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Located within the Shpanberg System, the Weeping Stars world of '''Gadpathur''' is a living testament to the nearly-apocalyptic nature of the Interstellar War between the Sol Alliance and Coalition of Colonies centuries ago. The surface of the planet has been scorched and gouged by years of orbital bombardment, and much of it remains uninhabitable to this very day. The remaining residents of the planet retreated underground as the planet was bombarded, and what has emerged as the dominant force on Gadpathur since the Interstellar War is the '''United Planetary Defense Council of Gadpathur''', a government dedicated to ensuring, above all other things, that the planet will '''never again fall to the Sol Alliance, even if all its inhabitants must give their lives in its defense.'''


Located in orbit around Jupiter in the Sol System, the icy body of '''Europa''' is the first location where humanity discovered extraterrestrial life. The harsh and inhospitable environment of the moon has led to its population remaining relatively small even in the present day. Due to the immense radiation that constantly strikes the moon's surface, Europa's three hundred million residents exist in one of the most unique environments in the entire Sol Alliance: beneath the outer ice sheet, submerged in the waters of the Europan Sea. This environment is at best poorly understood, and more is being discovered about the moon every day. However, the population believes that some secrets should perhaps be left unknown in its inky depths.
'''Because of Gadpathur's insular nature that is unwelcome to outsiders and its origins of being settled by Indian colonists, characters born on the planet must have names and physical characteristics typical of people from the modern-day Indian Subcontinent. Only native Gadpathurians may take the Gadpathuri accent. This is enforceable by server moderators and admins.'''
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[[File:UPDCR.png|thumb|The flag of Gadpathur.]]
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==History==
==History==
[[File:Europa_Flag.png|The government flag of Europa.|thumb]]
<center>''"For years after, Ambedkar stunk. It was the reek of death - the corpses of humans, animals, stale water and sewage pipes that leaked into craters. There was nowhere one could go without escaping the smell of it. On the beaches, fish washed up in the thousands. The carrion birds would come to feast on the bodies, only to drop dead from radiation and the putrid meat."'' - Jawaharlal Kanekar (2367 - 2452), ''A People's History of Gadpathur'', released 2403</center>
Life on Europa was first discovered in the late 21st century, but serious colonisation efforts did not take place until the mid 22nd century, due to economic issues on Earth and a perception that Europa, unlike [[Callisto]], would be too difficult to maintain colonies on. The first settlement on Europa was Korormansk Station, a research settlement established in 2145. Unlike many of the settlements that would follow it, Korormansk was built around a large borehole drilled into the surface ice, as the settlement was intended to serve as a major spaceport. Over the following centuries, Europans have slowly and steadily established more stations under the ice, carving out more of a foothold for humanity.
 
After [[Timeline#First_contact|first contact with the]] [[Skrell]], Europa began to be frequented by Skrellian "adrenaline junkies"; they came to Europa as a form of tourism, wishing to experience the dangerous reputation of Europa’s ocean for themselves and took to signing on with any vessel that would have them. In spite of their eagerness, these Skrell had little luck in signing up with the larger organisations on Europa, mostly in part to a lack of interest in accommodating another species when resources and space were at a premium. The vessels that would accept Skrell crewmembers were mostly owned by independent contractors or smaller organisations that did not have the luxury of being selective of those who sign up with them. These small groups of adrenaline junkies stayed rare for two decades.
 
In the 2360s, rumours began to spread of Skrell who were able to perform feats that saved their crew from danger in one form or another. One famous story involves the crew of the Prenderghast, which had a major malfunction to its navigation systems while in a cave crab-infested cavern. A Skrell crewmember, Xuloqu Ahua'luako, was a powerful Listener that was able to detect the psionic signals from the surrounding crabs, and so lead the Prenderghast out of the cavern. Another story describes a Skrell crewman notifying their captain of an encroaching bone whale heading straight for their submarine, well before their navigator could have reported it; thanks to this report, the bone whale was uninjured by the submarine's sonar, and the submarine was unharmed by the bone whale. While humanity was aware of the psionic abilities Skrell had by this point, neither species considered its use in navigation to be practical until these rumours began; attempting to employ unassisted, consistent psionic navigation was never considered feasible by the Skrell due to the mental strain of long-term psionics use, and humanity at this point was still largely unaware of the psionic potential of the Skrell.
 
These tales changed the common opinion of psionic application in submersible vessels, and by 2365 demand for Skrell crew surged, which led to very lucrative contracts being offered to any Skrell willing to work on the moon. Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals in particular invested heavily into the boom, and utilised their relationship with the [[Nralakk Federation]] to recruit scores of Skrell to work exclusively with Zeng-Hu within their Navigator Corps. Today, Europa boasts one of the largest Skrell communities in the Sol Alliance with a notable presence of the species in every facet of Europan life, with an especially large presence in any given Europan submarine crew. The community here continues to grow as Skrellian refugees from elsewhere in the Alliance seek to avoid the chaos in the [[Human Wildlands]].
 
In the modern day, Europa is a growing economy in the [[Sol Alliance]]. It and the other Jovian colonies enjoy a symbiotic relationship, with Europa exporting seafood and mineral resources to [[Callisto]], and Callisto exporting produce to Europa.
 
==Environment==
 
Europa presents one of the first truly alien environments encountered by a spacefaring humanity. The moon’s icy surface is one of the smoothest in the [[Orion Spur]], with very few craters or mountains. This quality is likely due to its high tectonic activity - a condition the stations attached to the ice must endure to the best of their abilities. The surface of Europa is bathed in radiation due to its lack of a true atmosphere, and mere hours of exposure to the radiation levels of the surface can prove to be fatal without treatment. As a result, all unshielded human settlements must be constructed below the ice of the surface, which is thick enough to act as a barrier against radiation. The surface ice can be as thick as twenty miles in some places, with thinner areas often exhibiting the moon’s iconic cryogeysers as the water below interacts with the ice above. Some of these cryogeysers are capable of reaching over a hundred miles into the space above the moon, and have been known to interfere with passing spacecraft.
 
Below the ice of the Europan surface lies the primary reason for humanity’s colonization of the planet: the Europan Sea. This massive ocean spans the moon in its entirety, and is nearly one-hundred miles deep in some areas. The sea is extremely cold due to its position under the icy surface of the moon. Average temperatures on the surface have been recorded at around -160 Celsius (or -260 Fahrenheit), with the coldest temperatures ever recorded approaching -220 Celsius (or -370 Fahrenheit). A higher salt content in the Europan Sea than its Earthborn counterparts has led to a lower freezing point, and a lower temperature overall. Exposure to the waters of Europa will rapidly result in hypothermia, and maintaining a livable temperature is a constant concern for every resident of the moon. In an effort to stave off the chill, heavy clothing is a common sight on Europans.
 
Aside from the cold, another constant feature of the Europan Sea is the extreme pressure it is capable of producing in its depths. Those submarines that proceed deep into the ocean are known to have heavily reinforced hulls, often made of plasteel. In order to withstand the pressure exerted upon those brave, or stupid, enough to conduct EVA work Europan diving suits more readily resemble spacesuits than wetsuits.
 
But despite these inhospitable, completely dark conditions, Europa is not as devoid of life as one may assume.
===Flora and Fauna of Europa===
The lightless waters of Europa are shockingly biodiverse. While many of the creatures found in the Europan Sea are harmless - and many are even edible, such as Europan shrimp, some can be quite dangerous for divers, or even entire submarines. No sentient life has been found on Europa despite its high biodiversity. The biodiversity of the Europan Sea is poorly understood due to the immense size and depth of the ocean, with many regions being inaccessible until the creation of the first plasteel submarine hulls in the 2400s. These submarines remain somewhat rare compared to traditional steel-hulled submarines due to their recent invention, but a manufacturing boom is currently being driven by them. As of 2462, the theoretical lowest point of the Europan Sea (so far only detected via sonar) has yet to be reached. This lack of cataloging has led to widespread reports of “Europan cryptids,” a local term for creatures that have been sighted, but are otherwise unconfirmed to exist. Few of these reports have ever been verified, with many being regarded as nothing more than fanciful submariners’ tales.
 
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====Europan ice kelp (''Eurolaminariales'')====
===Initial Colonization (2230s - 2260s)===
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One of the most common sights in the Europan Sea, this family of bioluminescent plants is typically found attached to the inner side of the moon’s icy outer layer, and has hooks at the end of its “branches” that allow it to dig slightly into the ice and prevent it from being swept away. Ice kelp is also known to attach itself to the outer hulls of stations under the surface ice, and is often regarded as an annoyance by the residents of the planet. This plant is often found grown in aquafarms, and is often consumed by the residents of the planet in addition to being exported for consumption. Many naturally-occurring cave systems in the Europan Sea are filled with ice kelp.
Gadpathur was colonized by Earther colonists from the Indian Subcontinent at roughly the same time as many colonies that would come to form the future Coalition of Colonies such as [[Xanu Prime]], [[Himeo]], and [[Vysoka]]. Due to its location closer to the Sol System, in what would eventually become the Weeping Stars, the system was colonized several years before many Coalition systems and was intended to serve as a refueling point for vessels heading to Xanu Prime. The planet was fairly unspectacular: Earthlike and inhabitable, but possessing nothing noteworthy beyond its convenient location. The fauna and flora were docile enough, though most died off due to invasive species brought by the settlers. The planet prospered as a trading port positioned between Xanu and Sol. Partially, this success was due to its significant naval presence which discouraged most pirate attacks on the system or vessels that flew its flag. The naval presence was a great boon for the system, at least until the Interstellar War began.
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====Europan bone whale (''Balaenoptera ossus'')====
===Interstellar War and Bombardment (2260s - 2278)===
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The '''Europan Bone Whale''' is one of the largest known creatures found in the Europan Sea. The bone whale derives its name from the bone plating that surrounds its body, allowing it to survive in the crushing depths of the sea and defend itself from predators. Despite the intimidating name, bone whales are herbivores that tend to primarily dine upon Europan ice kelp. However, they are known to become dangerous when provoked or otherwise threatened, as their thick bone plating is able to severely injure a diver or even damage the hulls of weaker submarines. Bone whales are generally only found in open waters, and their bodies often fall into the deep abyss of the Sea - well beyond the crush depth of most submarines. Bone whales are large enough to produce a significant sonar signature and have often been confused for other creatures, particularly by inexperienced sonar operators. Some theorize that many Europan “cryptids” are, in reality, misreported bone whales.
By the mid 2260s Gadpathur was in the worst position that it had been in for its entire existence. The devastating economic collapse brought on by the Second Great Depression had destroyed much of its trade-based economy. Profits declined, unemployment became rampant, and many major trading companies went bankrupt. The problem only became worse in 2265 with the addition of steep taxes on all forms of trade by the Sol Alliance in order to prevent a total bankruptcy of the Alliance itself. The steep taxation upon the colonies and their trade, destroyed what little remained of Gadpathur’s once-thriving economy and turned the planetary opinion strongly against the Alliance. The last public opinion poll taken before the outbreak of violence in 2275 listed the Sol Alliance’s approval rating at less than 5%. The planet devolved into widespread civil unrest in late 2275 before escalating into full-scale revolt in early 2278.
 
The Interstellar War would only touch Gadpathur briefly, but it would impact the planet for centuries to come. The Sol Alliance’s control of the planetary surface was gradually lost as 2278 progressed, and was completely gone by September of that year. In orbit, Admiral Terrence Hopper - commander of the Gadpathur Fleet - seemingly stood alone. But Admiral Hopper - a hardline loyalist to the Sol Alliance - was not yet prepared to relinquish control of a valuable trading port to what he viewed as traitors and rebels to the true government of humanity. On the eighth of October, 2278, the Admiral gave the most fateful order ever to impact Gadpathur: fire all ordinance at the planet’s surface to deny the newly-formed Coalition of Colonies control of its valuable trade. Billions would assuredly die in the bombardment, but these were traitors in the eyes of Admiral Hopper in his fleet. The firing orders were carried out with little hesitation from the fleet’s captains, and the surface of Gadpathur was turned into a wasteland in the course of mere hours.
 
In the years following the Interstellar War, the bombing of Gadpathur would be swept under the proverbial rug by the Sol Alliance. Admiral Hopper was never punished and eventually retired to his home on Luna before passing away in the early 2300s in his sleep. Gadpathur itself went silent for many decades and was believed to be all but irrelevant by the Sol Alliance’s admiralty. The Coalition - unable to provide aid due to the damages sustained by itself during the Interstellar War - believed the planet and its population to be almost completely wiped out following the bombing and utilized it as anti-Solarian propaganda throughout the nearly decade-long Interstellar War.
 
