Octant Zeta Notes

Ghost of Jupter Subsector: Octant Zeta Gamemaster Notes

This is where the secret stuff lives! Octant Zeta will be where the action starts.

(ζ:06:-3) M-Class Main Sequence

This system is the Shtepi system. The star is called Diell by the locals. The planets are: Ftothe, Stufe, Armiquessor, Akull, Inigire, Shterp, Shtepi, Gjelber, Vogel, and Ogur.

The culture of Shtepi is nominally Tech Index 7, population of 10^7. It has a semi-feudal government; individual fortresses built in highly defensive locations each ruled by a local "General". Around each fortress is the necessary infrastructure to support a tech index 7 society, and there is a substantially automated resource exploitation network on the planet controlled by the various fortresses.

This highly automated system is the source of much grief on Shtepi. At some time in the distant past (>3000 years), ancient Shtepi scientists (called the "Warmongers" in the Shtepi language) developed an automated defense system consisting of highly adaptable robotic drones. It is likely the Warmongers intended to use this automated army to seize control of the entire planet. However, the drones are well outside the control of the inhabitants and have lost any sense of their original programming. They seek to wipe out all human life. There are automated factories across the planet that can create new drones.

In fact, these drones, known as the Warlike, would long ago have wiped out the inhabitants of Shtepi but for a fortuitous accident. On a 74 year cycle the planetoid Ogur sweeps through the system on a highly eccentric orbit. At some point near the time of the Warmongers a Warmonger control vessel crashed on Ogur. This vessel broadcasts an deactivation signal at high power and keeps the drones in a quiescent state, acting only in self-defense. However, as Ogur comes in to the inner system it outgasses, and this effect interferes with the signal. Therefore, Shtepi society has developed to account for a 74 year cycle of violence, with drone activity lasting for a period of roughly 20 years out of every 74 years. These drones destroy all human achievements they can, so the entire infrastructure of society must be rebuilt every 74 years. Humans can only survive in the fortresses. Technological development has stagnated as society is focused on eliminating new factories during the periods of peace. In addition, the various fortresses also make war on each other, trying to wrest control of the automated resource exploitation networks. The Shtepi are capable of low orbit space travel, but have lost the capacity for interplanetary travel.

Shtepi Culture

Scale: Planetary (+6); Reach: Planetary (+6); Tech Index: nominal 7, effective 4; Dominant Meme: Be Ready for Wartime; Other Memes: My Fortress Right or Wrong

The signal is beyond the detection of the Shtepi themselves, but might be detected by a Superb (+5) Passive Sensing action. Note that if the signal is turned off, the drones will begin to swarm the Shtepi.

(ζ:16:1:A) K-Class Main Sequence

This system has a biosphere whose signature has not been detected. A gravitosynthetic exotic paradigm biosphere exists on (ζ:16:1:A:3). These are "simple" living motes of complicated sulfur compounds that derive energy from the violent tides that plague this world. By Commonality standards they are an intriguing curiosity, worthy of study, but otherwise uninteresting. Autumn Tidal Flow STOP 1 (2 months); passed by from the Geode to ζ:17:-1 and left behind an automated Mindscope drop beacon.

(ζ:17:-1) M-Class Cool Subdwarf

This system has a chemosynthetic gas giant dwelling human standard exointelligence that occupies two of the gas giants in this system.

The biosphere of this system is based on vast accretions of floating algae/fungus like organisms that feed on chemical boundaries between the layers of the gas giant's atmosphere, stretching "tendrils" hundreds of kilometers upwards/downwards. Millions of years ago, a form of intelligent life developed in this biosphere, Huge radial toroidal beings with two manipulator stalks who developed from a species that "tended" the organisms. It developed a sophisticated biotechnology almost entirely from eugenic breeding of other organisms, roughly TI 3, that then stalled due to a lack of access to elemental metals.

A sophont known by this culture as "the Explorer" developed a method of coating itself with hardened organisms to protect against the vacuum, and modified a set of organisms for propulsion, allowing it to exit the atmosphere of the planet. This technology eventually led to the cultural capability to explore the moon system of their world, giving access to the necessary elements to continue technological advancement. This culture now fully exploits the moon system of its world at TI 5.

