Main / ThebusSindalTrojanReach1919

Library Entries - Systems - Contacts

Thebus Sindal Trojan Reach 1919

Extended System Page -

UWP: B534320-7

Jump Point {100d}

 Thrust
 123456
Time4:583:312:522:292:132:02

Thebus is a low-population, non-aligned world on the Sindalian Main in Sindal Subsector of the Trojan Reach.

Thebus was once an important world of the Sindalian Empire, lying adjacent to the capital and sharing in its wealth and status. Ultimately, this meant Thebus also shared in its fate. The world was bombarded with nuclear and deadfall weapons, asteroids allowed to fall from orbit and cause immense damage on impact. This was not the worst of it, however. A variety of biochemical weapons were also used, some of which merely infected their victims with terrible diseases. Others were worse, creating forced mutations that had little effect on victims but ensured future generations would suffer a high mutation rate and live short, miserable existences. One unintended side effect of this weapon was mutation among local animals, some of which developed into species that could survive the post-bombardment wasteland. Indeed, the mutagen agents used to destroy Thebus may have also enabled its ecosphere to recover. As a result, today’s Thebus has several rather strange creatures and plants, of which the most impressive is the so-called Thebun Lion. The Thebun Lion has a thick skin and its glossy pelt provides considerable natural protection, and disguises the fact that the creature is a big-but-skinny animal.

Thebus became one of the founding worlds of the Sindalian Empire when it joined into a mutual defense pact with nearby Noricum. One of the few remaining legacies of the Empire period are the planet's mass graves. It is also known for its giant, mutant lions known as Thebun Lions (a result of bioweapon use), which are an attraction for hunters. World Starport (St)

Thebus has a Class B Starport, a good quality installation which includes all the expected amenities including refined fuel for starships, brokerage services for passengers and cargo, and a variety of ship provisions. There is a shipyard capable of doing annual maintenance, overhauls and most kinds of repair, and construction of non-starships. Most ports of this classification have both a Highport and a Downport.

The highport at Thebus is large and busy, but it might as well be in a different star system to the main world. Few vessels proceed to the surface, though shuttles provide a regular (but infrequent) service planet side for those who wish to visit. Most do not; Thebus Highport exists to support traffic along the interstellar trade lanes, and for those with an eye to profit there is simply no good reason for stopping at Thebus itself. The port is not owned by the world government (such as it is), but is a private concern built by the General Development Corporation and sold to investors. It is now run as the Thebus Highport Corporation, which takes care of its own business and more or less ignores the planet below. Most of the port’s income is from interstellar trade moving along the Sindalian Main, not least since Thebus is the jump-2 entry/exit point to the main via Marduk and Torpol.

Local trade along the main and the Torpol Cluster is frequent, with big freighters plying the Imperial/Florian trade route less common but worth a lot more per ship. The port makes a special effort to cater to the ‘big-ship clients’, with high-volume freight handling equipment and discounted accommodation for those taking a few days away from their vessel. There is not a lot of difference between a liner cabin and one at the starport, and it is entirely possible to live aboard a ship in port and go ashore for short trips. To entice crew and passengers to base themselves in the port instead, the operators have made the entry/exist process just a little more time-consuming than necessary whilst offering very good prices at portside hotels.

This approach has worked well, with the result that when a big ship is in port the hotels tend to get very full and the nightlife is sometimes excessively exuberant. The social phenomenon locally known as ‘party season’ varies depending on what sort of ship is in port – a big freight liner with ordinary passengers sets a different tone to a high-end liner whose passengers have money to burn.

The port itself is well protected with missile and beam weapons but, other than its shuttles and a couple of repair/rescue tugs, has little in the way of small craft. There is not much need for a system defence flotilla when the only thing worth defending is the port itself and traffic within close proximity of the main world. The world itself is of no great consequence to the port operators; all they need is its gravity well. They do not prevent ships going directly planetside, but they do have a rule that vessels which do so will not be allowed to dock at the port. This is blatantly for commercial reasons, though it is covered by the polite fiction that the port operators have a duty to conduct customs and legality checks on vessels coming through the system.

When the Travellers arrive in the Thebus system, they will be quickly contacted by the port and informed of the rules about going planet side. They are expected to dock and refuel at the port, during which a standard space worthiness check will be conducted (this is common in most ports, and usually consists of no more than a look at the ship’s maintenance log and a 5-minute walk around by an official with more urgent things to do.

Thebus has a population of 8,000 sophonts (thousands).

History & Background

This is a Low Population World and the population would be too low to sustain itself without a little outside assistance. This may represent the home base of a sizable but mostly transient population such as the base of a major starship expedition, the last generation of a dying colony, the first generation of a new colony, or a large outpost that will probably evolve into a colony if not stopped.

World Technology Level (T)

Thebus possesses a Technology Level of TL–7.

World Government (G)

Thebus is governed by a Participatory Democracy where eligible voters determine laws and policy. What determines an eligible voter varies. There may be smaller councils or regional bodies to draft the policies voted upon. Leadership of the government and all members of the bureaucracy are determined by the voting population.

World Law (L) Thebus has no law in practice. It is an Anarchy. On many worlds, this by itself justifies an Amber Zone advisory. There are few laws, covering only important areas. There may be few or no law enforcement officers, the expectation is citizens will bring law breakers to the attention of the Judicial system. Legal proceedings will be fast, with few people involved. For interactions outside of the framework of the laws, cultural norms dominate.