Cadmus (Planet)

Cadmus is a mining and agricultural world located relatively far from Earth. Among the first settled outer colonies, Cadmus' naturally habitable atmosphere and prodigious natural resources, along with extensive Forerunner ruins, led to absolutely explosive population growth, with a population of over 170 million reached by 2550, when the Covenant finally arrived. The planet is notable for its unique, strangely productive green algae that saturates its oceans completely, giving the planet its distinctive green appearance.
== History ==
=== Forerunner Era and Pre-Colonization ===
While the exact details are unknown, at some point before 100,000 BC, the Forerunners used Cadmus as a testing ground for various biological projects. While various projects were conducted, cataloged, and stored, most deteriorated in storage by the time humans arrived.
Sometime around 90,000 BC, Cadmus was impacted by Agenor, which was later captured and became the planet's second moon. It is hypothesized that this event broke the containment of the Theban algae that covers the planet, leading to the planet's present nigh monoculture. While other projects could have possibly broken containment, Theban algae is the only one that has survived until present. Alternatively, Theban algae was being tested on the planet when the Forerunners were forced to abandon it or were killed by the activation of the Halo Array, and the algae survived the Agenor Impact to live until present.
=== Colonization and Settlement ===
Cadmus came to the attention of the Unified Earth Government shortly following the colonization of Reach. Attracted by the apparently naturally habitable atmosphere, colonization teams were sent ahead early. The planet boasted moderate mineral wealth, but more importantly, an extraordinary species of algae that filled the planet's oceans. Discovered shortly after was the presence of extensive Forerunner ruins trailing beneath the global oceans of the planet, and almost immediately, the UNSC and ONI claimed a major stake in the development and administration of the planet.
Under the cover of developing industry, the UNSC sent large quantities of ships, men and supplies to the planet, and gave generous incentives to settlers. The administrative capital was established as Cadmea, settled at a particularly shallow area of the ocean no more than a few metres deep. Verdant Base, the hub of excavations and forays into the Forerunner base, is the headquarters of ONI activities on the planet.
Later settlements, including Spartoi and Lockouts 40, 56, and 88 were established, along with the major spaceport established at Dragon's Teeth, one of the very few areas that remained above water at all time of the year. The planet quickly became a launching pad for further explorations and expeditions for further colonization of the Outer Colonies. This, along with its natural wealth, saw its population explode, becoming a major planet, almost overnight.
=== The Insurrection ===
Due to the abnormally large military presence, extremely localized cities, and paid colonists, the Insurrection didn't have an extraordinary presence in Cadmus. This didn't mean it escaped unscathed, however.
Lockout 88 was previously one of the largest scale refineries on Cadmus, containing extraordinary quantities of refined fuels, with yearly production quantities estimated in the hundreds of millions of gallons. Lockout 88 was one area where the Insurrection had a major foothold, and prevented ships, both space and waterborne, from taking fuel out of the refineries, stopping a major artery for fuel through human space. 
After negotiations fell through, this culminated in a battle between UNSC forces and insurrectionists. At some point during the fighting, a fuel pipe was ruptured and eventually ignited. With the volatility of the fuel, the resulting firestorm eventually swept through Lockout 88, incinerating more than ninety percent of the city. Fuels leaking from the storage continue to burn, leaving a constant inferno raging through the city. Reserves are predicted to run dry in 2563.
=== The Human-Covenant War ===
Cadmus was eventually found by Covenant forces in 2550 following cracking of UNSC navigational data from other colonies retrieved earlier in the Human-Covenant War. While the orbital defenses fell relatively quickly, the unique design of the cities, size of the planet, distance between the cities, and presence of Forerunner ruins preventing orbital bombardment made the fighting on the planet slow to an absolute crawl of close quarters combat.
== Climate and Geology ==
Cadmus is a remarkably Earth-like planet, with tropical temperatures, similar atmosphere compositions, gravities, rotational periods and orbital periods. The major difference between Earth and Cadmus, however, is the planet spanning ocean that covers more than ninety-nine percent of the latter. Cadmus is barely able to maintain its minuscule icecaps at the north and south poles, and has a small temperate band surrounding them. 
This leads to some interesting and problematic situations, including very common super typhoons which regularly rival and exceed even the greatest recorded on Earth. Without land to break them up, these can regularly last several months, with the longest recorded lasting little over two years. 
The two moons of Cadmus, both larger and closer than Luna in the Sol System, have interesting effects on the tides, and can both massive sea level changes and incredible still periods, caused by destructive and constructive interference of the gravitational pulls. Buildings are generally stilted extra high to avoid this, or more commonly, are built to survive underwater for short periods of time. These tides also prevent most land from being flood-free year round, and what scattered islands and shallows exist on Cadmus are often covered in water for several months in the year. Dragon's Teeth is the notable exception to this, situated suitably high enough above sea level to avoid both tidal effects and the worst of the super typhoons.
