Gloom

Gloom is a world that most Utopians simply don't talk about. Some, in fact, refuse to believe that such a world could exist as part of the "New Utopia". But it does indeed exist. Nominally an equal Colony Partner within the Utopian polity, it is in fact a prison world. The founders of Utopia could not envision the acceptance of a death penalty when their governing documents were first drafted; choosing permanent exile instead as the "ultimate punishment". But when rich mineral deposits were discovered in the inhospitable system neighboring Diligence, an alternative to exile became relocation to the world that came to be called Gloom. Everyone in New Utopia understands that a sentence of relocation to Gloom is a life sentence - once sent there, nobody returns.

The world's name derives partly from the dim, eerily colored light provided by the primary red dwarf star of the system, and partly from the fact that practically all habitation on the world is underground to protect against the radiation of frequent stellar storms and mass ejections. Gloom's orbit is quite close to the star as well; it's orbital period (year) is a mere 12 standard days long.

Despite the dim visible light, the quantity of infrared radiation reaching the planet's surface produces a global mean temperature of over 45^oC. Temperatures at the equator typically reach more than 80^oC, and can occasionally spike to over 100^oC. In these regions, protective environmental suits are required to sustain human life.

Starports

There is a highport in geostationary orbit above the principal settlement on the main world, but it is not accessible to civilian starships in the manner to which Travellers might be accustomed. This port is a base for the Utopian Star Navy's assets in the system whose primary function is to strictly monitor ships visiting the planet to ensure that the "colonists" of Gloom remain where they belong. No civilian facilities or amenities are available there. Any ships visiting the planet surface are required to dock at the highport before touching down on the planet to be subjected to an extensive search for anything that might be considered contraband. Upon departure from the surface, docking at the highport is again mandatory - this time to ensure no "colonists" are secreted aboard. Any starships attempting to land on or depart the planet without subjecting themselves to these procedures will be quickly challenged by Utopian Star Navy which will not hesitate to fire upon ships that do not comply with their directives.

The only downport on the surface is located above the underground settlement called The Hole. A Class E facility, it is little more than an area with designated landing bays with some equipment to facilitate loading and unloading of cargo. No refueling services are available; starships with insufficient fuel reserves to jump out of the system will need to skim fuel from one of the system's two gas giants to depart.

Settlements

There is only one settlement of any notable size on the world; this is The Hole. Dug 50m into the planet's bedrock to ensure protection against stellar radiation, the caverns and tunnels of this underground city are filled with crude residences and ramshackle shops cobbled together from old shipping containers and any other scrap metal the residents can get their hands on. The one exception is a large residential complex in the center of the settlement called "the Manse" by residents. This is the home of the de facto rulers of Gloom: a gang that calls itself the Peacekeepers.

There are several remote "villages" in addition to The Hole; these are also either buried underground or dug into the sides of mountains to protect residents from radiation. Some are mining outposts that harvest particularly rare elements not easily found in other parts of New Utopia. Some, though, are "farming centers". These house residents who make their living by venturing into the thick black-foliaged forests that cover much of the planet to harvest edible plants and wild game to augment the meager rations supplied by the Utopian homeworld of Diligence.

Government & Law

Officially, Gloom is a Colony Partner - a full member of the New Utopian polity. As such, its government and laws are an extension of those in use across the polity. There is a colonial governor - currently Antira Gonzalga - but her family resides on the highport. On the planet surface, it is the Peacekeeper gang that serves as government and police force. They oversee distribution of basic living resources that every Utopian citizen - even here - are entitled to, but the also ensure they provide extra-healthy portions for themselves. Any troublemakers in the population are quickly and quietly dealt with as well; the Peacekeepers don't want Utopian officials to ever have cause to investigate problems.

