The Mulfa-Ne System     The Mulfa-Ne system is the native solar system for the Eltorian Empire. It consists of two planets, their respective moons, an asteroid belt located in the inner regions, and a comet possessing an orbit that brings it the closest to the star. Additionally, there are several artificial satellites in the system. Among these are the Eltorian Shipyards and D'Noria Station. Mulfa-Ne:     Mulfa-Ne is a blue/white main sequence (dwarf) star that is 6-8 times larger than Sol (i.e. the Earth's sun) - with a polar diameter that is about 14 times longer and an equatorial diameter that is about 24 times wider. It is located approximately 144 light years from the Sol system and is noteworthy due to its peculiar characteristic of having small but very regular light variations caused by complex pulsations occuring once every 1.26 Earth days. These pulsations emit a large amount of ultraviolet radiation that subsequently bathes its two orbiting planets.     This particular star has been known to Earth astronomers since at least the 16th century. The terran name for it is Achernar or Alpha Eridani. The Eltorian name "Mulfa-Ne" is from an ancient dialect - akin to terran Latin - meaning "the sun". From the vantage point of Earth, Mulfa-Ne represents the 9th brightest star in the sky. It is seen at roughly 32 degrees from the South Pole, making it invisible to the population in the northern hemisphere. Despite being known to mankind for hundreds of years, the presence of planets was never determined prior to making contact with the Eltorian Empire. This was due, in no small part, to the large amount of radiation emitted from the star that effectively made long-range identification of such planets impossible.     Mulfa-Ne (Alpha Eridani) is the brightest star in the Earth constellation Eridanus, "The River", a constellation whose mythical origins seemed to have some bearing on recent terran history. Eridanus represents a river associated with Phaeton, a figure from Greek lore that stole the sun god Helios's sky chariot. However this Phaeton lacked the strength to control the chariot and so it veered wildly, scorching parts of the earth and burning the skin of its native inhabitants. In the end, the Greek god Zeus struck Phaeton down with a thunderbolt - ending his ill-fated voyage. The constellation was originally meant to represent the path Phaeton took in the sky chariot, later it was considered to represent the river of the underworld he fell into after incurring the wrath of Zeus. Thousands of years later, a neosapien with the same name would also attempt to acquire power over Sol. He too lacked the strength to maintain proper control. And true to his namesake, much land would be burned and many inhabitants harmed before he too would be struck down. Ironically, this Phaeton's legacy would not be put to rest until an alien race - hailing from a star meant to commemorate his namesake - would arrive with the intent to conquer. Eltoria:     Eltoria is the seat of the Empire and birthplace of the Elorian race. The original dominant indigenous species possessed dark lavender skin, purple hair, tremendous physical ability, and a consciousness capable of complex reasoning and thought. Originally a war-like species, the planet's early history is fraught with numerous wars that only ceased when a dominant faction emerged. Being united under one banner, and possessing technology that allowed interstellar travel, these warriors took to the stars in the hopes of expanding their Empire to other worlds. Little did they know that another world lay on the opposite side of their sun.     Eltoria is a large rocky planet type with a molten core. It is located approximately 6123 million kilometers from Mulfa-Ne. Its mass is approximately 6.11 x 1024 kilograms with a diameter of about 12,800 kilometers. This creates a force due to gravity that is 9.8 times that found on the surface of the Earth. A full rotation of the planet on its axis is equivalent to 36 Earth hours. A full revolution around Mulfa-Ne takes 160 Earth years. Given that the average Eltorian lifespan is 120 Earth years, the Eltorian calendar is not based on revolutions around its sun. Instead, the passage of time (and therefore age) is measured in seasons. This "seasonal calendar" is based on the native crop cycles of the planet. There are 45 such seasons that make up one standard Eltorian year. In time, seasons came to have a standardized length that is roughly equivalent to 3.5 Earth years.     Eltoria's atmosphere is similar to Earth's, though the percentage of nitrogen is slightly higher (82.1% as opposed to 78.1). Oxygen levels as sea level are also slightly lower (18.3% as opposed to 20.9). Because the atmospheric conditions are so similar to Earth, one might expect to find a protective layer of ozone. And while the compound does exist in the atmosphere, it is theorized that it never has the chance to form a layer due to the robust, periodic level of UV radiation emitted from Eltoria's sun. Hence the reason humans are unable to walk upon its surface without some form of protection.     