Redland

When the Last Ditch emerged from the warp bridge in 2066, clinging to a last thread of hope, the astronomers onboard did not recognize the system they'd come to, even though it was known to astronomers on Earth for many years: Gliese-581. One planet in the system, 581d, was habitable, if just barely. This planet is where they landed, and was christened Redland by the colonists.

Redland has two sets of warp bridges. One set, around the planet 581d, has bridges to the Solar System and Sirius. The other set, around a distant gas giant (which was not a known part of the Gliese 581 system before the Last Ditch arrived), links to a number of uncharted worlds, which eventually become known as Redland Planets.

Redland (581d)

The planet known as Redland is tidally locked to its star. The planet has a hot spot, hot enough that inflowing rivers boil off, and the night side is far too cold to support life. The initial settlement is established in the relatively narrow band of life-sustaining temperatures, and all the subsequent expansions of the settlement follow suit.

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Hot Spot: The winds and currents of the planet pull water vapor towards the hotspot; once there, the immense heat turns it into a violent, permanent storm.

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Night Side: The cold, calm dark side of Redland is covered in snow and ice. As the system becomes more populated following Second Contact, this becomes a popular place to land and refuel for any craft capable of atmospheric flight; in the early 22nd century a fuel mining station is established there, and a small domed community builds up around it. (Those that aren't tend to go to Spring, instead.)

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Spring

Though cold and lifeless, this outer moon of the outermost planet in the Redland system is rich in a number of vital minerals (not the least of which is water itself), making it an ideal spot to stop and refuel.

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Weeker (581b)

This rocky inner planet is initially used as a means of keeping time on Redland, as it is bright enough to be visible even in the Redland sun by the naked eye. As its name suggests, it takes about a week to make a cycle.

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