Elysia

"Space's Eden" - Tourism Board of Elysia mottoElysia, also known as Galilei-2 is a planet within the outer reaches of the United Earth Government's Outer Colonies. With a relatively small population and a pristine natural environment, the planet is one of the most popular tourist attractions for the upper class and it's inhabitants enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the UEG.
Originally established in 2488 by the colony ship Verdun, the planet underwent a rapid series of terraforming operations with the intent of mimicking extant Earth climates, and by 2509 the majority of the planet was classified as being of the Humid subtropical climate type. Advanced techniques and technologies allowed certain weather patterns on the planet to be controlled, allowing for pristine weather year-round in inhabited sections of the planet.
Elysia's economy in regards to interplanetary commerce relies primarily on tourism. As the cost of transport to the planet is high, the clientele for the tourism industry are typically incredibly wealthy; this allows for the tourism board of Elysia to put forward completely unreasonable prices in regards to temporary accommodation, tourist entertainment and transport, generating an extremely high level of income. When the Human-Covenant War began, tourism notably began to decline, especially so following the fall of the majority of the Outer Colonies, however Elysia's economy persevered and it's standard of living did not decrease. Elysia was attacked twice, and was successfully held both times; first in 2548 and then in 2552. The latter proved especially devastating for the planet and several regions of it were subject to low-intensity glassing by the Covenant, however the battle was eventually a UNSC victory.
In the post-war period Elysia has seen a resurgence in tourism, ironically aided by the fact it had suffered from glassing - the glasslands, which were often contained pockets among Elysia's rich natural landscapes, were far safer to view and explore than those of entirely or majority-glassed planets.
==History==
===Colonisation===
With the arrival of the Phoenix-class colony ship Verdun in July of 2488, the establishment of a first settlement on the surface of Elysia began. Named Lutetia, it's namesake being the ancient precursor to the now-megapolis of Paris, it was established in a circular motion, with the governing and administrative buildings of Lutetia and therefore the planet as a whole being situated in the center and residential, commercial and industrial zones being situated around them in outwards-expanding rings. Built to an exceptionally high standard of quality and using the most advanced construction techniques available, the colony had an incredibly high standard of living from the beginning. The citizens of Lutetia lived in luxury and comfort, and with the rather small number of initial colonists there was breathing room to allow for extravagant rather than utilitarian design. It was not uncommon for one early citizen to own an apartment that was three to floor stories large, for example. Further colonists began to arrival in yearly intervals, and by 2510 the planet reached it's projected volunteer population of 450,000. 
====Terraforming====
Terraforming began to be conducted as early as the arrival of the Verdun. While Elysia was a habitable planet, the UEG desired to terraform the planet to fit it's eventual purpose of being a tourism hotspot, and therefore the Humid subtropical climate type was selected to be Elysia's primary climate. The terraforming process was rapid, being almost entirely completed 21 years after it began. With certain aspects of the climate having been controlled and/or altered to be pristine at all times in certain areas of the planet, the civilian population of Elysia rarely saw intense tropical storms or other violent weather events; though heavy rain was still common in the summer months.
===Elysian Golden Age===
During the decades prior to the beginning of the Human-Covenant War, Elysia became one of the topic tourism destinations in UEG space. It's population exploded as the wealthy flocked to the planet, and the construction of several new cities began to ensure that Lutetia's quality of living was not lowered by crowding. The cities of Coral and Carpentaria were established, with the former intended to eventually replace Lutetia as the administrative capital of Elysia. 
It was during this period of growth and expansion that rural expansion began leading to a moderately sized portion of the population living outside of major urban centers. Eventually, lower-class workers who had been contracted to work on Elysia's many construction projects and in Elysia's industrial sector began to settle rurally, creating a subculture of non-wealthy Elysians which would be the catalyst for many future incidents.
