FRONTIER - ELITE II - MANUAL TYPED BY SHARD 13 NOVEMBER 1993 ============================ =============================== -------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUE CRIPPLE & SNEER SOLICITORS Windrush Tower. Olympus Village. Mars. Sol System. 0/0S04 OLI YOUR REFERENCE: SCS / CPJ-4.1 J.Jameson Jnr OUR REFERENCE: CPJ / JJJ-4.1 51a South Dormitory Fish Processing Plant 3142 Sirocco Merlin Ross 154 -1/0Rs2a S16 31.12.3199 To whom it may concern It is our duty to inform you of the death of your grandfather, Commander Peter Jameson. The wreckage of his ship was found in the Reidquat system on 11 November 3199. He was presumed killed in combat after a "misunderstanding" over some stolen goods according to the local press. A last will and testament was prepared on 3 February 3199 and section 4.1 has been circulated to all living grandchildren as instructed by our late client. If you have any queries do not hesitate to contact us. The normal fees of fifty (50) Credits per hour (including service tax) apply. Yours sincerely Mr Edmond Sneer -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Will & Testament Commander Peter Jameson Section 4.1 A way of life that is very different to the dull planet bound existence you have probably led up to now. It is a way of life that I loved and want you to experience. I want you to feel the freedom of flying your own ship and being able to explore the vast galaxy. Whatever your aims in life (I settled for wealth power and fame) there is an occupation for you. Try your hand at trading, following established trading routes or making your own. May be doing odd jobs is more your style buzzing from one place to the next, never working for the same person twice. What about mining? Later perhaps. I know that some of you will succumb to a criminal existance, so I may as well say that piracy, bounty hunting and mercenary work will suit you. I won`t tell you to place your allegiance with the Federation, the Empire or the Indepandents but be careful they all use you for their own aims. No amount of treaties will change the fact that they dislike each other Space has changed a great deal since I was your age. No I am not going to harp on about everything being cheaper and friendlier in the past. People were just as bad then as now but we now have better technology and humans have spread further so there is more scope. Your abilities as a pilot will be tested to the full, especially in combat so before you upset anybody get in some practice. I want to give you the best start I can. As there are now so many of you my resources have been spread thinly. Each of you will receive an Eagle Long Range Fighter and one hundred credits. The ship has been delivered to your local starport but the documents are enclosed with this letter Above all enjoy yourself and BE WARY! Mortal Press 2/2TX4-LWT -------------------------------------------------------------------------- WELCOME! CONGRATULATIONS on buying the Eagle Long Range Fighter, clearly the purchase of a discerning pilot! As you will no doubt have noticed, our continual quest for excellence has resulted in this, the culmination of the search for the most advanced technology and ergonomic design, embodied in one ship. We are proud of the individualistic style married with functional superiority, as we continue the Faulcon De Lacy pedigree. As you are obviously a cut above the common space traveller, the understated styling of the interior will have impressed you. A dynamic spacehound such as yourself will not have time for unnecessary frills, so we have styled the interior with the minimum of fuss, just like the exterior. Particularly pleasing though, are the lines of the pilot's seat made of revolutionary Silastoplaston, a material that stays dry at all times. It really gives the message that you are in control! It feels as though you are immersed in water while it protects you from dangerously high acceleration forces. Always mindful of necessity we have included the 1MW Phlaschgyt Pulse Laser weapon. The laser is noted for being compact, economical and again understated the hallmark of this craft. As if that is not enough, we have installed the latest Manolife one man life support system that keeps you cooking at the right temperature and nasty gases at bay. We have been accused of madness for giving away lots more as part of a limited period offer, just look at the specifications list! Whether on the run or just cruising, feel that tight gyroscopic control. You will be so thrilled with the Eagle that you will want to purchase accessories, available from all good Shipyards. THE EAGLE LONG RANGE FIGHTER ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ------------------------ THE HULL A 25 tonne ship with a 20 tonne hull capacity. An amazing 15 tonnes of equipment is included in the price leaving you with a 4 tonne capacity cargo bay with 1 tonne of fuel. Dual main thrusters capable of a blistering peak acceleration of 25g or 0 to 1000 kilometres per hour in only 1.13 seconds. FREE! Atmospheric Shielding for heat protection on entering atmospheres. WEAPONRY 1 Megawatt Pulse Laser (front mounting only). 2 Missile Mountings giving you a choice of missiles FREE! Not one but TWO KL760 homing missiles DRIVE Class 1 Hyperdrive with a range of 8 light years FREE! 1 tonne of Hydrogen Fuel giving you 8 light years travel. FREE! Autopilot. CONTROLS Scanner incorporating the Galactonav System. ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL Manolife Life Support System. Silastoplaston pilot's seat. F R O N T I E R =============== SECTION ONE: ICONS Using the console to control your ship. SECTION TWO: NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT Getting around the galaxy and flying your ship. SECTION THREE: COMBAT Using offensive and defensive equipment. SECTION FOUR: THE SHIPYARD Buying new ships, equipping them, and contacting local police. SECTION FIVE: TRADING Using the Stockmarket and the black market. SECTION SIX: MINING Mining asteroids and planets. APPENDIX ONE: SHIPYARD EQUIPMENT A breakdown of all available equipment. APPENDIX TWO: TRADE ITEMS Items you can expect to trade APPENDIX THREE: AN INTRODUCTORY JOURNEY If you need further guidance before going it alone, this is it. APPENDIX FOUR: THE MECHANICS OF SPACE FLIGHT Technical details not for the faint-hearted, by David Braben. APPENDIX FIVE: SHIP IDENTIFICATION Facts and figures about some of the ships you will see and fly. FRONTIER ELITE II COPYRIGHT NOTICE ------------------------------------- The computer program and its associated documentation and materials are protected by National and International Copyright Laws. Storage of the computer program and its associated documentation and materials in a retrieval system, reproduction, translation, copying, hiring, lending, broadcasting and public performance are prohibited without the express written permission of Konami UK Ltd and Gametek (UK) Ltd. All rights of the author and owner are reserved worldwide. This program and its associated documentation and material are sold according to Konami UK Ltd's and Gametek (UK) Ltd's terms of trade and conditions of sale, copies of which are available of request. 1993 David Braben 1993 Konami SECTION ONE - ICONS =================== USING THE CONSOLE ----------------- This is a guide to using the console to control your ship there is also a summary sheet which summarises the use of icons. SELECTING AN ICON The icons are activated by first touching them with the tip of the mouse-controlled pointer and then pressing the left hand mouse button. Alternatively, simply use the keyboard shortcuts (for the main icons there are function keys F1-F10 the number of which is shown at the bottom right-hand corner of the icon). Note that all icons give an indication of what will happen if that icon is selected. They do not show the current mode. The four main icons F1-F4 to the left-hand side of the scanner select the current type of display. The icons on the right-hand side F7-F10 change depending on the active display. This section outlines the four main types of display and their associated functions. VIEW ICONS (F1) --------------- These icons allow you to cycle through a choice of views of the space through which you are travelling. They are: Front, Rear and External (and Turret if fitted). The position of the view from your ship is described in the View Status area. FRONT VIEW This gives the view in the direction in which your ship is pointing. It is not necessarily the direction in which you are travelling. If you have a gun at the front, a sight will be positioned on the screen in the shape of a cross. REAR VIEW A view in exactly the opposite direction to the front view. A sight will only be visible if you have a gun mounted on the rear. EXTERNAL VIEW An external view is simulated by your onboard computer and can be useful for aligning your ship. Some landings are particularly pleasing if viewed in this mode. Use the Arrow (Cursor) keys to change the angle of view, the - key to zoom in and the + key to zoom out. This can be used for general surveillance of the surrounding space. It needs to be borne in mind that the view is locked to the orientation of the ship. For example, if you are looking at the craft from the side and it is rolling, you will not see it roll, but the space around it will appear to move and the craft will stay still. TURRET VIEW If you have top or bottom turrets on your ship this icon will become available and is needed in order to fire lasers from turrets. If you have two turrets (top and bottom) and you select this icon, the view presented will come from the turret you were using last. Use of the right- hand mouse button will move the angle of view, not the orientation of the ship. If, when using the mouse, you dip below the level of the turret, the view automatically changes to the other turret if you have one. FLIGHT CONTROL ICONS (F7) This icon on the right hand side of the display is operational in View mode only. It switches between Engines Off (Fig 2) and Manual flight (Fig 3). If you have an Autopilot and have selected a target (see THE AUTOPILOT on page 20), then the Flight Control icon will cycle through Autopilot (Fig 4) too. When you are landed, the Vertical Take-Off icon (Fig 5) is the only option available. The status of your ship and its engines is described in the Ship Status area. HYPERSPACE ICON (F8) While in View mode select this icon (Fig 6) to make a hyperspace jump. See the NAVlGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 23 for details. UNDERCARRIAGE ICON (F9) In View mode use of these icons raises or lowers the undercarriage (Fig 7 and Fig 8). The Autopilot does this automatically when landing, but in Manual Flight you must operate it yourself. IDENTIFICATION TEXT ICONS (F10) In View mode these icons (Fig 9 and Fig 10) are used to name all identified objects on your display to aid navigation as the name can sometimes be seen before the body itself. MAP ICONS (F2) -------------- These icons cycle through two map pages: Galactic Map (Fig 11) and Current System Map (Fig 12). See the NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 11 for a more detailed description. Note that the functions of icons F7 to F10 are not always the same in Galactic Map and Current System Map (see below). GALACTIC MAP ICON (F2) A grid map of all the star systems in the galaxy is displayed and the following options are available: DATA ICON (F6) Gives geographical and physical data on the selected system if it has been explored This is only present if a system has been selected. Selecting the Data icon calls up the following four functions: GALACTIC MAP (F6) Returns you to the Galactic Map. ECONOMY ICON (F7) Gives data on imports, exports and illegal goods for the selected system SOCIAL STRUCTURE ICON (F8) Gives data on government type, population etc, for the selected system. ORBITAL MAP ICON (F10) Provides a diagram of the orbits of all bodies within the system shown. They can be seen in motion using the Forward and Rewind icons (see below). For closer observation of bodies use the Zoom icons F7 and F8. ZOOM ICONS (F7, F8) Allow the view to be magnified (Fig 14) or reduced (Fig 15), except in Data mode F6 where F7 and F8 are redefined for other uses. TOOLS ICON (F9) The galactic map can be redefined for easier and faster use. Selecting the Tools icon calls up the following four functions: STALKS ICON (F7) Turns height indication stalks on the galaxy grid map on or off. GRID ICON (F8) Turns grid on the Galactic Map on or off. TRADE ROUTES ICON (F9) Turns Trade Routes on the Galactic Map on or off. IDENTIFICATION TEXT ICON (F10) Some text on the Galactic Map can be turned on or off. GALACTIC VIEW ICON (F10) Shows a creator's eye view of the galaxy to remind you of how small you are. The brightness of each pixel depends on the number of stars in the area covered by that pixel. Use the Zoom icons F7 and F8 to adjust the view. Select the Galactic Map icon F10 (Fig 18) to return to the Galactic Map. CURRENT SYSTEM MAP (F2) ---------------------- Shows an orbital map of the system through which you are travelling. Again, bodies can be seen in motion or at close range. Use the Zoom icons F7 and F8 to adjust the view. The following options are also available: TOOLS ICON (F9) The orbital map can be redefined for easier and faster use. Selecting the Tools icon (Fig 19) calls up the following two functions: ORBITAL ICON (F9) Turns orbital lines on or off. IDENTIFICATION TEXT ICON (F10) Turns names of bodies on or off. TARGETING ICON (F10) Enables you to select targets for combat or the Autopilot. Do this by activating the icon (Fig 20), then clicking on the body to be targeted. See the COMBAT section on page 35 and the NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 11. INVENTORY ICONS (F3) -------------------- If activated. this icon will cycle through seven information pages, in order: SHIP'S EQUIPMENT (see the SHIPYARD section on page 49) COMMANDER PROFILE (see the COMBAT section on page 35) CREW ROSTER (see the TRADlNG section on page 55) CARGO ON BOARD (see the TRADlNG section on page 55) PASSENGER ROSTER (see the TRADlNG section on page 55) OUTSTANDING CONTRACTS LIST (see SHIP'S INVENTORY on page 60) MININING INSTALLATIONS (see the MINING section on page 65) See also SHIP'S INVENTORY on page 60 for a summary of the pages contents. Note that if there is no information on a page it will not be displayed. COMMUNICATION ICON (F4) ----------------------- The effect of this icon (Fig 21) is different depending on whether you are landed (or docked) or in flight COMMUNICATION WHILE LANDED (OR DOCKED) When this icon is selected a list of options will appear (Fig 22), for example Stockmarket (See the TRADING section on page 55), Bulletin Board (see the TRADlNG section on page 55), Launch Request (see the NAVlGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 30) and Shipyard Services (seeTHE SHIPYARD section on page 49). COMMUNICATION IN FLIGHT A list of messages to be broadcast will be superimposed on the main display (Fig 23) Options include a request for landing or docking clearance and sending messages to others. Some will provide a further list of communications ,for example Broadcast message to all in range.... which allows you to send distress calls or demands for surrender. You can also contact the police and settle any outstanding fines by remote payment. See the TRADING section on page 55, the COMBAT section on page 35, and the NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 11. FORWARD AND REWIND ICONS They are only displayed when orbital maps are in use (see the NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 11), and are used to show the position of bodies at different points in time. The simulated time is displayed at the bottom left hand corner of the screen. TIME CONTROL ICONS These allow the pilot to alter the apparent speed of time. The single arrow means real time and the arrows to the right increase the passage of time by 10 to 10,000 times. The icon on the far left hand side is a pause button to halt everything. See the NAVIGATION AND FLlGHT section on page 11 and the TRADING section on page 55. The pilot should realise that his enemies are similarly sped up, so using these icons will only make a dodgy problem worse. THE WEAPON CONTROL PANEL Call up the Weapon Control Panel (fig 26) by selecting the Scanner area. Some items of your ships equipment do not have icons because they work automatically Those that do have an icon which needs to be activated in order for them to function are illustrated in the grey boxes. In the bottom right hand corner of the icon, the letter for the keyboard short cut is shown. The separate icon guide lists the weapon and equipment icons. See also the COMBAT section on page 35 for details of use of weapons and APPENDIX ONE: SHIPYARD EQUIPMENT on page 69 for technical details of weapons and equipment. SECTION TWO: NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT =================================== NAVIGATION ---------- One part of your ship that is impressive is the Galactonav space navigation facility, built in to all spacecraft. You have a number of facilities at your disposal by using the Map icons F2 (Fig 27 and Fig 28). Those icons cycle through two maps: the map of the galaxy and a current map of the system in which you are travelling. Depending on which map you are viewing the icons on the bottom right-hand side of your console have different functions (see GALACTlC MAP ICON on page 5 and CURRENT SYSTEM MAP ICON on page 7). VIEWING THE GALAXY IN DETAIL USING THE GALACTIC MAP --------------------------------------------------- Select the Galactic Map icon F2 to obtain a map of all the star systems in the galaxy (Fig 29), thanks to the Galactic Survey of 2817. The positions of all 100,000,000,000 stars (approximately) were mapped as soon as technology provided telescopes sophisticated enough to do the job. A grid is drawn through the plane of the galaxy to aid visual orientation and provide navigational coordinates. The galaxy is divided up into sectors. Since the galaxy is thin and flat, sector coordinates are only two dimensional with a sector measuring eight light years along each edge and containing all the stars above and below it. Sector boundaries are shown in bright green on the map, and their coordinates are given relative to the Solar system for historical reasons. From Sol's sector, 'east' and 'west' coordinates are represented by the first coordinate 'east' being a positive and 'west' a negative number. Similarly, 'north' and `south` are represented by the second number, with 'north' positive. Up to nine sectors are displayed at once on the screen and the coordinates of the central sector are displayed at the bottom left-hand corner. Each star is shown coloured according to type (eg. red for a red giant. blue for a hot blue star) and with a line indicating its height `above` or 'below` the galactic plane. The pink lines linking systems are recommended trade routes in case you feel you need some guidance to start with. They were compiled by the Zebulon Intergalactic Trading Corporation five years ago. MOVING AROUND THE GRID To move around the grid, use the Arrow (Cursor) keys. The system in the centre is highlighed in green and a small amount of information on it is shown on the console. The system you are currently travelling through is highlighted in pink. To change the angle of the grid itself (Fig 3O), to see the relative positions of systems more clearly, hold down the right hand mouse button and move the mouse. You can zoom in and out with the Zoom icons F7 and F8 You can re-centre the map by pressing the C key. MANIPULATING THE GALACTIC MAP Once familiar with the grid, faster operation can be achieved by electing to discard certain features (Fig 31 and Fig 32). Select the Tools icon F9 and four different icons become available which enable you to adjust certain features of the grid. . The Stalk icon F7 will turn the distance lines on or off. . The Grid icon F8 will turn the grid on or off. . Trade icon F9 will turn the trade routes on or off. . The Identification Text icon F10 will remove the incidental and other details like Core System. As you elect to do any one, the four icons disappear but can be brought back again with the Tools icon F9. OBTAINING DATA ON A SYSTEM ASTRONOMICAL DATA From the grid map, select the system you are interested in by using the Arrow (Cursor) keys to move it into the middle of the screen where it will be highlighted in green Use the Data icon F6 and a schematic summary of all astronomical bodies in the system will appear, if the system has been explored (Fig 33). Use the mouse to pick out individual bodies on which you require geographical and physical data including: Average surface temperature. Major starports. Orbital period (which is the sidereal period measured in Earth days). Average orbital radius. Orbital eccentricity and inclination, measured relative to the rotational plane of the central body. Clicking away from the text returns you to the general system data. Alternatively click on another body. If you want to return to the grid map of the galaxy, use the Data icon F6 again or the Galactic Map icon F2. When in Data mode F6 the icons F7, F8 and F10 have new functions, as follows: DATA ON ECONOMY OF SELECTEO SYSTEM The Economy icon F7 gives a breakdown of imports, exports and illegal goods. Exports tend to be cheap and imports expensive. DATA ON SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND COORDINATES The Political icon F8 gives relevant details on Government type, economy, allegiance and population. Sector coordinates in the Galactic map are also given here. CONFIGURATION OF ORBITS OF THE SELECTED SYSTEM While still in System Data mode F6 use of the Orbital map icon F10, will allow you to see the orbital configuration of the system you selected (Fig 34), To alter the viewing angle. press the right-hand mouse button and move the mouse. VIEWING ORBITS WITH RESPECT TO TIME The orbital map shows a `snapshot' of the positions of bodies. Select the Forward or Rewind icons on the right hand side of the screen to predict the position at different times. The time and date shown at the bottom left hand side of the screen will change The real time is displayed underneath it. VIEWING A SPECIFIC BODY Click on a body which will then become central on the screen and use the Zoom icons F7 and F8. MANIPULATING THE SELECTED SYSTEM ORBITAL MAP Select the Tools icon F9 and two different icons become available which enable you to adjust the features of the grid. The Orbital icon F9 removes or replaces the orbit lines. The Information Text icon F10 removes or replaces the text on the screen. To get out of the Orbital map, use the Map icon F2 to return to the Galactic map. THE GALACTIC VIEW This feature can be used to get an idea of perspective. While in Galactic map mode, click on Galactic View icon F10 and a Creator's eye view of the galaxy is shown (Fig 35). At maximum zoom (showing 500 light year scale) each pixel represents a single sector To zoom in and out use the Zoom icons F7 and F8 (Fig 36). Note that the resolution is best while not zooming. When you stop zooming, improvement of the first, coarse picture is made as quickly as possible by the on board computer. The Galactic Map icon F10 can be used to return to the Galactic map. USING THE CURRENT SYSTEM MAP ---------------------------- VIEWING THE CONFIGURATION OF ORBITS 1. Select the Map icon F2 twice and a map of the system you are currently in is displayed, showing the configuration of the orbits (Fig 37). 2. Zoom in and out with the Zoom icons F7 and F8. 3. Alter the viewing angle by holding down the right-hand mouse button and moving the mouse as for the Galactic map. VIEWING ORBITS WITH RESPECT TO TIME The orbital map shows a 'snapshot' of the positions of bodies. Select the Forward or Rewind icons on the right of the view screen to predict the positions at different times. The time and date shown at the bottom left-hand side of the screen will change. The real time is displayed underneath it. VIEWING A SPECIFIC BODY Click on a body which will then become central on the screen and use the Zoom icons F7 and F8 Note that the Autopilot can be targeted using the Current System map (see the FLIGHT section on page 20). MANIPULATING THE SYSTEM MAP Select the Tools icon F9 and two different icons become available which enable you to adjust certain features of the map. The Orbital icon F9 will remove the Orbital paths. The Information Text icon F10 will remove the names of the bodies. OBTAINING PERMITS ----------------- Some systems, such as those with a prison colony, require visitors to have permits in order to enter the system. Any such requirements for a system will be shown on the console when using the Galactic Map. Permits are not widely available and you will find that they can only be obtained indirectly. This means that you must do business involving the system in question, for example delivering a package, so that the client must give you a permit. FLIGHT ------ Your ship has three basic modes of flight: Autopilot, Manual and Engines Off which can be selected by using the Flight Control icons F7 in View mode. The Autopilot is by far the easiest way to control your craft but does not give you a sense of achievement. Manual flight may take some getting used to, but is more rewarding. Flying with engines off does not get you very far, but has some advantages as you will see. THE AUTOPILOT This most useful device, although not usually fitted as standard, has been included with your Eagle. It can be bought and fitted at a shipyard if ever you need another one. Your Autopilot, the Robocruise automatic navigation system, superseded the Celestial Pathfinder which was less reliable. The Autopilot can only be used to select a destination in the system through which you are currently travelling. For longer journeys, a hyperspace jump needs to be made OPERATING AUTOPILOT IN VIEW MODE The Autopilot can only be used when in flight. Whilst in a View mode (use the View icon F1 if you are in another mode), target a planet or space station which is on the screen by clicking on the centre of the target Note that you will find it easier to find a target, for example, a city, if the name is on screen. If names have been turned off, select the Identification Text icon F10. Clicking where there is no potential target deselects any previously selected target. When a target is selected a sight will come up with targeting squares and the range in astronomical units or kilometres (Fig 38). If the target goes off the screen an arrow will appear pointing in its direction. If it is behind then Target Behind is displayed. Use the Flight Control icon F7 and cycle through Manual and Engines Off to Autopiiot. The Autopilot icon will only appear if a target is selected. OPERATING AUTOPILOT IN CURRENT SYSTEM MAP MODE This mode can be used when the desired destination is too far away to be visible. A target can be selected even while landed or docked but the Autopilot can only be engaged while in flight. Use the Map icon F2 twice to obtain the Current System map. Use the Current System map controls until yon can see the desired destination on the screen Click on the Targeting icon F10. Click on the centre of the desired destination (Fig 39). If you wish to change the target, click on the Targeting icon before selecting another body. Clicking on bodies without selecting the Targeting icon will merely move that body to the centre of the screen. If you wish to deselect the target, click on an area which is blank. This will also disengage the Autopilot if it is currently in control. Return to View mode using the View icon F1. Targeting squares, looking like a tunnel leading to the destination, will be visible, if in Front or Rear View. If you are in flight click on the Flight Control Icon F7 and cycle to Autopilot to engage it. To return to Manual flight, use the Flight Control icon F7 and cycle to Manual or Engines Off. The Robocruise will automatically plot and maintain the course to your destination. It will also lower the undercarriage and dock or land for you, having automatically asked for clearance, while you freshen up. Some pilots find it disorientating when the Robocruise engages and swings the ship round. The true Spacehound knows that it is only locking on to the new course. Remember you can only trade and do business in cities or at space stations. If you do land anywhere else the console will indicate Landed (Rough). The Robocruise really comes into its own when used in conjunction with the Stardreamer Time Control unit which is fitted as standard on all ships due to regulations regarding Wilbron's psychosis. This condition is known to afflict the space traveller who endures lengthy, uneventful journeys. Boredom becomes so intense after all leisure pursuits have been exhausted that pilots have been known to fly their craft into the odd star or planet just to liven things up a bit. USING THE STARDREAMER TIME CONTROL This can be used with the Robocruise or in Manual flight. Use the Time Control icons (after targeting your destination if using the Robocruise) to select the rate of time acceleration. Time appears to increase in steps of ten from ten times to ten thousand times, depending on the icon selected. Return to real time by selecting the single arrow. Sit back and a combination of a Zilman field and ultrasonic waves induce a semi- hypnotic state which renders you unaware of the passage of time other than seeing the range indicator change rapidly in front of you. This effect was discovered by Dr Rabbne by accident when he revised why his projects were running over time for no apparent reason. Reassuringly, if your ship is