G'harne

G'harne
Type: Terrestrial (Icy)
Primary Star: M5V (Red Dwarf)
Gravity: 1.3 g
Diameter: 19768 km
Atmospheric Pressure: 1.35 atm
Atmospheric Composition: 78% CO2, 22% Methane, Trace other gasses
Surface Temperature (Mean): -50 C
Day Length: 44 hours
Orbital Period: 528 Days
Satellites: None
Gate Access: Fissure Gate
Notes: Alien Life (macrofauna), Possible Alien Artifacts, Resources Available, Dangerous Natural Phenomena (cryovolcanoes)
G'harne seems like an oversized Titan. While cold, it has a thick enough atmosphere to keep some heat and pressure in, and has a high volume of carbon content in the air and ground, as well as heavy volumes of atmospheric methane, and volatile ice - interspersed with surface liquids of ammonia. While the mixture of gas, liquid and solid forms of volatiles combined with occasional tidal effects cause intermittent and occasionally violent Cryovolcano activity G'harne is a relatively safe, if cold world rich in resources which are valuable to gather and share for many Autonomist leaning gatecrashers. The fact that liquid ammonia under higher pressure can etch some impressive canyons into the glacial continents also makes it very picturesque.
More importantly, however is that G'harne's rich concentration of volatile and organic compounds has apparently given rise to life - and not just microbes but macrofauna animals who all function on ammonia-solvent biochemistry. This makes them much more resistant to the cold than water-solvent life (like humans), though which much slower metabolisms - and thus less disposed toward intelligent, fast-paced life. Most organisms survive via chemosynthesis, processing methane or inorganic carbon compounds in the icy crust to gain energy. Slightly larger microbes or even small macrofauna or fungi analogs will consume smaller organisms to obtain chemical energy, usually through passive filtration or "trap-like" processes. The largest organisms and most successful macrofauna appear to be a segmented worm analog which are called "bholes" (not to be confused with a Dhole - a terran canid). The largest and oldest seem to be just over a meter long, and live by slowly burrowing their way through ice to find ammonia pools, which they drink for nutrients, both in the ammonia itself, and in smaller organisms which might be inside it. Bholes work slowly, utilizing minimal energy to maximum return when they find the pool - they appear to have little in the way of self defense but little need for it, and are effectively the apex of the food chain for the time being. Reports by some of seeing massive bholes, anywhere from several meters in length to ones the size of mountain ranges are dismissed as wandering explorers drunk on moonshine or improperly filtering toxic gasses from the air.
The Argonauts, with their open source focus, have taken a keen interest in G'harne and with the blessing of Love and Rage set up a small series of research bases in the icy surface to study bholes and other of the unusual life here, and make regular reports back to the Solar System, which are publically shared through several networks. In addition to scientists, some surveyors and prospectors come to G'harne in order to try and find a good deposits of hydrocarbons or a new ammonia lake formation or another alien species to try and capitalize on the fame and reputation it will bring - occasionally these individuals go missing - probably killed by poor planning and rough terrain. However, deep penetrating ground-scans have noticed some anomalies deep below, objects which are unusually hard or difficult to scan when according to planetology there should be little discernible differentiation in these specific coordinates - and some over-eager scientists have jumped the gun that they are alien in nature - possibly external to the planet via the gates. More measured and cautious Argonauts profess that this is but one theory, and that several other explanations are equally reasonable, such as impacts, violent seismic or cryovolcanic activity due to external bodies in the past or just rare occurrences in nature - the anomalies have such depth as to make precise study difficult for the time being. Some unusual features seem to occur, though, such as these large, long objects being the source of some seismic activity, or possibly having incredibly ponderous motion relative to to the natural movement of the terrain...