Windjammer
The local Devil Ship
You sat in a small starship for the announcement telling you and the rest of the exploration team to head to the landing craft. The team consisted of different people of different races from different systems in the stellar neighborhood. You and the rest of the team would soon be on the surface of a recently discovered planet in a recently discovered system. You knew next to nothing about it, as was the case for the rest of the team. What you did know was the planet passed most of the criteria for colonization, however, there were some things that could only be determined from the surface. One objective is to determine whether or not there is complex life or even a sapient race on the planet. Then there was the extra objective, to determine the fate of the first expedition team, which had disappeared abruptly. This was the second attempt. This meant the mood had less excitement than usual, as the reason for the disappearance could have been anything from an accident or illness, to vicious wild life or hostile natives.
The planet itself was roughly earth sized, but had far less water coverage, leaving its global climate drier than that of earth. Its star was a K class star, meaning it was cooler than the sun, therefore the planet orbits closer to its star in order for it to be in the habitable zone of its star. Its orbital period is 183 earth days, and its day is only 22.5 earth hours. The planet is orbited by two moons.
Colonizing planets is a very unpredictable undertaking. Its hard, its messy, and its frightening. On top of all this, there are rules that must be followed strictly. The rules as written by the Interstellar Council are simple and state that:
1: A body that has no atmosphere or orbits outside the habitable zone of is parent star(s) can only be considered for bases of specific types, not proper colonies.
2: The parent star(s) can only be of M, K, or G class. F, A, B, and O class stars do not live long enough, further more, the parent star(s) bust not be more than half way through its main sequence, which is the portion of a star's life that is most stable. Stellar classification can be simplified as such: M class stars are the coolest and smallest stars, These are the "Red Dwarf" stars. Next, are the K class stars, often called "Orange Dwarf" Stars. These are hotter than M class stars but cooler than the G class stars. G class stars are the next class on the list, these are the "Yellow Dwarf" or "Sun-like" stars. Next are the F class stars. these are "White" stars, and are hotter than G class stars. From here, we have A, B, and O class stars. All of these types are different intensities of blue, with A being the whitest, and O being the bluest. As such, they are the "Blue" stars, and are also the hottest. In general, the hotter and bluer the star, the larger and more short lived it will be.
3: A body with an atmosphere must be capable of sustaining complex life to be colonized. If the body has an atmosphere but it is toxic, too thin, or too thick for complex life, the body can only be considered for bases of specific types with the proper precautions. Gaseous worlds cannot be considered for bases nor colonies due to safety and cost limitations.
4: If the body in question has the ability to sustain complex life, but does not necessarily have it, it can be colonized, provided certain steps are taken to ensure the survival potential colonists. If the body has complex life, but no sapient life, it can be colonized freely, so long as Interstellar Council laws are followed. If the the body has a sapient race, it cannot be colonized or considered for bases.
5: If evidence of a sapient race is found to be present on a newly discovered world, first contact must not be considered by any means except by someone who is specially trained in such by the Sapient Affairs department of the Interstellar Council.
These rules exist for a reason. They exist to keep both colonists safe as well as prevent conquest of any sort. Although, not all follow them.
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