Planet: Aphrodite
Astronomical Name: Helios c
Star System: Helios
Type: Class E (Swampy/Tropical Earthlike)
Capital: Sanctuary
Aphrodite is the innermost Class E planet in the Helios system, envisioned as a humid, cloud-shrouded world reminiscent of pulp-era depictions of Venus. With a deep troposphere, near-constant cloud cover, and few deserts, Aphrodite’s landscape is dominated by jungles, swamps, and massive inland seas rather than globe-spanning oceans. The planet is notorious for its turbulent early history and is often described in Compact records as a “dumpster fire.”
Originally colonized by workers from Tian who helped prepare it for habitation, Aphrodite’s fragile society was destabilized when a sleeper ship carrying settlers with an older territorial claim arrived fifty years later. The resulting clash between the original settlers—now known as the Penqu—and the newcomers—predominantly of Indian descent and known as the Kolkats—sparked three centuries of intermittent civil conflict.
Despite its rocky start, Aphrodite became a cultural melting pot. Its most significant contribution to Compact civilization is Humanic, a widely spoken pidgin language that originated as a trade dialect combining Chinese, English, and Spanish, with later additions of Hindi and Bengali. By 436 IE, Aphrodite attained core world status and established a provisional government centered in its capital city, Sanctuary.
Appearance: Royal Orders, Breaking Liberty, Davra's Endeavour