Ignis, the Foundry of War
The Ignis system is one of the most unique systems within the Greater Imperium, it's odd disposition making some astronomers think that the system was arranged in its current disposition by a long lost empire. Ignis is an incredibly resources rich system, comprised of many mineral rich asteroid fields and only a handful of planets; the Hephal Twins and Erinyes. The system, although scarcely populated, is home to many major shipyards of the Greater Imperium, which uses the infernal temperatures of the Hephal Twins surfaces to process metals mined from nearby asteroids, casting it in orbit to create the frame of many Pikasistani vessels, which are fueled using the hydrogen of Erinyes before being sent across the many stellar systems of the empire.
Astrogeography:
- Ignis: Sole white dwarf in the current borders of the Greater Imperium, Ignis is the only star of the eponymous system. The explosion of its predecessors into a supernova countless eons ago transformed the entirety of its surroundings, shattering planets and leaving in its wake large asteroid fields and a dust cloud which orbits the star, mostly composed of silicium and helium which were rejected by the star as it exploded.
- Inner Belt: As the star blew up, most of the inner most planets of the system were destroyed, either swallowed by their host star or being destroyed by colliding with other bodies as they migrated outwards. Such debris then made their way towards the star, now composing the Inner Belt, which is incredibly rich in iron, silicates and nickel.
- Talos: First ever discovered chtonian planet by the Pikasistani, Talos sparked great interest for the exploration and eventual colonization of the system. It is theorized that Talos was a gas giant roughly the size of Jupiter, but with the explosion of Ignis, it was stripped of its atmosphere and outer surface, leaving only a dense metallic core which is now home to a small research station and to some rather large mining outposts that takes advantage of the super compressed metals found.
- The Hephal Twins: Binary planetoids that were pulled towards Ignis when it transformed into a white dwarf, they are now two molten worlds, which are used by the Pikasistani as a giant foundry and shipyard. The two planetoids are tidally locked and their orbital rings linked together by many space elevators, earning the megastructure the name "Iron Shackles".
- Hephal Majoris: Largest of the two bodies, its surface is mostly covered in lava, making it difficult to construct any permanent structures, however, vast collection systems are actively extracting various minerals from it, refining them in the orbital ring of the world.
- Hephal Minoris: Hephal Minoris is much more stable tectonically speaking than its sister planet, making it suitable for the construction of vast foundries, which requires little energy to operate. Most of the materials extracted throughout the system end up being smelted into various items on this planet, supplying the massive orbital shipyards of the Hephal Twins.
- Mid Belt: Located not too far out of the Hephal Twins, the Mid Belt serves as yet another source of materials for the Greater Imperium, mostly of iron and REEs.
- Erinyes: Sole gas giant of the system, and named after the roman goddess of vengeance, Erinyes is believed to be a rogue planet that was caught in the gravity well of Ignis 50,000 years after it transformed into a white dwarf. It is the primary source of hydrogen isotopes and noble gasses.
- Outer Belt: Partially composed of the former Oort Cloud and from other rogue asteroids captured by Ignis gravity well, the Outer Belt of the system is composed of an odd mix-match of asteroids, which offers a variety of materials. However, this makes the task of miners more difficult as they often need to find water ice or volatiles for usage of the civilian populations of the inner system.