[Infinities: Candle in the Dark] Thread for CitD (Needs Name)

[Matrix Dragon]

Well, he hasn't had his 'dug out of his shitty hiding hole' moment like Saddam, so I figured you were going to have him do something monstrous at some point.

[M Fnord]

It's been a while, and I don't want to get anyone's hopes up that things are going to be happening quickly or anything. Still got the other thing going at the moment and that's got a hold of most of my CPU time right now.

But.

I have been thinking about this one again. Of all the stuff currently on hiatus this is one I feel bad about leaving there. We ought to get around to getting it back underway, right? So... keep watching the skies, guys. 

In the meantime, have a map I knocked out in an afternoon:

[Rajvik]

I am kinda still poking at this, at least mentally. Especially after reading that "Abby" is leaving NCIS at the end of this season. Figure they get reserve commissions for a few of the actors and after Cote De Pablo's wave incident there is an NCIS Luna spinoff from which they bring the original crew back together for "Twoflower Afloat"

[Terrace]

Permitted jump routes? Does that mean "You must arrive via these systems in this order if you don't want a hostile/very twitchy local response"?

[Rajvik]

That usually means safe ones because of intervening points having unstable solar masses, or L-points jumps that are testy due to varying stellar masses

[Terrace]

That usually means safe ones because of intervening points having unstable solar masses, or L-points jumps that are testy due to varying stellar masses

Since there's no evidence yet of jump point problems, I'm assuming the restrictions are political in nature.

[robkelk]

That usually means safe ones because of intervening points having unstable solar masses, or L-points jumps that are testy due to varying stellar masses

Since there's no evidence yet of jump point problems, I'm assuming the restrictions are political in nature.

They might be a safety measure, for a real, perceived, or imagined threat.

Who knows what handwavium does to a jump drive? (Well, yes, the Convention has a pretty good idea, but does anyone else?) They might want to keep traffic confined to worlds that they've checked and vetted have the ability to keep handwavium away from their ships.

[M Fnord]

Permitted jump routes? Does that mean "You must arrive via these systems in this order if you don't want a hostile/very twitchy local response"?

Well, considering what happened the last time large numbers of jumpships appeared in the even zone without authorization...

[ECSNorway]

Also remember, for every star on that map there's at least a dozen that aren't, because they're not inhabited, too small to care about, or otherwise unimportant.

But they're still valid jump routes and they're still patrolled.

[ckosacranoid]

nice to see that this might be coming back from the dead....

[JakeGrey]

(Inspired by many hours playing the new BT game. I've probably got a bunch of canon details wrong, but it wouldn't leave me alone. And apologies if the formatting is hedgehogged, I've fixed it twice but it keeps reverting every time I open the saved draft.)

Fortress-class Dropship Wexford, currently landed on Skye

"Natasha," Colonel Jaime Wolf said as calmly as he possibly could, "good to hear from you at last. Yes, I got your last report, but... Well, there are a few things I'm unclear on. Such as how exactly a simple training contract on a Periphery backwater turned into what I can only describe as a melee a'trois with your old buddy the Bounty Hunter and the Aurigan Coalition's Royal Guard..." With the hand not currently occupied by the comms handset, he reached up to massage his forehead in an attempt to ease a growing headache. "The Dobrev? Never heard of her. Should I have...?" There was a long pause while he listened in growing disbelief. "Holy hell. You're quite sure you've got the right ship? I'll take your word for it. Anything useful in the nav computer? Damn. Oh, well, at least we have confirmation that someone made it out of that shitshow. I just hope this was worth a permanent spot on House Arano's shitlist for scuffing up Lady Kamea's mint-condition SLDF Atlas. Yeah, alright. See you in a few weeks."

Jaime put the handset back in its cradle and banged his head gently on the desk in front of him. "Great Father gimme strength..." He muttered, because even Clanners need someone to swear by.

"Everything alright, sir?" his adjutant asked, putting his head around the stateroom door.

"Just Natasha being Natasha."

"I see. Shall I have the wardroom stewards send up a bottle?"

Jaime laughed. "Don't tempt me. Any new contract offers come in?"

The adjutant checked his clipboard. "Not through MercNet, but I do have a request for an appointment to discuss one in person. Light on specifics, but they're from Tellus."

---

The prospective client arrived a few hours later after seeing to some business elsewhere on the planet, in an aerodyne drop-shuttle of a type the Dragoons had never seen before. It was about the overall size of an ST-46 but wider and shorter, a sleek and wedge-shaped flying wing design that was borderline lostech; the theoretical understanding of aerodynamics needed to keep such an inherently unstable design in the air had been old when the Pathfinder first jumped to Tau Ceti, but the multiple-redundant computerised flight controls required to put that theory into practice were prohibitively expensive for anything but niche military applications or ostentatious toys.

Then again, if the Twoflower was any indication the Tellusians had their own ideas about what was and wasn't prohibitively expensive. Unfortunately for the prospective client's representative, Colonel Jaime Wolf was not the kind of man who could be overawed by fancy technology or profligate displays of wealth. He stood alongside the rest of his senior command staff outside the airlock as the shuttle touched down in one of the Wexford's vacant small craft bays, touching down with surprising grace for its size. There was a brief pause, and then a large loading hatch at the stern folded down to become a ramp.