But, against all odds, Gadpathur endured. However, it would never be the same again after the bombardment.
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====Light-shrimp (''Eurocaridae lucius'')====
===Patvardhan's Campaign (2278 - 2308)===
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Often simply referred to as “shrimp” by locals, the light-shrimp is a large crustacean roughly one to two meters long that somewhat resembles the shrimp of Earth. Light-shrimp are much larger than their Earthling counterparts, and as the name implies they produce a form of natural bioluminescence. These shrimp are fairly low on the Europan Sea’s food chain, and are often picked off by batsharks and other carnivores. They are also a primary export of Europa, and are utilized in a variety of dishes on the moon. The most skilled chefs are capable of maintaining the light-shrimp’s bioluminescence, which persists after death for a brief period, even as it is being served.
In the wasteland that had been Gadpathur, the civilian government - already strained and worn down by three years of constant civil unrest - collapsed within days, perhaps within hours, of the bombing. The military of the planet, similarly strained and divided between those loyal to the Sol Alliance and those loyal to the planet, followed the civilian government in collapsing. Within a week of the bombing’s conclusion a period referred to in the planet’s history as the “Gadpathurian Anarchy” had begun. Hundreds - perhaps thousands - of petty statelets and warlords emerged, ranging from former military units turned into bandits, mayors that were desperately holding onto the remains of their former cities, religious zealots that had organized doomsday cults, the remains of former political organizations that had formed political experiments ranging from radical Gadpathurian nationalism to Solarian revivalism, and many more. But one stood above all in terms of its organization, its goals, and its dedication: the Gadpathurian Reunification League, a military government founded from the remains of three army groups shortly after the bombs fell.
 
When the bombs fell, one army group was spared from much of the devastation thanks to the remote location in which it had opted to conduct training maneuvers. The Fifteenth Gadpathurian Planetary Command Region -  consisting of three armies - under the command of Field Marshal Ashia Patvardhan retained upwards of ninety percent of its pre-bombing strength while sequestered in their remote - and mostly underground - facilities, making it the largest military force essentially overnight. Field Marshal Patvardhan and her generals, after overcoming the initial shock of experiencing global thermonuclear warfare committed by those they had been serving mere months ago, came to a grim realization: they were the best, and perhaps the last, hope for their home. The task of reunifying Gadpathur and allowing it to once again reach the galactic stage had been laid upon their shoulders. Taking the simple title of Commander and renaming the Fifteenth Planetary Command Region to the Gadpathurian Reunification League, Patvardhan set the League upon their ultimate duty: ending the period of anarchy and creating a unified Gadpathur once again.
 
The League quickly secured its immediate surrounding area - primarily villages and towns that had been left without greater leadership following the collapse of the planetary government - and established a military government over the region. The resounding defeat of the nearby bandit warlord, a former military unit now calling themselves the “Disciples of Murugan,and the subsequent absorption of the bandits into the League as a unit established further confidence in the League’s ability to save the planet. A system of organization promoted by Commander Patvardhan in which factories, civilians, and military units were all organized along the same line: quasi-military groups referred to as “cadres” that helped encourage cooperation and unity between members of the Reunification League. It seemed that planetary reunification by the League was not a matter of if, but a matter of when.
 
In 2308, thirty years after the bombs were dropped onto Gadpathur’s surface, the black-and-brown flag of the Reunification League was at last hoisted over the former planetary capital of Ambedkar. Commander Patvardhan, now in her late seventies, had at last accomplished the dream of reunification and ended the Gadpathurian Anarchy. Already in her twilight years, Commander Patvardhan was now left with the task of determining which direction to take the Reunification League. She and her most senior officials and commanders conferred for days, then weeks, then after eighteen days a decision was reached. As the most important duty for the government of the planet was to ensure it would not bow again to the Sol Alliance, there would be no handover to a traditional civilian government. Instead, the Reunification League would rule the planet to ensure that it would not be humiliated by the Sol Alliance. Not ever.
 
When the Solarians returned, Gadpathur would stand ready. And it would never again fall to the Solarians - even if all of its citizens died in the defense of their planet.
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====Batshark (''Eurobatiformes caecus'')====
===Modern Day===
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The '''Batshark''' is one of the most common predators found in the Europan Sea, and is often found in open waters. It is a fairly large animal, particularly due to its wide wing-like fins that it utilizes to glide through the water, and it is capable of reaching very high speeds due to these fins. Because it does not produce its own light, the batshark is entirely blind - lacking eyes completely - and instead relies upon echolocation to locate other members of its hunting pack and prey. Attacks on humans are fairly rare, but are a constant worry for divers performing EVA. The intense acoustic waves these creatures produce is known to often interfere with sonar equipment, but batsharks are otherwise harmless to submarines. A final note of interest is that batsharks often produce noises described as “unsettling and unnerving” by submarine crews when communicating with one another, and that these noises can usually be heard within the hulls of submarines - often leading to significant stress and anxiety amongst the crew. It is theorized that batsharks may be one of the main reasons for psychological issues such as “Deep Crazy” amongst submarine crews.
The United Planetary Defense Council of Gadpathur, successor to the previous Reunification League, has ruled the planet since its reunification over a hundred and fifty years ago and has lasted far past the death of its original Commander. The cadres of the planet, working in military precision to ensure that their homeland stands ready, work tirelessly to ensure the planet will not be found wanting again. Gadpathur is militarized to such an extent that it is often regarded as a fortress world, and it provides a great amount of soldiers, sailors and vessels to the rest of the Coalition despite its position in the Weeping Stars.
 
The modern Gadpathur is a planet still scarred by the trauma of its orbital bombardment, and one that is absolutely determined to withstand another invasion by the Sol Alliance when it inevitably comes. As time has gone on, however, a growing number of Gadpathurians have quietly begun to question ''if'' an invasion will ever come, and if not, why the planet is still so tightly controlled. This has been exacerbated both by the diminishing of Solarian power and the current strife between the planet and wider Coalition of Colonies resulting in the system remaining cut off from the Coalition warp network.
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==Environment==
====Greater Europan cave crab (''Eurocarcinus gigantus'')====
<center>''"CHATAPUTRI REGION: Ambient radiation in air measuring at average of 500 Sv, marked decrease of approx. 200 Sv from 2446 survey. No recorded animal movement or plant life. Area presumed uninhabitable and actively hostile to human life."'' - Excerpt from ''United Planetary Defense Council of Gadpathur Northern Hemispheric Ecological Survey'', published 2456.</center>
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The environment of Gadpathur still bears the scars of widespread bombardment by the Sol Alliance. Gigantic craters scar the surface, and many areas are at best hazardous and otherwise unsuited to human inhabitation. While air has remained breathable on the planet’s surface, it is often toxic in more damaged areas and most residents of the planet commonly carry a gas mask with them during their daily lives. The surface of the planet is fairly cool and features a very atypical weather type: radioactive ash storms. These storms often scour the more bombarded areas, and are a result of the immense amount of ash that settled following the detonation of orbital ordinance on the planet’s surface.
The '''Greater Europan Cave Crab''' is a common sight in the caverns of Europa. This omnivorous crustacean is capable of reaching a width of almost a meter, and tends to reside in “villages” of up to thirty cave crabs. Due to a lack of light in the caverns of Europa, these crabs have large, sensitive eyes capable of taking in even the faintest amount of light. They are naturally curious animals, and are known to often jump or leap onto the hulls of submarines passing through the Europan caverns in order to either travel upon them or simply to satisfy their natural curiosity. The scuffing and scuttling noises created by these crabs are often known to spook submarine crews, as the footsteps of a cave crab sounds eerily similar to somebody knocking on the outside of the hull. They are otherwise harmless to humans, though still capable of inflicting dire wounds with their claws if threatened or cornered by a diver.
 
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The flora and fauna of Gadpathur are extremely hardy, having survived a near extinction-level event in the form of the Solarian bombardment. Flora is typical shrublike, and most trees are relatively small. What fauna remains is generally small and warmblooded, due to the bombardment creating a quasi-nuclear winter and subsequent dying off of species that followed it. Most crops on the planet are grown in the massive hydroponics bays of the United Planetary Defense Council, to ensure that the planet will have ample food supplies in the event of another struggle with the Sol Alliance. Indoor pastures also exist to ensure that animal-based products will similarly be available, even in the most dire of situations. Even the animals and plants of Gadpathur have been made to work, in their own ways, towards ensuring that the planet will withstand the Solarians, should they return.
====Europan Cryptids====
 
===Weather===
 
The weather of Gadpathur has been described as "uniquely horrible" by those rare individuals that choose to visit the planet. Due to the amount of regions that have yet to recover from the Interstellar War's bombardment dust storms made up of ash and particulate blown in from these destroyed regions has become a frighteningly common occurrence on the planet. Often the dust that makes up these storms, due to its origins in heavily-bombarded areas, will be radioactive. The massive dust storms of Gadpathur are visible from orbit, and often feature dust tornadoes due to their large size. These tornadoes are often also radioactive. Aside from dust storms acidic rainstorms are very common on the planet, and most - if not all - crops are grown underground as a result.
 
===Restoration Efforts===
 
Since reunification, various efforts have been established to attempt to restore, or at least stabilize, the planetary surface. The efforts have had varying levels of success, and all share one common obstacle - the hazardous surface conditions. Initial restoration efforts were attempted by the Reunification League in the twilight of their campaign and were localized efforts to clear radiation and other hazards in rear areas to ease logistical issues. Following reunification, Commander Patvardhan desired to begin a painstaking process of cleanup. However the lack of advanced supplies for such an undertaking severely limited it, and despite decades of experience in this environment, the effort failed to make significant headway in cleaning up anything beyond the immediate surroundings of bunkers, towns, and facilities - surroundings that were constantly having more hazardous dust blown into them. After her death, there were no significant efforts made towards restoration for decades, as the succeeding Commanders and Defense Council opted to instead use the hazardous environments as something of a defense to bog down Solarian forces in a future attack, arguing that this course of action was less costly and that the planet would recover on its own. In the early 2400s, the policy changed again, as it was clear the planet was not recovering at any real pace, and the livable space for residents on the surface was running out. The Defense Council initiated a large-scale cleanup effort, focusing on regions of the planet that had not been hit as heavily by the orbital bombardment, then slowly working into the more heavily hit regions. The effort was met with limited success, managing to mostly clean up the areas with the least amount of damage over the course of 15 years, but still hampered by the hazardous storms and toxic air blown in from the most damaged regions. More recently, efforts have sent teams into the worst regions to clean up “at the source,” with limited success. The majority of ongoing efforts are focused on maintaining the relatively cleaned regions and slowly expanding these zones where possible, though there is little hope for a rapid improvement.
 
==Politics and Government==
<center>''"To surrender, to fall victim to complacency or softness, is the killer of our strength."'' - Commander Pallav Pandey (2397 - ), in a speech to the Planetary Defense Council, 2460</center>
The government of Gadpathur is a highly-authoritarian, militarily-minded organization referred to as the United Planetary Defense Council of Gadpathur. The government itself is directly descended from the military forces that reunified the planet after its devastating bombardment by the Sol Alliance during the Interstellar War. The government of the planet is essentially a military dictatorship in which power is held by the Defense Council in order to ensure the planet is always ready to repulse a potential invasion by the Solarian Alliance, regardless of the costs that would be incurred.
 
The Defense Council is made up of individuals who have proven their loyalty and abilities within their cadre. All voices on the Council are equal, save for the Commander’s. The Council has a set number of members, with prospective new members being nominated by their cadre director. Once seated on the Council, a member is entitled to a life term, though they may step down on their own accord or be removed in extreme cases. Such removals would typically accompany exile, as misconduct at the level of the Defense Council is seen as sabotaging the fighting ability of the planet.


None of these creatures have been confirmed to exist by any scientific expeditions, but many veteran submariners will swear that they’ve seen something like one (or similar to one) in the depths of Europa.
The Commander is the head of the junta that makes up the Defense Council and is appointed by a vote of Council members. Like normal members, once they are appointed, the only way for their removal is by stepping down, or removal. No Commander has ever been removed by the Council, as Commanders have always stepped aside when their support within the Council sours. The Commander sets general policy, orders to cadres, and long term objectives for the planet. Despite their position as the head of state for Gadpathur, the Commander is still accountable to the Defense Council, and their power is not as absolute as an outsider may think. Their power comes from the Defense Council’s continued approval, and Commanders must engage themselves in politicking behind the scenes to ensure that their support does not falter.  


The '''Europan Hell Squid''' is a large squid-like apex predator rumored to exist in the open ocean of Europa. This creature is allegedly roughly the size of an adult bone whale, and is rumored to attack submarines that descend too far into the waters of Europa. No sightings of the hell squid have been confirmed since it was first reported in 2394. Reports of sightings and attacks are scattered and infrequent enough to suggest either a creature that typically hunts in the lower levels of the Europan Sea or a migratory predator that tends to avoid humanity. Regardless of the truth (Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals has sworn to discover the species by 2500) the hell squid continues to be a frequent feature of submariners' tales on Europa. There are rumors of an even larger Europan hell squid called the greater Europan hell squid - larger even than the greatest of submarines - but these are similarly unconfirmed.
The current dominant faction in the government is the '''Planetary Preservation League''', a defensively-minded junta that has been in power since the planet’s reunification centuries ago. While often criticized throughout the Coalition (and in Sol) for their domineering and authoritarian system of government, the PPL has - for decades - assured the greater Orion Spur that it will stand down and transfer power to a civilian government when the Solarians no longer threaten the Weeping Stars. Whether or not this will prove to be true remains to be seen.


