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Terraforming is the process of making a planet more inhabitable than it currently is, and can refer to everything from the complex operations used to turn barren rocks such as [[New Suez]] or [[Callisto]] into inhabitable planets, to the careful world-shaping done to the Skrell homeworlds, or even the rejuvenation efforts of [[The Wasteland]] and [[Earth|Old Earth]]. Cripplingly expensive and requiring staggering amounts of resources, terraforming has been the nearly exclusive domain of humanity and the [[Nralakk Federation]] for much of its practical history and fell out of favor with much of the human Spur after the economic devastation of the Interstellar War and functional terraforming technology is rarely seen in the modern human Orion Spur. In the 25th century terraforming is thought by most as a depreciated science which stands as a reminder of a more forward-looking Spur that has long since faded into history. The near-legendary technology still sees use on a select few planets, where their age incurs heavy costs as well the threat of terrible dangers should they be left neglected.
On the eastern edge of the Empire of Dominia lies the least-populated major world of its domain: the '''Imperial Viceroyalty of Sun Reach''', fully integrated into the Empire in 2422 following an invasion of the Mithra System by the Imperial military in response to piracy against the Empire by the planet’s former rulers. Over the past forty years the planet has become a major source of Helium-3 production for the Empire’s war machine and, as generations of Reachers have come over age under Imperial rule, the planet’s identity has become more and more entwined with the Empire that both aids and exploits it.


==Categories of Terraforming==
Reachers are '''Ma’zals''' of the [[Empire of Dominia[[: commoners of non-Morozian descent. Unlike their counterparts in the [[Novi Jadran|Imperial Mandate of Novi Jadran]], the majority of Reachers are not honorary Secondaries, and are instead simply common Ma’zals.


Modern terraforming is generally classified into three groups based on the scale of the intervention: minor, moderate, and total. A fourth, known as biosphere restoration, is sometimes grouped into this group but is generally regarded as a separate, though adjacent, technique. It’s important to recognize that terraforming is not only an ancient, but incredibly varied science that was developed separately by multiple races and nations simultaneously. As such, the below are mainly guidelines for a Spur-wide understanding, and individual cultures may view
==History==


'''Low-Intensity Terraforming''' is the cheapest form of modern terraforming, though it remains extraordinarily expensive and impractical for all but the wealthiest stellar nations. Planets deemed suitable for low-intensity terraforming by the Solarian Alliance’s Department of Colonization were those which possessed environments naturally suited for human habitation without terraforming, and the techniques employed were intended to simply increase the planet’s productivity and habitability beyond simply acceptable. As a result it can be performed on planets with a current population but this is generally advised against, as even low-intensity terraforming can wreak havoc upon a planet’s climate while it is being performed. Larger Galatea Platforms were avoided in favor of simpler methods such as small-scale planetary, orbital, or sub-orbital facilities designed to manage individual regions rather than entire planets. Perhaps the greatest success, and best example, of this terraforming technique is [[Vysoka]], where the Department of Colonization modified the planet’s soil to nearly universally be ultra-fertile black earth. While Vysoka’s original role as a breadbasket planet for further colonization efforts never came to fruition the Department’s techniques remain stable to this day, and have outlasted the Department itself. Other examples of this technique include [[Biesel]], where earlier low-intensity techniques unintentionally devastated its native flora and fauna, and [[Eridani I]], where low-intensity techniques intentionally devastated the local flora and fauna.
===The Solarian Republic of Sun Reach (2189-2302)===


Low-Intensity Terraforming is far slower and more resource intensive in the Nralakk Federation, but can be implemented on inhabited planets without as much risk to colonists or the environment, making it the most popular form of modern terraforming in the Nralakk Federation as the nation focuses on increasing the productivity of its pre-existing colonies rather than expansion. Terraforming on this scale is most notably used in the ecological repair of [[Qerrbalak]], which was on the brink of ecological collapse prior to the [[Skrell_Early_History#The_War_of_the_Tides_and_Skrell_Space_Age|Skrellian space age.]]
<center><i>“This is almost certainly an advantageous position for us to hold in the Arcadian Frontier, Prime Minister. Through it we can secure a future for shipbuilding in the region. Within a century, it will be a production center on the level of Neptune,”</i> -  Martin Clemson (2119 - 2230), [[Sol Alliance#Departments|Solarian Secretary of Colonization]], 2179.</center>