attacked or hailed or you have arrived at your destination, the Stardreamer will restore you to full consciousness and real time. Don't forget that your enemies may be operating in real time and hence will seem to be sped up enormously. HYPERSPACE JUMPS ---------------- Space is BIG and hyperspace jumps are necessary to access different systems quickly. Hyperspace jumps can be made using either Standard Hyperdrive or Military Hyperdrive engines which can be bought at the Shipyard and come in different sizes with varying ranges. Refer to APPENDlX ONE: SHIPYARD EQUIPMENT on page 69 for a description of them. A hyperspace jump causes a disturbance resulting in a glowing field at the entry and exit points. A Hyperspace Cloud Analyser can determine the destination of the jumping ship (See APPENDIX ONE: SHIPYARD EQUIPMENT on page 69) Before attempting your first jump, it is recommended that you read the whole of this section. RANGE The range of the jump is determined by two things: fuel and the type and class of engine. Details of these are given in the TRADING section for fuel on page 55 and APPENDIX ONE: SHlPYARD EQUIPMENT for engines on page 74. Briefly the engines range depends on its class as well as the size of the ship. Engine ranges are displayed in two ways: On the Inventory page select the Inventory icon F8 until the Ship Equipment appears where the engine's range will be given. On the Galactic map (Galactic Map icon F2, displayed in the panel, to the right of the system name. If your engine is not up to jumping to the destination selected, the mssage Out of Range will be given. Fuel range is shown in two ways: The amount of fuel required for a jump is displayed at the bottom left of the Galactic map. If you have insufficient fuel then Insufficient Fuel will also be displayed otherwise the fuel which will be used will be shown. On the Galactic map, a pink circle will surround the system you are currently in and this shows your maximum range for hyperspace in a single jump. JUMP DURATION Although the perceived duration of a jump is very short, the actual time is much greater It takes a week to make the maximum range jump for any engine. For example an engine with a maximum range of 1O lightyears will take a week to jump that far or 3.5 days for a 5 light year jump, and so on. A ship with a maximum hyperspace jump range of 4 light years will take half a week to jump only 2 light years. This has implications for piracy because a pirate ship with a Hyperspace Cloud Analyser and a lighter ship can 'overtake' you and lie in wait. Contact in Hyperspace is not possible. HYPERSPACE OPERATION Target a system using the Galactic Map icon. by placing the required destination in the centre of the screen with the Arrow (Cursor) keys. That system becomes highlighted in green. Return to View mode using the View icon F1. Select the Hyperspace icon F8 (it will not show if you have no hyperspace facility or a valid jump is not selected) and cross your fingers. If you like you can set your destination. go about your business and be able to make a quick exit at any time if things hot up a bit. Alternatively, if you use the H key you can make your jump (Fig 40) without going into View mode first. Remember that the evidence of your hyperspace jump will be visible to anybody in the vicinity of your exit or entry, as it leaves a glowing area of disturbance in space. The destination can only be ascertained with a Hyperspace Cloud Analyser, available at shipyards. There are a number of reasons why the Hyperspace icon may not appear, they are as follows: You are too close to a planet. Regulations were laid down after the first few decades of hyperspace jumping. Sudden above average recordings of mutations around starports occurred a few years after jumps became routine. It was discovered that the intense radiation caused by the jump was affecting the population below. It became a requirement by law (on all sides) that all ships have a cutout system built into the Hyperdrive which is activated if you try to jump from near to a planet or space station. A valid destination is not selected. You do not have enough fuel for a jump to the selected destination. Engine is damaged or destroyed. You don't have a Hyperdrive engine! MIS-JUMPS Hyperdrives almost never go wrong, but if you are unfortunate enough to suffer a spontaneous misjump, you can get into serious trouble. You will emerge somewhere other than your planned destination, which may be out of range for your remaining fuel. It is even possible to mis-jump beyond the maximum range of your drive. If indeed your fuel reserves are too low or the Hyperdrive is broken, your only hope is to call for help (Communication icon F4) and risk pirates responding. It is not entirely understood why mis-jumps happen but an unserviced Hyperdrive is a likely culprit. There are no reliable statistics available on the occurrences of mis-jumps as most ships are never found. A missing ship could just as easily be the result of piracy. FORCED MIS-JUMPS Faulcon De Lacey do not condone this practice as it has an unpredictable effect on the Hyperdrive. It is the equivalent of blindly jamming a screwdriver into the works. We feel that it needs to be mentioned as a warning because foolish pilots do use it as a last resort to escape pirates. If they are being pursued by a larger pirate ship with a Hyperspace Cloud Analyser they force a mis-jump by pressing the Alt key while activating the Hyperspace icon or the F8 key. The pirates follow them into hyperspace only to find that their quarry is nowhere to be seen and is in fact somewhere else, frantically trying to work out exactly where they are. The Hyperspace Cloud Analyser cannot distinguish a mis-jump from a normal jump. WASTE PRODUCTS Unfortunately, the convenience of hyperspace travel is blighted with the problem of waste products if you use military fuel. Due to the processes in the Hyperdrive, every tonne of military fuel is converted to one tonne of radioactives which you will need to dispose of on the stockmarket. See APPENDIX TWO: TRADE ITEMS on page 77 for more information. Standard Hyperdrive engines powered by hydrogen fuel do not produce problematic waste products. USING MANUAL CONTROL -------------------- Due to the marked improvement of engineering technology the engines of the craft are not controlled by the pilot directly, but by the on-board computer in response to the pilot This fly by wire facility has enabled many to take to the cockpit who would not have had the skill to do so. The main problem for beginners is that they are usually accustomed to driving surface based vehicles in reasonable gravity, or have only used poor quality space flight simulators. What needs to be borne in mind is that when direction is changed, the experience is rather like skidding. If your ship is travelling in one direction changing course will mean that the nose will turn but you still have momentum in the direction you were originally going. The engines will compensate for this but there is a lag, the duration of which will depend on the type of ship. For example the response rate of a fighter will be faster than that of a heavy cargo ship. This must be borne in mind at all times. FUEL CONSUMPTION Normal flight consumes much less fuel than hyperspace jumps and for that reason fuel for this purpose is kept separately in an engine tank from the hyperspace fuel (kept in the hold). Class 1 Engines hold one tonne, and Class 2 Engines hold two tonnes. You do not need to refill very often and the current level can be seen on the green gauge (left most of three) in the dials area, to the right of the scanner. See INVENTORY ICONS in the ICON section on page 8, and THE SHIP`S INVENTORY in the TRADING section on page 60. REFILLING THE ENGINE FUEL TANK Spare fuel for refilling the engine tank is carried in the hold in one tonne units. To refuel the engine tank, select the Inventory icon F3 until the Ship Equipment page is displayed. (Refuelling is done automatically with the Auto Refueller fitted.) Click on the Refuel button to transfer the fuel into the engine tank from the hold. If the engine tank only needs one third of a tonne, two thirds will be wasted as the hold tank transfers units of one tonne only. CONTROLS IN FLIGHT TO MAKE THE SHIP DIVE Use the A key, push the joystick shaft forward or move the mouse forwards while holding down the right-hand mouse button. TO MAKE THE SHIP CLIMB Use the Z key, pull the joystick shaft back or move the mouse backwards while holding down the right-hand mouse button. TO GO LEFT Use the < key, move the joystick left or move the mouse to the left while holding down the right hand mouse button. TO GO RIGHT Use the > key move the joystick right or move the mouse to the right while holding down the right hand mouse button. Note that when flying with your engines off, the front and rear engines may be controlled using the Enter and Shift keys respectively. THE FRONT SCREEN In Front View mode (see page 3 for a reminder) you will see two crosses on your screen, One is a gun sight cross (Fig 47) which shows which way you are facing, and the other is a diagonal cross, the velocity sight (Fig 48) which indicates the direction in which you are travelling. When the two are in line (Fig 49) it means that you are moving in the direction you are pointing. If they are separate, it means that your velocity is in the direction of the diagonal cross and you are pointing in the direction of the gun sight because, for example, you have suddenly changed course. you will hear the engines fire until alignment is achieved, You may see the velocity sight disappear when your direction of travel is not within the area of the screen if, for example, you veer wildly and the engines have not yet compensated enough. To summarise, the gun sight shows the orientotion of the ship and is controlled by the pilot, the velocity sight indicates the direction of travel and is controlled by the on- board computer. Your ship's internal gyros enable it to rotate, much like those in the ancient Earth satellites, good examples of which are now in the space museum in Apollonius City on the Moon. While greatly superior now, the gyros still have a limit to the rate at which you can turn, so don't expect to spin 'on a sixpence' (small coin used in Britain on Earth, about 1,200 years ago). SPEED Speed is controlled with the Return key to accelerate and the right-hand Shift key to decelerate. Two speed values are displayed on the screen: Set speed and Actual speed (Fig 50). The first is the requested speed, set by the keys above and the second is the speed relative to the most important body in your vicinity. This important body can be a planet, star or a space station or very large spaceship, and is selected by the on board computer. If you fly away from it and the computer then designates another, the actual speed will change, as will the velocity. You will notice that the velocity sight will move as the on-board computer adjusts your speed relative to the new body. For those who are happy to point your ship at something and go, this is all you need to know. Pilots wishing to be accomplished in flight theory should refer to APPENDlX FOUR: THE MECHANlCS OF SPACE FLIGHT on page 91. ALTITUDE An altitude reading in metres will be displayed on the screen when in close proximity to a planet or star. It will give your distance above the average ground height of the body (Fig 50). LAUNCHING --------- SURFACE TAKE OFF A warning sign is shown over the Take Off icon if permission to launch has not been granted. If you are landed anywhere other than a starport (Landed Rough) you do not need to ask for clearance. If you are in a starport select the Communication icon F4 followed by Launch Request. In View mode, activate the Right Control icon F7 for take off. This gives you vertical thrust. The console will display Take Off. This can seem quite slow so a faster ascent can be made if you tilt the nose up once you have left the ground and increase your Set speed with the Enter key. Using the rear view will display a pleasing panorama. Once you have used forward thrust, the vertical thrust is turned off and the console will display Manual Control. Bear in mind that gravity will always pull you back down. If you wish to fly in the atmosphere you must give the ship some lift by pointing the nose up slightly thereby providing a small vertical component to the thrust. LAUNCH FROM A DOCK Activate the Commuication icon F4 and select Launch Request. Accelerate forwards using the Enter key. You must leave the area promptly because your clearance expires. RUNNING WITH ENGINES OFF If you are economising, turning off the engines has obvious advantages and your engine flares wil not be visible to your enemies. It can make manoeuvring easier when strafing a target. For example you can aim to fly across a target and turning off the engines means you can point at it, go sideways and shoot without the engines firing to propel you forward into it. Experienced pilots often use this mode in combat, using the forward and reverse thrusters (Enter and Shift). SLING SHOT ORBITS This technique for gaining speed was important in the early days of space flight, but now it is unecessary due to advances in space technology. The only reasons to do this are because it can be visually pleasing to sweep past a planet or sun so that you can say you`ve done it. A sling shot uses to your benefit the gravity of large bodies to 'sling` your ship in the direction of its travel. Your engines need to be turned off otherwise they will compensate for any effect and it saves fuel as well. LOSS OF ENGINES If an engine is disabled, the Autopilot will not function properly and only very experienced pilots will be able to fly the ship manually. LANDING AND DOCKING ------------------- LANDING MANUALLY AT A CITY WITH A BREATHABLE ATMOSPHERE (AN OUTDOOR CITY) Executing a manual landing will require practice, so try it in a relatively safe area. You may find it easier to use External View to align the ship. Remember though that the ship will appear to be stationary and the ground will seem to move. You may also find it helpful to use the targeting squares, obtained by setting your destination as a target (see THE AUTOPILOT section on page 20 or the TARGETlNG section on page 36). Normally the Autopilot flies to an area 20km above the target and descends vertically. You can set the controls to Manual flight using the Flight Control icon F7 at any point in this operation. Alternatively you can fly the entire approach and land manually (Fig 41). The easiest method is to make a pass over the port while waiting for clearance (Communication icon F4) and lowering the undercarriage (Undercarriage icon F9). If the undercarriage has not been lowered you will crash land. When you have been told which landing pad to use, aim to be more or less at zero speed when you come to rest above it. If you select Engines Off, gravity will take you down, with the on board computer stabilising the ship. If there is little or no gravity, you may have to thrust slightly with the nose down to start with, but be careful. LANDING AT A CITY WITH NO BREATHABLE ATMOSPHERE Follow the same guide lines as for an outdoor city with a breathable atmosphere. The only difference is the appearance of the landing area, covered with a hexagonal airlock door (Fig 42). When clearance is granted, the aperture will open to reveal the landing pad. Don`t ask for permission too early or you will find that the clearance will be withdrawn and the airlock shut. Again, the targeting squares may be helpful by providing a 'tunnel' through which you can fly (see THE AUTOPILOT section on page 20 or the TARGETlNG section on page 36). DOCKING AT A SPACE STATION Request permission for docking (Communication icon F4) and wait until the red flashing light turns white and orange homing lights are visible it is illegal to approach prematurely. The on board computer matches your roll with that of the station so you do not have to make difficult calculations in order to dock. Position the ship immediatly in front of the docking entrance and proceeding slowly (Fig 43). The dock`s vechicle arrest mechanisnm will halt the craft provided your speed is not excessive. SECTION THREE COMBAT ==================== USING YOUR WEAPONS ------------------ Welcome to the manual! (in case this is the first page you have turned to). While Faulcon de Lacy do not condone offensive combat, it is often unavoidable. The best defence is always to run away if at all possible (though many cultures reject this as cowardly). Combat is very dangerous, and rarely ends up without expensive repairs being necessary. Weapons (like missiles) may be controlled via the Weapon Control Panel of your ship (Fig 52) which may be selected by clicking on the scanner area with the left hand mouse button, or pressing the F5 key. This display replaces the scanner display (if fitted). The scanner may be restored by clicking on the area again (away from any icons) or by pressing the F5 key. It should be borne in mind that keyboard shortcuts to the Weapon Control Panel icons can still be used even if the Control Panel is not currently selected. As additional weapons and equipment are fitted to your ship, their icons appear along the bottom of the panel. The icon boxes will remain blank until you have obtained the equipment. As you buy missiles and mines, they will be illustrated next to the icon boxes as shown above. It is recommended that you read APPENDIX ONE: SHIPYARD EQUIPMENT on page 69 for more technical information before buying anything. TARGETING Targeting is used for both long range navigation (see the NAVlGATION FLIGHT section on page 11) and combat. One target can be set at a time. Using the screen in Front, Rear, External or Turret View mode F1, click on the centre of the ship to be targeted. If you are in external or Turret View a sight on the target will appear together with the range (Fig 53). If you are in Front or Rear View you will be presented with the Targeting Tunnel on your headup display (Fig 54). This is displayed as a series of contracting squares along the path to the target, and looks like a tunnel. The range of the target is given in Astronomical Units AU or kilometres km. Targeting Tunnels are not normally shown for ships as they can be confusing. They may be enabled by using the 'Preferences'. In order to pursue the ship you fly down the tunnel. As you get closer to the target the squares will be shown closer together, thus the squares will come towards you faster. If you are approaching a stationary target then ideally the squares should pass at a constant rate, as you slow down on the final approach. If the target goes off screen an arrow will indicate the direction in which it lies, or, if it is behind your ship, Target Behind will show. To deselect the target, click on a blank area that is not a potential target. You may also select another target at any time by clicking on another object Some pilots may find the 'tunnel' an annoyance. If you are one of these refer to the Preferences sheet supplied separately from this manual. OFFENSIVE WEAPONS ----------------- Quite often, the best form of defence is attack, hence Faulcon de Lacy do provide what may be considered offensive weapons. It should be made clear that they should only be used in a defensive capacity against an attacker - Faulcon de Lacy in no way condone any other use. PULSE LASERS AND BEAM LASERS One laser (or other gun) can be mounted at the front of your ship and, for ships with a rear mounting, one at the rear. Some larger ships are fitted with turret, which can each take a single weapon. There is a wide range to choose from (see APPENDIX ONE: SHIPYARD EQUIPMENT section on page 69), though the full range will only be available at the biggest shipyards. It is rumoured that the military of both sides have developed additional weapons for their own use, but this is usually denied. A Pulse Laser fires a single high energy pulse about once every 5/8 of a second, while a Beam Laser fires a continuous beam, so is far more devastating. Even small lasers are reasonably effective up to 8km range, but their effectiveness decreases with distance, as the beam spreads slightly. It is recommended that you get your shots in at as short a range as possible, for maximum efficiency. Beware of laser reflections from certain types of surface, especially when at a glancing angle, Though the beam may have lost much of its energy it can still cause serious damage. There are also words that the Imperial Navy are developing reflective armour, which reflects much of a laser's energy back along the incoming path, though this is strongly denied. OPERATING PULSE OR BEAM LASERS Lasers are fired by pressing both mouse buttons together, the Spacebar on the keyboard or the fire button on the joystick. The front mounted laser will fire if you are in Front View mode F1, the rear laser if in Rear View mode, and the appropriate turret laser if in a Turret View mode. If you are in External View, then the front laser will be used irrespective of any other lasers fitted. It is quite common for lasers to overheat, particularly with more excitable pilots and with the higher power beam lasers. It is unlikely you will do your laser any damage by this as it is protected by an automatic cut out to prevent it burning out, but it may stop working for a few seconds. LASER COOLING BOOSTER This reduces the problem of lasers overheating at that vital moment. It supplements the built in cooling system of your currently selected laser, causing it to cool more rapidly. It does not affect Plasma Accelerators. USING MISSILES If you want a quiet life, be careful who or what you use as target practice. When the time comes to use one of these devices, proceed as follows: Arm the missile of your choice by clicking on one of the missile icons. The console will show the type of missile or mine you have armed. You can arm only one missile at a time so if you click again on a different missile, you will be arming that one and disarming the previous one. A Fire icon also appears. Clicking on this or pressing the M key on the keyboard fire the armed missile at your target, but it is important to remember that you can only firew if a target has been selected. Disarming is simply achieved by clicking on the missile in question or clicking on an another weapon. All types of missile will home in on their selected target as rapidly as their incredible 65g acceleration ZX34 Short Burn engine will allow. Nevertheless they have limited fuel (enough for about one minute of flight) so pilots do sometimes evade them. It is best to fire the missile from as close to the target as you dare. Ideally while facing it. If the target is behind, the missile will turn around, but this will waste precious flight time, and give the target ship more time to use ECM if it has it. The missile will detonate on hitting any solid object (including the ship that fired it) but will attempt to avoid such non target objects if possible. It does not need to hit the target in order to detonate - it may detonate in close proximity and do almost as much damage. Due to an international treaty it will also detonate when it runs out of fuel. A small village was once destroyed by a missile which had been flying through space for months, following the battle in which it was fired. USING MINES Mines operate just like missiles, but without drive systems. They need to have an assigned target since they also will detonate in the proximity of that target without necessarily hitting it. Mines are also susceptible to detonation by ECM. Dummy Mines are a relatively recent innovation, and still contain machinery internally in order to fool radar scans, hence their weight. They are also visually indistinguishable from normal mines so, although they are safe to scoop back up again, beware of accidentally scooping a live mine instead, as the scoop mechanism will cause it to detonate. ENERGY BOMB Generally only of use against smaller ships. This causes the main reactor of all small ships' drive systems (within a range of about 100km) to resonate and overload. it is linked to the drive of the ship using it, so will not cause that to detonate. Operated with the Energy Bomb icon (Fig 56) on the Weapon Control Panel, or from the keyboard with the B key. LARGE AND SMALL PLASMA ACCELERATOR These are very large weapons, usually carried by large naval cruisers and battlestations, and are sometinmes carried by large trading ships and passenger liners in the more dangerous regions of space. They are used in the same way as lasers and take up a gun mounting. After firing, they take a few seconds to recharge. Two sizes are commonly available, imaginatively named 'Large' and 'Small'. Even a Small Plasma Accelerator will destroy a well armed hundred tonne ship with a single shot. The large version has been known to be used as a planetary assault weapon, destroying selected areas of cities from orbit. This has a devastating effect on the local population, because the terrifying noise of the beam cutting through the atmosphere can be heard for hundreds of kilometres, and will deafen anyone unprotected in the vicinity. DEFENSIVE AND OTHER EOUIPMENT ----------------------------- ECM SYSTEM This destroys all active Mines and Homing Missiles in the vicinity (within about 100km) It is operated with the ECM icon from the Weapon Control Panel, or with the E key from the keyboard. Do not be alarmed if it causes interference on your main display. NAVAL ECM SYSTEM A superior version of the standard ECM system, which can also destroy Smart Missiles and has a greater range (about 200km). This may also cause interference on your main display. This is operated with the Naval ECM icon from the Weapon Control Panel, or with the E key. If both ECM systems are fitted, then Naval ECM is used in preference. The only slight advantage in having both systems fitted is that if the Naval ECM breaks down or is destroyed, then you can use the standard unit. AUTOMATIC HULL SEALING All hulls have an automatic sealing system, fitted as standard, thanks to Faulcon Hermeseal. It is comprised of two separate layers of resin under high pressure in the hull. When the layers are breached the substances expand and mix to form a very durable foam likepatch. This prevents the whole hull being explosively decompressed from a single shot. HULL AUTOMATIC REPAIR SYSTEM This gradually completely reverses hull damage, but it is so big that only larger ships can have one fitted. See APPENDIX ONE: SHIPYARD EQUIPMENT section on page 73. SHIELD GENERATOR This will protect against energetic weapons like lasers and missiles. It is not much good with collisions. If a ship that has a Shield Generator is hit by a weapon, the field will glow in a colour depending on the strength of the shield. At full charge, the field will glow a bluish white but will progress through to yellow, orange and finally red as it is discharged. While the shield is active, no damage will get through to the hull. If your ship has shields, they work automatically and the percentage of the charge remaining if not 100 per cent, will be indicated on the top left of the screen. More than one shield Generator may be fitted to a ship at once, and their shielding effect is additive. ENERGY BOOSTER UNIT This large unit increases the rate that all Shield Generators currently fitted to your ship recharge. Only recommended for larger ships with a large number of Shield Generators because of its size. TACTICS AND PLANNING -------------------- It is vital to know what your enemy is up to, so you can avoid getting into combat with them. There are several different ways of doing this. CHECKING UP ON THE COMPETITION USING THE SCANNER This device, usually provided as standard by Faulcon de Lacey, shows the relative positions of ships and other objects in your vicinity. The holographic display shows the other objects as coloured blobs above or below the plane of your ship, with a coloured line drawn to that plane. The plane of your ship is shown as a red circle with a grid on it (seen in perspective when viewed from the pilot's seat), with two lines drawn on it to show the extremity of your front view. The colour of the blob reflects the mass of the ship or object. BLUE 1- 15t GREEN 16- 31t MAGENTA 32- 63t RED 64-111t ORANGE 112-159t YELLOW 160-207t GREY 208-299t WHITE 300t+ USING THE RADAR MAPPER This provides you with additional information about your current target, such as the number of Shield Generators it has fitted, their current charge level, the ship's maximum hyperspace range and any important equipment such as Energy Bombs and Hyperspace Cloud Analyser. It will also check if the ship matches any on the Wanted Criminals list, and if so will show any bounty that is offered. This bounty will be paid into your account automatically, when the destruction of the ship is recorded by your on-board computer. No bounty will be paid for a ship if the Radar Mapper has not first identified it, since proof of identity is needed To operate the Radar Mapper: Make sure you are in View mode by using the View icon F1. Target a ship by clicking on it using the left hand mouse button. If the selected target is not a ship then no information will be shown. Select the Radar Mapper icon (Fig 60) on the Weapons Control Panel and information will be displayed at the top right of the headup display (Fig 61) on your target until the Radar Mapper is deselected. To deselect this facilicy, use the icon again. To deselect the target, click away from the ship where there is no potential target. USING THE HYPERSPACE CLOUD ANALYSER This device is commonly used by pirates to identify the destination of their quarry, and also by police forces and bounty hunters. If your