Barnard's Star b

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Barnard's Star b
IconBarnardsStar.png
Seal, symbolising the beelike efficiency of the inhabitants of Barnard's Star b
Barnaby.png
False-colour image of Barnard's Star b
Interstellar Zone
Government: Stateless; de-facto corporate rule
Colonised: 3199
Currency: Proxian Centauri (₡)
Capital: Port Barren
Demonym: Barnardi
Colours: De-facto:
             (Civil)
             (Military)
Geography
System: Barnard's Star System
Avg. distance from Earth: 6 ly
Demographics
Population: 1.5 million (average)
[Source]

Barnard's Star b, colloquially known as Barnaby, is a stateless planet that is managed by Proxian mining conglomerates, the same that own Proxima Centauri b. One of the closer exoplanets to the Solar System, Barnard's Star b was already known to be unsuitable for life before it was scouted by interstellar probes in late 3rd millennium. Barnard’s Star b, an ice planet, did however attract a population of fly-in miners from Earth to extract the planet's large supply of oxygen. The largest dome settlement for miners, Port Barren, acts as a sort of capital for the planet and a headquarters for the local branch of the Interstellar Police Force. Port Barren alone contains half of the planet’s population and has a dark reputation. Around Port Barren, the ice is honey-combed with holes that miners have tunneled out over the last eight hundred years or so. The planet’s miners hold themselves to a high standard, and although Port Barren is regarded badly, the miners who live there are generally seen as fairly productive members of society.

The planet also boasts a healthy population of exiles and hermits, mostly from the Solar System, who live both in small communities beneath the surface and in dome settlements. These groups mostly come to Barnard’s Star b because of the relative distance from the Solar System while being well within range for a future return trip if necessary. Perhaps the most interesting group on Barnard’s Star b is an artists' colony named Pleasure Island located near the planet’s equator. Although the artists of Pleasure Island are by no means violent, they have an adversarial relationship with the Proxian mining conglomerates, and miners have accused the artists of harboring members of Hatchet or the Human Upliftment Army on several occasions. Indeed, there have been some HUA attacks on Port Barren in recent decades, but no HUA terrorists have ever been identified as being from Pleasure Island. Other isolated groups scattered across Barnard’s Star b include a community of Old Believers, a sect of Dukkha Yuga, and a few other cults such as the Seven Suns Temple, a recent arrival.

Geography[edit | edit source]

Habitability[edit | edit source]

Because Barnard's Star b is a super-Earth located outside its star’s habitable zone, it is an ice planet not normally fit for habitation. With an equilibrium temperature of around −170 °C (−274 °F; 103 K), Barnard's Star b requires an Interface Suit to survive anywhere on the surface outside a highly regulated environment. Warm pockets of water do exist underneath the planet’s surface and are being tested for possible signs of life.