First discovered in 2532, evidence suggests that the Odin was once home to vibrant ecosystems potentially similar to Earth or Terra. That all changed when Odin’s star entered the red giant phase. The star’s expansion completely enveloped the system’s first planet and quickly boiled off the biospheres of the others, killing all native life, before the star collapsed into a white dwarf. When Humanity’s first explorers jumped to Odin, they found a system of icy rock worlds with uniformly foreboding exteriors.
With no strong terraforming candidates, the system was dedicated to industrial development. Various mining outposts and refineries were established throughout Odin to take advantage of what resources could be found. However, as easily harvestable materials dwindled, Odin’s economy has slowed to a crawl and as is too often the case, when businesses left the system, criminal elements moved in to take their place. Today, the system is seen as an unsavory place on the decline.
Odin most recently received a bit of positive press when it became a cause celebre of the scientific community after a group of noted archaeologists revealed that the government was allowing companies to wipe out an otherwise well-preserved fossil record that could tell the story of the life that came to evolve in the Odin system. While a grassroots “SAVE THE FOSSILS” movement initially gained some traction in popular culture, interest soon faded.
The Coil (Odin I / Odin Cluster Alpha ) The Odin I Cluster, commonly called the Coil, is possibly the most interesting area of the system. The Coil, thought to be the remnants of the system’s pre-catastrophe first planet, is a seemingly unending cloud of planetary fragments, electromagnetic energy surges and minerals. Odin I’s former moon, known as Gainey, still drifts near the remnants of its former planet and has seen some minor settlement on its lightly atmosphered surface in the form of fraking operations and gas refinement plants. Inside the Coil itself, ore runs the gamut from basic slough to heavy metals, with extremely valuable (and distinctive) caches being discovered more often than one would expect. Despite the cluster being the largest source of untapped resources in the system, it remains relatively untouched thanks to the dangers involved in any attempts to harvest them.
The result of the exposed planetary core’s iron-rich content coming into contact with cast-off stellar remnants, arc charges are deadly to any ship unlucky enough to be caught in their embrace. To avoid these “energy storms,” most mining operations limit themselves to relatively safe pockets that temporarily appear within the shifting cloud. While Shubin Interstellar operates a station in the cluster, most mining operations have remained smaller scale.
Of course, if the arc charges don’t get you, the outlaws may. The labyrinthine tunnels of the Coil have long served as a popular hiding spot for well-armed pirates. Recent reports indicate a new group has moved in and has been involved in dozens of hit-and-run strikes against legitimate operations.
Odin II Odin II is believed to have been within the star’s former green band and might have been ideal for Human habitation before the star’s collapse. Today, the planet is too cold and has only what little atmosphere it has naturally gathered in the last 50,000 years. Scientists and companies looking for isolated testing facilities have established outposts on the world, but no true population lives here permanently.
The planet’s moon, Villi, is a different matter. Raleigh Station, a snowy base of operations erected by a now defunct weapons testing company, allows civilian contractors to bring in supplies and to ferry out hazardous materials from the facilities on Odin II below. Raleigh Station is not the most welcoming place in the galaxy, but there is enough there to keep a traveler busy.
Odin III & IV The second planet still intact in the Odin system, Odin III (system residents are notoriously insistent that the Coil still be considered the first planet) is another dead world. A few researchers have taken special note of the planet since it is believed its surface may hold more secrets of Odin’s past inhabitants than the sparse fossils that have been discovered so far.
Odin IV is a gas giant and home to a hydrogen rendering station in geosynchronous orbit. Although there is a minimal crew to handle operations, the facilities for interacting with outsiders are fully automated: a supplier drops off unrefined hydrogen and takes on full tanks without ever encountering any of the occupants. Starship crews are actively discouraged from layovers on Odin IV, although the station has a limited number of poorly maintained rental habs.
Travel Warning We won’t say not to, but if you go to Odin, stay very alert.
Heard in the Wind “As of this quarter, due to a recent decline in output and revenue, our Gainey extraction facilities are being permanently shuttered. This marks a continuation in our efforts to focus on the synthesization, and the pairing down of all ongoing Odin operations.” - Victor Zahid, CEO Chemline Solutions, Shareholders Report, 2919.05.04
“This system was destroyed once already. Let’s not let the history of Odin be destroyed again under the stewardship of Humanity.” - Dr. Odessa Reynolds, University of Rhetor lecture, Preserving Odin’s Fossil Record, 2943.10.04