A renewed burst of colonial enthusiasm would sweep the galaxy this year. While for much of the previous postwar era, the Harthus Galaxy was consumed with internal affairs, the international community saw a burst of renewed interest in the Novus Galaxy’s virgin worlds. Brave explorers were financed, colony ships were launched, terraforming companies made a killing, and people sought to make the unexplored galaxy… more explored.
Lamian ships heading into the last frontier
Republic of Baekdu:
The Ministry of the Overseas Territories, the government office responsible for colonial expansion and development, had incredibly ambitious designs for this year: scouting and settling four systems within the year. Due to the expense involved and several important deals falling through, the plan was scaled back to just two, one at each end of the Novus Galaxy. The first target was the system designated by the PGCAU* as R-281, northwest of Haneulttang. The other was V-095, north of the Lekhs wormhole. What they found would prove to be diametric opposites.
V-095 contained a large blue star and no planetary bodies at all larger than asteroids, which was fairly disappointing; the whole system could, at maximum capacity, support just ten million people, and that at massive expense. However, the thick asteroid belts would be able to accomadate large military installations, and the star could support large solar farms. The Ministry of War was interested, and began the construction of the requisite facilities. These proceeded mostly without incident. (Colonization of V-095: 1 of 2)
R-281, on the other hand, contained a genuine treasure of a planet. A massive world, three times the size of Baekdu proper, blooming with a huge diversity of life and blessed with overflowing natural resources. The MOT was ecstatic, and colonization permits were issued almost faster than they could be issued. The name for the planet that caught on, and by extension the system, was Yuhwa, a Muist goddess who traditionally was the mother of the mythological first king of ancient Baekdu. Expedition after expedition came to Yuhwa, and some predicted another Great Exodus.
Colonization was hard going, however. In the enthusiasm to settle the planet, a full Ministry of Health survey of the planet was rushed through, and many early colonists died to disease. There was also the matter of the Puleunsae, or “blue birds”, a surprisingly intelligent (though not sapient) species of bird that would viciously attack colonists who got too close to flowers they fed upon. These flowers, named Marin Karin, were widespread across the planet and emitted mild hallucinogens, so Puleunsae attacks were ominpresent and often fatal. Finally, the massive size and wealth of the planet was also something of an inhibition to its colonization, as all manner of interests demanded a thorough study of it before any given area could be colonized. About fifty thousand colonists died during the initial settlement, and it would be a long time before preparations would be complete. (Yuhwa Colonization: 1 of 4)
Orbital view of Yuhwa
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Adrallan Oligarchy:
The Oligarchy would, of course, not be left out of the rush to claim new systems. Relacey, showing his trademark caution, dispatched expeditions to two systems, each heavily defended by the Adrallan Navy. The first was X-129, between the Hhhurkh and Lekhs wormholes, and considered a key strategic chokepoint. Exarch Relacey personally addressed the first ship of colonists to touch down on the prime habitable world, a desolate planet with little atmosphere that nonetheless would be a suitable candidate for terraforming. Unfortunately, one disaster after another befell the colonists. The rushed scouting job caused the administration to misjudge the length and intensity of the planet’s winter, which in the most habitable era turned out to be over an Adrallan year long, which caused their hydroponic farms to first fail and then freeze over. Beset by starvation, faulty terraforming machines, and collapse in morale, nearly eighty percent of the colonists died by the end of the year, some 350,000 in all, and the remaining colonists begged for evacuation before they froze to death or would be forced to resort to cannibalism. The central government relented and abandoned the planet, leaving behind only a few icebound settlements and resource stations. Would the government try again, or would another power brave the storm? (-350,000 civilians, colonization of X-129 fails)
The other system, designated Q-303, lay between the Zokhed system and the Xarmac Wormhole, and would proceed more according to plan. The Adrallan navy escorted the colonists to the surface, and the first settlements were constructed without a hitch. Unfortunately, the colonists soon found they were not alone; a very unexpected guest was found to have beaten them to the planet… [Colonization of Q-303: 1 of 3, to be continued]
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Kingdom of Lamia:
Lamia, too, set its sights to the stars with two colonization expeditions of their own. The first was to the system designated N-479, west of the Hecate system. Lamians found an ice planet, with a habitale band around the equator and colder regions north to the poles. Unlike the Adrallans, the Lamians prepared well for the winter (and could supplement food supplies with fishing for whale-like beasts in the icy oceans.) Colonization went well, with minimal terraforming expected. (Colonization of N-479: 1 of 3)
The other system, designated G-922, yielded a lush, small forested moon of a gas giant that was also quite suitable for colonization. It was inhabited by both megafauna and giant bipedal bear monsters that massacred an initial settlement of colonists, but other settlements managed to defend themselves. Colonization of the forest moon, too, was proceeding on schedule. (Colonization of G-922: 1 of 3)
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Kingdom of Divine Light:
The Kingdom of Divine Light sought to expand as well, to spread the word of Milky-eyes and civilization to the greater cosmos. Brave pilgrims piled onto colony ships headed to the galactic southwest, reaching a system designated E-384. As across the galaxy, the Watcher scientists found a planet suitable for terraforming, one with a thin atmosphere and small icecaps. Also notable were large lines crisscrossing the surface that, to the priests aboard the ships, seemed to be canals.