====The Insurrection====
With the beginning of the Human-Covenant War, Elysia was deemed a planet of low strategic importance and was therefore limited in terms of the military assets it had available to defend itself. As other Outer Colonies planets fell, Elysia remained one of the rare few who had not yet been attacked by the Covenant onslaught, and the ever-present fear of an invasion that could come at any time instilled fear among the planet's less-confident lower class subculture. After numerous petitions by the Elysian Popular Party for the UNSC to expand the military garrison of Elysia were either ignored or outright declined, the more radical wing of the EPP, the Elysian Union, began to stage demonstrations against the colonial government and the UNSC for their supposed ignorance; which the Cosmopolitan Police hardly cracked down on. Contact with the Inner Colonies had, at that point, been limited by the UNSC itself to ensure that Elysia continued to remain undetected and therefore safe, which gave further believability to the EU's beliefs that the UNSC had forgotten about Elysia. In response to the brutal crackdowns on their demonstrations, a series of uprisings began lead by Michael Christiansson which took the military garrison of the planet by surprise on the 7th of September, 2536.
The initial rebellion saw success and in a little under 2 months the city of Carpentaria was under direct risk of falling to the insurrectionists. Among the insurrectionists was the young commander Kayode Adetola, who would become a notable thorn in the UNSC's side over the decades to come, and a direct enemy of the Office of Naval Intelligence. Carlos Smith, a false alias for a leader of the insurrection who's identity remains unknown, was not as prominent - however the alias would be reused during the Kythira Bush War by a separate individual. Colonel Devin Weeks, the commander of the United Nations Space Command's military garrison on Elysia, had organised a significantly-large combined force of loyalist militia, local security forces and army personnel by November 3rd. Successive battles saw the UNSC win increasingly decisive victories, particularly in the defense of the city of Carpentaria, and the following counterattack would drive the rebellion to it's eventual collapse on the 20th of January, 2537. While several splinter groups refused to surrender and would remain active in a low-intensity conflict across rural Elysia until 2548, the war had come to a close. In order to preserve Elysia's image as a pristine and peaceful world to both its inhabitants and to foreigners, all information pertaining to the insurrection was either classified or modified to the extent where the conflict's existence was officially erased on all non-classified databases. 
Following the conclusion of the insurgency, the Elysian Security Forces were established. 
===Elysia Under Threat===
====First Battle of Elysia====
On March 15th, 2548, a luminary in possession of Vetan 'Hanamee identified Elysia as containing a Forerunner structure of unknown importance, and his fleet, the Fleet of Divine Purity, arrived in the system on the 18th. 
The defending fleet scrambled to reorganise and deal with the threat, however they were not able to stop the initial wave of ground invasions that had been deployed by the fleet. The city of Carpentaria was directly assaulted by Covenant forces, and while it was successfully defended by the UNSC's extant ground forces, the city of Coral; which had become the planet's capital 5 years earlier, was overrun and annihilated by Covenant forces. While the city was not glassed, it's population was almost entirely eradicated before the Covenant withdrew from the city.
Battlegroup Safari, the fleet in charge of the defense of Elysia's orbit, had engaged the Fleet of Divine Purity with limited success. Ultimately, the inexperienced commanders were forced to disengage and withdrew into the planet's atmosphere, being pursued by elements of the Covenant force. However, in doing this the Covenant had made a crucial tactical mistake - their fleet, and it's attention, was now divided. Nevertheless, the invaders had located the structure-of-interest and established a spire at the location.
Lutetia was the next to suffer the brunt of the Covenant's invasion, with the city erupting into chaos as hostile forces gained aerial superiority rapidly. UNSC forces suffered several setbacks and were on the backfoot for many days, desperately clinging on to the city in the face of the Covenant's endless stream of attacks.
Carpentaria came under attack yet again on the 25th of of March the fighting was brutal; the UNSC had dug in significantly since the previous engagement and fought tenaciously for every inch of ground within the city, and on the other hand the Covenant had total aerial superiority and the support of a corvette. The defense fleet, which had engaged and decisively defeated the elements sent to pursue them during their retreat, intervened and eradicated the Covenant's aerial dominance over Carpentaria, turning the tide of the battle although it would continue until the 7th of April.
Late at night on the 28th, a team of UNSC Marine Corps engineers detonated a Covenant refueling station north-east of Lutetia, wiping out the entire ridge, the many anti-aircraft guns on it and turning the tide of the battle in Lutetia.
