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Gatlida (Epsilon Indi)

One of the earliest interstellar colonies, part of the Eridanus League

Epsilon Indi
Image from person43
Tierra del Fuego, a cold, dry terrestrial world; the original home of House Stevens

Gatlida (Epsilon Indi) System

SystemNames: Gatlida
Components: 3
1) Gatlida (Epsilon Indi A)
2) Praxis (Epsilon Indi Ba)
3) Gnosis (Epsilon Indi Bb)
Location:
- Distance from Ran: 14.07 ly (J2000)
- Distance from Sol: 11.87 ly (J2000)
- Constellation: Indus
Deep Red
Image from Steve Bowers
Deep Red, a petrolic terrestrial world that became the main centre for colonisation by non-House Stevens factions.
GatlidaNames: Gatlida, Epsilon Indi A, Gliese 845 A (GJ 845 A), HD 209100, HIP 108870, HR 8387
Physical characteristics:
- Mass: 0.754 x Sol
- Radius: 0.711 x Sol
- Spectral type: K5 V
- Luminosity: 0.213 x Sol (bolometric)
- Temperature: 4,649 Kelvin
- Rotation period: 35.73 days
- Age: 3.5 billion years
Neruda.
Image from Steve Bowers
Neruda, a sulphur-rich neptunian world
Planets1) Little Garcia: Videntian Terrestrial Lapi-Minervan Achlysian.
- Semi-major axis = 0.243 AU
- Orbital period = 50.39 days
- Eccentricity = 0.046
- Mass = 0.113 x Earth
- Radius = 0.498 x Earth
2) Tierra del Fuego: Terrestrial Lapi-Minervan Tepidal Aqua-Arean Aqua-Cryptian.
- Semi-major axis = 0.518 AU
- Orbital period = 156.8 days
- Eccentricity = 0.014
- Mass = 0.243 x Earth
- Radius = 0.672 x Earth
3) Espresso: Ammo-Terrestrial Lapi-Rhean Tundral Capno-Gaian.
- Semi-major axis = 1.063 AU
- Orbital period = 1.262 years
- Eccentricity = 0.062
- Mass = 1.270 x Earth
- Radius = 1.080 x Earth
4) Deep Red: Tholi-Terrestrial Cere-Rhean Estuarine Thermal Petro-Abyssal.
- Semi-major axis = 3.077 AU
- Orbital period = 6.216 years
- Eccentricity = 0.134
- Mass = 0.339 x Earth
- Radius = 0.856 x Earth
5) Neruda: Sulfa-Neptunian.
- Semi-major axis = 5.292 AU
- Orbital period = 14.02 years
- Eccentricity = 0.027
- Mass = 18.44 x Earth
- Radius = 4.286 x Earth
6) Shiva (Epsilon Indi A b): Ammo-Jovian Hydrogeo-Barian.
- Semi-major axis = 11.55 AU
- Orbital period = 45.20 years
- Eccentricity = 0.26
- Mass = 3.25 x Jupiter
- Radius = 11.39 x Earth
7) Malvina: Cryoazuri-Neptunian.
- Semi-major axis = 24.642 AU
- Orbital period = 140.9 years
- Eccentricity = 0.206
- Mass = 4.985 x Earth
- Radius = 2.677 x Earth
8) Rashid: Terrestrial Geli-Edelian Glacial Azo-Arean.
- Semi-major axis = 61.377 AU
- Orbital period = 553.8 years
- Eccentricity = 0.111
- Mass = 0.149 x Earth
- Radius = 0.732 x Earth
Epsilon Indi B and C
Image from Steve Bowers
Praxis and Gnosis, the two brown dwarfs in this system, with Epsilon Indi A in the distance
ColonisedAutonomous ship Swift, launched 488 AT, arrived 610 AT
Colonyship Sure, launched 499 AT, arrived 621 AT
Imhotep 12, 764 AT, Prima Station, Epsilon Indi orbit

The oldest of the female Indis moved forward slightly, then stopped. She was attached to a thin dexter-arm, the same silver colour as the walls, which held her in place in the microgravity. Now I noticed that the other clones, about twenty in number, were each held in place by similar equipment. On the other hand we newcomers were drifting and jostling each other, grabbing each other's arms and bouncing off the walls. Not a very impressive sight, it must be said. The woman looked at Ellie and myself, with a small flicker of interest, before addressing us in a loud voice.