ship has a greater hyperspace range than the one you are chasing (use the Radar Mapper and your Ship Equipment Inventory page to determine this), then you will arrive at the destination before them if you left at the same time. It gives their hyperspace destination, the ship's mass is also shown and the exact Galactic Mean Time and date at which they will arrive. Make sure you are in View mode by using the View icon F1. Target a hyperspace remnant by clicking on it using the left hand mouse button. If the selected target is not a hyperspace remnant then no information will be shown. Select the Hyperspace Cloud Analyser icon (Fig 62) on the Weapons Control Panel and information will be displayed at the top right hand corner of the headup display until the Hyperspace Cloud Analyser is deselected. To deselect this facility, use the icon again. To deselect the target, click away from the ship where there is no potential target. To follow the ship, use the Galactic Map icon F2 to jump to the same destination (see the NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 11), As long as you enter hyperspace not too long after your quarry then you will leave hyperspace at a similar position. Once out of hyperspace, use the Stardreamer Time Control (see the NAVIGATION AND FLlGHT section on page 22) to wait until the likely time of arrival of your quarry. The Hyperspace Cloud Analyser information is quite accurate, so if the predicted time has been exceeded by about a minute, then your quarry will not arrive. They must have mis-jumped (whether intentionally or not) and there is no way you can find them. BROADCASTING MESSAGES While in flight you can hail other ships using the Communication icon F4. A range of messages for broadcasting will be presented on your headup display (Fig 64). For example you can demand surrender if you are fortunate enough to be in such a position. If your ship is on the receiving end of aggression you can call for assistance, but there is a risk some pirates listen for a call of distress and will home in on it like a spider to a fly. If you have broken down the dilemma is the same, but calling for help may be the only option open to you. MAKING A RUN FOR IT You will discover that there are many bigger and more heavily armed ships than yours and a ship to ship fight may be foolish. Faulcon De Lacey do not advocate illegal evasive measures and feel that going down in a blaze of glory is more memorable for your loved one than a prison sentence. If posthumous praise is not appealing, an escape capsule could be your answer. ESCAPE CAPSULES An escape capsule is not fitted as standard and needs to be obtained from the shipyard. It is not a capsule as such but is a modification that allows your cockpit section to break off as a separate craft. Unfortunately leaving any crew members passengers and cargo behind. It flies to the nearest starport under a cut down Autopilot, and can be used only once. For this reason, it comes with an insurance policy which is automatically cashed in for a basic Eagle Long Range Fighter to replace your abandoned ship. The capsule has no weapons or hyperspace facility. You may ask why your enemy isn`t going to shoot at you. It is considered to be extremely bad form to shoot at escape capsules because they are much too easy a target, and most pilots realise that some day they may need to use one. It has been known though, that some pilots are not bothered by image and will pick you off anyway. Another problem is ships scooping up escape capsules and selling the occupant into slavery. This is severely frowned upon by both the Elite Federation of Pilots and the Federation itself. To release the capsule, you select the Escape Capsule icon on the Weapons Control Panel, or use the X key on the keyboard. HYPERSPACE Jumping into hyperpace is often sufficient to evade pirates, but a pirate with a fast ship may use their Hyperspace Cloud Analyser to chase you into hyperspace and, if they have a faster ship, may even arrive at your destination before you do. ILLEGAL AND RISKY PRACTICES You may notice others committing offences in order to remain alive and we feel compelled to explain their erroneous behaviour in order to discourage you from copying them. One tactic is the highly risky Hyperspace Mis-jump and this can be found in the NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 25. Another is to jettison cargo in the hope that any ship following will give up the chase in order to scoop it up. This is explained in the TRADE section on page 59. Remember it is illegal to jettison any cargo. COMBAT AND SERVICE RATINGS -------------------------- ELITE RATING Your rating as a pilot is displayed if you use the Inventory icon F3, and cycle through to Commander Profile (Fig 66). You are given a rating by the Elite Federation of Pilots which is calculated from the number and type of kills recorded by the on board computer. For example, shooting up a heavily armed ship will a mass a large number of points. Many have disapproved of using kills in order to calculate this rating as it can lead to illegality. In older times much store was set by this as you had to be able to fight to survive, so shooting down others was seen as a mark of skill and bravery. Great respect is still held for the rating in the outer systems, where the way of life still reflects that of the past of the inner, now more civilised, systems. For historical reasons therefore, the method of rating has been preserved. The categories are as follows, in order of merit: ELITE RATINGS Harmless Above Average Mostly Harmless Competent Poor Dangerous Below Average Deadly Average ELITE MEDALS If homicide is not your scene, medals are awarded by the Federation or the Empire for particularly heroic deeds. Medals include the humble Certificate of Valour and the highly respected Imperial Celestial Warrior medal. These are also shown on the Commander Profile page of the Inventory. MILITARY RANK Both the Federation and the Empire give military ranks for services rendered although these are known as titles in the Empire. An individual can gradually progress up the ranks even from purely mercenary missions, receiving promotions after sustained loyal service. Usually these ranks are mutually exclusive as each of the superpowers does not tolerate its officers working for the other power (though work for the independant worlds is usually allowed). FEDERAL RANKS IMPERIAL TITLES None Lieutenant Outsider Viscount Private Lieutenant Commander Serf Count Corporal Captain Master Earl Sergeant Commodore Sir Marquis Sergeant Major Rear Admiral Squire Duke Major Admiral Lord Prince Colonel Baron LEGAL RATING Before you start shooting at everything that moves in order to improve your rating consider your legal status. Data is collected by the three police forces: The Federal Security Service (of the Federation), the Imperial Guard (of the Empire) and interpol (that of the Independent Systems). The latter was set up after the Federation and Empire became established as superpowers, and the world leaders that wished to remain free of both got together and decided to set up their own police force. This was largely to avoid the independent worlds becoming a dumping ground for criminals. Remember what you do and who you work for will almost certainly be noticed by someone. SECTION FOUR THE SHIPYARD ========================= SHOPPING FOR SHIPS AND PARTS ---------------------------- The shipyard on any planet or station is where you can contact the police to pay any outstanding fines or buy equipment for your ship, have parts fitted and removed, repairs made or even part exchange your ship. The range on offer depends where you are, so you may have to shop around. For example a low population area is not going to have a vast selection of hardware for your ship. Having used the Communications icon F4, select Shipyard and you will be presented with a list of services (Fig 67). UPGRADING THE SHIP OR REMOVING PARTS FOR CASH Click on Upgrades. The screen will show items for sale with options to Fit or Remove them and the prices for doing so (Fig 68). Select Fit or Remove buttons for the item of interest, and your cash total at the bottom left of the screen will change accordingly. If the complete list of available items is too long to be shown in its entirety, use the More... arrows to look through it. Use of the Go Back... button will return you to the Shipyard and the Communications icon F4 will return you to the Services list. Equipment is fitted or removed while you wait and the process is fully automated. NOTE FOR FITTING GUNS For guns, if your ship has more than one mounting you will be asked where you want the gun fitted. Old campaigners may recall that left and right mounts were once available but this was outlawed after so many people found that they were accidentally shooting their own their friends or, more embarrassingly, the police, due to the impracticality of using them. DECIDING WHAT TO BUY OR REMOVE Each ship has only so much space in the hull and out of this, room has to be made for the engine, guns, fuel, cabins, cargo and so on. The proportion that these items take up depends on your needs, for example a fast courier ship's engine will dominate the hull. Alternatively, if you are interested in having a more deadly ship than a fast one, engine size can be sacrificed for weapons. All items are rated for weight which is equivalent to the space they occupy, any space left can be used for cargo. If a particular shipyard does not sell a piece of equipment, repairs or removal cannot be carried out because the tools required will not be available either. SHIPS EQUIPMENT INVENTORY A list of equipment on board can be obtained by using the Inventory icons F3. Cycle through the pages until you find Ship Equipment Status. The picture of your craft will show any externally visible items. REPAIRS, SERVICING AND BREAKDOWNS Equipment is usually very reliable but will become more unreliable with age, so servicing is important. It can be done at any time, and the longer you leave it the more likely a problem is to occur, so delay at your peril. Shipyards vary in the service they give, so you may find that your ship suffers from poorly fitted parts and shoddy repairs. If an item of equipment breaks down it will not function and will be shown on the Ship`s inventory page (Inventory icon F3) in faded text until is has been repaired. If a particular shipyard does not sell a piece of equipment, repairs cannot be carried out because the tools required will not be available either. Having a piece of equipment repaired or serviced: Select the Communications icon F4. From the list choose Shipyard followed by Repairs and Servicing. You will be presented with a list of servicing options. NEW AND RECONDITIONED SHIP HULLS This mode allows you to part exchange your ship for another. It is standard procedure to strip a ship of its extras before selling it, as the only optional item which affects your trade in value is the Hyperdrive. New ships come with 1t of the appropriate fuel in the internal tank, whatever the size of the tank. Via the Comnmunications icon F4 select Shipyard followed by New and Reconditioned Ship Hulls The ships on offer will be listed with sale details. You may elect to Buy or to View the ship first. Note that the types of ship on offer in a system will differ according to political allegiance, population and types of visitor. Additional ship information is provided when selecting View including mountings crew and hyperspace range. TAKING ON CREW MEMBERS When you buy a larger ship, it may require extra crew in order to fly it. Without them it will not be able to take off. It is not necessary to buy extra cabins because they come with the ship if it needs multiple personnel. You must hire the crew members through the Bulletin Board using the Communication icon F4 (see the TRADING section on page 61). When they are hired, a page called Crew Roster appears in the inventory mode (Inventory icon F3, see the ICONS section on page 8), and will list all crew members You can also fire them using this page, but only when you are in dock. Crew members will cost you the fun of the ride isn't enongh. Wages will be deducted by direct debit from your bank account. Wages are sometimes negotiable but are generally quite high because there is a certain amount of danger for crew members. For example, should you decide that you need to use your escape capsule, the crew are left behind. Remember, you get what you pay for. SECTION FIVE TRADING ===================== BUY! SELL! Trading is a simple process thanks to an agreement between the Empire and the Federation that allows free trade within all systems via the stockmarkets. After all the cold war has to be supplied and fuelled by something. There are also private markets which may be more lucrative, but are sometimes risky. Each will be explained in turn. TRADING ON THE STOCKMARKET You need to go to a city or space station in order to trade on the stockmarket. You cannot trade in flight but at least you will be safe whilst trading. Select the Communication icon F4 at the bottom of your console. and a list of options will appear Select Stockmarket from the menu, and you will be presented with a selection of items (Fig 72). Click on the down More... arrow and any remainder of the list will be given. The screen displays Buy and Sell buttons, price per tonne, stock on the market and the amount of cargo (in tonnes) that you have at present in your hold Before trading read the information on the items below. Note that only legal items will be listed. For illegal goods you will have to use the private market (see THE BULLETIN BOARD section on page 61). BUYING To buy one tonne of a chosen item, activate the button corresponding to the item of your choice in the Buy column. Your console will show the item you have selected. One click will auto load one tonne into your hold. Holding down the button will buy multiple tonnes at an accelerating rate. If you want to revise your transaction, the Sell button will subtract from your stock. There is no charge for changing your mind during trade but you must make a decision reasonably quickly. UNSUCCESSFUL TRANSACTIONS You will be unsuccessful if: Your cargo hold is full (indicated at the bottom left of the screen under Cargo Space). See also THE SHIPS INVENTORY section on page 60. You have insufficient money (indicated at the bottom left of the screen under Cash) The stock is not available. Information on all situations will be displayed on your console. SELLING This is a similar operation to buying, but using the Sell button. Your stock level will be automatically decreased as you sell. A mistake can be changed using the Buy button or which there is no charge but if you delay too long, someone else may buy first. You will be unsuccessful if your own stock runs out, which will be shown on your console. See also THE SHIPS INVENTORY section on page 60. STOCK AND PRICES The stock level indicated on the console is that on the stockmarket, not the private market which has its own separate holding. Prices are brought to you by Zebulon Intergalactic Trading Corporation (ZITCO), and are updated each midnight Galactic Mean Time (GMT). Galactic time was adopted after the signing of the treaty between the Empire and the Federation. Hostilities between them cannot be conducted if one party does not turn up because they have calculated the time incorrectly. If the stock level falls due to demand, the local price may rise. If a ship arrives with a large cargo of grain say, when it sells this onto the market, the price of grain may fall at the next midnight price adjustment. TRADING AND THE STARDREAMER TIME CONTROL Prices are changed every midnight which may be a bit frustrating if you are in a hurry Use of the Time Control icons activates the Stardreamer which will appear to speed up time. There is a description of this Device in the NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 22. Remember that your enemies are also going to be sped up so only use this when it is safe to do so, though even on an open air station, you will be protected by the station's own defences. Remember also that the station makes a small charge every midnight for your stay. CHOOSING WHAT TO TRADE Systems all have their own production and consumption, imports and exports Generally the price of imports will be higher than the Galactic average and that of exports lower than average. For example a farming area will have cheap grain, so it will be a good place to buy in order to sell to an area that has no grain production; A listing of imports and exports for a given system can be found by using the Data icon F6 (see the NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 15). Information on illegal goods will also be found there. CHOOSING WHERE TO TRADE The Galactic Map (Galactic Map icon F2) shows a number of recommended trade routes (lined in pink) updated by ZITCO in 3195. Faulcon De Lacey take no responsibilty for any inaccuracies for this reason. A map with the trade routes has also been supplied with this manual, It is always worth looking at the political and economical details of a system before possibly wasting fuel (see the NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 15) Items that are in abundance in a star system will be relatively cheap to buy. Conversley items that are in short supply will be more expensive and worth selling there. CASH Your funds are indicated under Cash at the bottom left hand corner of the screen. They are safe if your ship is destroyed thanks to an automatic banking system. if you run out of cash you could sell your ship for a smaller one or sell off a piece of equipment. It may be worth looking for offers of insurance from the Bulletin Board. JETTISONING AND SALVAGING GOODS This is an illegal practice but is occasionally necessary. Certain goods are damaged by this act and this needs to be taken into consideration when salvaging such cargo. The following changes will occur: Live animals will become animal meat Slaves die and are officially used as fertilizer but rumour has it that the bodies are finding their way onto the animal meat market. Liquor, luxury goods, grain, fruit and vegetables are all turned into rubbish. Sometimes containers will explode unpredictably when released due to irregularities introduced during their manufacture. JETTISONING Select the inventory icon F3 and cycle to the Cargo Inventory section, which displays jettison buttons (Fig 73). Activate the button next to the goods which will be ditched one tonne at a time. SALVAGING You cannot salvage jettisoned goods unless you have bought a Fuel Scoop and a Cargo Scoop Conversion. If you have such equipment, manoevre so that the cargo item is immediately in front of the scoop and move forwards slowly relative to it. SHIP'S INVENTORY ---------------- This gives a more detailed account of your cargo and passengers, and is obtained by using the Inventory icon F3. Clicking on this icon cycles through seven pages of information for your perusal including: SHIP EQUIPMENT STATUS Lists weapons and equipment currently fitted to the ship. See the SHIPYARD section on page 51 for details of individual items. It also shows the level of fuel in the engines which is distinct from the hyperspace fuel (see FUEL CONSUMPTION in the NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 26). COMMANDER PROFILE Lists awards and grading. See the COMBAT section on page 47. CREW ROSTER Lists any crew members (on larger ships only). See the SHIPYARD section on page 53. CARGO INVENTORY Your cargo is listed if you have any. Jettison on tonne of any item by clicking on the relevant button. PASSENGER AND SMALL ITEMS This lists the names of your passengers or clients, the number of persons on board, any small packages and the destination and how much money you are still owed from the deal. OUTSTANDING CONTRACTS LIST This shows contracts taken on but not yet completed. Those which involve carrying parcels and passengers are listed on the Passenger And Small Items page. MINING INSTALLATIONS Lists the locations of all active mining installations owned, See the MINING section on page 65. Note: the pages will not be shown if there is nothing on them. THE BULLETIN BOARD ------------------ This is a collection of small advertisements for trading, services and requests for passage, amongst other things. You will find other types of advertisements so it is worth a browse. It is also possible to contact the military, its allegiance depending on the system you are in. TRADE IN LEGAL ITEMS Some individuals trade on the Bulletin Board in preference to the Stockmarket, and taking a risk with them may benefit you. There may be ads for specific items which a person needs urgently that cannot be bought on the Stockmarket, so they are prepared to pay over the odds for them. You may earn more money this way than simply selling directly on to the Stockmarket. Select the Communications icon F4 Select Bulletin Board and look for advertisements stating WANTED (Fig 74). TRADE IN ILLEGAL ITEMS Of course being a law abiding citizen you will not be engaging in this, but in order to understand the criminal mind better you ought to know the typical procedure. Select the Communication icon F4. Select Bulletin Board and took for advertisements stating Goods Bought and Sold Though there may not be any in a particular place or that day, The More... arrows will allow viewing of the ads which on a given day don't fit on the screen. Click on the button for the Goods Bought and Sold advertisement you are interested in and a list will appear of all the illegal goods available. Trade in a similar way to the stockmarket. The police, although aware of this practice, will not shut it down. Not only do they take a cut in profits but they often use it to their advantage. Traps are laid in the form of advertisements and the astute criminal will get to know their characteristics. once successful trading has taken place, there is always the threat of customs officials, not that you will ever have anything to hide of course. CARRYING PASSENGERS People may place ads asking for passage for themselves or a group to a stated destination. If you want to do this, you need sufficient cabin space on your ship, which may mean extra outlay for you. See THE SHIPYARD section on page 50, where upgrading your ship is explained. TAKING UP A REQUEST On the bulletin board via the Communication icon F4, look for the appropriate advert and select it (Fig 76). Choose one of the responses presented to you, for example one response might ask why they are prepared to pay so much. The answer comes up on the console at the bottom. If you want to make a deal, click on "OK- agreed" at the top of the list of responses The passengers will appear on your passenger list. Payment is normally made on arrival at your clients' destination, although some will pay half up front or even all! CARRYING PACKAGES To act as a courier, negotiate in the same way as for passengers after finding adverts for transporting packages. A package is deemed to take up negligible space in your cargo hold and of course does not need a life support system. TAKING ON CREW If you ever buy a larger ship, it may require extra crew which are also obtained through the Bulletin Board small advertisements. More details about your contract with them can be found under TAKING ON CREW MEMBERS in THE SHIPYARD section on page 53. SECTION SIX MINING =================== THERE'S GOLD IN THEM THAR HILLS ------------------------------- If you prefer a solitary life, then mining is for you. This occupation entails travelling from place to place collecting ore. There are two types of mining: Asteroid Mining and Surface Mining, both have their merits and drawbacks. ASTEROID MINING Asteroid mining is an old method but it is tried and tested. It is the easiest and cheapest way of obtaining ore and requires you to have a 30 MW Mining Laser, Fuel Scoop and a Cargo Scoop Conversion. You simply blast an asteroid with the laser then fly over the bits of asteroid and the Scoop collects as much ore as you can accommodate in the cargo bay. Not all asteroids are mineral rich though, so you may end up with a bay full of rubbish. SURFACE MINING Once you are established, this type of mining is a more predictable means of getting ore. It does, however, demand a large initial outlay in order to acquire the installations and possibly a larger ship (minimum of 30 tonnes of free cargo space) to transport them The only recommended device is the MB4 Mining Machine which, alas is still not widely available. The MB4 is impressive in that it not only mines but also refines the material, so you put it in place, leave it and come back to pick up the results. The MB4 can mine, separate and refine minerals, alloys and even on occasions precious metals and gem stones. The disadvantage is the risk of mining others' claims, resulting in an aggresive response to your activities. In some areas it is illegal to mine and police, depending their mood, may not be too interested in maintaining a public image of fairness and understanding and may blast you to pieces. SETTING UP YOUR WB4 Choose a mining site with a temperature below 200 degrees Centigrade. The most likely suitable locations will be on systems' inner planets which are more likely to be mineral rich. Ones which humans have hardly touched are more likely to be mineral rich as machines like the MB4 and its predecessors are very thorough, and will have scoured most of the surface of core worlds by now. To test the composition of the crust, you need to land. Land at the chosen site and select the Weapons Control Panel by clicking on the Scanner Activate the Unload Rig icon (Fig 78) which will cause the mining rig to be unloaded whereupon it will analyse a sample of the crust and relay the results to your on board computer. If the prospects are good it will bed itself in and begin drilling immediately. You may then take off and come back later once it has mined the full capacitv of 10 tonnes. FINDING THE MB4 AGAIN All the mines have a beacon which has your own coded signal allowing the computer to pin-point its position. If you pick up someone else's rig, your computer will automatically register the code of the owner. All other rigs belonging to them in this star system will then be shown on your inventory page. This means that stealing ore is possible however the same can be done to you. A safeguard is to avoid placing numerous rigs in one system, so that they are not so easily found should one of your rigs be purloined. Your beacons will use a different code in each system. Select the Inventory icon F3 and cycle through until you come to the Mining Installations page (Fig 79). It will list your rigs and their location. Fly to the Star system in which a particular rig is situated. Set up the Mining Installations page again and use the button next to the rig you wish to find. The on-board computer will then set it up as your current target. You may then fly to it manually or with the Autopilot. You can deselect the target as before by placing the pointer away from the target and using the left hand mouse button. COLLECTING THE ORE Land near to the installation and select the Load Rig icon (Fig 80) with one click. this will remotely instruct the machinery to off load ore into your hold until it is full. It will be no more than 10 tonnes at a time because that is the maximum capacity of the MB4's hopper. If there is no ore to collect the first selection of the icon will load the rig onto the ship if you have space. Your cargo inventory (Inventory icon F3) will show the minerals on board COLLECTING THE MB4 MINING MACHINE Land next to the installation and click on the Load Rig icon twice so that the rig and the contents of its hopper are taken on board. As stated above, the rig will be loaded after the first click if there is no ore in the hopper The rig may be left for further mining. There is no need to bring it on board if you intend to Deposit it in the same place. If you want to move the MB4 to another location on the same surface because a site is 'mined out', it is worth moving it a good distance. This is because the MB4 probes quite a large area with its underground drills. If your MB4 had found a rich seam of minerals, Do not move it as the seam may be a long way below ground and the MB4 may not be able to find it again. APPENDIX ONE SHIPYARD EQUIPMENT ================================ MINES AND BOMBS --------------- XB13 PROXIMITY MINE Explodes when object is within range. They are carried on missile pylons in place of a missile. XB74 DUMMY PROXIMITY MINE Exactly the same in appearance as the Proximity Mine, even on radar, but they do not explode, in fact they do nothing except increase your foes laundry bill. You can even recover them like cargo if you have a Fuel Scoop and a Cargo Conversion, but beware of accidentally scooping a real one! ENERGY BOMB Causes the drive system of smaller ships to overload and explode, but not your own as it is very specific. It can be withstood if a ship has a strong enough shield. MISSILES -------- The COMBAT section on page 38 gives additional information. Note that all the missiles have the same flying characteristics. KL760 HOMING MISSILE For destroying small spaceships and damaging larger ones. LV111 SMART MISSILE Similar to the Homing Missile but has ECM protection (not effective against Navy Grade ECM). Has a greater explosive power than the Homing Missile. NN500 NAVY GRADE MISSILE Even more bang for your money and immune to any known ECM system although it is rumoured that technology is improving in this field GUNS ---- The COMBAT scetion on page 38 provides furthur details. 