System Data
G3IV
0 Y8A0000-0
1 Y400000-0 - 1 Satellite
2 Y440000-0 - 3 Satellites
3 Y750000-0 - 2 Satellites
4 Y200000-0 2 Satellites
-------- orbit 4.95 100d stellar limit ----------------
5* Y8A8000-0        Medusa       Ba Fl
  9 C558674-8-A536  Perseus      Ag Ni
6 Y000000-0
7 Y000000-0
8 Small GG - 2 Satellites
9 Small GG - 6 Satellites
10 Small GG
11 Large GG - 7 Satellites
12 Y526000-0

* = habitable orbit

Travel distance from Medusa’s 100d limit to Perseus is 1.222 mkm, or 6.15 hours at one G.  Travel time is 4.34 hours at 2G. Travel time is 3.54 hours at 3G and 3.07 hours at 4G.

Medusa requires 1225 days to complete one orbit of the primary.  Perseus requires thirty six hours and forty three minutes to complete one orbit around Medusa.

Census Data
Perseus Total Population: 1,001,000 (001/5743 = 1,026,000)
Growth Rate: 2.5%

National Data


G558564-8    County of Perseus   328k (337k)
C558557-7    Grafdom of Hei      216k (221k)
H558533-7    Republic of Memij   140k (144k)
Y558486-6    Kidman District      70k (72k)
G5585A8-7    Sethri Republic     187k (192k)
H558444-6    Republic of Qoram    60k (61k)


System and World Data

Perseus is actually a large moon orbiting the sulfurous, Earth-sized planet Medusa, which in turn orbits a bright yellow sub-giant star.  Medusa is an Earth-sized world that would have been a prime candidate for colonization, except for a 3% concentration of hydrogen sulfide in an otherwise normal nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere.  The H2S is a byproduct of indigenous, alien life at the bacterial level of evolution.

The bacteria migrated to Perseus through panspermia, but were unable to thrive in Perseus’ colder, more UV exposed environment.  Some, however, did adapt and Perseus has a higher than normal sulfur content in its atmosphere than most planets.  As a result, the air, and often the food, on Perseus have an unpleasant smell and taste and some irritation of the eyes and mucous membranes is common.  The sulfide concentrations are not severe enough to require goggles and respirators, but they are unpleasant enough that people wear goggles and some form of mouth/nasal protection as a matter of course.  Although it is not severe enough to qualify as a taint, the old joke is that Perseus Eureka (see below) should have been named Perseus You Reek!  Gravity is 0.55G, while atmospheric pressure is a mere 0.38 bar at sea level.

Much brighter than Sol, Perseus’s main has over five and a half times the luminosity of Sol.  Distance from the star helps mitigate this somewhat, but the high illumination, combined with Perseus’ thin atmosphere, makes UV exposure a hazard.  Perseus is, of course, tidelocked due to its close proximity to Medusa.  Medusa, and consequently Perseus, has a high axial tilt, resulting in exceptionally severe seasons outside of tropical latitudes on Perseus.  Temperatures in high latitudes in summer can exceed 70C, while same location may be subjected to lows of -50C in winter.  Consequently, most settlement has occurred on the outer face, on a moderately sized continent near the equator.

People on Perseus use the standard 24 hour day, which, combined with Perseus 36 hour local day, means every other “day” is dark and “night” is bright.


Politics

Perseus is divided into six states.  One of these, the County of Perseus, is subordinate to the Principality of Svetlana.  The other five are independent.

The first self-proclaimed Count Perseus, Wellington Orlov accomplished much in the way of re-building a functioning society in the river basin known as Miranos.  He was ambitious, but was also a skilled leader and a man of iron integrity who did much to re-establish trust between neighbor and neighbor and ruthlessly eradicate banditry in the post-Plague anarchy.  He and the Crown Prince of Svetlana became instant friends upon meeting each other in 5718.  The Prince’s frank yet polite manner impressed Orlov, who valued honesty and directness highly.  His daughter wed the Crown Prince in 5720.  The loss to the government of Svetlana and Perseus when the Count died, at age 76, on 220/5742 was severe.  His first son, Erich Orlov, born in 5694, became the second Count Perseus.  Just as skilled and upright as his father, Erich unfortunately has little patience for diplomacy and tends to grate on people.  He and the Crown Prince share an intense mutual dislike.

Another local leader is also playing feudal games.  The last Graf Hei, Korei Jiziv died as the last of the Jiziv line in 5712. He was the grandson of Brennan Jiziv, a trucking company owner, who copied Orlov by proclaiming himself Graf and founder of Hei in the chaotic aftermath of the Plague.  The current Graf Hei, Belfora Nyzlan (84), claims to be an illegitimate offspring of Hei lineage from a four generations old affair between Brennan Jiziv’s father and Nyzlan’s grandmother, even though there was no feudalism on Perseus at that time.  Over the objections of other Svetlanan nobles, the Crown Prince of Svetlana has recently offered recognition of Nyzlan’s claim to nobility, in return for Hei joining the Principality of Svetlana.  The Graf Hei is highly intelligent daughter of a Knight of Svetlana and regards union of all Perseus with Svetlana as highly desirable, but is holding out for additional sweeteners in the form of cash and other titles on Svetlana.

