The Moons of Jupiter

History

Early in Era-1, when the Solar System was being settled, simple life was discovered on Jupiter's moon, Europa.  Beneath the surface ice there was a tidally warmed sea, and a research station was set up to study it.  

Next the Planetary League decided to terraform Ganymede and Callisto using precisely planned asteroid and comet impacts.  Through careful tending, these moons became habitable, and acted as a forward base for further exploration.  Io, being highly geologically active, was deemed too unstable for terraforming, but a few small outposts and mining operations did spring up there.  Due to the hazards of mining on Io, the Tardigrades were founded, as a search and rescue operation.

Ganymede became the capitol of the Jovian system, and Callisto became the commercial center.  Both Ganymede and Callisto had significant agriculture to support themselves and the other moons.  Most industrial operations were carried out in space colonies, or on the smaller moons. 

Jupiter's smaller moons were mined for raw materials, and a group of thriving colonies emerged.   

Over time, Jupiter's moons attracted members of the Steampunk community, and the area became known as the Clockwork Empire.  Although the Jovian colonies remained a part of the Planetary League, they developed a strong local culture that resembled a more fantastical version of Victorian England.

During the Great Reckoning, the Jovian system was captured by the Holy Empire of Man.  The resistance was significant, but the HEM had vastly superior numbers.  During Era-2, the moons of Jupiter became a manufacturing center for the HEM.

During the War of the Gods, the Jovian moons rose up and joined with the forces of Troniac, due to the largely robotic workforce that worked there.  

In Era-3, the moons of Jupiter became part of the Galactic Republic by popular vote.

The Autonomous Republic of Lindbergh

Overview

Named for Charles Lindbergh, The Autonomous Republic of Lindbergh was founded by a group of space colonies at Mars’s L5 point.  The people who gathered there tended to see the mid-20th Century period of American history in a positive light, and built their society on an idealized imagination of it.  Krieg Enterprises, a major mining corporation was based in the Autonomous Republic, and one of the Republic's founding fathers was Amadeus Krieg.  In addition to asteroid mining, the Republic’s main industries were devoted to manufacturing consumer goods, mostly designed with an eye to the style of their preferred time period.

The government was loosely based on the US constitution, but with a much weaker central government.  Racial and gender equality were enshrined in law and custom, and the society was largely secular.  There were, however, a few “old-time” colonies where attitudes more closely reflected those of the actual mid-20th Century, but they were marginalized politically and socially, and tended to be the poorest as well.  Since the legal framework that governed the Republic gave wide latitude to the individual colonies, the “old-time” colonies remained ossified in their archaic attitudes until the end of Era-1.  

Late in Era-1, after most of the main asteroid belt had been mined out, The Republic became a popular tax haven for the wealthy, and emphasized its unique culture as a way to draw in tourism.

Throughout most of its history, The Autonomous Republic of Lindbergh only had a very small military, due to the fact that it was in a defensive pact with the Planetary League.  Although it never officially joined the Planetary League, The Republic was on good terms with them overall, maintaining steady and prosperous trade.  

During the Great Reckoning, the “old-time” colonies allied with Krieg Enterprises, and seized power during a brief civil war, and then promptly joined the Empire of Man.

During Era-2, Lindbergh became an industrial hub for the Imperial war machine.

Earth

History

In the near future, due to numerous factors, life on Earth becomes very difficult.  A changing climate brings increased warfare.  A host of new diseases arise.  The economy crashes.  With the arrival of affordable space travel, the construction of large-scale space habitats, and the colonization of nearby bodies, people leave the Earth in droves, seeking a better life elsewhere.  A great diaspora ensues, and the remaining governments unite with the United Nations to clean up and restore the economy on our home planet.

Later, Earth’s position as the main hub of commerce and communication among the inhabited planets led it to become the capitol of the Planetary League.  Earth remained the capitol, growing in wealth and sophistication throughout Era-1 until it fell at the close of the Great Reckoning.

After the Great Reckoning, the Emperor maintained a palace on Earth, even though the capitol of the Holy Empire of Man remained on Gabriel, where it was founded.  The holy cities and sites of Earth thronged with pilgrims seeking miracles, and a very substantial garrison was built up.

Earth was liberated by the Galactic Republic in one of the major battles of the War of Galactic Unification.

One of the unique features of the Earth is its single large moon, which is considered a sign of good luck in the Empire of 1,000,000 Suns.

Landmarks

Supercollider, TX is a town that exists between dimensions.

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.