List of Techume Colonies

The star systems claimed by the Techume contains several worlds habitable by the sentient species of the Galaxy, all of which have been settled by citizens of the Techume since their discovery. In 2400, these included eight planets, seven moons, and two artificial orbital habitats. These worlds are divided into domins, administrative regions centered on a capital world and extending out for hyperjumps outward, the maximum extent of operations for an administrative zone. As of 2400, these were the Home Domin, the Interior Domin, the Southward Domin, the Rimward Domin, the Castle Domin, and the Outermost Domin. Each of these operate subject to the government of the Techume, located on Earth.

## Earth

### Foundation

N/A

Earth is the capital of the Imperium and the home world of humanity. Humanity emerged from the developing primate species several hundred thousand years ago, but the exact date of the emergence of human civilization has been called into question by the discovery of the Messenger race. Current human civilization emerged several thousand years ago in the the region now dominated by the Mesopotamian Corridor, and until the Third World War was dominated by hundreds of cultures and nation-states who vied for territory and resources, often with brutal results. The TechUME is often credited with saving mankind from its self-made destruction in the nuclear holocaust of the Last War, as many called it, by constructing massive underground shelters they named Havens which could hold several thousand people for a period of a short few years. These individuals, whose genetics were unaffected by the fallout of the bombs, have been key in the repopulation of the human race. A century after the war, the Techume expanded into the nearby star systems and Earth has become the heart of the human race. After the ascension of the Empress, Resurgence became the center of the imperial court and most of the traditional Techumic organizations were transformed into organs of the Imperial government.

Earth remains the centerpiece of the Imperium, and hosts most of the Techume's governmental organs in addition to the regional government of the Home Domin. For the first three centuries of the Techume's history, Earth was rendered inhospitable to most non-humans as a result of the Third World War, but the Terra Restoration Project restored the planet's biosphere in 2373. Since then, a noticeable minority group of xenos has emerged on the planet.

## Aztlan

### Foundation

2233

Nicknamed the Second World and the World of Eternal Sunlight, Aztlan was the first colony settled by the Techume in 2233. The core of its original settlers were from the South American domins, chiefly of Maya and Mexican extraction, hence its name-- the mythical homeland of the Aztec people. The original settlers of Aztlan made judicious use of what they nicknamed the Odd Factory, originally presumed to be of Vultaum creation but now known to be of Messenger creation.

Being the first world settled by the Techume, Atzlan is considered the second most developed by most standards. Major metropolises include the capital and first city, New Teotihuacan, as well as the industrial center of Quetzlcoatl and the southern city of Sapa Inca, and the foundries of El Dorado. New Teotihuacan also home to the first human university off Earth, Montezuma University, which is known today as one of the most prestigious centers for higher learning in the entirety of the Techume. Its planetary tribunal is known as the Cortes, and as of the 2396 Census its population is 44% human, 27% Phydran, with 6~7% Bemoid, Dah, Oglish, and Byeoleurite respectively.

## Gimle

### Foundation

2267

Named for the mythological survivors of Ragnarok, Gimle was settled in 2267 by colonists from the Scandinavian Exclusion Zone when population outmatched crop yields. Gimle is widely known as a major commercial world, specializing in trade around the Home Domin and beyond. Several merchant combines make their headquarters in the planetary capital, Asgard, and outside the capital the planet is dotted with signs of industry and trade. Most of the central continent of Midgard is dedicated to heavy industry, with large mining towns topping mesas and set into cliffs adjacent to factory complexes producing energy and alloys for the Techume. Meanwhile, the warmer continent of Folkvangr is home to wide plains dedicated to large-scale farming, mostly on a collective basis.

Compared to Earth or Aztlan, Gimle possesses only minor cities. Besides Asgard, the continent of Midgard hosts the cities of Baldr and Surtr (the latter positioned near a volcano, hence its name), while Folkvangr has only the central depot of Bifrost, which serves as an ocean-and-starport. Its planetary tribunal is the Althing, while the 2396 Census reported a population of 50% Human, 29% Phydran, and the 3~7% other races individually, the largest being Dah.

## Vaikuntha

### Foundation

2321

Called by its inhabitants the Gem of the Stars, Vaikuntha is to many the exemplar of the Techume's xenophilic spirit. A Gaia-type moon, Vaikuntha is home to every species which calls the Techume home. Although relatively small, Vaikuntha hosts a vibrant population and has sectors reserved for the habitation of specific species due to the nature of the Gaia world's makeup. Vaikuntha is also a popular vacation spot for those wishing to travel off-world, and is also home to many sociological and cultural centers wishing to preserve endangered cultures. The central capital of Vaikuntha, Vishnapur, is located in the Human Habitation Zone, which connects via maglev to the other habitation zones. It also has a distinction of being a TCE world.