The sea floor of Cadmus is composed largely of hard volcanic rock, the upper layers of large portions of the crust scoured away by the Agenor Impact. The Forerunner structures under the ocean are exposed primarily around the Agenor crater, an underwater crater formed by the Impact. Dragon's Teeth is at the edge of the crater.
== Thebes Beta System ==
Thebes Beta is a yellow star only slightly older than Sol, and is the only star in the Thebes Beta System. The system consists of four planets and an asteroid belt. 
Name 	Object Type 	Orbital Distance	Orbital period
Phoenix 	Acidic, volcanic world	0.85 AU 	482 days
Cadmus 	Earthlike water world 	1.13 AU 	375 days
Cilix 	Small gas giant 	7.78 AU 	33.06 years
Seven-Gate Belt	Asteroid Belt 	14.22 AU 	N/A
Europa 	Icy Dwarf Planet 	31.91 AU 	268.0 years
=== Cadmus Orbit ===
Cadmus is additionally orbited by two moons, both larger and closer than Luna of Earth. Telephassa is the smaller and closer of the two, while Agenor is the farther but larger one. There are a myraid of smaller civilian satellites in orbit of the planet, along with ten Orbital Defense Platforms, three of which are currently under construction, and one of which is permanently offline, power tether in Lockout 88 destroyed. At any given time, a small token fleet is in orbit above the planet, along with a variety of civilian trade craft. A small orbital dockyard exists as well, orbiting synchronously with the one below on Dragon's teeth.
== Political Organization and Major Cities ==
Political bodies and freedoms vary highly between individual cities, with some highly democratic and others nearly under autocratic rule. The cities themselves are built to withstand the monstrous tropical storms that can wrack the planet's seas, including multiple layers of steel reinforced walls and bulkhead doors. In the more residential cities such as Cadmea, these towers of steel are plated with an appealing facade to give the appearance of more contemporary cities such as those on Reach and Earth. On the Lockouts, the rusting steel structures are left exposed to the elements, green water stained brown from chemical runoff and iron oxide.
=== Cadmea ===
Cadmea, though the administrative capital of the planet, is one of the more independent, democratic cities. Situated in shallows in the northern hemisphere, Cadmea is governed by an elected council of eleven men and women, along with a president. Cadmea is also home to the current UNSC appointed overseer of the planet, Overseer Pasha Leonov, who takes a very hands off approach with management, preferring to only step in when necessary, and following directions issued to him by ONI and the UNSC with no question. As such, he's generally well liked, both among the populace and by his superiors, though his management style has been both criticized and praised over the years. The city is the major residential destination, and boasts nearly a quarter of the planet's inhabitants. It strongly resembles New Alexandria from Reach, but with a much more utilitarian flare. 
=== Spartoi ===
The major military base on Cadmus, Spartoi is generally considered to be just as, if not more important than Cadmea. Located in deep waters, Spartoi specializes in filtering out deuterium from water for nuclear fusion reactors. Along with its access to the Forerunner ruins, Spartoi has a heavy UNSC influence, and the city is under a near perpetual state of martial law. Few come to Spartoi other than to work, and few stay around for the long haul.
=== The Lockouts ===
The Lockouts are a series of primarily industrial bases located near particularly algae rich areas or other features of note, built to withstand the worst of the typhoons without outside help. Most are owned by private organizations, and have a high degree of independence due to the distances between them, functioning like their own city-states. Likewise, they are highly localized, with residents taking great pride in their Lockout and are fiercely territorial. While most Lockouts are small, with less than a million souls, two Lockouts grew into something more, Lockout 40 and Lockout 56. Lockout 88 proved just as promising, but was, unfortunately, destroyed.
==== Lockout 40 ====
Lockout 40 is located in deep water in the far north, in more temperate waters. As such, it avoids the worst of the typhoons, while still being able to take advantage of the introduced marine life, specializing greatly in whaling, and has a prominent tourism industry, with a reputation for gambling, drinking and hedonism. Officially licensed an independent city under administrative control of the UNSC, the city features a democratic government, but is highly corrupt, and most officials are only figureheads. The true power in Lockout 40 is a group known as the Forty Clubs Syndicate, formed from the assimilation and alliance of the dozens different gangs that once fought in Lockout 40. Currently, their leader is a enigmatic and calculating individual known as Bartley Haldeman, whose sway rivals that of Overseer Pasha, and is based in a large casino known as The Plaza. Despite UNSC attempts to remove him and the syndicate, all have failed. Still, he generally poses little threat to the running of the planet, focused entirely on monopolizing business. Gang members generally refer to themselves as Clubmen, though outsiders usually call them Posters, on account of their zealous recruiting strategies, with advertisement posters and posted men seemingly everywhere in the Lockout. 
