Li-Toma

Li-Toma as seen by the Seventeenth Doctor's companions as they left.

A standard morning on Li-Toma, with Sicia visible in the sky.

**Li-Toma** was the third, but sometimes second, planet of the Amitu System.

## Characteristics

Li-Toma was a green planet with a notable plant population. Even away from the lush jungled equator, trees and bushes were speckled across vast grassy plains, and towards the poles entire plateaux of rock were coated in vibrant lichen and mosses. The planet was not unknown for its more bizarre species as well, most notably the inexplicably named Golden Egg Plant.

There were no real oceans per se, instead the planet's millions of large lakes kept the water cycle in motion. The planet also lacked significant mountain ranges or tall hills, foregoing these with gently sloping plains that stretched for hundreds of miles. This left the planet looking incredibly flat and almost boring, but this was more than made up for by the planet's sky. (TV: *All Hail the Sky Demon*)

In the day, a constant harmless chemical reaction in the upper atmosphere caused by the strong sunlight heating various gases produced a bright red light. This, when combined with standard Raleigh scattering of a breathable atmosphere produced a vibrant pink-purple colour. The planet's loose grey rings were also present in the sky, casting a shadow across the landscape occasionally. Sometimes, neighbouring planet Sicia was visible as well, lighting up at night like a moon.

Sicia was usually the third planet in the system, but its elliptical orbit regularly took it further away from the sun than Li-Toma. This meant they regularly crossed paths and the distance between the two (and thus the relative size they appear in each other's skies) varied dramatically. (TV: *The Sky Demon Can Wait*)

## History

The Aremh had been aware of Li-Toma for as long as they had existed, dubbing it the "wandering planet" after the way it dipped in and out of the Sician sky. It became an integral part of the Aremh religion, and was naturally the first target as soon as they developed space travel. The Aremh built three temples on the planet, of which the remains of two were still visible by the time the Seventeenth Doctor visited; considering the buildings were well over sixteen million years old, this was testament to the construction skills of the long-extinct Aremh. (TV: *The Sky Demon Can Wait*)

Descendants of human settlers from the Thao Stretch settled on Li-Toma around the year 8,000,000. The colonists spread across the planet and eventually developed their own sub-cultures, despite being ruled by the same government, which had been up in the capital city, Mazzharia. Life was far better than anticipated, and the peaceful populace was having a good time on the whole. All necessities were catered for, and a major university was even set up in the capital.

After several hundred years of settling in, a minor failed uprising against unfair practices the government was participating in caused a large amount of unrest and distrust, and the until then well organised populace began to turn on itself. Years of semi-anarchy ensued as the government failed to do anything to sort Li-Toma out, and the general quality of living deteriorated rapidly. General life continued, but Li-Toma became a vastly more unsafe place.

One factor that didn't help this was piracy. Many small groups of criminals trafficking goods and stealing from the well-organised government stores had existed for decades prior to the initial uprising, and the issue only got worse following it. Li-Toman law was hard to enforce in space, and as a result, much activity and organisation took place there. Space piracy, as a term, was born as a result.

Li-Toma did, however, see much success as a place for interplanetary trade. People from other systems in the Thao Stretch regularly visited the planet in search for profits, while other, more illegal organisations set up dodgy freight routes and slave trading rings - sometimes simply resorting to raiding freight ships as they passed. (TV: *All Hail the Sky Demon*)