User:Kyres1/Sandbox
The shimmering Xanu Prime, capital of the Xanu Free League and thus of the entire Coalition of Colonies, is an Earth-sized habitable world and arguably one of the most important in the Orion Spur. It is known as the Throneworld by the Scarabs, The New Homeworld by the Techno-conglomerate, and plainly “home base” in many other parts of the Coalition. Its names are as diverse as its populace, with almost every single Human origin - even Solarians, begrudgingly, being found here. Megacities of varying size dot one hemisphere, while another remains bathed in the bright blue, glowing Freedom’s Deep ocean. It is the economic hub of the Coalition, with all manner of imports making their way to the bustling planet. The government of the Coalition, the Representative Summit, meets on the artificial island of Greentree, located equidistant from every city on the planet.
In the capital city of Argia sa Mar, many embassies and legations are found in the Foreign Quarter, alongside branch offices of every megacorporation. The League is governed by a president who is elected from among the mayors of the megacities and serves a three year term.
It is situated in the galactic north of the colonies within the Central Coalition region, bordering Arusha and Rebel’s Reach.
History
Xanu Prime’s first colonists resided on long-distance ships numbering in the hundreds that came to settle on the planet over the course of the first 30 years of its history. Starting in 2162, it is one of the oldest discovered habitable planets and one of the first set out to be colonized by the Alliance. Despite the danger of settling over a year’s travel from the safety of Alliance territories, millions set out with a promise of better times ahead by setting Humanity’s flag so far. Colonization of the planet went by like a dream, with a mixture of Earthling species and xenos being brought to slowly adjust its environment to fit very specific, utopian needs. This proceeded under Alliance supervision for nearly 100 years leading up into the 2260’s.
With the planet now dotted with well-prepared, self sufficient cities, Xanu Prime was quickly becoming a powerhouse of the interstellar economy. Many distant Alliance colonies relied directly on Xanu for support and sustainability. This is why, when the Solarian economy collapsed and the Second Great Depression brought about the Interstellar War, it decidedly became a target. During the seventeen to eighteen years of the depression leading up to the war, predictions quickly came in regarding the Alliance’ approach to unruly, united separatists. This, of course, was cutting off their supply at the new source… Xanu Prime.
Seeing the worst coming, Xanu Prime quickly turned into the first Base World. Booming military production and outspoken subversion of the Alliance’ taxation turned its cities into bunkers and its stations into weapons platforms. Before the notion of it, Xanu was prepared for war.
When the Solarian fleets made their move in 2276, fighting occurred after two years when they refused to depart Coalition systems. A massive guerilla war broke out, and it took only three years for Solarian fleets to fight their way to the heart of the Coalition. By then, Xanu Prime was the closest manifestation of a planetary fortress seen in recorded history. With excessive anti-orbital countermeasures, the Solarian fleets were forced to land troops on the planet, and thus began the Siege of Xansan.
A battle waged over a year encompassing 93% of the surface of Xanu Prime, the Siege of Xansan is the bloodiest conflict in the history of the Orion Spur. Little is known about the true magnitude of the battle, nor the exact projection of force either side used. It began in 2281 and went to the Solarian Alliance’ retreat in 2282. The results left Xanu torn to pieces. Enormous craters not only dot - but completely coat the planet, as permanent scars of the orbital bombardment and weapons of mass destruction utilized in attempts to force the Coalition to stand down. As more died, it is said the Coalition’s resolve grew, and in the insanity there was only the hope of true freedom present to ease their minds.
Chemical and atmospheric warfare was used in proliferation on Xanu Prime during the siege until its finality at the city of Xansan, the final stronghold before the Alliance had arrived at its capital Argia sa Mar. On May 6, 2282, Alliance forces declared a retreat after substantial losses and were routed by Coalition warships in orbit. Far from home and with their supply routes now cut off by the successful guerilla war waged lightyears away, they had no other choice but to flee.
Since the Siege, Xanu has long regained its foothold as the capital of the now-strengthened Coalition. Eventually, it would become the foundation that the Coalition would be built upon for hundreds of years to come. The damage done by the war will forever be irreparable, however - and the governing body of the planet is content with the marks left on the Coalition. Xanu Prime’s landmass and much of its seaboard are designated as war memorials, nearly 89% of the planet’s regions themselves.
Culture
Life on Xanu Prime
Environment
The environment of Xanu Prime is projected to be irreversibly damaged by the Siege. However, much to its population’s surprise, life found a way and to this day many of the animals first brought on the original colony ships have survived to this day. The once-wastelands have regrown their grass, though the planet is remarkable in that there is little to no tree coverage anywhere. With no canopy to hide under or forest to reside within, birds of prey and scavengers flourish most. Larger beasts peacefully graze on the endless plains with little to no natural predators. After the Siege, much of the landscape of Xanu Prime was altered, and where there were once mountains now reside gargantuan craters. These craters often interfere with one another geographically forming deep valleys.
Many of the shallower valleys are safe to travel through without atmospheric protection, however deeper valleys and craters still contain clouds or trace signatures of the same atmospheric weaponry used during the Siege. This often presents itself in long-standing, highly poisonous fog completely and utterly covering the deepest points of many craters for kilometers at a time. Thousands of craters are similar to this, and efforts have been made to siphon out the poisonous gas to little avail for the monumental task. Within this “death fog” are many species immune to it, some having taken advantage of the low visibility such as large carnivorous insects waiting for prey to wander in.
The seas and rivers of Xanu are among the most remarkable features of the planet. Due to specialized means of filtrating and curing the seas post-war, the totality of its water sources have taken on an incredibly bright, glowing cyan shimmer. In darkness, these shine a brilliant blue, illuminating the horizon wherever water may lie. From orbit, the “veins” of the planet can be seen through the huge rivers flowing across its landmass.