MITRAGOL (Mit-raa-goll) 10th Planet Mitrian System

Mitragol is a gas giant which harbours extensive corperate ether mining operations. The ringed planet of Mitragol measures over 200,000km in diameter and has seasons which last centuries. The upper atmosphere of Mitragol is relativly calm and supports many remote mining outposts.

Like many gas giants discoverd Mitragol has indiginous life. Many creatures of primitive/alien intelligence exist in the upper atmosphere utilising many difering methods of flight. The Most common creature yet noted on(at/in) Mitragol is the Bovis Herd creature. Its 20 meter spherical "gas bag" body gives it essential and effortless boyancey. It sports control fins along its extensive body and has in excess of eighty tiny eyes. These eyes are front facing and perform different tasks in different spectrums of light. The infrared for instence is used to detect storm eruptions assending from lower regions into the upper atmosphere, the Bovis can use its gas propulsion to move quickly out of the way. Other eyes detect essential mineral gases for feeding and aid navigation and threat detection.

The Bovis are preyed upon by a small ( 3 meter L. ) preditor called a Dyten ( die-ten ). This dart like creature is very light and in a state of constant flight. It is a pack hunter following herds of Bovis and related herd creatures. The Dyten sleeps by piggy-backing on a two companion hunters so they are found in groups of no less than three although ten to twelve is more common. The Bovis by comparison travel in herds ranging from 600 to several thousand.

Creatures that exist in gas giants do not have a specific territory or and unknown elements to deal with usually. However the challanging and dangerous environment in which they live is in constant and deadly flux. Hence the reflexes and intelligence of these creatures is finley honed for survival. Life must by lived at a frantic pace. Entire swathes of the Planets upper atmosphere can be laid waste by the arrival of storms or loss of boyancey due to changing atmospheric composition. For this reason the diversity and reproduction rate of the creatures that live here is awesome and is studied by off-world scientists.

The Ether mining operations on Mitragol are carried out by swoop tankers. These craft are mainly atmospheric vehicles capable of limited duration space flight. The are launched and recovered from anti-gravity platforms from where they are also remotly controlled. The platforms have crews of 100+ who repair and control the Swoops and platforms. On occasion when communications are bad the Swoops are manually piloted ) a highly dangerous operation ). Each platform has betwen eight to ten Swoops , several escape pods which launch into orbit, and two shuttles. For every twenty platforms there is one Interface platform. The Interface platform has about 500 crew and houses around 3000 visitors and Platform crew on R&R. The Interface platform is tethered to a space station in low ordit. Through the tether collected gas is pumped into orbit ( or sucked via vacum chamber action onboard the space station ). The gas is collected from the Platforms and deliveered to the Interface by tankers. The collected gases are rare trace heavy elements which are formed in Mitragols ultra dense liquid metal core and leak into upper levels. The Platform system is highly efficient and insures an almost constant supply of high volumes of precious elements and compounds. The Interface acts as a refinery as well as pumping station. There are over seventy Interface platforms with their tethered space stations and collection stations on Mitragol.

All stations and most ships are fuelled by hydrogen scoop/intake engines which generate thrust for ships and energy for the patform anti-gravity plates. The tehtered stations rely on a constant supply of this plantiful fuel inorder in run their powerful retro stabiliser motors.

Although many corperations run mining operations on Mitragol the planet itself falls within Rayn space and as such the Rayans control and issue all mining permits. They also maintain a moderate naval base on the third of Mitragols sixteen moons, all interface stations have a frontier police pressence of about twenty Officers. Their main job is to stop traffic in illegal goods, maintain order and stop the hunting of Bovis and other creatures ( for trace elements within their bodies ).