Armadillo

"If there's any one bright centre to all the Universe, then You're on the planet the furthest from it."-Nathaniel Grayson, Prior to recruitment into Beta-SixArmadillo is a planet within the outer colonies, bordering on Covenant space. Settled after the disastrous Second American Civil War, it's population consists mostly of people of Texan descent. Known for it's arid climate, aggressive native wildlife, and lack of a centralized government, Armadillo is not affiliated with the UEG, SOS, URF, or indeed any faction. Surviving the Created conflict, Armadillo remained autonomous, and continued with it's previous way of life. 
== History ==
=== Prehistory ===
Prior to being settled by humanity, Armadillo was a planet in the Forerunner empire. Being rich in ferrous metals, it was colonized by the forerunners, with a mining operation being established there. This planet was the first home of the Axtri'calli, with several Stilt-Cities being built around it's lush forests. However, it was devastated by the Forerunner-Flood war, with 98% of the Axtri'calli population being wiped out in the initial flood assault. The intervention of the Iso-Didact prevented the Axtri'calli from going extinct, however, but the planet's forests were razed to the ground by the conflict. This was one of the few Forerunner victories throughout the war, but at a tremendous cost. An extinction event occurred because of this vast conflict, thus transforming the the surviving flora and fauna into tougher versions of their previous selves. The Gravemind remembered these events, and tortured Cortana with the image of a Stilt-City being consumed by the flood while she was trapped in high charity, deciding not to say that the Axtri'calli existed to that day. After the war, the Axtri'calli left the planet, eventually clashing with the Yvsarith and other spacefaring species.
=== Covenant Scouting ===
At some point the covenant were aware of Armadillo and it's history. A small fleet was sent to the planet in an attempt to recover forerunner mining equipment and weaponry. This fleet eradicated the last remaining flood presence from the planet, and recovered the forerunner technology. However, the covenant considered the planet unfit for colonization and left. One group of Sangheili did indeed stay, and over time the heat and harsh climate of the planet mutated them into the N'sgaytsians, a nomadic, semi-sentient, predatory species. 
=== Colonization ===
During the Second American Civil war, Texas and other southern states attempted to reclaim the USA's autonomy from the United Nations. This went poorly, and the decision was made to evacuate the population of these states offworld on five Phoenix class colony ships to a remote world away from the UNSC's domination. After months of scanning the Orion Arm for a match, Armadillo was found, and the cities of southern states were rapidly evacuated, all while the armies of those particular states put up a valiant, if doomed resistance. Towards the end of the conflict, civilians and militia personnel alike fell back to Houston, where the fleet was launched. Out of the five constructed ships, one was destroyed by the UNSC's ground forces, while the remaining three jumped to slipspace once they were clear of the atmosphere. The voyage took a good 18 months to complete, and upon landing, tensions erupted between colonists. The areas that the four colony ships landed in were immediately separated, and they different groups of colonists formed houses that would constantly feud with each other, burning crops and the like. Over time, the different areas were divided into four separate territories, divided even further. Around this time, colonists first encountered the N'sgaytsians, and although conflict did occur from time to time, interactions between the two species were few and far between.
=== Human History ===
The history of Armadillo following colonization was not anything overtly impressive. While the four territories coexisted in relative peace, feuds within those territories were astronomical. The different houses constantly fought and feuded with each other over land rights, resources, animals, and other vitals to the point that in the Armadillan dialect of English, the word "Cousin" was usually synonymous with the word "Enemy". While large towns such as Sandlot did exist, most humans lived within enclaves or small desert communities. Education was fairly poor, with arithmetic being taught through fighting. The people of Armadillo disliked and distrusted the URF, and most openly despised the UNSC. Nathaniel Grayson of Grayson house was a notable exception, signing up for squad Beta-Six and eventually going through the SPARTAN-IV program. While houses feuded amongst themselves, some established alliances. These were often broken soon. By 2555, Grayson House had entered a war with Shander House, with the event only being resolved by the intervention of Beta-Six, most notably Curt Creamer and Nathaniel Grayson.
== Wildlife and Ecology ==
=== Wildlife ===
The wildlife of Armadillo is suited to the arid climate, with almost all species being carnivorous, and most being aggressive. Insectoid species such as the desert rippers are edible, and the N'sgaytsians have domesticated these creatures. Certain species such as the birdlike hoppers are nonaggressive, and armadillo possesses a subspecies of moa, likely brought there by the forerunners. The elephant-sized grantines are the bane of the human settlers of armadillo, and the N'sgaytsians have developed a culture around them, attempting to slay them whenever possible. However, these animals have not presented much of a challenge to the human colonists, and generally do not attack settlements.
=== Plant Life ===
Armadillan plant life is usually rugged, with most species having thorns, and some developing poisons. Certain species, such as the Arslavankor bush, existed in the time of the Axtri'calli. Most, however, evolved after the Forerunner-Flood war, and are evolved to be as tough as possible. Some have developed unique abilities, such as that to walk, uprooting themselves whenever the environment loses it's fertility. Some have even participated actively in the ecosystem, hunting down animals and other prey. These particular plants reproduce quickly, though fire can keep them at bay. As a result, independent enclaves keep torches burning at night in order to deter these plants from attacking, and generally send hunting parties out to burn them before they spread too far. Some scientists theorise that these plants were mutated by the flood to serve as weapons during the initial war, and so that fuels their desire to spread and grow.
Category:Planets occupied by Humans
Category:Planets