Arba/Lunion

©2001 by Dan Roseberry

Arba System Data:

Arba 1721 Lunion subsector Spinward Marches
Ring-Ray 9928-62735
Estimated Age:  6 billion years

Primary:  Al-Khalil K2V
Stellar Temperature: 4892.308
Luminosity: .388
Mass: .75
Radius: .0067

Orbit Name  UPP       Distance in AU/Mkm  Orbital ecc.  Remarks
1.5 Ishma  YS00000-0      .55/82.25        .02
1.9 Arba   C200200-C      .67/100.21       .05         mainworld
2.5 Isaak  Y230123-C      .85/127.15       .05         rs lab
3   Sarai  Y200000-0      1.0/149.6        .02
4 Ibrahim  Y500000-0      1.6/239.3        .07
-55 Anapy  YS00000-0      .003/.275        nil
-60 Glioma YS00000-0      .005/.3          nil
6 Hagars Belt  H000110-B  5.2/777.9        nil

Note:  Orbit numbers for Anapy and Glioma represent distances from
Ibrahim.

World Data for Arba

Moons:  none
Diameter:  3280km (2029mls)
Density:  2.7g-cucm
Mass:  .006 Earth
Gravity:  .118G
Orbital Period:  231.298 std days
Local Time:  uses std Imperial Calender-365 days per year 24 hrs per day
Axial Tilt:  0 degrees (tidal locked)
Atmospheric Pressure:  nil
Atmospheric Gases:  nil
Hydrosphere:  nil
Albedo:  .02
Greenhouse Factor:  0
Temperature, Dayside "Arba":  304.034K-87.26F
Temperature, Nightside "Dark Arba":  253.362K-3.948F
Local Ecosystem:  no life
Tectonic Plates: 1
Volcanos: none
Seismic Stress: 2.42
Resources:  average
Natural Resources, by type;
Gem Stones, Crystals: scarce
Rare Minerals: scarce
Radioactives: scarce
Heavy Metals: scarce
Industrial Metals: ample, especially copper and zinc
Light Metals: plentiful
Population:  550
Population between ages 16-65: 340
MSPR:  0
PR: 2
Economics:
GNP Mcr 7.04
Per capita income: cr12800
Rate of exchange[Icr] .75 to 1
Trade Classification: non-industrial, lo population, vacuum world
Major Employers: Arba Down Starport, Myers Mining and Manufacturing
Inc., Zinc INC., University of Lanth, Chaperons Blanc.
Government:  none [non-governed Imperial territory]
Law Level:  0 [Arba downport: 3]
Tech Level: 12 average Imperial

Primary Starport: Arba Down Starport,  a type C-III port.
Starport Operations:
Facility Use:  open to the public
Sectional Chart:  Lunion/Spinward Marches
Control Tower:  Yes
Beacon:  Standalone Transponder, Radio and Laser Transciever
Starport Services:
Fuel available:  unrefined
Parking:  one 11-slot parkbay, 1-1000dt hanger
Hull frame service:  minor
Drive & plant service:  minor
Bottled Oxygen:  yes
Bulk Oxygen:  yes
Other Services:  freight storage, space cargo, 1 general purpose shuttle
available.

Landing Strip Information
Dimensions:  4000m x 500m
Surface:  Arbacrete, packed & fused, in fair condition
Landing Strip Lights:  High Intensity
Markings:  precision instrument

Secondary Spaceports:
Site B, Zhi-Ling; both class E/H-I


Military/Security Forces:

Arba Port Authority Security Team
6 troops

Imperial Peace Keeping Force
1 Type T Patrol Cruiser, with 8 marines [Imperial Navy]
1 Gazelle Class Close Escort [Imperial Reserve Navy]
1 Type S Scout [Imperial Scout Service]



History:

The first permenant residents were a group of prospectors from Sacnoth,
who arrived in -187.  They did not land on Arba itself; rather, they set
up a small refueling and mining station in Hagar's belt.This
installation would eventually
form the basis of the Sword World claim to the Arba system. It was a
very tiny claim, however; when the first Imperial Scouts arrived in Arba
in 112 sensor scans failed to detect  any presence in the belt. While
some have speculated that the Sacnoth station deliberately hid
themselves to avoid detection, most observers have pointed out that a
lot of details were missing in the original survey of the system.
Indeed, the initial survey conducted by the IISS Algol failed to detect
the presence of Ibrahims satellite worldlets Anapy and Glioma [There is
some conjecture that the two worldlets were captured by Ibrahim after
the initial survey. However, most scientists generally regarded the work
of the initial survey team as sloppy].

After years of reports from Imperial traders, the Scout Service sent
another expedition to Arba, this coinciding with the undertaking of the
First Survey. The commander of the IISS survey team, a rather flamboyant
character by the name of  "Torack the Searcher", recognizing both the
astropolitical significance of the Arba system and confirming the
existence of the Sacnoth station, immediately laid claim to the system
by planting the Imperial flag on Arba and Ibrahim. The legal claim would
thus rest on the Imperiums control of the main planet in the systems
life zone [Arba] and the largest planet in the system [Ibrahim]. To back
this claim, Torack left 2 members of the survey team behind with a life
boatand 2 laser carbines to "patrol" the system while he jumped
outsystem for reinforcements.  While formal integration with the
Imperium would not come till much later [515], this action is how the
Imperuim gained control of the Arba system.

The first Imperial outpost on Arba, Martinport, was established in 348.
Martinports primary function was to serve as a forward sight for
Imperial colonization in the Abyss region. Funding and support for the
effort dried up  by the 370's, due to extensive colonization efforts by
the Imperium in the Chronor and Jewel subsectors. Private colonizing
ventures continued, however, though at a much smaller scale.
Prospectors and traders also continued to arrive in the area, and by the
time of the First Frontier War, Arba had a population of some 2000
sophonts [all of which were in Martinport].

