Akenteth

**Akenteth** is the capital world of the Aken System. Located approximately 1590 lightyears from Earth , Akenteth was once an unremarkable human colony, until it got galactic recognition for isolating itself from the rest of the galaxy, falling under the totalitarian rule of the Aken Syndicate.

## Overview

Akenteth is a temperate, average-sized planet, with some similar characteristics to Earth . Days and years are almost the same length on Akenteth as they are on Earth .

The atmosphere of the planet is the biggest thing that sets it apart, however; when first colonized, it was predominantly made up of sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide. As Akenteth was slowly terraformed, the atmosphere was regulated and became safer for breathing.

## History

### Colonization

Akenteth was first discovered by scientists scanning the area in 5650. Due to an error with their scanning systems, the planet was thought to be more habitable than it truly was, and was marked for future colonization.

In 5723, an automated colony ship was sent out from Earth , carrying 300,000 passengers. Akenteth was marked as its destination, and it arrived on the planet months later. The colonists woke up to the toxic atmosphere of the planet. Once equipped with breathing tanks, the colonists built a small settlement around the permanently installed colony ship, protecting the complex with air filters that allowed the inhabitants to breathe. One of the colonists who was on board, an expert on terraforming, began planning a terraforming process in order to make Akenteth habitable for widespread human colonization.

Over time, the settlement began to expand as the colony grew, and the resulting city was named Landing One. By this time, the air filters were advanced enough to allow humans to safely inhabit the city without the need of protection or portable breathing tanks. Other species began to move to the world, seeing it as a chance to be the first non-human citizens of a new world. By 5900, Landing One had been expanded to inhabit five million residents, with 24% of the population being of a non-human species. The planet started to become heard of in more distant regions, and a number of environmental scientists visited Akenteth, taking on the project of terraforming the entire world. Drones carrying atmosphere conversion equipment were released into the skies of Akenteth, marking the first time that anything had exited the borders of Landing One since its construction.

The terraforming project met several difficulties when the scientists observed several large avian creatures in unexplored areas of the planet. The species was nicknamed "The Irritant" by several of the scientists, who, after being annoyed by the native creatures for several months, decided to arm the terraforming drones with weaponry that could shoot them down. The terraforming of Akenteth continued for several hundred years, being passed down to younger scientists as the years went on. As the environment of Akenteth began to improve, some inhabitants of Landing One began to distance themselves from the city, establishing new settlements. By the end of the year 6100, Akenteth was home to fifteen million inhabitants, who had colonized multiple continents of the planet. Akenteth became known for its tourism, turning the existing natural landmarks into tourist destinations.

### Descent

In the year 6166, Tan Hyaak, the ruler of Fort Axar, one of Akenteth's smaller cities, declared war on Landing One and demanding independence from the rest of the planet. The insignificant rebellion was crushed by the growing military of Landing One, who imprisoned Hyaak and several of his co-conspirators and cut Fort Axar off from the rest of Akenteth. Hyaak escaped the Landing One prison in 6168, and went into hiding to avoid recapture. The government of Akenteth began to realize that as the planet's population grew, the need for a stronger and harsher police force also grew. The Aken Union was formed, created to be a law enforcement group that would prevent any further uprisings on Akenteth.

By the year 6200, the atmosphere of Akenteth was breathable to humans, among many other similar species. However, the native avian creatures had been almost driven to extinction due to the changing environment. As the number of native creatures fell, the population grew, numbering at seventeen million by 6250.

During the year 6278, Qur Hyaak, a descendant of the now deceased Tan Hyaak, returned to the city of Fort Axar, which had grown significantly since his ancestor's rebellion. Many of Fort Axar's citizens continued to follow Tan Hyaak's ideas, and welcomed Qur into the city. The Aken Union learnt of this, and threatened to punish the city if they continued to allow any member of Hyaak's family to live there. Hyaak turned himself into the Landing One law enforcement, and pleaded to be let free and not judged on his ancestor's crimes. The Aken Union freed Hyaak, allowing him to live in Landing One, isolated from any of his ancestor's followers in Fort Axar. However, several residents of Landing One had also believed in Tan Hyaak's opinions, and Qur Hyaak gained a new following in the capital city.

Three years later, Qur, who had gained fame and reputation on Akenteth, was a candidate to replace the ruler of Landing One, who was dying of an uncurable disease. In an extremely close vote, Hyaak won the election, and immediately declared that relations with Fort Axar would be resumed, which caused controversy among several older inhabitants of Landing One. He also took control of the Aken Union, ordering them to imprison anyone who opposed him. Over the next four years, many citizens of Akenteth were imprisoned or executed under Hyaak's orders, leaving only the residents who were loyal and those who followed him out of fear. Any remnants of the old government, which had been weak and unorganized, were destroyed and Hyaak disbanded the Aken Union, reorganizing it into the Aken Syndicate.

### Under the Syndicate

Following Hyaak's orders, the Syndicate enforced harsh rules on the people of Akenteth, attracting attention from other worlds. Hyaak officially cut off communications with all planets that had once been friendly with Akenteth, and put his Syndicate military on high alert for any foreign forces that may attempt to bring Akenteth under control. However, no attempts occurred, and for some time, the rest of the galaxy ignored the existence of the planet, despite several calls for help from inhabitants who had briefly escaped.