Download Quarton Name Hull Class Disposition After Cimtar

Colonial Warrior-Recruit Warbook and Teknikon
28th Edition, Yahren of the Colonies of Kobol, 7379
And of the Unity, 1171, And of the Destruction, 29
Published by Caprican Press, Interstellar,
Offices Aboard the Rising Star, Delta Deck
Compiled and edited at the direction of Commander Tigh,
and President Apollo, by Direction of The Council of the Twelve
Sector 1 - Introduction
For over twenty thousand yahren, Humanity has existed. Sometimes, we have fought
each other, sometimes we have fought alien cultures, but now we ourselves are in flight. These
are the "fortunes" of war. As a Warrior-in-Training, you need to understand and accept that, and
before anything else happens in your training, you need to understand and accept this:
We lost.
There is no shame in that statement, for it is simple fact. You have spent your entire lives
in space, save for the few times where we have alighted onto a planet for a time to rest and repair
or rebuild our ships. You should take pride in this, for this reason:
Where we fled blasted and savaged worlds in a rickety fleet of two hundred and twenty
ships, we now continue on to our ultimate destiny in three hundred eleven vessels – some old,
some new, some cobbled together from the hulks of older ships.
We survive.
Sector 2 - Historical Overview
The ultimate tragedy of our plight is that some of our ancestors were the proximate cause.
Researches conducted on recovered Cylon Centurions by Doctors Wilker and N'dzingo [betterknown by his Viper call-sign, 'Boomer'] have discovered an embedded memory plug that directly
ties into the Cylon's previously unfathomable drive to exterminate Humanity. The details gleaned
- which are incontrovertible – point to direct action by a band of Human renegades committing an
act of unspeakable savagery that would continue to cause untold misery for over a thousand
yahren, misery that continues today.
Shortly before the Colonial Unity (Yarhen 0CU), in approximately -6CU, a band of
religious fanatics – mostly from Gemon and Sagitarra - who were opposed to the Unification for
obscure reasons, left the Home System following their utter failure in attempting to seize power
on Aquarion.
This religious group, The Twilight Guardians, left virtually no record of its belief
structures. Very tight nit, almost 'clannish', they rarely recruited outsiders. All that is known of
their beliefs is that they centered on the worship of a "Dark Lord of Creation". It has been
speculated that this may refer to the enigmatic "Count Iblis", a being who bedeviled the Fleet for
the first several years of our journey.
After fleeing beyond the Home System, the Twilight Guardians settled on a remote,
unexplored world. They had escaped with several warships, as well as three generalized industrial
fabricator plants. They seemed to have set about exploring their local region, and came into
contact with the Cylon's biological, reptilian ancestors. The robotic Cylon record is unclear on the
exact sequence of events, but the Twilight Guardians appears to have committed some act that
sparked fighting with the reptilian Cylons (who were already very advanced technologically,
having apparently already built the precursor of the "civilian" and "Centurion" models as workerbots).
It no longer matters what the exact sequence of events was, for the result was that several
Twilight Guardians were killed, as well as many reptile-Cylons; the surviving Guardians fled to
their ship and then the system of the Cylons. The biological Cylons celebrated their victory completely unaware of what was coming.
To understand what happened next, it is important to understand the psychology of our
ancestors of the time. Those of us reading and writing this record come from a culture that has
been more or less unified, in government and purpose, for over a thousand yahren. But Human
society was not always this way.
Prior to Unification, the Tribes frequently warred with each other, and often within
themselves. These wars could sometimes be frighteningly destructive: witness the record of the
last Gemon-Sagitarran War, where both sides only agreed to a ceasefire after both had come
under nucleon-weapon attack. This concept of "total war" is what shaped the attitudes of the
Twilight Guardians.
The Guardian's fleet, though small and antiquated by then-current Colonial/Tribal
standards, was more than a match for the reptile Cylon's crude space forces. The Cylon
homeworld was laid waste: their cities were leveled, their squadrons smashed. The destruction of
Cylon was so thorough that the surviving reptile-Cylons were no longer able to reproduce
naturally; in fact, they seem to have cloned their survivors, a fact not even suspected by Colonial
Intelligence during the course of the subsequent war.
