A distant colony of the Colonial Trade Pact alliance, Helka-Alpha is the primary inhabited system of a three star trinary star system also known as 'Helka'. Its primary means of returning to the core worlds of the Colonial Alliance is a semi-naturally occurring stellar gate, kept navigatable by man made structures. With it the outer systems of their motherland can be reached within as little as fifteen days. Without and only using their shipboard FTL drives the journey can take nearly six months.

The motivation for such long reaching and expensive colonization is the materials and exotic elements that form near such space time weaknesses, essential to the economy of the Colonial Pact in a wide variety of applications. Thus Helka remains as one of the most distant but valuable colonies.

The Helka-Alpha star system is a component system in a mid-distance orbiting trinary family of stars that has ten planets, of these two are habitable to human type life. Like most star systems an extensive asteroid belt serves as the border between the inner system and the outer system.

Airless Terrestrial

An airless metallic rock and the first planet in the star system, it was first initially scouted for mining operations nearly thirty years ago and has played host to a moderate population since. Most of the surface habitats are concentrated in a canyon running along an axis just north of the planet's equator. Their efforts slowly deepening and widening it as extraction shafts and tunnels are converted into habitats, so far two orbital elevators rise from this area. Refinery stations and a small space port are part of this orbital constellation.

• Orbital Radius - 18,308,781 Km
• Planetary Radius - 1,638 Km
• Gravity - 0.128 G
• Atmosphere - N/A
• Population - 15.7 Million
• Orbital Period - 22 Standard Days
• Length of Day - 60 Standard Days

Composed of a airless rock and dust covered surface blasted by solar radiation on one side and deep frozen in the cold of space on the other it is a average terrestrial world when it comes to supporting life, as such those that choose to make their home here have created their own ecosystems. Mostly underground or in heavily shielded arcology habitats built into craters. Conditions here depend on where one lives, from the spacious and oldest habitats with all the amenities one might need to the cramp converted mining tunnels of more recent or more distant mining 'camps' scatter across the surface. Overall however human life on this world exists in a completely synthetic environment; air, water, and food stuffs either being grown or created in purpose built facilities when they aren't simply imported.

• Orbital Elevators - One structure connected to a counterweight which serves as the largest spaceport, primarily used for bulk ore exports to the rest of the star system and beyond.
• Spaceports (Surface) - Numerous small to moderate sized pads capable of supporting anywhere from a small bulk carrier to private skiffs, a large number are clustered around the planet's sole orbital lift.
• Spaceports (Orbital) - One main one which acts as the primary ore transfere terminal and counterweight for the orbital lift, several smaller ones also occupy the equatorial orbit and are mixed use with some being private and corporate.
• Shipyards - While there are small complexes that can turn out skiffs or light transports up to a hundred meters long the planet only features one moderately sized complex co-orbiting with the tether spaceport. It serves as a satellite and orbital infrastructure maintence depot and is tooled for civil infrastructure use.
• Industry - As stated above virtually the entire planet is geared toward the mining and or extraction of a variety of planetary ores and their first stage refiniment, there is some manufacturing on the surface of the planet however most of it is geared toward the maintanence and needs of the local population and industry.
• Agriculture - Roughly fifty percent of the planet's needs are handled by localized means of growing plant protein matter, mostly in underground greeneries or in surface greenhouses. Animal protein tends to be a premium and only available on special occasions or to the upper middle class, however the nutritional needs are more then met by government standards.

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Ossken

• Location - Koviska, Equatorial Trench
• Built throughtout a section of the planet's equatorial trench, Ossken is a closed habitat effectively 'capping' the top of a deep crevice the mining operations the planet is known for have created in the surface. Spread like an invasive tumor with metallic offshoots reaching outward and onto the plain that makes up most of the planet's surface. Rising from within the canyon's depths is the tendril of orbital elevator that links to the planet's primary ore offloading station which acts as the elevators counter weight. Effectively Ossken acts as the heart and capital of the planet with numerous surface roads, tram lines, and sub-surface hypertrains linking it to various other mining installations and habitats above and below the surface.