=====Turning Tide=====
James Coleman, an experienced and skilled captain of the United Nations Space Command Navy, had detected the planet's desperate distress calls and was within the vicinity of the system at the time. Rushing to aid the defense, his fleet; the II. Groombridge 1830 Battlegroup, arrived on the 29th and regrouped with the surviving elements of Battlegroup Safari. Reinforcements were deployed to aid the defenders on the ground, including the Spartan-II Theo-783 who himself was a native of Elysia. The Covenant fleet was still divided, with elements of it supporting ongoing ground engagements and the remainder being stationed in orbit, making them unprepared for the combined assault of the two battlegroups lead by James Coleman. With the decisive defeat of the Fleet of Divine Purity in orbit, the elements that remained in the planet's atmosphere quickly escaped to regroup on the far side of the planet's largest moon, Napoleon. Without the support of the fleet, Covenant efforts on the ground began to falter, and an operation to destroy the spire established on the ground lead to the destruction of a large portion of the Covenant army. The battle in Carpentaria wrapped up shortly after and Covenant forces began to be wiped out across the board, with the fighting now limited to isolated pockets in rural areas. 
After a series of engagements in orbit, the Fleet of Divine Purity was destroyed and Vetan 'Hanamee's command ship limped away from the engagement, retreating from the system and rendering the battle a decisive victory for the UNSC. 
With a clear threat to Elysia now being posed, the United Nations Space Command put significantly more resources towards the defense of Elysia. A second attack was believed to be inevitable, however it did not come until late in 2552; leaving the planet with four years to rebuild and prepare for the next assault. A large portion of the city's urban population was relocated to Groombridge-1830, which had a significantly stronger defense grid, until the situation in Elysia could be deemed safe.
====Second Battle of Elysia====
On October 28th, 2552, at 20:00 MST, a listening station reported slipspace anomalies to ECOM, the body in charge of Elysia's defense. The ODP grid suffered a surprise assault by the Fleet of Divine Purity on October 29th, lead by Vetan 'Hanamee once again. Despite losing three vessels in the process, the Covenant were able to breach the grid and assault the planet's surface. With the grid breached, the Covenant were able to evade the surviving ODPs and move towards the surface. The UNSC would have eventually organised a proper response to the attack some time later, sending forces to reinforce the four remaining ODPs to repel potential boarders, and positioning the defense fleet to cover the gap created by the Covenant. Not knowing of the true size of the Covenant force in the System, ECOM would believe that defeating the attackers in orbit would result in a victory. Going through with a plan drafted by Admiral Mayer, the UNSC would engage the Covenant forces in orbit and would successfully bait a number of capital ships into the kill-box of the remaining ODPs.
However, this would prove to be the UNSC's greatest mistake during the battle, as the fleet would have weakened itself attempting to defeat the attacking force, leaving them essentially defenseless when the remainder of the Fleet of Divine Purity began to attack the Defense Grid. ECOM would lose the remaining ODPs within an hour, and the remaining naval elements would be brought to the surface to oversee evacuations. Battles raged across the surface and several sections of the planet suffered from glassing, however the Covenant assault dissolved into chaos when the Great Schism began on November 3rd; infighting erupted across the fleet and the army, giving the UNSC ample opportunity to drive them off the planet's surface and deliver several decisive blows to their forces. The Lights of Purity were formed on November 4th above Elysia and began to engage the Covenant and the Separatists who had aligned with the UNSC indiscriminately. Eventually, the Lights of Purity withdrew from the system and the Covenant loyalists were defeated by a combined UNSC-Separatist assault, ending the Second Battle of Elysia.
===Post-War and Recovery===
==Geography==
===Physical Geography===
===Political Geography===
====Regions====
=====Arpitania=====
Arpitania is a remote, sparsely inhabited region north of Gallia. One of the northernmost regions on the planet, Arpitania's climate is significantly more temperate than it's neighbours to the south. Characterised by rolling snow-capped mountains and hills, the region is home to very few settlements, the majority of which house military personnel. A number of facilities for the training of United Nations Space Command personnel and members of the Spartan-II, III and IV programs have been established in Arpitania in the years following the end of the great war.
