Ross 128 b

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Ross 128 b
IconRoss128b.png
Seal, symbolising the maiden of the constellation Virgo
Ross128b.png
False-colour image of Ross 128 b
Interstellar Zone
Government: Stateless (disputed)
Colonised: 3046 (first), 3180 (final)
Currency: Proxian Centauri (₡)
Capital: Astrea
Demonym: Rossian
Colours: De-facto:
             (Civil)
             (Military)
Geography
System: Ross 128 System
Avg. distance from Earth: 11 ly
Demographics
Population: 40 million
[Source]
It's truly remarkable how hard someone will fight over a blasted rock if that rock is connected to their identity. Sure Earth is a shit-hole now, but at least it has history. Rossie has nothing by comparison yet these people lay down their lives regardless.

–Justin Whitworth

Ross 128 b (Martian English: Raaz 128-b), colloquially known as Rossy, is a stateless planet that is ostensibly managed by Proxian mining conglomerates. Although Ross 128 b is relatively close to the Solar System, the planet is woefully underdeveloped due to repeated failed attempts at colonisation. Currently, the planet has become a center for activity by the Seven Suns Temple, a doomsday cult whose activities are increasingly drawing the ire of Proxian Credit and the attention of INTPOL.

History[edit | edit source]

Discovery[edit | edit source]

Discovered by the La Silla Observatory in Chile on the 15th of November 2017, Ross 128 b was identified as lying within the habitable zone of its star. The Roscosmos State Corporation launched a mission to Ross 128 b in 2259, following the success of the Zheng He mission to Luyten b and the launch of the Biswas probe towards the distant TRAPPIST-1 system. The probe arrived in 2359, with detailed telemetry of the system transmitted back to Earth by 2370. The mission confirmed the assessments that Ross 128 b possessed an Earth-like gravity, thin atmosphere and magnetic field that protected its surface from ultraviolet radiation, solar wind, and cosmic rays. The data served to place Ross 128 b on the extrasolar colony candidates list approved by the United Governed Space Authority.

Further exploration of Ross 128 b was green-lit by UGSA in 2400, with the intent of fully mapping the world and determining suitability for settlement. Overshadowed by the long term Luyten b terraforming initiative, Ross 128 b remained the preserve of limited academic study until the dawn of the Extrasolar Age. The development of the Kimber Drive in 2796 sparked the great space race to colonize the stars. With the development of Luyten b limited by the lengthy duration of the terraforming process and plans for colonization of the TRAPPIST-1 constrained by the duration of the trip calculated to take one hundred years, attention turned towards closer more accessible worlds. Ross 128 b, already high on the candidates list, was thrust into the spotlight following the successful colonization of Proxima Centauri b in 2863.

The necessity of terraforming had long been debated by the scientific community with the terraforming processes of both Mars and Luyten branded as vanity projects by critics that proposed the colonization of extrasolar bodies to be more suited to following the model established on the Solar System's myriad of other celestial bodies. The Ross Scheme was established by academic researchers and entrepreneurial businessmen who sought to repeat the success of the Proxima Centauri colonization but on a grander scale. Ross 128 b was selected as the target for colonization because of its accommodating gravitational pull and relative close proximity to the Solar System, facilitating for a shorter journey time than the ambitious Trappist Friendship Initiative.

First Colonisation[edit | edit source]

In 2870 the Ross Scheme was granted an official mandate to colonize the Ross 128 System on behalf of UGSA, but the group was only able to secure limited financial support from the organization. Funding for the colonization effort was secured over the next decade, with the Ross Scheme targeting financiers that had lost their stake in the Vermilion Project, primarily European oligarchs. The impetus to push forward with the colonization contributed to a lack of scrutiny towards the source of the funding or investigations into the reasons financiers had lost their stake in the lucrative Vermilion Project. In 2880 the initial phase of the colonization began, with the deployment of automated drones to Ross 128 b that were tasked with the creation of a space dock and initial habitation domes upon the planet. Construction of the premier colony ship began in the same year, the design based off of the Rigil Kentaurus, the flagship of Spica Kimber's colonization of Proxima Centauri b, with a prospective completion date of 2900.

In order to generate publicity for the Ross Scheme, the trustees commissioned the Kimber-Sonoshee Racing League to hold a racing challenge around Ross 128, offering a substantial reward for the pilot to complete the circuit in the fastest time. The inaugural Ross Cup generated significant interest across the Solar System and provided a test-bed for the latest Kimber drive intended for the Vermilion Bird mission. The race began in 2880, with the racers prospected to enter the Ross 128 system by 2891 and return to the solar system in 2902.

The Ross Scheme suffered its first setback in 2881, when the financiers could not agree upon the name of the colony ship. Pyotri oligarchs proposed the name Kostroma in honor of the historic city, river, and ancient Slavic deity. Western European oligarchs proposed Asterion, the consort of Europa. The name Kostroma was only agreed upon after a threat to withdraw funding was made by one of the major shareholders, Vladislav Chugunkin. Further setbacks occurred during the construction of the colony ship, with work delayed after a dispute over payments between the project managers and the Callisto shipyards in 2884. UGSA threatened to withdraw the mandate granted to the scheme if the dispute was not resolved, which prompted Chugunkin to settle the dispute out of his pocket, securing the majority stake in the Ross Scheme in the process.

