The Ponsirans are a species branch of humanity native to Ponsira.
Biology[]
Ponsirans appear to be humanoid not so different from humans.
History[]
The planet was discovered by Captain Jacobsen. There he found that the Ponsirans to be highly unfriendly, forcing him to escape on is ship. On his recommendation the planet was now deemed to be out of bounds with crews forbidden to visit upon pain of death.
That had been reported thirty years ago. The planet was visited again by the ship Orestes captained by Captain Frank Ravensthorpe. The Orestes was damaged when it encountered an asteroid in its path. Their engines damaged, the nearest space dock at Alpha Draconis being forty days travel, and the crew of the Orestes running low on supplies, the decision was made to go to Ponsira as it was the closest habitable world to make their repairs.
When the arrived in orbit of the planet, the crew attempted to request permission to land on the city’s runaway but received on answer. Desperate they brought the Orestes to a forested island, crash landing it. The crew survived the landing but the ship was totally unsalvageable and the remaining food supplies lost, leaving them stranded.
Their presence on the planet was immediately detected the Ponsirans. A drone was sent to the crash site and transported Captain Ravensthorpe and his Chief Engineer of the Orestes, Anna Ulmen to the city to speak with the Prava.
The leader of the Prava, Shming called out the pair for violating the law. According to his female colleague Orak the previous captain from the stars had promised no outsiders would come and visit their word. The penalty for the crime for the crew was death. Though there were circumstances to consider as the last member of the Prava, Brisatog, took the liberty to hack into the Orestes logs to confirm the crew’s story of their engines being damaged from an encounter with an asteroid. Although the charges are justified, Brisatog recommended leniency. As the crew of the Orestes were unable to leave in their craft, they were effectively refugees and as such thus the Prava welcomed them into their society. That involves being as the Ponsirans and shedding their clothes. Anna upon hearing this condition refused, verbally stating she would prefer death. This prompted the Prava to take her away, presumably to be executed.
Ravensthorpe having no choice accepted the terms and the rest of the crew followed suit. Since they were not citizens of Ponsira City, the Orestes was claimed as property of Ponsira. The crew after relocating from the city and to the city, adapted to the ways of their hosts. They were then separated in groups to be educated as citizens.
During the transition, Ravensthorpe learned that the Ponsirans utilized gold in their roads, thus explaining why Jacobson kept everyone away from the planet. After four weeks of intensive learning the former members of the Orestes were deemed ready to be granted their citizenship certificates. At a ceremony Ravensthorpe met the leader of the Prava, Shming, now going by the name Shmingtog.
Upon noticing the altered name indicating Shmingtog was recently married, the Ponsiran revealed Ravensthorpe his new wife, Anna Ulmen. As it turned out her execution was stayed by then Shming who was impressed by the human’s courage and took her as his wife. Anna initially was resistant to being married and the Ponsiran way of life eventually conceded to her situation becoming Annatok.
Ravensthorpe happy to see his friend alive was about to offer a congratulations on the form of a quick kiss. Though it’s learned the whole ordeal was a fantasy dreamt by a man on flight to London.
Culture[]
There was one city, Ponsira City, which seemed to rely on a geothermal heat source. The people seemed to be farmers, but were said to be very unfriendly and unwelcoming of strangers. The Ponsirans regarded themselves as a peaceful species though took unkindly to the encroachment of their territory by other military groups seeing them as violent. Penalties for violating their territory was death, though exceptions could be made in certain situations.
Under normal executions, a criminal placed in a compartment which is then filled with fumes is from the geothermal source would have rendered them unconscious. Once unconscious, the criminal would have fallen against one of the pressure pads and the floor would opened causing the body to fall into the magma below the city.
The people on Ponsira have no need for clothing and go about their daily activities in the nude.
The Ponsiran year is four hundred and eighty days.
For a woman who is married to be kissed by another man was not allowed and improper.
Naming conventions used by the Ponsirans were different. Names of unmarried Ponsirans ended in -g for males and -k for females with married Ponsirans having the -tog or -tok suffix.
Inhabitants of the city were regarded as citizens until they passed their citizenship certificate. Before that they were classed as children and had the suffix -n. Those who had yet to receive a citizenship were not allowed to own property.
Despite lacking technology for space travel, they were still an advanced culture with access to automated aircraft called Borbuya reserved for two. And the Spikeria transporter for greater numbers of passenger. And also possessed sophisticated abilities to hack into the logs of starships.
One of the reasons for their isolation is that Ponsira possessed a supply of unlimited gold that they mined from a nearby island close to the city where the rocks were pure gold. If knowledge was let out it was predicted that the Earth price of gold would sink like a stone with this new supply. Gold was fashioned into plates used to pave roads on Ponsira as the metal was not easily heated and easier to walk on while barefooted.
They were led by a triumvirate known as the Prava.
Source[]
- Adventures Without Clothes: Ponsira by Andrew Calow (2023)