Stanton system

The Stanton system is a single star system, and one of two fully colonized systems in the UEE. It is the only system with a green zone reaching four planets, making it suitable for human life. All worlds have undergone limited terraforming and have flora and fauna with divergent ecologies. They are owned by corporate entities within the United Empire of Earth.

Jurisdiction

Shortly after the discovery of the System, all planets were sold by the government to corporations. These four planets are the only privately-owned worlds in the Empire. Though subject to the UEE's Common Law and standard penal code, the UEE does not fully police the region. Instead, private planetary security teams enforce the local law.^[2]^[3]^[4]

History

Settlement

The first settlers are unknown. Navjumper Toshi Aaron discovered the system in 2851^[1]^[5] after selling the jump data to the UEE. They declared Stanton to be a case of 'eminent domain', citing a need to protect and extend nearby jump lanes. Without formal colonization papers on file, the existing inhabitants had little choice but to abandon their homesteads: prospectors, survivalists and other squatters had little means to protect themselves from the might of a Bengal-class carrier.^[6]

The sale of Stanton I, II, III and IV

ArcCorp had been lobbying for this very opportunity, wishing to purchase a continent - more land usually sold in parcels. Some members of the UEE Senate pushed for continental sale within the Stanton system, until the idea arose to try and sell the entire planet for the biggest potential profit over a short period of time. ArcCorp agreed to this proposition, and it was brought to the Senate floor for a wider vote, which passed - albeit after much contentious debate, because while the planets were to abide by UEE Common Laws, planetary level jurisdiction would fall to the corporations and their security forces. A bidding process opened up, and Megacorporations were quietly contacted to bid for ownership of the planets.

The winners are believed to have flushed trillions into the UEE economy, with the four worlds now named after them: Hurston (Dynamics), Crusader (Industries), ArcCorp and microTech. While the plan initially was for Stanton II(now Crusader) to be sold on a 'buy one, get one free' basis due to its lack of land, this was not a sticking point for Crusader Industries who adapted and expanded the existing Naval shipyards for the manufacture of their own spacecraft. The system became fully industrialized with the worlds now dotted with factories, corporate headquarters, testing ranges, mines and other company facilities. Only those working for the corporations (or anyone leasing their space) could come to live in the Stanton system, inhabiting corporate owned towns.^[6]

Leaders of the four mega-corporations meet annually in the Stanton System Conference to discuss system-wide issues.^[3]^[4]

Legacy

Stanton offers materials produced by the four corporations. It also has a high demand for goods needed to keep working.^[2] Due to opening their planets to other companies including competitors, ArcCorp is now so heavily urbanized that it is approaching the same planetary status as a Xi'an factory world.^{[citation needed]} Hurston has undergone such pollution that its dominant savanna biome has been devastated, with air quality now a concern for those who live on the planet.^[6] microTech makes use of their planet's cold temperature for optimal running of data servers ^[6] and Crusader has recently begun to face issues with Outlaw activity in the shipping lanes.^{[citation needed]}

Gravitational governors

Stanton

Stanton is a G-type main sequence star.

Planets

Hurston : Stanton I

	A wealth of ore and other resources are mined here to manufacture Hurston Dynamics' line of munitions and weapons. Heavy industry has resulted in severe pollution across the planet. Devastating the ecosystem ^[7]

Crusader : Stanton II

	A low mass gas giant that features a breathable atmosphere at high altitudes. This was an ideal situation for ship manufacturer Crusader Industries, who now occupies the planet's floating platforms to build massive ships like the Starliner.^[8]

ArcCorp : Stanton III

	Buildings cover a majority of the planet's surface with residential areas relegated to the poles while the company's factories, business headquarters, financial and commercial districts are located in between.^[9]

microTech : Stanton IV

	A terraforming error left the planet with an unnaturally dense cloud cover and a colder than average climate, making it an ideal location for its owner to house its heat-sensitive computing and manufacturing centers.^[10]

Asteroid formations

The Stanton system contains one asteroid belt. The Aaron Halo is located between the orbits of Crusader and ArcCorp.^[11]

Irregular orbitals

Baer Comet^[12]

Known jump points

Jump gate	Direction	Size	Destination
Stanton - Magnus	Bidirectional	Large	Magnus - Stanton, in Magnus system
Stanton - Pyro	Bidirectional	Medium	Pyro - Stanton, in Pyro system
Stanton - Terra	Bidirectional	Large	Terra - Stanton, in Terra system

Development

Between Alpha 3.0.0 and Alpha 3.12.0,^[13] the protoplanet^[14] Delamar was temporarily located in Stanton outside the orbit of Crusader. It was then removed in Alpha 3.12.1 pending inclusion in its canonical system (Nyx) when that is implemented.

Stanton was chosen as the first system available in the game over the more instinctive Terra due to Stanton's nature allowing for every single gameplay loop.^[15]