Hunte
| Hunte | ||
| ||
| Photograph of Hunte | ||
| Interstellar Zone | ||
| Government: | Stateless; de-facto corporate rule | |
| Administrator: | Aleksander Grossman | |
| Colonised: | 4000 | |
| Founded: | 4000 | |
| Currency: | Commonwealth Dollar ($), Tranquilan Unit (₮) | |
| Capital: | Hammerhead Base | |
| Demonym: | Huntean | |
| Geography | ||
| Located: | Outer Belt | |
| System: | Teegarden's Star System | |
| Avg. distance from Earth: | 12 ly | |
| Demographics | ||
| Population: | 10,000 (average) | |
| [Source] | ||
The Interstellar Zone of Hunte (Martian English: Huunt) is the official designation of the dwarf planet located within the circumstellar disc on the outskirts of the Teegarden's Star System. Utilized as the headquarters of a vast mining operation, Hunte sits in the middle of a network of mining stations that spans much of the Outer Belt. The operation is a joint venture by Axil Industries and Xu Tai Inc. with Axil taking the lead. Both conglomerates are at least somewhat worried about the hostile Edenites discovering the dwarf planet, but they are confident that Eden does not any real threat to their operation.
History[edit | edit source]
When the Teegarden's Star System was identified for colonisation on Earth, two planets were sighted orbiting the star. However, there were at least two other planetoids within the system that within not initially identified, with one hidden within the system's Outer Belt.
The dwarf's planets potential would only be realized when part of the claim on the Outer Belt passed into the hands of Axil Industries around 3977. The corporate claims to the Outer Belt had passed around quite a lot in the nearly two centuries since the Ten Drachmas Agreement, and because of that, the mining operations in the Outer Belt were woefully underdeveloped. Axil looked to change that. The fact a dwarf planet existed within the Outer Belt was already know to Axil from prior expeditions, and they saw that dwarf planet as a golden opportunity.
Axil scouts would finally arrive on the dwarf planet's surface in 3989, led by Captain Nathaniel Hunte. They would spend more than a month surveying the planet and concluding whether the surface would have the stability for a base to be built. After a long series of tests and exploration, the team assessed that the dwarf planet was not only stable enough for a base but also held an abundance of volatile compounds such as water, methane and nitrogen ices as well as carbon monoxide to use for construction, life support, and even chemical propellant. That convinced Axil that they would be setting up shop on the dwarf planet for their mining operation. It was untapped resources in an ungoverned zone, and to Axil, the Edenites were not a real threat but a deterrent for weaker, less daring conglomerates. For his contributions, Captain Hunte was given the honor of having the dwarf planet named after him.
As Axil prepared to send off an expedition to Hunte, they began to realize the logistics of housing and accommodating miners on the freezing dwarf planet for years at a time. It would cost a fortune and might seriously cut into their bottom line. So, Axil turned to their frequent collaborator Xu Tai Inc. for assistance in their endeavor. After some negotiations, Xu Tai Inc. agreed to supply Axil with a prodigious quantity of robots and drones for their mining operation. They also supplied a number of androids to assist in administration, maintenance, and security. It would be soon after the ships departed for the Teegarden's Star System that Axil would be thrown into great upheaval.
The first of Axil’s ships arrived at Hunte, and they would quickly get to work setting up what would be the headquarters of a new mining operation. The appointed administrator, Aleksander Grossman, proved to be an able leader, and Hammerhead Base was fully operational when the ships of Xu Tai Inc. arrived in late 4000. A population of mostly Earthers, the population of Hammerhead Base was overall a rough bunch but reliable workers.
With the arrival of the robots, Grossman and the rest of the administration finally got to work getting mining stations in place across the Outer Belt. Human miners did the initial trailblazing while robots were allowed to do much of the grunt work. Meanwhile on Hunte, the administration monitored the various moving parts of the operations and kept a close eye on distant Eden.
