Introduction
KT-943 (Surt), is more commonly referred to as "Lava Land" by NanoTrasen employees familiar with the locale. An inhospitable dwarf planet located in Sellus' Crutch, a NanoTrasen owned system, Surt was legally acquired by the Megacorporation in 2547, and was initially slated to become another industrial refinery world. Following the end of the Phoron War in 2559, all but one of the established colonies on the planet were shut down, and their inhabitants reassigned to other sectors. To this day, Surt serves as a low-tier source for mineral extraction and archaeological study. For as-yet-unknown reasons, NanoTrasen continues to heavily restrict transit in and out of Sellus' Crutch, and even more jealously controls access to KT-943 itself.
Geography
The dwarf planet KT-943 orbits a red giant, nearing the edge of the inner habitable zone. While some scientists believe this contributes to its climate, Surt is also undergoing a prolonged period of geological upheaval. Although NanoTrasen's scientists have not been able to divine the exact source of the seismic activity, all recovered archaeological records suggest that the planet has been undergoing this volatile change for the length of its known history. Surt's tectonic plates subduct and split frequently, resulting in consistent exposure to lava across the surface. Volcanic activity is also far higher than normal, resulting in a consistent pattern of atmospheric disturbances hereafter referred to as "ash storms". These storms carry hot ash across Surt's thin atmosphere in large, whirling circuits which make both air and ground transit hazardous at best, and impossible at worst.
History
As may best be divined by consulting the archaeological records, Surt once bore host to a species of hardy aliens now believed to be extinct. This species, referred to by NanoTrasen Xenoarchaeology teams as "Ashwalkers", exhibited an array of interesting morphological features, based on artistic depictions found on pottery and some cavern murals. No live specimens or modern tools have ever been located, leading NT to conclude that this species experienced some unknown cataclysm. Considering the environment, this is not hard to imagine.
After its purchase by NanoTrasen in 2548, nine colonies were established across the surface of Surt. All were considered operational by 2549, and phoron refinement and exportation were fully underway until the cessation of the war in 2559. With the cost of maintaining such a large operation in a hazardous environment considered untenable, NanoTrasen suspended all mining activity on Surt that same year. Closing down eight of the nine colonies, NanoTrasen allowed NT-Mining Colony MO-22.a67z (Kristen's Harmony) to continue operations. This colony, home to a rotating population of approximately two hundred NanoTrasen employees, continued operation until 2564, when an unknown catastrophe resulted in its destruction. Since this time, NanoTrasen assets have enforced a quarantine on not only Surt, but the entirety of Sellus' Crutch.
At this current point in time, only one NanoTrasen research vessel has free access to the planet's surface for the purposes of mining and academic study.
Notable Wildlife
Surt was the home world for many curious beasts, each hardy and well adapted to its environment. Foremost among these was the "Goliath", a quadrupedal creature. (WIP - Consider pulling the data from the Goliath cataloguer entry if we have one. If not, traits: don't age, tendrils, solitary animals but would migrate to hives for breeding, believed to be hunted to extinction during the time colonies on Surt were active, no known living specimens.)
Notable Incidents
-The Harmony Reclamation Event (WIP/Determine how much of the event should be considered "public" knowledge.)