Temperate Hospitable Terrestrial

The first world to be settled on a large scale, Leningrad is a warm garden terrestrial world which plays host to the primary agricultural activities in the Helka Alpha Star System with roughly sixty percent of the food stuffs being grown in its soil. Other activities such as mining and manufacturing processes also take place both on the surface and in orbit however they are limited by regulations to maintain a long term functional biosphere for its primary industry. In civil matters the planet plays host to the entire star system's combined government and the Helka multiple star system's administration. All armed and civil security services have their headquarters located here as well.

• Natural Satellites - One moderate sized ring system.
  • Verga - A moderate sized terrestrial airless moon.
• Orbital Radius - 26,953,546 Km
• Planetary Radius - 7,124 Km
• Gravity - 1.31 G
• Atmosphere - 1 Standard Atmosphere
• Population - 7.2 Billion
• Orbital Period - 39.29 Standard Days
• Length of Day - 26.7 Hours

Being a planetary system one can expect a wild variation in the daily existence of those who make their home on Leningrad. From the farmers that tend to hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of fields to the city dwellers that do everything from work in manufacturing to carry on the day to day activities that make the star system's capital world tick. Due to its central location and high level of importance those that live here do have a higher standard of living, from more advanced infrastructure to access to more select brands and types of sustenance.

Those that live and work in space however do trade the bliss of actual natural air and open space for the more cramp confines of space habitats, surface complexes on the planet's moon, and overall a slightly lower standard of living however these individuals tend to be paid more due to their proximity to the more important infrastructure.

• Orbital Elevators - The planet employs eight equatorial orbital lifts each tipped with counterweight station that is primarily employed for offloading various bulk goods.
• Spaceports (Surface) - From small private pads capable of handling shuttle sized craft to complexes the size of airports intended to handle commercial traffic and large scale freight carriers.
• Spaceports (Orbital) - Aside from the eight offloading/loading terminals associated with the orbital elevator counter balance stations, the planet features two major terminals in equatorial orbits and two stationed in polar orbits. These are mixed purpose facilities with various sections be dedicated to private, commercial, and military interests.
• Shipyards - Leningrad hosts the largest ship making and infrastructure making complex in the solar system in the form of a collection of various stations and assembly arrays located at the Leningrad-Verga L1 Lagrangian point. Capable of constructing all manners of large scale infrastructure and military and civil starships it is one of the primary pieces of space infrastructure in the system.
• Industry - Due to its nature as a hospitable world most heavy industry and mining is either located off world in orbit or on the planet's sole natural satellite. As a result it tends to be focused on higher end manufacturing and specialty construction projects making it one of the more desirable places to find oneself living.
• Agriculture - This world is the second largest producer of food goods in the star system, with all of the large continents hosting some form of agriculture with the central one serving as the 'breadbasket'. Additionally there is some animal husbandry and this world is the largest source of animal protein in the star system.

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Helka City

• Location - Central Continent, Eastern Coast, Planet Leningrad
  • A rather important city of nearly ten million located on the coast of its respective continental body, Helka City is the site of the first colony ship landing and is the most built up and developed settlement on the planet. Serving as the planets and the star systems capital it is constructed in a ringed manner with surface, sub-surface, and elevated transportation beltways filled with all manner of districts according to the most efficient layout at the time. At its center hundreds of massive high rise mega-scrapers dominate the skyline with a gradual step down as one reaches the outskirts and then suburbs of the city. Like most Pact settlements various forms of transportation infrastructure reach out from the settlement in the form of highways and various forms of high speed rail transport.

