivered goods as part of the process. A seemingly endless supply of heavy metals, fertilizers, heavy machinery and clean water is required, and the XiAn as always pay top dollar for items they need. The XiAn and the UEE continue to patrol the system together, with an elite UEE police unit stationed near the stars outer marker. Both governments claim the effort is an example of the evolving friendship between the two powers and it is not unusual to see XiAn craft flying on the wing of UEE patrol ships. As a result, the system is on the short list for future UEE/XiAn First Laser military training exercises.

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Terra System

Ownership: UEE Planets: 4 Planetary Orbital Periods: 95 SED (Terra I) 285 SED (Terra II) Import: Robotics, Crude Oil, Electronics, Refined Ore, Plastics, Weapons, Office supplies Export: Titanium, Mercury, Iron, Luxury foods, Class 4 foods, Recycling. Crime Status: Medium Black Market: (opportunities available) UEE Strategic Value: Blue

Description
Terra, shining jewel of the United Empire of Earth! Terra III, commonly referred to by its stars name, has made great strides towards becoming the cultural focus of the Empire. While die-hard Earth loyalists would dispute such a claim, there is no doubt that Terra has its finger on the pulse of the civilized galaxy. From the increasing inflow of mega-corporate HQs to the system to the influence of Terran originated music on popular culture, Terra is unquestionably the closest thing to a rival Earth has ever produced.

History
The Terra system, then designated 342A, was first charted in 2508 and explored as part of a fivesystem long run research expedition in 2516. When the first long-distance magnetic relay images of the systems third planet resolved, the explorer crew immediately knew they had hit it big. A natural super earth located squarely in the stars green band, Terra III was immediately recognizable for its astounding similarity to an untouched Earth. Lush, verdant and brimming with natural resources, Terras colonization was immediately obvious. Within two years no fewer than seven colonial slo-ships had been dispatched to the world. Astrophysicists soon staked their own claim with a startling discovery: Terra systems unique location and makeup meant that it was a strong jump point hub. Like Sol, Terra is a Gtype main sequence star. Unlike Sol, its outer planetary system never formed. Without the mass diffusion caused by gas giants and with the stars location in the center of a dense stellar cluster, extremely stable jump points arose easily. Thus far, five jump points have been charted and scientists believe that a sixth is almost a certainty. (Theoretically, as many as twenty-four could exist, although the odds against most of them ever being stable enough for transit are astronomical.) Exo-biologists, too, had an early interest in the system: massive stone ruins clearly indicative of intelligent life were discovered on Terra IIIs southern continental mass. No other evidence of this ancient civilization has yet been uncovered on the planet, creating one of the most-debated archaeological mysteries of our time. 48

Terra III was the twelfth planet colonized by the United Empire of Earth. In four centuries, owing to its jump network and location, it has evolved into a massive trade hub. Kiel, Baker, Kilian and other name systems are short hops from the star. The worlds plentiful resources, cultivated carefully so as not to impact the environment, have fuelled the Empires Eastern Expansion Program.

Aero (Terra I)
A non-descript rock world incredibly close to its star. Although rich in certain minerals, attempts to harness resources on Aero have been largely unsuccessful due to its proximity to the sun. Even the harshest environment suits are incapable of sustaining Human life long enough to conduct factory maintenance on a world with a 95 Standard Earth Day orbital period.

Pike (Terra II)

The mining efforts on Pike, on the other hand, are a masterpiece of Human engineering. One of the most mineral rich planets in the galaxy, Pike is dotted with thousands of unmanned cities churning out tons of platinum, mercury, iron and gold every day. With three times the orbital period of Aero, Pike is still incapable of sustaining Human life for an extended duration. Regardless, the lack of atmospheric storms and other weather events means that fully mobile robot machinery can operate with peak efficiency and requires very little downtime. The mines and refineries of Pike have been essential to fuelling Terras expansion and to allowing Terra itself to remain relatively untouched. Market Deals Pike BUY: BUY: BUY: SELL: SELL:

TITANIUM MERCURY IRON ROBOTICS CRUDE OIL

+3 +2 +1 +2 +2

Terra (Terra III)

The capital city of Terra is New Prime, a beautiful bayside megacity built on the foundations of two of the original colony ships. A stark contrast to Earths metropolises, everything in Prime was planned by the original settlers, leading to a much greater balance between nature and civilization than is found elsewhere in the Empire. Unlike many cities, Primes primary landing zone is located away from the city to reduce pollution and air congestion. A monorail runs pilots to and from their hangars. Dont let the relaxed atmosphere fool you, though: Prime has everything New York or Moscow does, from ship upgrade stores to black market opportunities. The city itself divides into two major regions: the sparkling Downtown and the lower class residential region known as The Block. Opportunities for visitors are available in both portions of the city. Terras second-largest city is Quasi, in the colder southern hemisphere. Quasi is built into the shadow of the massive ruins discovered early in Terras exploration. Quasi is considered more of a tourist destination than Prime, although several corporations operate in the region. Crusader Industries, best known for its facilities in Stanton sysem, operates the Platinum Bay landing facilities.

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New Austin, another initial colonization point, is as close as Terra comes to an industrial city. New Austin is a business park writ large, home to corporations like ORIGIN Jumpworks and Cronus Devices. The cost of living in New Austin is lower, leading to more of a blue collar sensibility, but moneyed compared to other worlds. The center-piece of the city is The Old Hall, a former Miners Guild meeting area now populated by factory owners, pilots, haulers and shippers. Market Deals Terra BUY: BUY: SELL: SELL: SELL:

LUXURY FOOD CLASS 4 FOOD ELECTRONICS REFINED ORE PLASTICS

+3 +2 +2 +2 +1

Gen (Terra IV)

Oft overlooked is the fact that Terras sister world, Gen, is also an inhabited world. This smaller planetoid, the outermost in the system, was terraformed roughly a century after Terras initial settlement and is now home to the diplomatic and military aspects of the systems government. Consisting largely of military bases, Imperial administration and housing, the world represents a conscious effort on the part of the Terran system planners to separate business and pleasure. There is an ongoing debate about Gens representation in the Senate. Though the planet is wellpopulated, the inhabitants are almost exclusively government workers. Thus far, Earth has shut down any attempts to award them representation, seeing it as a thinly veiled plot to extend Terras influence.

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