Eltoria has only two large landmasses on its surface. These continents are located on opposite sides of the planet. Large ice caps, similar to those found on Earth, are found in both Polar Regions. The climate on Eltoria varies dependant on location. The equatorial region stays the most warm and would be considered tropical by Earth standards. The temperate regions tend to lie farther from the equator and are where most of the planet's urban centers are located. These areas are so large that they are easily visible from orbit and cast light when seen on the dark side of the planet.     There are three Eltorian moons: Naetra, Naetra-Ga, and Naetra-Ma. Literally translated these names mean "moon", "grand moon", and "minor moon" respectively. As one might guess, the moons were named on the basis of their size. None of them support an atmosphere. Though each has at east one military training base located on its surface. Naetra-Ga and Naetra-Ma share the same orbit around Eltoria that is roughly -45 degrees off the rotation axis. Naetra has its own orbital path that is +45 degrees off the rotation axis. Its orbit is also wider than the other two moons. Interestingly enough, Naetra is actually the largest of the three moons with a diameter slightly greater than Naetra-Ga. However, due to its wider orbit Naetra appears smaller when viewed from the surface. Despite this inaccuracy, the names have remained unchanged throughout Eltorian history - more likely due to social convention than anything else.     Most of the planet's surface is covered in water, accounting for a little less than 70% of total surface area. Tidal changes and storms at sea are notoriously dangerous on Eltoria. This is due the presence of the planet's three moons. It is for this reason that both past and present Eltorian sailors are highly regarded for their skill. Patience, sound judgment, and courage are needed to successfully navigate Eltorian waters. Due to the mental and physical discipline required, all cadets in the Eltorian Guard learn to sail before venturing out into space. Kultoria:     Kultoria is often referred to as Eltoria's twin moon, due to the obvious similarities between the two planets. The original dominant indigenous species possessed light lavender skin, white hair, tremendous physical ability, and a consciousness capable of complex reasoning and thought. It was the last of these qualities - the development of the mind - that Kultoria's society has strongly emphasized throughout its history. Hence the planet has traditionally been associated with scientific advancement and education.     Despite being known as Eltoria's twin, the two worlds have vastly different histories. Where a united Eltoria was forged from war, a united Kultoria emerged through negotiation. Though wars did happen in Kultorian history, they were never on an Eltorian scale (except once). Historically speaking, Kultoria's culture was primarily agrarian which then progressed to a more urban setting. One of the chief cultural tenets of Kultorian culture has always been an emphasis on living in harmony with the planet and other beings.     Kultoria is a term that means "ground" or "earth". However the connotations associated with its usage indicate that this is "territory taken" or "gained ground", unlike the term Eltoria which means "earth" but with the connotation of being one's home. The reason for this somewhat unusual choice is that Kultoria was named after Eltoria conquered it. Originally the planet was known as D'Noth. The D'Nothian Federation originally took to the stars for the purpose of peaceful exploration. However, their first contact with another species proved to be anything but peaceful.     Like Eltoria, Kultoria is also classified as a rocky planet type with a molten core. Its distance from Mulfa-Ne, planetary mass, planetary diameter, and gravity are essentially the same as well. Additionally the planet's rotation and revolution times are the same as Eltoria. However, the D'Nothians came up with a different calendar system that was based on the phases of the planet Rodaria as seen in the D'Nothian sky. Following the destruction of said planet, the D'Nothian calendar was discarded in favor of the Eltorian calendar.     Kultoria's atmosphere is comparable to Earth's, though the variations mentioned for Eltoria also hold true for its twin.     Kultoria has multiple landmasses on its surface, though taken collectively this only accounts for roughly 30% of its surface area. Like its neighbor, Kultoria has large ice caps found in both Polar Regions. The temperate regions are concentrated near the midpoint between equatorial and Polar Regions. The tropical regions of the planet are located along the equator.     