"Doesn't look like a 'technomage'," Stanford Burke said quietly. He wasn't wrong. The man descending the ramp eschewed the allegedly traditional green robe in favour of a vaguely military-looking outfit consisting of a black sweater with epaulettes over a white shirt and a scarlet-and-navy striped necktie, charcoal grey trousers and meticulously-shined dress shoes, and an old-fashioned but immaculate leather attache case in one hand. He was tanned enough to pass for any number of ethnicities, about fifty in Terran years, and walked with a slight but noticeable limp.

"Good afternoon, Colonel Wolf," the man said, offering his hand. "I'm Agent Thomas Rutley of the Fenspace Convention Security Service."

Jaime shook, noting with mild approval that Rutley's grip was firm without trying to make a dominance contest out of it. "Welcome aboard. I must admit, from the text of your message I'd expected you to be here as a private citizen."

"That was intentional. Forgive the subterfuge, but my government would rather not advertise the fact we're hoping to hire you away from the Commonwealth."

"Understandable," Jaime replied. "Anyway, this is my intelligence officer Major Stanford Burke, Chief of Staff Major Kenneth Quo and senior logistics officer Captain James Quo."

"No relation," the latter Quo added, in the tone of someone who's had to explain this entirely too often.

"I'm afraid Colonel Kerensky and my brother are currently deployed elsewhere, but I'm fully authorised to discuss terms on their..." Jaime saw Rutley's expression and paused. "Something wrong?"

"Not exactly," he replied. "It's just that I had been informed in my briefing that your brother had been killed during the Marik Civil War."

"Not for lack of trying on that bloodthirsty maniac's part," Jaime replied, with feeling. "But to be honest, I'd rather not talk about that. Shall we adjourn to the conference room to discuss your proposal?"

Once everyone was seated at the conference table, Rutley handed Jaime a bulging manilla envelope from within his briefcase. "You'll find both digital and printed copies of our proposed contract in there, along with a pamphlet that various interested parties have been putting together to help new arrivals acclimatise to Fenspace. But to briefly summarise, we'd like to hire your company for a garrison and training contract, emphasis on the 'training' component. You are to a great extent going to be starting from scratch there, I'm afraid: We have abundant infantry, armoured vehicles and aircraft but our battlemech assets consist of a grab-bag of about thirty assorted light and medium mechs that were mostly confiscated from pirates. We need to build up a cadre of both pilots and technicians, and our conventional forces need an OPFOR who aren't learning the theory and practice of battlemech warfare as they go along."

"Not a small job," James Quo remarked. "Would I be right in assuming you're going to need some logistical support for those captured mechs?"

"That's up in the air at the moment," Rutley replied. "Other representatives have been sent to various manufacturing concerns to offer some generous incentives to set up local subsidaries and our own firms have made a heroic effort to produce the parts we understand the physics of and reverse-engineer the ones we don't, but it's not a fast process. Chances are we'll be placing some orders with Hephaestus Station's machine shops; there's clauses about that in the contract."

"I take it that's why you aren't offering salvage rights," Jaime added, looking up from the document in question.

"That and the fact that we hope and expect you won't be seeing much if any active combat. Employing mercenary companies in offensive operations is not something we're terribly comfortable with back home," Rutley explained. "We lack any equivalent of the MRB and there have been some... unpleasant incidents, shall we say, particularly when contracts go to the low bidder." The senior Dragoons nodded in wordless understanding; they'd all had experience with that sort of mercenary company, often in the context of being brought in to clean up their messes. "Besides, at the moment our main threats are from the occasional pirate band trying to transit through Antallos, and so far none of them have even got a dropship through to threaten the garrison at Port Krin. By the time we're facing someone with a real military we hope to have our own military on a better footing."

"As Captain Quo pointed out, not a small job," Jaime remarked. "Or a cheap one."

"Payment scales are covered in Article 11. Why my superiors put ten clauses of legal boilerplate in front of that is best known to themselves."

Jaime flipped a page or two forward in the contract until he found the relevant clause. "I see," he said carefully, drawing on all his years of experience negotiating mercenary contracts and defending his title as champion of the Alpha Regiment poker tournament to keep a smile off his face. The numbers involved were not small, even if qualified with the words "or equivalent in local currency". He could work with House bills.

"So," Burke said a moment later, "What's the catch? I'm not trying to talk us out of a job here, but you yourself just stated that your only immediate military threats are the occasional particularly stupid pirate, yet you're spending extremely serious money even by your standards to hire us to prepare your forces for a war. Is there something you're not telling us?"

Rutley smiled humourlessly. "We're simply thinking long-term, Star-Captain. That is your correct Clan rank, isn't it?"

The faint tinkle as Jaime's pen slipped from his suddenly nerveless fingers and landed on the conference table seemed deafeningly loud amid the silence that fell over the room.

"What," Burke said, at last. His tone suggested he was just too shocked to add the question mark.

"Ineffable Technomage bullshit powers, remember?" Rutley quipped. "Well, that and some of your compatriots in Goliath Scorpion made the trek back to the old country to find out why an entire graduating class of Mechwarriors had exactly the same necrosia vision, and apparently it involved... well, us."

Nobody commented on this. It made as much sense as everything else that had happened in the Gernsback Expanse in the last few years.

"How much time do we have?" Jaime said quietly.

