The World of Orionus

The Third World

Orionus station is the last best hope for humanity.
It is a port of call for merchants, mechanics and mercenaries from the 6 corners of the solar system.
It is the nexus of change in the year 2176, the year the Vegans appeared.

Orionus station is an oasis of atmosphere. A trading post for the other settlement in the system.
The Earth, the cradle of civilization, sits below, uninhabitable for decades. The space elevator tethered to Orionus has almost been repaired and the first expedition will be send down to the home-world soon.

Titan, the mining base in the belt. Mars, where factions live in lava tubes. The moon, a base of dedicated research.
And the newest resident of the system is the Vegastone, a generation ship disguised as an asteroid.

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Inspiration

The Expanse, Firefly, Alien(s), Babylon 5, Star Trek, Ringworld, Paranoia, Judge Dread, Rendezvous with Rama, Traveler, Twilight 2000

Starting Point

Dirtward is the street name for space dock Red7 (SDR7). For decades this doc section was a redundancy system, rarely used unless for overflow from SDR6. A quiet blue-collar section of the station.
The people there leveraged it's anonymity to facilitate docking ships that wanted to avoid complications with The Administration, smugglers. This was extra credits for those in the lowest paid areas of the station. Some of the crime lords even have their own ships. The nickname Dirtward was because this is where the homeless and the unemployed came to die.
This all changed in 2176, the year Vegastone appeared. The asteroid hurtled through the solar system on a seemly crash course for Earth. Preparations were made to evacuate Orionus, but the Vegastone began to slow down. It eventually parked itself 3 hours in a direct line from SDR7, and everything changed.
For the last five years the spotlight has been thrown onto SDR7. Factions from both inside and outside the station want a piece of the action. They've come and carved out their own areas of SDR7 transforming industrial environments into laboratories and living space. Exploration ships, both administrative and mercenary, negotiate over docking and storage fees. The moon scientist and their uplifted animal companions have created a significant presence. Many expeditions, both authorized and not, have moved through SDR7 on the way to the Vegastone.
Three years ago one such expedition managed to cut through the surface and discovered an access panel to the infrastructure under the dirt. A multi-chamber beachhead into the clearly manufactured object was established. Shortly thereafter the people of Orionus encountered the Vegans. The tin-based insectoid organisms were aggressive and protective at first and lives were lost, but eventually cooler heads prevailed and within the first year communications were established. In the last two years mutual education has gone so far that a Vegan entourage is planning to come on board the station. Whatever information about the origins of themselves or the Vegastone has been kept top secret by The Administration.
If that weren't enough, The Administration has determined that Earth's recovery has gone from harsh to habitable. It's a new era on the Orionus space station as preparations are being made to explore the home-world abandoned almost a century ago.

How is Orionus played differently?

Characters start as citizens of The Administration in SDR7. Dependent on their starting wealth and occupation there is always a way to improve your lot in life, either politically, financially, or both. You can work your way up through The Administration, or you can go outside the system and build your "business". There is an aspect of this setting that is 'space' Tycoon. However you move forward occupation, status, contacts and reputation are critical advantages to consider.

In addition take a look at these expectations:

• You cannot take for granted you'll have access to air (recyclers), ammo (ammo), water and food (Grub).

• You must know when these will run out and where your next set of resources will come from.

• More important than credits, which are tracked by authorities, are goods and services that can be bartered and negotiated under the table.

• There is a significant economic management portion to survival. Economic skills and interpersonal abilities like charisma, or intimidation can help you go far.

• Technology can significantly imbalance combat encounters. Make sure you have the high ground or the bigger gun before you start a fight.

Type

Dimensional plane

Tech Level

10

Interplanetary travel, personal energy weapons, uplifted and manufactured working class.

Mana Level

None

Genetics

+
+ + + +

Power Sources

+ +

Want to know more?
Click below (under Construction)

Orionus