Frontier Wars

Arba was already involved in a low-level conflict [the age old claim
jumper wars that always occur in contested systems] by the time that
news of the First Frontier War had arrived. The outbreak of the Frontier
War had the effect of organizing  the belters into pro and anti Imperial
groups. The former controlled the inner system out to Sarai, the later
generally stayed in Hagars belt. This battle of the claim jumpers went
on for 2 years, until 591, when a force led by a flight of IISS scout
ships and a half a dozen seekers was able to penetrate the Sacnoth
Station defenses and destroy the Hagars Point fueling station. This
victory would be short lived, however. In 607, the Zhodani Strike
Cruiser Zhilqatij arrived in orbit above Arba and dropped two 500 kt
gravity bombs on the Martinsport outpost and starport.  The destruction
of both outposts effectively reduced the population to a handful by wars
end.

Not wanting to be caught with its flank unprotected again, the Imperuim
sought to fortify the Abyss region and its approaches. The Imperial Navy
set up a small forward base on Arba with fueling facilities and a
squadron of fighter craft. The Scout Service set up two listening posts
in Hagars Belt to monitor any refueling activity by the Outworlders. The
forward base, known as site B,  was used to great effect in the 2nd
Frontier War. Outworld Coalition probes into the system were destroyed
within hours of their arrival. The fueling base supported naval
operations deep in Sword Worlds territory, forcing them on the defensive
almost immediately. Site B, along with Imperial facilities at Rabwhar
and Wardn provided Admiral Koenigs Fleet with the logistics support it
needed to fully prosecute the end of the war with the Sword Worlders.

Site B continued to operate until 804, when the Imperial Navy transfered
all assets at the fueling base to the Five Sisters subsector. Facilities
which could not be removed were destroyed, with the exception of the
landing pads and runway. Site B is now a class E facility, still
controled by the Imperial Navy for use as an emergency auxilliary port.
Located just inside the dark side line, it is rarely used. The Scout
service outposts in Hagars Belt were abandoned in 706.

LSP comes, LSP goes:

The end of the 2nd Frontier War and the occupation of 12 worlds of the
Sacnoth Dominate opened up new opportunities for companies willing to
take risks. Ling Standard Products [LSP] became interested in the Arba
system as a center of trade between the border worlds and the Imperuim.
The initial involvement of the company in Arba came in 622, when the
Imperial Navy decided to ask for civilian contractors to build and
maintain a starship repair and maintainence facility at Site B. LSP won
the bid, and by 625 the facility was operational. It was at this point
that LSP decided to construct its own class C starport on Arba. This
port was to serve 3 functions:  first, to support mining activities by
LSP prospecting ships, secondly, to serve as a trade station for LSP
between the Imperuim and the Sword Worlds, and finally to make money
from civilian space traffic that would use the port. It seemed like a
great idea at the time, and the LSP Regional Management Team gave its
blessing to the plan. The Zhi-Ling Starport was completed by 639.

For a time things went well, but eventually a number of events occurred
which caused LSP to lose interest in developing the system. The over
throw of the Sacnoth Dominate by the Gram Coalition in 698 cut heavily
into the trade between the Swords and the Imperium. Prospecting strikes
in the Zaibon system forced LSP to move most of its prospecting ships
there. The closure of Site B eliminated the major subsidy that kept the
Zhi-Ling port profitable. The final blow came in the 900's. The only
amount of major traffic through the Arba system prior to the 900's was
heading to and from the Abyss region. The construction of the XBoat
network and the development of Jump 4 technology left the Zhi-Ling port
broke and empty. LSP continued on in Arba until the outbreak of the
Third Frontier War in 979. The megacorporation took advantage of a tax
law which allowed LSP to reduce the amount of taxes it owed the Imperium
by claiming that its facilities in the Arba system had suffered from
"enemy action" [there had been very little if any Outworlder activity in
Arba during the entire war].

The 'Modern' Era

Arba was ignored by the Imperuim for almost 50 years after the Third
Frontier War. Imperial attention returned in the run up to the Fourth
Frontier War. The Ministry of Colonization decided to set up a permanent
starport on Arba that would connect the Lanth/Abyss region with Rabwhar,
Adabicci and Lunion. This was part of a larger plan to permanently
secure the frontier around the Sword Worlds, involving the reconquest of
Margesi and Saurus during the Fourth Frontier War and the development of
Tavonni by the private sector.

The new starport, Arba down, was established in 1084. It was and is the
largest employer in Arba. Other groups arrived as the population
increased. They were spurred on by the lack of government control
outside the extra-territoriality border of the Arba down port. By 1095,
a new settlement, Nimmi Shis, had been built about 10km northwest of
Arba down. Both the down port and the settlement recieve support and
subsidies from the Ministry of Colonization.


Settlements and locales:

On Arba, the only major settlements are the Arba downport and Nimmi
Shis. The old naval base at Site B and the old LSP base at Zhi-Ling are
little more than dusty landing strips; what was'nt taken by the Navy and
LSP was stripped by salvagers. A memorial honoring those lost at
Martinsport is currently being built in preparation for the
Pentacentennial of the loss of that outpost. A team from Spinward
Salvage is currently decontaminating the craters at Martinsport and will
be setting up a class E/H-I spaceport there.

The rest of the population in the Arba system are located on two worlds;
Hagarstown and Isaak. Isaak is home to a branch of the University of
Lanth; the research lab is conducting a long term environmental study of
the planet. Hagarstown, located in Hagars Belt, is currently being
developed as a permenent trade and maintenance facility for Chaperons
Blanc.

The End.

Dan Roseberry [plop101] Arba/Lunion/Spinward Marches