The '''Asterios''', for there is allegedly only one, is rumored to be the largest living thing on Europa. It is a crab rumored to be the size of an entire research station, supposedly able to create earthquakes and significant disturbances in the water by crashing its massive shell into the ground. Allegedly the product of a crab being left in an abandoned Zeng-Hu black site research facility in which it grew to a massive size, Asterios is rumored to utilize its former home as its shell. Nobody has ever actually seen Asterios - perhaps due to its rumored ability to crawl along the ocean’s floor - but this has not stopped rumors from circulating. Zeng-Hu has denied that this creature, or its facility of origin, even exists.
A minority faction in the United Planetary Defense Council is the more offensively-minded '''Weeping Stars Reunification League (WSRL)''', a radically nationalist clique that calls for the reunification of the Weeping Stars and the eventual invasion of the Solarian Alliance to punish them for their crimes against Gadpathur. These goals, along with earlier conflicts between Gadpathur and Galatea, are one of the many sources of friction between the two planets. The WSRL’s members are descended from an eclectic mix of groups, ranging from disillusioned security cadres to the descendants of bandits such as the Disciples of Murugan that were integrated into the Reunification League during its reconquest of the planet. A number of supporters come from the Brothers of Charity as a result of the fervor with which the cadre displays towards the mission of the Defense Council. There are rumored, though unconfirmed, reports that the WSRL sends personnel on clandestine anti-Solarian ventures throughout the Orion Spur, though the League itself fervently denies this. They have not been at power at any point during Gadpathur’s history, but their calls to take the fight to Sol itself gained traction during the Solarian Collapse. In the aftermath of the war in the Northern Wildlands, however, the faction’s influence has again waned as a result of the sanctions placed on Gadpathur by the wider Coalition for providing support to Solarian rebels.


While similarly unconfirmed, there are reports that a massive eel called the '''Cetus''' exists in the abyssal zone of the Europan Sea. Some suggest that this creature is a powerful psychic, and the root cause of the “Deep Crazy” psychological phenomenon. Aside from fringe groups, some of which look upon the alleged Cetus as a kind of god from the depths, few residents of Europa believe this particular cryptid to be real.
A third faction within the Defense Council is the '''Restoration Committee''', a minority group that desires for the reinstallation of civilian government. Having only formed within the last decade, the Restoration Committee is committed to seeing the Defense Council transfer power to a civilian government, arguing that with the wider Coalition at its back, and the now reduced power of the Alliance, the threat of another war with the Alliance has passed - and with it, the need for total control and militarization. The majority of Restoration Committee supporters come from cadres that are highly educated and specialized, most notably the Directorate of Mechanical Sciences. While the Committee is the smallest faction within the Defense Council for now (and derided as cowards by the WSRL), it has quickly grown into more than just a fringe idea.


==Economics==
===Notable Council Members===


[[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]] is the largest employer on Europa, and pays handsomely for survey data of all kinds, from meteorological, geological, and biological. Most research stations on the moon are owned and operated by Zeng-Hu, and the megacorporation possesses the largest submarine fleet on Europa. Advanced submarines come and go from Zeng-Hu facilities, heading off to a myriad of locations in the murky depths of the moon’s oceans - some never to return. These state-of-the-art facilities vary in size from small observation outposts to facilities that are cities unto themselves, and some are rumored to only be accessible by high-ranking Zeng-Hu personnel. What goes on in these Europan “blacksites” is not known to the general public, and incidents of “Deep Crazy” are an unfortunate fact of life in these research stations.
'''Pallav Pandey''' is the current Commander of the United Planetary Defense Council of Gadpathur, having been appointed to the position in 2451. Born January 11th, 2392, Pandey eventually found himself assigned to the famed Black Jackets, where he quickly made a name for himself with his leadership abilities and work ethic, resulting in a rapid promotion to Section Leader by the age of 25. He was known for his innovative approach to training, which led to his Section winning several competitions within the cadre. At the age of 41, Pandey was nominated for appointment to the Defense Council which was swiftly approved. Having positioned himself as an influential member of the PPL by 2451, Pandey was appointed Commander with overwhelming approval on the Defense Council. Commander Pandey has done well to navigate the internal politics of the Council since his appointment, and while his tenure is well-regarded by most, the recent failures with the Northern Wildlands and Coalition have left him in an awkward position with his own faction, which wonder if he may have gone too far. With Pandey getting older, time will tell if he can right his ship, or be forced out in favor of a new Commander.


Tourism facilities are a hallmark of [[Idris Incorporated|Idris Incorporated’s]] presence on the moon, and are typically situated in major civilian stations. The most famous of these are, without a doubt, Idris’ Jovian Jewel resort and the Galileo's Pearl facility. Due to their locations near the surface of the Europan Sea, “Deep Crazy” is not a common factor in these tourist facilities, and Idris Incorporated does its best to avoid the affliction. Many Idris Incorporated employees dislike working on Europa, particularly those in lower-level positions such as the cargo departments of stations - those responsible for loading and unloading the many cargo submarines that traverse the depths of the moon.
'''Sanja Kala''' is the leader of the Weeping Stars Unification League, her appointment to the Defense Council having come in 2452. Born June 20th, 2410, Sanja’s dedication and medical aptitude scores saw her assigned to the Brothers of Charity as a doctor. She quickly rose through the ranks of the cadre, eventually becoming a department leader prior to her Defense Council appointment. While one would think her work as a doctor would result in a heightened sense of compassion, Sanja’s ferocity and dedication to the Gadpathurian cause is unrivaled within the Council. She is known as a firebrand, typically engaging in heated discussion on all matters, regardless of how trivial they may be. It is rumored that she succeeded in swaying Commander Pandey to aid the Anti-Corporate League with her fervor, and while it did not work out in her favor, it has certainly raised her profile within the Council.


There is constant demand for new equipment and repairs on submarines that brave the crushing, freezing depths; Trelenje Station is the primary shipyard on the moon, employing hundreds of thousands of Europans to manufacture and repair submarines. The advent of plasteel in the mid-2400s led to a boom in the Europan manufacturing sector, due to the incredible depths plasteel-hulled submarines can descend to. Other industrial centres are typically situated near the ocean’s surface, and feature massive bays. These vessels can range from small shuttles with a crew of under a dozen, to massive research vessels with crews in the hundreds. Many of the materials utilized in the dockyards of the Europan Sea are imported from [[Callisto]], where materials mined upon the volcanic surface of Io are refined.  
'''Apurva Chaudhry''' is the leader of the Restoration Committee. Born October 7th, 2421, Chaudhry was appointed to the Defense Council in 2458, the youngest-ever appointee. Apurva distinguished herself within her cadre, the Directorate of Mechanical Sciences, by developing a more efficient and less resource-intensive process by which to repair robotics devices. Rather than take her skills abroad, like some in her cadre, Apurva instead wished to remain at home and see her home shake the, as she sees it, overbearing way. Following her appointment to the Defense Council at the age of 37, Apurva quickly founded the reformist Restoration Committee, and has worked tirelessly since to try and promote the benefits of standing down to her fellow Council members. While they initially fell on deaf ears, her views have slowly begun to gain traction among more reform-minded Council members.


==Culture and Demographics==
==Culture and Society==
Europans are typically stereotyped as odd, private people. The culture on the moon is insular, and while outsiders are rarely treated poorly, it can take time for off-worlders to be treated with the same warmth a Europan might treat other natives. The superstitions and customs of submariners and the urban legends of the moon give a strange impression to outsiders; native Europans working with [[Idris Incorporated]] usually go through a cultural retraining program to conceal most of the less palatable trappings of their culture.
<center>''"Long live Gadpathur! Death to the Solarians!"'' - Common nationalist chant</center>
Gadpathurian society is entirely dedicated to ensuring that the trauma and chaos caused by mass nuclear fallout will never be endured again by the planet, no matter the cost. Because of this, it is highly-militarized, highly-disciplined, and values collectivism to the extreme. Its society is organized into paramilitary units referred to as “cadres", esponsible for ensuring that when (and in the minds of most Gadpathurians, war is a ''when'' rather than an ''if'') war comes, they will not be found unprepared for even the most apocalyptic of conflicts. The cadre structure results in Gadpathur being run more akin to a massive army rather than a government.


One’s standard of living in Europa depends heavily upon what facility they reside in. Universally for each settlement, however, are large gravity generators that facilities are built around, predating shipborne grav-gens. These models are larger and more power-inefficient, making them unsuited for off-world use. Because of this low gravity, Europans are typically taller than average, and concerns of low bone-density led to a push by the Europan planetary government to market milk products as a desirable food for citizens. Vitamin and mineral additives are also common in Europan drinks and food, and physicians will typically prescribe calcium supplements (or in severe cases, regenerative muscular tissue supplements) to youths and the elderly. Another constant factor for all settlements is the cold, often damp environment of the moon. Devices must constantly be maintained to ensure they do not break, lest the cold water seep into an area that humanity has carved out to live in. Space is typically at a premium under the ice of Europa, and cramped quarters are a commonplace.
===Daily Life===


The most common settlements under Europa’s ice fall under a loosely-organized category best defined as “civilian stations.” These stations range in population from only a few thousand to several million residents, and vary widely in quality. These are some of the oldest settlements on Europa, and are often connected to nearby research, tourism, or industrial stations. The highest-quality civilian stations are often shared between Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, which uses their attractive housing to attract new employees and encourage transfers to the Europan branch of the corporation, and Idris Incorporated, which utilizes them as tourist attractions for the moon. Lower-quality civilian stations often suffer from a variety of issues, such as heating problems and leaks in the hull - problems on any Europan station, but ones that become far worse when one’s home is barely breaking even.
The day-to-day life of a cadre member (for there is essentially no other kind of Gadpathurian) is defined by which cadre they have been placed into. Industrial cadres build, medical cadres treat, and security cadres constantly train. All cadres train, as it is the only way the Defense Council believes the planet will be ready for the final apocalyptic struggle with the forces of their hated enemy, the Sol Alliance. Ensuring preparedness for the eventual war through training dominates much of the day-to-day activities of cadre members as a result.  


The primary method of travel for the vast majority of Europans are submarines of various sizes that make their way through the massive ocean under the planet’s icy surface. Due to submarines being far cheaper to build and maintain, and settlements being under the ice for safety, space-based travel between settlements remains rare even in the 2400s.
The average Gadpathurian has little real control over their day-to-day lives on Gadpathur due to the cadre system. At the start of most days orders will come from the government to cadre leaders, and these orders proceed down the chain to normal cadre members. While this lack of agency can be a kind of comfort for many, those that go abroad are given the leisure of deciding how to use their time without the supervision of a cadre leader - often resulting in choice paralysis while they adapt.  


<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
The centralized and order-based nature of the day-to-day life of the cadres can be both a blessing and a curse. While orders are carried out without question, they are not typically set in advance, meaning cadres are left in limbo until their orders come through. Given the lack of individual decision making that is permitted, most section leaders will not act on their own, instead awaiting orders from their department leaders, and so on. At times this leads to wasted hours of the day, especially so if the orders are based around a rather contentious issue.
=== Skrell on Europa ===
Europa was largely ignored by Skrell who travelled within Human space in the years following [[Timeline#First_Contact|first contact]]. The moon’s inhospitable nature resulted in little if any Skrell presence for decades. Until the 2360s Skrell were a rarity on Europa, with most Skrell only living there temporarily as part of their work assignment or as part of a diplomatic attache.


Life here for Skrell reflects the typical Europan experience; cramped living spaces, arduous working conditions, and the constant danger that comes with living in an underwater habitat. In addition to all this, Skrell are unable to stargaze as part of their religious practices; the inability to observe and interpret the stars compounded with everything else has made Europan living especially difficult for Skrell. This has been largely offset by appealing employment contracts by the wealthier organisations on Europa, who are able to afford the salaries and benefits required to retain Skrell workers despite the conditions they would have to live in. The rise to prominence of the [[Skrell_Faith#Qwei’Paqui_-_Astrological_Tarot_Cards|Qwei’Paqui]], the tarot card system usually supplemental to stargazing in the [[Skrell_Faith|Qeblak and Weishii faiths]], has also helped acclimate those living on Europa. While the tarot allows Skrell to continue their religious observations despite being so deep undersea, it has also inadvertently resulted in the Skrell of Europa obsessing over their readings; as the tarot readings are considered a personal and intimate affair the Skrell have developed an unhealthy habit where they heavily rely on the tarot in their day-to-day lives, an obsession which soon developed into the Skrell adopting pre-existing Europan superstitions. Today the Qwei’Paqui can be commonly seen being paired with bone charms and other accessories by Skrell in the hopes of improving their fortunes.
===Social Values===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Skrell from other parts of the Spur often describe Europan Skrell as being ‘on-edge’, ‘anxious’, and even ‘disconnected’ because of how life on Europa has shaped them; they are known for their irritability and anxious disposition while travelling Europa’s waters, and it is not uncommon for Skrell submariners to isolate themselves from the rest of the crew for most of the journey because of it. With this said, no Skrell have been diagnosed with '''High-Depth Antisocial Personality Disorder''', otherwise known as the '''"Deep Crazy"'''. Unlike the humans living on Europa the Skrell are seemingly immune to the disorder - although the Skrell are still at risk of developing their own unique disorders, especially for those who take on the role of Psionic Navigator.


==== Psionic Navigators and the Sea-Blinded ====
“Gadpathurian Superculture”, the scholarly term for Gadpathur's extreme collectivism, has helped enshrine many of the government’s values in the mind of the typical citizen. Duty, loyalty, self-sacrifice, cooperation, and a hatred for the [[Sol Alliance|Solarians]] are among some of the values enshrined in this government-designed superculture. Those that show particular dedication to these core Gadpathurian values are often those selected to go abroad, which has further encouraged an eager adoption of this superculture. The superculture pervades even the clothing of Gadpathurians; all cadres wear a similar uniform designed by the planet’s central government.


