Planet Yuma

DIAMETER: 9,453 km

MASS: 4.72 x 10e24 kg

TERRAIN: Terrestrial

TEMPERATURE: -39°C to 54°C

ESCAPE VELOCITY: 15.42 km/sec

Yuma is a lush world that, at first, seems ideal for human population; with its vast seas, temperate islands, and a wide equatorial band of humid tropical terrain, it seems to practically beg for human inhabitants. Since its discovery in 640 AS by Zoner explorers, there have been nearly a dozen attempts at colonization, all of which (save the most recent) failed. The overly-aggressive native flora is capable of re-growing in cleared land at astonishing speeds and chokes out synthetic crops with ease; as such, early attempts at colonization failed because they lacked strong supply lines from off-world.

In 817 AS, Deep Space Engineering surveyors based their ship, the Armstrong, in orbit of the planet. When DSE revealed their discovery of the planet to the Libertonian public, intense bidding for rights on Yuma ensued, and the resultant capital gave DSE the funds necessary to initiate construction of a docking ring.

However, the Armstrong came under increasingly frequent and organized attacks from pirates in the system. Dozens of survey probes sent throughout the system were destroyed, and it soon became clear to the Armstrong's crew that they were not welcome in the system. Pirates, utilizing more advanced weaponry than previous raids, managed to destroy the Armstrong in a single concentrated assault, with all DSE crew onboard lost, and the docking ring not quite complete.

The Crayter Republic entered the system shortly after the Armstrong met its demise. Seeing an opportunity to ensure a strong claim to at least half of Coronado, the refugee Crayterians constructed Sabah Shipyard in orbit of the planet. In conjunction with Liberty and with clandestine financial backing from the Independent Miners Guild, the Crayterians have nearly finished the docking ring's construction, and, thanks to a discriminating campaign of eliminating the native flora in conjunction with Planetform Inc., have established several successful colonies on the planet's surface.

The largest settlement on Yuma is the capital city of New Thessalonica, which is home to over three million souls. New Thessalonica, as well as a handful of smaller settlements, represent a new class of "floating cities" built atop Yuma's various oceans. These cities have been kept well-fed in the process of establishing sustainable agriculture thanks to the Republic's extensive agreements with Synth Foods.

In total, Yuma's total population sits comfortably at just barely under five million, with the majority being citizens of the Crayter Republic. Crayterians from their home sector form a plurality of their citizenry, with a large portion of others having their roots in the IMG, and many freed former slaves who have been naturalized. Additionally, the non-citizen part of this planet's population is made up primarily of refugees from Bretonia with some Libertonian entrepeneurs looking to sell supplies to the nation which has finally secured itself a real home.

## Bribes & Missions Offered

* Zoners
* Independent Miners Guild
* Gateway Shipping

## News

Within a month of the IMG's plea, the political leadership of the Crayter Republic unanimously concurred on the imperative need for assistance. Simultaneously, several of our courageous pilots volunteered to become supply carriers destined for the strife-torn planet Malta. While executing cargo operations in the perilous Omicron Alpha system posed a grave risk, the opportunity to strike a significant blow against the Outcasts on their home turf was deemed too compelling to forego.
In tandem with the preparations for breaching Outcast defenses on planet Malta, our fleet took the bold step of extending emergency military support to the IMG at Falkland Base. The ultimate objective: to drive the Outcasts out of the Tau-37 system once and for all.

Ageira disputed this finding in their own press release, calling EFL 'fantasists' and countering that their own scientists had narrowed the cause to a rare 'hypernova' stellar event that originated outside the Sirius sector. Both corporations claim that network-wide hardware safeguards have been implemented that would prevent a similar occurrence in the future. Independent researchers have sharply criticized the corporate announcements, accusing both of self-interested misdirection.
Professor Sophia Nagel from Heisenberg Research Station called EFL's accusation 'incoherent' and the hypernova explanation 'nonsense' that did not explain the characteristics of the 'Blackout Pulse'. Despite multiple different Pulse recordings being widely disseminated across the neural net, public efforts have so far failed to triangulate its source.

Within a month of the IMG's plea, the political leadership of the Crayter Republic unanimously concurred on the imperative need for assistance. Simultaneously, several of our courageous pilots volunteered to become supply carriers destined for the strife-torn planet Malta. While executing cargo operations in the perilous Omicron Alpha system posed a grave risk, the opportunity to strike a significant blow against the Outcasts on their home turf was deemed too compelling to forego.
In tandem with the preparations for breaching Outcast defenses on planet Malta, our fleet took the bold step of extending emergency military support to the IMG at Falkland Base. The ultimate objective: to drive the Outcasts out of the Tau-37 system once and for all.