However, as is often the case with our species, outrage led to irrational arrogance: the
Guardians completely missed the deep-system outposts of the Cylons. It was from these bases
that the Cylons, hurriedly boosting their numbers by reprogramming their servant/worker-bots
into fighting machines, struck back, ambushing and destroying the Guardian fleet utterly, and
annihilating their tiny colony by nucleon-bombardment.
Understandably, the reptile-Cylon's fury knew no limits. Once they realized the extent of
the damage, that their species was effectively extinct (as the cloning process would fail after a
time, due to "replicative fading" - making a copy of a copy of a copy), they set about forging the
Centurion – their ultimate war machine.
To understand the depth of their response, it must be remembered that the reptile-Cylons
were evolved from a form of highly aggressive and territorial predator. Their need for personal
glory as an aid to breeding status also included a need to seek vengeance for a wrong. Since the
Humans had functionally exterminated them, the reptile-Cylons felt that it was only fair to return
the favor...This is what led to the Thousand Yahren war.
The Cylon attack on the Hasaris (the proximate cause of our war with them) was viewed
by them as the first step in their "long campaign" to first isolate Humanity, then destroy it.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Following the losses at the Battle of the Cosmara Archipelago and the Battle of Caprica,
then-Commanders Adama of Caprica and Cain of Sagitarra, in concert with Strategos Stylocar of
Libra (then head of the CGFC High Command), developed a strategic plan to return the Colonies
to the offensive.
Adama lobbied hard for a massive increase in fleet strength, not just replacing Battlestars,
Assaultstars and Guardstars lost in action, but doubling the Assaultstar fleet, and quadrupling the
Guardstar fleet. His idea - endorsed by the CGFC Command, in a rare display of budget-time
unity - was to launch a series of deep raids against the Cylon Core Systems, with the intent of
severely retarding Cylon production, at least temporarily (President Adama called this his
"Insecton Swarm" strategy). Meanwhile, Stilocar - with Adama's support on the Council – would
pour funds into the CGFC Line Command, then launch a series of "planet-hopping" invasions,
bypassing minor garrisons, while using heavy Battlestar-supported forces to overwhelm defenses
at several Cylon regional capitols.
The political fight was unexpectedly hard, with fierce opposition coming from several
Councilors who were previously “fence sitters”; it was later discovered that these men were being
heavily bribed by Baltar. As a result, Adama came through with what appeared to the uninitiated
as a decent victory, actually winning the first increase in Battlestar numbers for 200 yahren, as
well as a doubling of the Guardstar fleet.
President Adama saw it as nothing less than a political disaster: he had expended so much
political clout getting the limited increase that when Baltar put forth his "peace proposal", he had
nothing left to stop President Adar from pushing it forward. Adama - who had attended the
Sagitarran Academy with Baltar for a time, never trusted Baltar after his discovery of Baltar's
behind-the-scenes manipulations, horrifically validated by Baltar's treachery.
Increasing the damage was the dispatch of Commander Cain and the 5th Fleet to
Molokay in the midst of the political battle. It has been subsequently revealed that it was Batlar
who lobbied hardest for Cain's assignment to the Molokay operation.
Sector 3 - Colonial War-Host Organizational Overview, Pre-Destruction
Some question the need to review the way that the Colonial military forces were
organized at the time of the Destruction, in the mistaken belief that because the system failed,
there is little to be gained from its review.
This is the height of folly, as the structure that was in place for over three hundred yahren
was actually quite effective, when the political situation allowed.
The key to understanding our people's military system of the day lays in the philosophy
that habitable worlds are what is important, and spaceships are simply the means to go from one
world to the other. As a result, the Colonial Ground Forces Command remained as the Senior
Service from the time of the Unification, and is expected to regain its primacy when the Fleet
arrives at a permanent home.
Coming as you do from a life aboard the Fleet, this may seem like an alien way of
thinking, but critical examination of the needs of our people leads to a firm understanding of the
logic in this mode of thought, for without planets, our people are in constant danger, our existence
as a distinct species in perpetual jeopardy.