"If events proceed precisely as they would have before the Incident?" Rutley tactfully refrained from using the word "canon". "Until the middle of the century, give or take a couple of years. And it ends about as well as you've already concluded it will, I dare say If word gets back to the Pentagon Worlds, your guess is as good as mine: Best-case is the whole thing gets called off because someone sent some of that oddly on-the-nose Tellusian fiction home and they all suddenly remember what a supply line is and why it matters. Worst-case, the Crusader Clans decide they have to invade now before there's a major security breach. But whatever happens, my government and our allies are in the firing line the minute they realise what we represent."

"How do you mean?" Stanford asked.

"Well, if your burning ambition was to restore the glory days of the Star League, would you want to have a rival faction on your border whose long-term ambition is to create something better? A rival that also regards many of the principles you held dear as so deeply, profoundly immoral that observing them is forbidden by our highest laws?" Rutley replied. "Oh, and that reminds me: One of the many, many topics where we're going to need your help is how to explain the difference between Prisoner of War status and bondsref, because our laws don't make any distinction between taking someone as a bondsman and taking them as a slave."

And the Tellusians had Opinions about slavery, Jaime thought to himself, recalling some of the stories to come out of Antallos after the annexation. "That's a... complicated issue, certainly," he admitted.

Rutley nodded. "I imagine it must be. So, does that mean you're interested in the contract?"

"Interested, yes. But I'm going to have to consult with all the senior staff before we commit to signing." Jaime took a deep breath. "I think we should have a short recess. Would you excuse us, please? I'll have someone show you to the wardroom."

Once he was gone, the Dragoons exchanged haunted looks. "Well, savrashri," said Kenneth, after a long silence.

"That about sums it up," Jaime agreed. "So, what do we do now?"

[Rajvik]

works for me, i think that is pretty spot on as far as reactions, though i don't know how exactly to handle both Wolf brothers being alive other than the proverbial butterfly answer

[JakeGrey]

I have a detailed in-universe explanation the boils down to the BT writers deviating from what really happened because they thought Jaime and Natasha needed more angst.

[M Fnord]

Now I feel like an asshole for backburnering this one so thoroughly.

So, cards on the table gang: I don't honestly know if we're ever going to finish the main story. Even if we were all still 100% ride-or-die invested in Fenspace - which I don't think most of us are after, god, 12 years of this - the general story outline I came up with was too ambitious for us to have ever finished, really. I had a rough outline of events put together taking things all the way out to the Jihad era of the 3080s, but it was was too much for us to chew. That's on me, so... sorry for letting the side down.

Where do we go from here? Well, there does seem to be some actual interest still over on SB at least, so any new content wouldn't be just us posting desperately into the void or anything. If whoever still cares gives their assent, I think what I might end up doing (after a similar rambling apology on the SB thread) is post a general outline of what I had planned for the Twoflower's tour, the Fourth Succession War and and beyond, along with partially-finished scenes and snippets from the googledoc that ought to see light of day. After that, I'll turn the thread more or less over to short stories and random worldbuilding bits based on stuff in the outline. I'll even throw thread collaborator status in for those who want to help with the housekeeping. Even if the longform narrative fails, we can still keep the story going.

I dunno. What do you guys think? Is this too ambitious - again? Or is it worth taking a gamble on?

[Bob Schroeck]

I'd certainly like to see it keep going, although I don't know how much help I can be in maintaining its momentum.

[Dakota]

Don't know if we can keep the momentum. There is a bunch of material sitting in the google docs that could be sorted through, polished up, and release at least.

[Bob Schroeck]

What's the URL for that? I don't think I have it around any more.

[Dakota]

What's the URL for that?  I don't think I have it around any more.

Sent you a PM with them.

[Rajvik]

i am honestly going to have to do a reread through this to get my head back in it, but i would love to continue since i remember bringing the NCIS cast into it for Atreus. i have a small bit hand written to bash pirates at a jump point in the DC, along with some other odds and ends

[Bob Schroeck]

What's the URL for that?  I don't think I have it around any more.

Sent you a PM with them.

Got it, thanks.

[ckosacranoid]

It would be cool to some stuff even if its small and odd stories over a overall main line that gets the writers burned out,

[Matrix Dragon]

If nothing else, a short story showing us what happened to Melissa Steiner would be welcomed

[DeputyJones]

I actually have some data I was putting together for some Fen/Dane colonies for a [2020 UN/FC Extrasolar Colony Conference] thread I was considering making (still am actually...). Being Fenspace, some of the extrasolar government names are taken from Civilization - I couldn't resist. Some is data already on the Fenwiki, other is original. It's still incomplete and has blatant holes, but here it is.

Also, I can't seem to post this without the format borking. Sorry.