There are two Kultorian moons, which still retain their D'Nothian names of B'Coria and J'Coria. Translated, these mean "grand moon" and "minor moon" respectively. Neither moon supports an atmosphere, though each has at least one research station located on its surface. Both moons share the same orbit which is -45 degrees off the rotation axis. When D'Noth was conquered and subsequently renamed, changing the moons' names was also considered. But the Eltorian language only had one word for moon (Naetra). As any new name would have been a variant of Naetra, it was decided to avoid any potential confusion and simply keep the original D'Nothian names.     About 70% of the planet's surface is covered in water. Like its neighbor, Eltoria, Kultoria has a great sea fairing tradition. Because it has only two moons that share the same orbit, the sea conditions tend to be more stable and thus less dangerous. That is the reason why Kultorian sailors have not been considered as capable as their Eltorian counterparts. Thus all cadets hailing from Kultoria need to travel to Eltoria to complete the naval portion of their fleet training. Rodarian Asteroid Belt:     The Rodarian Asteroid Belt is located in an elliptical orbit roughly equal to half the orbital distance of Eltoria/Kultoria. The asteroids that compose it are from one of two origins. The first is a pre-existing asteroid belt. The second origin is from the planet Rodaria - a ringed planet that existed within the asteroid belt since the origin of the solar system. Though it never supported an atmosphere or any known form of life, the planet had a remarkable impact on the solar system's history. It continued to exist until the end of the D'Nothian War. During this conflict, Rodaria became an important tactical position for both sides. Due to Eltoria's inability to hold onto Rodaria, its ruling faction decided to destroy the planet entirely - taking out much of the D'Nothian resistance in the process. Eltoria's radical strategy proved wildly successful as the destruction of Rodaria is generally regarded as the beginning of the end for the D'Nothian war effort. Currently, the asteroid belt serves as an important source of ore for shipbuilding. It is also where the Empire's shipyards are located.     The planet Rodaria has played an important role in Eltorian history. In more primitive times, its presence in the sky was said to represent a deity of the same name. The myth of Rodaria was that he created Eltoria to amuse himself with the battles waged upon its surface. Many of the battles fought in early Eltorian history were done to garner Rodaria's favor. By the time of the D'Nothian War, the myth of Rodaria was regarded in much the same way as the Greek gods are regarded in terran history.     Rodaria was known as V'Corth in D'Nothian history. V'Corth was also regarded as a deity. However he was seen as a benevolent father who bestowed his gifts on his favorite creation, D'Noth. The myth of V'Corth was what drove the development of the D'Nothian calendar - a system based on the phases of V'Corth as seen from D'Noth. By the time the D'Nothian War began, the myth of V'Corth was a relic of the past. Although, the planet still continued to be important since it was the basis for the D'Nothian calendar. J'Taethian Comet:     Every 1000 or so years a comet passes in the vicinity of Mulfa-Ne. But there is only one comet that maintains a regular orbit around the star. The J'Taethian Comet travels in a relatively tight orbit inside the borders of the Rodarian Belt and with a revolution time that takes about 75 earth years. Scientists have theorized that the comet was passing through the system roughly 4,000 earth years ago when it was captured by Mulfa-Ne's gravity. It has remained in its orbit ever since.     The composition of the comet is known to be mostly rock with a mineral content not all that dissimilar from the asteroids of the Rodarian Belt. This originally led many scientists to believe that the comet's stellar origin could have been the very system it is now a part of. Proponents of this theory suggested that the comet was once part of the Rodarian Belt but some type of stellar event caused it to be knocked out of its orbit. But instead of leaving the solar system, it settled into its own orbit around Mulfa-Ne. This theory has fallen out of favor, however, for three reasons. The first reason is that no ice has ever been found in the Rodarian Belt. As the J'Taethian comet is indeed partly composed of ice, it makes such an origin very unlikely. The second reason is that the origin of asteroids is thought to be a different process than that of comets. And lastly, current understanding has it that most comets originate in a cloud (such as Sol's Oort Cloud) that consist of left over debris from the condensation of a solar nebula. Such clouds are located at great distances from a star, allowing water to exist in a solid state and thereby creating the ice that is found in most comets. An origin like this would not only explain the ice in J'Taethia, but also why it has a similar composition to other planetoids in the system.     