==== Lockout 56 ====
Lockout 56 is fairly close to Lockout Forty, farther south in warmer, shallower waters. The two frequently compete for resources, though 40 generally wins due to its higher population and relative safety from typhoons, where as 56 receives them constantly. Because of the storms, Lockout 56 consistently produces highly skilled pilots and captains for air, space and waterborne vehicles. The Lockout is owned by the Theban Refining Corporation, and provides no government to the people stationed there, and instead focuses on algae and mineral mining and refining. As such, a local, longstanding provisional government has arisen. Politics in the lockout are fast and ever changing. Given the storms that frequently blow through, with some locking out the city for months on end, the people are nicknamed Five-Six Stormers, Stormers,or simply Sixers. While 56 has to deal with its own political disputes, it is highly localized as well, with the people looking for each other. They're known to fight, sometimes violently, with the Clubmen, fights that sometimes spill over into other Lockouts and cities. The rivalry largely began when 56 was in the midst of a long lasting typhoon and ran low on food supplies, and asked 40 for help. 40, happy to see their rival in trouble, refused, something that earned little appreciation from the denizens of 56. The Stormers are currently led by Chairman Emilia Hazaro, who is more antagonistic and hot blooded than her Forty Clubs counterpart, Bartley.
==== Lockout 88 ====
Formerly one of the largest of the Lockouts, 88 was owned by the the Trans-Cadmus Exportation Group with a heavy UNSC presence, and ruled with a iron fist, severely repressing all political freedoms. The city was already rife with discontent, and was one of the few places the Insurrection gained a foothold, which was made easy by the already discontent populace. By other cities, the Lockout 88 citizens were referred to as Innies, Reds, or Crazy Eighty-Eights, and the activities were overall frowned on by the other cities. Activities included riots, terrorist attacks, and blockades and assassinations, all of which drew the ire of the UNSC. This was made worse by former leader of the Clubmen Mikael Bayon, who provided monetary support, weapons and training to the rebels to retaliate against a recent assassination attempt by the UNSC and Overseer Pasha.
This culminated in the Scorching of Eighty-Eight, where full on war between the Insurrectionists and the UNSC broke out in the streets of Lockout 88. Fuel exports had been blocked for months, choking a major artery of fuel through the colonies, and millions of gallons were estimated to have been in storage leading up to the accident. Explosives used near an already damaged and pressurized fuel pipeline running through the city, and the resulting explosion created a firestorm that torched the vast majority of city, which was already damaged from the combat. 
Lockout 88 was deemed too expensive to recover and was abandoned, most residents moving to other cities. The stored fuel continually leaks and continually burns in the waters near the lockout, leaving a constantly raging inferno through its streets. Sentiment on who was to blame for the Scorching varies between the Insurrectionists, UNSC, Overseer Pasha, and the Forty Clubs Syndicate, but most regard it first and foremost as a tragedy, and it permanently immunized all other cities against Insurrectionist influence. Based on calculated fuel burn rates and records of fuel reserves at the time, the inferno is predicted to end in 2563.
=== Dragon's Teeth ===
Dragon's Teeth is a series of large, active volcanic islands set at the edge of the Ageron Crater, and consists of more than forty five percent of all land considered 'high and dry', or permanently above tidal and typhoon flooding levels. Lava flows are not a common sight, and most islands have had tropical plants native to areas such as Hawaii and other tropical islands introduced.
While Dragon's Teeth is a major tourism hub, its more important purpose is as the major spaceport and UNSC military base on the planet. Capable of producing spaceship classes up to destroyers, Dragon's Teeth is a significant strategic point of interest for the UNSC for defending the outer colonies. It also is a major naval dockyard, and the largest hub of cargo and transport shipping across the planet's vast green seas. Additionally, Dragon's Teeth has two space elevators for ease of transportation of materials.
Outfitted with ground based defenses and deep subterranean bunkers, the UNSC base is affectionately dubbed 'The Maw', and is center of all their military operations on the planet.
The gang on Dragon's Teeth is known as the Crimson Bloom, named for the flowers imported to the island that bloom year round. They work primarily in arms smuggling, and pilfering and reselling what goods flow through the city. 