Verbly

• Location - Central Continent, Western Coast, Planet Leningrad
  • Located opposite to Helka City on the edge of a large bay, Verbly is a city of a few million that serves as one of the primary surface port cities. Effectively a hub for most rail, oceanic, and air travel, goods typically of a agricultural nature are collected and then shipped over the central mountain range to Helka City for further transport up the city's orbital lift. A smaller city with stagnated growth it has.. in recent years become a dumping ground for refugees or those of a questionable nature looking for a place to lay low on the surface of the capital world.

Tropical Hospitable Terrestrial

The second and less developed of the two hospitable worlds in this star system, Faust or Helka-Alpha III hosts the second largest population in the star system mostly on its surface. It features a cooler temperate environment stabilized by its small moon, like Leningrad it also plays host to a number of industries but the focus is on the ease of agriculture and related service industries. It does however play host to some mining and some heavy industry, with its moon serving as a nexus of orbital shipbuilding almost rivaling that found in orbit over Leningrad.

• Natural Satellites - One moderate sized ring system.
  • Allay - A moderate sized terrestrial airless moon.
• Orbital Radius - 35,032,060 Km
• Planetary Radius - 8,567 Km
• Gravity - 1.34 G
• Atmosphere - 1.12 Standard Atmospheres
• Population - 4.57 Billion
• Orbital Period - 58.2 Days
• Length of Day - 23.5 Hours

A slightly warmer and more tropical world when compared to Leningrad with the associated tropical weather patterns, this is caused primarily due to a higher instance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, it plays host to the largest agricultural operation in the Colonial Pact of the Valmet Sector Region. The primary breadbasket world producing over fifteen percent of the food stuffs consumed annually by the population of Helka Trinary Star System. As such most of the living conditions on this world center around this production with the vast space of fields and pastures circling the handful of cities on the planet which are in turn typically built around orbital elevators. Life for its population tends to be of the easier sort when compared to those that make their lives in space, food, water, and air never being a concern. However this simple life can be disadvantageous when compared to the mixed economy of its Leningrad population. Often leading to some generations leaving this world to make fortune and fame if not adventure away from the farms of their youth.

• Orbital Elevators - This world employs four main orbital elevator systems, each tipped with a counterweight station that is primarily employed for offloading various bulk goods. In this case mostly agricultural goods and shelf stable water supplies for export.
• Spaceports (Surface) - From small private pads capable of handling shuttle sized craft to complexes the size of airports intended to handle commercial traffic and large scale freight carriers. The largest capable of handling up to kilometer length vessels is located less then ten minutes north of the planet's largest city Altai.
• Spaceports (Orbital) - Aside from the four offloading/loading terminals associated with the orbital elevator counter balance stations, the planet features one major terminal in a equatorial orbit. This is a mixed purpose facility with various sections be dedicated to private, commercial, and military interests.
• Shipyards - Outside of small minor facilities for building small commercial or private craft Faust lacks major ship building capability with the exception of a infrastructure maintenance yard primarily oriented for maintaining the various pieces of essential orbital infrastructure.
• Industry - Almost entirely centered on the production, refinement, and processing of food goods and other essential things for keeping the Valmet Sector's population alive, Faust is a majority agricultural state. However there are some authorized Callenite mining operations on both the surface of the planet and on its small moon as well as numerous 'wildcat' illegal operations which pop up almost as quickly as they are taken down.
• Agriculture - The largest food producing world in the trinary star system primarily oriented on massive scale production of food crops, animal husbandry also plays a part in these efforts however it is on a lower scale compared to Leningrad.

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Altai

• Location - Primary Continent, Southern 'Central' Coast
  • Built into a coastal bay in the tropical latitudes of the planet, it is the largest city on the planet and its build around a orbital elevator base located in the middle of said bay. The primary planetary capital and the capital of its surface region Altai was the first city to be founded on Faust. Like most it is a variance of locations, going from high rise city center, to moderate rise outer rings, to the 'suburbs' and then finally the spokes of farmland reaching out to the horizon.