1313 Alytus
UPP: Alytus D33A865-B Gas
Alytus is a moon, orbiting the gas giant (Trantor B) of the system, with a thin atmosphere, and completely encased in ice. It is a word settled before the crash, but only re-occupied during the Trade Wars in 2542 as a military re-fueling base, and has been maintained ever since by Scott's World as a heavy industrial colony. The planet runs a full mining operation, stripping valuable elements out of the gas giant's cloud layers. It also runs a refining operation, and maintains large reserves of refined fuel. It was once one of the principal way points in this area of the cluster, though this latter activity has been somewhat undermined by the foundation at Zanususre. The fuel is now mostly used by the large ore transporter that collects the mining output, the OFC Cruel Sea, that makes the round trip to the Scott's Guild industrial centres on a continuous run.
However, the world has begun to re-invent itself as an unlikely extreme sports destination, the icy surface perfect for endurance events of all kinds, and the numerous close orbit facilities around the Gas Giant perfect for gravity-diving and ballooning in the upper layers of that world's upper atmosphere. The world may be considered 'out of the way' for a major tournament centre, but the industrial and vaguely frontier nature of the world adds to its purity as a sports destination for many. In-fact, the once-in-three-year Solo-Skipper Storm Circuit, a grav-assisted balloon race around a vast polar storm that dominates the southern hemisphere of Trantor B, and the annual Gravity Dive events are now the most popular sporting events in the Sub-Sector, syndicated by New World Media across Umbar. The local shipyard, used to constructing fuel skiffs and ore lighters, has turned its hand readily to competition craft and observation platforms.
Between sporting festivals Alytus can feel like the almost deserted backwater world that it mostly is. If you are lucky enough to be there during a sporting festival, however, it can feel like you are at the centre of the sub-sector.
NOTES FOR TRAVELLERS:
If you are intending to attend one of the many sporting festivals of Alytus, it's best to book in advance. Tickets for viewing platforms are usually available during events - indeed a percentage are held back for late purchase - but the price can be astronomical. Accommodation is available, but costs are, again, beyond normal expectations. The bests deals to be had are spare staterooms on vessels with an 'observation orbit parking permit' - and if you are a skipper of your own vessel acquiring such a permit, whilst expensive upfront, will almost certainly allow you to turn a profit on a short orbital cruise during a sporting event. The best such cruises come with experienced guides and commentators, usually ex-sportsmen, ex-sportswomen, or ex-sportsthings.
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| View of Trantor B from the surface of Alytus |
However, the world has begun to re-invent itself as an unlikely extreme sports destination, the icy surface perfect for endurance events of all kinds, and the numerous close orbit facilities around the Gas Giant perfect for gravity-diving and ballooning in the upper layers of that world's upper atmosphere. The world may be considered 'out of the way' for a major tournament centre, but the industrial and vaguely frontier nature of the world adds to its purity as a sports destination for many. In-fact, the once-in-three-year Solo-Skipper Storm Circuit, a grav-assisted balloon race around a vast polar storm that dominates the southern hemisphere of Trantor B, and the annual Gravity Dive events are now the most popular sporting events in the Sub-Sector, syndicated by New World Media across Umbar. The local shipyard, used to constructing fuel skiffs and ore lighters, has turned its hand readily to competition craft and observation platforms.
Between sporting festivals Alytus can feel like the almost deserted backwater world that it mostly is. If you are lucky enough to be there during a sporting festival, however, it can feel like you are at the centre of the sub-sector.
NOTES FOR TRAVELLERS:
If you are intending to attend one of the many sporting festivals of Alytus, it's best to book in advance. Tickets for viewing platforms are usually available during events - indeed a percentage are held back for late purchase - but the price can be astronomical. Accommodation is available, but costs are, again, beyond normal expectations. The bests deals to be had are spare staterooms on vessels with an 'observation orbit parking permit' - and if you are a skipper of your own vessel acquiring such a permit, whilst expensive upfront, will almost certainly allow you to turn a profit on a short orbital cruise during a sporting event. The best such cruises come with experienced guides and commentators, usually ex-sportsmen, ex-sportswomen, or ex-sportsthings.
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