In '''2365''' the role of ‘Psionic Navigator’ became standard on Europan vessels. The innovation of "psionic radar", where Skrell utilise their psionic abilities to detect the psionic signatures of the creatures found within Europa’s depths, drove up the demand for Skrell submariners and led to many lucrative contracts being given to Skrell willing to work on Europa. This is an extremely valuable skill, as collisions with creatures such as bone whales have been known to cause significant hull damage to submarines. Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuicals is currently investigating why the skrell have proven to be so resilient to the madness often associated with the moon.
While anti-Solarian sentiment is near-universal among the planet's population, it is worth noting that many Gadpathurians consider the status of "Solarian" easily renounced, so long as a Solarian-born individual renounces their government and the "culture" of being Solarian. To be freed from the baggage in a Gadpathurian's eyes means one must be against Sol and have fought against them, such as with [[Republic of Biesel|Biesellites]].
The discovery was capitalised by [[Zeng-Hu_Pharmaceuticals|Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]] as they brought in Skrell straight from the Federation to work on Europa, going so far as to establish their own Psionic Navigator corps. Zeng-Hu today hires out its Navigators to any group that is able to afford their exorbitant prices, and thanks to their early investment the company has a near-monopoly of Psionic Navigators on Europa.


Although the role became common aboard most Europan vessels, the discovery of neurological disorders associated with the role did not occur until long after its formation. In '''2410''' Europan researchers formally named the disorder '''Europan Sea-Blindness''', while academic disagreements caused Nralakk Federation scientists to categorise the disorder under [[Skrell_Ailments#Insanity_of_the_Tide|Insanity of the Tide]] - a neurological disease that is compared to Alzheimer's or dementia in Humans and is associated with issues related to memory, behaviour, and thinking. While still not fully understood, Europan Sea-Blindness is thought to be caused by a combination of extreme stress as a result of living standards on Europa and extended, high-intensity use of psionics, which manifests physically as organ atrophy and neuron degradation in the area around the zona bovinae. Those who are affected by the disorder report many of the same symptoms as those suffering from Insanity of the Tide, as well as a decrease in psionic capability.
Despite stereotypes of being a dour, insular people (which is not inaccurate), Gadpathurians are not unaware of camaraderie or affection. The cadre structure ensures that its members are incredibly close-knit, with many willing to throw themselves into the line of fire to save a fallen cadre member or a superior officer. This strong sense of community has carried over to Gadpathurians and their coworkers abroad, particularly when enlisted in the Frontier Protection Bureau among fellow Coalitioners.  


It could take decades of prolonged psionics use for these symptoms to develop, however, and since the disorder and its causes are not fully understood it does not dissuade many Skrell from becoming Psionic Navigators themselves. This is not to say that precautions are not taken; Navigators are usually employed in teams of three that either work in tandem and share the workload, or have regular shift changes to avoid psionic over-use. Those afflicted with the disorder are known as the "Sea-Blinded", as they typically have an extremely decreased ability to use their psionics. These navigators are considered ‘retired’ and tend to move - or be moved - away from submariner life, although those who are not severely afflicted are known to continue crewing all manner of vessels in other roles. The [[Stellar_Corporate_Conglomerate|Stellar Corporate Conglomerate]] in particular is known to hire former navigators as Bridge Crew aboard their ships, putting their years of experience navigating the dangerous waters of Europa to use. Skrell are also known to rarely if ever suffer from the maladies that ultimately lead to “Deep Crazy,” which has further contributed to their good reputation.  
While marriage as a social institution is not state-enshrined on Gadpathur, romantic relationships no matter the gender of participants are perfectly acceptable and even encouraged to promote unity. Relationships that produce children are seen as necessary to the continuation of the planet and its values, and so are encouraged and subsidized. However, putting one's love for an individual above the greater whole is deeply frowned upon, and a romantic relationship should never come before one's cadre training. This value of the collective over the individual even extends to child-rearing. Children are taken from their parents at the age of four and placed into an educational cadre that they will ultimately graduate from at age eighteen, and be placed into the cadre they are most suited for. During their youth they are more-or-less raised by the state, and while they will be aware of the existence of their parents or siblings (should they have any), they are not permitted extensive contact with their blood family out of concern it will diminish their dedication to Gadpathur.
</div></div>
=== Language ===


Tradeband is the most commonly spoken language on Europa. Most social and government functions are conducted in this language, but Sol Common is also spoken as a second language by the inhabitants of larger settlements. Sol Common is taught in Europan schools along with Tradeband.
====The Legacy of the Commander====


The Europan variant of Tradeband is somewhat teased among other Tradeband-speaking communities in Sol (such as [[Luna|Lunarians]] and [[San Colette|San Colettish]]). It is typically more guttural, drawling, and hushed, known for its incorporation of Sol Common slang (known colloquially as "Solband"). Europans speak very quietly, owing to a common superstition that raising one's voice might interrupt the function of the sonar navigation or break the concentration of a Skrellian navigator. Those that succumb to "Deep Crazy" are known to abandon this soft-spoken tone for screaming.
When Commander Ashia Patvardhan, the reunifier of Gadpathur and first leader of the United Planetary Defense Council, passed away in her sleep at the age of ninety-two after over a decade spent in retirement, she lived on as an ideal of what a member of the Council should strive to be. Commander Patvardhan was a workaholic that never married and was, by all accounts, completely dedicated to the task of reunifying her broken planet into a singular entity that could once again take to the stars and, above all, endure another fight with the Sol Alliance. Children, when they are first placed into their cadres, are taught the story of Patvardhan’s selflessness and instructed to aspire to her heights - no matter the cost to the person themselves. The lesson, and lionization, of Commander Patvardhan is a key part in constructing Gadpathurians as loyal subjects of its government willing to give their lives in the defense of their homeland.


===Cuisine===
===Cuisine===


Seafood, while indeed a common feature of cuisine on Europa, is not nearly as prominent as many off-worlders think. Light-shrimp and ice kelp are commonly fished or grown and made into foods, but more common is high-calorie and high-carb food such as noodles, bread products, and rice, the better to keep a sailor warm and well-fed in the cold, damp settlements. Light-shrimp lo mein is considered a national dish of Europa.
Stereotypes abound of Gadpathurians eating exclusively MREs or radiation-riddled foodstuffs, which is not entirely baseless; MREs are mass-produced and stored, both for stellar patrols and excursions into the irradiated countryside of the planet. When at home, however, Gadpathurians usually consume high-carb, easily-prepared meals that can be brought with them on the go. Elaborate curries of the pre-bombing era have mostly been replaced with spiced jerkies, breads, and riceflour cakes with veggies and meat in them. Pakoras and samosas are also popular traditional food. Gadpathurian food is still quite spicy, though not quite as spicy as its Xanan counterpart dishes; several spices are rarely grown in hydroponic bays, to make room for more nutritious produce.
 
===Augmentation and Prosthetics===
 
The science of mechanical augmentation has achieved some purchase on Gadpathur, despite the relative isolation of the planet during its reunification period. However, like almost everything on the planet, the central government has come to direct much of how the planet utilizes and views augmentation. Internal prosthetics, such as the sensor suites favoured by Eridanians or internal tool suites common in the Republic of Biesel, are looked down upon as overly-complicated and likely to place unneeded stress on the supply chains of the planet. In the minds of many Gadpathurians there is no reason to do a job with an integrated tool built into your arm when a hand tool does the same job while having less failure risks. Mechanical organs are generally only installed by Gadpathurians when absolutely needed, due to concerns that they may fail when the moment is most critical. After all, how can one defend their home if their mechanical lungs begin malfunctioning?
 
External prosthetics have seen much greater success on Gadpathur due to risks present on the planet. Industrial accidents, as with everywhere else in the Orion Spur, are always a threat that can result in the loss of a limb. Another risk is unexploded munitions, which are often infrequently scattered on the crater-filled surface of the planet and serve as a painful reminder of the Interstellar War in the mind of many Gadpathurians. The planet has a relatively well-developed local prosthetics industry, with many high-quality locally-made prosthetics tracing their origins back to the Directorate of the Mechanical Sciences, as a result of both a need and the planet's belief that everybody must contribute to the fight in whatever ways they can. One cannot stand against the Solarians if they have only one leg to stand on, so prosthetics are provided to those cadre members that require them to ensure that they can do their part to ensure the planet never again falls.


Owing to a marketing campaign in the early 2300s, Europans consume a great deal of milk and cheese. The calcium and protein helps keep bone and muscle density at a healthy level.
===Architecture===


===Europan Submariners===
Gadpathur has been constructed partially underground in the style of a giant military base, though residential blocs primarily remain on the surface. With reconstruction efforts ongoing, many newly-built residential blocs are covered in native plant life and radiation harvesters, both to shield residents from any stray greys and act as partial camouflage from potential invaders. Bunkers stretch for miles under the surface in order to allow the planet to endure an orbital bombardment even more devastating than the one it experienced during the Interstellar War. Much of the planet’s industry is located underground, as are the launch bays of many of its surface-to-space weapons. The true extent of these facilities is unknown, and is regarded as a state secret of the United Planetary Defense Council of Gadpathur.


Though unusual, some Europans choose not to dwell on a station at all, instead opting to live on a submarine for the majority or entirety of their lives. These so-called “Hydronauts” are a rare breed typically found in groups of only a few dozen, with the exception of some larger vessels such as the Tethys. As travel under the waves of Europa is typically hazardous, these nomads will often dock in stations for significant periods of time and live out of their submarines, before undocking and proceeding to their next destination.
Buildings on the surface are typically built in a blocky, concrete style reminiscent of brutalism. Like so many other things on the planet, Gadpathurian buildings are designed with one thing in mind: defense. Groups of buildings, such as large facilities, are built in compounds, featuring defensive structures on the outskirts, gates that can hastily be turned into pillboxes, and multiple armories. Towns feature a defensive perimeter of some sort, typically with multiple lines of defense. Even residential buildings within towns are designed to have multiple fields of fire and act as something of a light bunker for residents to fight in.


The life of a Europan submariner is not an easy one even at the best of times, and hazards - both natural and manmade - are a constant concern in the waters of Europa. In the pitch-black darkness underneath the ice, one must always be alert as danger can come from anywhere, at any time. Europa is, according to some in the Jovian system, one of the most hazardous places to work in the Sol Alliance aside from the hellish surface of Io. The danger of working on the moon has led to Europan submariners becoming a wary, very paranoid, and superstitious group. Not all submariners hold these beliefs, but a significant portion of them do.
==Cadres==
<center>''"Arm your brother as you would arm yourself."'' - Jaideep Singh (2327 - 2399), department leader of the Black Jackets cadre, ca. 2357</center>
The primary method through which Gadpathur is organized is through the cadre system, which can trace its roots back to the original military units that formed the Reunification League. These cadres can be found throughout the planet and, thanks to the tight control exercised by the government, it is impossible to find a Gadpathurian resident not involved in a cadre. Gadpathurians are in a cadre essentially from the cradle to the grave.


For example, one major superstition of Europan submariners is a belief that renaming already-named ships, without conducting the proper ceremony, is a surefire way to give the vessel bad luck. In order to properly rename a vessel - typically after it has been purchased by a new operator or owner - one must proceed through the proper ceremony, in which the submarine is returned to its port of origin and all metal that has borne its name is shorn off and replaced. Unless all of the metal is shorn and replaced properly, the ship will remain unlucky. Naming vessels after submarines that have already sunk is also considered to be unlucky, as is giving a vessel a name unfitting of its duty (such as naming a cargo hauler “Invincible”).
Cadres are organized internally along a deliberately simple, essentially universal, structure that resembles a military unit. At the top of the command structure is the cadre's leader, the ''director''. This individual answers directly to the planet's central command organization and expects loyalty from their subordinates even during peace, and has the final voice in much of a cadre's internal policy.


Submariners are also known to create bone charms from the remains of sea creatures, particularly those of the Europan bone whale. These charms are typically carved with messages in order to (supposedly) bring good luck to their holders, though some charms remain entirely blank. An improperly carved charm, or one with the wrong message, is said to bring immense bad luck to whomever is unfortunate enough to wear it, and many submarines are known to unceremoniously dispose of such charms - typically via an airlock, much to the dismay of whomever owned the now-unrecoverable charm. Other sea creatures are sometimes used for bone charms, but bone whales are regarded as the most ideal source of charms. Batshark bones are among the least popular materials, due to the cartilage in their bones leading to harder to carve surfaces. Some even insist these bones are “cursed,” but these are likely just tall tales. Regardless of the make or style, these charms are sometimes taken offworld by former submariners, to systems as far away as [[Xanu Prime]] and [[Tau Ceti]].
Below the director are specialists that lead significant parts of the cadre referred to as ''department leaders''. With years of experience in their given fields and extensive ideological training, these senior cadre members are responsible for ensuring much of a given cadre's day-to-day work is carried out. Department leaders are often those that recommend Gadpathurians for off-world travel, and a good relationship with one's is regarded as key to success in a cadre.


===Deep Crazy===
A step below the department leaders are ''section leaders'', qualified individuals that have shown the ability to lead and proper dedication to the planet. Section leaders can be compared to a departmental head of a NanoTrasen facility, and are generally earmarked for promotion to departmental leader if their service is dedicated enough. Below section leaders are full cadre members, and below them are trainees - sometimes referred to as students - that are in the process of becoming a full member. '''The highest cadre rank available for on-station characters is section leader, as all positions above that are senior administrative ones.'''