=====Carpentaria=====
Carpentaria is a primarily coastal region that is home to the major city of Carpentaria. The region is a hotspot for Elysia's tourism industry and is home to the planet's largest seaport.
=====Corail=====
Corail is the region that encompasses the ruined city of Coral and it's immediate surroundings. The region is predominantly uninhabited and suffered from the brunt of the damages from both the First and Second Battles of Elysia. Most of the planet's glasslands are within Corail's borders.
=====Gallia=====
Gallia is a primarily rural region that sits north of Lutetia and south of Arpitania. Consisting primarily of expanses of dense woodlands and rolling fields, Gallia is home to a number of moderately sized settlements and was a hotbet for insurrectionist activity between 2537 and 2548. Portions of Gallia suffered from glassing at the hands of the Covenant in late 2552 though the majority of the region remains intact.
=====Lutetia=====
Lutetia is both the capital city of Elysia and it's largest in terms of population and size. As a region, it encompasses the city of Lutetia and it's immediate surroundings and is a primarily urban region.
=====Nouvelle Picardie=====
Nouvelle Picardie is a region that sits east of Arpitania. It's western border is dominated by the mountains of Arpitania with great forests descending from their heights and spreading across Nouvelle Picardie. Nouvelle Picardie is primarily rural like it's neighbours, though it houses a number of major settlements.
==Demographics==
===Language===
Elysia has two officially recognised languages - English and French. English is used for all official matters and for communication with foreign UNSC personnel, whilst French is the predominant language amongst the population especially in the urban centers of Lutetia and Colonia. Both languages are taught officially as part of state-funded education programs.
Aside from English and French, a number of minority languages exist across Elysia. Notably, a large number of Basque speakers exist within the Gallia region due to the insurrection's use of the language as a code.
===Religion===
Elysia is religiously predominantly Christian, primarily of the Catholic denomination, however irreligion is far more common, with between 70% and 80% of the population not practicing or believing in any religion.
==Economy==
==Politics==
Elysian politics is dominated by the Unified Earth Government's control over the Elysian Colonial Administration. Anti-UEG and pro-insurrectionist parties are banned from officially taking part in local politics which has lead to elections across the various regions being one-sided in favour of loyalist political factions.
===Government===
The acting administrative body, aside from the UEG's council, is the Elysian Colonial Administration. The ECA is made up of both elected and hand-picked officials who govern the planet on various levels. 
====Law Enforcement====
=====Police Cosmopolite=====
The Cosmopolitan Police is one of two law enforcement agencies active on Elysia. Formed upon the planet's initial colonisation, it operates primarily in urban centers and utilises impressive technology to make up for it's lack of military-grade equipment.
=====Elysian Security Forces=====
The Elysian Security Forces is the planet's official gendarmerie and the main law enforcement body in rural and remote areas of the planet. With it's large arsenal of military equipment and highly trained personnel, it often assists the Cosmopolitan Police with high-level operations in urban centers.
==Locations==
===Arpitania===
====Post A01-B====
Post A01-B, otherwise known as the First Arpitan Live-Fire Exercise Outpost is a former Elysian Security Forces training facility that has been repurposed by the Office of Naval Intelligence for live fire special forces training exercises. From 2554 onwards, the facility began to be used by the Spartan-IV program along with select Spartan-II and III units for live fire exercises, and served as one of the testing grounds for the Mjolnir Mark VII platform.
====Montaunesse====
Montaunesse is the largest settlement within Arpitania and is widely considered the planet's home for winter sports such as skiing. In the past it was home to a thriving mining industry which has since disappeared. During the Covenant's invasion in 2552, Montaunesse was the site of an assault by Covenant forces who mistook the winter sports facilities for military staging points.
====DF-E1====
DF-E1, otherwise known as Detention Facility Elysian 1 or Montbonne is Elysia's primarily facility for maximum security prisoners. It's inmates are typically members of the Elysian Union or other insurrectionist groups. Despite it's advanced technology and impressive architecture, DF-E1 is a notably brutal and inhumane prison due to it's administration under the Office of Naval Intelligence.
