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The world known as Paradise to Humans, Gehtanu to Ruhar, and Pradassis to Kristang is an inhabited planet with an oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere, though oxygen content is higher than on Earth.[1] It has an agriculturally-based economy, though urbanization and overall development accelerated recently. The Black Trees Clan first colonized Paradise after finding Elder artifacts, namely a Power-Tap; they protected their investment with a grid of subterranean maser projectors.[2] Once it was decided to be unlikely more artifacts would be found, the Black Trees abandoned the planet. However, their projector grid remained hidden and capable of reactivation for millenia. The Black Trees had hoped to use it to retake the world if it became useful once more, but this time never came. After the passage of much time, the Ruhar colonized the planet and lived upon it for many generations. Despite a brief occupation by UNEF, the Ruhar presence on the world has increased in importance in recent years. The Ruhar had constructed at least one equatorial space elevator, whose cable was long enough to wrap around Paradise several times over if it snapped. For this reason, the Ruhar did not permit the construction of vital facilities along the equator. [2] |
Conditions[]The gravity of the planet is two percent higher than Earth's. The star Paradise orbits burns hotter than Sol, however the world orbits further out, resulting in conditions mostly similar to Earth[1]. Paradise's landmass is consolidated into one large continent with additional outlying landmasses reaching only the size of Greenland, the remainder of the world's surface covered in ocean broken up intermittently by archipelagos. The world's climate was highly diversified, with tropics, subtropics, plains, and polar regions. There are a number of islands situated in the world's tropics, majority having white sand beaches. Paradise's waters hold a number of predatory sea creatures. Paradise has at least one polar cap, which suffers intense snowstorms, is saturated in permafrost, and covered in glaciers; UNEF cold weather gear was insufficient to protect members of the Mavericks from these extreme conditions, though Ruhar gear was.[3] Regions[]The largest continent is separated into several administrative and geographic regions by the Ruhar government. Lesscorta was an inland region occupying roughly one-tenth the total area of the continent. It featured mostly flat terrain used for agriculture, with low ridges running north-south, though rivers and lakes were present. A sea was west of the region, while the space elevator's base station was situated to the southeast. Teskor Village was located in this region. As Teskor had a pungent parmesan cheese smell, this could apply more widely to Lesscorta's farmlands or the region in its entirety. UNEF soldier Lt. Charles in Joe's Embedded Observation Force referred to Lesscorta as 'Butt-scratch-istan', because UNEF soldiers called the region to its north 'Back-scratch-istan'.[1] Lemuria is the southernmost region of the continent. It is a very humid jungle environment, though capable of supporting crops and livestock. Most Humans on Paradise were relocated to and isolated in this region in impoverished conditions after the reacquisition of Paradise by the Ruhar.[3] Bugs in this region proved to be pests to the Humans living there. Although Paradise biology is not compatible with either Humans or Ruhar, at least one lake in the region possessed imported species of fish from the Ruhar homeworld.[4] In at least one instance of a crashed starship on Paradise, the equatorial jungle of Lemuria had laid claim to the hulk with extensive overgrowth and decay. Islands[]Tavalen Island was one of many of the world's tropical islands, and the site of a subterranean maser projector. The island was destroyed by Shauna Jarrett of the Mavericks during the course of combat with the Kristang 39 Commando, an act of sabotage to prevent the Kristang from controlling the projector.[3] |
History[]Occupation[]After a wormhole shift, the White Wind Clan rented UNEF to the Swift Arrow Clan, who wanted conquer the planet. Due to a bioweapon laced across Paradise by the Ruhar, Kristang were unable to operate on Paradise, which necessitated the use of Humans as an occupation force. UNEF filled this role, occupying the planet until the Ruhar inhabitants could be forcibly evacuated. The Ruhar navy continued to harass Kristang forces in orbit in attempts to overturn the occupation throughout its duration. Fort Arrow, a UNEF stronghold, was destroyed by orbital railgun strikes. This particular counteroffensive failed when an attempt to land Ruhar soldiers resulted in the Whale dropships transporting them being shot down by Kristang Zingers. Nearly 2,000 Ruhar casualties resulted from this. The Ruhar federal government was, then, interested primarily in shrewdly negotiating the cession of Paradise to the Kristang rather than fully retaking it. After this, UNEF attempted to engage in a 'hearts-and-minds' campaign with the local Ruhar population to mixed success. Kristang intervention in the occupation, particularly through orders to execute and bomb civilians, led to friction between all three groups.
Liberation[]The Merry Band of Pirates engaged in an operation to liberate Paradise from the Kristang, coordinating in an obfuscated manner with UNEF forces through a UNEF intelligence officer (resulting in the formation of the Mavericks), revealing the locations of the Black Trees maser projector grid in order for it to be reactivated and obliterate the Kristang fleet in orbit. After a protracted conflict, this plan succeeded. A planted discovery of Elder artifacts and the miracles of Skippy further convinced the Ruhar to secure Paradise rather than abandon it. A Ruhar battlegroup has since been permanently stationed in orbit.[3] The prospect of Elder artifacts and the security brought by that prospect in turn attracted much offworld investment to Paradise. UNEF ceased to be a hostile force to the Ruhar, and was recognized as an interim government for Humans on the world until a civil authority could be established. UNEF was partially housed within Ruhar administrative facilities at this time.[4] At one point, humans were again displaced within Lemuria by the ballooning real estate industry which sought to develop portions of the region for Ruhar habitation.[3] |
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