'''Medium-Intensity Terraforming''' is, historically speaking, the least utilized of the three terraforming categories due to the legacy of earlier efforts on [[Mars]] which far overshadow the technique’s later successes on [[Persepolis]]. At this level massive Lebedev Engines, titanic devices situated at planetary poles and used to stabilize atmospheres, are employed, but the Galatea Platforms themselves are not. This level is intended to make a partially-inhabitable world fully habitable and is extremely expensive, and only the Solarian Alliance in its hegemonic era was able to effectively carry out these operations. Atmospheres are strengthened, temperatures are modified, and the native environment is almost always wreaked by devastation as a result. Performing Medium-Intensity Terraforming on an inhabited planet is a horrendous idea and the disastrous consequences of it going wrong are demonstrated no more clearly than on Mars, where out-of-control planetary terraforming equipment resulted in millions of deaths and requires decades of work to stabilize. Mars itself has never truly recovered from the aftermath of its terraforming disaster.
What would become the Viceroyalty of Sun Reach in 2422 was once one of the southernmost planets in the Solarian Alliance. Discovered in the late 2100s and colonized in 2189 due to extensive Helium-3 presence in its system, Mithra, Sun Reach was intended to support Solarian expansion into the Baltian and Arcadian Frontier Sectors through fuel processing and robust — though not military-grade — spacecraft production facilities built in orbit around it. Thousands of vessels were produced for the Alliance’s government, private corporations, and citizens throughout the 23rd century until the outbreak of the Interstellar War in 2278, when production was shifted to support the Solarian Navy and limited military production facilities were established in orbit.


This terraforming category is seldom seen in Skrell space, being seen as morally questionable on worlds that are already inhabited by complex life and unnecessary when a barren world could just as easily be terraformed to the Skrell's liking instead. The only planet that still uses this form of terraforming is [[Aliose]], mostly as a means to slowly warm up the planet to more livable temperatures.
By 2287, when the Interstellar War ended, the Solarian Republic of Sun Reach was a comparatively stable and peaceful world compared to other Solarian frontier sectors, which has increasingly fallen into disarray as the War continued. A robust system defense force supported by the planet’s shipbuilding industry let it project an area of security around it alongside functional warp gates connecting it to Persepolis, Tau Ceti, and the Southern Reaches ensuring plentiful supplies. Assuming these connections remained stable, the Republic’s future was essentially secure. While the loss of the Coalition of Colonies had been a stark loss, the Alliance remained great — and the Republic imagined it would be the site of a new, bold expedition and expansion into the galactic south.


'''Total Terraforming''' is the most expensive form of terraforming by far and has only ever been widely employed by the Solarian Alliance during its pre-Interstellar War hegemony where it claimed domain over more territory, and wealth, than any known entity in the Spur’s history. This technique is capable of turning a barren rock into a more-or-less Earthlike planet and requires time, great amounts of resources, and large amounts of advanced equipment. The Galatea Platforms were designed to carry out this terraforming in a time-effective, if stunningly expensive, manner and are the only system capable of coordinating atmospheric manipulation on a planet-wide level, though they must rely on the earlier Lebedev Engines to first create an effective magnetic sphere and primitive atmosphere. Planetside terraforming efforts are coordinated by the Galatea Platform but are typically carried out by smaller platforms in orbit and, at a later point, planetary facilities. The immense resources required are gathered by massive mining platforms in the designated system. Total Terraforming wreaks utter havoc upon the planet chosen for terraforming, causing freak weather patterns and often ravaging existing landmasses. Doing it in a populated planet is entirely out of the question and the Department of Colonization, which managed terraforming, never attempted such. Planets only partially touched by the Galatea Project, such as most of its targets in the modern Weeping Stars, have been left with devastating environments featuring extreme weather, and are commonly known as “storm worlds” throughout the Coalition as a result. Few settlements endure for long on one.
Over the remainder of the 23rd century the Alliance fell further and further from its prewar glories. A naval coup in 2289 led to more unrest in the Solarian Frontier, a terraforming disaster on Mars in 2298 shifted more attention to the Solarian Core, and the damage the Interstellar War had caused to the economy had not faded in much of the Alliance. As the 2300s dawned Sun Reach entered a new century in a more precarious state than it had ever been in.


