Setting:Cloudburst/Aule Windows

System
Galactic Position	Cloudburst Sector, Nauphry Subsector
System Overlord	None
Worlds in the system	13, 0 Habitable
World Type, Name	Dead World/Mining Worlds: 7, all moons of gas giants
Tropospheric Composition	N/A
Religion	Cult Mechanicus, Imperial Cult
Government type	N/A
Planetary Governor	N/A
Adept Presence	Adeptus Administratum, Adeptus Ministorum, Adeptus Mechanicus, Adeptus Astra Telepathica
Climate	N/A
Geography	Gas Giants, rocky moons
Gravity	Varying
Economy	Gelt Thrones and Silver Thrones
Principal Exports	Promethium, Fuel, Silicon Wafers, Methane, Nitogren, Nickel
Principal Imports	Food, Clothing, Machine Parts, Cogitators, Luxuries, Servitors
Countries and Continents	N/A
Military	N/A
Contact with other Systems	Frequent
Tithe Grade	Solutio Prima
Population	32,000 - 40,000 (human), 80,000 (servitor)

Description

On the outskirts of Imperial space, infrastructure is at a premium. Aule Windows sits at the vert trailing terminus of Imperial territory in the Segmentum Ultima. The moons of this wealthy system only came to the Imperium’s attention in M41.758, and colonization began at once. The Mechanicus has only slight control over the system, at best, and the practices of official faiths here trend towards the Ecclesiarchy. Specifically, they trend towards the Terran Ecclesiarchy. The populations of the mining colonies here find the wealth-obsessed Celeste Ecclesiarchy annoying and hypocritical.

Individual gas giants each contain different swarms of interdependent moon colonies. The colonies feed resources through each other’s industrial processes, and tithe it all up to the Mechanicus. As these worlds are not able to support themselves, and the finished goods of their industries are not usable locally, they tithe 100% of their products to the greater galaxy. In exchange, the Administratum and Mechanicus reward these worlds with highly modern and reliable equipment and significant luxuries.

One quirk of the system’s age and isolation is that the Merchant and Noble houses of the Sector have no place there. Though those worlds may sometimes sell surplus gear there, or transport goods if the Mechanicus can’t or won’t, these are individual contracts, without any governmental presence.

However, although this low level of outside interference allows the Auleans a degree of freedom and privacy, this also means that the system is largely lawless. There are no Arbites in the system, and little defense from invasion. If the system were invaded by the Glasians, Aule Windows would crumble as soon as they came within range of the aliens’ guns.

Some asteroid and lunar bases are just large enough for small subsidiary businesses to pop up between hab blocks and refinery chambers. These businesses are usually in small, sound-proofed buildings, where the families of miners can spend their stipends on goods that the business owners buy from Cognomen and elsewhere. The system’s population is just large enough to buy these luxuries, but is far too small to afford a PDF.

The Mechanicus has its suspicions about the system, however. The products of the system’s moon bases are generally of the quality expected of tiny frontier stations: middling to poor, and needing of further Mechanicus refinement. One moon, Fardell, produces fuel from the gas giant it siphons, like many others. Its fuel, however, is so high in quality that Mars itself couldn’t do better. The additives and base chemicals of its fuel are STC-perfect, without a molecule of impurity in its output.

While this is no bad thing, it shouldn’t be possible. The Fardell refining equipment is no better than the equipment provided to any other moon in the system. The raw material harvested from the nearby gas giant is also no better than anywhere else is. The Mechanicus has performed cursory inspections of the base in question, and found nothing astray.

Investigators from Cognomen are convinced that the Fardell base has STC-quality refining equipment hidden somewhere in the base. So far, this has come to nothing. However, Cognomen’s patience for this mystery may not last indefinitely. The administrators of Fardell insist that the base is simply the best, with no mystery to be uncovered, but Cognomen knows that to be what they would say regardless of the truth. Is it possible that there is an STC-quality refinery kit in Fardell? Covert Adeptus Mechanicus personnel insertions have begun to ascertain this for themselves.