30MW MINING LASER Pulse laser set up to blast asteroids into recoverable portions if you see your future in mining. Can be used as a weapon but its repeat rate is not as fast as weapon lasers. 1MW PULSE LASER The very same as the bottom of the range laser weapon as the Phlaschygt that came with your ship. seasoned combatants consider it only of use for tattooing numbers onto slaves. Better than nothing. 5MW PULSE LASER Otherwise known as the Phlaschbugher. More powerful than the Phlaschgyt, but less devastating than the Beam Laser. BEAM LASER Continuous laser beam which is more devastating than a Pulse Laser. the 1MW, 4MW, 20MW, and 100MW Beam Lasers are the same but more destructive with increasing voltage. LASER COOLING BOOSTER Some busy pilots find their normal laser cooling equipment inadequate. Since lasers cut out when they overheat, this Device is a bonus. SMALL PLASMA ACCELERATOR Very big and heavy and carried by larger ships and Naval ships only. It is extremely potent and obliterates small to medium ships with one shot. LARGE PLASMA ACCELERATOR The ultimate weapon pilots aspire to owning. ECM SYSTEMS ----------- ECM SYSTEM Short for Electronic Counter Measures. A clever device this, as it causes detonation of all activated Homing Missiles in range (including your own). NAVAL ECM SYSTEM This higher specification system can also destroy the Smart Missile. Only obtainable at larger Shipyards. ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL SYSTEMS ----------------------------- CARGO BAY LIFE SUPPORT Superb environment control, including deodoriser and choice of four fresh air scents, Fomalhaut Harvest, Ma`s Cookies, Seashore and Solar Breeze. Needed for transportation of live animals and slaves. EXTRA PASSENGER CABIN For one person it comes with life support, food dispenser and Holovid dream inducer for long journeys. An extra facility is the automatic decor control which changes in order to compliment the mood of the occupants. It is activated by sensors of heat and pheromones. Takes up five tonnes of cargo space. ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT -------------------- FOR CONTROL AND SURVEILLANCE AUTOMATIC PILOT The Robocruise automatic navigation system has the capability to plot and control travel to any destination within a system. For details of how to use the Automatic Pilot see the NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 20. AUTOREFUELLER DEVICE This automatically tranfers 1t of fuel from the cargo bay to the internal tank of a ship`s engine when it is needed, so preventing any wastage. It also avoids any embarrassing moments when your engines fail during combat or docking. SCANNERS The scanner section in the middle of the console is provided as standard on most ships. Some hardened space travellers remove it in the belief that demonstrates a certain amount of machismo, but others say this demonstrates something else. RADAR MAPPER Scans for information on a targeted ship. For details of how to use the Radar Mapper see the COMBAT section on page 43. HYPERSPACE CLOUD ANALYSER Determines the destination and the exact time and date of arrival of ships by analysing the residual space time disturbance left behind after a hyperspace jump. You will also be told the mass of the ship which has left or is about to arrive. See HYPERSPACE in the NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section, and also Combat on page 43. DEFENCE ------- SHIELD GENERATOR This device affords additional shielding to the normal damage resistance of a hull. More than one can be fitted at once and the effect is cumulative. They recharge from the ship`s power system, and each shield takes a fixed amount of time to do so. For example a large ship with ten shield generators will take the same time to recharge as a ship with one shield. The ship with ten however, will achieve the same defense as the ship with one shield in a tenth of the time because of the additive effect of shield Generators. See the COMBAT section on page 35. ENERGY BOOSTER UNIT Boosts the recharging rate of all Shield Generators fitted. A good buy for very large ships ESCAPE CAPSULE For those sticky moments when a fast exit is prudent. It has no weapons or shields. ATMOSPHERIC SHIELDING Additional coating to the hull which enables a ship to enter an atmosphere at high speed. HULL AUTO REPAIR SYSTEM A large piece of equipment which is generally only fitted to larger ships. Exactly how this works is a trade secret, but it does entail placing many microbots in the hull reinforcing channels. See the COMBAT section. ENGINES AND MISCELLANEOUS ------------------------- INTERPLANETARY DRIVE An ordinary, lightweight engine that uses hydrogen fuel contained within the drive. It is not capable of hyperspace jumps but is suitable for small interplanetary Hops. It is equivalent to the Class 1 Hyperdrive but has no hyperspace capability. STANDARD HYPERDRIVES Standard Hyperdrives are readily available and are used by most ships. They use Hydrogen fuel which can be bought or scooped (see Fuel Scoop) and all waste products are used as reaction mass by the thrusters. The range of a Standard Hyperdrive engine depends on the size of ship it is fitted to. For example, a Class 3 engine will have a greater range if fitted to a 200 tonne ship rather than a 300 tonne ship. Although the classes are listed up to seven, higher classes exist but are only obtainable from specialists. MILITARY HYPERDRIVES This is a different breed of engine to the Standard Hyperdrive in that it has a greater range and is faster and lighter. This means that a small ship can carry an engine of the military type that is equivalent to a Standard Hyperdrive that would be too big to fit. All military ships are driven by them. They run on Military Fuel which is much more expensive and has drawbacks (see MILITARY FUEL in APPENDIX TWO: TRADE ITEMS Section on page 79). A Military Hyperdrive will give your ship advantages over the competition, but it will cost you to run it. In the same way as Standard Hyperdrives, the range is a function of the size of tHe ship and the maximum possible range for the engine. Military Hyperdrives are not widely available and there are only three classes for sale. The reason is thought to be instability occurring in bigger engines, but rumours say that military engineers are working on this problem. They are also reputed to be making even lighter engines. FUEL SCOOPS AND MINING EQUIPMENT -------------------------------- FUEL SCOOP Scoops fuel from the upper layers of gas giants or the photosphere of cool stars when you fly at below about 30km altitude while travelling forwards at speed. In order to scoop from a gas giant, Atmospheric Shielding is needed. A star however, requires greater protection for your ship in the form of an Atmospheric Shield and a Shield Generator. Even with these it is still dangerous and only a desperate pilot would attempt it. CARGO SCOOP CONVERSION Allows the Fuel Scoop to be used to salvage jettisoned cargo and Dummy Mines. It is also used to collect ore during asteroid mining, and explosion debris from ships. MB4 MINING MACHINE This amazing machine prospects, mines and refines minerals for you (see the MINING section on page 68) but is not readily available. APPENDIX TWO TRADE ITEMS ========================= AIR PROCESSORS Devices used in life support systems to remove unwanted gasses from the air. These are vital to many mining establishments, keeping the air in the huge underground complexes breathable. ANIMAL MEAT Real meat from an animal. A delicacy, but the market for this is growing as a revolt against synthetic meat. People have become unsettled by the thought of their food growing in vats of seething, viscous fluid, the stench of which is indescribable The idea that real animal meat once felt the sun on its back and frolicked in a meadow feels more wholesome and natural and such meat is claimed by many to taste better. Given that the amount of meadow available is far exceeded by the hooves to roam it and that factory farming is unfashionable, the meat is rare and widely sought after. Trading in animal meat is illegal in some places. ANIMAL SKINS This covers the skins of all sorts of animals and parts of them. It seems that the more that go into a garment, the more prized it is. A ridiculous extreme is a coat woven from eyelashes of the Sweetums Scroblet, an ugly animal with a bad temperament and no endearing qualities other than colourful, luminescent eyelashes BATTLE WEAPONS The heavy weapons used on the battlefield and usually illegal COMPUTERS Mostly used for administration and as components for automated machines like space craft, though some advanced cultures use them a great deal for interactive entertainment systems. FARM MACHINERY Machinery used to, erm... farm. FERTILIZER Fertilizers are usually manufactured in vast chemical plants, but organic waste is often used to supplement this. FRUIT AND VEGETABLES This can seem like a loose term looking at some of the produce that comes under this classification. One could be forgiven for taking up a shovel and disinfectant when faced for the first time with the Oosli from the Formalhaut system. GEM STONES They come in all colours and different levels of sparkle. Fashions come and go, but the current gem to be seen wearing is the Zublic, a colourless stone that is totally reflective. It is very easily mimicked but only the real stone is non irritant to body, so those who are status conscious have them sewn into their skin. GRAIN One of few foodstuffs that is both traditionally grown and not too expensive HAND WEAPONS Firearms. Many cultures regard them as a necessary accessory and feel naked without one. Illegal in many systems. HEAVY PLASTICS Have a variety of uses especially in high temperature environments like the rocket engines. Manufactured in large industrial complexes. HYDROGEN FUEL The nornmal four star fuel for spacecraft. All the waste products are used as reaction mass in the thrusters. It can also be obtained by scooping it from stars and gas giants (see FUEL SCOOPS in APPENDIX ONE: SHIPYARD EQUIPMENT on page 75). INDUSTRIAL PARTS Everything from fusion motors to nuts and bolts. LIQUID OXYGEN Used mainly by settlements on airless worlds for life support systems LIQUOR Covers all intoxicating Drinks from interesting local hooches such as the Bourbon from the system of Epsilon Indi to unexciting brews made by large industrial companies. An example is Splag, which is akin to watery Old Nova, but some have been less generous in their appraisal LIVE ANIMALS Used for meat, exhibition or recreation or just companionship. Your hold must have a life support facility to carry them. LUXURY GOODS Many items are classed as luxury goods, for example perfumes jewellery, artefacts and fabrics. The most treasured are generally produced on esteemed worlds like Earth. MEDICINES Drugs are as always, big business as people would rather be reassured by a drop of something that tastes foul, rather than examine their way of life that more often than not causes the ill health. However, the most healthy person can still fall foul of bugs such as black hole fever (well known but seldom talked about except in jest with references to escape velocity usually being made). METAL ALLOYS They have hundreds of uses, one example is the production of foam metal valued for its lightness and use as electromagnetic shielding. MILITARY FUEL Very high energy per unit weight. It is manufactured and consists of an engineered molecule with anti matter atoms suspended in it. It is not always available and is expensive. You need to weigh up the advantages of greater range and speed with the fact that it is converted to radioactives when consumed. MINERALS There is little to say about minerals. Mined on rocky planets by machinery except on planet Major (van Maanen's star) where the Guardians of the Free Spirit exhume it with only a hammer and chisel. They believe in severe hardship and live underground. It is thought that money (left over after buying necessities like oxygen) is burned in ceremonies intended to purify the soul. The worshippers think of all the luxuries, such as a salve for their bleeding hands, that the money could have bought causing great anguish which is thought to be cleansing. NARCOTICS The most common is Lyrae weed. Narcotics are readily available on some large corporate manufacturing complexes to induce a sense of well being in such appalling conditions. Occasionally a few workers are killed due to insensibility or halllucinations but it is considered that they are better off that way and there are plenty more where they came from. Illegal in many places. NERVE GAS Expect the police in most places to take up a chase if you trade in this. PRECIOUS METALS Mainly used for adornment and trying to maintain stability in unstable financial systems. Generally cheaper in the outer systems, where precious metals have not yet been mined out. RADIOACTIVES Radioactive materials for example Plutonium and Tritium. Note that this item has a negative trade value, in other words, you have to pay for someone to take it off your hands. Some make a living out of being paid to take this waste away and deliver it to reprocessing plants (ie, anywhere that has Radioactives as a major import). More unscrupulous and irresponsible characters will prefer to jettison it instead, risking prosecution. This is a highly illegal practice and locals are usually vehemently opposed to this act. Police often don't bother with questions but deal with you there and then, as this not only saves on police time but court fees as well. ROBOTS This covers a whole range of automata. Generally they are intricate machines used to do everything from serving canapes to use as assault troops. They are illegal in a few cultures, mainly because of the violation of their work ethic, but also the extreme techno fear some people experience. RUBBISH Again, this has a negative price, so you must pay to dispose of it. Some cargo items when decompressed (by being jettisoned) will turn into rubbish. SLAVES Consider carefully where you are going to trade because slave trading is illegal in many systems, where it is seen as unacceptable. Life support needed. SYNTHETIC MEAT This is the most common form of protein to be found, so it is relatively cheap. Grown in vats, this meat is in no way derived from animals, though most would agreed that it tastes exactly the same as real meat. It is sold in one flavour, called Original, which is fairly bland and unexciting. Individual flavours are added by the user, for example Earth beef, Lava hog from Biggs Colony or Brog buck from Homeland around Beta Hydri (for those who like their meat to bite back). WATER H2O, usually needed by small industrial settlements and those with no natural water supply. APPENDIX THREE AN INTRODUCTORY JOURNEY ======================================= TO BEGIN... You are at Sirocco Starport, on Merlin, a planet orbiting a gas giant which in turn orbits Ross 154, 9.35 light years away from Earth. What you can see on the screen is the front view from your ship with the ringed gas giant, Aster, looming in the sky. The time of day and the date are given on the left hand side of the console. 1.First take a look at the system you are in. (a) Select the Galactic Map icon F2 and you will see a map of all the stars in your vicinity. Ross 154 is in the middle, highlighted in green. 2.Find out details about the system. (a) Select the Data icon F6 and a diagram of your system will be shown (b) Count two bodies from the star, Ross 154. This is Aster, Now click on the planet below it and information on Merlin will come up. (c) Select the Economy icon F7 to get trade details for the whole system. Notice that major exports are animal meat (this is fish on Merlin) and liquid oxygen so both should be relatively cheap. (d) Select the Political icon F8 to get information on the social structure. This system is under federation control so should be reasonably safe. 3. Find a place to sell the goods you buy at a reasonable price. (a) Go back to the grid by using the Galactic Map icon F6. (b) Use the Arrow (Cursor) keys to move the map until Barnard's Star (look up and then right) is in the middle of the screen and highlighted in green. (c) Select the Data icon F6 (d) Click on the bodies until you find the space station orbiting Birminghamworld, it is called Boston Base. (e) In the same way as steps 2(c) and 2 (d), check the economy and social structure. You will see that animal meat and liquid oxygen are imports. the system is a corporate state and it should be reasonably safe, so you could trade here. (f) You can see the orbits of the systems bodies by using the Orbital Map icon F10. (g) If you want to take a closer look, you can use the Zoom In icon F7 and the Zoom Out icon F8. Click on the body to place it into the centre of the screen and then use the icons. 4. Buy one tonne of fish at Merlin. You can only trade while in dock so now is the time to do it. (a) Select the Communication icon F4, and you will be presented with a list of options. (b) Choose Stockmarket. (c) A list of items with Buy and Sell buttons is now displayed so locate Animal Meat. You can afford to buy one tonne of animal meat. (d) Click on the Buy button for animal meat once so that one tonne of animal meat will be autoloaded into your hull. (If you ever buy too much by mistake, simply click on the Sell button until you have the right amount). The console will display the amount of cash and cargo space you have left. 5. See if there are any packages to take to Barnard's star. This sort of thing is what makes money but there is some risk involved. The good thing about packages is that they take up negligible cargo space and do not require cabins or life support. (a) Click on the Communications icon F4 again followed by Bulletin Board (b) Scroll through the advertisements using the up and down More... arrows (c) There may not be a suitable advertisement but if there is one, click on it. If there isn't go to step 6. (d) A list of replies will be presented to you from which you must choose one to send by clicking on it. The brave will click on "OK- agreed". with no questions asked. (e) The package will be autoloaded into your ship. (f) You can check that it is on board by clicking on the Inventory icon F3 until the page showing passengers and small packages is displayed. 6. Take off for Barnard's Star system (a) Go back to the front view by using the View icon F1 and click on it until Front View is displaved on the right of the console. (b) Select the Communication icon F4 and you will be given a list of options. Click on Launch Request. (c) When clearance is indicated on the console, select the Right Control icon F7. This will cause your vertical thrusters to engage, lifting you slowly upwards. (d) Tip the nose of the ship by moving the mouse backwards whilst holding the right hand mouse button down. (e) Activate the thrusters using the Enter key for a couple of seconds and you will begin to fly out of the atmosphere. You now have manual control. 7. Make a hyperspace jump to Barnard`s Star. (a) Use the Galactic Map icon F2 and make sure Barnard's Star is in the middle of the screen where it will be highlighted in green. (b) Return to View mode by using the View icon F1. (c) Activate the hyperspace engine with the Hyperspace icon F8. After your journey through hyperspace you can see the effects of the disturbance. Use the View icon F1 to get a the rear view in order to see it. This hyperspace cloud behind you is visible for an enormous distance and may attract pirates, so it is wise to leave it as soon as possible by pressing the Enter key to increase your Set speed. Click on the View icon again until you get back to the front view. (d) Select the Identification text icon F10 which will overlay names onto the systems bodies which may not yet be visible to the naked eye. (e) If you wish to look around then you can do so by holding down the right mouse button to swing the ship round. This is not essential to get to your destination. 8. Fly to Birminghamworld by using the Autopilot and Stardreamer Time Control (a) Take a look at the system structure by using the Galactic Map icon F2 and then the Current System Map icon F2 to obtain an orbital map of the current system. (b) Zoom in using the Zoom icon F7 until you can see Birminghamworld clearly (c) Put Birminghamworld in the middle of the screen by clicking on it then zoom in until it is clearly defined and the orbital lines almost cover the width of the screen. (d) When you can see the space station name (Boston Base) move the mouse while holding down the right hand mouse button so that you can see the space station clearly. (e) Set up the destination for the Autopilot by using the targeting icon F10 (f) You will be instructed by the console to select a target so point at the space station and click on it and a homing square will be displayed. If you take too long doing this you may have to use the targeting icon again. (g) Return to View mode with the View icon F1. (h) Engage the Autopilot with the Flight Control icon F7 by activating it until Autopilot is shown on the console, the ship is no longer under manual control (i) You will see targeting squares looking like a tunnel leading to Boston Base, Aa you get closer they will come towards you more rapidly, indicating that you should slow down as you approach. Ideally, these should pass at a constant rate. (j) Even though you are relatively close to Boston Base it will still take a long time to get there so use the Stardreamer time Control to make time appear to pass more quickly. Further details of its function are given in the NAVIGATION section on page 22. (k) Locate the time Control icons. The single arrow sets normal time and each icon to the right increases the apparent rate of passage of time by ten times. Select 1000 times normal time (four arrows) or 10,000 times normal time (the last icon on the right) as you wish. When you approach the space station the on-board computer will return you to normal time for docking. (l) The docking process is handled by the Autopilot including obtaining clearance from traffic Control, If you do not wish to watch the docking the then you may operate the time control again. 9. Sell your goods. (a) Once docked select the Communication icon F4 and choose Stockmarket again (b) Sell your goods by using the Sell buttons. ie. click on the Sell button for Animal Meat once. (c) The money shown under Cash at the bottom left of the console should now be a greater sum than you started with, unless you have been very unlucky with the stockmarket prices. (d) Remember to refuel by buying at least one tonne of hydrogen fuel! APPENDIX FOUR MECHANICS OF SPACE FLIGHT ======================================== FLY BY WIRE As starship designers through the ages have found, space craft have so many potential degrees of freedom they are impractical for a mere human to control to the full unaided. Logically a free flying combat craft has at least five independent directions (or vectors) to control, Those vectors are: 1. Facing vector (unit magnitude) F 2. Velocity vector V 3. Thrust vector T 4. Camera viewing vector C 5. Weapon vector W It is clearly logical to combine some of these, but the more they are combined, the more functionality is lost, Faulcon de Lacy (and indeed most ship manufacture) combine (1), (4) and (5) and control (2) and (3) automatically, leaving the pilot to control only (1), with the option of disabling the automatic control of (2) and (3) when necessary. Even this seems a handful for a species evolved to move in only two and a half dimensions (up and down are very much secondary to north, south, east and weat). The pilot is assumed to have a desired velocity vector D along his or her facing vector, the magnitude of which is the desired speed S they have set. Hence: D = sF and thrust to achieve velocity D T = mf (D-V) where f is a factor chosen for fuel efficiency and m is the mass of your craft A maximum value is given to f (about 1). to avoid wasteful thrusting and possible oscillations. This is why your craft will slowly settle down over the landing pad even with a zero set speed. At higher speeds the limits of the power of the thrusters effectively restrict the value of f. The desired thrust is resolved into components along each of the ships working thrusters and if any of the these cannot provide sufficient thrust then the value of f is reduced appropriately (preserving the direction of thrust is more important than its magnitude). FRAMES OF REFERENCE The problems of the fly-by-wire technique are further complicated when considering the frames of reference in which velocities are measured. When a vehicle moves slowly along a street, say, the driver does not want to know that both the street and the vehicle are moving sideways at many thousands of kilometres per hour (due to the velocity of the planet around the star, and the rotation of the planet). Indeed, if the vehicle were to face the way it is travelling, then its motion along the road would be almost irrelevant. What the driver wants is to face along the direction of travel in the frame of reference of the planet, which is both moving and rotating. Hence D = sF + R where R is the velocity of the frame of reference and ideal thrust T = mf ( D-V ) T = mf ( sF + R-V ) Your on board computer automatically selects the body you are most likely to want to define a frame of reference for your motion. This is usually a planet or moon, but can also be a space station or large ship. It also decides whether it would be more intuitive to use a rotating frame or not. For space stations, it is only sensible to use a rotating frame in the docking tunnel otherwise your ship continually thrusts to attempt to move in a circle in time with a similar point on the station. CHOICE OF FRAMES OF REFERENCE The body is used to define your current frame of reference is shown on the bottom right of your head up display this is chosen by a weighting function. For planets and stars this is based on mass, thus a star's sphere of influence generally extends way beyond its planets. For other bodies it is based on their dimensions. You may notice your ship's engines suddenly starting to thrust when a different frame of reference is chosen. This is not a fault with your ship but is because your set speed has suddenly appeared to change as it is now measured relative to the new body. APPENDIX FIVE SHIP IDENTIFICATION ================================== ADDER HULL MASS 15 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 55 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 40 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 8 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 18 EARTH G CREW 1 GUN MOUNTINGS 1+F MISSILE PYLONS 0 ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT, FEDERATION ANACONDA HULL MASS 150 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 800 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 650 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 3 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 6 EARTH G CREW 10 GUN MOUNTINGS 2+F MISSILE PYLONS 8 ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT ASP EXPLORER HULL MASS 30 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 150 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 120 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 7 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 22 EARTH G CREW 2 GUN MOUNTINGS 2+F MISSILE PYLONS 1 ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT, FEDERATION BOA HULL MASS 200 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 1500 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 1300 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 4 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 8 EARTH G CREW 12 GUN MOUNTINGS 4+F MISSILE PYLONS 6 ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT COBRA MK1 HULL MASS 15 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 75 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 60 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 6 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 16 EARTH G CREW 1 GUN MOUNTINGS 2+F MISSILE PYLONS 2 ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT, FEDERATION COBRA MKIII HULL MASS 20 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 100 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 80 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 7 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 20 EARTH G CREW 1 GUN MOUNTINGS 2+F MISSILE PYLONS 4 ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT, FEDERATION CONSTRICTOR HULL MASS 30 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 120 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 90 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 10 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 22 EARTH G CREW 2 GUN MOUNTINGS 2+F MISSILE PYLONS 2 ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT, FEDERATION EAGLE LONG RANGE FIGHTER MKI HULL MASS 5 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 25 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 20 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 10 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 25 EARTH G CREW 1 GUN MOUNTINGS 1 MISSILE PYLONS 2 ALLEGIANCE FEDERATION, EMPIRE EAGLE LONG RANGE FIGHTER MKII HULL MASS 6 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 28 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 22 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 4 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 28 EARTH G CREW 1 GUN MOUNTINGS 1 MISSILE PYLONS 2 ALLEGIANCE FEDERATION EAGLE LONG RANGE FIGHTER MKIII HULL MASS 8 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 30 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 