Travellers that visit Gloom will find that the laws restricting weaponry and even armor are somewhat relaxed in The Hole, and all but ignored in the few remote settlements. Poison gases, WMDs, and high explosives are the only things absolutely prohibited. If declared by a ship arriving at the highport, these will be impounded and returned when the ship chooses to depart the system. If not declared, they will almost certainly be discovered and permanently confiscated by the extensive search performed by the Utopian Navy inspectors. Hard armor is relatively common, though extensive hard armor like battle-dress is non-existent). Hazardous Environment Vacc Suits - modified to better withstand the temperatures and atmospheric pressures of the world - are common among the residents, but because of their importance, are almost never available for sale.

History

Gloom was the second of the three "Colony Partner" world established by the New Utopian polity. After arriving on Diligence, the system that would be the core of the polity, the followers of Jacimo Djouliman set out to formally establish the ideal world of freedom and benevolence they had envisioned. The founding documents of the new government were conspicuously thin when it came to civil law as the idealistic expectation was that anyone there wanted to be there - and had willingly chosen to live in a manner that, while free and independent, would not impinge on another's freedom and independence. Crime and punishment were simply not foreseen by the idealists leading the original movement.

It didn't take long for human nature to make their shortsightedness evident, but when the need to deal with "non-conformists" arose, they had a moral quandary: they could not condone punishment that involved incarceration as this willful restriction of freedom was anathema to them. And actively harming (or dispatching) criminals was even worse. Exile was seen as the only option for dealing with individuals that could not conform to society.

At first, exile meant transport to a remote part of the Diligence homeworld, leaving an individual or small group with sufficient supplies and equipment to establish themselves and survive. But this did not prevent some recalcitrants from simply finding their way back to civilization and causing trouble once more. Furthermore, as the population of Diligence grew over the years, it started becoming necessary to "reincorporate" some sizeable settlements that had started from exile outposts back into the "accepted" Utopian society. A more "permanent" exile solution was necessary.

By this time, the Breadbasket system had already been established, and some in the Council of Diligents suggested exiles be sent to that system. Others, however, foresaw this would only push the problem down the road. But, as luck would have it, this was also the time when valuable minerals were discovered on a rocky world orbiting a red dwarf just a parsec away. The world was hot and definitely inhospitable, but technically survivable. Thus it was decided that those who could not live according the accepted norms of Utopian Society would instead be given the "opportunity" to live freer lives while still supporting the greater good. Transported to Gloom, they would be guaranteed full rights of Utopian citizenship (i.e. guarantees of critical food, water, medicine, etc.) in return for their labors in retrieving the valuable elements beneath the surface of Gloom.

Flora and Fauna

Technically, despite conditions that seem marginally inhabitable at best for humans, Gloom is considered a garden world.

The flora of Gloom has evolved to take maximum advantage of the red light and infrared energy provided by the system's star. Cell structures in leaf-like plant elements absorb this light to drive a variation of photosynthesis for nutrient production. Because they are so efficient at absorbing red light, and since that is the predominant (almost exclusive) color of sunlight on Gloom, almost all plants appear black in their native environments. This makes for exceptionally dark, gloomy, and - for humans - frightening jungle environments. However, many of these plants do have chemical components in their structures that reflect other wavelengths of light. Thus, when subjected to white light, plants that appeared black suddenly come alive in shades of greens, blues, and yellows.

Some plants that exhibit these brilliant hues, and which are hardy enough to survive in temperatures closer to human tolerance, can bring high prices among botanical collectors. (They can also be found scattered about the Manse in The Hole, providing a more pleasant living environment for the Peacekeepers.)

Animal life is quite right on Gloom as well - but these are creatures that adapted to survive the intense radiation bursts of the system star. Most resemble variants of Terran reptiles such as turtles and tortoises; some resemble more ancient creatures like the armored dinosaurs. Their shells or back plates contain elements that reflect much of the harmful radiation. These are prized by Gloom residents who use them to fashion HE Vacc Suits especially good at repelling deadly stellar radiation.

The land animals themselves all resemble Terran reptilians. Technically cold blooded, they get all the warmth and energy they need from the radiation of the star. Gloom's seas are rich with fish-like species as well as many aquatic reptilian air-breathing species.