System Brief: Rhianna

Mission_To_Alcazzar

SYSTEM NAME: Rhianna
STELLAR TYPE: G4V
STELLAR MASS: 0.92185x10^30 kg
HABITABLE PLANETS: 1, Alcazzar

Planet Brief

Planet Name: Alcazzar
Moons: 7
Climate Range: Seasonal: winter and summer both move east at 3km/hour continuously, but on opposite sides of the planet.
Diameter: 9,832 km
Atmosphere: 75% Nitrogen, 20% Oxygen, 5% Inert Elements

Length of Year (One Orbit around Rhianna): 10,000 hours GST
Length of Day (summer): 4000 hours GST
Length of Night (winter): 4000 hours GST
Length of Transition (either): 1000 hours GST
Gravity: 0.81
Surface Temperature:-30 to 40 Celsius

Colonization

Unsettled. Discovered 12/21/61 by the Cassadine Development Corporation Twilight Moon Expedition. The planet's existance and mineral wealth were kept secret. A mining operation began almost immediately. Internal designation of the facility is CDC:Alcazzar:Compound Alpha

Climate and Seasonal Changes

Alcazzar's climate and seasonal changes are very unusual because the planet barely rotates as it orbits its star, Rhianna. At any one time, 40% of the planet is in summer, another 40% is in winter, and 20% is transitioning between the two seasons.

The entire summer is daytime, and the whole winter is nighttime. For approximately 200 standard GST days of the year, each hemisphere is either blessed with eternal daylight and warm, pleasant conditions, or plunged into an equally long night with frigid temperatures and snow reaching depths of several dozen metres. A 100-day GST period occurs between each extreme when each region passes through a twilight transition.

The winter are is blanketed by a heavy layer of clouds or blizzards approximately 50% fo the time. During transtion, the "beltline" region is cloudy 90% of the time, and suffers violent rain or snowstorms 33% of the time. The summer region is 90% sunney, but when clouds drift in from a transition zone, violent thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes are possible.

Terrain

Only one third of Alcazzar's surface is land, but it's covered with a wide variety of terrain. Mudflats, wet lowlands with little plant or animal life, cover 58% of the land. These areas are most noted for clouds of insects thick enough to make breathing difficult, but otherwise harmless.

Several ranges of of craggy mountains cut accross the land. While not large by most standards - the highest peak is 3,230 metres above sea level-constant glaciation, rock slides, and wind and water erosion have carved them into rugged cliffs and crags. The higer valleys in these ranges are choaked with ice fields all year around. The lower reaches are filled with rushing streams of icy water. Mountains cover 12% of the land area.

The plains and forest appear strikingly green from orbit. These fertile areas are made up of flowing grasslands and towering karakah trees. Glaciers rolled much of these areas flat, but often piled the gravelly soil into rolling moraines along the sides of common glacial paths.

Native Life

Karakah Trees

The karakah trees, reaching more than 100 metres in height, are common to all of the planet's forests. The trunks are often 10 metres wide at the base. These trees have long, thick flexible needles that remain on the branch throughout the year. Thick, porous bark insulates them during the winter. Finally karakah trees have developed a sap that does not thicken appreciably or freeze during the severe cold season.

Karakah trees produce a rich fruit in great numbers. These fruit seem to be the base of the herbivorous food chain. The fruit falls throughout the summer. The fruit is roughly 30 cm long and spindle shaped. It it covered in a thick leathery husk, and a fibrous membrane layer underneath, and the rest is a rich pulpy fruit.

Gwerrah

A stocky quadraped covered in course black hair, some specimens reaching a height of 10 metres at the shoulder. These large omnivores range across the icy hills and mountains of Alcazzar. They walk with a shambling gait, and are known to be fearless and easily provoked if encountered.

Lokkuku

A small 1.5 metre tall primate that roams the karakah forests of Alcazzar. They appear to be curious and mischievous protosapient, who tend to shy away from close observation. They seem to have largish troupes that nomadically roam the planet. Their diet is assumed to be omivorous by the researchers of the Twilight Moon expedition.

Sky Shrikes

A medium-sized dog-like creature with large leathery wings that prowl and hunt the grasslands of Alcazzar. They are carnivorous, and appear to attack any creature smaller than they are.

Other Life

Many forms of animal life inhabit the planet, but they have not been researched, so very little is known about them. All animal life must deal with the extended winters. Many of the animals migrate, resulting in masses of creatures moving around the planet's surface as the year goes by. All of these creatures travel a complete circle around the planet each year. Other animals hibernate. The mammals live off of stored body fat; the insects lay eggs, then die off to be replaced next summer.

Economic Value

Alcazzar contains tremendous maounts of fairly accessible heavy metals, including gold, silver, lead, iron, and uranium. These minerals are located in rich veins in mountain bedrock, as well as in many riverbeds.