• O'Rourke Colony is not a particularly hospitable world, since the surface temperature
of the World never goes above the freezing point of water. It became of interest to the
scientific community when the rest of the system was explored. The third planet shows
evidence of being terraformed in the very distant past, although the corrosive atmosphere
suggests a very different life form than humankind was responsible. This discovery led to
massive research investment by both Federation and Empire in the system. Thatcher Starport
grew out of a group of industrial chemists investigating the origins of the Exioce III
'biosphere'. It is now a centre for the fabrication of super conductors and related products.
• Experiment was terraformed by the Empire and this world is now the heart of the
system. Being so much nearer to the star, it maintains a far more clement climate, with a year
half as long as that of O'Rourke. From its early beginnings as a research station, to monitor
closely the terraforming process, de Gaul Depot has become the centre for administration in
the system. They are abundant mineral resources amongst the worlds of the system and it is a
major production centre for computers and robotics.
• Attempts to introduce livestock onto Experiment have been largely unsuccessful, and
O'Rourke Colony has a polar climate, severely restricting the animals able to survive there.
Polar bears and seals have adapted well, competing on equal terms with the indigenous life
forms, but no other Earth animals have adapted to the conditions. A fierce native predator has
been christened the Yeti, after a mythical creature from antiquity, and has been responsible for
the deaths of over two hundred research staff during the history of the colony. This, in turn,
has made the system attractive to big game hunters.
Entry by David Massey
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