Although a democracy in theory, power in Memij is largely controlled by a handful of dynastic families.   The legal system is Memij is fairly permissive, except for strict business and trade laws to “promote economic sovereignty.”  Although a patriotic sounding phrase, the economic sovereignty laws ensure the ruling families keep their dominant positions in Memij.

A desolate and virtually unpopulated outback, Kidman’s only population is a string of frontier towns along the Wax river and several thousand fiercely independent “mountain men”.  Politically, Kidman retains its designation from pre-Plague times, even though it has been an independent state for nearly a century. It is controlled by a Council of town mayors and sheriffs, some of whom are corrupt, but most who just want to see Kidman left alone.  The law level of Kidman reflects attitude towards outsiders, while natives are treated considerably easier.  The District once held a national referendum in 5712 to consider the subject of union with Svetlana.  The proposal to join Svetlana was defeated, with less than 5,000 votes for to over 30,000 votes against.

The second largest state on Perseus, but still well-behind Kidman, Sethri is currently ruled by a military governor.  Colonel Bo, the military leader, is highly respected by most Sethris, who harbor a deep suspicion that Miranos, with Svetlanan backing, intends to seize Kidman and covets Sethri territory.  Colonel Bo, and his henchman Junwang Ko, see geography, rather than demography, as destiny and calculate that if Sethri controls the majority of Perseus’ surface, then Sethri will eventually dominate the planet.

Qorom is an archipelagic collection of small islands west of the primary continent.  Underdeveloped and remote, Qorom relies on offshore finance and corporate registries to provide much needed foreign currency.

Culture

What kind of people leave an underpopulated, desirable world such as Halowon, Alsace, or Svetlana, to settle a much less desirable, uninhabited world?  Well, there are several possibilities.  In the case of Perseus Eureka, the company that underwrote the original Perseus colony, the goal was a synthesis of greed and naivety.  Local conditions have made the descendants of those colonists tough, but provincial and skeptical of outsiders.

Colonization

There is no known colonization taking place in or from the Perseus system, though a few thousand belters and prospectors are active in the outer system.  Some of them may eventually settle permanently in Perseus’ belts and outer system.

Economics

Perseus was originally settled to provide food production and ore refining and processing to support what was envisioned to be a lucrative belt mining colony.  This worked for several decades, as the colonists natural disdain for the planet’s environment allowed Perseus Eureka and its subsidiary companies to process and refine heavy metals culled from the outer system with blatant disregard for the biosphere.

On the agricultural side, although Perseus is classified an agricultural planet by its UWP, the planet’s physical characteristics, chemical imbalances in the biosphere, and extreme seasons, combine to make crop agriculture about one-eighth as effective as on high-yield planets such as Svetlana.  Livestock raising, especially those than can live off offal, such as pigs and goats, is somewhat more efficient.  Despite low yields, there is still considerable undeveloped arable land on Perseus and the colony is still several hundred million people short of maximizing its food output.

Following the collapse in demand for minerals after the Plague, living standards on Perseus plummeted.  These days, the economies of Perseus suffer from underdeveloped and crumbling infrastructure.  Taken into consideration with low technology, limited manpower, and less efficient agriculture, the citizens of Perseus have, on average a somewhat lower standard of living than the sector average.

Industries

Crossfire Arms – A Svetlanan military hardware and weapons firm, has a small plant on Perseus, operated as a subsidiary company.  The plant is located in Grath, the capital city of the Republic of Hei, which may account for the Svetlana’s non-interference in Hei affairs.

Draeger Chemicals – One of the largest and most successful industries in the sector, Draeger takes advantage of the cultural disregard for the environment and depressed economy on Perseus to manufacture toxic precursor materials on the planet which are illegal to manufacture on other worlds in the subsector.

Interstellar Commercial Enterprises (ICE) – An interstellar merchant line focusing on exploration and speculation.  Based on Svetlana, ICE maintains the only regular passenger and freight route with Perseus.

Perseus Eureka! - Responsible for underwriting colonization to support mineral exploitation elsewhere in the Perseus system, this company collapsed ater the Plague.  Some of its smaller facilities have been taken over by local companies, others have been abandoned.

Rabenshild Bank – One of the largest private banks in the sector, Rabenshild has a fairly large office in Memij and smaller branches in Hei and Qorom itself.  Pundits accuse Rabenshild of taking advantage of the depressed local economy to provide tax havens for its interstellar clients.

Shipyards

Perseus Spaceport, in Hei, has no structural repair capabilities, but Grath Machine Solutions can effect minor repairs to mechanical and engineering systems.


Military

Svetlana’s 3rd Fighter Wing, with thirty Fishawk fighters, is based in the Grafdom of Miranos.  A Svetlanan Army regiment is also stationed on Perseus.

The other states maintain armed forces ranging from Sethri’s corrupt army to Kidman’s courteous, but laughably undermanned, constabulary.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 00:10, Sat 09 Aug 2014.