Double Star

The Epsilon Cetus system, containing an M8 red dwarf and a G0 yellow star, was originally colonized by two independent relocation missions. The first to arrive, and thus to claim the better G0 system, were those of Islamic origin. The second mission, of Chinese origin, arrived some 50 years later in a crippled colony ship, found the G0 system jealously guarded by a handful of Islamic ships, and had to crash-land instead in the far poorer quality red dwarf system. This early incident left a lasting animosity between the two cultures. Over two centuries, the Islamic culture established itself in its system, exploiting its mineral and ecological wealth to the fullest, and developing a thriving interplanetary society. The Chinese colony, on the other hand, was forced to spend the past 150 years in a spartan struggle for survival against marginal environments and the unpredictable flares of the red dwarf. Now, however, the pressure of population on the Chinese and the pressure for additional resource supplies on the Islamic has brought these two cultures into direct conflict.