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Description

A chilly and metal-rich world in a system of otherwise poor metallicity, Argetlamh is a rare example of not only an extrasolar capture in the habitable zone of its star, but also a captured planetary moon, which has nonetheless developed a thriving multicellular biosphere across its surface. When first surveyed by the ESA Patten in 2093, previously overlooked due to the low stellar metallicity and lack of detectable biosignatures leading astronomers and statesmen at the time to expect it as a resource-poor system which warranted little more than a cursory probe, the supermoon immediately stood out among the celestial bodies of the system; a thick nitrogen-oxygen-argon atmosphere, an active hydrosphere composed of mercury as much as water, flourishing if basal life based on metal-ligated levo-amino chemistry, and a retrograde orbit which paired to a strong and active magnetic field causes constant electromagnetic storms, interference, and striking auroras. With a prolonged exploration mission decided upon and a return trip only hours from when the European Space Agency would officially declare them overdue and missing, having mapped the gas giant Gliese-221C and all its moons in extensive detail and retrieved several thousand regolith, atmospheric, and biological samples for analysis. While follow-up missions to evaluate the viability as a colonization prospect were immediately drafted and announced to the public, any serious commitments were delayed first by the 2094 Eiris Cataclysm and the subsequent requirements of humanitarian aid to the colony necessitated by it, and then afterwards by the 2098-2099 Colonial Insurgencies putting severe strain on interstellar logistics and development due to the peacekeeping efforts launched by Earth nations and the UN to maintain safety and stability on affected worlds, a tentative pioneer colony project was finally launched by the European Confederacy Constituent Nation of the Republic of Ireland in 2105. Although early reports were less encouraging, citing difficulties in development of infrastructure, widespread hazard of heavy metal poisoning, and wildlife hostile to human biology, the outpost nonetheless received widespread political and popular support from the Irish public for the wealth of scientific findings making their way back to universities and colleges all across Europe as well as its influence on culture and the arts; being not only one of the most beautiful extrasolar settlements from the European Confederacy and one which held great economic potential at that, but also the only ESA project which was spearheaded and managed by Ireland at the time.
In 2109 when the outpost had its first successful harvest and a population of 550, though far from self-sufficient, the moon was formally named Argetlamh and declared as a colony world of the European Confederacy, with the continent of the initial outpost charted as sovereign territory of the Republic of Ireland; with an initial settlement wave aimed at expanding the European presence to 50 000 citizens by 2115 announced, in no small part as an effort to lock their claims on the system and exclude potential rivals. With great investments into geological engineering, materials refining, and aerospace component industries, the economy and populace of Argetlamh grew steadily, though not explosively, throughout most of the 22nd century, with even the First Colonial Wars between 2142 and 2154 failing to severely impact the worlds standing as a brave new frontier of the European Confederacy and humanity at large; sporting stable living standards, a low crime rate, progressive social conditions, and a virtual lack of the widespread pollution and oppressive industrial development chocking out the population centers of contemporary Earth, stemmed only by the toxic local environment leading to a dependence on medical supplies and necessitating relocation back to Earth for expecting couples to ensure a safe pregnancy, delivery, and infancy, a fact which depreciated de-facto income rates to be equivalent at best to mainland Europe for most families. While the 23rd century history of Argetlamh and the other moons around Creidhne remained largely uneventful, the development of more extensive genetic augmentation and cybernetics technologies gradually eased the ability of the local population to grow unimpeded, by 2278 having developed a set of alterations noticeable enough for them to qualify as a transhuman subspecies largely resistant to the effects of heavy metal poisoning, and the political unification of the settlements on the world into a new Argetlamh Constituent Nation as a full member state in the European Confederacy, although one retaining close ties to and interdependence with the celtic cultures from which the majority of the original colonists hailed.

Orbits: Creidhne, 22 540kms.
mean temperature: 6 Celsius.
Surface gravity: 1.24 G.
atmosphere: 1.92 bar, 23% oxygen, 4% carbon dioxide, 2% argon.
Mean elevation: 2543 metres ASL.
Day/night cycle: 489.4 hours.
Capital: Érimón
Population: 169 million.
GDP: 38 billion credits.