===========================================================================

a. Groombridge 34 Star System
      Groombridge 34 A System [Settlers: South Asia Conference]
        [11.624 LY from Sol]
        Primary: Karna
        Zenith Recharging Point: “UNSS ???”
        I: Meru {Class D}
        II: Thuvaraiyam Pathi {M1}
        III: Shamballa {M1; moon Kalapa}
          Example Colonies [Settlement, Region/State, Continent]:
              Indraprastha, , (Indian settlers)
        IV: Kumari Kandam {M1; ethnic minority settlers with Indian assistance; 16 island continents [Anga, Assaka, Avanti, Chedi, Gandhara, Kashi, Kamboja, Kosala, Kuru, Magadha, Malla, Matsya, Panchala, Surasena, Vriji,                  and Vatsa]; two captured asteroid moons}
                Example Colonies [Settlement, Region/State, Continent]:
                  Dagon, Suvarnabhumi, Chedi {Burmese Myanmar settlers}
                  Thaton, Thuwunnabumi, Magadha (Mon Myanmar settlers)
                  , Siam, Kashi {Thai settlers}
                  , Kampuchea,  {Cambodian settlers}
                  , , Kosala  {Nepalese settlers}
        V: Asteroid Belt {half Sol’s density}
        VI: Mughal {S)
      Companion: Groombridge 34 B System
        Primary: Agni
        Features: asteroid belts; ~24 dwarf planets
b. Tau Ceti System [Settlers: Fenspace Convention]
        [11.9 LY from Sol; 8.69 Days by Spacewarp Drive; 10.43 Hour Interwave Lag]
        Primary: Torajii
        Zenith Recharging Point: “UNSS Bad Wolf”
        I: Krop Tor
        II: Minyos
        III: Krontep
        IV: Karn
        V: Gallifrey {Continents Wild Endeavor & The Citadel; island continents The Stopwatch, Perdition, Rassilon’s Isles, Harmony, & The Untempered Schism; silverleaf trees; moons Master and Doctor;
                Example Colonies [Settlement, Region/State, Continent]:
                    Ptichka’s Landing, Free People’s Serene Temporal Republic of Gallifrey {Love & Rage Collective}
                    San Angeles, New California Republic, Wild Endeavor
                    FTA Fremen Combine
                    Miskatonic County, Miskatonic River Valley, Perdition {Horror & Mystery Fen; surprisingly cheery place; fishing very big thing locally; visiting on various 'gloom and doom' holidays are big treats}
                    ---Silent Hill {capital}
                    ---Arkham {university city}
                    ---Kingsport {largest fishing locale}
                    ---Innsmouth {second largest fishing locale}
                    ---Jerusalem's Lot {largest farming locale}
        VI: Skaro
          Moon: Davros {Starfleet Class O9; UFP Oceanic Training Centre}
c. GJ 412 A System [Settlers: League of Islamic Nations]
        [15.832 LY from Sol]
        Primary: Nuha
        Nadir Recharging Point: “UNSS al-Falah” ("Our Success")
        I:  {J3}
        II: Basamum {M1; moons Ta'lab and Ruda; seven continents Hatti, Elam, Khem, Mashu, Amurru, Sumer, and Akkad}
            Example Colonies [Settlement, Region/State, Continent]:
                Dar al Salaam, Eridu, Sumer {international capital}
                , Uruk, Sumer {Kuwaiti settlers}
                Hufaidh City, Hufaidh Island, Akkad {Iraqi settlers}
                , , Akkad {Jordanian settlers}
                , , Elam {Iranian settlers}
                , , Amurru {Saudi Arabian settlers}
                , , Mashu {Lebanese settlers}
                Hattusas, Galatia, Hatti {Turkish settlers}
                Memphis, New Nile River Valley, Khem {Egyptian settlers}
                "SV Golden Shah", Island-Class Habitat Ship, Orbit
        III:  {T}
        IV:  {S}
        V:  {O11}
        VI:  {R}
        GJ 412 B: Yam
d. Groombridge 1618 System [Settlers: Levant Consortium and N.U.N. Government]
        [15.848 LY from Sol]
        Primary: Helios
        Nadir Recharging Point: “UNSS Thrinacia”
        I: Nod (Semetic "wilderness")
        II: Sephiroth
        III: Babel (Moons Sodom, Gomorrah, and Jericho)
        IV: Eden {six continents Anatolia, Canaan, Dilmun, Urartu, Mitanni, and Chaldea; Moon Kinneret; New Edwards Test Flight Centre}
            Example Colonies [Settlement, Region/State, Continent]
                Macross City, Garalia, Chaldea {planetary capital}
                Pentapolis of Sogdiana, Dilmun {Zoroastrian settlers}
                    Cyropolis, Maracanda, Numijkat, Panchekanth, & Kesh
                Ashur, Republic of Assyria, Urartu {Assyrian settlers}
                Tarsos, Union of Cilecia, Urartu {Armenian settlers}
                Irem, Republic of Kurdistan, Urartu {Kurdish settlers}
                Maccabee, State of Galilee, Canaan {Israeli settlers}
                Constantinople, Republic of Byzantium, Anatolia {various Eastern Orthodox Church settlers}
                "NUNS Heliopolis," Island-Class Habitat Ship, Orbit
