Elpis (also known more formally as
Tau Elpis) is a gravitationally bound tri-star system on the rim of the
Circinus Stream. The system's primary star,
Elpis is closely orbited by the stars
Nyx and
Hepera. There are seven major planets in the main system as well as many minor moons or planets. Six more major planets can be found around Nyx or Hepera. Fleeing certain destruction, extragalactic refugees from the
Pyxis Globula settled this system when their Embassy Ark arrived ~150 cycles ago.
Four of the five inner worlds are readily habitable, which in itself is an oddity rarely seen in the Globula. The outer belt of Tau Elpis is rich in several key metals and the planet
Zindra features several rich
Thaumium deposits. The system also possesses a small thaumic field trapped in its heliopause, allowing for
Spellweaving to occur, for a gifted few, given the correct equipment.
History
Tau Elpis was a system of interest to early Pyxis Globula astronomers. Because it is in reality three stars located at the rim of the Circinus Stream, the closest galaxy to the Pyxis Globula, Tau Elpis was easily detectable from the
Boshaari crownworld. Nevertheless, contrary to persistent urban legends, it was never bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. Boshaari and
Mewei astronomers who observed the system independently made assertions that there might be a high number of life-miscible exoplanets in its vicinity, without necessarily understanding why.
Nevertheless, for much of the Globula's history, extragalactic travel was far out of reach of conventional vessels, and Tau Elpis looked destined to be one of billions of stars, neatly catalogued and filed away.
The Great Jump
When the
Oberon Incursion ruined the Pyxis Globula on its unstoppable quest of utter destruction, the
Arkblazer Order revealed their discovery of an ancient Ark capable of executing one extragalactic dive out of the doomed galaxy - one
Great Jump. Quickly, their search for a suitable target narrowed down to a few candidates, including Tau Elpis. In addition to promising predictions on the habitability of many of the system's worlds, long-range survey data suggested the presence of Thaumium - a necessary component of dive-drive assemblies, which was a prerequesite to maintaining interplanetary transit capability post-jump. Eventually the Order settled on Tau Elpis, and made preparations to that extent.
Whilst estimations of the system's
Thaumium deposits were greatly exagerated, and many of the key metals were only present in the less reachable parts of the outer belt, predictions regarding the lifebearing planets proved correct if time-lagged, and the occupants of the Embassy Ark could start to unpack their ship into colonies across four worlds.
Former Civilizations
Ruins of a former and forgotten civilization are dotted across several planets in Tau Elpis, notably
Aistanar and
Nufano. Experts suggest that they belong to a people called
Ton'keena, who lived in the system 500 cycles ago before leaving for reasons unknown. There are persistant rumours that the Ton'keena built terraforming vaults on some of the life-bearing Elpis worlds, perhaps explaining their high propensity in the first place. Nonetheless, all have been denied by the Arkblazers as well as all major political and colonial polities.
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