In 2902, the first competitor returned from the Ross Cup, Kacey von Brandt. She provided fresh imagery of the system for the Ross Scheme and was offered a place aboard the Kostroma as part of her reward, with the caveat of the promise to be the first person to set foot upon the planet if she accepted. Von Brandt took the offer and joined the Ross Scheme board of directors to serve as their primary spokesperson.

Construction of the Kostroma was finished in 2906, six years behind schedule. Under pressure to avoid withdrawal of their UGSA mandate due to delays, Chugunkin sanctioned minimum space trials to be completed and is believed to have paid off UGSA inspectors to approve the vessel for deployment. After completing trials, the Kostroma began a slow burn toward Pluto in preparation for its departure of the Solar System. The vessel suffered from complications in transit and was forced to undergo repairs at the Iapetus shipyards in 2907. The Kostroma arrived in Pluto orbit in 2909 where final preparations for the colonization began. In order to recoup losses on the vessel, the Kostroma was fitted with the same model of Kimber Drive as the Rigil Kentaurus, a 90% speed of light variant instead of the newer, more expensive, 99% speed of light Kimber drive that had been commissioned for the Vermilion Bird. The colonists, primarily drawn from citizens of the European arcologies, began boarding the vessel on the 1st July 2910.

The Kostroma departed Pluto on the 30th July 2910 and reached interstellar space by the 23rd February 2911, beginning the thirteen year journey to Ross 128. Arriving in the system at the close of 2924, the Kostroma would enter Ross 128 b orbit on the 24th November 2925, docking with the geostationary orbital habitat of Mechtat that had been constructed above the dark side of the planet. The first human, Kacey Von Brandt, would set foot on Ross 128 b on November 25th 2925, accompanied by Vladislav Chugunkin and an entourage of religious dignitaries. A priest from the Orthodox Church laid a foundation stone, consecrating the land in the name of Christ with holy water taken from Earth, at the site of first landing as part of the ceremony. Chugunkin named the world Devana, in homage to the Slavic goddess of myth and the constellation of Virgo in which the planet lay, before installing himself as governor of the colony.

Construction of the first permanent settlement, Zemlyagrad, began on the edge of the terminator line, built within the hollowed out crust of the planet, to shield the inhabitants from cosmic radiation. By the end of 2926, the settlement housed the entire population of the colony ship and expansions were constructed in preparation for the arrival of further colonists. The financial collapse of the Ross Scheme and the liquidation of Chugunkin's assets within the Solar System would ensure that these prospective colonists would not arrive. Following his departure from the Solar System, the Interplanetary Police Force had conducted an investigation into the finances of the Ross Scheme in 2915 and uncovered evidence of fraud. The Ross Scheme was exposed an elaborate pyramid scheme that had defrauded trillions of dollars from its benefactors, including the Interstellar Governed Space Authority, and a warrant for Chugunkin's arrest was issued.

News of the charges brought against Chugunkin reached Devana on the 2nd March 2927, bringing with it uncertainty and discontent. A vocal minority of wealthy colonists, with financial ties to the Solar System, called for Chugunkin to step down as governor and stand trial. Chugunkin refused the request, asserting that not only was Devana beyond the jurisdiction of both INTPOL and IGSA, it was designed to be self sufficient. Chugunkin abolished usage of the Union Dollar and replaced it with the the Devanan Ruble, ending a dependency on the Solar System. The economic landscape of the colony was drastically altered in the aftermath, with all but Chugunkin forced onto an equal footing of wealth. The move proved popular with Devanans in the lower socioeconomic brackets that saw a net increase in perceived wealth but unpopular with those in the upper brackets that had lost their fortunes.

On the 5th March 2927 a protest outside the Governor's residency began, led by Devanans that had lost their wealth following the economic redistribution. Chugunkin deployed the Devanan Security Force to break up the protest, prompting violent retribution from the protesters. Hundreds were killed in the Wednesday Massacre after the security forces turned their guns on the protesters. In response to the protest, Chugunkin declared martial law and promised further retribution against those that opposed his rule as governor. The security forces seized the long range communications array to prevent messages being sent back to the Solar System.

Under the direct rule of Chugunkin, the colony was reformed in his image. The security apparatus of the colony was expanded, with the citizenry that had benefited most from the new regime integrated into the DSF. The protesters that had been killed during the Wednesday Massacre were labeled enemies of the state and the security forces that had perished heroes of the people. Chugunkin promised that the new regime was to be a true meritocracy where effort was rewarded, all while promoting his own cult of personality. Over the course of a decade the colony would grow as dictated by the governor, with dissidents crushed.

Yet, resistance would form against Chugunkin though mostly outside the capital Zemlyagra where his populist policies were still potent. Various small militias, called Pistoleviks after their favored weapon, formed against Chugunkin. DSF was hard-pressed to resist these guerrillas, who kept them occupied rooting them out of tunnels and the outskirts of Zemlyagra. The conflict between the DSF and the Pistoleviks would rage for years as conditions in the colony slowly worsened.