        V: Naharim {Moons Yarden and Arantu; Semitic "between the rivers"; Starfleet Class K13 [standard atmosphere, little/no water, cold]}
        VI: Golgotha Asteroid Belt
        VII: Sheol {Gas Giant; Moons Abaddon ["ruin"; dead rock], Bor ["the pit"; Mimas-style crater], Gehinnom [in Greek "Gehenna"; in English "Valley of Hinnom"; volcanic], and Shakhat ["corruption"; significant                                   radioactives]}
e. Sigma Draconis System [Settlers: Pan-Asian Cooperative (PRC)]
        [18.81 LY from Sol; 13.74 Days by Spacewarp Drive; 16.49 Hour Interwave Lag]
        Primary: Xīhé
        Zenith Recharging Point: "UNSS Zhulong"
        I: Nüba/Hanba
        II: Yù Huáng/Tiān Gōng
        III: Yushan {two moons Chang'e and Changzi; 1.12G; Changqing Defense Institute}
            Example Colonies [Settlement, Region/State, Continent]
                Chang'an,
        IV: Fuxi/Paoxi
        V: Erlang Shen/Yang Jian
        VI: Pangu Asteroid Belt {dwarf planets Fuxi, Nüwa, and Hua Hsu}
        VII: Xi Wangmu/Yáochí Jīnmǔ
        VIII: Dao {Gas Supergiant; several dozen moons named after Taoist deities; significant moons Magu, Yuanshi Tianzun, Lingbao Tianzun, and Daode Tianzun}
        (AN: Can't decide between names!)
f. Delta Pavonis System [Settlers: Fenspace Convention]
        [19.92 LY from Sol; 14.55 Days by Spacewarp Drive; 17.46 Hour Interwave Lag]
        Primary: Dagr
        Nadir Charging Point: “UNSS Caladan”
        I: Helheim {D}
        II: Alfheim {F14; Moon Skidbladnir}
        III: Midgard {K2}
        IV: Yggdrasil {M1; CitD 3077 Population 38,750,000; Moons Urthur, Verthandi, and Skuld; Tannhauser Gate; Continents Hyborea (north) and Aquilonia (south); Cimmerian borderlands (northern iceline); .81G; 50%                    surface water; in ice age; 28 hour day; 331 Earth day year}
                Example Colonies [Settlement, Region/State, Continent]:
                    Queendom of Aquilonia
                    Tarantia {capital; Tannhauser Research Institute}
                    Casterbridge, Wessex, Hyborea {Ministry of Magic; militia Royal Wessex Rangers}
        V: Asgard {S}
        VI: Vanaheim {S}
        VII: Svartalfheim {O10}
        VIII: Nidavellir {D}
        IX: Jotunheim {S; one of moons Utgard-Loki is O12}
        X: Niflheim {T}
g. Vega System [Settlers: Slavic Federation]
        [25.3 LY from Sol; 18.48 Days by Spacewarp Drive; 22.17 Hour Interwave Lag]
        Primary: Skinfaxi
        Zenith Charging Point: "UNSS Zhinü"
        : Zirnitra {M; }
            Example Colonies {Settlement, Region/State, Continent}:
                Kitezh, Kvenland, Rodinia {Russian settlers}
                , , Kenorland
                , , Baltica
h. Great Crow Star System
    p Eridani A / Yatagarasu System [Settlers: East Asian Alliance]
        [26.3 LY from Sol; 7.3 Days by Spacewarp Drive; 8.77 Hour Interwave Lag]
        Primary: Amaterasu
        Nadir Charging Station: “UNSS Takamagahara”
        I: Ame-no-Uzume
        II: Sarutahiko Okami
        III: Futsunushi
        IV:
       V: Inari {M2: Moon Tsukuyomi; oceans Shihotsuchi & Ohowatatsumi; four continents ???, Fu Sang, Gojoseon, and Onogoro; Onogoro [largest; Ikazuchi, Hachiman, and Ohoyamatsumi Mountain Ranges; Otohime Inland             Sea; Seorituhime River; Takitsuhiko Falls; Kukunoshi Forest; Wakoku Archipelago; Uka-no-Mitama Lowlands (excellent rice-growing locale)]; Gojoseon [Sangsegyeong, Jungsegyeong, and Hasegyeog Plains; Sansin                 Mountain Range]}
               Example Colonies [Settlement, Region/State, Continent]:
                   Nantwa, Tsushima Province, Onogoro {Yamato settlers}
                   Mirai, Ezochi Province, Onogoro {Ainu settlers}
                   Togenkyo, Liuqiu Islands, Onogoro {Ryukyuan settlers}
                   Asadal, Capital , Gojoseon {Republic of Korea settlers}
                   Tayouan, Yizhou, Fu Sang (Republic of China settlers)
        VI: Susano'o {S; moons Raijin, Takemikazuchi, Takiokami, Shimatsuhiko, and Kuraokami}
        VII: Amano-Iwato Asteroid Belt {dwarf planets Omoikane and Ame-no-Tajikarao}
        VIII: Amenominakanushi {S; Moons Kunitokotachi, Izanami, Izanagi, and Homusubi}
    p Epsilon B / Samjok-o System [Settlers: Not Inhabited, Terraforming Candidate]
        Primary:
        I:
        II: Jowangsin
        III: Samsin Halmoni
        IV: Teojushin {marginally habitable?; mining location?}
        V: Hwan-in {S; moons Dangun, Ungnyeo, and Hwan-ung}
        VI: Bonpuri {T; moons Cheonjiwang, Bakiwang, Daebyeolwang, Sobyeolwang, Sumyeongmangja, Dangchilseong, Maehwa, Mago, Mireuk, and Seokga}
    p Epsilon C / Jinwu System [Settlers: Not Inhabited, Terraforming Candidate]
i. 61 Virginis System [Settlers: Pan-Asian Cooperative (PRC-Supported Non-Chinese)]
