Beta Serpentis System

Beta Serpentis System
Powers
Major powers	United Federation of Planets
Minor powers	Borg Collective
Points of Interest
Places	Beta Serpentis III Salvage Facility 21-J
Template:Region

The Beta Serpentis System is a binary star system near Wolf 359. Relatively unknown and rarely visited, the system includes only a single marginally-habitable world, the class-P Beta Serpentis III, and it lies just far off of major shipping lanes to make it inconvenient. In 2401, Fleet Admiral Allison Reyes and the USS Ingenuity discovered that the colony had become entangled with old Borg technology from the Battle of Wolf 359.

History

Following the Battle of Wolf 359 in 2367, Starfleet Command commissioned a covert research program to study the remnants of the destroyed Borg cube. The Beta Serpentis system was selected due to its proximity to Wolf 359. This project involved the creation of Salvage Facility 21-J, a research and salvage depot hidden within the troposphere of the class I gas giant Beta Serpentis IV, and a small colony on Beta Serpentis III to support operations. The program was shuttered in the early 2380s, but the Andorian colonists of Beta Serpentis III chose to remain.

In the late 2380s, the colony on Beta Serpentis III threatened to leave the Federation due to the Synth Ban, as the colony was highly dependent on synths for its workforce. Ultimately, the colony did not succeed, but the decade that followed was incredibly difficult on the colony's residents. In June 2401, Polaris Squadron received a distress call from Beta Serpentis III, but the colonial administrator insisted they did not send it. The USS Ingenuity was sent to investigate. See Children of the Borg for more...

Notable Places

Binary Star Pair

At the center of the Beta Serpentis system is a detached binary star pair with an A-type main-sequence star and a smaller K3 V red dwarf. The separation distance and relative mass of the pair cause the planets in the Beta Serpentis system to move on wide ellipticals.

Beta Serpentis III

Beta Serpentis III is a class P glacial planet with year-round sub-zero surface temperatures and a lanthanide-rich inner crust that scrambles transporter targeting sensors. Described as a frozen hellscape by most, it hosts a small Andorian colony. Due to the lack of interest in the system since the decommissioning of the Borg research program, the colony's infrastructure has fallen into significant disrepair.

Beta Serpentis IV

Beta Serpentis IV is a class I gas giant notable for its dense ammonia atmosphere and aggressive storm activity, which were determined by Starfleet to be perfect for concealing the research site where they planned to dissect and analyze the remains of the Borg cube destroyed at Wolf 359.