"People from Sol, I greet you. I am Barbara-Prima Barbara Stevens, of the Stevens family. Your arrival is unprecedented and unexpected; our family had thought the Old System dead. Still, you are here, and this is as it must be. With your help we can start to make this system into a new home for our people." The plastic membrane she wore vibrated when she said certain words. Something in her manner seemed dismissive, perhaps even hostile, but she seemed to address her remarks mostly towards my clone cousin and myself. Acting Captain Konrad was fretting nearby, apparently unhappy at being ignored.

-From Voyages of the Starlark

The Gatlida system, known also as Epsilon Indi, is an old Inner Sphere system close to Solsys, first successfully colonized by the clones of House Stevens.

The Prudence Foundation craft Sure arrived in 636 AT. Due to cryogenic failure only a limited genetic stock was available, so cloning techniques were used to populate the cold dry world they labelled Tierra del Fuego. This colony was initially dominated by the clones of House Stevens.

The arkship Starlark arrived in 764, and this increased the population of this system significantly. However the Stevens clones dominated the system with a heavy hand. Gradually the more radical clone-clans among House Stevens won the day, and released the suppressed non-clone population from their former restrictions. New colonies were established at Deep Red, Neruda and Shiva, as more arkships arrived from Solsys (including a significant Hindi contingent, and certain ecopagan groups).

The Beamrider Network and the Eridanus League

A Beamrider cycler station was established at the brown dwarf Epsilon Indi Ba, which they named Praxis, in 641 a.t. This linked the system to the so-called Eridanus Cycle, which formed an important node in the early Beamrider network. In 815, Gatlida joined the Eridanus League, and became an important interface between the Beamrider Network and the League. The links provided by the Beamrider cycler routes enabled the Gatlidan polities, and eventually the entire League, to flourish economically. Without the Beamriders it is unlikely that the League could have continued as an economic and political entity. And without the input and resources of the League, the Beamrider Network would probably have taken much longer to attain a position of prominence, and quite possibly been totally overwhelmed by and assimilated into the Federation.

The various colonies in the Gatlidan Provisional Confederacy willingly joined the League except for the Stevens traditionalists, and certain Christian-cultist and Ecopagan factions located on planetoids in the outer belts. House Stevens became increasingly isolated.

The PetroAbyssal terrestrial world Deep Red became a major centre for non-House Stevens colonists, and a number of diverse factions became established there. One of these groups, the Ganesha Mission, attempted to mis-use League laws to stage a hostile corporate takeover of this world. This resulted in a system-wide conflict, eventually settled by an ambassador-judge aboard a heavily armed control-ship from Ran.

The internal power struggles within the 'Star Spirit 3' council were also important events in the heyday of the League. At the breakup of the Eridanus League many of the House Stevens clone-clans departed for Ridgewell.
Shiva
Image from Steve Bowers
Shiva, an ammonia-rich gas giant historically known as Epsilon Indi Ab
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Later History

After the collapse of the Eridanus League, Gatlida was an important Inner Sphere system, a pivotal location in the later history of House Stevens. Since this system had received several early colony ships from Solsys, carrying a wide range of refugees, the primary system became very diverse and developed a complex history. Since the Age of Consolidation the system has been a part of the NoCoZo.

The Ba-Bb system is an old and well-established centre for the Deeper Covenant; the two brown dwarf stars each have several satellite worlds, some of which have been dismantled to construct an circumstellar megastructure.
 
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Appears in Topics
Inner SphereNon-Coercive Zone (NoCoZo)Systems & Worlds G - H
 
Development Notes
Text by Updated by The Astronomer and Dangerous Safety 2021
M Alan Kazlev, Steve Bowers, Aaron Hamilton, Anders Sandberg
Initially published on 24 October 2001.

Data panel format update (2022-02-18, by The Astronomer)
 
 
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