*~*~*~*~*
At the time of the Unification, a conscious decision was made to organize our Tribes into
"Quartons", a term you have heard the Elders of your Tribe use. As was covered in your Primary
Education, the Quarton structure created "mercantile trading blocks", wherein Tribes with more
agricultural focus were paired with Tribes with a more industrial and mercantile bent. This
structure protected the weaker Tribes from exploitation, while allowing stronger Tribes access to
a better economic base.
One of the first Acts of the Unified Council was the creation of the Colonial Ground
Forces Command, the CGFC. Originally recruited from across the Colonial populations were
seventy-five Phalanxes of Infantry, and twenty-five of armor.
At first, strange as it may seem, there was no 'Colonial Fleet', as such; the various
Phalanxes were ferried about the Home System and beyond by vessels leased from Tribal navies,
organized into 'ad hoc' squadrons.
This fleet structure lasted until our first unified fleet action against the Cylons, in the
outer quadrant of the Hasari system (the Battle of Hasarr VIII, 89UC). That disaster (fewer than
10% of the Tribal squadron's ships survived) caused the formation of a formal Fleet, the Warriors
of which were drawn from all Colonies. This was the first military use of the Quarton System.
The four Quartons are:




Aquilos, consisting of the colonies of Taura, Caprica and Virgon
Inferus, consisting of Aeries, Sagitara, and Leo
Orien, consisting of Libra, Aquaria, and Gemonai
Occasian, consisting of Scorpia, Piscon, and Cancera
Where the CGFC was "task-organized" as needed, by building up multiple Strategons,
the Fleet was composed of four "permanent flotillas", corresponding to each of the Quartons.
This is a critically important statement, because whereas the CGFC was funded directly
from the coffers of the Unification Tax, each Quarton was responsible for funding its assigned
flotilla. When this system became demonstrably unworkable, Fleet operations were also funded
from the Unification Tax, but at a lower overall level, due to Tribal protests and delays over UTax increases to cover the difference.
As a result, the Fleet remained only a tiny fraction of the overall Colonial military
structure, right up until the Destruction. This deeply affected Fleet composition, as it became
necessary to standardize one general-duty warship - the Battlestar, with its complement of sixty to
ninety strike-fighters (there was considerable variation until the 'Columbia'-class became the
standard, in 1897UC). Later, the Assaultstar and Guardstar classes were added, and proved
themselves to be valuable components of the Fleet.
Fleet Organization, Pre-Destruction
Although an attempt was initially made to limit operational fleet organization in
accordance with the Quarton Commands, this rapidly became unworkable. Instead, Fleet
Command developed a more practical method that reduced the Quarton Commands to an almostexclusively administrative role, leaving them with direct battle-command only of the Home
System itself.
Instead, operational fleets were organized and manned as needed. While this could cause
uneven fleet quality – Commander Kronos' Third Fleet at Cosmara being the prime example – it
allowed for a far more flexible response at a strategic level.
The following table lists all Battlestars and Assaultstars in service from 2300UC to
2342UC, as well as their known dispositions following the Cimtar Ambush and the Destruction
of the Colonies. All vessels not listed as "Survived" or "Unknown" are presumed to have been
destroyed, as the neither the Galactica nor the Medusa/Myrmidon flotilla have made contact with
them to date.
