Risa

**Risa** was the capital planet of the Risian Hedony, a Federation Member State, homeworld of the Risian species, and a well known tourist planet. It was the second planet in orbit of Epsilon Ceti B in the Epsilon Ceti star system in the Risa sector of the Beta Quadrant. Risa was located about 90 light years from the Sol system. By runabout, the planet was a six-hour trip to Deep Space 9. Risa had at least two moons.

## History and specifics

### Climate

Risa relied on mostly automated systems to make the stay of their guests as simple and as pleasurable as possible. If those automated systems failed, Risa would be in jeopardy. Before the introduction of automated technology, Risa, in its natural state, was a paradise. Risa, having become dependent on technology, then became an illusion of the paradise it once was. There were those who wanted to return Risa to its natural state, however, Risa had been unstable for centuries. Technology stabilized Risa's atmospheric and meteorological state with tectonic equipment to keep it from sliding over the edge.

Risa was originally a dismal, rain-soaked, and geologically unstable planet covered with vast jungles and plagued by violent earthquakes. However, the planet was transformed by the native Risians with a technologically sophisticated weather control system that provided almost-constantly desirable weather, industrial replicators, and seismic regulators to eliminate the geological instability for optimum tourist comfort. By at least the mid-22nd century, Risa became known for its beautiful tropical resorts and an abundance of pristine beaches, making it a popular tourist destination.

### Culture

Risa was most noted for its native population having a frank and open attitude to sexuality. By the mid-24th century, Risa had developed a reputation as being a most peaceful planet, where weapons weren't allowed.

In 2371, after surviving an attack by the Vidiians, Kathryn Janeway and Chakotay remembered a "cautionary tale" told to Starfleet Academy cadets before their first shore leave on the planet. In the tale, a man goes to Risa, meets an alluring woman who seduces him into what he thinks will be an evening of passion. Upon awakening in the morning, he feels awesome but discovers that he's missing a kidney.

### Tourism

Risa is famous throughout the Alpha and Beta Quadrants as a place of tourism and recreation, and is referred to as a "pleasure planet." It got that reputation because of its constant, stable climate, its attractive landscapes, and most of all, its very friendly staff.

Many resorts on Risa also house gambling casinos. One of which was the Midas Casino.

A starship, the *Risa Express*, transports people to Risa.

## History

Risa was first visited by Humans and Starfleet in 2152 when the Enterprise (NX-01) arrived at the planet and several crew members took shore leave. Those crew members included Captain Jonathan Archer, Ensigns Hoshi Sato and Travis Mayweather, Commander Charles Tucker and Lieutenant Malcolm Reed.

At this early date, although Risa was a warm and pleasant Class M world it still was not the lush tropical paradise that it would later become. The planet was often subject to frequent storms and its three moons created tectonic strains which made it geologically unstable. The Risian themselves were often found in small, isolated groups with limited technology and oral histories which cited how their ancestral settlements had often been destroyed by the gods.

In April 2260, the art gallery of the Midas Casino was burgled. The crime was unsolved as of August 2267.

There was little interest in Risa until the turn of the 24th century, when a man named Arlo Leyven came to Risa. In life, his past and means of arrival were a mystery; rumors persisted that he was affiliated with the Orion Syndicate and that he had crashed on the planet while trying to escape the law. Later investigation after his death confirmed them as all true.

Leyven had a vision for the planet, as the premiere vacation destination for the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. To this end he obtained hefty loans from the Orion Syndicate and invested them into technology that would stabilize the climate and seismic activity to within habitable bounds and transforming it into a paradise in less than a decade. In 2313, Leyven officially opened Croesus' Palace, which became the planet's principle resort for decades, and popular through the Federation. Leyvan grew wealthy off tourism and Risian real estate, but not wealthy enough to pay his debts. Finally, in 2317 when his Syndicate partners suspected him of taking a slice of their share of the profits, they had him assassinated in his penthouse suite.

Regardless, in the decades following, more reputable individuals and corporations took over Risa's tourism trade and it lost its Orion-dominated image. However, rumors continued that the Orions maintained involvement through under-the-table business partnerships and controlling the workers' unions.

In 2373, the New Essentialists Movement sabotaged the planet's weather control system (the most "elaborate" in the Federation) claiming that the Federation was ill-prepared for an attack by the Dominion. The hedonism of Risa was proof of the Federation's softness. The sabotage would result in several days of inclement weather and a large number of dissatisfied tourists.

Unfortunately, in 2381, Risa was devastated by the Borg attack on the Alpha Quadrant. Thanks to advanced warnings about the Borg armada, many Risians and their guests managed to be evacuated in time, though the planet itself was devastated by the Borg. After some time, the planet was rebuilt.

The Federation had begun a massive repair effort on Risa by 2385.

## Geography

Years of tectonic activity resulted in the planet's surface being fragmented into ten small continents, all about the same size, and all located around the equator. As for the climate, Risa had warm temperatures and tropical humidity tempered by mild breezes and light rains. The planet had two very small ice caps which gave it a hint of natural coldness.

 Points of interest