ND0/K4

ND0/K4 is a gas giant whose atmosphere is rich in hydrogen, helium, and ethane, chemicals all used in various manufacturing and industrial processes. The large refinery platforms, which are balanced in a delicate very low orbit, are dangerous, claustrophobic mazes of access tunnels, processing centres, and power plants. Each is a crumbling relic, ripe for sabotage which could cripple industry across the sector. The economic and social imbalance between the ruling Tech Priests and the workers, coupled with a small population and relative isolation has the potential to spark into rebellion against the oppressive cult of the Machine God. Tension between the Ministorum and the Cult lead to further instability. Finally, the largest moon of ND0/K4 remains a tantalizing enigma, rumors circulating of haunted tunnels and ancient relics buried under it's surface. Who knows what the Tech Priests found in those tunnels for they guard the information with the utmost secrecy, or what happened to the ones that never returned.

+++PLANETARY DATA+++

EQUATORIAL CIRCUMFRENCE: 16,684 Miles.

GRAVITY:.

CLASS: Mining World.

SUBSECTOR: Golgenna

YEARS AND DAYS: ND0/K4 takes 43,010 Terran days to Orbit its star and spins on its axis every 68 Terran hours.

SATELLITES: Technically the world has fifteen satellites, but only two are of any significant interest, the rest being very small non-spherical objects. The moons and satellites are referred as S.01 through S.15 from the inner most going outwards. The larger moons have been given informal names by the staff and residents.

S.01 "The Staff" - The largest moon is covered in canals and sea beds. On the coasts of these dry oceans is a maze of ancient refineries, pumping systems, and other archaic devices whose purpose has yet to be determined. It is largely believed the surface of the moon was once covered in oceans of liquid hydrogen, but have long since disappeared. It is common consent among the Triumvirate that the structures on the surface pre-date the Imperium and probably originated from the Dark Age of Technology. Some of the structures still have power and life support. Explorator teams have mapped some of the complexes, mostly in the hopes of acquiring STC data. Initial finds indicate the structures delve extremely deep under the surface, potentially honeycombing almost the entire moon. Efforts to map these have been hampered by adverse conditions and tunnel collapses. Several teams, most notably the one led by Revicus Thade, reported vast underground networks hewn through the stone. Revicus however reported something altogether more fantastic. He stumbled across what appeared to be a massive cogitator engine, as large as a hab-block at least, lying dormant but still with power. It's Machine Spirit potentially intact. Unfortunately contact with Revicus' team was lost soon after relaying this finding. Attempts to re-trace Revicus' route met with failure, and the location of such a powerful artefact remains buried under the surface in the maze of tunnels and conduits. Superstition among the workers paints the moon as haunted, and a bad omen when visible in the sky.

Perhaps the Cult Mechanicus here have already sworn themselves whatever power lies sleeping under The Staff, which they believe to be a Prophet of the Ommnisiah. They would prove to be a forbidding obstacle to anyone wishing to investigate the matter further.

S.02 "Weyland's Gate" - The second moon acts as a way station and staging area for cargo coming up or going down to the planet. It has no atmosphere and a weak gravity. There are very few permanent residents, most being rotated between the planet in monthly shifts. Most of the moon is covered in warehouses and landing platforms. The offices of the Navel Traffic Authority and a few other regulatory bodies are located on the moon as well.

POPULATION: ~4500. Tech priests who operate and maintain the vast magnetic particle nets make up about one third of the population. The larger percentage is made up of dock and refinery workers who perform the less technical, more labour intensive chores associated with the collection and refining of the various chemicals.

MEAN SURFACE TEMPERATURE:.

TROPOSPHERIC COMPOSITION: Hydrogen - 73%, Helium - 13%, Ethane - 9%, Methane - 4%, Other - <1%.

PLANETARY GOVERNER: The world is managed by the Cult of the Machine God and as such the Planetary Governer is appointed from their ranks by the Triumvirate. The current Governer is Machinist Prefect Luxica Archelm.

RELIGION: As Tech Priests make up a large percentage of the population, the Cult of the Machine God is the most prevalent faith. The Ecclesiarchy maintains small chapels on every major platform however.

CLIMATE: The atmosphere is unbreathable to humans, and the extreme cold due to distance from the sun means exposure is fatal within seconds.

CLIMATIC REGIONS: There are two large (several thousand kilometers in diameter) cyclonic storms roughly centred over each magnetic pole.

ALIEN FLORA AND FAUNA: Some of the larger mining platforms have hydroponic farms growing crops and raising livestock to help feed the small population.

ECONOMY: Most are in the employ of the Tech Priests running the platforms, and the standard imperial currency is employed. The planet obligated to provide its quotas of refined hydrogen and ethane, as well as a other industrial chemicals produced there.

The method in which resourced are siphoned from the atmosphere is by using long spires dropping from the bottom of the platforms. These spires, miles long, are charged electrically and the clusters of them form magnetic particle nets in the swirling currents of the atmosphere. Particles are collected, concentrated, and pumped up to the refineries constantly.

SOCIETY: The Tech Priests rule the world and form it's government, called the Triumvirate. It's members are drawn from the three major platform networks. The compact, highly dangerous environment coupled with meager means to self-sustain means most aspects of everyday life there is highly regimented and rationed. In practice this boils down to state control of production, resources, and the distribution of wealth. Several times during it's history there have been riots and rebellions, usually by the dock workers demanding more food rations, but sometimes for a greater portion of the wealth coming in. Due to the industrial nature and presence of the Cult Mechanicus, the world is relatively technically advanced.

WATER SUPPLY: Water is their key import. Food is often brought in as well, though the small population means that the hydroponic farms are adequate to meet their needs. As mentioned, food riots do sometimes occur, though these are usually crushed in quick order.

PRINCIPLE EXPORTS: Liquidized ethane, hydrogen, helium, methane, and other industrial chemicals.

PRINCIPLE IMPORTS: Foodstuffs, industrial tools and machinery, raw materials to repair and maintain the refineries.

COUNTRIES AND CONTINENTS: There are three primary platform networks and several smaller ones. Given the unimaginative nature of the Tech Adepts, the primary platform networks are called Platum Primus, Secundus, and Trifectus. Each of these networks has a small council of Tech Priests, and each of the three councils in turn forms the Triumvirate which governs the planetary system. The Planetary Governer is elected by his peers from within the Triumvirate.

CONFLICTS: Throughout its history there have been several violent uprising, usually by the working class against the Cult. Tensions between the Cult and Ecclisiarchy run high as well, and several times the Cult has accused the Ministorum of actually fomenting rebellion against them in an effort to seize power for themselves. While the two organizing have never come to direct conflict, there is mutual distrust and suspicion that threatens to spill over into something much worse.

DEFENCES: The Tech Priests have a very small force of Skitarii to guard secure areas from non-initiates and act as general security. Occasionally the local Cardinals have requested small detachments of military units, typically answered by two or three squads of Adepta Sororitas, in the rare times of crises.

CONTACT WITH OTHER WORLDS: From the point of the view of the sector command ND0/K4 is a back water mining colony that makes a significant contribution to the industrial efforts throughout the region. Nevertheless, the average person probably isn't aware it even exists, except perhaps to some as just another mark on the sector charts, one of hundreds. Iocanthus is the nearest major world.