While the Transecumenical Synod, the Techume's religious body, traditionally has met on Earth, the universally respected holy nature of Vaikuntha (as well as its diversity) has made it home to the second largest amount of Faith centers outside of Earth. In order to respect its natural beauty, building requirements are much stricter on the moon, and focus on keeping buildings spread out and their impact limited. This has led to a rather rural world, and none of the Habitation Zone central cities has risen to the same size that Vishnupur has. The planetary tribunal of Vaikuntha is the Adhikarana.

## Avalon

### Foundation

2323

Avalon, also known as the Waiting World, is the southernmost world of the Home Domin and an important trade hub between the core worlds and the regions of the Southward Domin. Settled in the early years of the Horizon Signal crises, Avalon was settled by Dah colonists who found a complex of seemingly mothballed facilities from some previous attempt at colonization, which puzzled scientists but were utilized afterwards. After several years of reports of strange occurrences and population influxes that did not match even the most optimistic projections of the TCE, the facilities were detonated and their inhabitants moved to the TCE-built settlement of Camelot. Later research revealed that Avalon is in fact a temporally preserved colony of the old Messenger Empire, known as Arban.

Today Avalon remains a wealthy trade hub with a wide array of rural regions which are spread across the various island chains across the moon. It is also host to the the Perserverate's Dah Agency, the cultural agency dedicated to Dah culture and religion. Besides the planetary capital of Camelot, other major settlements include Hatching Isle, Phasaan, and New London. Its tribunal is he Witan, and as of 2403 its population is 32% Dah, 28% Bemoid, 13%, 15% Phydran, and 10% other.

## Mars

### Foundation

2379

Mars has interested humanity for centuries. Nicknamed the Red Planet, Mars was first explored by autonomous drones early in the 21st century, followed by manned exploration some years before the Third World War. Reports and exploration reported that Mars hosted frozen water, but besides a handful of research and mining stations Mars was never considered for human habitation, especially when hardier worlds such as Aztlan and Hawaki were discovered. However, as environmental restoration technology was researched and put into practice on Earth itself, it seemed foolish to many in the Techume to not terraform Mars, which lie so close to the human homeworld. Mars was terraformed soon after Earth, and colonized in 2379. After the end of the Dethronement War, Army Group Red and its large contingent of clone armies were hosted on the planet. General Ayser al-Qurtubi, the first Imperial High Marshal and Sword of the Empress, was declared Governor-General of Mars after settling the Imperial Crisis. Currently, the Martian Parliament serves as the Marshal's advisory council and regents.

Currently, Mars hosts the largest percentage of Phydrans in the Techume, and the planet remains relatively unspoiled despite its proximity to Earth. The southern expanses of Mars are mostly restricted to the Red Legions' use, and because of that it also has a large population of clones and their descendents, known as changelings. Its capital is Ares, and its planetary tribunal is the Martian Parliament.

## Hawaiki

### Foundation

2258

The second world ever settled by the Techume, Hawaiki was named for the mythic homeland of the Polynesian peoples who originally settled it. Settled in order to secure the southern stretch of Techume-claimed space then known as the Frontier Domin, Hawaiki has since then maintained its position as the only natural world in the Southward Domin. This makes it a powerful economic center, as almost every Emissary transport in the sector travels to Hawaiki in order to deliver its cargo. Because of this, the planetary government of Hawaiki also runs the Techume's largest banking organization, the Frontier Resource Reserve. Hawaiki is also host to the Perserverate's Bemoid Agency, and the planet hosts the largest Bemoid population in the Techume, as well as the brackish archipelago of New Bemu, which hosts some of the largest Spawning Towers in the galaxy.

Besides the capital of Maui, several other archipelagos host a few other major cities including the Dah city of Saankat, and the Bemoid central city of Madhib. The Southward Domin is the only domin which possesses its own tribunal, as the Hawaiki tribunal serves as the tribunal for the Olympia Habitat, known as the Senate.

