System: Angell II

First mapped by the Marik Commonwealth in the early 23rd century, Angell II was settled during the Great Exodus. Because almost 90% of the planet's bodies of water are tainted with the chemical citrium (a natural depressant that can slow the human metabolism to dangerous levels), life on Angell II has always been heavily dependant on iceships and water purification technologies. Nonetheless, the world has plenty of mineral resources (especially radium and caesium) and has been one of the Marik Commonwealth's biggest sources of wealth for centuries.

The terrain of Angell II forms a weirdly beautiful landscape. The toxic water supply, has transmuted many plants and animals recognizable as variants of Terran life into unusual, more deadly forms. The planet features vaguely Terra-like geographic formations and climate, and so will seem familiar to students of life on the cradle of humanity.

The societal structure of Angell II is stratified between the powerful few, who have access to water purification technology, and the drones, who either receive a meager ration of pure water from their employers or rely on crude, unreliable "homecookers." As the depredations of the Succession Wars have widened the breach still further, the drones' unrest has more than once erupted into violence. During the most recent raid on the planet in 3019, it is rumored that a number of drone partisans fought side-by-side with the Lyrans, though a series of arrests and trials produced no concrete evidence.

There are no functional factories located on this planet.