Skrell are the only other species in the Spur besides Humanity to both possess the knowledge and resources to conduct terraforming on this scale. Thanks to their extreme life spans, Skrell are more willing to take a "slow and steady" approach to completely terraforming a planet, making the techniques used less destructive, but far more time-consuming. Many previously uninhabitable worlds within the Federation were terraformed [[Skrell_Synthetic_Age#Late_Synthetic_Age|pre-Glorsh-Omega]] using AI-assisted platforms within their orbit. The sealing of the [[Qerrbalak#Tzqul_ArchiveTzqul Archive]], along with a complete ban on using Artificial Intelligence, has made terraforming of this category less feasible for the species. [[Aweiji]] was a product of total terraforming, turning the planet from a hot, dry desert into a lush breadbasket central to the domestic food production of the Federation.
===The Pirate Lords (2302-2422)===


'''Biosphere Restoration''' is a dated technique developed by [[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]] at the behest of the Solarian government in order to restore the devastated environment of [[Earth]] following decades of industrial pollution during humanity’s pre-interstellar and early interstellar eras. More expensive and slower than contemporary terraforming techniques used by the Alliance, biosphere restoration’s major strength is its ability to be used on a planet where major populations are present, such as Earth. The technique has been, by all accounts, a resounding success and most of its facilities, which were universally ground or sea-based rather than orbital, have either been decommissioned entirely or converted into museums for all of humanity to enjoy. The Solarian government has revived the process in order to assist in the restoration of [[Mars]] following the Violet Dawn Catastrophe of 2462, and is rumored to be in negotiations with Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals concerning the restoration of Mars alongside [[Einstein Engines]], but no allegedly involved parties have confirmed or denied these rumors. A similar process is currently underway at the behest of the [[Izweski Nation|Izweski Hegemony]], for restoring the environment of [[Moghes]] following the devastation of nuclear war. While the aims of this project are similar to those of prior Solarian restoration efforts, it is largely based on [[Vaurca Hives|K’laxan]] technology rather than human methods. Due to the phoron scarcity and ongoing famine in the Hegemony, restoration efforts have largely stalled for the time being - though their accomplishments remain on display at Camp Integrity, where Vaurca and Unathi scientists have worked to push back the harsh Wasteland.
<center><i>“I will take what is mine through my strength of conquest, and your planetfolk weakness. Disobey my command, and my crew will have the run of your capital, ‘Duke’ Glavan,”</i> - High Captain Ernst Zhang during a raid of Novi Jadran during the mid-2380s. </center>


While poorly documented by the Spur’s wider scientific community it has long been rumored the Dominian Core World of Alterim Obrirava was, long prior to its colonization by the Empire, touched by a terraforming technique unlike any utilized in the Spur’s history. But the Empire has long been hesitant to allow access to the planet, citing its strategic Helium-3 infrastructure, and stories of Alterim Obrirava’s unknown terraforming benefactors are more the realm of idle chatter between starfarers and voidsmen than investigation by researchers. The Empire has officially claimed all rumors of terraforming by an unknown alien entity are nonsensical, and the planet’s lush environment is instead a clear sign of the Goddess’ infinite generosity towards Her chosen people.
With the secession of the Republic of Elyra in 2302, Sun Reach was thrown into chaos as its supply routes collapsed and the broader Alliance began a messy, chaotic withdrawal from the Southern Solarian Frontier which left many planets to fend for themselves. The republican government of Sun Reach ended in early 2302 when the system defense force couped the civilian government and installed a military “emergency government” which was essentially a dictatorship. Desperate to sustain their naval strength without the external supplies they had depended on, and unable to produce new shipyards, the military government turned to “requisitioning” supplies from nearby systems under Solarian emergency regulations. But as the years dragged on and the defense force began to loot further and further territories, their goal became less to sustain their strength and more to enrich themselves while maintaining their dominion over nearby worlds, who they forced to pay protection money. By 2310 the Reacher Guard had become the Pirate Lords, the scourge of the Badlands.


