NewPluto

System: New Pluto

Hex Location: 0928

Star Type: B4 V

Number of Worlds: 11

Gas Giants: 5 (Hot Jupiter)

Planetoid Belt: Kuiper and two asteroid belts

Starport Type: C

World Size: Earth-sized

Atmosphere Type: None

Surface Water: 85%

Population: M ~2 million

Political Affiliation: Independent

Tags: Sealed cities, Outpost world, Forbidden technology

Notes: New Pluto is a frozen, airless world, an outpost of ice and rock that is, curiously, an important stop on many trade and travel routes for various peoples of various nationalities. But the people of New Pluto themselves are stubbornly independent and refuse to align politically with any of the larger powers in the region, in spite of their general low population and apparent vulnerability. Altairans pass through on their way from the Ascendency to the Galaide Worlds or other destinations, Cilindareans pass through from the Arm proper to Pentase, Republicans pass through between their allies the Broone Democracy and the Calder Settlements, Imperials pass through on their way between Tan Kajak and Outremer, and Bernese pass through between the Bechtel Marches and the Machesk Frontier. Dhangetans are always coming and going anywhere that they can, although none of their worlds is particularly close to New Pluto. It's a regular cosmopolitan crossroads, although few of the permanent residents resemble any of those nationalities at all.

Although showing some genetic similarities to the people of New Ceres, the New Plutonians have obviously diverged somewhat, and have a different phenotype. Chocolate colored skin, squat build, blue or green eyes and strange, colorful hair suggests that they admixed at some point with some "rainbows"; the Jaffan xenohumans that hail from deep in Republic space. If so, there's no record of it, and the genetic information is unclear. Their unusual physical appearance is therefore somewhat mysterious, as is their ultimate origin. They've been here on New Pluto for some time, having tunneled into the bedrock, and otherwise created modest-sized sealed bubble cities with huge transparesteel domes supplemented by energy shields that keep the artificial atmosphere carefully locked in and protected.

One side effect of New Pluto's location is that it is a hotbed of intrigue, espionage, skullduggery, smuggling, and worse as the various nationalities seek to use this neutral location as a waypost. And one side effect of that is that its a not very well-kept secret that some shady forces on New Pluto have developed psychic "mind-rapers" as they're called, where the contents of people's memories can be taken from them without their consent or even knowledge, sometimes. As is the nature of this kind of technology, the leaders of the nations must, for the sake of appearances, decry the very existence of this technology as an affront to human rights, even as they not so secretly covet it for themselves. The technology is still in its infancy, and very hard to come by or find, but it threatens to become a game changer for the area if it gets out; not least because it's feared that none of the actual everyday citizens of any of the nations would allow their leaders to possess it themselves, because none of them trust their governments enough. The threat of universal revolution based on this abuse of power is just about the only thing keeping the governments in check from just stealing the technology outright from the New Plutonians.