Hanamar

Overview
Hanamar is a heat blasted Outer Rim world controlled by the IAE. The world is technically habitable but ranked very low on both the habitation scale and development priority index. Nevertheless, the planet is rich in useful metals, silicates, and even some marketable flora. Hanamar is host to the IAE colony of Eudessa and several small outposts.

Planetary Data
Hanamar orbits a luminous class F star on the inner edges of the system's habitable zone. The planet is bombarded with solar radiation and as a result is mainly desert. The deserts are mainly composed of superfine silicates, deposits of gravel, and sand eroded from mountains scattered around the planet. Numerous craggy mountains and wide valleys interrupt the vast deserts and provide shelter for the planet's sparse fauna. Larger mountains and plateaus are often elevated enough to escape the desert heat. Hanamar is also hosts extensive cave systems and subterranean bodies of water comparable in size to small seas. The planet is so hot in places that certain organic matter is known to slowly combust under the right circumstances.

The gases in Hanamar's atmosphere are in a close enough proportion for most sapient species to survive in. Ill or less physically active individuals may have significant trouble processing Hanamar's air. Occasional dust storms can also be hazardous to individuals. Thankfully the dust and grains found in most deserts are large enough that they don't typically clog equipment and are also relatively easy to filter through breathing equipment. Oxygen levels are typically lower in higher elevations areas. This means that organic matter is less likely to combust or remain on fire. As a result, patches of lichen-like organisms and smaller plants are known to grow in significant quantities.

Plant life on Hanamar has either adapted to the extreme conditions or is centered around more moderate regions. Adapted flora typically grow extremely deep roots to reach groundwater deposits as well as anchor themselves to the shifting desert sands. Plants common to more extreme regions survive in a never ending day/night cycle. Most parts of the plant on the surface of the ground will burn away during the intense day but rapidly regrow over the immensely cooler nighttime. Native flora also utilize the cool winds at night to spread spores or seeds that will not combust upon being distributed as they would during the day. IAE scientists are interested in studying Hanamarian plants for their ability to quickly regrow overnight for possible applications in both agriculture and limb regeneration.

Other flora tend to grow in the cool shadows of rocky outcroppings, valleys, on mountains or plateaus, and underground. Some forms of plant life that grow in areas with only partial shade over the course of the day have roots able to penetrate solid rock with ease. Many of them do not receive entirely direct sunlight and as a result have adapted thick membranes to retain liquids as well as shield themselves from the sun. Other less hardy plants are able to thrive on the cooler mountainous areas where it is cooler and shade is more abundant.

Hanamar's animal life is mainly small reptiles, some insects, and even numerous subterranean mammals. Most fauna is very small since resources are often too scarce for large creatures to effectively survive.

Colony
The IAE colony of Eudessa is built into the overhanging side of a large outcropping as well as into the crust of the planet. From sunrise until the afternoon the outcropping absorbs most of the sunlight while casting a shadow over the colony. As the sun moves across the sky a specially designed solar shield curves from the outcropping and over to the edge of the colony. The mechanism is automatic, activating at the same time every day (though adjusted for seasonal cycles, sand and dust storms, as well as especially hot days). Operators and technicians monitor the shield at all times though, ready to correct possible malfunctions or possible emergencies. The outside of the shield is coated with highly durable solar cells able to collect the vast output of solar radiation from Hanamar's sun and use it for cheap power. The cells are able to withstand both the constant bombardment from the sun as well as the powerful dust and sandstorms common to the planet. Between each cell are microcameras that broadcast the view outside to the colony inside. The interior of the shield displays the microcamera feeds which gives colonists the ability to see the outside as if the shield were still retracted.

In order for the shield to work properly, Eudessan buildings are not very high but extend deep into the ground. A number of sublevels exist and provide shelter from the heat of the surface. Most interiors also maintain an easier to breath artificial atmosphere. The colony is directly connected to the subterranean mines that fuel much of its economy by way of long tunnels. Miners and equipment are often ferried by underground tramways or by independent transport vehicles. Eudessa's water needs are met by purifying groundwater from aquifers and regular supply drops from other worlds. Food is mainly cultivated native flora as well as some offworld species grown in separate facilities.

Eudessa's military is not very noteworthy. A number of facilities are located on the surface with several more underground. Eudessa's forces are mainly light and medium hover vehicles. Mechs and even heavier hover vehicles fare very poorly in the sands of Hanamar. Aircraft are used as well but mainly those that are capable of withstanding sand and dust storms. Infantry are mainly deployed in close proximity to settled areas or through well-insulated transports.