==Terraforming Equipment==
As the Pirate Lords further established their authority over the planet and enriched themselves, they neglected to support the civilian population of the planet and instead focused on their planetary refineries and the orbital facilities from which they ruled. The broader population, deprived of any external support and forced to pay their own tithes to the Pirate Lords and their crews, gradually became unable to support the advanced technology many settlements had. By the mid-2300s most had resorted to living off the land in small villages they often built around desalination facilities or the rare natural aquifer. By 2422 a solitary urban center – Sun Reach, the former capital of the planet – remained, with others having fallen into ruin and many having been reclaimed by nature. These villages would nominate a single family to deal with the Pirate Lords, who demanded material support and recruits from the planet itself. Tribunalism arrived on the planet during the 2300s and was mostly an underground religion, with the Pirate Lords viewing it as potentially dangerous to their rule.


Terraforming requires immense amounts of equipment and resources, and infrastructure to support both this equipment and any associated resource gathering ventures. The Solarian Alliance, in its prime, designed and built much of the equipment utilized in human terraforming techniques to this very day. Much of this equipment has been mothballed or scrapped by the Alliance or its successor states in the years since the Interstellar War as terraforming is, following the War, simply not economically practical on a large scale. A significant amount of terraforming equipment was lost during the Interstellar War due to the current Weeping Stars region having been targeted for intensive terraforming by the Galatea Project.
By the 2380s the Pirate Lords’ influence had reached another major former Solarian world: Novi Jadran. Jadranic and Reacher forces fought several battles between 2380 and 2389, with most being won by the Pirate Lords and Novi Jadran squeezed further and further by raids. But the victories of the Pirate Lords over Novi Jadran would, in a twist of irony, become their undoing when Novi Jadran petitioned the young Empire of Dominia for aid and was annexed into it peacefully. Deprived of the industrial tithe they could gain from Novi Jadran, the Reachers were put on the backfoot as they tried to avoid deliberately raiding Morozian-flagged vessels. But by the 2410s the Pirate Lords, greedily seeking more wealth, had begun harassing Imperial vessels. The Empire and Pirate Lords were now set upon a course which would inevitably bring them into open warfare and, following a skirmish between the Imperial Fleet and Pirate Lords in 2422, the Imperial military launched a punitive expedition with the aim of conquering Sun Reach, ensuring the Empire’s control over the Badlands and the end of the Pirate Lords as a serious threat to its expansion in the region.


One of the fundamental building blocks of modern terraforming is the humble Lebedev Engine, a massive piece of machinery which can trace its roots to the Soviet colonization of Pluto. They were developed from the large-scale gravity generators used on Pluto to give the planet, and its moons, a relatively Earth-like gravity despite the small size of Pluto and its moons. The Lebedev Engine is positioned at the poles of a planet and is designed to manipulate its magnetic field to assist in the crashing of a primordial atmosphere. They are also typically used to manipulate the planetary core in order to modify temperature and tectonics after this. The success of the Lebedev Engine is required to proceed to later phases involving the use of massive Galatea Platforms.
===The Imperial Viceroyalty of Sun Reach (2422 - Present)===