The Eltorian name for the comet is Karutha. Karutha was the name of Rodaria's mythical war beast. This was a creature that was often depicted as having six legs and two tails. A dog or wolf-like creature, it would observe the battles on Eltorian with its master. Whenever it was pleased by what it saw, Karutha would lose a howl that would rip its way across the sky. The comet was thought to represent this action. In the past the appearance of the comet was thought to be good omen, suggesting victory had been - or would soon be - achieved in battle.     The J'Taethian Comet was named after the D'Nothian goddess, J'Taethia. A fickle but benevolent deity, J'Taethia was known as the daughter of V'Corth (Rodaria in Eltorian). Though generally considered less powerful and therefore subservient to V'Corth, J'Taethia would often interfere with her father's plans - altering the fates of those she deemed worthy. Due to the fact that she could not directly challenge V'Corth's judgment, J'Taethia would have to indirectly effect action. This earned her the reputation of being a trickster with her actions upon mortals often being interpreted as nothing more than simple good luck. The myth of J'Taethia is no longer a widely held belief, however its cultural influences are still felt. The appearance of the comet in the night sky is still considered an omen of good luck and comments such as "J'Taethia watch over you." remain a common way to say goodbye.     After the conquest of D'Noth, and its subsequent re-naming, there was a period of social change for the Eltorian Empire. With the destruction of Rodaria, many were now questioning the military tradition of the empire. Due to this shift in perspective, it was felt that efforts should begin that would integrate Eltorian and D'Nothian society - as opposed to simply replacing one with the other. Though largely ignored by the ruling class when first introduced, the movement none-the-less got its start shortly after the conquest of D'Noth. The most obvious evidence of this fact was that instead of renaming J'Taethia as Karutha, the Eltorian Empire opted to use the D'Nothian name as the comet's official moniker. Rodarian Shipyards:     The construction stations are then capable of manufacturing spaceships from one of many classes. These include the larger baseships but also smaller craft such as Eltorian e-frames, shuttles, and even civilian craft like private space-yachts and passenger liners. Construction stations are also used to perform routine overhauls on existing spacecraft and effect repair on ships that have sustained damage beyond the recuperative ability of a given model of spacecraft. D'Noria Station:     The native species of the Mulfa-Ne system have always had a reputation of being tremendously durable. This is, of course, not unfounded. The natural conditions of the planets are considered harsh by many other standards. The heavy gravity alone tends to preclude the possibility of many species from ever setting foot upon a planet's surface. For other alien races, it is the relatively high level of ultraviolet radiation that makes visiting a dangerous prospect. However diplomatic functions necessitate a common area where individuals from different species can congregate. It is for this reason that D'Noria station came into existence.     The station itself is massive, even by Eltorian standards. As such it is capable of simultaneously docking with multiple large-scale vessels. It has a population of roughly 1 million individuals at any given time. This population mainly consists of military and diplomatic staff that live and work on the station. However many scientists, traders, and physicians also call the station home.     Six individual fusion reactors power the station. Three of these can fail and there is still adequate power for the station to function. There is a rudimentary propulsion system that allows the position of the station to remain constant relative to the Mulfa-Ne system. There are no weapon systems installed on the station. However there is a large military presence acting as station security and at least one baseship docked at any given time.     D'Noria is a multi-functional space station that serves as an intergalactic embassy, trading post, research station, and customs checkpoint. It is for this reason that it has become known as the Gateway to Mulfa-Ne - as everything that enters and leaves the system tends to pass through the station. The station also represents a culturally important milestone for the Eltorians as it shows a paradigm shift from conquering empire to diplomatic federation. This was due in no small part to the efforts of Zairum. A strong advocate for diplomacy, and the first Eltorian of D'Nothian decent to become a member of the High Council, Zairum argued the need for a location where the empire could peacefully meet with the increasing number of alien species that could not tolerate Eltoria's surface conditions. Though the issue was greatly debated, the vote was eventually passed. The term D'Noria is from the D'Nothian dialect and literally means "relation to others", though a more accurate translation into English based on its usage would be "negotiation" or "diplomacy".