Leytan III
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Leytan III is a planet in the Leytan system, a remote, dimly lit system in the Shackleton Expanse, orbiting a red giant star. It is an arid, rocky world whose surface is scarred by deep canyons, wind-scoured plains, and an immense, monolithic spire that dominates its equatorial region.
Overview
From orbit, Leytan III is austere but not lifeless. Vast semi-arid plains stretch across the surface, broken by canyons and oases fed by subterranean aquifers. Hardy grasses and thorned brush dot the landscape, sustaining herds of tough grazing animals that in turn support small groups of nomadic hunters. Seasonal rains briefly transform valleys into fertile corridors before drying to dust, forcing constant movement. The atmosphere is dry but breathable, and while temperatures still swing sharply between day and night, the world sustains a fragile yet persistent biosphere.
The most striking feature is the spire - a colossal pillar of black stone rising over a kilometre into the sky. It is too uniform to be natural, constructed of fitted blocks larger than shuttlecraft. The structure is hollow, its interior lined with smooth walls that resist sensor scans. At its base lies a vast chamber centred on a now-inert crystalline orb.
Surrounding the spire are scattered ruins: low foundations of stone structures, toppled monoliths, and avenues leading outward into the desert. Their arrangement suggests they once formed a vast ceremonial city, though the erosion of millennia has left them weathered and broken.
Leytanor
Today, only a small population of indigenous people, the Leytanor, inhabit Leytan III. They are humanoid but lightly built, adapted to the planet’s arid climate with elongated limbs, leathery umber skin, and dark eyes well-suited to dim light. Their metabolisms can endure long periods of scarcity by storing nutrients in pronounced ridges along their backs. Their society is organised into kin-based bands that prize endurance, memory, and storytelling; disputes are settled through ritual recitations of history rather than combat, and prestige lies with those who can most faithfully preserve the past. Though divided by geography and belief, they share a cultural emphasis on oral tradition, itinerant craftsmanship, and reverence for natural landmarks that shape their seasonal migrations.
Some groups avoid the spire entirely, treating it as cursed ground. Others revere it, gathering in shadowed enclaves where rituals of fear and fury are practiced. These scattered societies are wary of outsiders. Some display hospitality in exchange for trade or protection, while others react with hostility, especially near the ruins. Archaeological evidence suggests they are the descendants of a once-unified culture whose decline followed the collapse of the great city around the spire.
History
2403
- With the collapse of the subspace anomalies across the Shackleton Expanse, starships Atlantis and Republic are tasked with conducting further investigative work, especially the monolith on the planet's surface. The monolith is noted for its placement in a ruined city in a vast desert, far from any signs of habitation. It is also the centre of a localised interference field that prevents the use of transporters, communications and most scanning technologies.
- A joint ground team eventually makes contact with one of the Leytanor, Fen, who represents a group known as the Watchers, who keep a vigil over the monolith to prevent any potential pilgrimages from those seeking to worship beings they know as "the Terrors". The joint science team learn that the Watchers have had contact with other space-faring civilisations before, all interested in the monolith, before departing after failing to learn anything further.
- Continued examinations of the plinth at the base of the monolith eventually reveal a tunnel that leads inside the monolith. Contact is made with an entity that matches the description of the Terrors. Eventually, all personnel are forced to evacuate the area, abandoning the monolith for now and having to abort further study.
- With damage sustained during rescue operations, Republic is forced to retreat back to Framheim Station. Atlantis stays on station to conduct a long-term anthropological survey and to set up monitoring of the monolith while awaiting a Starfleet science team to study the entity contained within the monolith. Basic agricultural assistance is extended to the Laytanor, through the Watchers, to assist in helping the people of Leytan have a more prosperous future without outside assistance.