Quarton
Name
Hull Class
Disposition After Cimtar
Ä Aquilos - Ship subunits use colors as designators (e.g., "Blue Squadron")
Atlantia
Galactica
Pacifica
Helios
Tethys
Acropolis
Cronon
Rhea
Athenos
Hoplon
Hippeis
Erishkal
Shilva
Pathos
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Assaultstar
Assaultstar
Assaultstar
Assaultstar
Assaultstar
Assaultstar
Destroyed @ Cimtar
Survived
Destroyed @ Cimtar
Refitting following Cosmara
Unknown
Refitting following Cosmara
Keel laid to replace battle losses
Keel laid to replace battle losses
Destroyed @ Molokay
Destroyed @ Molokay
Unknown
Refitting following Battle of Caprica
Destroyed @ Molokay
Unknown
Ó Inferus - Ship subunits use metals as designators (e.g., "Silver Spar")
Pegasus
Triton
Rycon
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Survived; current status unknown
Destroyed @ Cimtar
Destroyed @ Cosmara
Argo
Olymipia
Callisto
Apollion
Chryse
Amun
Cukalis
Zorondon
Darian
Ptolus
Mjolna
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Assaultstar
Assaultstar
Assaultstar
Assaultstar
Assaultstar
Assaultstar
Destroyed in Battle of Caprica
Refitting following Cosmara
Unknown
Keel laid to replace battle losses
Keel laid to replace battle losses
Destroyed @ Cosmara
Refitting following Cosmara
Destroyed @ Molokay
Destroyed @ Cosmara
Unknown
Refitting following Cosmara
ð Orien - Ship subunits use mythological creatures as designators (e.g., "Griffin Squadron")
Prometheus
Bucephalus
Posiedeos
Atropos
Hyperion
Pallas
Sargus
Mardus
Castor
Pollux
Hector
Odysseon
Myrmidon
Uruki
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Assaultstar
Assaultstar
Assaultstar
Assaultstar
Assaultstar
Assaultstar
Destroyed @ Cosmara
Destroyed @ Molokay
Refitting following Cosmara
Refitting following Battle of Caprica
Unknown
Destroyed @ Molokay
Keel laid to replace battle losses
Keel laid to replace battle losses
Unknown
Refitting following Cosmara
Destroyed @ Molokay
Unknown
Survived
Refitting following Cosmara
Ö Occasion - Ship subunits used real animals as designators (e.g., "Krait Squadron")
Soleria
Excelsior
Columbia
Cerberus
Valeria
Medusa
Osirus
Hathus
Unkulukulu
Visha
Bactan
Largus
Altis
Calad
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Battlestar
Assaultstar
Assaultstar
Assaultstar
Assaultstar
Assaultstar
Assaultstar
Destroyed @ Cimtar
Unknown
Refitting following Cosmara
Destroyed @ Cosmara
Unknown
Survived
Keel laid to replace battle losses
Keel laid to replace battle losses
Destroyed @ Molokay
Refitting following Battle of Caprica
Destroyed in Battle of Caprica
Destroyed in Battle of Caprica
Destroyed @ Molokay
Refitting following Battle of Caprica
At various times, the Fleet leased support vessels from Colonial shipping firms, the most
famous type being the 'Solar'-class maintenance lugger, of which the 'Celestra' is now the senior
ship (of the three hulls now with the Fleet).
Colonial Ground Force Command Organization
At its height, the Colonial Fleet was manned by around ten million men and women. The
CGFC, in comparison, was manned by over one hundred and fifty million troops at its height.
Although greatly reduced in numbers, the CGFC, now essentially built on the 47th
Colonial Infantry Phalanx, will maintain this organization for the near future.
The CGFC is organized as follows:
Pallas (Shield)
Triad
File
Column
Phalanx
Strategon
2 men
3 x Pallii
10 x Triad
6 x Files
10 x Colunms
6 x Phalanxi
~*~*~*~
6 men, or one vehicle
60
360
3600
21600
The CGFC is grouped into the Line, the Home Guard and the Reserve. The Line are
considered the elite: they are the invasion forces that stormed a planet, and took it from the
Cylons. The Home Guard defended the Colonial Home Worlds, but also sent out Strategons as
garrison forces to back up the Line (currently, all adults within the Fleet are considered to be
members of the Home Guard, until a permanent settlement is chosen). The CGFC Command has
a very well developed and integrated tactical, theater and strategic doctrine, and as long as Naval
support is available, is capable of seizing and holding any planet.
The Line and Home Guard are both organized identically into Phalanxes and Strategons.
However, the HG units did not possess organic assault shuttles for planetary assault, nor did they
maintain the same number of field manufacturing units to replenish their ammunition stocks that
Line units had, relying instead on local suppliers. On the other hand, the HG was allotted large
numbers of heavy, self-propelled artillery - their attack profile was to "shoot-n-scoot", firing
barrages of 5 shells of 150 millimetrons in diameter in as many microns out to 30 kilometrons,
which could be landed virtually simultaneously. Line units had a few of these guns, but they
tended to have larger numbers of tanks and direct-fire support sleds.
The Reserve were a force of mostly infantry, who were often deployed as military police,
and were often used as strike-breakers on many Colonial worlds. Their quality was generally
quite below Fleet and CGFC standards, and the Reserves were usually highly politicized.