        [27.81 LY from Sol; 20.31 Days by Spacewarp Drive; 24.37 Hour Interwave Lag]
        Primary:
        Zenith Recharging Point: “UNSS ”
        I:
        II: habitable
            Example Colonies [Settlement, Region/State, Continent]
                , ,  (Lao settlers)
                Tong Binh, ,  {Vietnamese settlers}
                , ,  (Sri Lankan settlers)
                , ,  (DPRepublic of Korea settlers)
                , ,  (Bangladesh settlers)
        III:
        IV: Asteroid Belt
        V:
j. Chara System [Settlers: Latin American Federation]
        Primary: Chara
        Nadir Recharging Station: "UNSS Asterion"
        I: B'alam (most Mayan languages "jaguar")
        II: Machu Pichu Asteroid Belt {named after name of sole dwarf planet there}
        III: Cipactli {M1; continents Aztlán, Chicomoztoc, Tamoanchan, and Paititi}
            Example Colonies [Settlement, Region/State, Continent]:
                Sulaco, Costaguana Republic, Aztlán {national capital}
                Gran Isabella Isle, Costaguana Republic, Aztlán {fish town}
                San Tomé, Costaguana Republic, Aztlán {monastic community}
                Esmeralda, Occidental Province, Aztlán {planet capital}
        IV: Tenochitlan {Class K15; ocean has life-filled geothermal-heated pockets; world in "Snowball Earth"-style period}
        V: Los Noches {unusually large void between Tenochitlan and Mesoamerica}
        VI: Mesoamerica {gas supergiant; major moons Olmec, Aztec, Inca, Nazca, Toltec, Maya, Muisca, Tenohican, and Chavin [irregular orbits; may be captured dwarf planets from Los Noches]}
k. Eta Cassiopeiae A System [Settlers: United American States of Gwynned]
        [19.42 LY from Sol; 14.18 Days by Spacewarp Drive; 17.02 Hour Interwave Lag]
        Primary: Achird
        I: Mag Ildathach
        II: Tír nAill
        III: Annwyn {gas giant 149.34 Earth day year; Gardener station}
          III-L: Gwynedd {50,000 to 52,387,000 in CitD 3077; semi-tropical; 97 hour day; 21.53 Earth day orbit; "GCAS Prydwen"}
              Example Colonies [Settlement, Region/State, Continent]:
                  Vespucci, Blue Coast, Terra Nova {capital}
                  New Philadelphia, Grand Plains, Columbia {American settlers}
                  Glenndale, Green Acres, Laurentia {Canadian settlers}
        Eta Cassiopeiae B: "Cassie" {unofficial}
l. Rigil Kentaurus B System [Settlers: Fenspace Convention]
        [4.22 LY from Sol; 3.21 Days by Spacewarp Drive; 3.85 Hour Interwave Lag]
        Primary: Hyperion
        I: Nessus
        II: Eurynomus
        III: Chiron {Saganville [pop. 12,500]; other 12,500 spread out}
            Deep Space Four Station {pop. 700}
m. Lalande 21185 System [Settlers: Fenspace Convention]
        [8.31 LY from Sol; 6.07 Days by Spacewarp Drive; 7.29 Hour Interwave Lag]
        Gatewood (Rainbow's End Station; 1,250,000 in CitD 3077)
n. 40 Eridani System [Settlers: United Federation of Planets]
        [16.45 LY from Sol; 12.02 Days by Spacewarp Drive; 14.42 Hour Interwave Lag]
        Primary: Keid A
        I: Surak
        IIA: Vulcan {Mount Seleya [Hall of Ancient Thought; al-Dar Mosque; Ethiopian Orthodox cathedral and monastery; RCC Jesuit church; Buddhist monastery]; 7,500 to 16,500,000 in CitD in 3077; .87G; 99.95 surface                    water; temperate; 38.75 hour day; 182 Earth day year}
            Example Colonies [Settlement, Region/State, Continent]:
                Shi'Kar, n/a, Great Ocean {capital}
        IIB: T'kut {warm Mars; Raptor's Wings [anarchist commune defense unit]}
o. Zeta 1 Reticuli System [Settlers: Sozvezdie Soviet]
        [39.53 LY from Sol; 28.88 Days by Spacewarp Drive; 34.65 Hour Interwave Lag]
        Primary: Prometheus
        Zenith Recharging Station: "UNSS Silmarillion"
        I: Elemmire {small Mercury-type planet with dense iron core}
        II: Earendil {warm terrestrial world covered almost entirely by deep ocean; resembles in some ways the popular conception of Venus before the beginning of the space age; would probably be considered a paradise
            save for the extremely dense atmosphere consisting of mostly nitrogen and helium with only 3% free oxygen; at 4.1 bar (the rough atmospheric pressure at sea level on Earendil) the mixture of nitrogen, helium and              oxygen present in the atmosphere is breathable by Earth life (not a pleasant experience by any means, but doable)}
        III: Arda {Free Cities of Osgiliath, Ithilien, & Dol Amroth, Anduin Valley, People's Republic of Gondor, continent Endor; Gondor Free University; southern hemisphere Earthers emigrated to continent Beleriand; Aulë                      Foundation}
            Moon Valinor {terraformed moon smaller than Luna; biosphere from Arda; completed around 30,000 years ago}
            Stargate "Night's Door"
