Vitam II

Vitam II
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Astrography
Star	Scintilla
Type	Ammonia moon
Satellites	None, parent planet Vitam
Gravity	0.8 G
Orbital distance	1.1 AU
Day length	35.2 days
Year length	35.2 days
Diameter	9,932 km
Axial tilt	Zero
Temperature
Average	−70 °C
Minimum	−90 °C
Maximum	−50 °C
Atmosphere
Atmosphere composition	96% nitrogen, 3% methane, 1% other
Surface pressure	1.8 atm
Demographics
Factions	None
Population	0
Major imports	None
Major exports	None

Vitam II is the largest moon of the orange gas giant Vitam. Vitam II today remained abandoned due to the infestation of a dangerous creature known as the Sarlenian.

Atmosphere

In the past, Vitam II was far colder than it is today, but after its star turned into a red giant, temperatures warmed up to a chilly but bearable −70 °C. The decreased output of Scintilla lessened the moon's anti-greenhouse effect on the surface giving rise to an exotic ecosystem that will last for at least several hundred million years.

Due to the high concentration of nitrogen as well as the depletion of its haze, the sky will appear a deep purple color.

Geography

On the surface are oceans of water-ammonia mixtures formed from the vast meltwater. These oceans cover rouhgly 65% of the moon. However, subsurface pure water oceans still exist below. The accidental drilling into these oceans was responsible for the Sarlenian outbreak.

Vitam II has minor tectonic activity causing vulcanism. Most of these volcanoes only recently came out of dormancy, though a great deal of others went extinct.

Biosphere

Due to the infestation, very little of Vitam II's exotic ecosystem has been explored. The life here utilizes both ammonia and water to carry out respiratory functions - the hybrids on the surface and the pure waters in the underground oceans.

Sarlenian

Main article: Sarlenian

The reason why Vitam II was evacuated was due to the Sarlenian, a indigenous plant-like life form that grows alarmingly fast. Its tentacle appendages will strangle its prey. once the prey suffocates, acid is secreted to break it down into its raw nutrients.

Colonization

Vitam II was charted and explored by the FMASN in 2120 AD. Aside from its parent gas giant, Vitam II was the only major body within the Scintilla system that was worth exploiting. Mining stations were set up on the moon's surface as well as within the gas giant. The moon was also of great scientific interest as ammonia-based ecosystems such as that on Vitam II are believed to form when a methane world such as the moon Titan is exposed to a star that enters the red giant stage.

When exploring the moon, drillings were performed to uncover subsurface oceans in order to obtain clean water without having to filter out the ammonia-water mixtures. However, from these oceans emerged a deadly plant-like creature known as the Sarlenian which quickly overtook the entire settlement on the moon. As a result, the whole system was evacuated including the helium-3 mines that were set up in the gas giant. Unharvested and undelivered energy cells can still be found within Vitam II's mines as well as the floating helium-3 platforms.

Today, Vitam and its moons remain quarrantined fearing that something else could be uncovered that could threaten any civilians. Warning beacons were placed in orbit.

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