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.

(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. They have achieved tech index 5. What does THAT look like? What else makes them interesting? I think maybe they were contacted by Autumn Tidal Flow?

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

This system has multiple marginal habitability worlds. What is happening with them?

(ζ:43:-3) M-Class Supergiant

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

(ζ:56:-1) M-Class Main Sequence

At least one agreeable and one marginal world. Anything happening?

SULLIVAN'S RAINBOW (ζ:43:-3: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?

(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.

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.