## Olympia Habitat

### Foundation

2338

The Olympia Habitat was constructed in the 2330s as the Total Colonization Effort came to near-completion. Experimenting with non-traditional habitation, the Haedus II Habitat was constructed over an uninhabitable world. The Southern Domin was considered the most desirable target for such construction. Today, the habitat serves as the industrial foil to the more rural Hawaiki, and is considered by Void Command to be one of the most secure systems in the Techume because of the hyperlane network around it. Today, Olympia is a major urbanite center and a display of the Techume's scientific achievements as well as its societal harmony.

Olympia's government is considered subordinate to Hawaiki's, and therefore sends its representatives to the Senate on Hawaiki.

## Abzu

### Foundation

2290

The first world of the Interior Domin, Abzu was colonized between the Bemoid Wars as a gateway to the Interior-- a series of systems that sat nestled between At'Chor and Techume space. Although the Interior Domin is now one of the most settled regions of the Techume, the Domin is still considered a "border" region due to the Lantana wormhole, and Abzu remains an influential planet among the Techume's policymakers. Although settled initially by humans, Abzu is now host to a myriad of alien species, and is dominated by Dah and Bemoid societies. The Researcher Order has several outposts on the planet, due to its strangely high-gravity environment. This leads to many natives to be diminutive compared to other planets.

Abzu's capital is New Chaldea, which boasts some of the most respected theaters in the Techume. Its planetary tribunal is simply called the Common Council.

## Salusa Secundus

### Foundation

2299

Also called the Centennial World or Salusa Victoria, Salusa Secundus was the second world settled in the Interior Domin and famed for its status as the base for Battlefleet Silver. Founded at the close of the Bemoid Wars, Salusa is one of several worlds now known to be a Messenger colony, nearly obliterated at the catastrophic end of that Empire. The planet has not had its biosphere restored like Earth, a policy which many Salusans back; many proclaim that the brutal environment of the world is beneficial to produce hardier, more resilient humans. Others criticize it as a humanity-first policy which prevents non-human species from settling the world, a criticism also lobbied against Yomi. However, around the turn of the 25th century new Azimon settlers immigrated to the region.

Salusa is a powerful industrial center, which made it a prime target during the Horde Conflict due to its proximity to the Lantana system and its famed wormhole. Much of the planet's surface is dedicated to these fabriks or to facilities dedicated to supporting Battlefleet Silver. Its capital is the smog-covered city of Corrino, and its planetary tribunal is called the Landsraad.

## Dune

### Foundation

2315

One of the worlds of the so-called At'Chor Triangle, Dune was colonized as one of the earliest efforts of the TCE. This earned it considerable trouble as the settlement saw considerable troubles at the end of the Slump of the 2310s. In the intervening century, however, Dune has become a potent urbanite center and hosting many desert-acclimated races. Besides the core At'Chor groups, towards the second half of the 24th century along with other worlds of the Triangle Dune saw an influx of Kudean and Pantramin immigrants. Dune also houses the Preserverate's Kudean Agency.

Dune is a heavily urbanized planet, with its desert plains dominated by several megalopolises. These include the capital city of Rakis, as well as the "festival city" of Onn, the religious Kudean city of Keen, and the industrial center of Carthag. Its planetary tribunal is the Synod.

## Hiawatha

### Foundation

2356

The final step of the Total Colonization Effort, the terraforming and colonization of Dialtono IIIa represented the culmination of fifty years of continuous effort. Hiawatha is a relatively young world, mostly a stop for traders and emissaries on their way to the deeper worlds of the Interior Domin. However, it has also developed a thriving interior economy centered on several shining metropolises surrounded by mostly unclaimed woodland. Settled by humans of native North American descent, Hiawatha was named for the legendary founder of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. However, since its colonization it has become chiefly inhabited by a majority Phydran population and is home to the Preserverate's Phydran Agency. Its capital is Onondaga, with other major cities including Seneca and Mohawk. Hiawatha's planetary tribunal is named the Grand Council, after the Iroquois' own legislature.

## Mazdak

### Foundation

2296

The desert moon of Mazdak was colonized during the Second Bemoid War shortly after the election of High Keeper Gichki, and was one of the first worlds colonized with a purpose by nonhuman settlers. Lined with solar energy networks and other factories, Mazdak serves as the capital for the Rimward Domin, which sits at the end of Techume space. Therefore, it's considered one of the more remote domins, and Mazdak remains populous chiefly because of its status as domin capital.

Mazdak's capital is Seleucia, and its culture is chiefly inspired by the Persian cultures of Earth. Its planetary tribunal is the Majlis, and it is home to the At'Chor Agency.