An INTPOL detachment arrived in 2932 in the Ross 128 System to apprehend Chugunkin. Arriving on the orbital habitat Mechtat, the INTPOL detachment asked to be received by the station, but the Mechtat refused them entry. After two days of waiting, the Mechtat fired upon the INTPOL ship with rockets and damaged it. Afterwards, the INTPOL ship limped back to the Solar System, and Devana was in an uproar over Chugunkin ordering the station to fire upon the Interstellar Police Force. This led to new protests in Zemlyagra, and the DSF was unable to contain the protests which quickly turned to riots. These new protests called for a large-scale return to the Solar System and the apprehension of Chugunkin for trial. These protests spooked Chugunkin, and he decided to make his exit for the Luyten System. Word of Chugunkin's exit led to a collapse in civil order as the Pistoleviks surged from the tunnels to seize power from the DSF. Remaining DSF personnel took control of the Kostroma and negotiated their survival by allowing large numbers of Devanans to board while barring Pistoleviks and their families access to the ship. Also, some other Devanans chose to stay behind on the planet. The evacuation led to the abandonment of Zemlyagrad and many other settlements on Devana.

Over the next few decades, Ross 128 b (as it was more widely known) remained on the minds of many in the Solar System. The Kostroma controversy and its return to the Solar System would lead to investigations into the IGSA and further purging of its ranks of corruption in relation to the failed colonization effort. Plans for further colonisation of Ross 128 b soon after the failure became apparent, especially among corporations eager for the resources the planet offered.

Meanwhile on Ross 128 b, the few remaining colonists, calling themselves Devanans, eked out a harsh existence with what limited faulty equipment they had. Split into family groups, the Devanans resided largely in two dome cities: Rodrinsk and Simbov. Their existence was harsh and only supplemented by trade with the orbital habitat and the occasional corp ship. As the years wore on, more and more corporations moved in on Ross 128 b to exploit the planet for its resources with fly-in fly-out miners from the Solar System becoming an increasingly common sight. Increased tensions between the miners and the Devanans would be a common theme throughout the 3100s.

Second Colonisation[edit | edit source]

Ross 128 b would colonised again in 3180 by Galaxy Prospecting , who saw the planet as having immense potential. This led to the establishment of more cities such as Astrea, separate from the then larger Devanan settlements on top of the ruins of Zemlyagrad. The Devanans were just as hostile to the new arrivals as they were to the fly-in fly-out miners previously. Galaxy Prospecting at first tried to hire Devanans to assist them in their colonisation of the planet, but they were rebuffed, only then learning of the Devanans' extreme insular nature. Over the next half century, Galaxy Prospecting and the Devanans warred over Ross 128 b's surface for mining rights and other resources.

After a series of wars, the situation on Ross 128 b finally settled down with both sides having their understood claims, worked out through numerous agreements and unofficial treaties. The "Rossians" and the Devanans tired of fighting, and they settled into their respective territories. Upon the collapse of Galaxy Prospecting, little changed as the Rossians simply seized company assets for themselves regardless of their actual owners. This state continued until the Commonwealth Wars, when everything would change.

Battle of Ross 128 b[edit | edit source]

Only eleven light years away from Earth, Ross 128 b was one of the first targets for the newly formed Commonwealth of Earth because of its close location. The Commonwealth anticipated minimal resistance from the locals and dispatched only a small battle group led by Rear Admiral Estevão Duarte Clemente to deal with the planet.

Entering orbit in 3471, Rear Admiral Clemente seized the orbital station over Ross 128 b and landed Commonwealth Marines from there, led by the overzealous Colonel Thoma Katz. The Commonwealth Marines would establish themselves first in the capital Astrea where they accepted the submission of numerous corporate representatives and miners. They could have stopped there, but the local corporate executives egged Colonel Katz to seek the submission of the troublesome Devanan survivalists as well, hoping he would finally take care of the greatest threat to their power on the planet. This proved to be a disastrous mistake that would jumpstart the Battle of Ross 128 b.

The first meeting between the Devanans and Commonwealth Marines at Simbov proved disastrous. Colonel Katz, drunk on power, disregarded any of the subtleties in dealing with the Devanans and bluntly demanded their submission to the Commonwealth of Earth. The Devanans, not fully aware of who they were dealing with, refused this demand thinking that the Colonel was just another corporate mercenary. One thing led to another and soon enough, shooting started. No one exactly knows who shot first, but by the end, Colonel Katz and the Commonwealth Marines were in retreat with tens of their numbers dead.

After this initial battle, Rear Admiral Clemente briefly reached out to the colonel urging moderation in dealing with the locals. He advised trying negotiation before sending in more Commonwealth Marines. Colonel Katz refused this suggestion, and he deployed his Commonwealth Marines against the Devanans’ two primary dome cities: Rodrinsk and Simbov. The Commonwealth Marines would fight for much of the next two years to take these dome cities, finally doing so in 3473. However, that would not be an end to things. The Devanan rebels would simply go underground, hiding in caves and remote settlements while engaging in guerrilla warfare with the assistance of fellow Devanans and sympathetic miners. In 3474, the rebels would finally coalesce into one somewhat unified group: the Devana Independence Army or DIA.

The DIA would initially struggle to gain any footing against Commonwealth Marines, having lost control of their population centers and lacking the Commonwealth’s technological edge. For much of 3474, Colonel Katz would prove quite effective in stamping out or capturing numerous DIA cells from his headquarters in Astrea. However, the DIA still had the sympathy of their own people and over time gained the sympathy of many non-Devanan miners who loathed the bloodthirsty Colonel Katz and their spineless corporate bosses. With the help of sympathizers, the DIA would build up the numbers and the arsenal to stand up to Commonwealth Marines. Staying hidden and mobile, the DIA would strike Commonwealth checkpoints and convoys without warning only to shrink back into Ross 128’s vast wastes. For nearly five years after the DIA’s formation, Colonel Katz would fail to make any real progress against them beyond surprising ambushers. The DIA would perform devastating attacks on Commonwealth military assets and the planet’s infrastructure at this time, even bombing the orbital station at one point. This all would take a toll on the Commonwealth Marines in terms of raw numbers and morale, with many on the Commonwealth losing any confidence in their own leadership in dealing with the situation. Colonel Katz, faced with immense pressure and potential disgrace, would in 3479 turn to Rear Admiral Clemente for further advice. Clemente’s suggestion would shock even the colonel: internment camps.

