Planet: Aya
Aeros system enjoys being the home to the highest tech level available in the sector.
The primary world in this system is Aya and the capital of that world is Shanxi City. The city is the home to the most advanced higher education in the sector in the for of the Aeros Technical College, University of Shanxi, and MES University of Aeros.
The planet's largest spaceport is in the city of Isminos and services any ship that can touch down on the surface of the planet.
The manufacturing center of Aya is the city of Gubio capable of producing any TL4 and some TL5 equipment. The city has benefited greatly from Aeros Tech. The manufacturing facilities are nearly what a core world would have been at the height of the Terran Mandate. They revolve around many major Grails that are strategically placed around a metadimensional energy channel for the industrial workers to take the components of the Grails. There are a very large number of these major Grails in this city, numbering well over 20.
The orbital shipyard, Wéi Louchuan, is a major Grail that is in an orbit that allows it optimal orbit for access to the required metadimensional energies to produce ships as quickly as the space workers are able to take the parts and assemble them.
System level resource acquisition has been reinvigorated. With the ability to manufacture some TL5 components touching down on the other planets and the system and extracting resources have become a profitable enterprise. This is supporting the boom in manufacturing. The system's government is always looking to support the technological aptitude that the manufacturing base enjoys as it strengthens their ability to defend themselves.
Aeros 4 had been able to weather the silence without collapsing due to it's proximity to the frontier and the number of available spike drive ships that routinely visited the planet and that it was responsible for servicing.
Atmosphere: Breathable mix
Temperature: Variable temperate-to-warm
Biosphere: Engineered
Population: Billions of inhabitants
Tech Level: TL5+
Tech Level: Flying Cities, Local Tech, Psionics Academy
Flying Cities
Perhaps the world is a gas giant, or plagued with unendurable storms at lower levels of the atmosphere. For whatever reason, the cities of this world fly above the surface of the planet. Perhaps they remain stationary, or perhaps they move from point to point in search of resources.
Enemies:
Rival city pilot
Tech thief attempting to steal outworld gear
Saboteur or scavenger plundering the city's tech
Friends:
Maintenance tech in need of help
City defence force pilot
Meteorological researcher
Complications:
Sudden storms
Drastic altitude loss
Rival city attacks
Vital machinery breaks down
Things:
Precious refined atmospheric gases
Pretech grav engine plans
Meteorological codex predicting future storms
Places:
Underside of the city
The one calm place on the planet's surface
Catwalks stretching over unimaginable gulfs below
Local Tech
The locals can create a particular example of extremely high tech, possibly even something that exceeds pretech standards. They may use unique local resources to do so, or have stumbled on a narrow scientific breakthrough, or still have a functional experimental manufactory.
Enemies:
Keeper of the tech
Offworld industrialist
Automated defenses that suddenly come alive
Native alien mentors
Friends:
Curious offworld scientist
Eager tech buyer
Native in need of technical help
Complications:
The tech is unreliable
The tech only works on this world
The tech has poorly-understood side effects
The tech is alien in nature
Things:
The tech itself
An unclaimed payment for a large shipment
The secret blueprints for its construction
An ancient alien R&D database
Places:
Alien factory
Lethal R&D center
Tech brokerage vault
Psionics Academy
This world is one of the few that have managed to redevelop the basics of psychic training. Without this education, a potential psychic is doomed to either madness or death unless they refrain from using their abilities. Psionic academies are rare enough that offworlders are often sent there to study by wealthy patrons. The secrets of psychic mentorship, the protocols and techniques that allow a psychic to successfully train another, are carefully guarded at these academies. Most are closely affiliated with the planetary government.
Enemies:
Corrupt psychic instructor
Renegade student
Mad psychic researcher
Resentful townie
Friends:
Offworld researcher
Aspiring student
Wealthy tourist
Complications:
The academy curriculum kills a significant percentage of students
The faculty use students as research subjects
The students are indoctrinated as sleeper agents
The local natives hate the academy
The academy is part of a religion
Things:
Secretly developed psitech
A runaway psychic mentor
Psychic research prize
Places:
Training grounds
Experimental laboratory
School library
Campus hangout