Once a planet’s magnetic field has been stabilized terraforming can proceed to use the massive Galatea Platforms which remain iconic symbols of the Solarian Alliance’s influence at its apex. A Galatea Platform is intended to centralize most of the rest of the terraforming process but is primarily intended to serve as an atmospheric modifier, effectively turning uninhabitable planets into habitable ones. Due to its massive resource cost the Galatea Platform has fallen out of use across the Spur, with the notable exception of the United Technocracy of Galatea, though the Alliance maintains several in a mothballed state. More can be read about the platforms and their history here [link to Sol history page].
<center><i>“For crimes against the citizenry of the Imperial Mandate of Novi Jadran I sentence you, Captain Zhang, to death by hanging! To your crew, the beneficent Emperor has seen fit to offer them their choice of service in the Imperial Fleet or fifty years’ labor in the Imperial Territory of Fisanduh’s mines. With Her as my witness, I pronounce judgement!”</i> - Naval Magistrate Hitomi Kaneko during the military trials of the Pirate Lords, 24 March 2423.</center>


While doubtlessly impressive Galatea Platforms require a tremendous amount of resources in order to carry out their terraforming efforts. The Brahma Planetary-Scale Mining Platform, a device so large it requires the use of a star to be effectively powered. The Brahma Platforms were intended to both assist the Galatea Platform by gathering resources and perform what the Department of Colonization termed “planetary scalpings,” — large-scale mining and terraforming where chunks of a planet’s surface were burnt off by the laser in order to expose minerals or reshape future oceans. Cripplingly expensive to operate, only the Federal Technology of Galatea retains a functional Brahma Platform. All others have either been destroyed or fallen out of use, with Hephaestus itself ceasing the use of these platforms in the mid-2300s due to intellectual property rights disputes with the platform’s co-creator Einstein Engines.
It took the Imperial military under a month to defeat the Pirate Lords and occupy the planet, with their dated equipment and poorly-trained forces falling apart after the first engagements of the expedition. Some, unwilling to surrender to the Empire, fled abroad or into the swamps surrounding the Algae Belt, becoming the first rural bandits of the planet. Many of the Pirate Lords were captured, tried, and quickly executed by the Empire. Imperial forces were, in some areas, greeted with open arms by a population which had long hidden their Tribunalist faith and was now free of the tithes paid to the previous government. In other areas, the Empire was viewed as little more than a replacement for the Pirate Lords and a shallow reminder of the democracy which once flourished under Solarian rule.


The [[Nralakk Federation]] uses a mix of terraforming methods depending on the desired result. The current focus on perfecting pre-existing colonies within the Federation means that planetary facilities that promote ideal weather conditions, iron-seeding to produce algae, and similar low-intensity methods are primarily used. [[Aliose]] is the only exception to this, as its lack of complex life and pre-existing Skrell population have forced the Federation to use more impactful methods to make the planet more habitable. Aliose previously used facilities that produced oxygen and greenhouse gasses, increasing atmospheric oxygen levels and warming the planet up to more tolerable levels. Today the focus is on intentionally increasing greenhouse gas emissions, with the goal of giving the planet a similar environment to Qerrbalak.
With Sun Reach’s conquest of Dominia came immense investment by the Empire’s economy, particularly Houses Zhao and Caladius. For the first time in over a century neglected Helium-3 refineries and orbital shipyards which had fallen into disrepair were brought online, and thousands of Reachers moved into cities to seek employment in better-paying urban industries. Others, seeking to redeem — or perhaps continue — their piratical past, joined the Imperial Fleet or the Goddess’ Flotilla. Most residents of the planet view life as better under the Empire than it was under the piratical former government, though some dissent. Those who opt to fight against the Viceroyalty often take to the swamps and mangroves around the Algae Belt, risking disease, weather, and dangerous wildlife to avoid the Imperial Army and Home Guard. Derided as outlaws and rogues by the government, and by most Reachers, these men and women often become little more than bandits.


