Naupactus

Naupactus is the name of the Gudersnipe Foundation's second major shipyard, the first being Utopia Gregaria. Though considered minor by comparison, Naupactus is actually older than Gregaria and was producing starships possibly as early as the end of the Mage Wars. Most of Gudersnipe's Golden-Age-Era ships were built here.

Naupactus System

Naupactus is a binary star system consisting of 14 planets, 4 rocky worlds, 8 gas giants, and 2 small ice planets. The first planet in the system is hot and has a very thick atmosphere; the mineral that comprises it, is deemed unfit for demolition. The second and third planets house the populations of the system. The fourth planet has variously been scheduled for terraforming or demolition for raw materials, with no real consensus reached; the fate would seem to hinge primarily on the output of Utopia Gregaria.

The fifth-through-twelth planets are gas giants, with the fifth serving as the location of the shipyard, and the others storing the Ghost Fleet in stable orbits. Between the fourth and fifth planets is a rocky asteroid belt, which provides much of the raw materials for the yard.

Napatia and Acutaia

The second and third planets are in the star's habitable zone, and were naturally capable of supporting life. Napataia was inhabited in the early Dynastic Period, but was conquered by the old Gudersnipe Army and used as a staging area for troops. One of the earliest-known G.A.T.E. hubs was constructed here.

Acutaia was colonized by the second century of the Golden Age, and briefly served as the official headquarters of the Gudersnipe Foundation. By the end of the Second Age, both planets had stable, full-time populations of about eight billion.

Naupactus Prime

The fifth, and largest planet in the system, Naupactus Prime houses the shipyard. It was chosen for its size, heat, and proximity to the inner solar-system.

Planets Six through Twelve

The gas giants in the system are named for types of numbers:

• Naupactus Natural
• Naupactus Whole
• Naupactus Integer
• Naupactus Rational
• Naupactus Factor
• Naupactus Fraction
• Naupactus Imaginary

Ghost fleet ships are stored in 'parking' orbits around these giants, usually in large groups. There are also stations and orbital habitats in this part of the solar system, where technicians and laborers who maintain the ghost ships live. Some four billion full-time inhabitants live here.

Ice Planets

Two small worlds made of frozen gas make up the outer solar system. One was formerly used as a defensive platform, but has been abandoned.

Naupactus Shipyards

A massive ring forms a space station, including ore refineries and large-scale manufactories. All of the equipment needed to build a ship from start to finish is here, as well as accomodations for personnel. Unlike Utopia Gregaria, in which the population moves back and forth between stations and planets, everyone who works at the Naupactus yards lives on the station almost full-time. This totals roughly two billion people, though many have vacation homes or families on the planets.

The Naupactus yard can accomodate five billion works, and can match Utopia Gregaria's output. This is possible using one and a half billion fewer workers because the Naupactus yards are entirely an assembly line. Compare to Utopia Gregaria, where a great deal of equipment and supplies must be moved in a less linear fashion.

However, concerns over availability of raw materials has limited production. Nearly all of the raw materials are gathered from the asteroid belt, or from asteroids found at Lagrange points around the gas giants. Only one planet in the system is suitable for demolition, and debate rages of whether it should be torn apart or terraformed.

The primary role of the Naupactus yard is in maintaining, upgrading, and otherwise servicing active or inactive warships. During the Kamian Succession Wars, nearly all production stopped as the site focused entirely on repairing damaged ships.

While some capital-class ships are constructed at Naupactus, it is chiefly used in the construction of support ships. These use less material and can be built from more recycled metals.