Yolkor

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Yolkor
File:File:Yolkor.gif
Astrography
Star Szon
Type Tidally locked volcanic planet
Satellites None
Gravity 0.7 G
Orbital distance 0.07 AU
Day length 6.1 standard days
Year length 6.1 standard days
Diameter 9,873 km
Axial tilt Zero
Temperature
Average 2501°F
Minimum 300°F (night side)
Maximum 2987°F (day side)
Atmosphere
Composition Mostly neon and helium; Trace silicon and argon
Surface pressure 0.01 atm
Demographics
Population 6,110,678
Imports Helium-3, Dragonrock ore
Exports Gold, refined Dragonrock

Yolkor is the first planet in the Szon system.

Etymology

Yolkor is named after the pagan deity known as the Fire Lord who was believed to control the fire spirits of Ucharpli. In ancient Zaren culture, Yolkor was believed to be a blacksmith for the sun god. The planet Yolkor has been known by ancient Vaikan astronomers and astrologists and is seen from Ucharpli as a red star that would zip around the sun.

Physical characteristics

With an orbital period of only 6.1 days, Yolkor quickly zips around its energetic parent star which constantly blasts it with solar radiation which has long since torn away its original, thick gassy atmosphere. Helium and neon remain the dominant gas in the air giving the sky of the dayside a red-orange tint.

The planet is also tidally locked, and the same side always faces the sun. The day side consists of seas of molten iron and silicon, while the night side consists of fields of rocky, silvery metal plains and mountain ranges. The twilight region consists of a vast coastline of igneous rock bordered by an ocean of lava.

The planet itself is believed to be the former solid core of a much larger planet, possibly a gas dwarf or larger gas giant planet. While the night side remained solid after the stripping of its atmosphere over a billion years ago, the day side would become molten after remaining exposed to the sunlight in one location.

Most of the crust consists of hardened sulfur and silicon giving the planet a dark grey appearance on the nightside which is dotted by lakes of lava.

Points of interest

  • Uszaroth's Lookout - The tallest mountain in the Szon system towering at 30 kilometers. It is found approximately six kilometers from the coast, believed to have formed from a massive volcanic eruption.

Colonization

Yolkor's settlement, known as Fire Lord City, consists of a large, horizontal refinery along the planet's lava coastline with a pipeline that extends for 7,098 kilometers. Some buildings extend outwards above the lava. The entirety of Fire Lord City and its surrounding areas is enclosed in forcefields that maintain a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere as well as a temperature of 100°F. This allows one to wander around on the planet's ground and even near the lava without wearing a pressure suit.

Yolkor also has a fairly large military base turning the planet into a fortress world. Yolkor is difficult to reach without taking the proper path due to its close distance to its star. Solar winds are a danger, but facilities on the planet and within the artificial atmosphere make it safe. Stable forcefields high above the planet protect orbital defense grids as well as stationed armadas.

Economy

Yolkor was an early source for mining and still remains one of the top refineries of Dragonrock and other minerals in the Twin Hearts Nebula. The planet's dayside is hot enough to serve as a natural forge to aid in the creation of stronger alloys of metals as well materials to create starships. The twilight region of the planet is where settlements have been established.

On Yolkor is where the first Vaikan Dragonrock refinery was created. Dragonrock imported from Krizaelius is brought here to be refined and reshaped because it is incredibly difficult to artificially create suitable temperatures for it. The night side of the planet is often mined for gold, platinum and other minerals.

Yolkor is also a major tourist attraction for its saunas and hotsprings. Enclosed structures were built just above the lava lakes around the coastlines. The inside of these structures is heated up to a warm 150°F. The lava below is visible via the glass floor.

Just outside these lava lakes are pools of water artificially created as a result of industrial runoff. The pollutants within these pools were later filtered out and opened up as a hotspring.

History

Yolkor was first visited by Vaikan probes during the late Third Age. However, it remained out of reach for manned expeditions at least a century after the Vaikan became space faring because they lacked the technology to withstand Szon's radiation and solar winds at such a close distance.

Colonization in the system was jumpstarted after the end of the Second Sinister War. The Eghos Oligarchy had built their own mining settlements on the planet, and the Karalian Empire would take advantage of the facilities they had already established, reshaping it for their own convenience.