In the past, the Federation also used what is known as "Seeding-Platforms", large, AI-assisted orbital facilities that would constantly change and monitor planetary conditions to turn barren planets into Qerrbalak-like worlds. The Seeding-Platforms would then be repurposed when their task was complete, usually as orbital spaceports or as a staging ground for future colonisation. These megastructures were used widely throughout Federation space, both before and during [[Skrell_Synthetic_Age#Late_Synthetic_Age|Glorsh-Omega's reign]], but the reliance on AI in using these platforms and the locking of the [[Qerrbalak#Tzqul_ArchiveTzqul Archive]] means that they can no longer be produced or maintained.
In the Helium-3 industry, which is concentrated in the planet’s cities, there are few regulations and many are made to work long hours in hazardous conditions for less pay than workers in the Imperial Core. Meanwhile, the rapid growth of urban areas over the past 40 years has caused a rural decline in many areas as young algae farmers leave for higher-paying jobs to pay off their Mo’ri’zal, disrupting the planet’s traditional way of life. While their system of ruling their villages through notable families remains, some Reachers are concerned their culture will be consumed by the Empire by the end of the century as more and more of the planet’s inhabitants grow up only having known Imperial rule.  


<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
As the Empire looks towards the 2470s it considers how to best continue to develop the Viceroyalty, and to quash its issues. Whether or not it is successful remains to be seen, though as more and more Reachers are raised knowing solely Imperial rule it is less and less likely any serious efforts will be made to throw off its rule. For now, at least, the Viceroyalty is solidly in the hands of the Empire.
===Terraforming Equipment===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
====Galatea Terraforming Platform====
A truly massive design produced by the [[Sol Alliance|Solarian Alliance]] in the period prior to the Interstellar War, the Galatea Platform was humanity’s first attempt at the creation of a centralized system designed to coordinate the terraforming efforts needed to render a planet inhabitable by humans. Created directly in response to the complexity of attempts to terraform [[Mars]], it was intended to serve as a command center for  all aspects of the terraforming process in order to streamline the effort required to transform a planet into a livable environment. In addition to serving as a command center, the Galatea features gigantic facilities which directly pump gases and liquids into the planet’s atmosphere in order to carry out the process. Prohibitively expensive even in its heyday, the Galatea Platforms were built to ensure a stable future for the Alliance and its economy. Much of the platform’s equipment can trace its origins to Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, which has long been viewed as an expert in the craft of terraforming. Their first tests, on [[Callisto]] and Ganymede, proved to be a resounding success and multiple platforms were built and sent to the Solarian frontier to create more worlds for colonization.


Unfortunately for the Galatea-class many of the platforms sent to the frontier were destined for a region of space now known as the Weeping Stars: the location of the most bitter, hard-fought fighting between the Alliance and Coalition where whole worlds, such as [[Gadpathur]], were claimed by war. The large Galatea-class platforms found themselves choked of the supplies they desperately required to continue functioning and many crews, desperate to escape the ravages of the Interstellar War, fled back to Sol as soon as they were able. Coalition forces who seized Galatea platforms often had little clue as to how to operate their machinery and most were, by this period of the war, badly neglected and barely functional. The planets they were created to terraform, so prized by the Alliance, were left as half-complete ruins — uninhabitable maelstroms entirely unsuited for extended human habitation and barely fit for animals. With every Galatea platform sent to the frontier considered to be lost by the Alliance, it and Zeng-Hu were left with a huge bill which could no longer be paid off using the taxes of these terraformed worlds. Most remaining platforms, already expensive to maintain, were sent to the Solarian Navy’s boneyard around Uranus to be salvaged. Two, Galatea and Arcadia, were retained and remain in the orbit of Neptune, dutifully awaiting terraforming orders which will never come.
==Environment==


But the failure of the Galateas was not felt by all equally. Enterprising scavengers and governments have long picked at these ancient, hulking, and increasingly hazardous corpses, hoping to find some terraforming technology or technique within the massive cadavers. Many salvagers have met their end inside what was meant to create great paradises for humanity, and most find next to nothing in these hulks which have been picked over by decades worth of salvage operations, but some have been successful beyond imagination. Rumors, of course, endlessly swirl about “lost” or otherwise uncharted Galateas forgotten in the chaos of the Interstellar War that still contain the riches they were built with. Many theorize a major funder of Galatea salvage expeditions has long been House Volvalaad of the [[Empire of Dominia]], which has been infamously tight-lipped about where the advanced techniques used by it to genetically engineered species and environments have come from.  
<center><i>“Soldiers! This environment will be unlike your homes in the Imperial Mandate. Expect humidity, insects, and constant rain in some areas. Remember your training and watch yourself and your comrades for signs of heatstroke. Dismissed!”</i> - First Lieutenant Henrik Novak of the 122nd Jadranic Infantry Regiment prior to their deployment to Sun Reach, 2457.</center>


