BARD PAPER: OPAL4015

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Kelvin

X64056A-2

by Richard Perks

Imperial Era

An extensive B class port grew up to support the flow of materials and industrial equipment. As the Imperial holdings within the Solomani Rim grew, Kelvin was chosen as a port on the Imperial X boat network, and the Imperial Navy established a naval station to provide supplies, berthing, fuel and accommodation for naval forces moving into the Rim.

Over the passing centuries, Kelvin's population exploded, and the planets energies were spent supporting the burgeoning population. Its tech level remained at TL 9 both to support its substantial niche market and the expanding population. Most of the population lived in underground cities away from the dust storms and the heat.

Cargoes were catapulted across the system from mining sites on the outer gas giant moons, to the transfer point on "Thomas" and then down to planetside, using mass-drivers.

In 1090, Kelvin's starport was replaced with a state of the art TL9 facility displacing 1 million tons. The port supported the heavy merchant traffic, the X boat route, the naval station and substantial zero-G industries. The port was slightly unusual as it was equipped with a large fusion rocket, to allow corrections due to the gravity perturbations caused by the orbit of the dwarf star Baron.

In 1105, the current planetary leader died, and was replaced by his deputy Joseph Whitworth, a man of fine administrative abilities but little charisma.

Rebellion

Solomani assaults were initially blunted by Imperial Navy forces in Diaspora, and the seesaw exchanges between Imperial and Solomani forces in the Madoc and Khulam subsectors. These exchanges did slowly erode Kelvin's defence forces, and forced the government to divert efforts into increased agricultural production and escorts for the merchants bringing in the food.

Kelvin eventually fell to the Solomani in 1120 after a short siege, primary due to the disruption to the flow of food. The Solomani turned it into a defensive bastion at the bottom of the Madoc subsector supporting the Solomani front line, stretching up to Saagii.

Hard Times

The Solomani poured resources into Kelvin to support its infrastructure. They hoped to use it as a bastion for the fleet and to provide much needed industrial strength to the area. Kelvin's surviving B class port was a prime recipient of crucial spare parts.

Even with Solomani assistance, technology dropped slightly to TL8. The drop in living standards, and large unemployment due to the lack of interstellar shipping and markets, caused the disillusioned populace to seek religion. A prophet arose, preaching raising the spiritual above the material. In a wave of religious fervour, the population swept Prophet Urdol Talstar to power in 1126. Since the start of Urdol's rule, the police became even more intrusive, as they now sought those with impure thoughts as well as deeds.

The planet's security was guaranteed by a under-strength flight of TL9 Lone Wolf SDBs, and the passage of Solomani fleet patrols. Regular Solomani naval couriers linked Kelvin with the Solomani naval bases in the Khulam subsector.

Collapse

However, even a TL12 courier is no match for three TL9 SDBs that soon destroyed the Runner. Prophet Urdol passed it off as a pirate. Then the virus appeared in the planet's computer net. Initial damage was surprisingly light, only a few ships few from the skies, and the few fusion plants went critical. Then the virus infected the Electricity and Water Commission's computer system. EWC was responsible for distributing water across the entire planet from vast underground water storage cisterns. EWC shut these systems down, and let the people die of thirst, (except for the small city of Windhoven, which it drowned, by opening the irrigation sluice gates). EWC was destroyed by a desperate rampaging mob, but they could not restore the water supplies. With a week, almost 6 billion people had died of thirst. The only areas to survive were those towns located directly over the cisterns or near natural springs.

Meanwhile in orbit, Kelvin Highport was also infected by Virus, but the Highport's computers were state of the art TL13 systems (necessary to keep the vast port running), and the virus evolved into something more than the infecting strain - a hobbyist. It looked down on the chaos, and considered its opinions. It decided not to kill the humans luckily enough to be on the station at the time, but struck an agreement with the survivors. "Kelvin" wanted to see the stars (it had looked through its databanks and had become obsessed with space travel). In return for keeping the survivors alive, and a promise to eventually settle them on the planet at one or more of the surviving settlements, the survivors laboured in the orbital factories to produce a stardrive for "Kelvin".

Unfortunately, Kelvin lacked facilities to build a jump drive (B port and TL8), so "Kelvin" looked through its databanks and came up with plans for a Bussard Ram Jet. After five years, the ramjet was ready, and Kelvin used its small craft to shuttle the survivors down to the surviving settlements. It was generous and supplied the settlers with quite a significant amount of TL9 equipment to allow them to take control of the settlements. Once the shuttles were back, "Kelvin" lit its fusion rocket and departed for deep space, loaded down with fuel, and materials.

Back on the planet, the survivors soon gained control of their various settlements. Their TL9 equipment was considerably higher than the natives could muster without electrical power. However over the decades the ruling families of the various settlements have fallen out, and the planet is now balkanised into 14 suspicious, and hostile city states. The vast majority of the population is stuck in a medieval level of technology TL2, whilst their rulers enjoy a TL9 existence.

Planetary Powers

Major Powers