Over the last few days, Archer-class siege cruisers have been deploying their massive coaxial cannons to suppress military infrastructure on the planet, systematically targeting the very last bastions of the Insurgency. First to be destroyed were the planet's few remaining ground to space weapons installations, quickly crippled by bomber strikes from the Ohio herself, before the remaining desolate ground defences and deserted infrastructure were reduced to rubble, their populations having already long fled the world.
A small service was held on the Ohio as the bombardment drew to a close in memory of Rear Admiral Dylan Brandt and those thousands of sailors and marines who had given their lives in the name of Liberty; fought their own lost brothers-in-arms so that others may not live under their misguided yoke, and many more who had their lives irrevocably changed as a result of the evils the campaign sought to end.
The announcement also confirmed identical monuments to the Insurgency campaign would be erected on every world in Liberty, from Planet Houston to Planet Erie, each monument an obelisk carrying the names of every serviceman lost in the conflict and serving as a reminder that Liberty is stronger when it stands together.

For some time, it had been alleged that Insurgent and Xeno-backed cells had been stirring trouble on Erie, inciting violence in the population and seeking to turn the planet into a second Veracruz. Never, however, had such open acts of terror been visited upon the governing Libertonian forces.
The response was quick and decisive. In coordination with the LSF, Vice Admiral Hamish aboard the Battleship Alma lead a Liberty Navy task force directly into the system in Operation Pesticide, escorted primarily by Siege Cruisers, Gunboats and fightercraft, with many of the Navy's capital warships tied in the Vespucci campaign or ever watchful at Liberty's borders. They were met by Zoner Q-ships based from Bethlehem, with many coming from as far as Galileo or even the Sigmas, accompanied by a motley assortment of freelancers and other anarchist elements. Leading the Zoner line was a Aquilon-class carrier, the Pinnacle.
While the Pinnacle came under heavy bombardment from the Alma and her task force, supplies quickly gathered onto Zoner transports from Erie attempted to run the Navy blockade. While some transports were lost to Navy bombers, others yet escaped to parts as of yet unknown. This 'victory', however, came at a heavy price. The Pinnacle was lost with most of her hands still on board and the rest captured, while the Liberty Marines landed virtually unopposed, quickly securing population centers for both the safety of Libertonian assets and the civilians on Erie itself. The Alma is settled now into the low orbit of Erie, a constant reminder to those below that they are under the protection of the Liberty Navy. A comfort to some, a dire warning to many more.

Admiral Brandt was heard to give the order to abandon ship right as the ship's hull could take no more and began to be torn asunder, with hull breaches on multiple decks. Tragically, the armored engines of the Delaware had suffered a great deal of damage, and as the armor and shielding was whittled away, vast quantities of radiation and superheated gas began to flood into the crew compartments of the vessel.
In an emotional announcement, the Liberty Navy officially stated that they consider the Delaware to be lost with all hands, including Admiral Brandt himself. No life pods could be secured in the heat of battle, with the remainder of the Delaware's escort making a fighting retreat back to the LNS Ohio which had herself been caught lagging behind the Delaware's doomed thrust into the heart of the Insurgency. The Ohio now remains with her own escort, augmented by survivors of the Delaware's battlegroup, and will continue as the Liberty Navy's bastion in the Vespucci system, ready to ensure that the Insurgents pay dearly for the toll they have extracted upon one of Liberty's finest Admirals.

Leading a fearsome line of some of Liberty's most advanced warships, the Delaware bore down on the Insurgency's remaining, cobbled-together fleet in the Vespucci system, out of position from dealing with a Bretonian thrust from Magellan. Immediately caught was the Battleship Vanquisher, one of the scant few Arbiter-class Battleships available to the Insurgents. Caught by itself, the Vanquisher put up a fearsome fight but was ultimately unable to stand against the Delaware and its escort, despite its fighter component dealing severe damage to much of the Delaware's own, smaller fighter contingent, as well as the Delaware herself.
With the great Arbiter all but vanquished, the Interdictor-class Battlecruiser Triton stared down the guns of the damaged Delaware and her escort. Outnumbered two-to-one, and outgunned to an even greater degree by the Libertonian heavyweight, Triton and her escorts launched their one and only advantage, their fighter and bomber superiority gained at the Vanquisher's expense.

## Rumors

* We were right there, I could see it. That damned green sun glaring in my face as the missile warnings kicked in and everything went to hell. If we'd spent less time politicking and more time focusing on decisive action, this refugee crisis might have been averted entirely. Now we're the courageous few who were a few hours too late to make a difference.

* I know this isn't the most common place you'd find a lass like me but even these flea ridden places deserve a little female attention. Especially if the folks in here are paying.

* The wreck of a Royal Navy destroyer captained by Émilien Bouchard. The Guépard was last sighted in 826 AS, as part of a flotilla of mutinous Royalist warships fleeing from the glassing of Leeds. The Guépard appears to have suffered catastrophic damage to the engine compartment, leading to total depressurization.

* I heard rumours that folks over at the Gate have found an alien structure in the barrier! I knew they would come back, they won't get me this time though! No, no they won't...ha..no they won't...they won't...

* There have been rumours about strange objects in the wastelands, some say they are even connected to one of the moons around here. I think it's called Jericho, don't quote me on that though.

*NOTE: Page generated on the 28/10/2023 at 17:59:46 UTC*