The situation on Hunte has not changed all that much in the last five years. Some shipments of minerals have been sent back to Earth and Tranquility, but none have reached their destinations yet. The human miners and the robots continue their monotonous work under the watchful eye of the administration, particularly Grossman, while administration keeps their other firmly pointed towards Eden. This is assisted now by a large telescope constructed in 4003 wholly for that purpose.
One interesting development on Hunte recently has been the birth of a child to one the miners recently. A female miner gave birth to a baby boy with an unknown father, and the situation has so far boggled the administration. Most of them, including Grossman, suggest sending the child to Earth or the nearest habitable station since Hammerhead Base and Hunte in general lack any of the necessities for raising a child as well it being a drain on resources. Others say the choice should be up to the mother. The mother herself seems reluctant to give the child up, but she knows that her situation is not ideal to say the least.
Geology[edit | edit source]
Habitability[edit | edit source]
A dwarf planet that lies within the Outer Belt of the Teegarden's Star System, the surface composition of Hunte is quite dissimilar to that of nearby asteroids. The dwarf planet has a tenuous atmosphere far too thin to ever support life, and its gravity is quite low as well. Hunte’s surface is almost entirely solid nitrogen and very cold, again precluding the possibility for life. Because of its unique geological features in comparison to the asteroids around it, Hunte is theorized to be a planetesimal, a failed planet.
At Hammerhead Base, gravity is provided by an artificially induced spin gravity, and warmth by an array of radioisotope thermoelectric generators. The rest of the planet’s few facilities are seen to by androids, who need neither warmth nor gravity to do their jobs.
Government[edit | edit source]
As it is outside of governed space, Hunte lacks any sort of formal government. The closest there is on the dwarf planet is the administration, a group of hand-picked Axil cronies with a couple of Xu Tai tokens mixed in. At the head of administration is Aleksander Grossman, who oversees the entire mining operation while governing Hammerhead Base like any real government leader would. Most of the miners have mixed feelings about administration, but they rarely voice any complaints to avoid the ire of Hunte’s small but watchful android security force.
Culture[edit | edit source]
Most of the miners on Hunte are Earthers while administration is a mix of Earthers and Tranquilans due to the mining operation’s nature as a joint venture of Axil Industries and Xui Tai Inc.
The miners are mostly roughnecks from New Manhattan with a few from Novo Brasil and Independence. The miners are on Hunte for the job, and most have an idea of rugged individuality that sometimes puts them at odds with administration. The miners primary language is Commonwealth English, though Spanish and Portuguese are spoken as well.
The Earther administration are mostly schlubby low-ranking members of Axil who wish to make their way up the ladder through their positive performance on Hunte. Grossman certainly has that intention. They speak both Commonwealth English and Tranquilan English, though with varying levels of fluency for the latter. The Earther administration are seen as pushy and pretentious, but Grossman at least tries his best to keep his miners safe.
The Tranquilan administration is mostly made up of a few unfortunate Xui Tai Inc. employees sent to keep an eye on their investment. The Tranquilans on Hunte mostly feel alienated and isolated, and some have become substance addicts which might lead to serious problems down the road. They speak Tranquilan English almost exclusively, and most of them avoid talk to the heavily-accented miners unless necessary.
When not on the job, there are few activities to do on Hunte besides sleep. There is a football field for recreation with a running track around it in Hammerhead Base, which is a popular hangout for the miners on their downtime. There is also two chess clubs between the administration and the miners, who occasionally cross-pollinate by playing one another. Another popular hobby is reading literature and watching programs with Hammerhead Base having a large digital archive for the curious. Gambling is another popular hobby with the Kimber-Sonoshee Racing League being a favorite for betting. Sex is effectively banned on the base, but that does not stop some people from making it something of a hobby.
Economy[edit | edit source]
As should be obvious, mining is the primary industry on and around Hunte. Tranquilan and Commonwealth currency are technically valid on Hammerhead Base, but the miners rarely use Tranquilan units amongst themselves when exchanging money or gambling.
There is a small service industry set up for the miners, but it is almost entirely facilitated by Axil instead of any independent entrepreneurs. Food is provided in the form of mess halls and vending machines while most other goods are sold from Axil-owned general stores, all on Hammerhead Base.