The Phalanx is an ancient term revived during the last reorganization; the same units
were formerly termed "columns", from which comes the term "Colonel" ('Column Leader'). In the
last CGFC reorganization, dating from 997UC
Each Phalanx has about 3600 troops, with about 100 vehicles, with a single squadron of
32 Vipers for air support, and 36 Mark X Assault Shuttles for combat insertion. They were
capable of fighting for 30 days straight before needing resupply. They maintained organic
(meaning, "assigned to their unit") equipment to manufacture their ammunition in the field, but
maintained rapid-insertion drop-pods loaded with power cells and grenades "just in case".
The Strategon is the basic maneuver unit of the CGFC, and is commanded by a Strategos,
equivalent in rank to a Commander. It is composed of six Phalanxes: 3 Infantry, 1 Armor, 1
Aerospace (with a full squadron each of Vipers and Assault Shuttles) and 1 Command and
Support. Each Phalanx within the Strategon can operate independently, but there is a
Coordinating Staff in the Command and Support Phalanx that can direct strategic maneuver. At
higher levels, there are Battle Staffs that are basically large Phalanxes with lots of
communications, planning, EW and MP's. Their mission is to direct multiple Strategons during
planet-wide operations. Battle Staffs also administered bases.
The CGFC maintained a "Hunter" Strategon (which was actually about 5 Strategons in
size, pre-Destruction) that conducted deep-penetration raids into the Cylon Empire. Candidates
were selected based on their innate intelligence, focus and agility of thought, rather than on
physical characteristics, as physical skills can be taught. (The current whereabouts of surviving
Hunter units are unknown at this writing.)
CGFC Artillery Deployment
CGFC Armor Employment
CGFC Planetary Assault Profile
COLONIAL FLEET OPERATIONS
NAVIGATION
The Colonial coordinate reference system, used aboard the Galactica, while perhaps seeming to
be somewhat haphazard to the casual observer, is fairly robust and complete.
Bearings to targets are designated from the point of view of the targeting ship, as opposed to
where that target might be on a map. This is, of course, due to the fact that these vessels are
generally moving at high speeds, where there may be no localized phenomena to reference other
than themselves.
The system utilizes 24 “quadrants” around a central point, aligned along the ecliptic (depending
upon the alignment of the ship, from that ship’s perspective). The quadrants are assigned in a
clockwise ascending order, with each assigned a designation using the Colonial Greek Alphabet
(clockwork ascension has also been noted as a feature of Colonial analog flight instrumentation).
Quadrants are either given by their named designation, or their numerical listing. If it becomes
necessary to give a more precise descriptor, the numerical value for a degree of arc is given. If a
position off of the ecliptic is also desired, this is designated by separating the planar location from
a similar perpendicular alignment by the term “mark”. Reference points below the plane of the
ecliptic are referred to as “Mark #, #” or “Mark #, negative”.
Given the need to
have a common
reference point, the
central point of the
quadrant map is
considered to be the
reference point
ship, which is
currently always the
Galactica, but can
be any ship in a
Colonial task group.
When the Galactica
enters a new sector,
she resets her
navigational
reference point to
indicate point Alpha
as some reference
point in space to
which her nose is
precisely oriented.
The 7.5 degrees of
angle on either side
of that point is
considered Alpha
Quadrant until such
time as the
Galactica performs
another reset. The
other 23 quadrants
are then set in 15degree arcs from there.
If the Galactica detects Cylon base stars in Delta Quadrant, this indicates that they are
somewhere between 37 and 52 degrees clockwise of point Alpha. “Alpha Six” is just to the left of
true point Alpha, whereas “Epsilon Seven Mark Four” is 59.5 degrees clockwise of point Alpha,
and 4 degrees above the plane of the ecliptic.
Vectors are also given using this same system, but are stated as a vector off of the current line of
travel rather than as a reference from point Alpha, i.e., “Delta Vector” is roughly 70 degrees to
starboard, or 70 degrees clockwise from the line of travel, while “Chi Vector” would be roughly
40 degrees to port, or 320 degrees clockwise from the line of travel. (The use of the term
“quadrant” in this translation stems from the Colonial unit of distance. How this relates to the
sections of 15-degree arcs is not at this time known.)