        III: Carnil {large shallow oceans; extensive mountain ranges; life hasn't really developed past the algae-and-fish stage; continental masses are largely uncolonized, while the oceans have extensive biospheres based on                subsurface mats of kelplike plants}
        IV: Alcarinque {Jupiter-type world; rings more extensive than Saturn's}
        V: Lumbar {gas giant}
        VI: Nenar {Neptunian ice dwarf with larger than normal number of moons}
        VII: Lunil {ice dwarf}
        VIII: Morgoth {ice dwarf; moon Sauron has extensive volcanic activity}
p. Zeta Tucanae System [Settlers: Stellvia Corporation and Chartered Thule Company]
        [28.03 LY from Sol; 20.47 Days by Spacewarp Drive; 24.57 Hour Interwave Lag]
        Primary: Therbeeo
        Zenith Recharging Station: "UNSS ???"
        I: Baltia
        II: Krocylea
        III: Scheria
        IV: Thule {Moon  [150% Luna-sized]; .993G; 456.9 Earth Day Orbit; 19.59 Hour Local Day; 6 million year ice age; skies are cloudless more often than not; much of temperate inland is desert; only in places                                where glacial runoff collects into rivers is there much surface life, mostly hardy plants with some animals adapted to the constant cold; largest land animal discovered by explorers is Thulian ice-weasel, a quadraped                dinosauroid that lives in and around the glacial rivers; Equatorial ocean Okeanos; [Charter: Kingdom of Monaco]}
              Example Colonies {Settlement, Region/State, Continent}:
                  Mandeville {capital; population >2,500}
                  "SCSS Eyrie," Island-Class Habitat Ship, Orbit
        V: Aegilips
        VI: Same
        VII: Neritum
        VIII: Panchaea
        IX: Ogygia
        X: Aeaea
q. Epsilon Eridani System [Settlers: United Federation of Planets]
        [10.5 LY from Sol; 7.67 Days by Spacewarp Drive; 9.2 Hour Interwave Lag]
        Primary: Abraxas
        ?: Arcadia {Axanar Station (Millennium Tower-Class Terrestrial Settlement); Devonian stage of development; large oceans teaming with life; plants and ferns have colonized surface; likely terraformed; 12 hour day; 1                  moon; popular tourist destination for multi-week cruises; Iconian Gate crashed on surface at unknown point; the Handwavium-incorporating, seven-gendered species Sparks feed on Gate energy}
        <WARNING: UFP Arcadian Ecological Preservation Area>
        <Admittance Requires Following Guidelines from Federation Council>
        <1. Commercial exloitation and mining are forbidden.>
        <2. Tourists are required to leave no trash behind.>
r. Alpha Centauri System <Rigil Kentaurus A> [Settlers: United Federation of Planets]
        [4.39 LY from Sol; 3.21 Days by Spacewarp Drive; 3.85 Hour Interwave Lag]
        Primary: Apollo
        I: Klymene
        II: Epimetheus {gas giant}
            Moon: Pandora {Ewya, Hallelujah Plateau (population 2,500)}
                Starbase 2 Station [SB-002]
                    Pablo's Cajun Sushi Bar and Hominy House
                    Artemis Foundation Local Office
        III: Anchiale {slightly-denser, marginally more habitable Mars}
        IV: Perses
        V: Leto
        VI: Cronus
s. 47 Ursae Majoris System [Settlers: European Confederation]
        [45.91 LY from Sol; 33.54 Days by Spacewarp Drive; 40.25 Hour Interwave Lag]
        Primary: Neto
        Nadir Recharging Station: "UNSS Beaumonde"
        I: Rosmerta
        II: Artio {M1; Moons Tartessos and Knossos; five continents Scandinavia, Gaul, Thrace, Hispania, and Sarmatia}
            Example Colonies {Settlement, Region/State, Continent}:
                Europia, Capital Territory, Sarmatia {planetary capital}
                Nova Roma, Etruscan Coast, Sarmatia {Italian settlers}
                Lutetia, Belle Terre, Gaul {French settlers}
                Neustadt, Rhaetia, Gaul {German settlers}
                Nysa, Tritonis Sea, Thrace {Greek settlers}
                Norubega, Vinland, Scandinavia {Norwegian settlers}
                Mussor, ???, Scandinavia {Finnish settlers}
                Royllo, Isla Antillia, Hispania {Spanish settlers}
        III: Nabia
        IV: Intarabus
        V: Taranis
        VI: Epona
        VII: Alaunus
        VIII: Aveta
        IX: Borvo
t. 85 Pegasi A System [Settlers: Commonwealth of the Pacific]
        [40.45 LY from Sol; 29.55 Days by Spacewarp Drive; 35.46 Hour Interwave Lag]
        Primary: Tama-nui-te-ra <Maori>
        Zenith Charging Station: "UNSS Adlaw"
        I: Mahuika {molten ball}
