Alerts: Desert World - Hot World - Extreme Seismic Activity - Highly Active Vulcanism
Homestead is a barely populated desert world. Once it was a garden world, and part of the Sindalian Empire, but a devastating bombardment during the fall of the Sindalian Empire resulted in the loss of most of its population and water.
The remnant population are desert nomads - religious fanatics who worship a deity called Peror, thought to be a corruption of Emperor. They are disdainful or even hostile to almost all off worlders.
Most of the world is covered either with lava fields or with sand dunes. The planet is highly tectonically active due to stresses from the gas giant it orbits and the primary star. There is widespread active vulcanism and frequent earthquakes. The natives are highly adapted to this - they don't live in permanent dwellings, or make extensive use of cave systems etc for this reason.
Travellers landing at the downport will find a very basic starport and startown. Ships landing elsewhere on the planet are liable to be attacked and looted, with passengers and crew harvested for their water. Even if you survive this, the average temperatures are extreme beyond what most humans can withstand. Homesteaders have evolved to withstand the excessive heat, both physiologically, and in adaptive behaviour.
Primary: F9 V Main Sequence Yellow-White Dwarf (Mass: 1.13 Sols; Luminosity: 1.53 Sols; Jump Shadow; 1.09 AU)
Orbital Distance: 1.3 AU + 2,552,092 km (orbiting a large gas giant Greathome?)
Orbital Period: 9 days, 14 hours, 29 minutes, 45 seconds - tidally locked to gas giant, so this is also day period from primary
Equatorial Diameter: 7,680 km
Density: 1.02
Mass: 0.249
Surface Gravity: 0.64g
Rotational Period: 230.49 hours
Atmospheric Composition: Nitrogen/Oxygen mix
Atmospheric Pressure: 0.9 atmospheres
Albedo: 0.17
Axial Tilt: 11°
Hydrographics: 10% water covered (only at the poles)
Average Equatorial Temperature:
Summer (day/night): 142°C / 33°C
Winter (day/night): 133°C / 25°C
Average Polar Temperature:
Summer (day/night): 96°C / 16°C
Winter (day/night): 79°C / 16°C
Population: 500
Government: Feudal technocracy. The nomads are divided into clans around leaders who have access to the technology that allows life to survive on Homestead, and 'smiths' who can create that technology. The priests of Peror are the only organisation above clan/tribal level.
Law Level: 0 - no laws. Each clan of desert nomads follows its own customs and rules. Offworlders have no rights or security - killing an offworlder carries no penalty
Tech Level: 6 - but there are no factories or other industrial infrastructure. Technology is hand-fabricated by a respected 'smith' class.
Homestead Starport
Classification: D
Homestead Up-port
The only up-port is a fuel-bunker/tanker in orbit above homestead, maintained by the Homestead Bunkering Corporation. They have a refuelling shuttle that skims the gas giant below and they sell the unrefined fuel at cheap prices. The only buyers are those who are unable to skim the gas giant, or don't want to. The also have an on-demand orbit to surface pinnace service.
There are no repair facilities, although a small workshop and its tools can be hired, and some second-hand spare parts for common components are available.
Homestead Down-port
There is a very basic starport and star-town, mainly of single story buildings that are light and flexible enough to withstand earthquakes. The landing area just consists of an apron of lava-concrete. Total population of star-town is around 50 people. The locals maintain contact via the startown with interstellar travellers just to gain access to the few high tech goods that they need and can afford - Homestead doesn't have much to trade. They have a special dispensation from the priests of Peror for this.
Jump Point
Planetary Jump Shadow: 17,864,640 km
Gas Giant Jump Shadow: 20,416,732 km (orbital distance is 2,552,092 km)