22 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 15 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 28 EARTH G CREW 1 GUN MOUNTINGS 1 MISSILE PYLONS 2 ALLEGIANCE EMPIRE FALCON HULL MASS 5 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 16 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 11 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 9 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 30 EARTH G CREW 1 GUN MOUNTINGS 1 MISSILE PYLONS 2 ALLEGIANCE FEDERATION GECKO HULL MASS 11 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 45 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 34 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 9 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 6 EARTH G CREW 1 GUN MOUNTINGS 2 MISSILE PYLONS 1 ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT IMP COURIER HULL MASS 130 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 480 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 350 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 6 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 16 EARTH G CREW 3 GUN MOUNTINGS 1 MISSILE PYLONS 6 ALLEGIANCE EMPIRE IMP TRADER HULL MASS 175 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 700 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 525 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 4 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 9 EARTH G CREW 6 GUN MOUNTINGS 1 MISSILE PYLONS 6 ALLEGIANCE EMPIRE INTERPLANETARY SHUTTLE HULL MASS 4 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 8 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 4 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 3 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 5 EARTH G CREW 1 GUN MOUNTINGS 0 MISSILE PYLONS 0 ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT, FEDERATION, EMPIRE KRAIT HULL MASS 8 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 38 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 30 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 10 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 20 EARTH G CREW 1 GUN MOUNTINGS 1 MISSILE PYLONS 4 ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT LIFTER HULL MASS 3 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 10 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 7 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 2 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 4 EARTH G CREW 1 GUN MOUNTINGS 0 MISSILE PYLONS 0 ALLEGIANCE FEDERATION LION HULL MASS 65 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 300 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 235 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 3 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 5 EARTH G CREW 4 GUN MOUNTINGS 4+F MISSILE PYLONS 6 ALLEGIANCE FEDERATION MORAY HULL MASS 17 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 87 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 70 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 6 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 14 EARTH G CREW 1 GUN MOUNTINGS 1+F MISSILE PYLONS 4 ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT, FEDERATION OSPREY HULL MASS 4 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 15 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 11 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 8 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 27 EARTH G CREW 1 GUN MOUNTINGS 1 MISSILE PYLONS 2 ALLEGIANCE EMPIRE PANTHER HULL MASS 400 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 2500 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 2100 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 3 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 6 EARTH G CREW 15 GUN MOUNTINGS 4 MISSILE PYLONS 8 ALLEGIANCE FEDERATION PUMA SHUTTLE HULL MASS 175 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 1000 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 825 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 3 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 6 EARTH G CREW 11 GUN MOUNTINGS 4+F MISSILE PYLONS 8 ALLEGIANCE FEDERATION PYTHON HULL MASS 100 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 500 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 400 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 4 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 10 EARTH G CREW 7 GUN MOUNTINGS 2+F MISSILE PYLONS 4 ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT SIDEWINDER HULL MASS 8 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 33 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 25 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 12 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 23 EARTH G CREW 1 GUN MOUNTINGS 1+F MISSILE PYLONS 0 ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT TIGER TRADER HULL MASS 80 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 400 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 320 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 5 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 12 EARTH G CREW 5 GUN MOUNTINGS 1+F MISSILE PYLONS 1 ALLEGIANCE FEDERATION TRANSPORTER HULL MASS 40 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 200 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 160 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 4 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 9 EARTH G CREW 3 GUN MOUNTINGS 1 MISSILE PYLONS 2 ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT, FEDERATION VIPER DEFENCE CRAFT HULL MASS 15 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 65 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 50 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 10 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 24 EARTH G CREW 1 GUN MOUNTINGS 1+F MISSILE PYLONS 4 ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT, FEDERATION, EMPIRE KESTREL AIRFIGHTER HULL MASS 5 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 20 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 15 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 6 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 25 EARTH G CREW 1 GUN MOUNTINGS 1 MISSILE PYLONS 2 ALLEGIANCE FEDERATION HAWK AIRFIGHTER HULL MASS 5 TONNES MASS (FULLY LADEN) 18 TONNES INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 13 TONNES RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 6 EARTH G MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 27 EARTH G CREW 1 GUN MOUNTINGS 1 MISSILE PYLONS 2 ALLEGIANCE FEDERATION HAVE FUN GUYS AND REMEMBER ITS ALL FOR FUN aLL DoCs DoNE By SHaRD/N&B : ¦ . _________ ________ _____________ _____¦ | · __ / : ___________/ _ \ \ __ _ / | \ Ž____ : \_/ -A : \______ \ | \___ \_/ \_/ | \ ¦ | ¦ \_ ··D_ / / _/ | / Ž___/ \_ | : : | Ž_______/ `N· _/ \ \_________/ | \________/ ¦ Ž_____ ¦ | : \__________/ \ ¦ \_ : : \__________ R \___________/ . · C A Y A G . Z G N PRESENTS MORE SHYTE FOR YOU ON THIS FINE BORING DAY ====================================================== FRONTIER - ELITE II - GAZETTEER TYPED BY SHARD 16 NOVEMBER 1993 ===================================================================== INTRODUCTION ------------ This gazetteer of selected worlds has been compiled for Faulcon De Lacey by Darlitz the makers of the well known pocket holiday guides. The principle contributor was our correspondent David Massey whose tireless travelling made it possible for so many planets to be described. Such was the tight schedule for writing this gazetteer his three assistants, Kathy Dickinson, David Braben, and Ian Bell were called upon to contribute some of its contents. It serves as a brief introduction for the avid traveller or a source of dreams for the sedentary explorer. The Sol System is described first because of its historical importance along with the Achenar. Both have headquarters of the two main players in the competition for galactic rule, the Federation and the Empire. To aid the reader, we have included a brief history of early part of mankind`s quest A BRIEF HISTORY --------------- 1950s First man in space, controlled nuclear fission, transistor, start of first nuclear arms race 1960s First man on Moon, commercial fission power, integrated circuits, computers 1970s Probes in Solar system 1980s End of first nuclear arms race 1990s First serious environmental problems on Earth, controlled nuclear fusion 2000s First (minor) armed conflict between a nation and a "multi-national" corporation 2010s First serious population problems on Earth 2020s First international environmental protection enforcement agency, first commercial space station 2030s Major energy crisis, fossil fuel restrictions, religious unrest, first baby born off Earth 2040s World War III. Huge technological advancements. Huge loss of life, dreadful environmental damage 2050s War gradually abandoned due to popular rebellions. Commercial fusion power 2060s Rebuilding Dominance of corporations increased 2070s First man on Mars, first permanent Moon base 2080s Manned exploration of solar system, orbital cities around Earth, first interstellar probes launched, 2090s First permanent Mars base, heavy industry on the Moon 2100s Discovery of fossils on Mars, "hyperspace" discovered, humans throughout solar system 2110s Arrival of message from first interstellar probe to Alpha Centauri system. First pictures taken of an extra solar planet in the Lagrange point of the two main stars 2120s Presence of life on Tau Ceti 3 detected, first armed conflict in space over rights in the asteroid belt. 2130s Hyperspace capable probes sent to all nearby systems 2140s Manned space craft sent to Tau Ceti. 2150s Colony established on Tau Ceti 3 Major corporations sending first private colony ships 2160s The race for the stars. Enormous production effort to produce colony ships, and mass exodus started, 2170s First attempt to terra-form Mars started. 2180s Life on Delta Pavonis discovered and made extinct in same year from bacteriological infection 2190s Discovery of life on Beta Hydri 4, Altair 5. Human colonials spreading out of control 2200s Earth environmental recovery program started, terraforming of Mars abandoned 2220s Extinctions on Tau Ceti 3 increasing, Earth threatens to send a police force if nothing is done about it 2230s Ultimatum sent to Tau Ceti ignored 2240s First interstellar battle. Formation of the Federation, founder members: Earth Tau Ceti, Delta Palonis, Altair, Beta Hydri. 2260s Spread of Federation influence 2270s Second attempt to terra form Mars started 2280s Discovery of first non human relic in space. Origin still unknown in 3200 2290s First man "outside" on Mars (ie breathing unaided) on completion of terraforming 2300s Remaining indigenous life on Tau Ceti 3 preserved in special enclosures 2310s News of elimination of a reputedly sentient race on Achenar 6d by private colonists causes outrage in the Federation Achenar refuses to join Federation many terra forming projects started 2320s Federation sends war fleet to Achenar Resulting enormous space battle won by Achenar 2330s Spread of Empire from Achenar to surrounding worlds War between Empire and Federation 2340s Continuing battles between Federation and Empire 2350s Sirius corporation founded, and grew rich supplying the war fleets 2360s 2370s 2380s Treaty signed between Empire and Federation, Achenar ======= This system consists of ten major bodies only one of which, Achena 6, has habitated planets in its vicinity. It is one of the only systems with three worlds with a breathable atmosphere, although two are terraformed. The most notable feature of this system is that it is the base of the Empire and Emperor Hesketh Duval whose seat is on the natural world Achenar 6d (known as Capitol to locals). The Emperor is of the Duval dynasty decended from Marlin Duval. She was a wealthy woman, disenchanted with the Earth administration and authorities. who set off with her own colonising fleet to Achenar 6d because it was so far from Earth. Her leadership ended when her brother, Henson oversaw a flying "accident" in which he perished. The democratic government changed abruptly to one of strict Imperial rule, and from then on the family assumed leadership. Female children in the family are prevented with genetic techniques such is the vehement hatred of Marlin Duval`s principles and vision of a world living in peace. In the past the Federation has tried to get various emperors to agree to joining them but his has been met with derision. The population growth necessitated the terraformation of Achenar 6b and Henson oversaw the eradication of a reputedly sentient race on Achenar 6d and began to influence other systems, enraging the Federation. This led to the first large scale space war, from which Achenar emerged victorious and, swelled with success the Empire spread to other worlds. Sporadic battles were fought for many years until finally, leaders of the Empire and the Federation signed a treaty pledging to stay on amicable terms. It was not worded so tightly that hostilities could not continue in the outer reaches of territories while leaders displayed solidarity in public. Tourists, once they have amassed the documents required to visit the Achenar system, flock to see the Emperor`s palace on Capitol (6d). The building is a vast structure of a pink glass like material which shimmers in the sun and glows as it re emits the energy at night Foreign visitors are welcomed by palace staff who use subtle pro Empire propaganda in an attempt to undermine the Federation. This greeting is not extended outside the palace grounds where a person with a Federation accent is met with scorn unless money can be made out of them. The accent of the Empire has evolved out of Achenanians trying to mock the standard Federation diction by accentuating certain vowels. To the foreigner their speech sounds rather like a whine. Such is the capitalist way of life, there are not many items that are illegal to buy or sell, quite why the line is drawn at radioactives and nerve gas is a mystery - perhaps they could pose the most significant threat to the Emperor, should anyone feel ambitious? KD Ackwada ======= The official discovery of this system and its habitable planet is nowadays accredited to Augustus Brenquith, although the Rockforth Corporation claim the land deeds and development rights to the system. Thirty nine years after the Corporation declared the system its own, an ancient message capsule was recovered from outside the orbit of Jupiter in the Sol system, tumbling in an uncontrolled fashion. It is now believed that the capsule suffered a power failure immediately after returning to Sol by hyper space and had been orbiting Jupiter for an untold length of time. The discovery aroused considerable interest amongst archeologists on Earth at the time and while the capsule was in transit to New Delhi University there was heated debate as to whether the artifact should be opened or not. When the capsule was studied, the seal was seen to be broken, so the matter was resolved. Inside the capsule was a message crystal with the log of the second five years of Augustus Brenquith's solitary search for new worlds, his "glittering legacy", included in the list of planetary systems he had stumbled upon was that of Ackwada Ackwada is a benign world, with a gravity very closely matched to that of Old Earth and a pleasant climate. Many visitors and industrialists attending Corporation functions are struck by the similarity to the home world. Locals tend to be bitter about this comparison, pointing out that Earth has seen fit to launch four separate invasions on the planet in the past. In many ways Thompson's planet is one of the disputed zone, roughly equally spaced between the heart of Federation and Empire. Rockforth Corporation managed to preserve the colonys independence during the early years, and this trend has continued, even though the Corporation holding rights to the planet has changed several times since the founding Rush's Camp is a heavily industrialised city, and raw materials are transformed into the machines and tools needed by the developing system. The outspill of pollutants and wastes is unrestricted, because of early Corporation law, and the environment in the region of Rush`s Camp is unhealthy except in protective wear. The local life forms have mostly fallen prey to heavy metal poisoning and carcinomas from effluents of the different plants. The air near Rush`s Camp is not safe to breath for long periods without a respirator or sophisticated filter system Most people turn to Yorkville for relaxation. The Corporations owning the World provide regular free shuttles between the two major cities and as the local saying goes "Rush to work, Rush for pay, York you live, York to play. The entertainment sectors of Yorkville are Corporation sponsored and this has led to allegations amongst some neighbouring star systems that organised crime has set up at Ackwada. This charge is vigorously denied by all senior executives of the Corporations and legal actions are in progress in several colonies in this regard. The Corporations have found the threat of punitive legal damages and costly trials is an effective deterrent for all but the most vociferous of their opponents Ackanphi ======== At about the same time as the Ackwada system was being colonised by the Rockforth Corporation, a consortium of smaller industrial groups laid claim to the Ackanphi system. There were five principle shareholders in the venture, Nagoshima, Grendell-Hooper, Shan- Boorman, Memoryvista and G'greenventure. Unlike many joint corporation ventures, after initial establishment of planetary bases the groups did not fall to squabbling over exploitation rights. The five corporations consolidated their positions and ground together as a single trading entity to deal with outsiders. The world of Biggs is only about half the mass of Earth, but has a correspondingly smaller radius, so that surface gravity is almost Earth normal introduction of terrestial flora and fauna proceeded in an orderly fashion, thanks largely to the influence of rebecca Swaan- Schiffman of G'greenventure. The environmental control policies introduced by the Big G corporation (as it became known) have made Biggs an ecological show-case for planetary management. Cynics point out that because of the lack of large predators on the planet, there were no native species needing control, but a quick scan through the colony records quickly dispels that peaceful illusion. Early in the colony's history, there were a series of dangerous plagues and diseases, which nearly ended the colony. The Shan-Boorman Corporation imported a team of reasearch biochemists to tackle the problem and Grendell-Hooper financed the building of a suite of laboratories. These eventually grew into the Shan-Hooper Institute, one of the most prestigious science academies of the known worlds. The plague was defeated after three years of intense work and now all visitors are routinely inoculated against fast disease and filigree on arrival at any starport. (The two diseases are still endemic to the World of Biggs and quarantine laws are strictly enforced) The Institute was not disbauded after solving the initial acclimatisation diseases, but remained and was expanded to encompass other fields of study. Early in the history of the colony it was visited by Munkhouse Brewer, a famous singer songwriter of the time and a friend of Siobhan Young the poet. Munkhouse composed a fairly trite popular song declaiming the "fiery skies and demons' eyes" of Biggs, but managed to convey to Siobhan the haunting beauty of the Ackanphi system. Young, and her artist companion Taylor Arkwright came to view the marvels first hand, and stayed to capture the sights for themselves. The cycle poem "Blazed by glory, insipid flesh" created a place for Young amongst the very best and secured her the chair of the newly formed faculty of Arts at Schneider university. Taylor Arkwright shunned all publicity and instead made a new colony on the third planet, funding a small dome base by selling most of his early works. For forty two years he worked in complete obscurity, refusing contact with outsiders, painting and drawing the scenes he beheld Arkwrights anonymity came to an end when a persistant young artist, Dieter Blemmring from Achenar, sought him out after seeing The third leaf in Facece Central Museum. Impressed by Arkwright's early work, Blemmring sought out the master and persuaded the painter to let him visit Taylor's Claim. Thus began the artists colony on Taylor's Claim, which has become a refuge for painting, sculpting and all forms of representational art. Many of the most famous works in known space are kept in the refuge, and it is the ambition of all Empire artists to view the collection at least once in their lives. With science and the written arts established in the Ackcanphi system, it was not long before other faculties, for performing arts, humanities and philosophy were developed in Biggs. This has developed into a cultural and aesthetic centre for the region. For some reason the local pirate raiders have kept clear of the universities, museums and galleries of Biggs and the planet and its Corporations are rightly proud of the high reputation it holds amongst the cultured people of the Empire. DM Alioth ====== Alioth presents a star system of enormous potential, yet to be fully exploited by its colonists. It has had a chequered history in terms of political dominance, and both Empire and Federation forces have fought over the rights to control the system. The only period when both Empire and Federation have acted together towards Alioth was the Quaterson revolution of 2617 when the people of Gordonworld attempted to wrest freedom from both major powers Quentin Devisises led a coup to try and establish Gordonworld (then known as Fruitcake) as a local capital of free traders, but was ruthlessly suppressed by a rare combined naval action of Federation and Empire navies New California was terraformed shortly thereafter, using an experimental accelerated program of genetic modifications. The Empire initiated the methods which met with mixed success in this trial planet. In later years the approach has become more reliable but the native colonists of New California occasionally exhibit unusual traits which are carry overs from the mutagenic past. This is partly responsible for the favour show towards the Federation by New Californians. If carried out to the letter the Empire's attitude to racial purity would call for a repopulation of the colony and removal the affected inhabitants. To prevent this there is a permanent petition for recognition as a Federation protectorate from the population of New California The experimental origins of the planet of New California in no way detract from its beauty and the mutagens buried in the environment are of no danger to tourists (NOTE: Anyone planning to stay longer than 300 standard days should ensure they recieve the appropriate vaccination and chemical therapies after 200 days and at regular intervals thereafter). The system as a whole presents a stunning visual appearance, with an abundance of gas giants orbiting the giant central star. It has been compared in its compelling beauty! to the sextuple sun systems of Andbephi or Ioaray. The star inspired the flash-rock group Jjagged Bbanner's first quad platinum recording "Sungrazing" which led to their enormous rise to popularity The enormous hydrocarbon resources made available by the large number of gas giants, as well as the primary star of the system have led to a huge plastics industry based at this system. The scientists of Nesbitt Landing introduced the quinker process and led to a revolution in robot production techniques. They still lead the Federation in many aspects of design and production of automata, especially androids. These products are highly sought after amongst the Empire worlds DM Altair - Biggs Colony ===================== Out of the twenty bodies of this system this is one of two notable planets, for their extreme conditions. Biggs Colony is a jungle world with high humidity and very interesting wildlife, which makes it a popular holiday destination for those who like an adventure. Hotels abound and cater for all tastes, even providing conditions for those who normally live in very different environments. In case they need a break while on holiday. For example natives of Stevenson in the Phiagre system can rest in refrigerated apartments. Outside hotels, humans need to wear all enviroument suit such are the extremes of heat and humidity on these sort of planets. When tourists arrive on Biggs Colony they must sign a disclaimer in case they are injured by any of the wildlife (unless on hotel property, such as the animal free areas). All sorts of life abound, and visitors not used to this tend to go wandering unprotected, enchanted by the sights and sounds. Jungle Search is a thriviug business which offers to search the jungle for parts of a lost friends or relatiles of tourists, when they go missing, for burial purposes Many vaccinations are required if you intend to go on jungle treks, as the deseases are as varied as the wildlife. When you leave a hotel you are issued an environment suit, a stun gun, a large swat big enough to down an Oort fly (you would need body armour to protect yourself fully from this beast). If you pale at the thought of close contact with nature, you can take a trip on a Landcrawler which transports you through the jungle protected by a Securifield The second planet, Darkes Hollow is very hot and not pleasantly so - the average temperature is 226 degrees Centigrade. The reason it is populated at all is the ore available for mining is very rich in metals. Miners families live there in small underground communities and the mining corporation subsidises two holidays on Bigg`s Colony per year. Robots have to do most of the surface work as the temperatures and radiation there are too great for humans Power is derived from massive arrays of solar panels which run the very powerful air reconditioning units for the settlements below, and also drive the vast smelting operation Reputedly, enormous danger money is paid to miners when they need to venture on to the surface in their powered armour. In order to do some urgent repair or other. There have even been stories of disenchanted workers arranging for robots to be unavailable when a good arises, just so they can receive the one-off payment and leave the hated place forever. Andceeth ======== Andceeth boasts a bustling starport in the city of Diamond, and travellers from a host of worlds come to stay in the splendour and luxury of its hotels. These date back to the early days of the Federation, when Diamond was the major centre for Commercial transactions between planetary govemments. Before the days of the Universal Bulletin Board and guaranteed transfer. The worlds of Andceeth were the banking centre for the Federation The mineral reserves for the largest companies of the Federation and many planetary governments were stored in an enormous vault built on Trouble. Andceeth two. The violent surface storms, constant electrical discharges and corrosive atmosphere were intended to deter would be raiders. The actual banking and commercial centres were established on the more congenial world of Capitol (not to be confused with the heart of the Empire). Despite the harsh conditious of Trouble, there were several recorded attempts to raid the vault and make off with the biggest haul in the history of crime. None of the raids ever succeeded, although Hari van Dryuver managed to penetrate all (of the outer defences before dying of a heart attack brought on, so it is said, by the sight of so much wealth in one spot Even if Hari had managed to leave the planet, it is still doubtful that he would have escaped the enormous police presence maintained at the time. The most audacious attempt on the Federation reserves was launched by Colonel Maximillian Wrekcht, one-time commander of the Empire's fifth fleet. Embittered by a series of defeats at the hand of the Federation he attempted to destroy the vault by means of an asteroid bombardment, from an orbit just outside that of the sixth planet. He entered the system with a modified and heavily stealthed cruiser and managed to deflect three planetoids towards Trouble before he was detected. The Federation were able to destroy two of the missiles and shunt the last into the sun. Maximillian was subject to court marshall in his absence, but most people believe he died trying to ram the vault with his own ship in a final defiant gesture at the Federation. When the system of guaranteed transactions and Universal Bulletin Board trading was introduced, the commercial heart of Andceeth was destroyed. There followed a very turbulent period and fortunes were made and lost in minutes in the chaos surrounding the charge. The world suddenly pluuged from being the banking capital of the explored worlds to relatively anonymous dot in most computer star banks. Capitol now preserved a jealously guarded independence of both Federation and Empire, relying on agriculture and mineral exploitation to support its inhabitants. The vault on trouble was seized by the planetary govemment two months after the conversion to guaranteed transfer, and although much depleted from its initial state, the mineral wealth contained there has been enough to finance the colony towards complete self sufficiency. The colony now runs on a democratic system and is a popular trading stop for the communities of the surrounding star systems Anlave ====== Anlave is a small, compact system, with a long and distinguish history in the records of the Federation navy. It was originally colonised