Sassectoris 3

*"A sad, cold world being mined away. The slaved Sassectorians maintain these facilities."*

## Sassectoris 3

Imperial Factory

A Sassectorian

### music

At the Price of Oblivion by Malcolm Brown

## Planetary Data

The system where the planet known as Sassectoris 3 is a sad place. What once was rather crowded with planets and asteroids now is just a mostly empty place, with only 3 of the largest planets still remaining after the mass mining of resources by the Sekhayan Empire. A large Dyson swarm surrounds the star, with enough mirrors to collect enough energy to power the facilities strip-mining the system; at the expense of lowering its luminosity thanks to the shade of the swarm.

Sassectoris 3 itself was the fifth rocky planet of the system, before the other bodies were mined away to nothing. It’s rather large, and very metal rich, with rare materials such as quicksilver, iridium and lithium being common. Due to that, the imperial mining operations have begun to dig into the planet’s unusually hot mantle, with a large crater exposing the solid core. Large mobile walls, kilometers high, contain the CO2 rich atmosphere in the “habitable” part of the planet. It used to be within the cold habitable zone, although now it’s barely too cold to support life, with only its infrastructures and the raging inferno of its insides keeping it warm.

The body also acts as a factory planet, with its surface being covered with prefabricated factories, producing a variety of Sekhayan goods (from refined ore to microwaves) from local materials at the cheapest price, with canals full of polluted water flowing between the facilities carrying freights full of raw resources. Unsurprisingly, such inexpensive production isn’t the most environmentally friendly, to the point where Sassectoris 3’ atmosphere is full of soot, dust, and pollution. Very few races are able to stand in the open air for too long.

### *Inhabitants*

Strangely, Sassectorians aren’t native from Sassectoris 3, but rather the now-destroyed Sassectoris, an ocean planet (the second of the system) which has been strip-mined into nothing, along with Sassectoris -1, 1, and 2. They used to be semiaquatic sea slugs, living in a tribal society in shallow waters.

Currently they have been genetically modified to get many mechanical prosthetics, with the most common being variable sets of robotic arms usually hidden within themselves. Their bodies have been engineered to accommodate two metallic gear-like pieces that serve them as shells, protecting the brown and soft interior. They have a single brown eye, although rarely the number can vary wildly. Their skin has been evolved to withstand the hostile atmosphere of the planet, as well as to be able to survive the otherwise lethal amount of soot, sulphur and CO2 in the air. They have a surprising amount of bacteria living in harmony in their bodies.

The Sassectorians are easily frightened beings (having been designed to be so), with their first instinct being hiding inside their shells (despite most of them having claustrophobic traits wired in their DNAs). Due to their constant fear, they’re very easy to control and subjugate. However, they are also very creative, easily improvising under stress and finding clever solutions to otherwise seemingly unsolvable problems. Such skills are used by the Sekhayans to act as maintenance crew of the planet, while a very select few are shipped off world. No one knows what happens to those who leave, as they never come back.

These beings aren’t exactly the most privileged of Sekhayan races, having been constantly mistreated by their masters for what is thought to be millennia. The reason of such treatment is unknown, but it is thought that they might have threatened the Sekhayan race at some point, as imperial sources are often misleading as their government redacts and censors any events about Sassectoris 3’s past.

However, the recent discovery of the factory planet by the other nations in the Norma Arm has forced the imperial force to respect these broken beings under the threat of alien occupation, something the Sekhayan Empire does not consider worth the risk.

It is known that, despite their fear, Sassectorians do challenge the rule of their overlords; especially if religion is involved. They believe in Venel, a goddess of the sun and hope, who will eventually free them from the Sekhayan Empire. Her worship is strictly forbidden by the four horned government.

## Game Data

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Sassectoris 3 has strong gravity and not too powerful launches, with a strong initial punch but are quick to loose speed, although power increases exponentially as launches chain. The planet is also highly fragile as it's mantle is being mined away, having a quick annihilation timer.