Dumas System

We were once a vital stopping point between The Junction and the motrium deposits in the Meili system. Then those damn freighters got better engines and stronger exteriors, and they stopped needing to take breaks here. We got left behind by the trade we made viable!

The Dumas system is one of several along IS-524, sometimes referred to as IS-524-5. It naturally consists of a single G-class star, 4 terrestrial planets, and a gas giant. Prominent man-made structures include OnRamp Alpha and Beta which connect the system directly to IS-524, as well as Satellite Plessis in amongst the planets.

History

Considered to be an unremarkable system, Dumas has been continuously inhabited by space-faring humans since early in the Interstellar Era, predominantly on the habitable planet of Vallon. Its early settlers petitioned often for the extension of the new Interstellar Highway system to incorporate their system. As the benefits of motrium in ship construction became more widely understood, Dumas flourished along the brand new IS-524 as it aided in connecting the rich deposits in Meili with the significant shipyards of Junction. This connectivity and trade was considered so lucrative that, in 392 IE, the Dumas Governing Authority ordered the construction of a second OnRamp to cope with demand.
This demand would slowly dry up with the proliferation of Motrium Warp Drive-equipped ships through the early 400s, with many traders choosing to skip the resource-and-manufacturing poor Dumas for its more productive neighbours along IS-524. Such was the decrease in demand that, in late 440 IE, the DGA ordered the closure of the system's original OnRamp in order to decrease expenditure and maintenance costs.

Structure

Dumas
Tréville
Vallon
Mousqueton
Lafère
Grimaud
Breuil
Herblay
Bazin
Chevreuse
Loungueville
Vannes
Satellite Plessis
Castelmore
Bonacieux
Planchet
Ketty
OnRamp Alpha - OnRamp Beta
IS-524

• Tréville is the innermost planet, being too close to Dumas to sustain life or long-term scientific observers.
• Vallon is the larger of the habitable planets, being approximately twice the size of Earth. It is well known for "The Crimson", a region rich in iron oxide.
• Lafère is the smaller of the habitable planets, being a similar size to Earth. Its orbit is slightly eccentric. One of its moons, Grimaud, has a permanent research center.
• Herblay is the sole gas giant in the system, with a ring of moons and captured asteroids. Satellite Plessis orbits at the L₅ Lagrange point.
• Castelmore is the distant fifth planet, with a semi-permanent industrial presence for mining and manufacturing.
• OnRamps Alpha and Beta, at the outer reaches of the system, connect Dumas to Interstellar Highway 524. Alpha has been sunsetted due to low traffic, though the station remains inhabited.

Alternative Name(s)

IS-524-5

Type

Star System

Owning Organization

Dumas Governing Authority

Neighbouring Systems

Morrígan IS-524-4
Carthusia IS-524-6

Stars

Dumas

Planets

Tréville
Vallon
Lafère
Herblay
Castelmore

A trader up in Odelia once asked where I was from, and when I said Dumas, she laughed. By all evidence, the idea that I hailed from such a backwater struck her as amusing.
My supervisor later said that it is often best, with high-paying clients especially, to dodge such questions and refer to the company's headquarters in Morrígan instead.

— Gao Xue, Freighter Pilot

Decline

While few speak openly about the financial status of the DGA, prospects seem grim. Fortunes are poor for all but those with the ability to look outward, and there has been a slow exodus of residents in recent years.
Those who cannot afford to leave, such as those in OnRamp Alpha, are fighting for government assistance that is unlikely to ever arrive.