Life under the ice of Europa is a difficult one for the long-term residents of the planet, with a myriad of social and psychological issues arising in the dark biodomes and nuclear-powered submarines found underneath the ice. A commonly mentioned phenomenon among the permanent residents of Europa is the so-called “Deep Crazy,” (a local nickname for what is referred to as High-Depth Antisocial Personality Syndrome professionally) a result of prolonged exposure to the isolation often associated with the Europan Sea. Medical professionals insist that High-Depth Antisocial Personality Syndrome is nothing more than the result of stress and isolation, and insist that rumors of the affliction being unique to the moon are nonsense. Residents often comment that “Deep Crazy” becomes worse the longer one stays on Europa, that symptoms gradually build over time, and that they inevitably grip anyone’s mind after enough time on the moon.  
Due to the rigid and highly organized structure of individual cadres, there is no room for deviation from orders. While in theory this would be an efficient method of operation, in practice this occasionally leads to internal strife, as suggestions or other ideas are not always welcome, but rather suppressed as a deviation from orders. Ideas are typically dropped if suppressed - otherwise the member who made the suggestion may find themselves increasingly ostracized from the cadre or on the receiving end of disdain and even abuse from fellow members as someone who is working against the cadre. In the worst cases this has led to exile, both willing and unwilling.


Symptoms attributed to HDAP Syndrome most commonly manifest as auditory and visual hallucinations (though many sufferers will attribute these as originating “in the depths” or “from the depths”) though more extreme cases will involve unsettling dreams often involving themes of drowning or otherwise traveling into the depths of the oceans, an extreme fear of drowning, a constant sensation of being watched by something outside of the biodomes (described by some suffers as feeling like being “fish in a bowl”), and claims of seeing seaborne fauna inconsistent with any known species on Europa. No species reported by a sufferer of advanced HDAP Syndrome has ever been formally catalogued by Europa’s scientific community, though many sufferers will report seeing similar creatures. Extreme sufferers of “Deep Crazy” are known to suffer mental breakdowns and manic episodes similar to those commonly associated with high stress and isolation. People afflicted by these episodes, after coming out of their breakdown, report having been “called to the depths” or “called to the seas” by an unknown force, and have been known to claw at airlocks unless otherwise stopped. Medical professionals associated with Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals have stated that this is likely just another result of stress.
A Gadpathurian will enter their initial cadre, often referred to as “youth cadres,” in order to receive the education and preparation necessary for them to enter into a full cadre when they are eighteen years old. In these they are educated (some would say indoctrinated) in both practical and ideological matters, such as the importance of resisting the [[Sol Alliance]]. These youth cadres are highly patriotic and typically very closely-knit, with many members retaining their bonds even after departing for their permanent cadres. When a youth cadre member is eighteen they are given a qualification exam that will determine the rest of their life, as it decides which type of cadre they will be placed in.
Europa’s residents and submariners often believe that there is something far, far below the charted zones of the moon that causes the Syndrome. Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, which seeks to attract more employees, offers extensive psychiatric assistance and attractive bonuses to its employees to both attract them and stave off the stress associated with the planet. Idris Incorporated provides similar psychiatric assistance to its employees. It also employs many IPCs in its Europan facilities, which has proven an effective strategy to avoiding the isolation and stress associated with “Deep Crazy” and the Syndrome. Idris has also promoted the idea that the Syndrome is a condition resulting from long-term residence on Europa, and is unlikely to ever impact tourists traveling to one of the megacorporation’s luxurious vacation spots. Despite similar living conditions on Europa and Ganymede, with both planets housing their populations in underwater biodomes, residents of Ganymede do not suffer from a condition similar to HDAP Syndrome. Researchers are still attempting to determine whether the phenomenon is truly unique to Europa.


==Major Settlements==
The cadres that these graduates are placed into are where they will be molded into efficient and productive Gadpathurians, fully committed to the defense of their world no matter what their actual duty may be. All professions are organized into cadres and there are dozens - if not hundreds - of distinct types. However the three largest and most prominent, cadres are the industrial, medical, and security cadres. These are some of the cadres most likely to be seen off of Gadpathur as well, as the planet’s government will often send exceptional cadre members abroad - sometimes as far afield as the [[Republic of Biesel]] - to improve the interstellar image of the planet and encourage support of the planetary agenda


'''Korormansk Station''' is the capital of Europa, and its largest settlement at thirty million permanent residents. It is the oldest settlement on the moon, and remains its only major spaceport. The Korormansk Planetary Spaceport is placed at the base of a massive shaft bored through the Europan ice by drills centuries ago, and heavy steel - and more recently, plasteel - reinforcements on the side of the shaft ensure that the passageway remains secure. Many areas of the station are dug into the ice lining this shaft, which has allowed it to support a larger population than any other settlement. Korormansk maintains a large seaport, and services submarine traffic from throughout the Europan Sea. The Jovian Jewel, the famous Idris Incorporated resort, is located nearby. The station maintains a close relationship with its nearby neighbor, Trelenje Station.
Gadpathurians receive two identification tabs as soon as they are inducted into a youth cadre and are expected to carry them throughout their life. Upon their death, the tabs will be torn apart: one will remain with the dead body, and another will be returned to the cadre to which the now deceased individual belonged. Individuals exiled or otherwise banished from their cadre (in essence, the same as being banished from the planet itself) are expected to hand over both of their identification tabs - a gesture regarded as extremely shameful for any Gadpathurian.


'''Trelenje Station''' is located fairly close to Korormansk, only a few hours’ travel away in all but the slowest submarines, and has become the primary naval yard for the moon. The dockyards of the Trelenje Naval Yard produce the vast majority of Europa’s submarines, from shuttles designed to move barely a half-dozen individuals to massive plasteel-hulled Zeng-Hu research submarines designed to endure the crushing pressure of Europa’s depths. It is also the berth of many Europan submarine crews and a significant economy has developed around this, with Idris Incorporated operating many entertainment venues here. The station maintains a close relationship and strong supply line with its nearby neighbor, Koromansk Station.
The process of naming a cadre is somewhat complicated. While youth cadres, which are only expected to last for roughly fifteen years, are simply named after their year of future dissolution and their geographical area they are from, more permanent cadres often have names passed down through the centuries, with some even tracing the origins of their names back to the Interstellar War. These names are considered to be a key part of the cadres and are regarded as a symbol of pride for the members of a given cadre. Newly-formed cadres will be issued a generic identifier consisting of their duties, year of formation, and area of formation until they prove themselves as effective. Only then will the cadre members be allowed to choose a name, generally chosen by pure majority voting amongst members.


'''Phumanus Station''' is the premiere location from which research operations take place in the Europan Sea. Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals hosts its Europan headquarters on this station, and launches many of its expeditions from it. Phumanus Station’s position near one of the abyssal zones of the Europan Sea, which is upwards of a hundred miles deep in some regions, has likely contributed to the station’s appeal as a research center. Despite heavy Zeng-Hu investment, the station possesses one of the highest turnover rates in the megacorporation and transfers from the station to other, less well-paying assignments are common. Instances of “Deep Crazy” are also common, and many submariners insist that something is lurking in the abyssal zone nearby. Of course, these reports have not been officially confirmed.
'''Medical cadres''' are one of the key parts of the state-run society of Gadpathur and are responsible for everything from battlefield medicine to surgeries to routine health checkups. A medical cadre’s rough equivalent outside of the planet would be a hospital combined with a medical school. Practitioners of all types are trained within these cadres and it is impossible to become a licensed medical professional on Gadpathur without being a member of one. Cadre members from this sector of Gadpathurian society tend to be quite experienced with the treatment of wounds related to the highly-toxic environment of the planet. Often whole medical cadres will be sent abroad as gestures of goodwill, one being permanently stationed on Xanu Prime to assist in the treatment of those exposed to the often-hazardous environmental conditions of the planet. While their presence is often appreciated by those they assist, these cadres are still dedicated to the ultimate goal of ensuring Gadpathur will resist the Solarians above all other concerns. Medical cadre members are issued a patch featuring a golden medical cross on a white background to mark their positions. The cadre member’s specialization is written inside of the medical cross, typically in a shorthand form (i.e. “SURG” for surgeon, “PARAM” for paramedic).


The '''Tethys''' is something of an oddity on Europa. Rather than a traditional station, it is instead a large submarine - perhaps the largest on Europa - that maintains a permanent population and is self-sustaining. The Tethys is the result of a failed Einstein Engines attempt to break into the Europan market through the creation of the largest submarine ever built on the moon to that date. When it launched in 2437, the Tethys quickly proved to be a worthless investment to Einstein Engines and was quickly written off, with its crew being left to do what they could without the support of their sponsors. In the years following their abandonment by Einstein, the crew of the Tethys turned it into a mobile city that now specializes in producing smaller submarines for various Europan settlements inside of its massive former research bay. With the heavy research equipment stripped out or otherwise repurposed, there is more than enough space to produce small to medium-sized submarines inside the Tethys itself. While the vessels produced by the Tethys are not as high-quality as those produced at Trelenje Station, many submariners that do not wish to deal with the bureaucracy of the Trelenje Naval Yard prefer the convenience of the Tethys. The captain of the Tethys is elected by the submarine's crew.
If medical cadres are one pillar that holds up society (and the government) on Gadpathur, then its '''industrial cadres''' are the other. Consisting of everything from construction workers to highly-educated engineers responsible for maintaining automated industrial networks, industrial cadres are by far the largest grouping of cadres on Gadpathur. A lack of IPCs on the planet (the ruling government believes that their prosperity towards self-preservation is unfitting for the goal of ensuring the planet withstands an invasion by the Sol Alliance, no matter the cost) and a desire to ensure that systems work even under the most extreme of circumstances, combined with the immense needs of the planet’s native armaments industry has helped fuel the need for new industrial cadres as well as their great diversity. Industrial cadre members can be distinguished by their patches: a golden hammer and shovel crossed over a white background. A black circle in the middle of this patch will contain another tool marking a further specialization, such as a lightbulb for an electrical specialist.
 
The unassuming name of '''security cadres''' disguises the true purpose of these particular cadres, which is to serve as the primary military force at home and abroad for the United Planetary Defense Council of Gadpathur. Highly indoctrinated and highly trained, these cadres are often the most fanatical loyalists of Gadpathur and are wholeheartedly dedicated to their duty of ensuring the planet never again falls to the Sol Alliance. While outside observers have accused the Gadpathurian government of essentially brainwashing their security cadres by training them from childhood to defend the planet, the United Planetary Defense Council has defended their training system as a necessary measure to ensure that Gadpathur will never be defeated in any future conflicts. Detachments of security cadres are often “exported,” or otherwise liaised to member states of the Coalition of Colonies to serve as auxiliary troops, and to encourage further relations between Gadpathur and the Coalition in the face of Solarian imperialism.
 
To deviate from the cadre system is to condemn oneself to exile from Gadpathur.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Notable Cadres===
 
While there are thousands upon thousands of cadres on Gadpathur, some are more famous than others. Here are a few notable cadres that can be found on the planet.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* The '''Black Jackets''' are one of Gadpathur’s most storied security cadres, with a history that stretches back to the Unification League and the wars it waged to reestablish planetary control. The Black Jackets were originally a reconnaissance detachment under the leadership of Commander Patvardhan before the bombs fell and have since become one of the oldest continuously activated security cadres currently serving. Their emblem, a pair of binoculars over crossed rifles, is instantly recognizable on the uniforms of all cadre members. Many members of this cadre are sent abroad to serve as an example of the high quality of Gadpathur’s training. However, this does come at a cost: many hopeful members of this cadre cannot meet the extremely high standards expected of them and wash out, ultimately being exiled from the planet for their failure.
* The '''Brothers of Charity''' are a major medical cadre of Gadpathur. Another quite old cadre, the Brothers can trace their lineage back to a pre-bombardment religious hospital that managed to, through blind luck or the favor of the divine (depending upon whom you ask), avoid much of the destruction dealt to Gadpathur on that fateful day. Brought into the Reunification League shortly after its formation, the Brothers were often instrumental in ensuring the League was in fighting shape. In the years since reunification, the religious fervor of the Brothers has given way to a feverous dedication to ensuring the planet will be able to resist the hated Sol Alliance. Due to their ferocious dedication to the Gadpathurian cause, members tend to have offensively-minded views of taking the fight to the Solarians, and the founding members of the Weeping Stars Reunification League were from the cadre. Its members have retained their dedication to charity, and are often deployed abroad by Gadpathur to further legitimize itself to other political entities in the Orion Spur.
* The '''Directorate of the Mechanical Sciences''' is one of the only cadres on Gadpathur that actively maintains and builds robotics equipment. A very recent industrial cadre, only thirty years old in fact, the DMS still has much to prove in the eyes of many of its compatriots. Cadre members from it are often regarded as some of the best and brightest of Gadpathur, which as led to an unexpected problem: brain drain. Young and talented roboticists from the DMS, underappreciated and often overworked, sometimes find themselves self-exiling from the planet for better career prospects elsewhere. The government of the planet is quite alarmed by this, and has started giving this new cadre more chances to travel abroad as a result - despite complaining from other industrial cadres. The cadre is generally seen as a more reform-minded cadre as a result of having some of the brightest minds on Gadpathur, and the founding member of the Restoration Committee was a former cadre member.
* The '''Kshatriya''' are, in their own words, the premier armored vehicle-based security/industrial cadre on Gadpathur - and they do not take kindly to anyone saying otherwise. An unusual mix of an industrial and security cadre due to the need to both maintain and operate vehicles, the Kshatriya are often seen as one of the more flamboyant cadres on Gadpathur. This has earned them both respect from some and ire from many others, such as the Black Jackets. The “fast and loose” reputation of this cadre disguises the immense amount of effort required to keep the cadre functional and combat ready, and fights between security and industrial specialists are not unheard of.
</div></div>
 
==Leaving Gadpathur==
 
There are two primary methods of leaving Gadpathur: with honour, or with shame.
 
