Qromeelln

**Qromeelln** is the Aaltice homeworld and a very important trading hub, located in the Koorbshayn system. It is also the original homeworld of the Dalimets. It is a thriving, pristine ecumenopolis and home to the largest and most advanced military in the known galaxy, the Qromeelln Military.

## Description

### Surface

Qromeelln is a warm, medium-sized planet — though larger than most in that category. It has three moons (one is large) and orbits the blue-white main sequence star Koorbshayn, spectral type A3 V. It is protected by a series of vast redundant shield systems that are emitted from various control stations on the surface and in orbit. It sits within a large region on the northern edge of galaxy called Aaltice Space, which also contains thousands of colony worlds.
The world is a bustling and overpopulated ecumenopolis with towers stretching miles into the atmosphere. Though cities cover most of the planet's landmasses, there are a few areas untouched by the urban sprawl, left open for recreational purposes, such as mountain ranges and beaches (though most outdoor recreation is done on less-urbanized planets). The planet's three large oceans are open as well; the Aaltice chose to extend their cities beneath the bodies of water rather than covering them with massive floating structures. Submerged cities cover roughly 75% of the ocean floor.

### Cities

Its cities have been described as some of the most beautiful, enigmatic and well-kept in the entire galaxy. Some tourists don't even land on the surface itself, staying in orbit simply to see the lights of the nightside of the planet. Though technically considered one gigantic city, there are three notable cities: Qromeelln's Heart, Kuuvytooln, and Kgambynu'izha.

## Inhabitants

### Demographics

The planet's population numbers over 790 trillion permanent residents. 98% of the inhabitants are Aaltice, with the other 2% belonging to other species. It has been estimated that there are at least 10 trillion non-permanent residents at any given moment, setting the total population at roughly 800 trillion. Adding that to the profound number of offworld individuals, the total galactic Aaltice population is estimated to be somewhere between 2 and 3 quadrillion.

### Government

The planet is governed by a primary General and is classified as a free militaristic dictatorship. Despite the imposing sound of the governing title, the residents enjoy a very wide range of freedoms and very few regulations. The main government basically only exists to preserve the freedoms outlined in the planet's constitutional documents and to protect the planet and the surrounding space from outside threats. The local governments make the laws, with a few exceptions. One of the largest of those exceptions is the Obligatory Firearms Act, which is mandatory, planetwide, and permanent, and requires every citizen to own and carry a gun at all times.

### Obligatory Firearms Act

This act declares a mandatory weapon ownership law which states that each individual, unless proven insane or criminal, must possess and carry at least one semiautomatic projectile weapon. This includes children as young as eight years old if they have proper training and supervision. Handguns with eight-round magazines or power cells are the minimum, but preferred are automatic submachine guns or compact assault rifles. The extreme majority of the population openly supports the law.
It should be noted that gun control (and other totalitarian notions) is a laughable concept to almost all Aaltice, and individuals who support the notion are typically laughed off the planet (this is saying quite a lot considering their apparent stolidity).

### Crime

Crime is surprisingly low for a planet with such a high population; the Obligatory Firearms Act is largely responsible for this. Due to every civilian being armed, criminals must be either extremely daring and prepared or flatly insane to attempt robbery or assault. If one manages to pull off a crime, they must be prepared to leave the planet immediately or face the terrible consequences. Captured criminals are punished severely, and transgressions such as rape and murder always warrant the death penalty. Other criminals are sent to off-world penal colonies, rather than local penitentiaries, in order to save on room.

### Military Service

Though military service is not required, roughly 300 trillion of Qromeelln's permanent residents willingly participate in the military in one form or another due to their innate sense of duty to keep their planet well armed. Another 200 trillion from the planet's colony worlds also participate. Thus, the estimated number of individuals in the military is about 500 trillion, over half of their home planet's already astonishing permanent population.

### Economy

Most of the planet's economy is export-based. Products manufactured on Qromeelln are typically high-quality and long-lasting. This is partially due to the fact that the implementation of planned-obsolescence into a product is classed as a federal offense. The primary exports are weapons, starships and other advanced technology, though firearm sales surpass the others exponentially. The planet's collective weaponry manufacturers, numbering well into the hundreds of thousands, make the city-world stand as one of the largest arms suppliers in the known galaxy. Of particular notoriety are Viz-Votlanka, Dhezzo & Ziran, and Lytoo Ballistics. Weapons are so popular and so easily produced there that one could easily buy a small arsenal without going broke. If one is to visit Qromeelln, they should expect to acquire at least one free weapon if not more considering how guns are often given away due to their extremely low production cost and ubiquity.