After the shock wore off, the cold practicality of Clemente’s suggestion began to make sense to Colonel Katz. He knew Devanans in occupied dome cities were aiding DIA fighters, and if he rounded Devanans up without any means of aiding their allies, the DIA would lose its largest pool of support and supplies. Also, the population of Ross 128 b overall at the time was less than two million with the Devanans being a minority, so the undertaking would not be so difficult using his own Commonwealth Marines with the assistance of corporate stooges.

The Commonwealth occupation would begin rounding up the Devanans from their occupied dome cities in 3479 to move them to internment camps in Astrea. Considered too dangerous to simply let live without a careful eye on them, the Devanans were watched over by the watchful eyes of both Commonwealth Marines and former miners drafted into becoming internment camp workers. Meanwhile, the war in the wastes between the Commonwealth and DIA continued.

Over the next decade, the Commonwealth occupation made small gains against the DIA, stopping the earlier devastating attacks, but failed to extinguish the organization as they had hoped to. In 3484, Colonel Katz was killed by a improvised explosive device planted in his shuttle, and Rear Admiral Clementes took over the leader of the Commonwealth occupation. He would attempt a few times to mitigate the situation with the DIA and negotiate for peace, but the DIA refused. Their families were on the line, after all.

As word came down the pipeline that reinforcements were likely to come from Earth at least around 3493, the DIA made a big push against the occupation starting in 3490. This led to a severe escalation in violence with bombings in Astrea becoming extremely common. The Devanan internment camps were a favorite target for the DIA, and numerous breakouts would take place over the years. Things reached a fever pitch when the DIA retook the abandoned husk of Rodrinsk from an imprudent local garrison in 4991. The Commonwealth Marines meet this with overwhelming force, and the violence escalated for the next two years. In that time, Rear Admiral Clementes would also begin to put miners known to deal with the DIA in internment as well, and treatment of Devanans in internment worsened considerably.

Commonwealth reinforcements would finally arrive in late 3493 in the form of Admiral Hori Iyona, General Justin Whitworth, and a whole lot more Commonwealth Marines. These reinforcements found a beleaguered Rear Admiral Clementes attempting to repair an increasingly untenable situation. General Whitworth quickly relieved the Rear Admiral of his position as leader of the occupation and took over in his stead. The general would proceed to focus more on counter-insurgency rather than just simply waging war against the DIA. He would keep the internment camps however, as they served their purpose. Captured DIA fighters were shipped back to Earth so as not to cause more trouble on Ross 128 b.

Not long after the arrival of the Commonwealth reinforcements, agents of the Martian Federation would arrive on Ross 128 b. These agents assessed the geopolitical situation and approached the DIA offering assistance in the form of weapons, vehicles, and specialized training. Although the Devanans were naturally suspicious of outsiders, they were now sufficiently desperate to accept the Martians’ help. The Martians’ help would assist in leveling the playing field once again between the Commonwealth occupation and the DIA, enabling the DIA to once again strike infrastructure with Martian-supplied drones. Martian agents would also assist the DIA in battle and even lead DIA cells at some levels. One of these Martian agents, Captain Jakob Morning, would quickly rise up to effectively become the second in command of the DIA, and he would quickly become the face of DIA who the Commonwealth recast as an entirely Martian-created movement, disregarding the two decades of war predating the Martians’ involvement.

The insurgency would rage on for another decade before things started to really come to a head as the Commonwealth pushed for a speedy end in the face of mounting pressure on the fronts against Zhu Que and Tranquility. As it turned out, the Martian aid had come too little, too late. Nearly two generations of Devanans had lived and died in internment, and some DIA fighters had not seen their families in nearly thirty years. Many of the DIA were very stubborn, but as they grew older, they began to realize that perhaps the ruination of their families and their people as a whole was not worth this fight. As that realization began to hit, more and more DIA fighters began to surrender to the Commonwealth occupation with the trend starting around 3505. Over the next four years, DIA fighters would slowly surrender themselves to authorities in order to see their families and possibly reintegrate. General Whitworth took a generally lenient approach to surrendering DIA fighters but refused to release the Devanans from internment until the DIA leadership surrendered themselves.

The DIA leadership would do just that in 3510 after the evacuation of Martian agents in a public show of submission to the Commonwealth. General Whitworth would graciously accept the DIA leadership’s unconditional surrender, confiscate their weapons, and finally release the Devanans from internment in 3511 after more than thirty years, ending a war that had longer than anyone had wanted or expected. With blanket amnesty on surrendered DIA fighters, excluding the DIA leadership who were shipped off, and only a few stubborn holdouts, Ross 128 b would remain stable under Commonwealth rule for the rest of the Commonwealth Wars as the planet was rebuilt and demilitarized.