As the ships descended on to the planet’s surface, the scientists made an amazing discovery: the large lines were, in fact, ancient, dried-up canals. Surrounding them were elaborate networks of broken bridges and old dwellings just barely sticking out of the ground, dated to be at least ten thousand years old by scientists. The Watchers seemed to have stumbled upon the ruins of a dead civilization that had once inhabited the planet. All traces of who lived on this world, or what happened to them, seemed to have disappeared; scientists hypothesized that they had fled as their world lost its atmosphere. With Watcher ingenuity, the canals were made to work again, and development was given a large kickstart. Remarkably, one of the largest intact structures seemed to be some kind of superweapon, dubbed a “death ray” by incredulous archaeologists. Built on physical principles unknown to Watcher scientists, it seemed to be able to totally erase a target without leaving a trace. Large and impractical, and not much more effective than a laser gun of comparable size, it would not be set to revolutionize warfare, but the capacitors and fuel cells designed for some kind of exotic matter would capitave the scientific community. Did this terrible weapon wipe out the previous inhabitants? Would it do the same to them?
(Colonization of E-384: 1 of 2, old canals and death ray found, +military tech progress: 1 of 3)
Stylized view of E-384 Prime
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Manje Confederacy:
The Manje, ever in search of strange new delicacies, claimed system W-626 as the Fontye Territory. A temperate planet with a wide variety of animals with compatible biochemistry, the Manje rejoiced and began colonization in earnest. A minor scandal broke out when a species of ungulate analogues turned out to be poisonous, causing significant PR damage to Moi-se Meats, but this did not dampen enthusiasm for colonization overall.
(Colonization of Fontye: 1 of 3)
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Federated States of Azeratii:
B-505, first scouted by the Azeratiian military, was known to contain a world with strong volcanic activity that would need severe tectonic and atmospheric adjustments before large-scale settlement would be practical. Fortunately, the government prepared well, and once the initial go-ahead was secured, terraforming proceeded at a fast pace. The planet rapidly cooled and toxic gases were quickly filtered out of the atmosphere. If all went well, settlement could begin before the end of next year.
(Colonization of B-505: 1 of 2)
The main planet in the B-505 system, in the process of being terraformed
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Uksugan Federation:
The Federation, unique amongst the major policies, actively decided to scout the major worlds they planned to colonize before colonizing them. The first was Jabos, the same system the Adrallans would colonize later in the year, nestled between Zokhed and the Xarmac Wormhole. Finding a cold, taiga-dominated planet with relatively little dangerous native life, word was relayed back to President Zephyr that their colonization project for this world would be given the all-clear, and hasty preparations were made.
Scouts surveyed the other systems in turn, with intelligence on each passed along to the Republican League. The first was was the system designated M-451, named “Kisk” by the Uksugans. Kisk contained a large planet in the habitable zone unique in that it seemed to have an incredibly metal-rich composition, which would yield a bounty of rare-earths and even some valuable gemstones. When this information was passed to the Baekduans, since M-451 was one of their initial colonization targets as well, the government also expressed interest in the systems. Since, however, the Federation’s main target for colonization was Jabos, Kisk, for the time being, remained officially unclaimed.
The next was Raguel, the system designated F-780, directly south of Zokhed. While initial long-range scans revealed nothing out of the ordinary, with a planet with a toxic greenhouse environment and a few moons, as Uksugan scout ships began to approach the planet, radio contact suddenly went silent, and within hours the ships were lost and presumed destroyed. Another scouting party sent after them met a similar fate. What could be causing this? Another mission to scout the system east of Raguel was put on hold, given both a lack of time and resources as well as the results of the Raguel expeditions.
Jabos would be the site of a most peculiar colonization project. The system was, in the first place, home to a pirate base. While styling itself as an anarcho-capitalist commune called the Confederation of Free Men, they were both in ends and means pirates. Captains from across the Harthus Galaxy, Baekduans, Celts, Terrans, Solesians, and even Lamians and Adrallans joined together in that most universal of enterprises: making money and getting intoxicated. After a heavy bribe, the Uksugan colonists were allowed passage, but the pirates made it extremely clear that a hefty tribute would be required for any passing ship. The colonists, defying governmental orders to wait for instructions, paid the bribe and made planetfall, and began seeking out their new lives.
(Colonization of Jabos: 1 of 3, to be continued)
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Casualties:
Republic of Baekdu: 50,000 civilians (Yuhwa)
Adrallan Oligarchy: 350,000 civilians (X-129)
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*: Pan-Galactic Community Astrographical Union. Responsible for codifying and compiling information about the Harthus and Novus Galaxies.