The planet uses the runglees as its primary currency.

## Locations

### Capital

Known as Qromeelln's Heart, this immense city is indeed the heart of the planet's functions. The seat of government resides here in the form of dozens of miles-high and miles-deep buildings, complete with their own powerful energy generators, renewable food supplies, shields and other defenses. The city itself rises above the surrounding cityscape by a few miles, appearing to be a giant surface bump from orbit.

### Planetary Defenses

Qromeelln has many long-range defense cannons dotting the rooftops of its urban surface, and its three oceans have many battle-ready vessels on patrol, some being over a mile in length. In orbit are even more defense platforms, some mobile and others stationary, ranging in size from one hundred feet to thirty miles in diameter. Because of the almost ridiculous amount of armaments present on and around Qromeelln, any species considering invading the ecumenopolis must either prepare for extremely heavy losses or simply abandon the idea. This can, however, be circumvented should they possess extremely powerful and unavoidable planet-killing superweapons or a staggeringly massive starfleet with equal or greater technology at their disposal. Since Qromeelln has yet to come across such races, invasions have always been incredibly rare and occur once every two or three millennia, and have resulted in a landslide Aaltice victory in one way or another. Aside from the unfathomable number of weapons, the planet is protected by massive and extremely powerful world-spanning redundant energy shields, which can completely solidify.

### Colonies

There are several major and many thousands of lesser Aaltice colony worlds near Qromeelln, and many more worlds across the galaxy with sizeable Aaltice populations. The collective population of the major colony worlds is roughly 700 trillion individuals, and the minor worlds hold a rough collective of another 900 trillion. One colony world of note is Dyossora of the Koratony system, a lush planet and one of the lesser colonies, which is home to 36 trillion individuals and serves as an important trading hub in Aaltice Space. It was tragically attacked by Mrkos Brorsen and suffered almost 100,000 casualties.

## History

### Early history

Aaltice society began around 17,000 BC and continues to this day. They are one of the few "First Ones" to have avoided extinction, and stand as the most advanced civilization in the galaxy. The Aaltice sat on the sidelines in obscurity, watching their more advanced counterparts grow, fight, and fall during the early galactic eras. They didn't enter the main galactic arena until the Ra-Shi, which they considered to be a major threat, were defeated for the first time and sealed away in the depths of space in the early 21st century.

### True capabilities

While the Aaltice developed the technology to create life and planets, they chose remain extremely secretive about it rather than bragging to the universe, choosing to allow the rest of the galaxy to pass them off as a quiet juggernaut that keeps to itself with its expensive toys. Indeed, they retain the reclusiveness that has preserved their existence for so long, evading major threats altogether and keeping their true technological abilities in the dark so as to avoid attention by other titans who would possibly want to eliminate them preemptively. They are fully prepared to leave the galaxy if a truly massive threat emerges, rather than risk their existence by fighting a possibly terminal battle.

**It should be noted** that the average Aaltice is completely unaware of his species' true capabilities, the knowledge of which resides in the scientific aristocrats on Qromeelln and is hidden from everyday citizens.

### Sister species

The Aaltice were not alone on Qromeelln. They shared their world with the Dalimet species, which was very similar in form but different in coloration and genetics. The Aaltice civilization advanced and grew more quickly than the Dalimet civilization, and the latter decided that it was best to colonize a different world and make it their own. The Dalimets migrated to Ersivv around 12,480 BC and all but disappeared from Qromeelln.

## Other Continuities

Qromeelln is a planet in the 2013 e-book anthology *Riesel Tales: Two Hunters* by author Roystonn Pruitt, who is known in Second Life as Jerionis Kanik. The official *Riesel Tales* canon article for Qromeelln can be found on the book's wiki by clicking here. There is no relation between the book and Etoile, aside from the planet's concept.

Qromeelln is copyright 2012 Roystonn Pruitt, as part of the *Riesel Tales: Two Hunters* canon. (rieseluniverse.com)