For space vehicles, the engines are the devices that propel the vehicles through space. Colonial
ships use a single “drive” type for space travel (sometimes called a “gravity compression drive”).
The basic engine has two components, a gravity field generator and a reaction mass generator (or
“thruster”). The gravity field generator creates a configurable gravitational field around the ship,
which serves as “control surfaces” when in contact with other strong gravitational fields. This
allows for the movement through near-object space as if moving through a fluid medium.
As the vessel moves away from a
point of intense gravity, such as a
planet, maneuverability suffers,
which is why most craft mount
some form of reaction control jet
system to augment the g-field.
Just like control surfaces on
aircraft, applying full power to the
g-field while inside an intense
gravity well causes substantial
“drag”, and is euphemistically
known as “braking” or “dropping
the flaps” (this coupled with the
cavitations caused by Alfvén detuning, which is essentially
“reverse thrust” for particle
ejectors, constitutes the Colonial
“Inverse Maneuver”). This is
characterized by a red shift in any
illumination from the vehicle due
to gravitic lensing (gravitic lens
distortion also explains the odd
“stars moving by” effect of Vipers
from the perspective of the pilot
sometimes experienced by
Hammerhead pilots).
The combination propulsion
system utilizes “dark energy” in
its interaction with space. While
dark energy is present in nearobject space, and thus the gravity
field generator provides some
propulsion, movement through near-object space is significantly augmented through high mass,
high-velocity particle ejection. Utilizing a Tylium isotope enriched fuel (solium-VI for the
Colonials, tylium-IX for the Cylons), most vessels utilize pulse detonation to create WIMPheavy, high-velocity, high-density reaction mass, which is further accelerated and mass-amplified
through a series of magnetic and gravitic coils prior to ejection. The Cylons have created a more
efficient gravity field generator for their large ships, and this enables them to do away with the
need for reaction mass altogether.
As a vessel moves away from near-object space, the intensity of dark energy increases. This
increase is not evenly distributed, however, and it is this that causes the creation of a distinct
spatial topography, with “shallows”, “deeps”, “channels”, “archipelagos”, and “currents”.
Following the highest density allows for the use of the g-field to its maximum. The more intense
the g-field, and the “deeper” the dark energy, the greater the dark energy repulsion effect on the
g-field. Adding reaction mass to the gravity well further increases the intensity of the g-field. At
its optimum, while the vessel may travel in excess of the speed of light (in some cases
significantly), it does not violate that limit because it is the space around the vessel that is
moving, not the vessel itself.
Craft that operate in an atmosphere utilize the g-field for streamlining, and use its interaction with
the gravity well they are in rather than air-current flow for maneuver control. Additionally, as the
reaction ejecta properties are too extreme for safe operation in an atmosphere, there will usually
be another form or mode of operation for atmospheric use.
This result, due to the hypothesized nature and distribution of dark energy, and a mastery of
gravitational forces, allows in a single “engine” the capabilities of not just star-, but galaxyhopping, and represents a significant advance over current systems.
VIPERS AND VIPER FLIGHT OPERATIONS
COLONIAL FLEET BATTLE TACTICS
CONVOY OPERATIONS
COLONIAL SCIENCES
THE HOME SYSTEM
The home planetary system is called “Eden”, both after Kobol’s religious capital city, and
because it was such an amazing place to find.
It is a multiple star system, with all bodies gravitationally locked in an intricate dance.
There are four stellar bodies, and three sub-stellar bodies that are not planets (all are brown
dwarfs). The system contains a total of 15 rocky planets, 5 gas giants, 19 dwarf planets, 116
planetary satellites, and three irregular body belts.
The first Colonial seekers to find the system consisted of Capricans, Gemons, and
Librans. Following Colonial stellar naming conventions, each star was named after the
“discoverer” and the primary planetary body (in this case, that claimed by the tribe that
discovered the star) became the “prime” of that star.
Thus Eden A is named Caprica, Eden B/C are named Castor and Pollux, and are
collectively called Gemini, and Eden D is named Libra.
While only a handful of bodies in the system had actually developed ecosystems, 60% of
the planetary bodies (or their satellites) had the potential of supporting life, given the proper
engineering.
