A Whistlestop Tour of Solaris VII

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Solaris VII is a mass of contradictions. It is one of the wealthiest worlds in the Inner Sphere, yet the income of the average citizen falls well below the poverty levels of any Great House. Considered one of the most naturally inhabitable planets for five jumps in any direction, the population per square kilometer is, again, far below average. The majority live in or around Solaris City, creating an incredible metropolitan area, while much of the world remains in a provincial or even primitive condition. Citizens of nearly every political state live here in an environment of neutral acceptance if not actual peace, and every night their champions try to tear each other to pieces.

Solaris is a place where people vacation, supposedly to forget both their own problems and those of the Inner Sphere. Yet here, more than anywhere else, those problems are highlighted - splashed across the daily betting journals and played out every evening in the lineup of arena bouts.

The System

Situated on the edge of Lyran Alliance space, closer to Rochelle of the Free Worlds League than any other Steiner system, Solaris sits astride major interstellar trade routes. JumpShip traffic is very heavy, and serviced by the two recharge stations which guard the nadir and zenith jump points. Solaris VII is the largest of a twelve-planet system, and is itself the size of Terra with comparable gravity and just as water rich. Only two other planets in the system boast atmospheres, and both of these pare poisonous. Early surveys discovered extensive mineral resources on Solaris IV, though the cost of mining this airless world allows only a marginally profitable mining industry.

A little-mentioned feature of the Solaris system is a shell of comet activity that surrounds the system and drops comets around the sun on a frequent basis. There are several DropShip cruise lines that specialize in comet watching: the vessels are well-equipped, complete with full casinos and holovid theaters for watching the Solaris VII fights, of course.

Getting There Is Half The Scam

With JumpShips entering the Solaris system on an almost hourly basis, travel to the Game World certainly is not difficult for the vacationing 'Mech-fights aficionado. Most cruise lines schedule stops at Solaris, trading at least one DropShip for a returning vessel from the Game World.  Many other JumpShips with routes that pass Solaris will also accept passengers, transferring them to the recharge stations to wait for an inbound interplanetary ferry.  These ferries are luxuriously outfitted DropShips, and if costs run a bit high, the passenger is at least traveling in high style complete with in-room bars, gambling halls, arena theaters and round-the-clock live entertainment. For a modest fee, passengers on regular cruise lines bound for the Game World can also trade up to the Solaris ferries on the inbound journey.

While traveling to Solaris VII is easy, leaving is much more problematic.  The Solaris ferries run outbound only for chartered private parties: no general berthing can be purchased. This arrangement is a last ditch attempt by the entertainment concerns to separate a big winner from his instantly acquired fortune. Also, those passengers who rode into the Solaris system on transitory vessels - JumpShips that merely used the system as a rechage point in a longer journey - often find that similar accommodations cannot be found to leave the Solaris system. Such travelers are forced to atempt to arrange outbound travel through the cruise lines, which are already intentionally overbooked.

The Solaris VII entertainment consortiums, in cooperation with the world's administrative branch, levy a large landing tax on all passenger-carrying outbound DropShips. This tax is based on the inbound ticket cost (or the inbound half of a round-trip ticket) per passenger on an outgoing flight. This keeps down the cost for arriving flights, and inflates the price for departures. Many touring lines have taken to scheduling only one-way tickets into Solaris, and chartering for private parties and first-class only on the outbound leg, much as the ferries do.  Others manage to convert from passenger vessels to limited cargo carriers.

Even taking into account that not every inbound ship runs at full capacity, the passenger berths available on outbound vessels number less than 90 percent of the incoming capacity, usually far less. Passengers may upgrade - and every upgrade generates another fee for Solaris VII - or fight the masses for the limited space. Too often, it is easier to remain another day and hope fortunes change. Solaris VII is betting it will, but never in the tourists favor.