User:Khalael/Sandbox

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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 Colonization[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 colonoization 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 honour 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, lead 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.