Thalassos | E8D9454-9 | G | Fl Ni | A | 04.09
TRAVEL ADVISORY: AMBER ZONE
Caution is strongly advised when visiting Thalassos due to its hostile biosphere and challenging environmental conditions. Travelers must obtain proper clearance and adhere to strict safety protocols.
Traveller's Notes:
Specialized pressure suits are mandatory for all surface activities
Visitors must undergo decontamination procedures upon arrival and departure
Local guide services are highly recommended due to dangerous native fauna
System Overview:
Thalassos is a large world with fluid oceans, orbiting a warm, orange K3V star. The star's light refracts through the planet's dense atmosphere, creating spectacular visual effects on its fluid surface. The system features a gas giant suitable for refueling operations. Despite its challenging environment, Thalassos supports a small but resilient population. The planet is loosely affiliated with the Coalition of Free Worlds, maintaining a degree of autonomy.
Planetary Characteristics:
Thalassos is a massive world, approximately 12,800 km in diameter, with a dense, high-pressure atmosphere. Its surface is 90% covered by fluid oceans, composed of a non-water liquid teeming with aggressive microscopic lifeforms. The tens of thousands of inhabitants live in mobile floating cities, constantly navigating the dangerous waters. The feudal technocracy government is based on expertise in managing these cities and surviving the hostile environment.
Starport and Transportation:
The frontier-class (E) starport, is little more than a designated landing area with basic refueling capabilities. Local transportation primarily consists of submersible vehicles and low-altitude aircraft adapted for the planet's dense atmosphere and fluid oceans.
Climate and Geography:
Thalassos's dense atmosphere creates a high-pressure environment with extreme weather patterns. Caustic winds scour the surface, necessitating fully-sealed environmental suits for any exterior activities outside the protected city-ships. The fluid oceans dominate the landscape, with scattered, often temporary archipelagos serving as rare static points. Frequent storms, unpredictable currents, and sudden blooms of dangerous microorganisms make navigation a constant challenge. The atmosphere itself often carries harmful spores or microbes, necessitating advanced filtration systems in all habitats.
Society and Culture:
Thalassian society is structured around a feudal technocracy, where technical expertise in city management, navigation, and biohazard control determines social standing. The population is divided between the ruling technologist clans who control the city-ships and the working class who maintain them. A unique "pressure language" using modulated sound waves has developed, allowing communication through the dense atmosphere and fluid mediums. Constant mobility has led to a culture that values adaptability and resourcefulness above all.
Economy and Resources:
As a Non-Industrial world, Thalassos lacks any significant manufacturing or processing capabilities. The economy is primarily based on subsistence activities and the gathering of resources from the fluid oceans. The city-ships serve as platforms for harvesting operations, collecting rare elements and organic compounds that are valuable to off-world traders.
Points of Interest:
The Gloom Aegis: The largest and most technologically advanced city-ship, serving as the mobile capital of Thalassos.
Vortex Fields: A region of perpetual whirlpools, rich in mineral deposits but extremely dangerous due to concentrated predatory lifeforms.
Echoing Caverns: A network of submerged caves that amplify and distort sounds, used for both scientific research and as a natural defense system against invasive organisms.
The Quarantine Zone: A vast area of ocean declared off-limits due to an outbreak of particularly virulent native organisms, now a forbidden zone of scientific interest and potential resources.
The Reef of Solace: A rare zone of tranquility, protected from the violent biosphere by natural formations. It’s one of the few places where explorers and traders can gather and conduct business without fear of predators. The reef’s vibrant flora has unique medicinal properties.
Scientific and Strategic Importance:
Thalassos is a key site for studying extreme pressure environments and fluid dynamics. Its unique ecosystem also offers opportunities for xenobiology research. The Coalition maintains a discreet interest in the planet's potential for developing pressure-resistant technologies.
Legal and Diplomatic Considerations:
While nominally part of the Coalition of Free Worlds, Thalassos maintains significant autonomy. Visitors must respect the authority of the local technocracy and adhere to strict environmental protection laws.
Military and Strategic Bases:
Gas Giant Refueling Station located in orbit around the system's gas giant, serves both civilian and Coalition military vessels.