The Sagittarius Gap

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The Sagittarius Gap is the void between the Orion and Sagittarius arms of the Milky Way.  Shown here are several of the major systems in the vicinity of the gap, circa GSC 500.

Berwynne's Reach was crucial in the early settlement of the Sagittarius arm, and it grew into one of the greatest ports in the galaxy due to the spatial rift connecting it to a point near the Paradise system. 

In the early stages of expansion to this region, numerous corporate states and independent nations arose along the gap, however most of these eventually joined the Planetary League for access to vast markets and nearly unbeatable protection from outside threats.

Major Locations on the map:

• Earth

• Albion 4

• Aldebaran 2

• Berwynne's Reach

• Bonnard's World

• Cielius 5

• Dionysus

• Dogur-Dann

• Fitzgerald's World

• Gibson

• Mefitis

• New Promise

• Paradise

• Shoji

Neo-Polynesia

In early Era-1, with ocean levels rising on Earth, many Polynesian cultures were losing their homes.  As the Pacific ocean rose, islands flooded and people were displaced. 

When the planet of Paradise was discovered, the Planetary League set aside part of that planet as a resettlement area for those people, and as a cultural preserve.  Numerous archipelagoes and no significant continents, along with a warm, tropical climate made Paradise the perfect place for this project.  Numerous plants and animals were brought along by the settlers, as well as their cultural traditions. 

Paradise

History

Paradise was one of the first planets to be colonized outside the Solar System.  It is a terrestrial planet, covered by about 75% water.  Most of the land is in the form of islands, with two small continents as well.  The planet has very little axial tilt, so most of the surface is in the tropical zone, with temperate zones near the poles.  Paradise has no ice caps.  The gravity on Paradise is slightly less than on Earth.  Like Earth, Paradise does have a significant magnetic field that shields the surface from radiation.

When first explored, the biosphere of Paradise consisted solely of microscopic organisms.  Despite its simplicity, the biosphere of Paradise was quite old, and the planet had a large reserve of petroleum in the ground from sedimentary activity.  Since it lacked multi-cellular organisms, Paradise did not have soil suitable for farming, but imported plants and animals took over and the planet was quickly covered in swamps and jungles.

The Planetary League set up a research outpost early on.  Soon, corporate colonization followed, largely to exploit the planet’s petroleum.  Neo-Polynesia was a portion of the planet that was set aside as a new home for Polynesians displaced by rising ocean levels.  There was also an Edenite commune that sprang up early on. Paradise was also a major resettlement site for the Ki’tak (Red Takarrans) during the lead up to the Second Robot War, eventually supporting the largest community of them in the galaxy.

Mega-cities sprang up on several islands, and over time the atmosphere grew quite polluted.  For a long time Paradise was a relatively lawless place, full of pirates, smugglers, vice and corruption.

Eventually, the Planetary League stepped in with terraforming equipment to clean up the oceans and atmosphere, and the colonial marines to stop the lawlessness.  As a result, Paradise joined the Planetary League.  The Planetary League undertook a soil-conditioning program as part of the terraforming effort, and Paradise became a major exporter of various crops that grow in tropical climates. 

Paradise was the birthplace of the Emperor of the Holy Empire of Man.

In the Great Reckoning Paradise was overwhelmed by the superior numbers of the Empire of Man, and fell quickly.    

A significant battle was fought on paradise during the War of the Gods.

In the War of Galactic Unification, the population was convinced to join the Galactic Republic, with only minimal resistance from Imperial forces.