Planetary Capital: Veetrix
Largest City: Halifor (pop. 14,492,801)
Global Population 2.2 billion
Of all the provincial planets, Heslin is the most like Durantalis Prime. In both the length of the day and the size of the world, Heslin mimics the imperial home world to a fairly accurate degree. Even many of the same elements and materials in nearly equal proportions can be found on either world. The planet's largest city of Halifor was the first city in the Empire to install gate pads as a means of public transportation in 424 i.c.
Alpheena:
Equatorial Diameter: 12,573 km
Mean Rotational Period: 26.042 hours IST
Orbital Period: 292.060 days IST
Ruling Family: Tunos (current ruler – K:Laurenitis I)
Planetary Capital: Mesino
Largest City: Mesino (pop. 7,813,043)
Global Population: .9 billion
Not long after it was settled, Alpheena became the trade hub of the Empire. Many lucrative trade routes were established in the regions around the Alpheenian system. As such, Alpheena is on the leading edge of all things cultural. New directions in fashion as well as trends in art and music are created and imported into the planet's diverse and culturally rich cities at a steady rate. The Tunos family have long reaped the benefits of the many cultural revolutions born on Alpheena. King Laurenitis and his daughter and heir, Princess Dyamatti, are some of the most beloved and popular figures across the Empire.
Alpheena also experiences a magnetic field unlike any other of the provincial planets. It's been said to have unstable and unpredictable effects on the populace, although those claims have not been scientifically verified.
Purduay:
Equatorial Diameter: 13,509 km
Mean Rotational Period: 32.204 hours IST
Ruling Family: Fessner (current ruler - Q:Abigail V)
Planetary Capital: Ismeth
Largest City: Wolkford (pop. 3,377,681)
Global Population: .8 billion
Purduay was settled primarily to serve as a military outpost. The IDF placed several orbital platforms around the planet in order to guard the various shipping lanes to and from nearby Alpheena. Over time, Purduay grew into the resident banking center for the Empire. The Imperial Index, the premier stock and bond trading index in the Empire, is housed in the capital city. After the scandal of the Grand Council in 455 i.c., faith in the central markets waned and investors sought to find more stable assets. By the turn of the sixth century, however, the scandal had largely been forgotten and Purduay resumed her place as the center of imperial banking.
Vol:
Equatorial Diameter: 11,883 km
Mean Rotational Period: 21.772 hours IST
Orbital Period: 394.619 days IST
Ruling Family: Ofar (current ruler - K:Justin II)
Planetary Capital: Alusna
Largest City: Alusna (pop. 3,004,848)
Global Population: .8 billion
Vol is easily the smallest of the provincial planets. However, it's remarkably dense considering the size of its mostly-metal core. The gravitational force on Vol is actually slightly greater than it is on Durantalis Prime. Vol was settled before the turn of the fourth century by traders and companies who wished to do business closer to Alpheena's trade hubs. It made sense to grant it provincial planet status in order to act as an official bridge between Alpheena and Durantalis Prime, which are separated by a distance of about fifty light years.
Jyrozsicsekl:
Equatorial Diameter: 13,859 km
Orbital Period: 237.049 days IST
Ruling Family: N/A (current ruler - M:Klyxkakin )
Planetary Capital: Czxeklest District
Largest City: Czxeklest District (pop 397,545)
Global Population: 1.4 billion
Jyrozsicsekl has the unique distinction of being the only non-human planet within the borders of the Empire. It also differs greatly in many other aspects from its sister worlds. It's larger and more massive than any of the other provincial planets and also has the longest rotational period. Geographically speaking, Jyrozsicsekl is a jungle planet; covered in lush rain forests which comprise some sixty percent of its land area. Somewhat ironically, however, Jyrozsicsekl also has the smallest ocean of any of the main planets in the Empire. This is because a large part of the planet's moisture is locked inside the humid atmosphere. As a result, if the planet orbited just a little closer to its parent star, it would become an unlivable oven with surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead.
Also unlike her sister worlds, Jyrozsicsekl has no true urban areas. The Kujahski people live scattered all across the planet in small villages and communities. The only real city is the planetary capital in the Czxeklest District in the south western hemisphere. It's easily the smallest capital in the Empire, and what little is there was brought and built mostly by humans in order to help facilitate imperial involvement on the planet.
Tendarg:
Equatorial Diameter: 12,337 km
Mean Rotational Period: 28.365 hours IST
Orbital Period: 148.503 days IST
Ruling Family: Redmon (current ruler - K:Maxamillian V)
Plantary Capital: Hedgeroth
Largest City: Hedgeroth (pop 1,652,712)
Global Population: .7 billion
Tendarg is a planet rich in workable materials and metals. As such, many of the Empire's largest ship manufacturing firms are located on the planet. Having first been settled in the early portion of the fourth century, Tendarg holds the distinction of having taken the longest time to achieve provincial planetary status. With Tendarg's population growing substantially over the past century and the need to monitor the planets resources and populace on a more local level, it was finally given its current status.
Since most the planet's manufacturing facilities are located in orbit around the planet, Tendarg has the reputation of being the most untouched of any of the planets in the Empire. The strange result being that in addition to the large presence of industry, Tendarg also has a burgeoning tourist trade.
The Imperial Calendar
Time in the Empire is kept by means of the Imperial Calendar and Imperial Standard Time, both of which are based on Durantalis Prime's rotational and orbital periods. This is made relatively easy due to the fact that the planet's movements are extremely regular nearly whole number values. The advantage of this is the fact that there are very little adjustments needed for “fine tuning”.
The Twelve Cycle Calendar:
The Imperial Calendar is broken up into twelve distinct cycles, each lasting roughly thirty two days. The exceptions to this rule being Suta and Ronalote, which are each thirty one days in length.
The cycles are: Danibis, Bufeen, Suta, Arcturus, Milea, Ottomac, Desiry, Calato, Ronalote, Vesaun, Jere, and Plistone.
For the sake of record keeping and historical documentation, Cycles are given the designation i.c, which is shorthand for “of the Imperial Calendar”. Negative Cycle numbers are used when referencing Cycles from before the time of the founding of David Arlington's first colony (Cycle 0).
Imperial Standard Time:
Imperial Standard Time (IST) is based on the rotation and orbit of Durantalis Prime for keeping time within the Empire. Hours are taken from the Prime Meridian, or the zero degree longitudinal axis of the planet. So whatever time is currently at the Prime Meridian is considered the official IST of the entire empire.
A day is twenty five hours in length. Each hour is one hundred minutes. Each minute is one hundred seconds. A quarter cycle consists of eight days. A cycle (sometimes called small cycle in older texts) consists of four quarter cycles (thirty two days). A major cycle (usually called a Cycle, with capitalization), which is equal to the orbit of Durantalis Prime around its parent star, is three hundred and eighty two days almost exactly.
A Secret Quest