Magnus system

“Magnus: On the Edge of the Unknown!” or so reads the local government’s standard travel brochure. In truth, the phrase better describes Magnus a century ago; recent decades have seen increasing settlement and overall civilization in a system that considers itself the unofficial capital of Human frontier culture.

First discovered in 2499, Magnus was a small, entirely undistinguished system: three planets orbiting a type K main sequence star. Dimmer than Earth’s own sun, Magnus did not have the pull to generate a system of outer planets or an extensive network of jump point tie-ins. Surveys have located no protoplanets, gas pockets or asteroid fields in the system’s environs; the area surrounding Magnus is the deepest, most desolate space imaginable. A single world, Magnus II, was identified as ideal for terraforming.

That process happened quickly. Magnus’ distance from well-traveled space plus the availability of heavy metals and the anticipated ease of terraforming Magnus II resulted in a military-commissioned closed-terraforming starting in 2533. By the late 26th century, Magnus had become a large-scale naval base and the source of a great deal of ship construction. This lasted approximately fifty years, until budget cutbacks and the desire to focus operations in other systems, like Kilian, lead to the large scale abandonment of Magnus.

For a time, Magnus II was a barren desert world — the effects of terraforming had not yet completely transformed the planet, and a ten-year period of extreme solar flares hampered its transition to a temperate world, increasing the decay of the UEE facilities and generally reducing overall interest in resettling Magnus. The result was an eerie, depopulated ghost world with declining structures full of refining and shipbuilding equipment considered too expensive to move elsewhere. During this period, the system’s population declined to less than 3,000, most of whom had no legal right to their encampments.

In 2751, the original military classification for the Magnus system expired and other colonists were technically allowed to move in. Seeing no practical use for the system, the UEE opted not to renew their lease claims for the sole inhabitable planet’s landmasses. The age of single-state colonization having long since ended, Magnus’ colonials were a ragtag group of outbackers, claim jumpers and an assortment of similar, less-savory types trying to escape their reputations on the core worlds. The result was a system with a reputation for a wild, anything-goes atmosphere, where Humans could live along the margins of the law. A culture supporting this system has since arisen organically, with a ‘kill-or-be-killed’ attitude that has developed into a strictly held frontier-style code of honor.

In recent years, Magnus II, Borea, has become more civilized, increasingly playing its reputation and fading ghost towns for tourist dollars. It’s still among the more dangerous Human-settled worlds: while the government has come to adhere to a more formal system, assassinations are still not uncommon. This culture is not onesided, however: for all the lawlessness, Magnus is seen as a place where anyone can start anew, a system that strongly believes in ignoring an individual’s past in favor of his or her potential. For this reason alone, settlement on Borea is increasing, year by year.

Magnus I
A small rocky planet with no atmosphere. Some astrogeologists speculate that Magnus I was formerly a Hot Jupiter that migrated to this orbit before having its atmosphere stripped away by the star.

Borea : Magnus II
The former home to the UEE's shipbuilding facilities until they moved to Kilian, Borea suffered an economic depression for decades. Things have recently begun to improve with ship manufacturer Drake Interplanetary's decision to be headquartered on this planet.

Magnus III
Classified as a Super Jupiter, Magnus III is a large multi-colored gas giant situated on the outskirts of the system.