Primary:
Beausoliel,
spectral class F6V. ICN S4G0409F6V. Mass 1.28 standard. Stellar diameter 1.326
standard. Luminosity 3.042 standard.
Planetary System:
Four
major bodies. One inhabited world (Germaine, II). One gas giant. No planetoid
belts
II Germaine:
Mean
orbital radius, 324.46 million kilometers (2.17 AU). Period 1045.1 days (2.86
years). One satellites. Diameter, 15923 kilometers. Density, 1.03 standard.
Mass, 1.47 standard. Mean surface gravity, 1. 16G. Rotation period: 21 hours, 41
minutes, 44 seconds. Axial inclination 1°58'41.7". Albedo, 0.24. Surface
atmospheric pressure, 22 atm. Composition, standard oxygen-nitrogen mix,
breathable without artificial assistance. Hydrographic percentage, 63%;
composition, liquid water and water-ice. Mean surface temperature, 20°C.
Remarks:
Germaine
was colonized at about the same time as Caledon
(Reavers' Deep 1815), by an offshoot group disenchanted with the leadership of
the Caledonian colony. They settled Germaine,
a warm, dense-atmosphere world which offered excellent opportunities to the new
colonists.
The Germaine colony turned its back on interstellar travel early and had a hard
time during the Long Night. Raiders occasionally harassed the world, causing
periodic destruction and needless death. On the whole, though, Germaine remained
fairly stable and civilized. The colonists merely had no great urge to look
outward, concentrating on improving their own world rather than exploring
others. Caledonian traders "discovered" Germaine during the heyday of
the commercial expansion of the Principality
of Caledon,
but Germaine was not particularly interested in offworld trade. In 578, an
incident occurred in which a Caledonian merchant, who had insisted on attempting
to sell his wares despite official warnings that he did so without government
sanction, became involved in a small riot and ended up killing two citizens. He
tried and imprisoned under local law, but not before another vessel took the
story to the Principality.
Caledon had been looking for an excuse to force Germaine to accede to the
Principality's demands, and used "gunboat diplomacy" - a squadron of
naval ships dispatched to Germaine to free the imprisoned merchant and force a
trade agreement on the isolationists on the world. Germaine's government had no
choice but to accept the Caledonian demands. However, the incident was the
beginning of a history of ill-feeling between Caledon and Germaine.
Since that time, Germaine has modernized, building a respectable space navy. The
planetary population, along with great strides forward in technology, have made
Germaine strong enough to now be able to resist Caledonian threats. There hasn't
been any actual warfare, but Germaine has refused to renew the various economic
treaties with Caledon, and has been more than willing to offer refuge to members
of the Maxwellian party after the defeat
of Earl Maxwell (or Prince David V, as he was and is styled by his faction). The
current Maxwell heir, who called himself Prince
Roger I, remains on Germaine today, and is reputedly planning to exploit
tensions within the Principality to attempt a new Maxwellian rebellion.