by a team of experimental horticulturalists, eager to try and develop new citrus crops in a different stellar system than Old Earth. In this regard, the colony was a failure and the three new strains developed in the early years, the plum lemon, ground fruit and the mugwach were engineering disasters. Vast tracts of land had been given over to the new crops and when the market failed to materialise the colonists sought new income. Luckily, at the same time, the emerging Federation navy were looking for cheap land to establish dockyards and supply depots and accepted the offer made by the colonists of Anderton. One continent was sold to the military for their sole use. This was sufficient to provide the scientists with capital to fund their next series of crops the potato-grape, harricot marrow, carrot-banana and lentil quince. These new arrivals also failed to excite the gourmet palates of the Federation, and the scientific entrepreneurs left Auderton, run out by irate farmers. Ironically, thirty four years later the potato grape was revived, when it was found to provide a perfect feed for the newly discovered Verrix beast of Phiagre. The Anlave system was a focus for the third birthright wars, and many of the early settlements were destroyed by bombardment. The Federation navy took great losses during the surprise attack, but rallied round the flagship of Adnmiral Ghenkis B'nami and in a flourish of innovative surprise manoeuvres, recaptured the planet and drove the invaders away. After the raid, the defences of the naval base were strengthened and additional bases were established on Anderton's mine and Denver. Military influence on the re established farming community on Anderton remains strong. With three planets having substantial military presence, and a wide variety of environments to hand, Anlave was a natural choice for the first military training academy outside the Sol system. It is also conveniently situated at the heart of a moderately dense group of stars, and has several times been a local administrative centre. This pivotal role in local space has led to it being the focus of attention for nearby wars. The population of the planet has varied cousiderably during its history, and the number of settlements has in the past been far greater than at present. Although the Academy has now moved to the custom world of Navy Central in the nearby Eta Cassiopeia system, most of the naval administration remains including some of the naval repair facilities. Fraser is an interesting city to visit, but the bustle of constant naval activity coupled with the tacitum nature of the native farmers and miners means that it can be hard to get to know the people of the colony. The museums of the planet are very well laid out especially the Menmory of Gildur building in honour of the planets only truly great musician. A more depressing, but equally impressive display is the Folly of mankind exhibition, which graphically displays the desolation suffered in the wars for the planet. Arcturus ======== The main settlement is on Discovery, a planet with an oxygen atmosphere and, like others of this type is used for agriculture to feed the rest of the galaxy. For those unaccustomed to living under a red giant, the red light of day is rather unsettling, particularly during the summer when there is permanent daylight, such is the inclination of the planet Some find it disturbing and locals regularly see newcomers in a state of hysteria as they try to get passage home prematurely. "Red people" as they are known are said to be strange and this is attributed to the colour of the light. When the first settlers arrived, life was at an early stage of evolution so was easily replaced by the species introduced. Despite the knowledge in the field of ecology, humans still manage to end up with an imbalance due to the complexity of building a system from scratch Evolution still does it best, but then it does have time on its side. Due to the orbital period, seasons last for around seven Earth years. this is quite a daunting thought when that can mean seven years of almost complete darkness or daylight For this reason, those who can afford it have two homes, one in the southern and one in the northem hemisphere. If they are very fortunate, a person may have a residence in another system. Those who are less so, make do with artificial lighting to provide the wavelengths essential for human survival. Even so, the suicide rate is always high in the winter years. People born in different seasons have distinct personalities, due to their formative years spent in one extreme or the other. The inhabitants of the Arcturus system ignore warnings from the Stellar Monitoring Service, that the sun is not stable. Reports suggest that is likely to collapse into a white dwarf in the next few thousand years, but some studies say that it could be in the next hundred. Collapse would produce massive doses of radiation which would be received by all orbiting bodies, killing all life. Still, the locals insist on staying. Any change in the sun`s state will be announced by the S.M.S. so visitors should not be put off. KD Arexack ======= Peter's Eden is a small mined out world resettled by followers Church of KumByar, an obscure sect which believes in an after life made progressively less awful by successive years of virtuous living. For 100 Arexack-years after the founding of the colony (65 Earth-years of prayer, head shaving, flagellation, and life-extending drugs) there was little trade with Peter`s Eden since the settlers lived austere lives eating locally grown roots and vegetables raw. But then Galactic Play Boy Zack Blackbeam spent some ten million Credits on HoloProjectors and meteorological control deviccs to stage a fake Coming of KumByar on Peter's Eden. The settlers, being religious and extremely gullible, were totally taken in and so devastated to hear that their ascendence to the Highest Level of Paradise was prevented only by the "displeasing shave" of their leader His Magnificence the Right Holy Ssord Rettu III 65 sin free years were promptly tarnished by the lynching of Rettu III and 74 years of bloody holy war that continues to this day. The Church is violently divided over the interpretation of the phrase "displeasing shave". The traditionalists believed that KumByar had found them wanting on grounds of insufficient baldness and now remove every follicle of hair' from the body using micro laser surgery. The other side feel that shaven skin is offensive in His Sight and, with the aid of imported hormonal treatments, attempt to grow verdent hair over every part of their bodies. This war has brought Arexack back into Galactic Trade, importing firearms, defollicalation kits, and hair creams; exporting root crops and pelts. IB Ayethti ======= Topaz has rich indigenous life, but little has progressed from the seas to the land. For this reason most star catalogues class the world as a water world. It would be more appropriate to describe it as one enormous paddling pool, with an occasional large hill. The world possesses no really deep oceans, instead it has a thin covering of mineral rich water, rarely deeper than 300m. The water is at an almost uniform temperature, making swimming a very pleasant experience, since it is almost impossible for a human to sink in the dense liquid. Life forms on Ayethti have adapted to the rich mineral broth of the seas and they out compete introduced life forms from the Federation and even bio-engineered empire technology is no better than the native species. The colonists of this world therefore farm the local fauna and flora, exporting large quantities of protein rich plankton and krill like animals. Mining of the mineral rich seas is conducted both directly, on land and underwater, and indirectly by harvesting modified animals which filter and concentrate desired salts from the water. The planet orbits an M red flare star, and most colonists have flare shelters beneath the protective water of Topaz. The starports are all situated on land and have provision for shelter for all visitors. It is mandatory for all visitors to signflare disclaimers and prove they have adequate insurance cover before they are allowed on the world. Flares are a spectacular sight and stellar seismologists normally provide good warning of impending events. If you are present on Topaz when a flare is publicised, it is worth delaying your leaving until after the event. A local law on Topaz, followed in Simpsontown and Lomas (but less so at Fortress Sheehan) is that a hotel resident can extend a booking indefinitely during a flare this is very useful for a visitor since when a flare is declared, hotel charges for new visitors have been known to increase seven fold or more over the resident price. Topaz may be well known amongst amateur astronomers and star gazers for its flares but what makes it truly famous was the creation of Quitolline. It is amazing that until the Topaz life forms were studied for pharmaceuticals, over 80% of all space travellers were subjected to hyperspace sickness. This is a tremendously debilitating syndrome which is now almost unrecognised. Only the very few people who suffer from allergic reactions to Quitolline need endure the disorientation of hyper-jump sickness. (And most such people really prefer to remain at home and do their stellar travelling second hand by way of sensa- vid). Quitolline is the most effective anti-h-sickness drug ever discovered and its synthesis from naturally occurring forms on Topaz is a closely guarded secret. It forms one of the major exports for the planet and system. D.M. Aymiay. ====== Cooperworld is a hot and steamy jungle planet, of the sort often depicted in the more ridiculous high adventure yarns of the popular vid media. It teems with native life and the raucous cries of the native fauna which fill the night time can be unsettling to newcomers. The grail bat imitates the sounds of a screaming human with uncanny accuracy and can be very off-putting for the unwary. It is regrettable that the native colonists seem to have developed a habit for playing practical jokes on new arrivals, so any visitors had best be prepared for some sleepless nights The jungle provides a fascinating and lively environment for tourists and the world has a wide range of indigenous life. This has been allowed to remain since the plant and animal life can all be assimilated by the human digestive system. This means that colonisation of the world has been relatively cheap to carry out compared to terraforming, but the humid conditions of the world have limited industrial development. Most income for the world comes from organised hunting and exploration parties. Lomasport forms the centre for the Revised Catholic Mission and has three universities, each with a very high reputation amongst the federation worlds. The Grahamhurst theological college has produced some of the most incisive philosophers and radical thinkers of modern times, as well as a constant stream of missionaries to the outer systems and worlds of the Empire. Goldstein starport maintains ship repair facilities which are universally acclaimed, and it is a major centre for used ship exchanges in this region of the explored worlds. The world is proud of its allegiance to the Federation and adheres strictly to the legal code of Old Earth Visitors from the Empire should be aware of the restrictions on the introduction of slaves to the world. Any man or woman resident on the planet for a period of more than thirty days is automatically decreed a free person and laws of the Empire are not binding. This information is clearly stated in all new immigration documents, but has caused diplomatic incidents in the past DM Bedaho ====== Bedaho is famous throughout the known worlds as the home of the goldskins. There are very few worlds which do not leave some marks upon the human population but few are as obvious as that of Bedaho. While many humans go to some lengths to hide any effects their home planet might produce, the population of Home delight in showing off their differences Any form of life which grows on Home is infected by a native life form, at the sub- cellular level. It is entirely benign and some people believe that it confers resistance to some viral infections. The only side effect of infection is to turn the host creature a radient glow colour. A visit to Home is like taking a trip into King Midas' court, the world glows with gold from one horizon to the other. Every living creature on the planet shimmers with life and glisters in golden hues. The crops are gold, the trees are gold, the animals are gold and the people are golden. The only other colours are pigments, produced in vast quantities by the local chemical plants and used at every opportunity to break up the landscape. People from Home are probably unique in the known worlds for preferring granite jewellery and jade ornaments to those of gold. There is little demand on Home for the metal gold, except for electronics and robotics, but other precious metals and luxury goods are always welcome. There is a ready market on Home for off world animal pelts, any shape, pattern or shade makes a welcome change to the locals who regard their planet's life forms as being monotonously dull, despite the richness of the colours involved. There is a corresponding trade from Home to the rest of the known worlds for goldskin leather. Astrogator Corporation signed an exclusive deal with the planetary government of Home early this century giving it sole rights to commercial use of goldskin leather in its ships and yachts. It is the quality and colour of the leatherwork which marks an Astrogator spacecraft as distinctive, quite apart form the other luxury features which it might enjoy. Several other companies use goldskin fabrics to give themselves an edge in the luxury markets as well. At one stage the uncontrolled slaughter of native and imported animals threatened to turn the colony into an anarchy, but intervention by the Imperial navy restored order. In modern times the culling of local animals is strictly controlled by government, and poaching carries a very heavy sentence and fine. The exact nature of the organism which causes the goldskin effect is not completely determined yet, though its effects are well understood. A creature born on the planet or remaining there for a prolonged time (longer than 30 days) will become infected by the organism and then acquires the distinctive pigmentation within a few weeks. The colour is permanent and goldskins who leave the planet remain golden but the organism is not passed on by any form of contact. Empire technicians trying to get the goldskin effect to appear in laboratory animals have so far failed to duplicate the condition necessary for the organism to survive Beta Hydri ========== Conveniently situated approximately halfway between the centres of both Federation and Empire it is one of the founding memebers of the Federation. Following the first interstellar war. This large system maintains a thriving civilisation and trade. The main World of Homeland has established itself as a major centre for trading in luxury goods and the downtown regions of Dickens and Hooper are renowned for precious metal work and jewellery. The authorities on the planet have attempted to control the spread of industrial technology, craftsmen and women provide high quality finished work, for a price. Tourism is a major source of income for the system, though several major corporations maintain large offices here, because of the convenient location. The terraformed world of New Caledonia was settled originally by two families of mega millionaires of Scottish descent,from Capitol (before it became the centre of Empire administration). They financed the conversion of the world, and placed major constraints on its development. As was the wish of the founding families, the world is devoted to game hunting and fishing, with large areas of the planet given over to moors, fens and forests despite the relatively high population. The planet lives by tourism and sporting events. The planet also has a reputation for good stables and has held the interstellar equestrian finals more often than any other planet. New Caledonia also has a reputation for producing the finest liquor in civilied space with several distilleries vying for the highest accolades. Many believe that the ultimate prize must be held for Fujiyama Old Gold, or Glen Halycouia whiskeys DM Cemiess ======= A curious system, thought to have lost its outer planets many millenia ago due to a close encounter with another star system. The lack of gas giants in the system delayed any major settlement until 3055, despite the inner planet, Maxwell Rock being quite mineral rich (named after the ancient explorer Pol Maxwell, now widely known from the popular dream sequence "Maxwell Returns"). The early miners found the cost of bringing in their own fuel outweighed the potential gain. It seems hard to believe now, with the Core so thoroughly populated, that a known "mineral rich would be left alone for so long, but in those days planets were plentiful and people thinly spread. The Core then was much like the Outer Rim today. It was also before the invention of the shield generator so scooping fuel from a star was out of the question The Empire began terraforming Cemiess 2 in 3080, partly to satisfy the enormous demand for outdoor space by its exploding population, and partly as a political snub to the Federation. The Federation had previously claimed the world, but the decision to start the terraforming process was still tied up in bureaucracy. The Federal Senate had already postponed the scheme three times in order to keep within budget on the New Worlds project This was largely due to Governor Santorini of Tau Ceti (nicknamed Proxmire by the press from some obscure historical reference) whose cost cutting exercises are now seen as having been very destructive to Federal progress in the long term. Nevertheless his tax cutting policies were popular at the time, and he is still the longest serving govement there - 76 years up to his assassination in 3098. Emerald was first settled by imperial colonists in 3101, shortly followed by a heavily armed group from the Federation led by Admiral O`Brien. He personally supervised the building of a major fortification in only three days (seen in the gung- ho propaganda film "O`Brien`s War"), but all there died a week later from a mysterious plague. Both sides fought intermittently over Emerald for the next thirty years ending when Imperial Clone Troops were sent in and the imperial XV Fleet were stationed there. A diplomatic solution was finally found in 3136 in the Emerald Treaty, which narrowly avoided an assault by an enormous Federal task force, and brought about the uneasy peace we have today. It is also why Cemiess is the only imperial system in which slavery is illegal. This was to satisfy Federal demands, but there is reputed to be a thriving black market in them. DB Enaness ======= The colonist of this system established a rigourous communist hierarchy on the only oxygen atmosphere planet of the system. The regime has prospered and the body politic dominate the other worlds starports. The population of the worlds are booming and increasing in prosperity. All mining and industrial interests are state owned and largely automated Slavery is strictly forbidden and freedom is assured to anyone arriving in the territory regardless of race. Religious ceremonies of any form are illegal and commitments made in such circumstances are regarded as void under Enaness law All inhabitants of the system have a birthright guaranteed by the state, which is a single journey ticket to either Earth or Capitol, no other property is acknowledged. political indoctrination begins early on in childhood, but anyone declaring a desire to leave free to do so. There is no return permitted, however immigration to the worlds is strictly controlled and all goods are turned over to the state on arrival. Traders and visitors sometimes find the attitude of the inhabitants to material goods disconcerting The academy of Rymhananman is justly famous for its theoretical physics and chemistry departments. It also boasts the foundation established by Wyksyrndra Baranha to explore and exploit Enaness 4. WyKsymdra is famous for his conjecture that the fourth planet of Enaness was the homeworld of a civilised alien race, who later terraformed Charles Colony when they rendered their own world uninhabitable by excessive pollution. The evidence for his theory is hotly disputed by many eminent archeologisls, but they are at a loss to explain the peculiar mineral deposits of Enaness 4 and the absence of ancient fossils on Enaness 5 The abrupt appearance of life sprung full grown in all its glory suggests to Baranha tentative evidence of the works of an ancient spacefaring civilisation. If this theory is correct, there is no doubt that the alien species, and all tangible artifacts have disappeared during the intervening millenia. Part of the work of the foundation is to analyse the native species of other alien worlds and see if there are any anomalous similarities across worlds. The task is monumental and no conclusive results are expected for at least a century. The Foundation is supported by voluntary contributions from a number of trusts and charities. For information about donations, consult your local library database DM Epsilon Eridani =============== This system has nine planets, three of which are home to humans. The most noticable, is the inner pfanet New California, terraformed by the Cisco Corporation in 2958. This large conglomerate made a fortune with a patented terraforming method and now they have interests in innumerable fields. It is a beautiful world with stunning panoramas everywhere; flowers exotic trees, rivers and mountains have been carefully placed to be aesthetic. In fact it is so consistently picturesque that some people become distressed. When they are used to worlds with pockets of scenic beauty scattered amongst jungles of the urban type, it all gets a bit too much on New Califomia where there isn't so much as a discarded vidicube wrapper in the verdant garden Most come here for the Cisco Theme Park which was set up with no expense spared and costs a fortune to visit. It is well worth it though because you can live in a world of almost any fantasy you wish, even murder (slaves are very useful). If you want a break from the lushness outside, you can elect to stay for a day at the Ancient London Earth World of 1995. Every effort has been made to make it as authentic as possible, it even has the stench of pollution Every fantasy theme has its own complex which is self contained, with actors to help tourists play a part in adventures and feel that it is real. You can pay a little extra and have a personal android servant that looks exactly like the personality of your choice for when you are relaxing in the hotel section. The most frequently attended is the Erotic Pleasures of the Galaxy Centre which is not for the prudish or the faint hearted Amongst the customers there are always a number of private detectives doing research for angry clients who think their partner is up to no good having found receipts from Cisco Theme Park There are more wholesome themes on offer and it is not worth describing more because one man`s fantasy may be the every day drudgery of another. Remember there are always psychiatrists on hand to help you prepare for reality when you have to return home. KD Eta Cassiopeia ============== A very unusual system, which went unexplored for a long time after a small error in the Comprehensive Star Survey of 2153 logged the system as a binary with no planets. It is the only system known, so far, with habitable worlds in the Trojan points of a large planetary body with all three bodies moving in exactly the same orbital path, separated by 60 degrees Both these worlds, Trojan and Feynman have indigenous life and examination of their biological structure shows them to be based on the same DNA-like genetic mechanism as each other. Current theories suggest that particles spread along the orbital path following an asteroidal impact with Trojan, on which life was just emerging, and reached the atmosphere of Feynman relatively intact. Though there is evidence for a major glancing impact on Trojan in its early history (thought by some to have helped form its moon), this is highly contested by some scientists. The Federal Navy terraformed the only moon of the gas giant between in the 2970s to give an ideal training ground for planetary assault troops, and now that the Naval Academy has been moved here, it is the foremost naval training centre. There are no surface settlements for civilian visitors, they must disembark at the orbital station "Morgues Mortuary." The station was named (at first it was only a nickname) after a tyrannical naval training sergeant Maximillian Morgue. He was found guilty of abusing his position and was executed, following a mutiny after twenty of his recruits died in a single horrific incident Both Trojan and Feynman are largely agricultural worlds. Trojan is more heavily populated, and was the first to be settled. It is also where most of the light service industries which supply the Navy are based. The Navy import most of their heavy equipment from other nearby systems (especially from Camp Powell in AC+79 3888). Since the joint government here highly discourage the polluting heavy industry this would require. Feynman (named after an ancient physicist) is almost entirely agricultural, and is joked about within the navy as being the most boring place for shore leave. The well known saying getting leave on Hicksville, was started here. DB Exbeur ====== The planet Sheehanworld was initially overlooked in the exploitation of this region of space, the Federation gained a very firm grip on the planets and nearby star systems and relied on mainly automatic mining ships to develop the region. Because of this human population of the stars was relatively slow. There were furthur setbacks for the first colonists on the planet, with the first two settlements being wiped out by mysterious plagues The natural life on this cold planet were naturally hardy and many intrepid explorers fell victim to local parasites which managed to find comfortable hosts amongst the humans The planet is not an ice world, although it has large glaciated regions. There are fertile areas close to the equator and most humans choose to live there. The life on Sheehanworld is no longer harsh. Federation cultivators and harvesting machines have cleared large tracts of all native species and Earth basic stock has been imported to take over the cleared land. The most successful animals imported to the planet have come from the antipodes of Earth with kangaroos, duck billed platypuses and wombats providing a peculiar set of creatures to exploit a foreign ecology. The success of the duck billed platypus is especially remarkable considering its own precarious existence on Earth itself, where the animal is mainly confined to zoos and breeding laboratories. An ironic turn about is provided by the rabbit, which wreaked such havoc when it was introduced to Australia on Earth; it completely failed to find a foothold on Sheehaworld, in fact, the Sheehanworld parasite which killed most of the rabbits introduced is now used on Earth to control the population back in Australia The planets of Exbeur are not known for the commercial crops grown there, but rather as the centre of operations for the Federation mining concerns which operate in the volume of space nearby. Exbeur is home for one of the Federations largest mining fleets, and repair facilities for automated mining equipment can be found here, for Federation owned machines. Some Corporation vessels have service contracts here, but these are rarely leased to individual traders The miners of the Federation are renowned as rough and ready types and strangers wandering into any of the planetary bars or saloons may be surprised at the frequency of fist- fights. The experiences of a real life Exbeur miner, Douglas Mounthilbert form the basis of one of the most popular vid-series, Times of Splendour back at the Federation heart. Although the series has glamorised the events considerably, historians such as Aldwaith Rumbart are quick to disclaim the series as popular trash, but have to agree that in many matters of detail it accurately portrays the early development of the Exbeur system and establishment of Camp Biggs and Nakamichi Depot. There is a museum in Nakamichi Depot to the memory of Mounthilbert, containing some of the most remarkable footage ever captured on vid. A restored version of the vid can be enjoyed by anyone visiting. It records how Douglas managed to defend one of the local farmers from attack by a leopard hawk, one of the local predators. The "hawks were a bane of the early colonists" once the plagues were overcome, and Mounthilberts battle is the only recorded incident where a man bested one of the creatures with his bare hands, as well as being the storyline for may plays and an episode of Times the event captured the imagination of Jjagged Bbanner who dedicated their recording Death and Dishonour to the memory of Douglas (The Mounthilbert estate found the title offensive and tried to sue the band, but were unsuccessful) DM Exioce ====== O'Rourke Colony is not a particularly hospitable world, since the surface temperature of the World never goes above the freezing point of water. It became of interest to the scientific community when the rest of the system was explored. The third planet shows evidence of being terraformed in the very distant past, although the corrosive atmosphere suggests a very different