===Carpentaria===
====Thierry Plaza====
Thierry Plaza is a large series of interconnected buildings located on the coastal portion of the city of Carpentaria. The majority of the facility sits underwater, where it houses offices belonging to the Office of Naval Intelligence and the Force de L'eau. 
====Ruins of the Pride of the North====
The Pride of the North was a Paris-class heavy frigate which was damaged and subsequently crashed off the coast of Carpentaria in 2552. After the war and the resumption of large-scale tourism, the Pride of the North became a major tourist attraction with commercial submarines and divers operating in and around the ruins of the ship. On several occasions the Pride of the North has been used for exercises by members of the Spartan-IV program due to the unique combat environment it provides.
===Corail===
====Coral====
Coral was one of Elysia's major cities. From 2543 until the majority of the city was destroyed in 2548, Coral was the capital city of Elysia. Despite surviving the war albeit greatly damaged and depopulated, Coral was completely wiped off the map in late 2552 when the Covenant glassed the region. 
====Hellenia====
Hellenia was a minor city that rose to prominence in the years following the first battle of Elysia as many refugees from the city of Coral found themselves unable to return to their now-destroyed homes. When the Covenant attacked the planet for the second time, Hellenia was glassed while evacuations were ongoing leading to extensive civilian and military casualties.
===Gallia===
====Bouryonne====
Bouryonne is a minor city and the commercial hub of Gallia. When the insurrection was active in the region, Bouryonne was a minor settlement and a hotbed for anti-UNSC sentiment, much of which survives well into the 2560s.
===Lutetia===
====Centre de Sécurité====
The Centre de Sécurité (Security Center) is the headquarters of the Cosmopolitan Police and the Elysian Colonial Administration's Security Ministry. At 130 floors, it is the second tallest building in the city of Lutetia and it's unique and extravagant architectural design allows it to stand out against the skyline of the city. Alongside it's impressive architecture and cutting-edge technology, the building houses a massive supercomputer which assists with the coordination of Elysia's law enforcement operations.
====Elysian Security Forces Building====
The Elysian Security Forces Building is an 81 story skyscraper in downtown Lutetia and the headquarters of the titular law enforcement agency. It is managed by the Smart AI Athena. Despite suffering heavy damage in late 2552, the building has been repaired and expanded significantly. The Aerospace Command branch of the Security Forces operates from the higher levels of the building, conducting airtraffic control from the 81st floor and maintaining a number of rapid land-to-air launching ports and landing pads.
====Lutetia Starport====
Lutetia Starport is the planet's hub for interplanetary commerce and travel. It's extensive facilities and impressive capacity allows it to serve the entire planet without sacrificing it's efficiency. In the past, the starport has served as an important off-world extraction point for evacuations during both the first and second battles of Elysia.
====Lutetia University of Media====
The Lutetia University of Media is one of the most interplantarily-renowned media institutions in existence. It's architectural design is both unique and beautiful, making it especially popular to tourists and sight-seers. 
====Misriah Building====
The Misriah Building in downtown Lutetia is a 43 story highrise that is chiefly comprised of offices. On the lower floors, a number of firing ranges allow potential customers to test the mettle of any gun they choose and an underground manufacturing complex serves as the cradle where many M6K/U sidearms are born.
===Nouvelle Picardie===
====Nouvelle Amiens====
Nouvelle Amiens is the administrative center of Nouvelle Picardie and a major city. For much of it's existence it maintained a small population and was far from all other major urban centers, however following the end of the Human-Covenant War the city's population grew significantly. The city is home to the majority of the planet's religious populace and is the only major urban center which is predominantly religious rather than irreligious. 
====Station NP4====
Station NP4 is Elysia's largest meteorology station and the hub for the planet's weather-monitoring operations. Secretly, the facility is used by the Office of Naval Intelligence to intercept communications between persons and groups of interest on Elysia.
