• Overflight of planet is severly restricted; contact the Starport well before entering orbit.

Spirelle is a medium-sized world, slightly smaller than Earth, with a standard atmosphere and 60% hydrographics. The population is at the very high end of moderate.  Government is by a very successful and well-established Representative Democracy, based on proportional representation and one-person-one-vote (eligible from birth, no proxy).  The law level is moderate. Tech level is late Pre-Stellar.

This is a system which has benefited culturally from being off the main trade routes, and the people are definite that they want it to stay that way. The system is refreshingly free of Imperial influence, although Spirelle is proud to be a member of the Imperium and considers itself a shining example of true democratic principles.

In reality, the government is very successful, although the low voting age tends to lead to rather liberal politics.  An excellent welfare state provides an "allowance" for all citizens regardless of job classification, and since the planet is prosperous this has not historically been a problem.  The apparently very successful socialist system is frequently examined by sociology PhD students; many research projects have been carried out by major professors, usually funded by left-wing political organisations. Spirelle even sponsors a prize, administered by the University of Mora, for work which makes significant advancement in the study of socialist democracies.

The planet is also a fine example of environmental awareness.  All food is vegetarian, although animals are farmed for their wool and milk.  Ground transport is generally by electric car, while air transport is by solar-powered (battery-assisted) airship.  There is no provision for ground transport between cities, as the unspoiled wildnerness is considered more important than fast and simple travel.  The cities are very pleasant, with large and open public parks.  Living quarters are well-equipped apartments, and most buildings are groundscrapers, with 20 or so floors below ground and two or three recreational and communal levels above.

The main tourist attraction of note (not that many tourists come here from off-planet) is the mountain resort of Allys Hollow.  This expensive and exclusive hotel village is nestled at the base of a spectacular 5km high mountain range, set on a clear deep lake slightly below sea level. The range is surrounded by a vast natural desert, but within the valleys rich and abundant wildlife provide a verdant contrast to the brown dry sand just the other side of the mountains.  The two-day flight from the starport city (and system capital) of Heliopolis is quite spectacular, as the airship must pass through the 2km altitude Janakra Pass which passes between the highest points of the range before dropping down to one of the lowest elevations on the planet.

Once at Allys Hollow, all entertainments are included in the price of 1000 Cr per day per person. These include sailing on the 43km-long Lake Janakra, hiking in the mountains (the wildlife is completely tame, as hunting has been illegal for hundreds of years), airship sightseeing and camping rides (small chauffeured 10-person ships are available for private parties), skiing at the higher slopes, and of course deep-lake scuba and submersible diving in search of the legendary Janari seamonster.

As mentioned before, air transport is by dirigible. Special airships are used on the Heliopolis - Allys Hollow route, and go through the magnificent Janakra Pass that cuts the range at an altitude of only 2km. At Allys Hollow, the airships are of two basic types -- low altitude and high altitude. The low altitude ships are the same standard airships used on the rest of the planet, but the high altitude ships are specially built to enable operation at altitudes of 5km or more.

The 12-man high altitude ships have four auxiliary "helicopter" rotors on cantilevered gantries that swing out from the cabin.  These rotors serve to provide enough additional lift to take the ship up to 1 or 1.5 km altitude, where the airship is designed to operate.  The battery power is sufficient for three take-offs or landings, and (if power remains) can be used as an emergency landing system -- but the effectiveness is reduced at higher altitudes where the air is thinner.  Tourists intending to take an HA-ship are warned that they are difficult to fly and that the higher crags of the mountain can have dangerous currents.  In the event of a forced landing, satellite rescue surveillence systems will usually pick up the cabin's emergency beacon within three days.

Only accessible by HA-ship is the unspoilt wilderness of Lake Kharon, 75km west of Lake Janakra.  This lake is larger than Lake Janakra, and includes possibly the largest and most spectacular beach on the planet, surrounded as it is by the steep cliffs and hillsides of the 5km mountains.

-cam MW