Commonwealth Occupation[edit | edit source]

After the initial brutality on the planet during the war, the following occupation was relatively more mild. Although many Commonwealth personnel and Rossians still held intense grudges against the Devanans, the occupation government took a more conciliatory approach. The Commonwealth occupied Devanan settlements but did little to interfere with their daily lives, not wishing to provoke a rebellion. Some DIA leaders who had been taken in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Ross 128 b were returned in the following decades with the Commonwealth no longer seeing them as a threat. Many Devanans even moved out of their insular communities to the larger growing cities such as Astrea. Still, tensions remained boiling under the surface, especially between Rossians and Devanans.

The planet was further industrialized under the occupation to better utilize newly available resources. This led to more Earthers arriving on Ross 128 b, and they created further settlements while also building up already existing cities. The division between Old Rossians and New Rossians formed around this time as Earthers integrated onto their new planet. For the first half of the 37th century, the planet remained peaceful.

However, the continued occupation led to Devanan resentment to boil over in the latter half of the century. With increased numbers of Earther and competition for jobs in the larger cities, Devanans began believing that the occupation was trying to wage demographic warfare upon them to ensure that they would never pose a threat the planet again. This conspiracy theory became especially potent after the Free Movement Declaration in 3655 by the occupation government that opened up traditionally Devanan dome cities on Ross 128 b to non-Devanans. This move, meant to further aid the planet’s industrialization, enraged many Devanans, and the second iteration of the Devana Independence Army was formed the same year to combat Earther/Rossian integration into Rodrinsk and Simbov. This new DIA would quietly resist the occupation government from that point on, mostly by intimidating new arrivals and occasionally clashing with Commonwealth forces. The rebirth of the DIA was noticed by the planet’s governor, Wilbur Drax, but he attempted to resolve the conflict through deescalation. The DIA refused to disband without a full recant of the Free Movement Declaration however, and the insurgency continued.

Word of the rise of ALIAS and civil war on Mars arrived in 3677, and it had a significant impact on the Ross 128 b’s population. The Devanan community, who had received assistance from the Martian Federation in the past, were conflicted about the civil war, but large segments of the youth in the larger cities were fascinated by ALIAS and its technocratic regime. Growing up in the shadow of the occupation’s industrialization of the planet, these young Earthers and Rossians saw ALIAS as a utopian model to strive for with many agitating for further automated services of Ross 128 b. This surprised the occupation government, who moved to suppress the youth agitators in 3681. The crackdown only hardened the pro-automation agitators, who quickly organized into the Auto-Radicals. This group drew from Earthers, Rossians, and Devanans, all determined to bring about a better future for Ross 128 b.

The Auto-Radicals rapidly grew out of control in late 3600s with protests and riots in every major dome city, even Devanan ones, by 3690. This led them to conflict with the DIA, who saw them as little more than rabble-rousers. Word of ALIAS’s successes in the ongoing Martian Civil War only emboldened the Auto-Radicals, who became increasing rash in their demonstrations against the occupation government. Their calls for automated services morphed into full automation and independence from the Commonwealth. The latter demand in particular caught the attention of the DIA, who saw in the Auto-Radicals an opportunity.

As tensions escalated further, the DIA leadership reached out to the Auto-Radicals to talk about an alliance. The two groups’ negotiations yielded progress, but large segments of the DIA were skeptical of allying with any pro-AI group. Although the DIA had past good relations with Mars, many of them were skeptical of the Red Planet’s high level of automation and ALIAS in general. In particular, two high-ranking leaders of the DIA conflicted on the path forward: Yefim Kilesso and Dimitri Shubin. Kilesso, the head DIA general, was not overly fond of the Auto-Radicals or ALIAS but was willing to work with them for practical reasons. Shubin, a lieutenant under Kilesso, had formulated his own Devanan integralist ideology in the early years of the second DIA that conflicted directly with the materialism of the Auto-Radicals’ stated goal of automation. This conflict started first as an intellectual dispute between the two men soon became a major conflict with the DIA as hundreds of Devanans refused to work with the Auto-Radicals. When Kilesso signed a pact with the Auto-Radicals in 3699 following word of the fall of Olympus Mons Metro to ALIAS, Shubin and his loyalists separated from the DIA and formed their own group of Devanan freedom fighters, the Real DIA. Both the DIA and the Real DIA continued resisting the Commonwealth occupation.

When word came of the fall of Mariner Valley in 3701, significant unrest began throughout Ross 128 b, mostly prompted by the Auto-Radicals. Calls to action went out throughout the planet, and the DIA and the Auto-Radicals readied themselves for war.

On the night of 16 May 3701, Auto-Radical cells in Astrea rose up and started their revolution, marching on various symbols of the occupation such as administrative buildings, barracks, and checkpoints. At the same time, the DIA struck Commonwealth outposts outside the cities. This two-pronged approach caught the Commonwealth occupation completely off-guard with the governor sending Commonwealth forces to deal with the DIA first. This led to Auto-Radicals seizing large parts of Astrea and other parts of the metro area before being obstructed by INTPOL and Commonwealth forces. Rodrinsk and Simbov were met with no such uprisings, as the Auto-Radicals respected the DIA’s wishes not to interfere with their affairs. The day after the Ross Conflict began, the Auto-Radicals formally announced their pro-AI, pro-ALIAS, and pro-Mars revolution to free Ross 128 b from the Commonwealth and automate the planet into utopia. They also announced their alliance with the DIA and their intention to rename Ross 128 b Devana after their revolution succeeded.

