Bacova

**Bacova** is a nearly habitable planet in the Lestra Ascenti star system in the Andrak Mor sector of the Concourse region in the Aoshtai Galaxy.

## Traits

* **Cold:** Due to the composition of its atmosphere, the planet is naturally very cold. Most regions are blanketed in ice and snow. Temperatures drop during the night.

* **Long Day/Night Cycle:** The planet's natural days and nights last a week each.

* **Native Wildlife:** There are wildlife and plants native to this planet, and they have learned to adapt to its conditions.

* **Terraforming:** Bacova has been the target of sustained terraforming efforts for around forty years. The equator is temperate enough to sustain settlements and agriculture.

* **Orbital Mirror Array:** An orbital mirror array shines light and warmth on select settlements on the planet, simulating a 24-hour day/night cycle.

* **Persistent Eruptions:** This planet has several volcanoes which are persistently erupting, venting millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and darkening the skies of the entire southern hemisphere. If this continues, it will have a warming effect on the climate.

* **Orbital Fortifications:** There are fortifications in orbit, jointly administered and crewed by Bacova and the Kingdom of Titian.

* **Thawing of the Glaciers:** With rising temperatures, the glaciers are melting and sea levels are rising.

## Getting to Bacova

Bacova is located in the Solovrat Cluster, on the other side of a border with the Realm of the Shak Tuvi and the Solovran station-states which has been closed since 11 NE. Bacova is tied to the notoriously insular Kingdom of Titian by trade and a thin hyperlane leading through treacherous space all the way to Pontii. Going through the Kingdom of Titian requires some form of license or passport from the Kingdom or an extremely creative plan.

Going through the Solovran border illicitly requires dodging Bacovan and Tyteene patrols, breaching into the system without being seen, and dodging patrols again while approaching the planet. The only ships capable of doing this are shuttles and small ships or warships with stealth capabilities.

Attempting to land on Bacova illicitly is a Stealth roll, done three times. The **CL** for these rolls is **4**, or **2** if a stealth module is installed. If the character fails, then patrolling Bacovan vessels detect the ship and will investigate. The PC must then roll Piloting (same CL as before) to dodge the incoming patrol, and subsequent Stealth and Piloting rolls' CLs increase by 1. This must be done whenever a PC attempts to enter or exit the system or the orbit of Bacova.

## Locations

### Space

* BACOVA STATION
* OTHER FACILITIES

* **Allegiance:** Bacovan Governorate
* **Population:** 75,000
	+ 8,000 Orbitritan Legionaries
	+ 30,000 Tyteene soldiers
	+ 5,000 Tyteene civilians
	+ 4,000 Orbitritan civilians
	+ 18,000 second-class citizens
	+ 10,000 slaves
* **Habitability:** Livable
* **Facilities:**
	+ Level 1 Star Fortress
	+ Administrative Center
	+ Temple
	+ Minor Spaceport
	+ Market
	+ Helium Refinery
	+ Protein Lab
	+ Fuel Reserves
	+ Food and Water Reserves
	+ Minerals Refinery
* **Stationed:** 1 Bacovan Division, 4 Tyteen Divisions, 6 gunships, 40 skiffs, 10 shuttles

Bacova Station is a large Orbitritan military star fortress in orbit of the planet dating back to 14 BNE. For 25 years, it was the headquarters of the Ascendancy's presence in the region, an administrative, commercial, and military hub which invited speculation, opportunism, and intrigue. Years later, Bacova's principle players have left and the station's population has drastically dwindled to 75 thousand, with only the station garrison, various support personnel, refugees from Andrak Mor, and slaves, as the station's only inhabitants.

* **Helium Mines (Vespa)** - The large automated Helium mining stations in the outer system collect Helium from Vespa, the largest gas giant in the system.

* **Orbital Asteroid Mines (Bacova Orbit)** - Asteroids and comets are brought into orbit of Bacova and mined for minerals by probes, stripping them of water and minerals.

* **Organic Element Mines (Dispersed)** - Automated mining drones and platforms extract organic elements such as nitrogen, calcium, phosphorous, and potassium from various bodies in the system.

* **Orbital Mirror Array (Bacova Orbit)** - An array of mirrors orbits the planet roughly once every 24 hours, reflecting the light of the Lestra Ascenti star at very specific locations on the planet below, simulating day and night. They are essential to Bacovan temperature control and agriculture.

### Veritasia

Veritasia is the name of the inlet which contains most Orbitritan settlements and outposts on the surface.

* NOVATARRIA
* OTHER LOCATIONS

* **Allegiance:** Bacovan Governorate
* **Habitability:** Livable
* **Facilities:**
	+ Administrative Center
	+ Aristocratic Villas
	+ Legionary Farms
	+ Market
	+ Minor Spaceport
	+ Temple
	+ Harbor
	+ Naval Shipyard
	+ Pyrite Steel Mill
	+ Velite Barracks
* **Natural Resources:**
	+ Farmland
	+ Grazing Land
	+ Mineral Resources

Novatarria is the oldest and primary Orbitritan settlement on the planet, located on a partly mountainous island at the equator, where the climate is at its mildest. It was founded in an effort to generate planet-grown food which was not protein paste for Orbitritan soldiers and was also used to reward Orbitritan legionaries and colonists and their families. Retiring legionnaires and other favorites who agreed to settle were granted large tracts of land on Novatarria along with slaves and agricultural training.

The settlement is still very young, though it resembles an Orbitritan agricultural Idyll. An array of mirrors concentrates sunlight on the location, raising the temperature and creating a normal day and night cycle. One week out of two, the only object in the pink sky is a circular orb which looks like a sun, while the second week that orb is joined by Lestra Ascenti's actual sun, which glows more faintly. Farm animals and crops have been found capable of flourishing in the planet's conditions. They live in Orbitritan domed greenhouses and pastures.

* **Aena**
* **Cheres**
* **Ovidia**
* **Titania**
* **Aelenium**
* **Galaria**
* **Dyana**