Rock Fortress

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Rock Fortress
Astrography
Star Gimheldt system
Type Planetoid
Satellites None
Gravity 0.08 G
Orbital distance 6 AU
Day length Unknown
Year length Unknown
Diameter 3,243 km
Axial tilt Unknown
Temperature
Average Unknown
Minimum Unknown
Maximum Unknown
Atmosphere
Composition Unknown
Surface pressure Unknown
Demographics
Population 403,324
Imports Unknown
Exports Unknown

Rock Fortress is a planetoid in the Gimheldt system. In the distant past, it was once part of the Iceglass Belt but it was displaced when Yoltoria migrated inward.

Geography

Rock Fortress is covered in a blend of many types of ice with various layers of frozen methane, water and carbon dioxide. While it is mostly spherical, Rock Fortress has numerous extreme features such as gigantic mountains and large craters. Surprisingly, Rock Fortress also supports minimal volcanic activity.

Ecosystem

Rock Fortress is home to several dozen species of magnetic lichen which use magnetism to gather energy from iron which they dissolve with acid, thus generating heat which can melt ice. These species of Magnet Lichen have been cultivated and sold to the Vaikan Preindustrial Worlds as an organic energy source.

Colonization

Rock Fortress is one of the largest citadels constructed by the Karalian Empire with arrays of antispacecraft guns all over the surface. These guns use the ground as a heatsink and are capable of launching interstellar UPS guided missiles to virtually any location in the galaxy that has UPS data. There are other similar citadels scattered across the Karalian Empire, but Rock Fortress is by far has the largest collection of these sort of weapons.

Rock Fortress's installations are self-sufficient, using an elaborate pipe system to harvest water and carbon dioxide from the ice and circulate it throughout the system. Underground farms are supported with a series of fusion-powered generators. Because of its isolation from natural environments, much of the area is completely sterile, and permanent party residents require bi-annual vaccines.

The planetoid has an unusually large population for a Vaikan military bases supporting a community of over 400,000 inhabitants. The large population is likely explained by the abundance of military families in the area, supported by the system's plentiful resources.