Altair

Physical Description: The arid planet Altair was discovered early during the rise of the mega-corporations during the Second Breath. Altair was every colonist’s nightmare – low gravity (0.2 G), dry rocky plains, dotted with brine lakes, and an atmosphere that contains a gas that will cause lung damage and internal lesions if inhaled over long periods of time.  Altair has no moons, its day is 21 standard hours long, and its year is 270 local days long.
Despite this, a long gone corporation purchased the planet and began colonizing it with domed cities. The reason was obvious – large platinum and gold deposits close to the surface. With the added funding from a research university that wished to study both the geological makeup of the planet and the ruins found on the surface of the planet and below, the mining colony made back the original investment and then some.
After about 100 years, the mines began to dry up. The corporation’s board of directors began making noises about abandoning the colony. Enter Altair of Altair. One of only a handful of children to be born on Altair and live to adulthood, the young woman that would become Altair of Altair was a gifted student, particularly in xeno-archeology. She did her dissertation on the ruins found on Altair, particularly the Great Ziggurat, a large stepped pyramid near the southern pole. Legend tells that she entered the Great Ziggurat and came back out, a changed woman. Whatever her name was before has been lost to time, but since that moment, she has called herself Altair of Altair.
Reports of cost overruns and dwindling ore discoveries increased exponentially, making the corporation even more ready to pull the plug. At that point Altair of Altair contacted a corporate representative, asking to purchase shares of the planet. She purchased the planet extremely cheaply, and the corporation washed its hands of the Altair colonies. But as it turned out, Altair of Altair had faked the ore reports. Moreover, a scientist in her employ had discovered that the poisionous atmospheric gases, drawn from the atmosphere and refined using a special process, made the gas used in plasma reactors which power starships.
Since that time to the present, Altair of Altair has owned the planet outright. She had terraforming equipment installed to make the planet habitable again; at the current rate, Altair should be habitable within 500 years or so. At present, the entire population (approximately 50,000 or so) live under the dome at Nodrypso. Altair seems to be immortal, as she has not changed since taking over the planet.
Sapient Species: 75% low-gravity humans, 25% other
Government: Altair of Altair, as the sole shareholder of the planet, runs the government. She promises that she will relinquish total control of the planet to anyone who can walk through the Great Ziggurat and return alive and sane. In all the centuries since she took power, no one else has accomplished this feat, and many die trying each year.
Capitol: Nodrypso (originally Altair mining station 1, it was renamed by Altair of Altair. No one knows what Nodrypso means, and most are too afraid to ask).
Major Exports: valuable minerals and refined gases
Major Imports: ice, luxury items

Type

Planet