Caprica is a bright yellow-white type F star, with five planets, four of which are in the H
zone. These are the three rocky planets Sagitara, Aeriana (also called simply Aries), and Taura,
and the ringed gas giant Caprica Prime, the latter having three habitable satellites.
Castor is a yellow type G star, and its “twin” Pollux is an orange type K star. They are in a tight,
highly circular rotation around each other at an average of less than .15 AU, with their orbital
period being 11.2 days. Around the twin star are six planets, five of which are in the H zone.
However, one of the planets (Gemini Prime) has an eccentric orbit causing extremes in
temperature, and two (Borella and Virgon) are marginal on the inner edge and outer edges
respectively. The other two habital worlds are Piscon (Pisceria) and Leosia.
Libra is white type A star with six planets, four of which are in the H zone. These are the
rocky planets Libra Prime, Aquaria, and Canceria, and the gas giant Scorpia, which has two
habitable satellites.
The sub-stellar bodies are all within 150 AU of the systems center of gravity, the furthest
being Cimtar (64 Jupiter-Masses), then Beostas (29 JM), and Oldalra (44 JM)(all Hungarian
BTW, and all extremely boring terms dealing with classifying and listing things).
For reference Pluto is sitting out at about 40 AU and Eris is at 67. I used the calculation
*Sun boundary × Sqrt [(star luminosity)/(Sun luminosity]* to arrive at the habitation zones, but
adjusted the accepted .9 - 1.6 AU for Sol to .8 - 1.6 because of the multiple star system.
COLONIAL PLANETOLOGY
ASTRONOMIC BODY CLASSIFICATION
The Colonials are somewhat more streamlined in their definitions of astronomic bodies
than we are. Bodies are classified as one of two types: Stellar or Sub-Stellar. Stellar bodies are
any body that now has or at some time in the past had enough mass to sustain some form of
fusion, i.e., a star. Sub-stellar bodies are everything else. Stellar objects are then classified much
like our own classification, by size, luminosity, spectral type, etc. Sub-stellar objects, however,
are categorized quite differently.
The base-line measurement is the KM, or “Kobol Mass”, which represents the mass of
the planet Kobol. It has been determined that this is extremely close to an Earth Mass, being
1.000124 of earth.
Any body in a heliocentric orbit that is under 0.1 KM or less is an asteroid, regardless of
any other factor (the one exception to this are comets). Any body between 0.1 KM and 4000 KM
in a heliocentric orbit that is not a star or stellar remnant is a planet. Any sub-stellar body in orbit
around another sub-stellar body (rather than two or more orbiting a barycenter, which would then
be a multi-n) is a moon (moons can have moons). Rogue bodies are bodies that are no longer
gravitationally attached to another, and thus “wander”. Rogue asteroids are called astralons, and
rogue comets are known as firetons. All other rogue sub-stellar bodies are usually referred to as
rogue planets, even though there is no way of knowing whether they were originally a planet or a
moon.
The Colonials then further break down their bodies into 24 alphabetical designations,
based on a number of factors (It should be noted that their chemistry division of elements is also
somewhat different than ours, and a thorough description can be found elsewhere. In brief, they
break their periodic table into multiple tables, grouped by predominant structure. Those we are
concerned with are Crystalline Elements Table M-1 [some metals, but mainly metalloids],
Crystalline Elements Table S-1 [the non-gaseous non-metals], and Aerion Elements Table A-1
[non-metal gases]).
(Earth science note: “Terrestrial”, in its scientific definition, means “rocky”, of which
silicon is the predominate element. However, when used as a classification of planetary types, the
term is generally used to distinguish a world that is similar in many ways to Earth, even if its
atmosphere is not breathable without assistance.)
The Colonial Astronomical Body Designations
Designation: Primary Table - Description
Alpha: Crystalline Elements M-1 - Terrestrial (“rock”)
body with little or no atmosphere. May be hot or cold,
geologically active or inactive. (Terran: “Rocky”)
Beta: Crystalline Elements M-1 - Terrestrial body with
an atmosphere suffering from a runaway greenhouse
effect. Geologically active. Less than 10% surface
water, and a surface temperature greater than the
boiling point of water. (Terran: “Venusian”)
Gamma: Crystalline Elements M-1 - Terrestrial body
with an atmosphere that
can support human life without assistance. Less than
10% surface water, and less than 70% surface ice.