Leaving with honour is the most common method through which Gadpathurians are able to experience the greater Orion Spur. Exceptional cadre members will receive the chance to go abroad (though some say that they are essentially ordered abroad) in order to promote the goals and interests of the planet. This is seen as an extremely high honour to receive by many on the planet, as only the best and brightest are sent abroad as a result of rigorous selection standards. Though the majority of these elite few are sent to other planets in the Coalition of Colonies in order to promote further positive relations between the Coalition and Gadpathur, a significant portion of them are sent to the Republic of Biesel or The Republic of Elyra. The reason for this is simple: the government of Gadpathur views the Republics as fellow victims of Solarian imperialism, and wishes for them to know that there is some solidarity between it and the former-Solarian republics.
 
Leaving with shame is an unfortunately common fate for many cadre members, particularly those in high-demand professions. The stresses and demands - both material and ideological - of service in a cadre will often cause individuals to wash out of their cadre or otherwise fall by the wayside. Being found unfitting for the cadre one has been placed into by the state is, in the eyes of the cadres and government of Gadpathur, a sign that an individual is unfit for the defense of the planet. An individual unable to resist the Sol Alliance is essentially useless to Gadpathur and, as such, washouts are unceremoniously stripped of their ranks in their cadre and exiled from the planet for life, often being sent to Xanu Prime. Most on Gadpathur regard this fate as the ultimate humiliation, and it is often seen as a stain upon the collective reputation of a cadre to have a member exiled in such a manner.


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Latest revision as of 03:14, 26 April 2024

REGION - WEEPING STARS
This location is centered in the Weeping Stars region.
Not only a large memorial to the Interstellar War, the region known grimly as the Weeping Stars is perhaps the sole place the war occurred. Before the modern Coalition came to be, the war was fought over several lightyears of territory as the conflict raged on. Nearly 800 square lightyears saw the worst of the battles, leading the region to be later referred to after the tears caused by the bloodshed.

Gadpathur and Burzsia are located in the Weeping Stars.

Located within the Shpanberg System, the Weeping Stars world of Gadpathur is a living testament to the nearly-apocalyptic nature of the Interstellar War between the Sol Alliance and Coalition of Colonies centuries ago. The surface of the planet has been scorched and gouged by years of orbital bombardment, and much of it remains uninhabitable to this very day. The remaining residents of the planet retreated underground as the planet was bombarded, and what has emerged as the dominant force on Gadpathur since the Interstellar War is the United Planetary Defense Council of Gadpathur, a government dedicated to ensuring, above all other things, that the planet will never again fall to the Sol Alliance, even if all its inhabitants must give their lives in its defense.

Because of Gadpathur's insular nature that is unwelcome to outsiders and its origins of being settled by Indian colonists, characters born on the planet must have names and physical characteristics typical of people from the modern-day Indian Subcontinent. Only native Gadpathurians may take the Gadpathuri accent. This is enforceable by server moderators and admins.

The flag of Gadpathur.
Contents

History

"For years after, Ambedkar stunk. It was the reek of death - the corpses of humans, animals, stale water and sewage pipes that leaked into craters. There was nowhere one could go without escaping the smell of it. On the beaches, fish washed up in the thousands. The carrion birds would come to feast on the bodies, only to drop dead from radiation and the putrid meat." - Jawaharlal Kanekar (2367 - 2452), A People's History of Gadpathur, released 2403

Initial Colonization (2230s - 2260s)

Gadpathur was colonized by Earther colonists from the Indian Subcontinent at roughly the same time as many colonies that would come to form the future Coalition of Colonies such as Xanu Prime, Himeo, and Vysoka. Due to its location closer to the Sol System, in what would eventually become the Weeping Stars, the system was colonized several years before many Coalition systems and was intended to serve as a refueling point for vessels heading to Xanu Prime. The planet was fairly unspectacular: Earthlike and inhabitable, but possessing nothing noteworthy beyond its convenient location. The fauna and flora were docile enough, though most died off due to invasive species brought by the settlers. The planet prospered as a trading port positioned between Xanu and Sol. Partially, this success was due to its significant naval presence which discouraged most pirate attacks on the system or vessels that flew its flag. The naval presence was a great boon for the system, at least until the Interstellar War began.

Interstellar War and Bombardment (2260s - 2278)

By the mid 2260s Gadpathur was in the worst position that it had been in for its entire existence. The devastating economic collapse brought on by the Second Great Depression had destroyed much of its trade-based economy. Profits declined, unemployment became rampant, and many major trading companies went bankrupt. The problem only became worse in 2265 with the addition of steep taxes on all forms of trade by the Sol Alliance in order to prevent a total bankruptcy of the Alliance itself. The steep taxation upon the colonies and their trade, destroyed what little remained of Gadpathur’s once-thriving economy and turned the planetary opinion strongly against the Alliance. The last public opinion poll taken before the outbreak of violence in 2275 listed the Sol Alliance’s approval rating at less than 5%. The planet devolved into widespread civil unrest in late 2275 before escalating into full-scale revolt in early 2278.

The Interstellar War would only touch Gadpathur briefly, but it would impact the planet for centuries to come. The Sol Alliance’s control of the planetary surface was gradually lost as 2278 progressed, and was completely gone by September of that year. In orbit, Admiral Terrence Hopper - commander of the Gadpathur Fleet - seemingly stood alone. But Admiral Hopper - a hardline loyalist to the Sol Alliance - was not yet prepared to relinquish control of a valuable trading port to what he viewed as traitors and rebels to the true government of humanity. On the eighth of October, 2278, the Admiral gave the most fateful order ever to impact Gadpathur: fire all ordinance at the planet’s surface to deny the newly-formed Coalition of Colonies control of its valuable trade. Billions would assuredly die in the bombardment, but these were traitors in the eyes of Admiral Hopper in his fleet. The firing orders were carried out with little hesitation from the fleet’s captains, and the surface of Gadpathur was turned into a wasteland in the course of mere hours.

In the years following the Interstellar War, the bombing of Gadpathur would be swept under the proverbial rug by the Sol Alliance. Admiral Hopper was never punished and eventually retired to his home on Luna before passing away in the early 2300s in his sleep. Gadpathur itself went silent for many decades and was believed to be all but irrelevant by the Sol Alliance’s admiralty. The Coalition - unable to provide aid due to the damages sustained by itself during the Interstellar War - believed the planet and its population to be almost completely wiped out following the bombing and utilized it as anti-Solarian propaganda throughout the nearly decade-long Interstellar War.

But, against all odds, Gadpathur endured. However, it would never be the same again after the bombardment.

Patvardhan's Campaign (2278 - 2308)

In the wasteland that had been Gadpathur, the civilian government - already strained and worn down by three years of constant civil unrest - collapsed within days, perhaps within hours, of the bombing. The military of the planet, similarly strained and divided between those loyal to the Sol Alliance and those loyal to the planet, followed the civilian government in collapsing. Within a week of the bombing’s conclusion a period referred to in the planet’s history as the “Gadpathurian Anarchy” had begun. Hundreds - perhaps thousands - of petty statelets and warlords emerged, ranging from former military units turned into bandits, mayors that were desperately holding onto the remains of their former cities, religious zealots that had organized doomsday cults, the remains of former political organizations that had formed political experiments ranging from radical Gadpathurian nationalism to Solarian revivalism, and many more. But one stood above all in terms of its organization, its goals, and its dedication: the Gadpathurian Reunification League, a military government founded from the remains of three army groups shortly after the bombs fell.

When the bombs fell, one army group was spared from much of the devastation thanks to the remote location in which it had opted to conduct training maneuvers. The Fifteenth Gadpathurian Planetary Command Region - consisting of three armies - under the command of Field Marshal Ashia Patvardhan retained upwards of ninety percent of its pre-bombing strength while sequestered in their remote - and mostly underground - facilities, making it the largest military force essentially overnight. Field Marshal Patvardhan and her generals, after overcoming the initial shock of experiencing global thermonuclear warfare committed by those they had been serving mere months ago, came to a grim realization: they were the best, and perhaps the last, hope for their home. The task of reunifying Gadpathur and allowing it to once again reach the galactic stage had been laid upon their shoulders. Taking the simple title of Commander and renaming the Fifteenth Planetary Command Region to the Gadpathurian Reunification League, Patvardhan set the League upon their ultimate duty: ending the period of anarchy and creating a unified Gadpathur once again.

The League quickly secured its immediate surrounding area - primarily villages and towns that had been left without greater leadership following the collapse of the planetary government - and established a military government over the region. The resounding defeat of the nearby bandit warlord, a former military unit now calling themselves the “Disciples of Murugan,” and the subsequent absorption of the bandits into the League as a unit established further confidence in the League’s ability to save the planet. A system of organization promoted by Commander Patvardhan in which factories, civilians, and military units were all organized along the same line: quasi-military groups referred to as “cadres” that helped encourage cooperation and unity between members of the Reunification League. It seemed that planetary reunification by the League was not a matter of if, but a matter of when.

In 2308, thirty years after the bombs were dropped onto Gadpathur’s surface, the black-and-brown flag of the Reunification League was at last hoisted over the former planetary capital of Ambedkar. Commander Patvardhan, now in her late seventies, had at last accomplished the dream of reunification and ended the Gadpathurian Anarchy. Already in her twilight years, Commander Patvardhan was now left with the task of determining which direction to take the Reunification League. She and her most senior officials and commanders conferred for days, then weeks, then after eighteen days a decision was reached. As the most important duty for the government of the planet was to ensure it would not bow again to the Sol Alliance, there would be no handover to a traditional civilian government. Instead, the Reunification League would rule the planet to ensure that it would not be humiliated by the Sol Alliance. Not ever.

When the Solarians returned, Gadpathur would stand ready. And it would never again fall to the Solarians - even if all of its citizens died in the defense of their planet.

Modern Day

The United Planetary Defense Council of Gadpathur, successor to the previous Reunification League, has ruled the planet since its reunification over a hundred and fifty years ago and has lasted far past the death of its original Commander. The cadres of the planet, working in military precision to ensure that their homeland stands ready, work tirelessly to ensure the planet will not be found wanting again. Gadpathur is militarized to such an extent that it is often regarded as a fortress world, and it provides a great amount of soldiers, sailors and vessels to the rest of the Coalition despite its position in the Weeping Stars.

The modern Gadpathur is a planet still scarred by the trauma of its orbital bombardment, and one that is absolutely determined to withstand another invasion by the Sol Alliance when it inevitably comes. As time has gone on, however, a growing number of Gadpathurians have quietly begun to question if an invasion will ever come, and if not, why the planet is still so tightly controlled. This has been exacerbated both by the diminishing of Solarian power and the current strife between the planet and wider Coalition of Colonies resulting in the system remaining cut off from the Coalition warp network.

Environment

"CHATAPUTRI REGION: Ambient radiation in air measuring at average of 500 Sv, marked decrease of approx. 200 Sv from 2446 survey. No recorded animal movement or plant life. Area presumed uninhabitable and actively hostile to human life." - Excerpt from United Planetary Defense Council of Gadpathur Northern Hemispheric Ecological Survey, published 2456.

The environment of Gadpathur still bears the scars of widespread bombardment by the Sol Alliance. Gigantic craters scar the surface, and many areas are at best hazardous and otherwise unsuited to human inhabitation. While air has remained breathable on the planet’s surface, it is often toxic in more damaged areas and most residents of the planet commonly carry a gas mask with them during their daily lives. The surface of the planet is fairly cool and features a very atypical weather type: radioactive ash storms. These storms often scour the more bombarded areas, and are a result of the immense amount of ash that settled following the detonation of orbital ordinance on the planet’s surface.

The flora and fauna of Gadpathur are extremely hardy, having survived a near extinction-level event in the form of the Solarian bombardment. Flora is typical shrublike, and most trees are relatively small. What fauna remains is generally small and warmblooded, due to the bombardment creating a quasi-nuclear winter and subsequent dying off of species that followed it. Most crops on the planet are grown in the massive hydroponics bays of the United Planetary Defense Council, to ensure that the planet will have ample food supplies in the event of another struggle with the Sol Alliance. Indoor pastures also exist to ensure that animal-based products will similarly be available, even in the most dire of situations. Even the animals and plants of Gadpathur have been made to work, in their own ways, towards ensuring that the planet will withstand the Solarians, should they return.

Weather

The weather of Gadpathur has been described as "uniquely horrible" by those rare individuals that choose to visit the planet. Due to the amount of regions that have yet to recover from the Interstellar War's bombardment dust storms made up of ash and particulate blown in from these destroyed regions has become a frighteningly common occurrence on the planet. Often the dust that makes up these storms, due to its origins in heavily-bombarded areas, will be radioactive. The massive dust storms of Gadpathur are visible from orbit, and often feature dust tornadoes due to their large size. These tornadoes are often also radioactive. Aside from dust storms acidic rainstorms are very common on the planet, and most - if not all - crops are grown underground as a result.