        II: Hawaiki {Moons Fati, Mahina, and Avatea; supercontinent Mu ("shaped like a jagged, funhouse mirror starburst") and large eastern, western, and southern island groups; tropical and subtropical mainly, while                        temperate towards poles; .91G; 67% surface water; complex life is present; planet oxygenated through mats of oceanic cyanobacteria; local Great Oxygenation Event estimated at 10,700,000 years ago;                                surprisingly,  life has developed in a series of landlocked freshwater lakes, apparently independent of the sea; complex ecosystem has evolved to colonize wetlands surrounding lakes out to 700 kilometers at furthest              stretch; declared Permanent International Mu Preserve, no allowance for settlement, development, or exploitation; steps (?) taken to prevent encroachment by introduced species; introduced Earth life adapting well                to colonizing surface; isolated small bays sealed off [method?] for marine life introduction}
                Example Colonies {Settlement, Region/State, Continent}:
                    Awaiting Partial Terraforming
                    "SV 'Ohana", Island-Class Habitat Ship, Orbit {lit "family"}
        III: Poliahu {frozen world ala Hoth}
        IV: Pele {extremely volcanic superterrestrial; toxic atmosphere} <Hawaian>
        V: Bathala {Class T gas supergiant; extensive moon system} <Tagalog>
            Moon Idiyanale (colonial domes assisting with the terraforming by growing flora/fauna and mining resources have been founded as permanent to semi-permanent settlements}
        VI: Ika-Roa {Class S gas giant} <Maori>
u. CD -32°8179 A System [Settlers: Cosmic British Commonwealth]
        [31.11 LY from Sol; 22.73 Days by Spacewarp Drive; 27.27 Hour Interwave Lag]
        Primary: Belenus
        Zenith Recharging Station: “UNSS Doggerbank”
        I: Morrigan {S}
        II: Rhiannon Asteroid Belt
        III: Ainé {B}
        IV: Ogma {M1: moons Danu & Dagda; continents Alba, Prydain, Eriu, Dyfed, and Lyonesse; Oceans Britannia, Caledonia, Dunmonia, Hibernia, and Cambria}
            Example Colonies {Settlement, Region/State, Continent}:
                Teamhair, Moytura, Eriu {Republic of Ireland settlers}
                Emain Macha, Ulaid, Eriu {Northern Irish settlers}
                Caer Wyddno, Cantre'r Gwaelod, Dyfed {Welsh settlers}
                Camelot, Camlann, Dyfed {capital}
                Londenium, Logres, Prydain {English settlers}
                Damnar, Lethowsow, Prydain {Cornish & Manx settlers}
                Stadacona, Montmorency Island, Lyonesse {Canadian settlers}
                Dun Scaith, Midlands, Alba {Scottish settlers}
                Fairhaven, Fairfield, Lyonesse {Australian settlers}
                New Cape Town, Bechuanaland, Alba {South African settlers}
        V: Brigid {K8}
        VI: Cernunnos {D}
        CD -32°8179 B: Belisama
v.  System [Settlers: People's African Union]
        Lake Uniamési, Laurasia
        , Gondwana
w. Nemesis System [Settlers: Fenspace Convention, Azkaban Prison Authority]
        Primary: Nemesis (Nickname: Voldemort's Eye)
        I. Azkaban
            Example Colonies {Settlement, Region/State, Continent}:
                Azkaban Prison
                Port Malfoy
x. Gliese 667 C System [Settlers: ?]
        [22.74 LY from Sol; 16.61 Days by Spacewarp Drive; 19.93 Hour Interwave Lag]
        Primary: Ra
        Zenith Recharging Station: “UNSS Duat”
        I:  {Moon }
        II: Thoth {Moons Ma'at and Isfet}
        III: Zerzura {Class M; moons Khonsu; extensive underground aquifers}
            Example Colonies {Settlement, Region/State, Continent}:
        IV: Khnum {superterrestrial; Moon Heka}
            IV-A: Heka {M}
        V: Amun {S; moons Mut, Wosret, Amaunet, Iusaaset}
        VI: Shu {T; moons Horus, Anubis, Nut, Geb, Tefnut, Osiris, Isis, Nepthys, Set, Kebechet, Min, and Anput}
        VII: Asteroid Belt {dwarf planets Ptah, Bast, Sekhmet, Maahes, and Nefertem}
        VIII: Heka {S; moons Babi, Bes, Nemty, Nekhbet, Tawaret, and Gengen-Wer}
        IX:  {S; Ammit, Sobek, Serqet, Heket, Hapi, Neith, and Hathor}
        X: Meretseger {moons Apophis and Shezmu}
        Gliese 667 A and B:  <Other Sun Deities for Names: Khepri, Aten, or Montu?>
y. Epsilon Indi / Wonderland Star System [Settlers: Terraforming Candidate]
z. Wolf 359 System (Settlers: Tycho Brahe Institute for Interstellar Research)
        Primary: Fenris
        I. Heimdal (Class S1)
        II & III. Binary Planets
            II. Muspellsheimr (Class Y345/K10)
            Baystation: Reykjavik Station (base for TBIIR)
            III. Nifelheimr (Class Y345/F13)
        IV: Hel (Class S3; moons Garmr, Geri, and Freki)

[M Fnord]

Since DJ did all the heavy lifting, this gets to show up here first:





(FWIW, there's room for another dozen or so unlisteds if anyone wants to toss in a minor red/brown dwarf colony that'd plausibly hit somewhere in the big knot around Sol.)

xoxo,
The Fun Tyrant

[DeputyJones]

*squeaks in embarrassment* Sempai noticed me...

*tears up* It's so beautiful! *Tendo School of Anything Goes: Waterfall Technique*