0502 Altair

**0502 Altair A 252AD8-H Gas Giant**

*Starport Type A* -
Altair starport is the most advanced facility in the subsector. Its
shipyards are capable of producing highly advanced starships like their
pursuit ships and deep space vessels (DSVs), although the great majority
 of production is in the form of lower-tech civilian starships for
export to friendly neighbouring systems. The starport features the
subsector's only beanstalk, connecting the downport and highport and
allowing a vastly greater transfer of goods and personnel through the
gravity well than is possible on other worlds.

*Planetary Size 2*
 - The planet itself is small, at just over 2,000 miles in diameter,
with extremely low gravity - which suits the massive industrial complex
of the Altairans just fine.

*Atmosphere Type 5* - The thin
but otherwise standard atmosphere would naturally disperse into space if
 left to its own devices, but advanced atmospheric processors maintain
it at this level.

*Hydrographic Percentage 2* - There are three small oceans on the planet, which is generally rather arid, covering about 20% of the surface.

*Population Size A* -
 Cloning, cyberisation, and a highly advanced sysem of food production,
medicine, and housing allows Altair to support a massive population of
over 37 billion people.

*Government Type D* - Altair is
ruled by its A.I. 'god', whose commandments are obeyed without question
or hesitation - literally, as it is in constant speed-of-light
communication with all of its subjects.

*Law Level 8* - It
is common for Altairans to carry knives which double as multi-purpose
toolkits (and which are highly sought-after as trade items), but no
other weapons are permitted on planet.

*Technological Index H (17)* - Altairan technology is far beyond anything else in the subsector.

*Notes* - Before
 the Fall of Man, the Collective was a Blusunn Megacorporate sponsored
agenda to terraform the Altairan region of space for human colonization
and habitation. To this end, 2,000 employees were genetically modified
to maintain the various A.I. Machines in place upon hostile worlds that
would guide the process of change. With the lack of communication and
guidance during the Fall, the Collective took on new directives more
guided toward their survival. Guided by experimental A.I. formulated
gene mapping, further genetic manipulations were performed upon the
surviving populace and these results were carefully cloned and refined
into a strictly controlled breeding program that would ensure a
genetically diversified population.

The results were a hardy (+1
STR, +2 END) species capable of thriving in thin and/or tainted
atmospheres as well as human baseline environments. Their brains had
been reconfigured with nanite technology to communicate over large
distances via radio waves, and as a by-product, also enjoy a heightened
artificial group intelligence on a semi-subconscious level. This group
intelligence manifests itself as an intuition or awareness not unlike
psionic ability.

The Altairans revere technology, specifically
their A.I. 'god', without whom they would not exist. Their religion is
one of mathematics and logic, of oneness and unity, and it is said their
 clerics of this faith can indeed perform miracles. Skeptics among the
Free States League researchers insist that their abilities are nothing
more than programmed nanite machinations. However, this, in and of
itself, is remarkable and well beyond the technological norm of known
space.

The Collective is regarded by the Free States League as a
hostile or dangerous species, by virtue of the wide spread dominance of
artificial intelligence in their culture. Though skirmishes between the
two powers is common, neither side is yet committed to outright warfare.
 The and the Teal-Vandor
 Confederacy, however see vast profits in forming an allegiance with the
 collective, if for no other reason as to gain one more ally against the
 so called “Tyranny of Leaguers”.