As the Auto-Radicals quickly overtook nearly half of Astrea, the Commonwealth occupation was briefly thrown into panic. Governor Drax evacuated his staff from Astrea to the orbital habitat Mechtat while ordering Colonel Antony Rojas to secure Astrea. That led to a stalemate in Astrea between the Auto-Radicals and Commonwealth forces. Meanwhile, the DIA moved in on Rodrinsk and Simbov and captured them peacefully as Commonwealth forces fled, leading to further embarrassment for the occupation. However, Colonel Rojas was able to quickly secure remaining portions of Astrea under Commonwealth control and hold back several initial pushes by the Auto-Radicals and the DIA in the weeks after the initial rising. After the initial moves were made, Astrea degenerated into slow painful urban warfare.

Meanwhile in the vast tunnel systems and varied wastes of the planet, the DIA attempted to assert control over remaining occupation assets but was met with resistance both by Commonwealth forces and Axil Energy personnel posted at various locations. This was most evident at the Ivar Ammunition Depot, where Axil Enforcers and DIA got into a standoff over possession of the storage facility. However, the DIA eventually learned to avoid Axil assets and target exclusively Commonwealth assets.

Throughout late 3701, most warfare on the planet took place in Astrea and the wastes as both sides learned that they would not be able to end the conflict that quickly. Although the Commonwealth occupation had better equipment and defenses, they lacked the raw numbers to match the pro-Mars bloc who at the same time was unable to decisively dislodge the occupation. However as the fighting in Astrea neared residential centers, a new power rose assert itself: the Ross Battalion. A citizen militia of pro-Earth Rossians who mostly feared the Auto-Radicals’ alliance with the DIA and the latter group’s resurgence, the Battalion mostly fought in Astrea against the Auto-Radicals.

As the stalemate continued, Colonel Rojas worked throughout 3702 to find ways of breaking the pro-Mars bloc. This initially included troop surges in Astrea, but that led to very little progress with both Auto-Radicals and the DIA holding back Commonwealth forces. So instead in early 3703, the colonel reached out to someone unexpected: the Real DIA. Although the Commonwealth and the Real DIA were still technically enemies, the Real DIA were only really connected to the conflict through their shaky alliance with the DIA and held great antipathy for the Auto-Radicals and the ALIAS regime on Mars. For months, the Colonel pried to Real DIA away from the DIA until they turned on their former allies. The DIA and the Real DIA distracted one another in the wastes while the Auto-Radicals were left without aid.

The war raged on for another year as Commonwealth forces slowly gained ground, especially against the Auto-Radicals in Astrea. By the end of 3703, the Commonwealth had finally retaken Astrea and quickly moved to clear the Auto-Radicals from other urban areas. By early 3704, the Auto-Radicals had been eliminated with the DIA left with few allies. Nevertheless, the DIA remained determined to fight on due to their possession of large sections of Ross 128 b. This was made more evident by renewed DIA attacks on Astrea after the destruction of the Auto-Radicals. The governor worried that this meant the Ross Conflict would drag on another decade at least. However, Colonel Rojas again reached out to his Real DIA friends to attempt a diplomatic solution.

Yefim Kilesso and Dimitri Shubin met another for the first time in years in early 3704, now as enemies. The Real DIA's betrayal had left a bitter taste in the mouth of many Devanans, but many others understood their reluctance to become Martian lackies. Kilesso and Shubin arranged a meeting at Simbov, and they talked for three weeks. They finally came to an agreement that brought an end to the Ross Conflict when Kelisso agreed to a conditional peace deal. As part of the peace deal, the Commonwealth agreed to bring an end to its occupations of Devanan settlements and allow Devanans other forms of autonomy not given to other residents of Ross 128 b. This peace deal, known as the Annunciation Agreement, dissatisfied many Rossians with its continued conciliatory approach to the Devanans, but it did bring an end to the violence and destroyed what remained of the pro-Mars bloc on Ross 128 b.

After the Ross Conflict, the Commonwealth greatly scaled down operations on the planet and made preparations to release it alongside other departments that Earth felt were weighing it down. This process was accelerated by the many losses following the Great Interstellar War, and Ross 128 b was released as an Interstellar Zone shortly after the loss of Eden in 3746.

Interstellar Zone to Proxian Credit[edit | edit source]

Although peace had been achieved temporarily, the DIA had never truly disbanded after the Ross Conflict. They instead were simply inactive, as they felt most of their practical demands had been met. At the same time, Rossians mostly remained at peace as well, largely satisfied with their lives under the thumb of the Commonwealth. War was the furthest thing from the minds of most Rossians while the Great Interstellar War continued to rage. Therefore it came as a shock in 3757 when word arrived on Ross 128 b that the Commonwealth was releasing the planet from its rule. This led to something of a small crisis on Ross 128 b. Several DIA revanchist breakaways took the opportunity to make attacks on Rossian dome cities in an effort to "reclaim Devana". Neither side truly wanted another war, but extremists seemed think it was inevitable as Commonwealth forces vacated their positions.

To resolve the issue, Devanan and Rossian leaders came together at Astrea to talk things out for perhaps the first time. Many veterans of the Ross Conflict attended the conference, and tensions flared high especially when the DIA delegation arrived. Nevertheless, the two sides were largely able to hash out boundaries and territorial disputes between one another after a month or so of negotiations. The Astrea Conference would afterwards act as a sort of precedent for land disputes on Ross 128 b, and peace was achieved for around a half century.