Restoration Efforts

Since reunification, various efforts have been established to attempt to restore, or at least stabilize, the planetary surface. The efforts have had varying levels of success, and all share one common obstacle - the hazardous surface conditions. Initial restoration efforts were attempted by the Reunification League in the twilight of their campaign and were localized efforts to clear radiation and other hazards in rear areas to ease logistical issues. Following reunification, Commander Patvardhan desired to begin a painstaking process of cleanup. However the lack of advanced supplies for such an undertaking severely limited it, and despite decades of experience in this environment, the effort failed to make significant headway in cleaning up anything beyond the immediate surroundings of bunkers, towns, and facilities - surroundings that were constantly having more hazardous dust blown into them. After her death, there were no significant efforts made towards restoration for decades, as the succeeding Commanders and Defense Council opted to instead use the hazardous environments as something of a defense to bog down Solarian forces in a future attack, arguing that this course of action was less costly and that the planet would recover on its own. In the early 2400s, the policy changed again, as it was clear the planet was not recovering at any real pace, and the livable space for residents on the surface was running out. The Defense Council initiated a large-scale cleanup effort, focusing on regions of the planet that had not been hit as heavily by the orbital bombardment, then slowly working into the more heavily hit regions. The effort was met with limited success, managing to mostly clean up the areas with the least amount of damage over the course of 15 years, but still hampered by the hazardous storms and toxic air blown in from the most damaged regions. More recently, efforts have sent teams into the worst regions to clean up “at the source,” with limited success. The majority of ongoing efforts are focused on maintaining the relatively cleaned regions and slowly expanding these zones where possible, though there is little hope for a rapid improvement.

Politics and Government

"To surrender, to fall victim to complacency or softness, is the killer of our strength." - Commander Pallav Pandey (2397 - ), in a speech to the Planetary Defense Council, 2460

The government of Gadpathur is a highly-authoritarian, militarily-minded organization referred to as the United Planetary Defense Council of Gadpathur. The government itself is directly descended from the military forces that reunified the planet after its devastating bombardment by the Sol Alliance during the Interstellar War. The government of the planet is essentially a military dictatorship in which power is held by the Defense Council in order to ensure the planet is always ready to repulse a potential invasion by the Solarian Alliance, regardless of the costs that would be incurred.

The Defense Council is made up of individuals who have proven their loyalty and abilities within their cadre. All voices on the Council are equal, save for the Commander’s. The Council has a set number of members, with prospective new members being nominated by their cadre director. Once seated on the Council, a member is entitled to a life term, though they may step down on their own accord or be removed in extreme cases. Such removals would typically accompany exile, as misconduct at the level of the Defense Council is seen as sabotaging the fighting ability of the planet.

The Commander is the head of the junta that makes up the Defense Council and is appointed by a vote of Council members. Like normal members, once they are appointed, the only way for their removal is by stepping down, or removal. No Commander has ever been removed by the Council, as Commanders have always stepped aside when their support within the Council sours. The Commander sets general policy, orders to cadres, and long term objectives for the planet. Despite their position as the head of state for Gadpathur, the Commander is still accountable to the Defense Council, and their power is not as absolute as an outsider may think. Their power comes from the Defense Council’s continued approval, and Commanders must engage themselves in politicking behind the scenes to ensure that their support does not falter.

The current dominant faction in the government is the Planetary Preservation League, a defensively-minded junta that has been in power since the planet’s reunification centuries ago. While often criticized throughout the Coalition (and in Sol) for their domineering and authoritarian system of government, the PPL has - for decades - assured the greater Orion Spur that it will stand down and transfer power to a civilian government when the Solarians no longer threaten the Weeping Stars. Whether or not this will prove to be true remains to be seen.

A minority faction in the United Planetary Defense Council is the more offensively-minded Weeping Stars Reunification League (WSRL), a radically nationalist clique that calls for the reunification of the Weeping Stars and the eventual invasion of the Solarian Alliance to punish them for their crimes against Gadpathur. These goals, along with earlier conflicts between Gadpathur and Galatea, are one of the many sources of friction between the two planets. The WSRL’s members are descended from an eclectic mix of groups, ranging from disillusioned security cadres to the descendants of bandits such as the Disciples of Murugan that were integrated into the Reunification League during its reconquest of the planet. A number of supporters come from the Brothers of Charity as a result of the fervor with which the cadre displays towards the mission of the Defense Council. There are rumored, though unconfirmed, reports that the WSRL sends personnel on clandestine anti-Solarian ventures throughout the Orion Spur, though the League itself fervently denies this. They have not been at power at any point during Gadpathur’s history, but their calls to take the fight to Sol itself gained traction during the Solarian Collapse. In the aftermath of the war in the Northern Wildlands, however, the faction’s influence has again waned as a result of the sanctions placed on Gadpathur by the wider Coalition for providing support to Solarian rebels.

A third faction within the Defense Council is the Restoration Committee, a minority group that desires for the reinstallation of civilian government. Having only formed within the last decade, the Restoration Committee is committed to seeing the Defense Council transfer power to a civilian government, arguing that with the wider Coalition at its back, and the now reduced power of the Alliance, the threat of another war with the Alliance has passed - and with it, the need for total control and militarization. The majority of Restoration Committee supporters come from cadres that are highly educated and specialized, most notably the Directorate of Mechanical Sciences. While the Committee is the smallest faction within the Defense Council for now (and derided as cowards by the WSRL), it has quickly grown into more than just a fringe idea.

Notable Council Members

Pallav Pandey is the current Commander of the United Planetary Defense Council of Gadpathur, having been appointed to the position in 2451. Born January 11th, 2392, Pandey eventually found himself assigned to the famed Black Jackets, where he quickly made a name for himself with his leadership abilities and work ethic, resulting in a rapid promotion to Section Leader by the age of 25. He was known for his innovative approach to training, which led to his Section winning several competitions within the cadre. At the age of 41, Pandey was nominated for appointment to the Defense Council which was swiftly approved. Having positioned himself as an influential member of the PPL by 2451, Pandey was appointed Commander with overwhelming approval on the Defense Council. Commander Pandey has done well to navigate the internal politics of the Council since his appointment, and while his tenure is well-regarded by most, the recent failures with the Northern Wildlands and Coalition have left him in an awkward position with his own faction, which wonder if he may have gone too far. With Pandey getting older, time will tell if he can right his ship, or be forced out in favor of a new Commander.

Sanja Kala is the leader of the Weeping Stars Unification League, her appointment to the Defense Council having come in 2452. Born June 20th, 2410, Sanja’s dedication and medical aptitude scores saw her assigned to the Brothers of Charity as a doctor. She quickly rose through the ranks of the cadre, eventually becoming a department leader prior to her Defense Council appointment. While one would think her work as a doctor would result in a heightened sense of compassion, Sanja’s ferocity and dedication to the Gadpathurian cause is unrivaled within the Council. She is known as a firebrand, typically engaging in heated discussion on all matters, regardless of how trivial they may be. It is rumored that she succeeded in swaying Commander Pandey to aid the Anti-Corporate League with her fervor, and while it did not work out in her favor, it has certainly raised her profile within the Council.

Apurva Chaudhry is the leader of the Restoration Committee. Born October 7th, 2421, Chaudhry was appointed to the Defense Council in 2458, the youngest-ever appointee. Apurva distinguished herself within her cadre, the Directorate of Mechanical Sciences, by developing a more efficient and less resource-intensive process by which to repair robotics devices. Rather than take her skills abroad, like some in her cadre, Apurva instead wished to remain at home and see her home shake the, as she sees it, overbearing way. Following her appointment to the Defense Council at the age of 37, Apurva quickly founded the reformist Restoration Committee, and has worked tirelessly since to try and promote the benefits of standing down to her fellow Council members. While they initially fell on deaf ears, her views have slowly begun to gain traction among more reform-minded Council members.

Culture and Society

"Long live Gadpathur! Death to the Solarians!" - Common nationalist chant

Gadpathurian society is entirely dedicated to ensuring that the trauma and chaos caused by mass nuclear fallout will never be endured again by the planet, no matter the cost. Because of this, it is highly-militarized, highly-disciplined, and values collectivism to the extreme. Its society is organized into paramilitary units referred to as “cadres", esponsible for ensuring that when (and in the minds of most Gadpathurians, war is a when rather than an if) war comes, they will not be found unprepared for even the most apocalyptic of conflicts. The cadre structure results in Gadpathur being run more akin to a massive army rather than a government.

Daily Life

The day-to-day life of a cadre member (for there is essentially no other kind of Gadpathurian) is defined by which cadre they have been placed into. Industrial cadres build, medical cadres treat, and security cadres constantly train. All cadres train, as it is the only way the Defense Council believes the planet will be ready for the final apocalyptic struggle with the forces of their hated enemy, the Sol Alliance. Ensuring preparedness for the eventual war through training dominates much of the day-to-day activities of cadre members as a result.

The average Gadpathurian has little real control over their day-to-day lives on Gadpathur due to the cadre system. At the start of most days orders will come from the government to cadre leaders, and these orders proceed down the chain to normal cadre members. While this lack of agency can be a kind of comfort for many, those that go abroad are given the leisure of deciding how to use their time without the supervision of a cadre leader - often resulting in choice paralysis while they adapt.

The centralized and order-based nature of the day-to-day life of the cadres can be both a blessing and a curse. While orders are carried out without question, they are not typically set in advance, meaning cadres are left in limbo until their orders come through. Given the lack of individual decision making that is permitted, most section leaders will not act on their own, instead awaiting orders from their department leaders, and so on. At times this leads to wasted hours of the day, especially so if the orders are based around a rather contentious issue.

Social Values

“Gadpathurian Superculture”, the scholarly term for Gadpathur's extreme collectivism, has helped enshrine many of the government’s values in the mind of the typical citizen. Duty, loyalty, self-sacrifice, cooperation, and a hatred for the Solarians are among some of the values enshrined in this government-designed superculture. Those that show particular dedication to these core Gadpathurian values are often those selected to go abroad, which has further encouraged an eager adoption of this superculture. The superculture pervades even the clothing of Gadpathurians; all cadres wear a similar uniform designed by the planet’s central government.

While anti-Solarian sentiment is near-universal among the planet's population, it is worth noting that many Gadpathurians consider the status of "Solarian" easily renounced, so long as a Solarian-born individual renounces their government and the "culture" of being Solarian. To be freed from the baggage in a Gadpathurian's eyes means one must be against Sol and have fought against them, such as with Biesellites.

Despite stereotypes of being a dour, insular people (which is not inaccurate), Gadpathurians are not unaware of camaraderie or affection. The cadre structure ensures that its members are incredibly close-knit, with many willing to throw themselves into the line of fire to save a fallen cadre member or a superior officer. This strong sense of community has carried over to Gadpathurians and their coworkers abroad, particularly when enlisted in the Frontier Protection Bureau among fellow Coalitioners.

While marriage as a social institution is not state-enshrined on Gadpathur, romantic relationships no matter the gender of participants are perfectly acceptable and even encouraged to promote unity. Relationships that produce children are seen as necessary to the continuation of the planet and its values, and so are encouraged and subsidized. However, putting one's love for an individual above the greater whole is deeply frowned upon, and a romantic relationship should never come before one's cadre training. This value of the collective over the individual even extends to child-rearing. Children are taken from their parents at the age of four and placed into an educational cadre that they will ultimately graduate from at age eighteen, and be placed into the cadre they are most suited for. During their youth they are more-or-less raised by the state, and while they will be aware of the existence of their parents or siblings (should they have any), they are not permitted extensive contact with their blood family out of concern it will diminish their dedication to Gadpathur.

The Legacy of the Commander

When Commander Ashia Patvardhan, the reunifier of Gadpathur and first leader of the United Planetary Defense Council, passed away in her sleep at the age of ninety-two after over a decade spent in retirement, she lived on as an ideal of what a member of the Council should strive to be. Commander Patvardhan was a workaholic that never married and was, by all accounts, completely dedicated to the task of reunifying her broken planet into a singular entity that could once again take to the stars and, above all, endure another fight with the Sol Alliance. Children, when they are first placed into their cadres, are taught the story of Patvardhan’s selflessness and instructed to aspire to her heights - no matter the cost to the person themselves. The lesson, and lionization, of Commander Patvardhan is a key part in constructing Gadpathurians as loyal subjects of its government willing to give their lives in the defense of their homeland.

Cuisine

Stereotypes abound of Gadpathurians eating exclusively MREs or radiation-riddled foodstuffs, which is not entirely baseless; MREs are mass-produced and stored, both for stellar patrols and excursions into the irradiated countryside of the planet. When at home, however, Gadpathurians usually consume high-carb, easily-prepared meals that can be brought with them on the go. Elaborate curries of the pre-bombing era have mostly been replaced with spiced jerkies, breads, and riceflour cakes with veggies and meat in them. Pakoras and samosas are also popular traditional food. Gadpathurian food is still quite spicy, though not quite as spicy as its Xanan counterpart dishes; several spices are rarely grown in hydroponic bays, to make room for more nutritious produce.

Augmentation and Prosthetics

The science of mechanical augmentation has achieved some purchase on Gadpathur, despite the relative isolation of the planet during its reunification period. However, like almost everything on the planet, the central government has come to direct much of how the planet utilizes and views augmentation. Internal prosthetics, such as the sensor suites favoured by Eridanians or internal tool suites common in the Republic of Biesel, are looked down upon as overly-complicated and likely to place unneeded stress on the supply chains of the planet. In the minds of many Gadpathurians there is no reason to do a job with an integrated tool built into your arm when a hand tool does the same job while having less failure risks. Mechanical organs are generally only installed by Gadpathurians when absolutely needed, due to concerns that they may fail when the moment is most critical. After all, how can one defend their home if their mechanical lungs begin malfunctioning?