====Prohibited Zone NP-1====
Prohibited Zone Nouvelle Picardie - 1 is a clandestine 5,563 square kilometer territory located within Nouvelle Picardie. It is overseen by a joint committee of both Office of Naval Intelligence and United Nations Space Command personnel and houses a wide array of important military facilities. It's primarily purpose is to provide a suitably large area for the field testing of experimental pieces of weaponry and ordnance, such as the M149 Magellan which underwent it's combat feasibility testing in NP-1. The area was directly attacked by Covenant forces in late 2552, however the intervention of rapidly-deployed fireteams and the usage of the base's extensive stockpile of weaponry contributed greatly to the defense of the region and the planet as a whole.
====Prohibited Zone NP-2====
Prohibited Zone Nouvelle Picardie - 2 is the transit hub for the UNSC's surface personnel. Rather than using the civilian facilities or the planet's major spaceports, the UNSC primarily utilises NP-2, making it the hub for all military traffic on the planet.
====Prohibited Zone NP-3====
Prohibited Zone Nouvelle Picardie - 2 is a now-abandoned military logistics depot which was used in the early years of the planet's colonisation. It is currently used as a live-fire exercising area for the Spartan-IV program and occasionally the Rapid Response Unit of the Elysian Security Forces.
==Education==
As an exceptionally luxurious planet, Elysia is home to some of the most prestigious and well-funded education institutions in the Outer Colonies. It's public educational facilities are completely free and all costs are provided for by the government.
===Colleges and Universities===
Elysia has several universities that offer high-level education in a wide variety of topics. Alongside the civilian institutions, the planet hosts two military academies; one naval, one aviation. The most notable of Elysia's educational institutions is the Lutetia University of Media
====Lutetia University of Media====
The Lutetia University of Media is one of the most interplantarily-renowned media institutions in existence. Several of the most popular musicians and most accomplished directors honed their talents at the LUM, and the institution draws tens of thousands of people to the planet each year to enroll. As Elysia offers free public education, the Lutetia University of Media is free to enroll in for residents of Elysia - although some topics may require additional expenses be paid by the students. Foreigners do not have the same benefits however, and pay for both their admission to the university and all required equipment and devices.
The LUM became the site of a major engagement during the 2548 invasion and was used as a field headquarters by UNSC forces.
===Schools and Libraries===
Elysia has countless secondary and primary schools, both private and public. Public schooling is paid for by the government, while private institutions are not, however the high quality of the public education system of Elysia makes private schooling an unprofitable business, therefore very few private institutions actually exist on the planet.
Libraries had become a redundant concept by the 26th century; most texts could be read from the comfort of one's own bedroom using any number of devices or appliances. Even in spite of the obsolete nature of the concept of the library, Lutetia is home to a major library which houses physical and digital texts as a homage to the ancient institution, and it's uniqueness has made it become a popular tourist attraction.
==Infrastructure==
===Transport===
====Road====
Elysia's road network is extensive. Highways are well-maintained and constructed to be comfortably used by a population 10x that of Elysia's total, making traffic borderline nonexistant. In major cities such as Lutetia and Carpentaria, the majority of the city's highways run underground in labyrinth-esque fashion, and massive networks of subterranean roads connect underground parking garages to the main streets of the cities. Above-ground roads in urban centers, while extant, are not the primary mode of transportation in and out of these major cities due to the existence of the underground highways.
====Maglev====
Maglev trains are not uncommon on Elysia. Major population centers are typically linked by Maglev and the main mode of transportation between remote settlements and the planet's urban metropolises, aside from aerial transport, is typically the Maglev system.
====Spaceports====
Elysia has several spaceports, one for each major city and numerous minor ones for lesser settlements; however it's most prominent is the Lutetia Spaceport. Significantly larger than every other spaceport on the planet and an architectural marvel, the Lutetia Spaceport handles almost all transportation to and from the planet. With extensive freight facilities it is able to serve the planet's commercial sector exceptionally.
== Nature ==
Elysia was once home to a series of natural fauna which were almost entirely wiped out by the planet's terraforming. The Lutetia Zoo, which housed the last live specimens of some of the planet's most endangered natural organisms, suffered heavy damage during the Second Battle of Elysia which caused many of these species to go extinct. 
==People==
===United Nations Space Command Personnel===
====Spartans====
*Theo-783
===Other===
*Kayode Adetola