(Terran: “Martian”)
Delta: Crystalline Elements M-1 - Terrestrial body
with an atmosphere that can support human life without
assistance. Between 10% and 90% surface water.
(Terran: “Terrestrial”)
Epsilon: Crystalline Elements M-1 - Terrestrial body
with an atmosphere that can support human life without
assistance. Greater than 90% surface water. (Terran:
“Water”)
Zeta: Crystalline Elements M-1 - Terrestrial body with
an atmosphere that can support human life without
assistance. No surface water and greater than 70%
surface ice. (Terran:”Ice”)
Eta: Crystalline Elements M-1 - Gamma-type body with
an atmosphere that may support life, but not human
life. The atmosphere is either toxic or too extreme to
breath without mechanical assistance.
Theta: Crystalline Elements M-1 - Delta-type body with
an atmosphere that may support life, but not human
life. The atmosphere is either toxic or too extreme to
breath without mechanical assistance.
Iota: Crystalline Elements M-1 - Epsilon-type body
with an atmosphere that may support life, but not
human life. The atmosphere is either toxic or too
extreme to breath without mechanical assistance.
Kappa: Crystalline Elements M-1 - Zeta-type body with
an atmosphere that may support life, but not human
life. The atmosphere is either toxic or too extreme to
breath without mechanical assistance.
Lamda: Crystalline Elements M-1 - Terrestrial body
that still retains a large portion of its hydrogen.
Less than 20% of total mass is gaseous. (Terran: “Gas
Dwarf”)
Mu: Crystalline Elements S-1 - Carbide body with
little or no atmosphere. May be hot or cold,
geologically active or inactive. (Terran: “Diamond”)
Nu: Crystalline Elements S-1 - Carbide type body with
an atmosphere that may support life, but not human
life. The atmosphere is toxic and possibly too extreme
to breath without mechanical assistance.
Xi: Crystalline Elements S-1 - Carbide body that still
retains a large portion of its hydrogen. Less than 20%
of total mass is gaseous. (Terran: “Diamond Dwarf”)
Omicron: Aerion Elements A-1 - Gas body with a mass of
up to 40 KM that is weakly magnetic. (Terran:
“Sub-Jovian”)
Pi: Aerion Elements A-1 - Gas body with a mass of up
to 40 KM that is strongly magnetic. (Terran:
“Sub-Jovian”)
Rho: Aerion Elements A-1 - Gas body with a mass of up
to 40 KM that is violently magnetic. (Terran:
“Sub-Jovian”)
Sigma: Aerion Elements A-1 - Gas body with a mass
between 40 KM and 400 KM that is weakly magnetic.
(Terran: “Jovian”)
Tau: Aerion Elements A-1 - Gas body with a mass
between 40 KM and 400 KM that is strongly magnetic.
(Terran: “Jovian”)
Upsilon: Aerion Elements A-1 - Gas body with a mass
between 40 KM and 400 KM that is violently magnetic.
(Terran: “Jovian”)
Phi: Aerion Elements A-1 - Gas body with a mass
between 400 KM and 4000 KM that is weakly magnetic.
(Terran: “Super-Jovian”)
Chi: Aerion Elements A-1 - Gas body with a mass
between 400 KM and 4000 KM that is strongly magnetic.
(Terran: “Super-Jovian”)
Psi: Aerion Elements A-1 - Gas body with a mass
between 400 KM and 4000 KM that is violently magnetic.
(Terran: “Super-Jovian”)
Omega: Stellar remnants of less that 4000 KM.
Earth science note on breathable atmospheres:
The Colonial's atmospheric measure "Baeron" is very
similar to our own Atmosphere, and is equal to about
101,320 pascals. They consider a breathable atmosphere
to consist of gases with a molecular weight of 3.5 and
above. Their toxic chemicals are the same as ours;
however, their extremes of breathable pressure are
somewhat greater than what we recognize. Their
classification is:
< = 0.001 Baeron = none
0.002 – 0.095 = unbreathably thin
0.096 – 0.5 = thin
0.5 – 2.0 = standard
2.0 – 7.9 = thick
8.0 > = unbreathably thick