Ontarom

**Location:** Milky Way / Kepler Verge / Newton System

**Ontarom** is a hot garden world that faces disaster as its moon's orbit decays.

## Description

Though Ontarom's surface is uncomfortably hot, its nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere and abundant, shallow seas make it an ideal candidate for habitation by most known species.

Unfortunately, the orbit of its moon Thonal has been slowly decaying since the system coalesced. Its proximity is beginning to have tidal effects, and its dynamo-like revolution through Ontarom's magnetic field is generating increasing powerful electrical storms.

While some have suggested emplacement of mass effect drives in an attempt to lighten the moon and correct its orbit, the scale of such a project – tens of thousands of drives, costing enough to bankrupt the governments of all the Citadel races – make it a pipe dream. A multi-racial effort is underway to catalogue and preserve the unique genetic diversity of Ontarom's vibrant young biosphere. ExoGeni Corp. and Heyuan Genomics represent the Alliance's share of the effort.

Humans settled a colony on Ontarom in 2166, a decision the asari derided as foolish. However, they quickly established the first dish field on Ontarom, defying the tidal disruptions and electrical storms that periodically sweep across the planet. The facility has since grown into a crucial communications hub for the Alliance.

Trade between the Alliance base and nearby human settlements sustains planetary unity. The Alliance also trains and hires colonists to maintain the quantum communicators, further strengthening the bond between locals and the military forces that use the comm stations.

Although most of the communication relays serve the military, a coalition of Ontarom's businesses has begun construction on a civilian broadcast hub. The local Alliance commander has offered the help of the military's technical experts, making Ontarom a symbol of civilian and military cooperation.

## Wildlife

Ontarom has an abundant and diverse range of life. Its native life all have levo-amino chirality.

*Ontaromus Coleopodia,* or "space beetles" as they known by the locals, are an invertebrate insectoid species. These insectoids are made up of a hard chitinous shell, four legs, two compound eyes and two antennae. They are relatively large compared to many known insectoid species, measuring up to 2m in length. Space beetles hatch from eggs then moult continuously as they grow, moulting up to sixteen times before reaching full adult size. In terms of behaviour, space beetles are skittish and will flee an area when approached.

*Ontaromus Bovinae*, or "space cows" as they are more commonly know, are a species of herbivores native to Ontarom. They come in orange and white colouration and have six limbs - four legs that are tipped with hooves and two arm-like forelimbs with two digits. While they are often compared to cows by humans, they do not produce milk or have keratinous hair, although they do give live birth.

Space cows are herding animals and are very difficult to startle - even the sound of gunfire will not cause them to flee. Despite their apparent slowness, some have shown intelligence and can be crafty - some shifty individuals have even been known to steal credit chits from the unsuspecting pockets of passersby. Space cow meat is edible but incredibly tough, making it undesirable.