Airavata (FT)

Airavata is a terrestrial planet in the Airavata System, located on the fringe of the Local Arm, within the Human Sphere. The second planet orbiting the star Surya (3.6 Röntgen B), Airavata has an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere and is inhabitable by carbon-based life. It has two natural satellites, the rocky moons Sayira and Erinle. Airavata has a rotation period of 32.4 Standard Hours, and orbits Surya in 328.5 local days. 54% of the surface is covered by oceans, including two polar ice caps, and there are five continents; Erawan, New Patharkand, Olokun, Svarga, and Türkiswald. Airavata is governed by the eponymous Airavatan Democratic Republic, a member state of the Federation of Sovereign States.

Due to its proximity to Surya, Airavata is generally warmer than average, with several equatorial deserts, thick tropical bands, and smaller temperate and arctic regions. The planet boasts a rich biosphere that was initially highly hostile to Ordic life, but has been terraformed over the centuries to be markedly less dangerous for Ordic-origin life. Airavata also features rich mineral deposits, with abundant neoelements. The second planet to be colonised in the Southern Sphere, Airavata is today among the most heavily developed worlds in the Human Sphere and has a population of 4.068 billion people. The largest cities include New Adipuram, a sprawling megalopolis and one of the biggest cities in the Southern Sphere; the Tagiĝo Government District, the capital of the ADR and a major economic hub; and Sankt Margerete, a Sphere-famous hub for arts and culture and a substantial financial hub.

Ecology
Boasting a very rich planetary biosphere, Airavata

Airavata has over 300 million species of fungi, which grow rampantly across the planet's surface and form a key niche in the planetary ecology. Some of the more prevalent species seasonally produce large amounts of spores which can be highly toxic to non-native life. When these spores are agglomerated by weather patterns, highly dangerous Spore Storms can ensue, threatening the lungs of non-native living creatures across large areas. Spore Storms were a major hazard that early colonists faced, but technologies like weather control satellites have eventually helped to bring them under control. Native creatures have natural adaptations that enable them to survive or even thrive in spore-rich environments, and the artificial control of Spore Storms has potentially caused the decline of numerous native species.

Terrestrial
Almost all terrestrial life on Airavata are arthropods.

By far the most infamous and most dangerous species of land creature on Airavata is the Jö-Worm, a class of megafauna biologically similar to Ordic annelids. The most common name for the Jö-Worm comes from the Jörmungandr, the mythical world serpent from North-Eastern Amphian tradition, but the species are also colloquially known as "Drill Worms" or "Siege Worms". Jö-Worms are segmented, tube-shaped, and average 400 to 600 metres in length, weighing over 650,000 tonnes. The digestive system of the Jö-Worm runs through the length of its body, and they are able to move through dense soil be means of contraction of powerful circular muscles. Each segment except the armoured head has a ring of S-shaped setae arranged in a spiral pattern, facilitating breaking through rock and hard strata similar to a drill. Assisted by the secretion of lubricating mucus, Jö-Worms can move surprisingly fast underground.

Jö-Worms feed on organic matter, both living and dead, and require one-third of their body weight per day to survive. The front segment, longer than the others, is able to open trilaterally with each portion having a row of chitin-like, backward-facing hooks. When moving, the worm scoops in large portions of soil, along with any organics within or upon the soil when it surfaces. After being pushed through the esophagus, the ingested material passes into a gizzard-like organ where muscular contractions grind the mass into fine particles, before passing into the intestines where organic matter is digested. Having no sight organs, Jö-Worms possess light- and touch-sensitive organs along their body which distinguish light intensity and amplify vibrations in the soil. They also have specialized chemoreceptors found in the head which react to chemical and scent stimuli. Due to these sense organs, the worms are drawn to strong vibrations and concentrations of organic matter, which has led to seeming “attacks” on colonial mining operations, farming endeavors and even settlements.

Over the centuries, Jö-Worms have represented a major threat to human activity on Airavata, and have been hunted mercilessly. In the modern day, Jö-Worms are now an endangered species, but the severe threat they pose to human settlements means they are still killed in large numbers. Efforts have been made to carry out non-lethal means of driving Jö-Worms away from settlements, such as the use of sonic "thumpers" in less populated areas to lure the worms away from settlements.

Sayira
Sayira is the smaller and outermost of Airavata's two moons. Sayira has a diameter of only 12.4 kilometres, and takes 30.3 hours to orbit Airavata. Sayira is controlled by the Airavatan Navy, which operates a Deep Radar Station with a permanent crew of 17 people. The moon is named after Sayira Anand, who was Airavatan pioneer Rajiv Anand's daughter, who died at a young age on Ordis in the Crosswind Space Elevator Disaster.

Star System
The Airavata System orbits the star Surya, also known as 3.6 Röntgen B, a B-Type main-sequence star with a mass of 1.7 Sol Masses, and a luminosity of roughly 1.3 Sol.

Bose
Bose is the closest planet to Surya, and is a small terrestrial world with a trace atmosphere of carbon dioxide and xenon. The surface is extremely hot and is mainly comprised of sulphur and various silicates. There is little of interest on Bose, besides minor scientific stations that use the planet to study Surya. Bose is named after Anil Bose, a Terkanan pioneer from Old Ordis who led the first Terkanan mission out of the solar system.

Inner Belt
The Inner Belt is an asteroid belt between the orbits of Bose and Airavata. It is rich in heavy metals such as platinum, and is host to numerous asteroid mining operations.

Himavat
Himavat is a terrestrial world with an atmosphere that has a mix of nitrogen, methane, krypton, and xenon. Its frigid surface is main composed of silica with deposits of carbonaceous materials, covered by a layer of water ice and hydrocarbon slush. The surface is highly unstable and many areas are not solid enough to support the full weight of spacecraft or other installations, complicating exploitation by corporations seeking to extract the hydrocarbon ice.

Ctesias Belt
The Ctesias Belt is the second asteroid belt between the orbits of Himavat and Prithu, and is named after the largest asteroid, Ctesias. The Ctesias Belt is rich in carbon and other metals, and is also heavily exploited by Airavatan and other Federation states' mining concerns.

Ctesias is the largest asteroid in the Belt, and has a diameter of 83 kilometres. One of the first bodies to be colonised after Airavata, Ctesias Station initially served as a hub for asteroid mining operations, and became a major ore smelting and refining operation. Ctesias experienced a golden age in the early years of the Federation, when the Airavata System's third FTL beacon was constructed there to handle increased interstellar traffic. However, the station went into a decline after a fourth Secondary System Beacon was constructed in Prithu's orbit in 95 BT.

Over the centuries, Ctesias slowly returned to its original role as a hub for asteroid mining operations in its eponymous Belt, as well as a stopover point for ships travelling between Prithu and Airavata. With numerous casinos, brothels, shooting galleries, and other diversions to serve the working-class communities that frequent the station, Ctesias has also gained a reputation for being a seedy and dangerous place. In 238, Ctesias Station was described as the "murder capital of the Sphere".

Prithu
Prithu is the outermost planet in the Airavata System, and is a small hydrogen-helium gas giant. Prithu is host to the Airavata System's fourth FTL beacon, which was located at Prithu to take advantage of the abundant helium-3 and deuterium supplies from the planet and its several water ice moons. The planet's atmosphere features numerous automated helium-3 refining platforms, which are used to fuel ships both before and after jumping into the system. Supplies from Prithu are also shipped to Airavata and the rest of the system.