Wiseman's Gap Subsector

Wiseman's Gap is subsector C of Riphaeus Sector, where I set my most recent Traveller campaign. Though bounded by the Triarchy of Endu to rimward and the Second Federation of Suns to trailing, most of the worlds in this subsector are independent and guard that independence fiercely. The characters spent comparatively little time in this subsector, which is why there are comparatively few details on its worlds.

The Wiseman’s Gap subsector contains 18 worlds with a population of 20.9 billion. The highest population is 20 billion, at Néa Athína. The highest tech level is C at Savoie and Dividita.

Alssukhur (Riphaeus 1908)

The Alssukhur system is home to one of the most extensive asteroid belts in the entire sector. The belt, known simply as the Alssukhur Belt, occupies the equivalent of five planets’ worth of orbits in one contiguous expanse. The largest asteroid, Sakhra, is in the middle of the belt and is home to a settlement built into its center. It has a permanent population of around 8,000,000, while the belt as whole is thought to have 20,000,000 people in total.

Sakhra is a commercial hub, as well as the seat of the local government, the Alssukhur Coordinating Authority (ACA), which primarily oversees mercantile matters, leaving most other laws to the settlements of individual asteroids. The listed law level applies only to Sakhra; law levels elsewhere may vary considerably. Sakhra is also home to a naval base leased to the Royal Navy of Ul-Endu, much to the dislike of several asteroid communities (and factions within the ACA), who feel the Triarchy has designs on the system.

Dividita (Riphaeus 2410)

With a population of over 700 million, a high tech level, a class A starport, and both Navy and Scout bases, Dividita should be a vital Federation world in this subsector. Unfortunately, Dividita’s governing ethic is that one should not perform a service if one is not paid for it. This is especially true of all state-controlled ventures, including customs and port authorities. The world’s society crackles with irritation as, for example, service counters close for three minutes because the relief shift is slightly late. There are strict lines of demarcation between authorities and jurisdictions, resulting in the need for numerous permits to perform almost any action. Merchants are advised to expect long delays in the buying and selling of cargo.

Xiddiga Cas (Riphaeus 2108)

Settled prior to the establishment of the First Federation of Suns, Xiddiga Cas is a hopelessly balkanized world, owing to the local culture’s preference for appanage (by which all heirs inherit upon their parents’ deaths). Consequently, the planet is divided between thousands of tiny local authorities, some no larger than a few dozen inhabitants. Politics is dominated by a few influential families who intermarry and then squabble as they work to re-unite territories separated by earlier divisions. Outright military conflict is rare. Instead, propaganda campaigns waged through planetary media are commonplace.

The local starport is a comparative haven of stability on Xiddiga Cas. Long ago, its maintenance was placed in the hands of a charitable organization, the Red Star Trust, in order to ensure that it remained outside the jurisdiction of any local authority. This worked brilliantly, as the starport is well-run, but it has also made the Red Star Trust a power in its own right, one that frequently meddles in planetary politics.