== Verdant Base ==
Verdant Base is an Office of Naval Intelligence research facility located at the bottom of the Ageron Crater. Built into the exposed portions of the Forerunner facility beneath the surface, it is ONI's primary method of accessing the ruins. 
Verdant Base is entirely self sufficient, with enough processing of algae and deuterium processing to ensure self sufficiency for many years. The facility itself is located at crushing pressure levels, and the scientists and staff stationed there are brought by submarine. They generally are stationed for a minimum six month period, with most lasting much longer. 
The main focus of Verdant Base is researching the various artifacts and specimens left behind in the facility, as well as accessing, exploring, mapping, and attempting to bring online locked sections of the facility. The station does contain a military presence in order to deal with any unexpected threats, as well as protecting and monitoring the scientists. Total number of staff in the base averages seventeen thousand. Administrator James Aarsland is the current manager of the base. 
== Forerunner Biological Research Facility ==
Beneath the green oceans and rocky sea floor of Cadmus lies an extensive network of Forerunner ruins. Discovered shortly after the discovery of the planet, they immediately attracted attention from the UNSC and ONI, who work tirelessly to protect the facility from exposure as they continue to dig deeper into it.
As far as the scientists at Verdant Base have been able to estimate, the facility was used by the Forerunners for biological research, and was most likely the source the native life on the planet. The ruins themselves are labyrinthine and sprawling, snaking through the crust of the planet. It is unknown how deep they actually go, or how large they actually are, but most consider current exploration progress only a drop in the bucket.
The interiors of the structure vary wildly, massive and pristine sterile hallways to entire subterranean caverns filled with plant life meant to mimic the surface of another world. Elsewhere, the ruins consist of simple catwalks built into rock tunnels, and elsewhere, massive, centralized facilities. The facility itself still has power, with lights and temperature controls and air purification still functioning. The entire location appears to be on some sort of lock-down, with all doors sealed shut and generally taking months to open even by the most skilled UNSC scientists. Explosives have been proposed to attempt to hasten the process, but given the quantities needed to blast open the doors as well as the possibility of damaging the facility or awakening any automated defenses, the proposition has been dropped.
The UNSC are not the only ones to have discovered the facility, however. As of 2542 and 2547 respectively, the Forty Clubs Syndicate and Five-Six Stormers have both acquired access to portions of the Forerunner ruins in different locations. Neither ONI nor the two gangs have knowledge that any of the others have access to the ruins, as they are all locked off in their own respective sections, though each has their own suspicions.
== Theban Algae ==
Theban Algae is the common name for a slurry of various types of plankton, algae, fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms that saturate the oceans of Cadmus to such a degree as to make them appear green. Thought to have been engineered by the Forerunner at the biological research facility on the planet, Theban Algae is one of the singly most useful resources on Cadmus.
The algae grows best closer to the equator in the warmer waters of the planet, gradually fading as the weather gets colder towards the poles. Algae is usually harvested via large scale filters, compressing the substance down into a thick slurry to be later refined. This refining is often done at Lockouts, which are equipped with large stationary filters as well as the refining mechanisms for them. It can also be done via ships, however, which can see out higher concentrations at algae blooms or tidal anomalies. It has been taken elsewhere for study and farming, though the sheer quantity and density of the algae on Cadmus ensures the planet's status as the sole major exporter.
The algae has an astonishingly wide variety of uses, though three stand head and shoulders above the rest. First is the production of a highly volatile biofuel that can be easily refined into a high octane, gasoline like substance. Second and related is its ability to be formed into highly durable plastics. While not quite as durable as a good steels, Theban plastics can replace metals in a wide variety of places, where they are significantly lighter and cheaper than its metallic counterpart. Lastly, it can be refined into an edible product known as ichor, and is not entirely unlike a meal or flour. While nutritious, it's nearly inedible due to its taste and needs to be refined into other products. Often used as an additive or filler, ichor is a high demand product throughout human space, and a staple of the Cadman diet.
== Notable Residents ==
Over the course of its history, Cadmus has been home to a number of notable individuals, some born on the planet, others simply have lived there extensively.
* James Aarsland (2502-Present) - Current administrator of Verdant Base 
* Mikael Bayon (2478-2541) - Former leader of the Forty Clubs Syndicate
* Bartley Haldeman (2523-Present) - Current leader of the Forty Clubs Syndicate
* Emilia Hazaro (2527-Present) - Current leader of the Five-Six Stormers
* Pasha Leonov (2466-Present) - Current appointed overseer of Cadmus
* Brandon Lloyd (2510-2538) - Singer for a prominent flip music group
* Geroff Zin (2518-2552) - Pelican pilot aboard the UNSC In Amber Clad