The picture features the three European Confederacy cruisers ESA-ICM708 Dublin, ESA-ICM709 Belfast, and ESA-ICM710 Cork flying through the skies of Argetlamh as part of a wargame training exercise.
The picture was drawn to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUz4iY…

Description

A chilly and metal-rich world in a system of otherwise poor metallicity, Argetlamh is a rare example of not only an extrasolar capture in the habitable zone of its star, but also a captured planetary moon, which has nonetheless developed a thriving multicellular biosphere across its surface. When first surveyed by the ESA Patten in 2093, previously overlooked due to the low stellar metallicity and lack of detectable biosignatures leading astronomers and statesmen at the time to expect it as a resource-poor system which warranted little more than a cursory probe, the supermoon immediately stood out among the celestial bodies of the system; a thick nitrogen-oxygen-argon atmosphere, an active hydrosphere composed of mercury as much as water, flourishing if basal life based on metal-ligated levo-amino chemistry, and a retrograde orbit which paired to a strong and active magnetic field causes constant electromagnetic storms, interference, and striking auroras. With a prolonged exploration mission decided upon and a return trip only hours from when the European Space Agency would officially declare them overdue and missing, having mapped the gas giant Gliese-221C and all its moons in extensive detail and retrieved several thousand regolith, atmospheric, and biological samples for analysis. While follow-up missions to evaluate the viability as a colonization prospect were immediately drafted and announced to the public, any serious commitments were delayed first by the 2094 Eiris Cataclysm and the subsequent requirements of humanitarian aid to the colony necessitated by it, and then afterwards by the 2098-2099 Colonial Insurgencies putting severe strain on interstellar logistics and development due to the peacekeeping efforts launched by Earth nations and the UN to maintain safety and stability on affected worlds, a tentative pioneer colony project was finally launched by the European Confederacy Constituent Nation of the Republic of Ireland in 2105. Although early reports were less encouraging, citing difficulties in development of infrastructure, widespread hazard of heavy metal poisoning, and wildlife hostile to human biology, the outpost nonetheless received widespread political and popular support from the Irish public for the wealth of scientific findings making their way back to universities and colleges all across Europe as well as its influence on culture and the arts; being not only one of the most beautiful extrasolar settlements from the European Confederacy and one which held great economic potential at that, but also the only ESA project which was spearheaded and managed by Ireland at the time.
In 2109 when the outpost had its first successful harvest and a population of 550, though far from self-sufficient, the moon was formally named Argetlamh and declared as a colony world of the European Confederacy, with the continent of the initial outpost charted as sovereign territory of the Republic of Ireland; with an initial settlement wave aimed at expanding the European presence to 50 000 citizens by 2115 announced, in no small part as an effort to lock their claims on the system and exclude potential rivals. With great investments into geological engineering, materials refining, and aerospace component industries, the economy and populace of Argetlamh grew steadily, though not explosively, throughout most of the 22nd century, with even the First Colonial Wars between 2142 and 2154 failing to severely impact the worlds standing as a brave new frontier of the European Confederacy and humanity at large; sporting stable living standards, a low crime rate, progressive social conditions, and a virtual lack of the widespread pollution and oppressive industrial development chocking out the population centers of contemporary Earth, stemmed only by the toxic local environment leading to a dependence on medical supplies and necessitating relocation back to Earth for expecting couples to ensure a safe pregnancy, delivery, and infancy, a fact which depreciated de-facto income rates to be equivalent at best to mainland Europe for most families. While the 23rd century history of Argetlamh and the other moons around Creidhne remained largely uneventful, the development of more extensive genetic augmentation and cybernetics technologies gradually eased the ability of the local population to grow unimpeded, by 2278 having developed a set of alterations noticeable enough for them to qualify as a transhuman subspecies largely resistant to the effects of heavy metal poisoning, and the political unification of the settlements on the world into a new Argetlamh Constituent Nation as a full member state in the European Confederacy, although one retaining close ties to and interdependence with the celtic cultures from which the majority of the original colonists hailed.

Orbits: Creidhne, 22 540kms.
mean temperature: 6 Celsius.
Surface gravity: 1.24 G.
atmosphere: 1.92 bar, 23% oxygen, 4% carbon dioxide, 2% argon.
Mean elevation: 2543 metres ASL.
Day/night cycle: 489.4 hours.
Capital: Érimón
Population: 169 million.
GDP: 38 billion credits.

The picture features the three European Confederacy cruisers ESA-ICM708 Dublin, ESA-ICM709 Belfast, and ESA-ICM710 Cork flying through the skies of Argetlamh as part of a wargame training exercise.
The picture was drawn to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUz4iY…