Pompei
| Map | Basic Data | Planetary Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Name: | Pompei | 
|
| Segmentum: | Tempestus | ||
| Sector: | Eternum | ||
| Subsector: | Gothar | ||
| System: | Itala | ||
| Population: | ~2,000,000 | ||
| Affiliation: | Imperial | ||
| Class: | Volcano World | ||
| Tithe Grade: | Decuma Prima | ||
Overview
Once a small industrial world, Pompei's surface was abandoned after experiments designed to improve geothermal power for the colony backfired and caused every dormant volcano to explode in a flurry of lava and pyroclastic flows. The world continues to constantly have volcanoes rise and explode, preventing any resettlement efforts. This has not prevented the continued exploitation of Pompei however, and large zeppelins converge on any recent eruptions to harvest the lava which is filled with molten adamantine and the ores necessary to make rockcrete, which the zeppelins use to directly smelt ingots and dry rockcrete before meeting orbit capable tanker ships. Life on these forge zeppelins is dangerous and brutal, with each working like a floating manufactorum, though efficient and able to meet the tithe that hasn't changed since when it was a proper industrial world.
Pirates and smugglers also use Pompei as a hideaway, as the constant geologic activity interferes with auspex scans and allows them to hide on the surface. This is rife with danger however, as the sudden eruptions can wipe one of their dens out before they're even aware, and all too often the forge zeppelins scoop up a hab, cutter, or oddly human shaped rock in their scoop. This risk is part and parcel for a pirate or smuggler's life, and the potential bounty of raiding Gothar's nearby shipping lanes is worth the risk to them. The planetary governor Dame Monica Plazerreti Montague rules from the world's only orbital station and is responsible for ensuring the forge zeppelins and tankers are coordinated and productive, which the Montague dynasty has managed since the world first became volcanic. The only tithe is for ingots of resources as the world's population is barely stable - with any new forge zeppelins having to be staffed with menials imported from other worlds. Pompeo's PDF is likewise small and directly integrated into the System Defense Fleet, as they must fly to any forge zeppelin that needs a riot or unrest put down, and outside of the forge zeppelins there's nothing of value save hidden pirate dens. The PDF is officially charged with rooting these out, but their poor training, coupled with strategic bribing of certain PDF officers means they have little success in stopping the more established pirates.