Porshon



Porshon is the third planet from the star Hilu in the Rellar System and is governed by the Producer Technocracy. It is the next planet closer to Hilu from Rellar and was the first planet to be colonised, terraformed and inhabited by the Producers. As a planet it is slightly smaller than Rellar as well as much warmer.

History
Before the Producers settled on Porshon, the planet was a dry and warm rock. A large grey coloured massif was the only real distinguishing feature aside from the craters scattered across the surface.

Its existence has been known to Astronomers as long as the movement of stars has been tracked across the sky. Porshon, meaning ‘odd star’ in old Pintus, was thought to be the star where the Gods lived and watched over the people of Rellar.

Thousands of year later, following the Fourth Global Strife, Porshon became a symbol of a new goal for the Producer race. Before the war, power and control had motivated the leaders of countries. However, a long and costly war which had ended partly due to fatigue had led the Producers to look to new goals; trade, growth and knowledge.

Businesses in the late 1800s (AP) had come to recognise the importance of discovering other planets. In 1862 AP, when the first space missions were being launched, the planet of Porshon represented the nearest achievable goal for the Producers to explore and land on. They were aware that the technology would not be mastered for decades to come and so spent most time attempting to land small robots and orbit satellites around it.

The first simple robot arrived on 1873AP and orbited the planet sending back pictures and readings from the planet. Some 19 years later the first landing was completed with a robot, Ises 1, becoming the first Producer object to land on the surface. Robotics remained simple at this point and the robot simply sat in one place taking readings about its composition.

It took 118 years from these events to actually landing Producers on the planet. Problems that needed overcome included the threat of Solar radiation, precision landing and a means of getting back. In 1991 AP Three Producers walked the surface of Porshon in the searing heat. Their suits were exposed to heat of around 46 Celcius at nights, forcing them inside during the day. These temperatures were due to the lack of atmosphere on the planet. 7 missions were run over the next 70 years to continue testing the planet and understanding the possibilities for eventual colonisation.

By 2086AP robotics was at a stage where more advanced robots could be sent to stay there permanently. These robots were only low-intelligence, but could help establish some sort of colony on the planet in the longer term. Sadly, funding and interest in space exploration had dwindled since the previous landings as interest in planets and technology beyond their system took precedence.

In 2230AP the amount of resources on the planet was expected to reach a troublesome level within the next few hundred years. Plans were then drawn up for the eventual colonisation of the planet Porshon. This would involve a primary base on the central massif which would be the base as the planet was terraformed. These plans were completed but not acted upon until 2596AP when the problem had reached crisis level.

In 2596 the planets reserves of fuels and many metals were mostly either in use or being recycled. Producers had spent the previous 300 years working on other projects such as orbital stations. At the dawn of the 27th Century, the planet was finally at a point where expansion to other planets was something which could not be avoided.

The first Brethren in 2484 had developed to a point where they could reliably be sent to Porshon and construct the first colonies without the need for protection under the heat. The heat of Porshon would be a problem, but not as much as it would be for humans who required much more to construct such a base. In 2620 construction began on the basic structure of the base ‘New Dawn’ which was completed by 2624. This colony could house a population of 3,000 Producers and Brethren as a place to both mine the planet and manage the terraforming.

Water was brought to the planet from comets, as well as the oceans of Rellar, over the next two decades to help reflect the heat from Hilu before it reached the surface of the planet. In 2644AP the first Producers arrived at the planet starting a new age. This approach marked the beginning of new colonies which would spring up across the system. By 4233 the population of Porshon was 1.3 billion Producers. At this point Porshon was no longer thought of as a colony but as a part of Producer Society in its own right.

Climate and Environment
Porshon has a warmer climate than Rellar, despite the cooling which has occurred since colonisation. There are no ice caps and the equator is dry and barren inland meaning that towns and cities remain costal in these areas. The weather towards the tropics is warmer and stickier. Clouds are often over the sky with blue skies being an unusual event.

Porshon’s flora and fauna are imported from Rellar. The trees and plants which were chosen had to be selected due to their ability to withstand the heat of Porshon. An average day in the northern City of New Hope will reach around 53 Celcius in summer.

There are no Naturelands on Porshon and therefore small towns and cities do exist across the planet unlike on other planets. This has meant that Forestry and Mining can occur to a greater extent across the planet face. This has stimulated action from wings of the Naturists, an environmentalist paramilitary, which have been known to raid towns and hold hostages in an attempt to protect the environment of Porshon.

Towards the poles are cooler areas where the majority of Producers choose to live. The weather is wet but the temperatures are tolerable. Society has had to learn to cope with the frequent draining of marshes and overflowing of rivers. The Southern Administrative Capital, SAC, sits on the South Coast of the massif.

Culture
Culture remains deeply tied to the planet of Rellar. In more rural areas different dialects of Pintus have arisen and unusual cultural practices take place. These practices are normally mocked by city dwellers of Porshon and Rellar. Meanwhile, it is common to move between planets and share most of the same entertainment therefore there are few differences between the Urban areas.

Porshon’s humour is often surrounding the weather or mocking the rural folk of Porshon. These rural folk are portrayed as uncouth and barbaric as many choose to live away from the city because they feel that the way of life is undesirable. Rural Porshoners will often retort portraying city dwellers as arrogant, fake and empty.

This rivalry is celebrated through the sport of Bounceball. Bounceball is an annual event which evolved on the planet because of its weaker gravity. It is like a mix of basketball and volleyball. In this sport the aim of the game is to bounce the ball into the opponents base and catch it. The difficulty with the game is that catching is not allowed outside of the base but only an upwards hit. The low gravity meant that the bouncing and flight of the ball confused the early settlers leading to it becoming a popular game.

Administration
There is a local administration responsible for development, law and order and social services on the planet. For most issues, the planet is governed from Rellar. However, problems such as wild-fires, the health issues associated with the heat and the upholding of the law across the planet has meant that regional government does exist on Porshon.

The Chair of Porshon is the name of the Chief Technocrat who is elected by the Porshon Assembly. This assembly, in turn, sends delegates to Rellar to represent the interests of the planet in the Assembly of Territory (also known as the Assembly of Geography). The government follows the same pattern as the Producers with a Territorial house, an Industrial house and a smaller Brethren house.