Tensions flared up again in 3801 with DIA splinters attacking Rossian miners in what became known as the Ross Rush War. This came after the arrival of Proxian Credit on the planet through deals with Rossian settlements. The Rossian Rush War only lasted about a year with the DIA splinters being defeated by the combined efforts of both the DIA and Proxian Credit, but it still did significant damage to Devanan-Rossian relations. Many Devanan ultra-nationalists sided with the splinters over the mainline DIA, and Rossians felt like the DIA did not go far enough in preventing revanchists from persecuting them. This quickly led to a break in relations between Devanans and Rossians that lasts into the current day. This usually takes the form of minor skirmishes between Devanans and Proxian miners seen as violating the terms of the Astrea Conference.

Although the Rossians relucatantly embraced self-government for a time after the Commonwealth withdrawal, Proxian Credit became the de-facto government after moving into Rossian settlements, providing employment and protection for many. The conglomerate completely overtook the Rossian mining industry and locked out any competition aside from Devanan miners who operated within their own borders. This has become something of sticking point for Proxian Credit, who have tried to make inroads into Devanan territory but have failed so far. Whether their efforts will lead to another war are yet uncertain.

Seven Suns Temple[edit | edit source]

In recent times, Ross 128 b has become a popular destination for the Seven Suns Temple, a Buddhist doomsday cult. The planet, as an interstellar zone, has lax immigration laws, so cultists have been able to settle there in large numbers. That being said, both Rossians and Devanans resent the cultists' arrival and strange customs. The Devanans especially have taken to raiding cultist compounds on the boundaries of their territory, and several DIA splinter groups have issued bounties upon cultist trespassers. The Seven Suns Temple itself has responded to these aggressive actions by its adherents arming themselves and gaining employment (and protection) from Proxian Credit. This has only worsened relations between the conglomerate and Devanans, and some Rossians have even felt betrayed by their employers' acceptance of "cultists". Meanwhile, other Seven Suns Temple members reject working for Proxian Credit and prefer to eke it out on their own. This has led to a rogue third element to the traditional conflict between miners and Devanans.

Geography[edit | edit source]

Habitability[edit | edit source]

Located on the inner edge of its star's habitable zone and being tidally locked, Ross 128 b is nonetheless one of the better candidates for habitability known to mankind. Ross 128 b has an Earth-like atmosphere that is able to distribute the energy received from the star around the planet and allows more areas to hold liquid water.

Government[edit | edit source]

Perhaps the most populous stateless planet, Ross 128 b lacks a unified government though mining conglomerates act as the most powerful entities on the planet, with Proxian Credit leading the pack. In the larger dome cities on the terminator line, Proxian Credit is able to enforce a sort of law as they see fit. In smaller domes and miner camps, rules can often be very different or even non-existent.

Outside the largest dome cities, there are two large communities who live on Ross 128 b apart from other Rossians: the Seven Suns Temple and Devanans. Both communities have an adversarial relationship with the local mining conglomerates, but neither community openly claims the planet as their own. They do at times contest the authority of the local mining conglomerates however, with numerous clashes over the last couple centuries between Proxian Credit and Devanans.

The Seven Suns Temple on Ross 128 b arrived in the last century in vast numbers, and their numbers have swelled to over two million. Coming both as miners and as colonists, members of the Temple originate from Earth and came to Ross 128 b under the direction of their leadership. The Temple, an apocalyptic offshoot of Buddhism, has accumulated a great deal of property and wealth on Ross 128 b, with members living both alongside other Rossians and in smaller isolated communities. The Temple members who live outside the larger dome cities maintain their own laws and own rules apart from the rest of Ross 128 b. Temple members living in larger dome cities like Astrea largely does not dispute the rule of mining conglomerates due to Buddhism's general policy of non-violence, but there are occasional clashes even there. These clashes are related to individual members of the Temple or individual communities having disagreements with the mining conglomerates. Their conflicts with Devanans are usually more bloody.

A significant Devanan minority, about twenty five percent of the population, lives in separate smaller domed communities located in the southern hemisphere of Ross 128 b's terminator line. The endogamous descendants of the planet's first failed colonisation, the Devanans are an extremely territorial ethnicity and very protective of their culture. They lived in small federated communities apart from the rest of Ross 128 b, and they rarely interact with other Rossians aside from through trade. The Devanans at one point openly contested the conglomerates' rule of Ross 128 b, but they have largely ceased their attacks on miners and other Rossians. Still, the Devanans are militant in their isolation, and they take violations of their perceived territory very seriously. The latest iteration of the Devana Independence Army, the itinerate representative of Devanan nationalism, has mostly lain dormant for the last two centuries after concessions made by the Commonwealth occupation forces during the Great Interstellar War.

Economy[edit | edit source]

The economy of Ross 128 b is mostly based around mining and manufacturing. Mining minerals was the first industry on the planet by the Devanans and the Old Rossians. The Commonwealth occupation brought greater manufacturing to Ross 128 b as the population urbanized. Currently, Ross 128 b remains underdeveloped but ahead of many other stateless planets.

Culture[edit | edit source]

Ethnicity[edit | edit source]

Ross 128 b has several unique ethnicities due a cycle of multiple migrations, roughly split into three groups: Devanans, Rossians, and Earthers. These groups (and their subgroups) are classified chiefly by their time of arrival on the planet and their relation to outside forces. In Ross 128 b’s long history of human habitation, none of the planet’s various ethnicities have gotten along particularly well. These disagreements even include the planet's own name with Devanans referring to Ross 128 b as Devana while Rossians and Earthers most commonly refer to it as Rossie or its official name.