Autumn Tidal Flow STOP 2 (3.5 months) visited this system, and made initial contact. Autumn Tidal Flow left behind a Chembu seed network drone to continue the process of contact. This network has just achieved S1. It reports that Autumn Tidal Flow was continuing "southwards" across Octant Zeta towards (ζ:48:2) focusing on systems with biosphere signatures. The seed network, called Full Flowering, is "going native" somewhat, and needs a good talking to to keep it from providing this culture access to interstellar travel. There are signs that Autumn Tidal Flow may have had some kind of ethical imbalance, losing its judgement with respect to contact procedures.

BAYOU SYSTEM (ζ:41:0) M-Class Main Sequence (Binary)

This system is in Stage 3 contact, with ToUM present. Mercantilist oligarchy with sentience coordination. I think before contact they had already developed a kind of eidolon engineering, but which did not comply with the four compliances, specifically stability. There was a form of "ancestor worship" on these worlds, where unstable synthetics were considered ancestors to be followed. I think there is an active resistance organization trying to obstruct the ToUM in adjusting this meme. What does that look like?

(ζ:42:-4) M-Class Main Sequence

Autumn Tidal Flow STOP 7 (5.2 months) arrived ~7 years ago in this system and found a Morbius Metals Deep Space Network already activated, named Customer Feedback Welcome. Autumn Tidal Flow synced Mindscape with this network, and because they were eager to move on to other pastures that were truly unexplored they moved on almost immediately.

Little did they know that this is the most forward operating base of Smoking Mirror. The complex did not attempt to implement on Autumn Tidal Flow, the risk was too great. But it has imported multiple Nghorach slaves to the marginal worlds in this system, who are rapidly creating infrastructure. These bases are well hidden. Should they be in danger of discovery, they will be eradicated by fusion bombs.

(ζ:43:-3) M-Class Supergiant

This system DEFINITELY has some kind of Predecessor installation at it. What type?

(ζ:55:-1) M-Class Main Sequence

A challenging world. Autumn Tidal Flow STOP 6 (4.2 months) passed by here. They did a survey, and left behind an automated Mindscape drop beacon. A Superb (+5) investigation of this beacon will point out some strange flaws in the ethics of the vessel.

(ζ:56:-1) M-Class Main Sequence

At least one agreeable and one marginal world. Autumn Tidal Flow STOP 5 (4 months) passed by. Because of the possibility of newly habitable worlds, they left behind an active research station. This station will have now been affected by the imbalance present in Tidal Flow, to disastrous conclusion. What disaster? What danger faces Coop 54?

SULLIVAN'S RAINBOW (ζ:47:2:X:2) Large/Standard Agreeable Garden Planet

This world is hellish by any description, a kind of summary of everything that could possibly go wrong in a human society. SCIForceInst is very close to doing something it almost never does; RAVE (Rapid Acculturation by Violent Expedients). That is a nice way of saying moving on the planet in force and taking completely control of the society for vast reeducation. However, the resources required for such an operation are simply not available this far out. What could be going on here? Maybe a contact team has been captured and must be freed? Maybe some vital piece of Commonality tech has been captured?

Autumn Tidal Flow STOP 4 (3.7 months). The Bioship was notified of possible problems at Sullivan's Rainbow, but seemed to have ignored that, moving on. Not a good sign.

(ζ:48:2) G-Class Main Sequence

This system has multiple biospheres, but investigation will reveal that all of the organisms on all of the planets in this system are descended from some common engineered ancestral for of tremendous adaptability and resilience. If transported away from this system, it would almost certainly become an invasive species of terrifying rapacity.

Autumn Tidal Flow STOP 3 (4 months) visited this system, and let behind an automated Mindscape drop beacon. It will be obvious that upon realizing that all organisms in this system were essentially variations on the same organism, they bioship "lost interest" and just wandered off; a very strange conclusion.

AVKOALAI (ζ:61:2:X:2) Standard Agreeable Ocean Planet

The dominant culture of Avkoalai is generally agreeable and gentile. It is expected that contact will move ahead fairly rapidly. Anything interesting happening?

NYADPHINONG (ζ:61:2:X:7) Standard Agreeable Garden Planet

The colonists on this world are becoming addicted to the secretions of the sessile exointelligence. What trouble is that causing? What can the Cooperative do about it? Should they do anything about it?

(ζ:90:2) Eruptive Variable (Binary)

This system has an agreeable world. Something HAS to be going on there.