Tellus

== Planetary Data ==
=== Tellus Prime ===
Diameter: ~10200 km
Gravimetry: 0.92
Rotation: 23.2 h
'Government: Octavius
Colony: Mining
=== Tellus Secundus ===
Diameter: ~9900 km
Gravimetry: 0.92
Rotation: 22.00 h
Government: Octavius
Colony: Mining
=== Tellus Tertius ===
Diameter: ~12200 km
Gravimetry: 0.92
Rotation: 25.5h
Government: Octavius
Colony: Agricultural
The bizarre triple planet Tellus, in Antenor Bastion sector, is believed by Imperial scientists to be an artifact of possibly Amananth planetary engineering. It is considered statistically impossible for three or more balanced masses to fall into orbit around a mutual center of gravity, though for millennia natural philosophers have understood that such an arrangement should be stable. Remarkably, the three worlds apparently had not been extensively exploited before discovery by Octavius.
Tellus Prime and Tellus Secundus are fairly unremarkable rocky bodies, cratered, with relatively thin nitrogen-argon atmospheres. Their masses, however, suggest they could reasonably harbor denser atmospheres, fostering speculation that the triplet was in the process of being terraformed at the time Amananth civilization was destroyed. Both worlds now host several Imperial and corporate mining installations.
The real prize from the point of view of Octavius, however, is Tellus Tertius. The Tertian atmosphere is a dense nitrogen-CO2 mix with low levels of oxygen, and the surface is host to an active biosphere. Much of the planet offers a very favorable shirtsleeve environment, but humans require breathing apparatus to survive. After the Shift, Octavius suffered from limited agricultural resources which stunted the Nation’s recovery. The discovery of Tellus (PS 42.9.22) and its huge agricultural potential promised to alter that and the expedition commander, Marcus Simel, was named a Hero of Octavius. The high CO2 content of the Tertian atmosphere permits profligate plant growth and indeed Tellus has extensive and varied native flora. A major colonization and development project began within a year of Tellus’ discovery, and the Octavian population now relies heavily upon Tertian food crops.
Security in Antenor Bastion has been marred by increased tensions between Octavius and the Nova Wolves. A large Nova Wolves asteroid city established in PS 75 through a settlement program for naval auxiliaries is currently in remote orbit around the Tellus worlds, placing it close to the Great Pillars Station. Due to the tremendous strategic value to Octavius of the Tellus worlds, it can be expected that any open hostilities in the sector would be met with an extremely vigorous Imperial military response.
Source: Imperial Archives, entry updated 100.11.15