Altair

Altair is a star in the Republic Sector, and the site of a primarily AI- and robot-manned space station, usually called by the name "Altair" or "Altair Station." Because of this feature, Altair was the target of the Liberators, who attempted to liberate its robot workers from Republic "slavery." It was then saved by the ERS Hydra in June of 2155. It is at the edge of Republic space, and a portal dead-end; it is unknown what might lay beyond it.

Astrometrics
A white main sequence dwarf star about 16.7ly from Sol, it is of spectral and luminosity type A7. It is 1.7 times Sol’s mass and 10.7 times its visual luminosity. Like Sirius, however, Altair radiates much more in ultraviolet wavelengths. Based on Altair’s abundance of iron, the star appears to be twice as enriched as Sol with elements heavier than hydrogen. A disk of dust orbits Altair at a distance of 38-49 AU. Scientific data indicates that accretion may begin in the outer portion of the star system in the next 500 to 1,000 years. Altair Alpha has three planets orbiting it; none are capable of supporting life at this time. Although the star should be only a few hundred million years old, it is so much bigger and hotter than Sol that it will exhaust its core hydrogen around only a billion years and turn into a red giant or Cepheid variable before puffing away its outer layers to reveal a remnant core as a white dwarf. Due to the composition of the star, there are valuable minerals such as iron, nickel, gold and copper within the rocks of Aquilae b and d as well as their moons and the moons of Aquilae c.

Aquilae b
An Earthlike planet, 4.5 AU from the star, that is past its prime due to the loss of most of its magnetosphere due to the absence of convection currents in the core. The molten core has cooled and its atmosphere is extremely thin after being eroded by the solar wind. There are a few small, extremely salty seas left, but the surface receives limited rainfall. Only primitive plant and insect life remains. There is a hyperspace portal 3LS away from Aquilae b. The Altair Alpha Orbital space station also orbits this planet. It is a small installation mostly staffed with robots.

There are four continents (Hastata, Pennata, Pomarina and Rapax.) and two large islands (Clanga and Audax) on Altair, which have been given names by the Expedition.

Ruins were discovered on Pennata during the first year of surveying, along with a huge crater on the same continent. The ruins were composed of advanced building materials, primarily super-dense polycarbonates reinforced with metals. Most of the buildings (of indeterminate purpose) were shaken or smashed apart by a massive earthquake or shockwave. Subsequent study revealed that the crater still had remnants of what must have been a truly massive asteroid. The impact of the asteroid on the planet would have been a species-ending, atmosphere-changing event, and shockwaves would have been felt hundreds of miles away. The city was likely destroyed by the impact of this asteroid.

By 2147, a full map of the ruins had been made and regular expeditions to the surface to explore them were undertaken.

The city is made up of many large buildings. Some were clearly factories, as they are full of destroyed machinery and components. Others were apparently warehouses, though most stand empty. In one building, relatively intact, huge bins of unprocessed molybdenum ore were found. Nothing resembling a dwelling has been found. There are no street signs or writing of any kind to be found.

Aquilae c
At only 0.98 Jupiters this gas giant is small, but has a powerful gravitational force for its size. Aquilae c has three large moons and is 5.2 AU from the star. The moons are 1, 2, and 3 ls from Aquilae c, respectively.

Aquilae d
At 6.9 AU from the star, this planet is too far from the star to receive much heat and is a barren frozen rock. Aquilae d has five irregularly shaped, small moons.