External prosthetics have seen much greater success on Gadpathur due to risks present on the planet. Industrial accidents, as with everywhere else in the Orion Spur, are always a threat that can result in the loss of a limb. Another risk is unexploded munitions, which are often infrequently scattered on the crater-filled surface of the planet and serve as a painful reminder of the Interstellar War in the mind of many Gadpathurians. The planet has a relatively well-developed local prosthetics industry, with many high-quality locally-made prosthetics tracing their origins back to the Directorate of the Mechanical Sciences, as a result of both a need and the planet's belief that everybody must contribute to the fight in whatever ways they can. One cannot stand against the Solarians if they have only one leg to stand on, so prosthetics are provided to those cadre members that require them to ensure that they can do their part to ensure the planet never again falls.

Architecture

Gadpathur has been constructed partially underground in the style of a giant military base, though residential blocs primarily remain on the surface. With reconstruction efforts ongoing, many newly-built residential blocs are covered in native plant life and radiation harvesters, both to shield residents from any stray greys and act as partial camouflage from potential invaders. Bunkers stretch for miles under the surface in order to allow the planet to endure an orbital bombardment even more devastating than the one it experienced during the Interstellar War. Much of the planet’s industry is located underground, as are the launch bays of many of its surface-to-space weapons. The true extent of these facilities is unknown, and is regarded as a state secret of the United Planetary Defense Council of Gadpathur.

Buildings on the surface are typically built in a blocky, concrete style reminiscent of brutalism. Like so many other things on the planet, Gadpathurian buildings are designed with one thing in mind: defense. Groups of buildings, such as large facilities, are built in compounds, featuring defensive structures on the outskirts, gates that can hastily be turned into pillboxes, and multiple armories. Towns feature a defensive perimeter of some sort, typically with multiple lines of defense. Even residential buildings within towns are designed to have multiple fields of fire and act as something of a light bunker for residents to fight in.

Cadres

"Arm your brother as you would arm yourself." - Jaideep Singh (2327 - 2399), department leader of the Black Jackets cadre, ca. 2357

The primary method through which Gadpathur is organized is through the cadre system, which can trace its roots back to the original military units that formed the Reunification League. These cadres can be found throughout the planet and, thanks to the tight control exercised by the government, it is impossible to find a Gadpathurian resident not involved in a cadre. Gadpathurians are in a cadre essentially from the cradle to the grave.

Cadres are organized internally along a deliberately simple, essentially universal, structure that resembles a military unit. At the top of the command structure is the cadre's leader, the director. This individual answers directly to the planet's central command organization and expects loyalty from their subordinates even during peace, and has the final voice in much of a cadre's internal policy.

Below the director are specialists that lead significant parts of the cadre referred to as department leaders. With years of experience in their given fields and extensive ideological training, these senior cadre members are responsible for ensuring much of a given cadre's day-to-day work is carried out. Department leaders are often those that recommend Gadpathurians for off-world travel, and a good relationship with one's is regarded as key to success in a cadre.

A step below the department leaders are section leaders, qualified individuals that have shown the ability to lead and proper dedication to the planet. Section leaders can be compared to a departmental head of a NanoTrasen facility, and are generally earmarked for promotion to departmental leader if their service is dedicated enough. Below section leaders are full cadre members, and below them are trainees - sometimes referred to as students - that are in the process of becoming a full member. The highest cadre rank available for on-station characters is section leader, as all positions above that are senior administrative ones.

Due to the rigid and highly organized structure of individual cadres, there is no room for deviation from orders. While in theory this would be an efficient method of operation, in practice this occasionally leads to internal strife, as suggestions or other ideas are not always welcome, but rather suppressed as a deviation from orders. Ideas are typically dropped if suppressed - otherwise the member who made the suggestion may find themselves increasingly ostracized from the cadre or on the receiving end of disdain and even abuse from fellow members as someone who is working against the cadre. In the worst cases this has led to exile, both willing and unwilling.

A Gadpathurian will enter their initial cadre, often referred to as “youth cadres,” in order to receive the education and preparation necessary for them to enter into a full cadre when they are eighteen years old. In these they are educated (some would say indoctrinated) in both practical and ideological matters, such as the importance of resisting the Sol Alliance. These youth cadres are highly patriotic and typically very closely-knit, with many members retaining their bonds even after departing for their permanent cadres. When a youth cadre member is eighteen they are given a qualification exam that will determine the rest of their life, as it decides which type of cadre they will be placed in.

The cadres that these graduates are placed into are where they will be molded into efficient and productive Gadpathurians, fully committed to the defense of their world no matter what their actual duty may be. All professions are organized into cadres and there are dozens - if not hundreds - of distinct types. However the three largest and most prominent, cadres are the industrial, medical, and security cadres. These are some of the cadres most likely to be seen off of Gadpathur as well, as the planet’s government will often send exceptional cadre members abroad - sometimes as far afield as the Republic of Biesel - to improve the interstellar image of the planet and encourage support of the planetary agenda

Gadpathurians receive two identification tabs as soon as they are inducted into a youth cadre and are expected to carry them throughout their life. Upon their death, the tabs will be torn apart: one will remain with the dead body, and another will be returned to the cadre to which the now deceased individual belonged. Individuals exiled or otherwise banished from their cadre (in essence, the same as being banished from the planet itself) are expected to hand over both of their identification tabs - a gesture regarded as extremely shameful for any Gadpathurian.

The process of naming a cadre is somewhat complicated. While youth cadres, which are only expected to last for roughly fifteen years, are simply named after their year of future dissolution and their geographical area they are from, more permanent cadres often have names passed down through the centuries, with some even tracing the origins of their names back to the Interstellar War. These names are considered to be a key part of the cadres and are regarded as a symbol of pride for the members of a given cadre. Newly-formed cadres will be issued a generic identifier consisting of their duties, year of formation, and area of formation until they prove themselves as effective. Only then will the cadre members be allowed to choose a name, generally chosen by pure majority voting amongst members.

Medical cadres are one of the key parts of the state-run society of Gadpathur and are responsible for everything from battlefield medicine to surgeries to routine health checkups. A medical cadre’s rough equivalent outside of the planet would be a hospital combined with a medical school. Practitioners of all types are trained within these cadres and it is impossible to become a licensed medical professional on Gadpathur without being a member of one. Cadre members from this sector of Gadpathurian society tend to be quite experienced with the treatment of wounds related to the highly-toxic environment of the planet. Often whole medical cadres will be sent abroad as gestures of goodwill, one being permanently stationed on Xanu Prime to assist in the treatment of those exposed to the often-hazardous environmental conditions of the planet. While their presence is often appreciated by those they assist, these cadres are still dedicated to the ultimate goal of ensuring Gadpathur will resist the Solarians above all other concerns. Medical cadre members are issued a patch featuring a golden medical cross on a white background to mark their positions. The cadre member’s specialization is written inside of the medical cross, typically in a shorthand form (i.e. “SURG” for surgeon, “PARAM” for paramedic).

If medical cadres are one pillar that holds up society (and the government) on Gadpathur, then its industrial cadres are the other. Consisting of everything from construction workers to highly-educated engineers responsible for maintaining automated industrial networks, industrial cadres are by far the largest grouping of cadres on Gadpathur. A lack of IPCs on the planet (the ruling government believes that their prosperity towards self-preservation is unfitting for the goal of ensuring the planet withstands an invasion by the Sol Alliance, no matter the cost) and a desire to ensure that systems work even under the most extreme of circumstances, combined with the immense needs of the planet’s native armaments industry has helped fuel the need for new industrial cadres as well as their great diversity. Industrial cadre members can be distinguished by their patches: a golden hammer and shovel crossed over a white background. A black circle in the middle of this patch will contain another tool marking a further specialization, such as a lightbulb for an electrical specialist.

The unassuming name of security cadres disguises the true purpose of these particular cadres, which is to serve as the primary military force at home and abroad for the United Planetary Defense Council of Gadpathur. Highly indoctrinated and highly trained, these cadres are often the most fanatical loyalists of Gadpathur and are wholeheartedly dedicated to their duty of ensuring the planet never again falls to the Sol Alliance. While outside observers have accused the Gadpathurian government of essentially brainwashing their security cadres by training them from childhood to defend the planet, the United Planetary Defense Council has defended their training system as a necessary measure to ensure that Gadpathur will never be defeated in any future conflicts. Detachments of security cadres are often “exported,” or otherwise liaised to member states of the Coalition of Colonies to serve as auxiliary troops, and to encourage further relations between Gadpathur and the Coalition in the face of Solarian imperialism.

To deviate from the cadre system is to condemn oneself to exile from Gadpathur.

Notable Cadres

While there are thousands upon thousands of cadres on Gadpathur, some are more famous than others. Here are a few notable cadres that can be found on the planet.

  • The Black Jackets are one of Gadpathur’s most storied security cadres, with a history that stretches back to the Unification League and the wars it waged to reestablish planetary control. The Black Jackets were originally a reconnaissance detachment under the leadership of Commander Patvardhan before the bombs fell and have since become one of the oldest continuously activated security cadres currently serving. Their emblem, a pair of binoculars over crossed rifles, is instantly recognizable on the uniforms of all cadre members. Many members of this cadre are sent abroad to serve as an example of the high quality of Gadpathur’s training. However, this does come at a cost: many hopeful members of this cadre cannot meet the extremely high standards expected of them and wash out, ultimately being exiled from the planet for their failure.
  • The Brothers of Charity are a major medical cadre of Gadpathur. Another quite old cadre, the Brothers can trace their lineage back to a pre-bombardment religious hospital that managed to, through blind luck or the favor of the divine (depending upon whom you ask), avoid much of the destruction dealt to Gadpathur on that fateful day. Brought into the Reunification League shortly after its formation, the Brothers were often instrumental in ensuring the League was in fighting shape. In the years since reunification, the religious fervor of the Brothers has given way to a feverous dedication to ensuring the planet will be able to resist the hated Sol Alliance. Due to their ferocious dedication to the Gadpathurian cause, members tend to have offensively-minded views of taking the fight to the Solarians, and the founding members of the Weeping Stars Reunification League were from the cadre. Its members have retained their dedication to charity, and are often deployed abroad by Gadpathur to further legitimize itself to other political entities in the Orion Spur.
  • The Directorate of the Mechanical Sciences is one of the only cadres on Gadpathur that actively maintains and builds robotics equipment. A very recent industrial cadre, only thirty years old in fact, the DMS still has much to prove in the eyes of many of its compatriots. Cadre members from it are often regarded as some of the best and brightest of Gadpathur, which as led to an unexpected problem: brain drain. Young and talented roboticists from the DMS, underappreciated and often overworked, sometimes find themselves self-exiling from the planet for better career prospects elsewhere. The government of the planet is quite alarmed by this, and has started giving this new cadre more chances to travel abroad as a result - despite complaining from other industrial cadres. The cadre is generally seen as a more reform-minded cadre as a result of having some of the brightest minds on Gadpathur, and the founding member of the Restoration Committee was a former cadre member.
  • The Kshatriya are, in their own words, the premier armored vehicle-based security/industrial cadre on Gadpathur - and they do not take kindly to anyone saying otherwise. An unusual mix of an industrial and security cadre due to the need to both maintain and operate vehicles, the Kshatriya are often seen as one of the more flamboyant cadres on Gadpathur. This has earned them both respect from some and ire from many others, such as the Black Jackets. The “fast and loose” reputation of this cadre disguises the immense amount of effort required to keep the cadre functional and combat ready, and fights between security and industrial specialists are not unheard of.

Leaving Gadpathur

There are two primary methods of leaving Gadpathur: with honour, or with shame.

Leaving with honour is the most common method through which Gadpathurians are able to experience the greater Orion Spur. Exceptional cadre members will receive the chance to go abroad (though some say that they are essentially ordered abroad) in order to promote the goals and interests of the planet. This is seen as an extremely high honour to receive by many on the planet, as only the best and brightest are sent abroad as a result of rigorous selection standards. Though the majority of these elite few are sent to other planets in the Coalition of Colonies in order to promote further positive relations between the Coalition and Gadpathur, a significant portion of them are sent to the Republic of Biesel or The Republic of Elyra. The reason for this is simple: the government of Gadpathur views the Republics as fellow victims of Solarian imperialism, and wishes for them to know that there is some solidarity between it and the former-Solarian republics.

Leaving with shame is an unfortunately common fate for many cadre members, particularly those in high-demand professions. The stresses and demands - both material and ideological - of service in a cadre will often cause individuals to wash out of their cadre or otherwise fall by the wayside. Being found unfitting for the cadre one has been placed into by the state is, in the eyes of the cadres and government of Gadpathur, a sign that an individual is unfit for the defense of the planet. An individual unable to resist the Sol Alliance is essentially useless to Gadpathur and, as such, washouts are unceremoniously stripped of their ranks in their cadre and exiled from the planet for life, often being sent to Xanu Prime. Most on Gadpathur regard this fate as the ultimate humiliation, and it is often seen as a stain upon the collective reputation of a cadre to have a member exiled in such a manner.