life form than humankind was responsible. This discovery led to massive research investment by both Federation and Empire in the system. Thatcher Starport grew out of a group of industrial chemists investigating the origins of the Exioce III "biosphere". It is now a centre for the fabrication of super conductors and related products Experiment was terraformed by the Empire and this world is now the heart of the system. Being so much nearer to the star, it maintains a far more clement climate with a year half as long as that of O'Rourke. From its early beginnings as a research station to monitor closely the terraforming process, de Gaul Depot has become the centre for administration in the system. There are abundant mineral resources amongst the worlds of the system and it is a major production centre for computers and robotics. Attempts to introduce livestock onto Experiment have been largely unsuccessful, and O'Rourke colony has a polar climate, severely restricting the animals able to survive there Polar bears and seals have adapted well, competing on equal terms with the indigenous life forms, but no other Earth animals have adapted to the conditions. A fierce native predator has been christened the Yeti, after a mythical creature from antiquity, and has been responsible for the deaths of over two hundred research staff during the history of the colony. this in turn has made the system attractive to big game hunters. D.M Extila ====== The farmers of Carter`s World are justly proud of their reputation for producing some of the richest harvests of the Empire. Food exported from the World find their way to Achenar, Facece and even Earth, where the ground tree is a favourite delicacy amongst the high society and luxury catering industry. We cross bred grain varieties of of Carters World are reputed to make the finest bread in the known worlds and the Revised Catholic Mission of Aymiay insist that all their holy wafers be made with pure Carter wheat The populace of Carter's World are a racially mixed group, with several waves of settlers with different backgrounds landing and making a fresh start under the harsh light of Eltila. The planet has an "open door" policy for immigration and the relatively simple and disorganised feudal ruling system suits an agricultural life style. Despite the variety of racial backgrounds" the inhabitants of Carter`s World have a very uniform appearance to off- worlders. The harsh sunlight and the high gravity have bred a distinctive bulky dark skinned race with a marked distain for any kind of pretension The indigenous life forms of Carter's World are tolerated, but not pampered a local hexapod is used as draught animal by most farmers. But with typical Carter bluntness it is called beast and has no more formal name. The local fauna compete fairly evenly with imported Achenar and Earth stock, but the native plant life is not compatible with human digestive tracts and so imported varieties are farmed. A few verrix can be found hauling loads for the most prosperous farm communities. The imported verrix are highly prized and more than one local war has broken out over disputes about land use with the animals. These wars are highly localised affairs and tradition forbids the use of military or heavy weapons. Disputes are usually between neighbouring villages and rarely escalate furthur. Visitors to Carter's World are made welcome and the local hospitality is freely extended to one and all. Most visitors find the 2.8 standard gravities a bit daunting but booster shots can temporarily overcome this. Unless a traveller has grown up in high gravity environments, strenuous exercise should be avoided. There are organised tourist visits of all the famous planetary features of Caters World and tourists are advised to keep with the registered tours. DM Facece ====== Known as the second capital of the Empire, this system is the home of one of the major Empire fleets. The commercial and industrial heart of the system is the oxygen atmosphere planet of Topaz, famed for its spectacular rift valleys and tremendous waterfalls. Mineral exploitation development of Topaz is confined to deep mines and the planet supports a thriving tourist industry in addition to the vital administrative support it provides the Empire Many of the Empire's most prominent politicians and officers have their second homes on the lake shores of Topaz The eighth planet, Peter's Wreck has been taken over by the military, and training bases have been established there, for this reason the planet is interdicted and no casual visitors are allowed. It corresponds closely to the military worlds of the Federation such as Navy Central on Eta Casiopia. The military industrial complexes of the Facece system are self supporting, with military fuel synthesis using the abundant power in the system. If your credit is sufficient, there are no better facilities in the Empire than those available here for equipping a vessel. The proximity of so much Empire force means that the traveller in this area has little to fear from pirate raiders, though adherence to Empire law is of prime importance. For the visitor from the Federation, Topaz seems like a condensation of all things Empire, and in many ways the regime is enforced more strictly than on Capitol. Tourists must be absolutely sure that all papers are in order and always keep their identity disks to hand The planet of Topaz has been colonised for almost as long as Capitol and bears the marks of some of the early excesses of the Empire, particularly with regard to the race laws and early eugenics programs. The native life forms have been rigorously suppressed and Earth forms have taken control completely. The Quagga was introduced early on in the colonisation program and vast herds now roam parts of the planet. Topaz is almost unique of the known planets since an attempt to introduce rabbits to exterminate native herbivores failed completely early in the colony's history. DM Fawaol ====== The Fawaol system was originally explored by scouts from the Darius Foundation in an attempt to find a planet which could be used as a base for genetic engineering research. The first colony was established two years after discovery of the planet and a wide variety of animal life was imported from all the oxygen atmosphere worlds of explored space. The Foundation intended to exploit the different forms and experiments were undertaken to cross breed and geneticalty combine strains from entirely different evolutionary groups The work was undertaken in strict secrecy, since the manipulation being conducted were of highly dangerous and illegal nature. No-one is likely to know of the results of the work, however, since the early experimental records and "creations" were destroyed in a series of raids by extreme eco terrorists on the principal laboratories of the Foundation. Documents related to the experiments had been leaked to concerned orgaisations, and their contents were so horrifying to the general public that although one hundred and seventy four terrorists were arrested by planetary authorities, all were acquitted on technicalities. The Empire sent armed forces to finish the work of the terrorists and the Darius Foundation was destroyed forever. There remained the question of what to do with the enormous range of animals left after the laboratories were dismantled. Quentin Cholmondley presented a proposal to convert large tracts of the world, (renamed Tracy after the commander of the Empire fleet) into game reserves and zoological gardens. The intention was to provide micro environments tailored to each group of species and establish the largest series of free range habitats in space, where animals from all planets could be seen in conditions as close as possible to the wild. After the success and popular acclaim for the ecological fighters the idea of confining the creatures through artificial barriers was dismissed, and alternative methods of separating the widely different animal species were sought. In addition to the use of geological features and artificial earthworks, several biological methods are employed in the game parks of Tracy. These range from the poisonous and repellant gemini worms of Ackandso to the genetically enhanced tigers of Achenar, which are used to confine large herd animals to their prescribed lands Tracy has a twelve hour day and though the change of day length does not affect many of the imported species, few purely nocturnal hunters manage to flourish and have to be assisted by the zoo staff instead. The zoos are staffed on a permanent basis by teams of rangers and scientists who perform all necessary culling in a controlled and systematic fashion. The Empire retains a police force to deter poachers and game hunters and unlicensed killing of any creature on the world is illegal and carries stiff penalties and fines D.M. Laedia ====== Mansfield Colony began as a Federation re supply depot for deep space exploration The initial colony was provided with workshops and hyperdrive repair facilities and automated Federation mining equipment was brought to provide the necessary raw materials The local ecology of the main continent suffered terribly due to the unenlightened attitudes of the commanders of the Federation navy at the time. In retrospect, the damage that was done to the planetary environment seems terrible but at the time the single idea uppermost in the minds responsible for space exploration was expand At the time Laedla was explored and developed, there was serious concern amongst humanity in general that there was a belligerent extra terrestrial race waging war on new planets. Many ships were disappearing near Zelada, Ququvc and Aymiay and the federation was keen to expand in a different region in case the fears of non-human encounters were verified To this day, the loss of thirteen exploration vessels within a single sector in three months remains unexplained, but similar bursts of losses have occurred on different occasions at the edges of expanding human space. The threat of alien invasion or warfare has diminished however, since no active encounter has ever been recorded and no trace of non-human civilisation has been reliably confirmed on any planet. Mansfield colony was put together in a frenzy of panic, when the Federation anticipated a war which never emerged. The colony was equipped with a mass of sophisticated robotic equipment and machine shops, but few colonists. The second stage of colonisation set out to reverse this trend, immigration by thousands of peasant farmers from worlds bordering the Empire. As the population changed from military dominated mining and refurbishing to a more agricultural base, the Federation navy presence was reduced The Empire invaded Mansfield colony in force on Lightning Thursday, and the Federation forces were overwhelmed within two hours. It was the greatest set-back the Ghurka regiment of the Federation has ever suffered and it confirmed the Empires Clone troopers as their elite forces. The empire ensured that the Federation could not reclaim the world by establishing strong fortifications at Maxwell City and Suzuki town and two naval bases off planet. Once the Empire had taken control of the population, they lost no time in re- establishing an industrial economic base for the planet. The world and the outer planets are all donated by Empire mining concerns, and Mansfield colony is a net importer of food in some years. This is due to Empire reliance on single strain crops which can be very vulnerable to epidemics, when the entire world crop of a particular type may be destroyed. DM Lave ==== The trading centre for this region of unusual systems. Through some unexplained quirk of nature all systems have just one inhabited woirld orbiting a single star. These systems are often known as ."The Old Worlds" as they were amongst the first to be settled, despite there lack of gas giants. They were also renowned for their lawlessness as only the corporate states in the region had any police force to speak about "Lave is most famous for its vast rain forests and the Lalian tree grub" as the main planet used to be desrribed on the now outdated Data on Systems publication from the Elite Federation of Pilots. Much of the rain forest has now been cut down by irresponsible locals wishing to raise cattle, and the famous tree grub is on the verge of extinction in its natural habitat. Unfortunately it is very sensitive to its environnient and all attempts to breed them in captivity have so far failed. The ecological demonstrations made up almost entirely by off- worlders) here are almost continuous; so much so that many come here regularly on their vacations in order to protest. Indeed, ironically the dictator Dr, Walden once reffered to the protesters on a vid interview as "Our thriving tourist industry" and also said "The system's economy depends on them so much so that we cannot afford to stop cutting down the forests!". DB Liaedin ======= The hot white star of Liaedin sears the surface of Schneider Colony with a bright artinic glare. The inhabitants have come to learn that hiding from the light especially in the midday hours is vitally necessary to avoid dangerous skin cancers. In local slang a trip out in the midday sun is to invoke "death from above". The locals have a very sanguine attitude to life and death, since in the past few hundred years they have been subject to far more death from above than just the sunlight. Schneider Colony has had numerous starports established in the past and New Cousens is only the latest in a long line of local capitals. The remains of some of the others dot the landscape here and there, scattered amongst radioactive craters and pock-marks form other debris of the almost continual skirmishing over the planet between the Federation and Empire The planet is catalogued in most libraries as being "disputed" but the true situation is that the population are in an almost continual state of civil war, and neither the Federation or Empire seem very keen to end the situation The burning surface of New Cousens supports a very vigorous form of native life which have a very rapid growth cycle. Some plants sprout from nothing to full growth reproduce and then decay within a single day, since they are killed by the midday light. Earth crops have not adapted well to the harsh environment and most colonists survive on hydroponic crops grown in filtered light in sheltered darkhouses. There are few large animals native to the world; the largest so far discovered is a burrowing worm 20 metres long which inhabits the tropical deserts which lie in two bands just South and North of the planetary poles The presence of the giant worms in the deserts of Schneider Colony was revealed by the peculiar metal rich patterns detected in the initial orbital survey of the world conducted by Theodore Schneider. He believed the intricate patterns to be the work of native intelligences eager to give messages to visiting astronauts. When it was discovered that they were merely the waste products of a native worm with less intelligence than an average dog, Schneider relinquished claim on the world and flew off in search of true extra terrestrial intelligence Theodore Schneider left the colony in the hands of two families, the Blossoms and the Faveots. The Blossom family contracted a group of planetary engineers to persue the exploitation of the seas, which are very mineral rich. The Faveols imported Empire technology and bred a hybrid worm which burrowed deeper into the deserts and actively sought out mineral rich earth. The Faveols leave a trail of enriched ores as they move through the ground which can be easily harvested with cheap mechanical devices. The secrets of the sea mines and the hunting worms have been protected diligently and handed down from one generation to the next and are undoubtedly the best kept secrets on the planet It has become traditional to call for assistance from either the Empire (for the descendants of the Faveols) or the Federation (for the Blossoms) at the slightest infringement of the convoluted territorial laws on Schneider's Colony, or if mineral quotas are exceeded by either family. The Federation and Empire both seem content to continue the dispute, perhaps viewing it as a good testing ground for new military hardware, without wishing to start conflict in more prosperous areas, The Federation maintain a small permanent force at Wilson Base, on Ulrichs rock while the Empire has taken over Moore's World and the small starport of Smith Town Visitors to any of these worlds should be aware of the constant tension which prevails and the delicate potitics which prevents full scale war from breaking out here. Be very careful to ensure that all documents are up to date and accurate before venturing into this system DM Liaququ ======= The water world of New California is famous for the wide range of medicines which the abundant ocean life provide. The World is devoid of advanced life forms with no natural vertebrate forms. Evolution appears to have pursued a similar route as on Earth with plants and simple life developing in the oceans, but the most advanced species are equivalent to the terrestial echinederms. Despite the unsophisticated anatomy of the animals, the ocean teems with life and it yields an abundant harvest for the farming communities which now inhabit the world The life forms of New California may lack sophistication, but a huge variety of developments have occurred in the benign environment of the hot ocean. On Earth some of the most potent poisons known to mankind are found in the jellyfish, and this is true of Liaququ's planet as well. Early settlers fell easy prey to the local creammis floaters and flying drevis froms with their potent nerve toxins. Even nowadays, the fish farmers have to beware of the swarming migration patterns of whip slimes. The deadly venom of many of the species of New Califomia have spawned a thriving pharmaceutical trade. The factory and laboratory ships of major interstellar drug companies keep track of the ocean currents and harvest a rich variety of natural drugs and medications. They also serve to notify the resident fisheries of unexpected concentrations of dangerous fauna Many varieties of aquatic life from Earth and other worlds have been introduced to the oceans of New California. Local environmental lobbies have made no progress at limiting the import of foreign life forms. In many cases the introductions have been unsuccessful and several ambitious commercial farming ventures have come to nothing. The dolphins and killer whales of Earth and the barabous and inqoqo of Cemiess have done particularly well, but are not commercialty exploited due to their recognised intelligence levels. The most successful commercial fish crop is the stinger of Facece which is the local staple food and a valuable export. The largest predator on New California is a species of eleven limbed starfish known as Godzilla, a historical reference of uncertain origin. The naturalist and environmental lobbyist M'harma Dennet has captured on film the remarkable fight between a godzilla and a sperm whale following the battle in an aircraft and finally diving into the ocean to catch the final moments as the godzilla dispatched the giant mammal. The fiIm has won several awards including the prestigious DIGMA bronze star. DM Phekda ====== The Phekda system was opened up by three major corporations simulaneously. Kamawachi, Bell Traket and Inter-market. A brief spell of mutual cooperation soon degenerated into fierce corporate warring, resulting in the destruction of most of the original bases. Several small pressure groups converged on the planet of New California and set up independent operations, using military hardware from a nearby war to enforce their independence. In the uncontrolled warring, much of the indigenous life was destroyed by bacterial warfare and radioactive fall-out. Many parts of the World are still contaminated. The entire system now operates as an anarchic state and visitors must be prepared to deal with each individual entirely on their own merits It is a dangerous system to visit, especially on a casual basis, since there is no law enforcement in the system. Every once in a while the Federation attempts to impose order but the fiercely independent colonists resort to guerilla tactics to maintain their freedom. Any traveller visiting the system during such a sortie can expect to be treated in a very undignified fashion and may even have to stand trial as a spy. The system is also a haven for escaped convicts and bounty hunters All in all a highly uncivilised region and well worth missing by any law abiding citizen DM Phiagre ======= Stevenson is a cold world orbiting an isolated star of this ternary system. It is a Corporate planet, but runs along the lines of the Empire rather than the Federation, and visitors and tourists must be sure to have all papers and identification readily to hand if they land at either Fortress Birmingham or Nakamichi's Camp. Despite the martial sounding name Fortress Birmingham has never been the focus of military action and the history of the planet has been quite peaceful the civil war which established the planet as an independant Corporate run World occurred within a decade of first landing and the government structure has all the merits and deficiencies of a long established bureaucracy. There was a great movement towards eco awareness at the time of the colonies foundation, and pledges to conserve the native forms were forced on the Corporations from the outset. This proved to the companies advantage when the native flora were later exploited commercially. The low mean temperature of the world has produced some extremely hardy plants and animals, of great interest to scientists and with huge commercial spin offs. There is geological evidence that the planet has had a much warmer climate in the past, and this may in part explain how the life forms of this world have proved so adaptable to other worlds Few companies or individuals with an interest in terraforming and planetary modification will be unfamiliar with grana-root. This had become one of the major planet- breakers for terraforming operations. It can out-compete many simpler plants and directly consume tailored bacteria (strains IGH\CFi\ag I, IV and V), breaking up earth and soil to provide fertile land for grain crops. At the same time, the spread of grana root is controlled by appilex, a burrowing worm also derived from one of the creatures of Stevenson For many, though, the most familiar of the animals of this world will be the verrix which is probably to be found on more worlds than any other single species except mankind itself. The giant creature, with its enormous musclepower and placid nature is standard equipment for many new colony ships. Transported as fertilised ova it has replaced mechanical tractors on many emerging worlds, especially those of the Empire and bio- engineering oriented Corporations. Records indicate that the verrix can grow to approximately three times the size of the Earth elephant. It is an omnivore and can adapt to digest most foods though the potato grape of Anlave is known to be the ideal feed for the animal. Finally, many colonies have found that the versatile hair and hides of the creatures have reduced the need for expensive import of materials from off-planet during early years of colonial development Verrix for export are genetically pure "strains" geneticaly modified to be sterile after three generations. This is a Corporation device, to ensure a continuing market for their animals. The strict quarantine Laws and heavy penalties for import or export of the live animals are designed to maintain the Corporations strangle hold on the verrix market. Visitors to the verrix farming regions are welcome. The sight of herds of the enormous creatures trampling the plains, herded by enhanced polar bears from Exioce is quite amazing. as one poeticatly inclined visitor stated "the polar bears seem to dance around the verrix as if they were stoats herding Cows on Earth" The O'Hanlon orbital station has excellent repair facilities and boast a number of first class hotels. The sight from the station of the planet and ternary system are quite spectacular Phiagre is an interesting stopover between the Federation and Empire and well worth a visit by even a casual tourist DM Quince ====== The second planet of this system, New America was claimed early in the life of the Empire and has stayed loyal from the very beginning. The population are fierce bound to the Empire and many of the most fanatical of the Empire's regiments have a core of Quincet soldiers. The Empire's tolerance of genetic manipulation has found a ready hold in the people of Quince and here more than anywhere else in the worlds the principles of directed development have been pursued The most deadly insult which can be delivered to a native Quincet is too long or too hard. This can be difficult for someone brought up in the sheltered worlds of the Federation. It is quite possible to meet engineered humans with very heavily adapted physiques to enable them to operate effectively under the seas, or high in the mountains of New America and even the occasional attempt at growing extra limbs can be glimpsed now and then since dueling is permitted in Empire law, and choice of approach is left to natives visitors should be careful when wandering the streets of any of the major starports not to gawp too openly The principles of directed development mean that most births on the planet are planned, indeed "Designed" but the inhabitants are also masters of genetic grafting and implant surgery" so a person's form is very flexible. If you make friends with a native during one visit, you may be surprised at their appearance when you next meet them. The enhancement possible by the best of Empire technology is frowned on by Federation law, but is available at a price to anyone who wants it, in the laboritories of Simpson Town. DM Quphieth ======== An independent world in which feudal land barons are propped up with aid from the Empire. To avoid this world and its interesting biology being consumed by the Federation The Quphieth system was first visited by Augustus Brenquith, a rich eccentric from Old Earth who spent the latter half of his life exploring and opening up new stellar systems He was one of the great early explorers, and left Earth in a highty modified Griffon class freighter. His ship was "extensively altered" to enable it to make very long jumps (for the time) and most of the cargo space was converted to life support and message capsules. He left Earth just after the third algac war and vowed never to return. His aim was to explore the surrounding stellar systems and provide a legacy of inhabitable planets for the people of Earth For a period of 35 years, message capsules from Brenquith returned to the Sol system bearing news of new worlds or hazardous planets which he had encountered. Each new arrival spurred a wave of colonists out from the home planet to the new World. His descriptions of the planets he visited were often poetically tinged, and after so long without human company became rather unreliable but were always great media sensations His initial description of Quphieth centred mainly on the rich and diverse life of the main continent. And he wrongly concluded from his initial aerial survey that there was no large animal life present, only a rich variety of plants and insects. The world is now famous for the peculiar biology which has produced the most successful non standard (neither plant animal nor fungoid) life form so far encountered. All the creatures of Quphieth combine features which lead to classification as plant and animal, according to Earth standards and they continue to surprise and amaze scientific surveys to this day The system is now most famous for the so called "whispering palms" which produce sounds and mimic the cries of local flying creatures. These plants form huge forests and the din created when the planimals echo the sounds of a violent thunder storm have to be heard to be believed. Visitors to the system are restricted, and export of the local species has been strictly controlled ever since the Doleviera incident. It is unusual for permission to be granted for individual trips to any of the islands, where scientists are still attempting to catalogue the local life forms. DM. Ququve ====== This thinly populated federation world is home to the great funkenstromer. Works, a giant industrial chemical conglomerate which furnishes the fittings and equipment for 30% of all federation ships. The conglomerate favours undeveloped worlds for its industrial bases, since there is less danger of law suits from ecological activists. The federation law enables the company to establish single owner sites and prevent access by casual investigators. Funkenstromer also build very efficient security systems and all their plants are very well guarded New America was named with a good deal of sarcasm by the first colonists. They found a grim forbidding world and the original choice of name was "Inferno" but too few visitors caught the reference to Dante's outermost hell and the name was changed by common vote. Life on New America was confined to the seas before the arrival of mankind and the giant ice floes and continental shelf were effectively sterile. The world was therefore ripe for plundering by the conglomerates which started work with a huge investment in robot task forces. The charter of planetary development drawn up by federation beaurocrats for New America set firm limits on the emission of effluents and toxic wastes. These are restricted and controlled so that the seas do not become polluted by industrial effluent. The