The Mire
General Information
Planet Name: The Mire
Classification: Stellar Phenomena/Artificial Construct
Major Settlements: The Sleepers Bazaar
Tech Level: (Alpha: Pre Warp. Beta: Warp Capable. Delta: Able to harness ALL available resources. Gamma: Q level.) Gamma
Geographical Descriptors
The Mire is located in an orphan star system bereft of the usual stellar debris. No planetoids, no comet shards, even the menial density of interstellar dust is well below the average. It is almost as if the entire star system was sterilised and made as clean as possible.
Before the Priors moved in and installed their machinery.
At some point in the distant past, perhaps even outside of the sphere of influence of the Milky Way, the Prior’s tampered with a stars dying wish. Through means unknown they tampered with the collapsing core of a soon to be neutron star, teasing out vast amounts of energies whilst radically altering its mass. This lightweight neutron star burns twice as bright as any other, and was then set within a bone white cage of spars and ribs. It is unknown how the massive construct of the cage was assembled, or how it is able to sustain not only its own stability but withstand the gravity of its captive star, but it was placed there with intent. From the cages bars vast energy siphons draw off the gravitational energy of the neutron star, transforming it into the heart of a vast stellar engine.
This engine powers an area of space called The Mire, or tortured space. It is a toroidal construct that itself wraps around the neutron star and its cage, turning it into the bright seed within a diseased fruit. The Mire emits light waves that can be registered by the human eye, appearing as a bruised grape skin that flickers with electrical discharges. This area of space is twice as large as Sol, though ranging lasers fired into The Mire have registered radial distances of five light years or five centimetres.
Passage through The Mire is achieved through the toroidal openings at the Zenith and Nadir. And whilst passage via a direct line from entry to exit within the heart of THe Mire seems logical, a Byzantine course is required to ensure the vessel passing through does not intersect with the boundary of The Mire. But that is not to say that beings and entities within do not have the means to intersect with the ship.
Reports of voices, of loved ones past and present, coaxing the unwary towards the boundary are common place. Sightings of strange leviathan like shapes pressing up against the boundary are also common, as well as reports of things reaching out from it to snag the curious and ill-prepared.
It is theorized that the Prior device in the heart of The Mire is the means by which the area of tortured space is maintained. It is unknown whether or not the effect was caused by the Priors, or if the neutron star battery at its core is the only thing keeping it from expanding.
Key Points
A patch work space station on par in volume and mass to a Stardock class Starfleet facility is adhered to one of the support spars of the Prior device. It is a combination commerce hub and base of operations to a being called The Harbour Master. This being is allied, or in truce, with both The Myriad and The Concordance.
The Harbour Master rules over the Sleepers Bazaar, both in administering its laws and enforcing its penalties. These can include fines in goods and services, or the forfeiture of crew. The Sleepers Bazaar is home to sizeable slave population, that is renewed both by independent slavers or the commerce of the Myriad.
Points Of Interest
The Sleepers Bazaar
The Caged Star