Devanans are the descendants of the original Russian colonists of Ross 128 b and the result of the failed Ross Scheme. Feeling abandoned by Earth, the Devanans forged on to form their own unique identity based upon their Eastern Orthodox religion and Slavic heritage. They also gained a strong feeling of independence from their separation from larger humanity and any form of authority. The arrival of new corporations and entrepreneurs on Ross 128 b threatened the Devanans, but the tension between the Devanans and new arrivals, the original Rossians, only bubbled over after the invasion and later occupation of Ross 128 b by the Commonwealth of Earth. The next three hundred years were especially bloody for the Devanans, as their frequent resistance to the Commonwealth occupation led to disastrous consequences with death squads, internment camps, and overall suffering. Although the Commonwealth treated the Devanans more leniently during the latter part of the occupation, the community still breathed a sigh of relief when the Commonwealth declared Ross 128 b to be an Interstellar Zone and withdrew back to Earth. Some revanchists called for Devanans to reclaim their planet, but the community has remained largely withdrawn from the politics of the larger planet with only exceptions being some extremists who still call for the establishment of a Devanan state over Ross 128 b. This and historical animosity has led to a great deal of bad blood between Devanans and non-Devanans on Ross 128 b. Devanans have strong martial culture along with a strong tradition of religiosity and extended families which has kept their culture alive over the last few centuries of conflict. Typically homesteaders, Devanans usually avoid employment in offworld corporations and are a small minority in Rossie's larger cities, mostly found in remote highly concentrated communities.

Rossians are a general term for those who arrived on Ross 128 b after the failure of the Ross Scheme and before the end of the Commonwealth occupation. This group is further subdivided between "Old Rossians" (generally of European and Chinese descent), those who arrived before the Commonwealth occupation, and "New Rossians" (generally of European descent), those who arrived after the Commonwealth occupation. The original Old Rossians were mostly employees of Galactic Prospecting who came to Ross 128 b after the failure of the Ross Scheme to develop the planet for economic usage or exploitation. These Old Rossians were of varied origins themselves, mostly hailing from the inner planets of the Solar System such as Earth and Mars. These Old Rossians were mostly miners or worked in the service sector, fueling the growth of Ross 128 b's newer cities such as Astrea. Their's was a hard but rewarding life, and they usually resented the Devanans' arrogance but knew that avoidance was the best policy, mostly limiting contact to occasional trade. This all changed with the arrival of the Commonwealth of Earth and the Commonwealth occupation. With the Devanans fighting back viciously against Commonwealth incursions while Old Rossians quickly surrendered, Devanans were brutalized while Old Rossians were given preferential treatment. This and frequent attacks by the DIA on large population center drove a significant wedge between Devanans and Rossians that remained after the Battle of Ross 128 b's conclusion. This divide was only intensified by the arrival of New Rossians during the Commonwealth occupation, mostly commonly Commonwealth personnel who chose to stay or migrants from Earth. These New Rossians, usually fairly affluent, were fiercely pro-Commonwealth, though Commonwealth troops from Pyotr I actually gravitated towards Devanans on a surprising basis. The reformation of the DIA in the late 37th century, the Ross Conflict, and later conflicts with the DIA led to a further divide between Rossians and Devanans, which remains even after the withdrawal of the Commonwealth. Rossians remain largely in control of the planet's larger cities and usually work for outside corporations or local businesses in those cities. They are fairly cosmopolitan but have their own traditions that mostly relate to their ancestors on Ross 128 b and their struggles.

Earthers on Ross 128 b are specifically classified as Earthers who came to the planet after the Commonwealth withdrawal. This population is mostly made up of members of the Seven Suns Temple who arrived in the last two centuries, mostly of Chinese or Southeast Asian descent. These new arrivals differed greatly from Earthers who arrived previously and so have not integrated into larger Rossian society. The largest difference is their religious dogmatism and overall lack of enthusiasm for pro-Earth Rossian culture (somewhat informed by their religion and prior experiences on Earth). Currently, Earthers live all over Ross 128 b in the cities and in more isolated areas. The unifying factor is usually that they live in neighborhoods or clusters amongst themselves.

Language[edit | edit source]

Solar English, specifically the Earther dialect, is the lingua franca of Ross 128 b. Although still roughly the same as the Earth dialect, the Rossian accent is quite noticeable to outsiders. The other most prominent language on the planet is Devanan or Rossian Russian, the language most commonly spoken by Devanans within their own insular communities. Meanwhile, Solar Chinese and Malay are other languages spoken on Ross 128 b in significant numbers, mostly by newer arrivals.

Religion[edit | edit source]

The irreligious make up the plurality of Ross 128 b, but there are still many religious people throughout the planet. The largest organised religion on Ross 128 b is the the Eastern Orthodox Church is the next largest religion due to the stern religiosity of many Devanans with Ross 128 b even having its own autonomous church. Next in number is the Seven Suns Temple, a doomsday cult descended from Buddhism intent upon leaving the Solar System before the predetermined destruction of Earth sometime after 4600. The Temple arrived on Ross 128 b in the late fourth millenium, and it has forged a significant niche within Rossian society with adherents in both big urban centers and smaller dome cities. Other smaller religions on Ross 128 b include Christianislam, DVYNE, and Jainism.