emission of greenhouse gases is strictly controlled and minimum levels of emission for each type of industry were established and agreed with the conglomerate. Any site not meeting the emission requirement must supplement its own waste gasses with additional quantities generated deliberately to bring the levels above the minimum Company meteorologists are monitoring the condition of the world carefully and new guide lines for gas levels will be presented as soon as the target heating of the planet has been achieved. It is hoped that the warming of the world can be conducted in a controlled fashion so that the native life is disturbed only marginally, but the surface of the planet will be made far more accessible. So far the development is proceeding pretty much to plan, according to the spokeswoman for the conglomerate. The sudden bloom of weltsers leaf in two of the planetary seas and the consequent extermination of the bottom grazing wirromin skate are put down to freak environmental accidents. Until the surface of New America warms considerably, or the industrial development exceeds reasonable limits, New America supplements its industrial output by operating as a winter sports centre. The facilities available at Scott, the major starport, are second to none in the Federation. There is a thriving market amongst the wealthy visitors for all manner of luxury goods and provisions. DM Riedquat ======== Like Lave, this is one of the Old World systems, with just a single planet and star. It has now been in a state of anarchy or civil war for some five hundred years and it seems very unlikely that a stable government will ever be successfully established, since the anarchic attitude is so ingrained in the planet's culture Social stability depends on large family groups or clans, and minor wars between them are continually breakiug out, keeping the thriving arms importers busy. There have been attempts in the past to start up local weapon manufacture but typically family rivalries tend to end up with the factories being destroyed. Indeed there is no heavy industry to speak of because the investment required to build a factory is far greater than that to destroy it. Slavery here is rife, as captured members of rival families are either used as slaves on their vast farms, or sold on the open market to generate foreign currency to buy arms. The major battles tend to be seasonal, mainly since most of a family's income is spent on weaponry, and much of their income comes from the grain harvest, once every 131 days (a local year). Each family tries to get its harvest out as soon as possible, so it can wipe out its hated rivals before they get their order of weapons. Quite often a hard pressed family will be almost out of ammunition immediately before harvest, so this is a good time for a rival to attack. It has beeu known for families to cooperate, especially distant families in different hemispheres (since the seasons occur there at different times) but these agreements rarely last more than a few seasons The harmless Riedquatian mouse is much prized for its delicate meat and extremely soft fur, used to make the much treasured "mousemat" coats, sold throughout the known worlds. Many families farm them, and there is still a thriving population in the wild. A wild mouse is particularly treasured if found scavenging on a battlefield, as the flesh is supposed to be especially succulent. DB Ross 128 ======== Travellers do not flock to Ross 128 or to its only inhabited planet, Grants Claim When Maurice Grant claimed it, it was through an over ambitious desire to build an independent colony that he could rule without question. His early surveys suggest that the planet was mineral rich and promised an exciting future amassing wealth from mining Unfortunately, he discovered that in every body of people there are always a few who ask questions, and awkward ones at that, then don't settle for a feeble answer. Whilst answering a few of these at his Citizens' Clinic he was assassinated. Grant's analyses proved to be erroneous as minerals were only to be found in small pockets here and there the mines were soon abandoned. The remaining would be leaders realised that it was not an easy job to govern a population driven mainly by greed and the resulting economic collapse was devastating. The Federation stepped in and "rescued' the colony on the condition that it came under their control. The populace greeted them with open arms and promptly found that their home was to become a prison colony The prison, nicknamed "The Warren" is a vast underground complex of cells accommodating miscreants of every kind. The security is very tight and few have seen beyond the visitors' hall without being an inmate. For this reason rumours are rife, and include tales of genetic experiments, prostitution and corruption. It is true that the prisoners experience great hardship due to the manual mining at minus four degrees centigrade. It is no holiday for the warders either and there are reports of some of the narcotics intended for use in prisoner obedience programmes being diverted to the staff. Nobody outside really complains because they are glad that someone else is willing to do the job Don't forget, if you ever have a loved one serving a sentence, you need a permit to see them. KD. Ross 154 ======== A very small system with little to attract any interest. The only reason it is mentioned here is the curious ecosystem on the ice world Merlin. All the indigenous life is beneath the ice of the vast salt water ocean, which covers the entire world. It exists in large pocket of gas trapped beneath the permanent stable ice sheet, and in the oceans themselves It wasn't until 2775 when Burt Hackrington Smythe made the series of documentaries "Heaven Under the Ice" that it was understood how such a world managed to sustain the large shoals of merlin fish found here. The ecosystem is based on a lichen which grows on the walls of air filled chambers under the ice. Living off the weak red light which filters through from above. The lichens produce oxygen to give a mixture surprisingly breathable by humans and they form an insulating layer. Typically the temperature inside can be as high as 20 degrees centigrade, heated by the thick layer of rotting vegetation which floats on the surface of the sea below. A whole host of other species graze on the Lichen, lighting the cavity with their various glowing body parts, and species such as the Merlin Plesiosaur with its fierce red glowing eyes (much valued for its silky hide) travel between these oases, eating a few of the grazing creatures at each stop. The life cycles of these cavities is tens of Earth years. They start as little high pressure bubbles deep under the ice, and can grow up to about five kilometers across, giving the truly beautiful panoramas depicted by Hackrington Smythe. The cavities slowly migrate to the surface as the ice above them melts, and their eventual death can be quite spectacular when suddenly a crack forms in the ice above the cavity and the pressure is released. There is a long rumble as water floods the cavity, then rushes up through the hole formed, forming a giant moss laden geyser on the surface above. The shoals of merlin fish rush to the sound of rumbling, to feed on the debris which falls into the sea below, and it is for this reason that the fishing industry on Merlin was so easy to establish. No fishing fleets are needed - each factory simply releases an explosive charge in a man-made cavity below the reprocesing plant and an hour later it is full of fish. Strict controls are enforced to prevent overfishing since the early private fisheries almost wiped out the stock in only four years The only surface settlement is the windswept Sirocco Starport. It is built directly on the ice sheet, and is used to supply the numerous fish processing plants built under the ice. It is also through here that the huge tonnage of fish is exported to the surrounding worlds. The seedy starport diner, The Ecstatic Gourmet, serves an excellent dish called Merlunch which is a pie made with pickled merlin fish. It sounds off putting but regular travellers to this area make a point of visiting the diner just for this, rarely risking the other fare D.B Sirius ====== Most visitors to the Sirius system are disappointed at how little there is to see, given its importance in human history. It has numerous firsts to its name, in addition to being the brightest star in the sky of Ancient Earthbound humans. Doubtless the guides in the Sirius Museum Complex on Lucifer will tell you, this was the first entirely corporate system and the location of the first commercial production of Anti-matter based fuels Most historians now tell a different story, however, about how Sirius became rich during the First Interstellar War. The Sirius Corporation was set up by a group of rich industrialists from Earth, in order to exploit the discovery of a way to store a stable atom of anti matter within a complex molecule. And use it as a fuel Sirius first started production in 2350, supplying the Federation war fleet, whose ships had been adapted to use the new fuel This caused a major swing in the Federation's fortunes, but only a few years later Imperial ships were similarly equipped, cancelling the advantage, It is now known that Sirius supplied both sides, engineering convenient shortages whenever one side was winning, thus greatly prolonging the war (and increasing their own income). Though it is not denied by Sirius today it is blamed on a few unscrupulous individuals, who are now long dead. This Gazetteer does not wish to suggest in any way that the Sirius Corporation today would do any such thing Lucifer itself is an interesting planet. It orbits Sirius B very closely indeed hence the enormous power the corporation can extract using the coils wrapped around the planet and from their solar collector panels. Visitors should beware of the high radiation levels mainly from Sirius B, but also from the fuel plant. The numerous volcanoes are quite a sight and small craft can be hired to go on a sling shot path close to the fearsomely dense white dwarf. This is supposed to be the "ride of a lifetime," though be warned - there have been many fatal accidents. DB Tau Ceti ======== This system is remarkable in that it was the first on which life was discovered off Earth. The first intrepid pioneers led by John Taylor set up a settlement and named it Taylor Colony. They were very successful and used the fertile land for agriculture which was fully automated. The population grew rapidly and revenue was earned from hunting which more or less wiped out the indigenous life. When word got back to the Authority for Ecological Control they became concerned and issued guide lines for conservation, which were duly ignored. The hunting of wildlife and destruction of habitats continued until Earth threatened to send a police force. John Taylor was a particularly hot headed individual and started to insist that independence from Earth was granted to the Tau Ceti system. Trade embargos failed and finally a military force was sent out by Earth believing that Tau Ceti would not have the resolve to resist. A battle followed which resulted in an impasse - surprising the authorities. Eventually after much diplomacy the deadlock was broken was by forming the Federation including Tau Ceti and Earth amongst others as founder members. The unfortunate creatures that fuelled the whole debacle which led to this extremely powerful alliance, virtually died out. Today they remain in small numbers in enclosures and sanctuaries KD TILIALA ======= Valhalla is a small, hot world, comprising equal parts of tropical jungle and desert. Water covers only one third of its surface, but they team with native life. The seafood of Valhalla is a gourmet`s dream, complicated only by the dangers involved in fishing on the planet, which is subject to violent storms throughout the year. The Valhalla serpent is incorrectly named, since it is anatomically related to the mammal like native animals of the world. It grows to lengths in excess of thirty metres in the deep ocean regions of the planet and careful control of hunting of the creatures maintains the population at a suitable level. The serpent is the source of cabitol oil and greaver, used in pharmaceuticals and beauty products throughout human space, and its brilliantly patterned hides adorn the wealth of the Federation Similarly striking animals inhabit the jungles of Valhalla, perhaps the best known being the Rajah Sphinx, now unfortunately extinct in its native habitat, but preserved in zoos throughout the galaxy. The Trupin Sphinx reins in the wild, however and safari tours to see it in situ are arranged on an ad hoc basis. Valhalla is a relatively light world, with few accessible mineral deposits, so competition for land has been slight and the ecological management of the planet has proceeded in an exemplary fashion The sister world of Democracy has been terraformed and is the site for most mining and industrial activity in the system. The world is dense and mineral rich, and is heavily exploited. The combination of a naturally fertile "organic" world and a heavily industrialised and mineralised artificial world is very successful and many of the wealthiest people of Federation call the system home. D.W Wolf 630 ======== This is an amazing system in fact a combination of coorbital systems, including Wolf 629 and the white dwarf VB8 (named after Van Beisbrock in ancient times). The sky provides a stunning spectacle as six different bodies are visible together. The scene from Landfall has been made famous by the painting, Six Sisters by Dee Kosmala Landfall, the only planet is home to the Second Founding Fathers, a rich group of individuals who wanted to set up an ideal world. They named their capital Mayflower City and set up an agricultural community which has grown to enable a major export industry to flourish. The inhabitants are an insular lot because they do not have any other planets in their system, and view foreigners with suspicion so a reduced gene pool has resulted in much inbreeding Landfall orbits a brown dwarf named McCarthy, a spectacular sight. It was named after an ancient astronomer who was not taken seriously when he discovered it. The inhabitants of Landfill like to think it was the first brown dwarf known to Man but those of other systems dispute this. The indigenous life had to be very hardy as it had to withstand the high levels of radiation from the white dwarf as it cooled and from McCarthy. Thus the very irresponsible introduced life from Earth did not cause too much of an ecological problem because most of it died out. K.D. Zeaex ====== The territorial rights over the Zeaex system has been disputed between the Empire and Federation for over two centuries. The mineral rich inner planets, together with a diverse range of gas giants make this an economic centre for the region. The presence of a habitable world greatly increases the system's strategic importance. The inhabitants of the worlds of this system try to balance the need for trade with a desire to be left well alone. Tourists are welcome, but many are viewed with deep suspicion by the residents. Both Federation and Empire have naval bases within the system, which limits the efforts of pirates but puts pressures on legitimate traders. Heavy metals are mined on the innermost world of Cambridge's Hole, named after the miner Gramboume Cambridge who was first to stake claim to the world. He invested heavily in mining machinery and obtained the exploitation rights to the system from the Federation. Erronsa Ashfield followed Grambourne to the system ten years later with permission to mine granted by the Empire. Ashfield, with her husband Francis established a base on the second planet, having failed to force Cambridge from the innermost world. The Ashfields made an early fortune exporting rare gems to the Empire, while the Federation provided a ready market for Cambridge A bitter rivalry developed between the two camps and naval vessels of both sides once threatened to escalate the conflict into open warfare. The confrontation was averted by the majority of colonists on Democracy, petitioning both Earth and Capitol to have the mineral rights to the rest of the system given to the settlement of Newtown in the ensuing legal battle the armed forces were called to other areas and the situation settled into a more peaceful state The mining families on the inner planets retain only ten percent shares in the profitable mineral trade. As with many worlds in the so called "disputed zone", neither Empire nor Federation have dominance. Travellers from the Federation may find the presense of so many slaves distressing, but visitors from the Empire will be equally disturbed by the lack of imposed discipline and positive discrimination for racial and minority groups. The worlds and colonies of the disputed zone are a mixing ground for two very different cultures and this can be experienced in full at this world. D.W Zearla ====== The Zearla system is home base for the vast majority of the miners who work the nearby worlds and systems in this sector of space. The city of Jeffries on Fraser homes the head office of Wreaken Construction and Mining, the most prosperous of the independent mining and development companies which work at the edge of the Federation Employing over a quarter of a million full time staff and owning sole mineral rights to some forty nine planets. The Wreaken company can be found throughout most of the frontier and Federation Worlds With such a concentration of mining interests on Fraser it is not surprising that there are a large number of starports, all offering excellent repair facilities to miners and traders alike. Whatever facilities are not provided at one of the Fraser bases can almost certainly be acquired at nearby Andceeth. The Earth like world of Charles Colony, orbiting Enaness is also nearby, but its rigourous communist principles deter many casual visitors The Zearla system is well developed, from the smelting planet of Jamesons Wreck named after the unfortunate Naomi Jameson who crashed while chasing a metal rich comet towards the star but survived for three days before being rescued, to Leetown on Cooperworld, the seventh planet. The only solid world between Jameson's Wreck and Cooperworld not to boast a permanent settlement of some type is Zearla 2, locally known as Nemesis, which has no mineral wealth to speak of and whose crust contains sizeable fractions of volatiles. The surface of Nemesis is unstable and six attemnpts to establish bases on the planet have ended in disaster. The number of lives lost trying to populate this inhospitable world is one hundred, despite the best efforts of standby rescue teams. The local miners use the planets name as a powerful curse and the more superstitious will even climb out of its orbital plane to avoid the taint of its path! D.W. Zeessze ======= The first thing to strike a person casually browsing through a planetary catalogue is the remarkable similarity between the systems of Sol and Zeesse. This superficial similarity led to very high hopes amongst the initial settlers, who christened their world paradise This hopeful start was soon dispelled when the colonists arrived at their destination. The first bases were established on the minor planet Gonzalez's Grave, named after the unfortunate shuttle pilot whose crash landing was to be symptomatic of the initial set-backs the colonists experienced The starport of Oliver, on Gonzalez's Grave was built to schedule, and probes to the third planet were sent out. They reported back a very differcnt picture to that given by the Earth bureau of colonisation. (Recall that this was in the second wave of emigration when Earth was suffering severe population pressures and almost any measure was regarded as fair to rid the planet of excess). The planet was verdant and new life forms were abundant but it is smaller and denser than Earth, giving rise to very high surface gravity The initial colonisation of the world was hampered because humans were unable to work for more than a couple of hours at a time before needing to rest. In these early days of exploration and exploitation, transport costs for machinery was prohibitive between systems so most early colonisation work was performed by human labour (some historians suggest this is the origin of the Empire's slave culture). Quite apart from the high gravity the world was far hotter than the colonists, originally from Lappland and the Siberian pan- conurbation were accustomed, and many immigrants died of heat exhaustion before a second wave of colonists introduced a more sensible work regime The world was re-christened New America after a botanist showed the similarities between the climate of the world and of Ancient South American forests on Earth. This provided the first clue to conquering the planets indigenous life forms. At first, and for several generations the local fauna and flora successfully resisted the attempts of Earth phenotypes to take over. Earth crops could only be grown in restricted areas and local carnivores and raptors made the world a dangerous place to explore. Qui Luk Soo introduced a number of slightly modified strangler vines from Earth stocks, and this small start led eventually to the taming of large parts of the jungle planet for human use. The problem of labour was partly solved by the introduction of genetically "improved" gorilla stock, which could be trained to perform simple clearing and construction work. A brief but extremely violent assault on the colony by a war band of eco-revolutionists destroyed all the facilities for the gorillas, who "escaped" into the wild. Some were able to find their way back to the community, but to this day there are some feral gorilla tribes in the heartland of the jungles. These are the subject of intense study by anthropologists and are covered by Federal interdict from all further tampering by mankind With the passing generations, the human stock of the system have adapted to the strong gravity of their planet, becoming heavily built and muscular. It is sometimes hard for visitors to distinguish men and women of the planet, but given their violent tempers and general impatience, it is important to get it right if you are a tourist. New Americans do not suffer fools gladly. The jungle of the world is still inhabited by a number of very dangerous native predators, including the Quivol and Nii-worm, which claim a respectable annual toll of lives if your interest in visiting the planet is hunting, do not expect to find native guides cheap to hire, nor eager to venture into the relatively unexplored Southern continents New America is home of the modern Ghurka assault regiment, which saw action in all the major wars against the Empire. In the past century, the fighting men and women of the regiment have seen action in several disputed systems and even the Empire clone troops hold them in high regard. They are normally planet fighters, preferring and training for ground action rather than space warfare, so they play littLe part in current naval actions against pirates Occasionally they are used as "shock troops" in recovering Frontier world where organised crime has established too strong a hold and threatens the economic stability of the Federation DM Zelada ====== The Zelada system was colonised at roughly the same time as Ququve but by a fundamentalist religious sect, looking for a world to conduct a penance for humanity. The conditions they found on New Africa suited their requirements to a remarkable degree the life was tough, uncompromising and harsh. The arrivals on New Africa had to cope with a bitter climate, coupling torrential sleet and electrical storms with hurricane strength winds and fast moving glaciers. The first three settlements were overrun by these natural forces and all of the initial equipment they brought from Quphieth was lost within the first dccade Modern archological and palaeontological surveys of the planet reveal that at one time the temperature of New Africa was much more benign than at present. The world is going through a very prolonged ice age, but before the current cold cycle there was the opportunity for life to colonise the land. The animals which are native to the land of the new Africa are fierce hunters and can survive in the harsh climate which will freeze a man to the bone in seconds the early colonists had to re-learn primitive hunting skills and attributes in order to survive and their descent into primitivism was swift The strict conditions the early settlers had placed concerning interference with the colony from outside meant that no contact was established with the groups for three generations. The early religious settlers had emphatically stated that no outside communications would be accepted and supplies would be destroyed. It was entirely by accident that the Birchwood New Spirit of the Lord Woodwind Ensenmble en-route for Aymiay for a concert performance, was precipitated out of hyper space near the Zelada system. The crew of the ship were able to reach orbit around New Africa and put down an emergency shuttle. The tiny settlement thus formed was later to grow into Rush Depot the planet`s largest starport. While the musicians tried to eke out an existence at Rush Deput, the crew ship searched for the original colonists. No evidence of the original camps was found but primitive society of the final remnants of the religious order was encountered living a nomadic life hunting the local omnivores and harvesting wild grasses and roots Instead of making contact, the ship Captain decided to leave the remnants of humanity in peace and instead sent an emergency rescue message to the Federation, describing the plight of both groups New Africa was recolonised by an assorted group of wanderers, to no set plan. The initial colony had failed and a sort of planetary squatter's rights became the norm in establishing rules on New Africa. This trend continues today, and the planet suffers under an anarchy with no clear constitution nor allegiance. Zelada system has become synonymous with banditry and hi-jacking, but the mineral rich outer worlds still attract a lot of miners and hopeful traders visit the system despite the high incidence of piracy, and freelance bounty hunters find the bulletin boards of Zelada a useful hunting ground for information DM SOL === Earth ===== Steeped in history, the Earth has suffered many adversities before becoming the resort that it is today. Humanity began here and documented accounts tell of three planet bound wars, the last one in 2040 almost bringing extinction due to the loss of life and environmental damage. For these reasons the Landscape has changed beyond all recognition since then mainly due to devastation and depopulation of nearly all the cities and towns. The final insult was a viral pandemic, for which no cure was found and many perished who were not resistant to it As the world was rebuilt corporations became more influential and the balance of power went in their favour. After the war, fierce competition between them made it possible for space to be conquered whereas previously, that was seen as unimportant and exploration budgets were cut As extra terrestrial settlements were established industry was moved off the Earth along with many people. An intensive environmental rescue program saved the planet and it again became the beautiful place it once was. It became both a very up-market tourist destination and the Federation capital with only the extremely rich being able to live there Many native extra terrestrials aspire to visit their roots and save up for many years just to be able to say they have been to their ancestors` birthplace KD Mars ==== In 2290 Mars became the first planet to be terraformed successfully but not before several aborted attempts. Major corporations based their administration centres here when land was very cheap in the early days and Mars seemed like the Garden of Eden compared to the ravaged Earth. The two major cities are Qnetnisset and Olympus Village both are very cosmopolitan and manicured in appearance. There are many bijou bars and restaurants designed for businessmen to impress and to strike deals in privacy. All sorts of servive and entertainment industries thrive as they pander to the needs of the over indulged. The environment is tailored to be tasteful, even the animal life looks like an attractive accessory, so whilst it is Earth like, Mars has a very sterile feel about it KD The Moon ======== Heavy industry was moved here in the early days. And it is based around the only starport, Apollonius city. This is another must for the tourist being the first city to be built on an airless surface. The majority of the settlement is subterranean and the vast halls like chasms are quite breathtaking. Many beat a path to the famous Museum of Humanity which has many rare exhibits from early space exploration, you will wonder how we managed to get where we are today! K.D Space stations Columbus and Titan City ====================================== Columbus orbits Io around Jupiter and Titan City orbits Titan around Saturn. Both are of historical interest only in that they used to be fabulous holiday resorts when they were the most distant settlements. Unfortunately with easier travel they changed from very pleasant venues to the vacation destinations of the masses. The quiet atmosphere has been shattered by loud music intended to confince you that a good time is being had by all. It blares forth from gift boutiques selling such items as a bottle of Genuine Red Spot Gas and Saturn Ring Rock jewellery. K.D. HAVE FUN GUYS AND REMEMBER ITS ALL FOR FUN aLL DoCs DoNE By SHaRD/N&B