====Brahma Planetary-Scale Mining Platform====
Sun Reach is a hot, humid, and wet world dominated by swamps and mangroves. It has long, hot summers with short, cool winters and temperatures rarely drop below freezing even during winter. Much of the planet’s surface outside of its limited landmasses is covered by shallow oceans. These oceans are home to floating islands of organic plant mass which, while rarely encountered, represent a stunning example of Reacher biodiversity. Rain is frequent and many areas flood seasonally, being dry during the winter and underwater during the summer months. Building any serious infrastructure on Sun Reach is difficult due to these seasonal floods and the swampy conditions of much of its land. Much of the planet’s water is salty, which leads to further infrastructure issues due to corrosion and a need to build desalination facilities — historically, Reacher settlements are often based around these plants.
A titanic creation of the pre-Interstellar War Solarian Alliance, the Brahma planetary-scale mining platform is the single largest mining platform designed by humanity. Designed in a rare cooperation between Hephaestus Industries and Einstein Engines at the behest of the Solarian Alliance’s government the class is designed to, as the designation implies, strip resources from a planet at a planetary scale in order to meet the demands of the ever-growing Solarian Alliance of the 23rd century. The Brahma was designed to perform “planetary scalpings” wherein the upper layer of a planet’s crust would be burnt off by the extreme heat of its laser and made easily accessible for mining operations. The extreme power requirements of the Brahma-class mean its laser can only be powered using the power of a star, ideally a binary one, as the Helium-3 and fusion-based engines of the 2200s provided an insufficient level of power for its mining laser. It draws the star’s power via the use of a stellar scoop which syphons He3 from the star, and attempts to make this mechanism smaller than the massive Brahma scoop have failed. The Brahma was designed in response to the incredible resource requirements of the Galatea terraforming platforms designed to turn the worlds of the Solarian Frontier into Earth-like worlds for humanity, and generally accompanied the larger platforms on their expeditions into the region.


But much like the terraforming platforms they were designed to accompany, the Brahma did not have a happy end. The region most were sent to became the Weeping Stars and was consumed by war, as were many of these massive platforms. While not victim to the supply issues of the larger Galatea platforms the Brahma’s crews mostly abandoned their platforms and fled back to the Alliance as fast as they could. Many Brahmas were sabotaged by their crews in final acts of defiance and were often consumed by the very suns they were meant to draw power from, falling into their surfaces with very little effect on the stars themselves. Those rare platforms the Coalition did seize were often rendered inoperable and simply left where they were found, with the deep trenches they gouged into the surfaces of the planets below them standing as silent reminders to the Solarian Alliance which once was. Most functioning Brahma platforms are in Solarian space and are still used there. There they are hulking relics of an earlier Alliance, one freed from the machinations of corruption and corporations. Those rare platforms found in the Coalition are closely-guarded by their member states and rarely leave without a significant escort, if ever.  
The equatorial region of Sun Reach is known as the Algae Belt, and is where most of the planet’s population can be found. Year-round dry land is found more readily here than in any other region of the planet and, while still swampy and humid, permanent settlements are easier to construct and infrastructure is easier to maintain. However, regular maintenance is still required to counteract the planet’s climate and the mostly-sunken remnants of rail lines and roads from the pre-Imperial era are frequent sights in more rural regions of the Algae Belt. Aquaculture has historically been the dominant industry in this region due to the abundance of shallow, relatively calm waters and natural hardiness of the Reacher staple crop: algae.


The abandoned ruins of Brahma platforms in the Weeping Stars have, like the Galatea platforms, long been picked over and looted by scavengers and governments hoping to find valuable supplies or long lost engineering secrets. Many an unprepared scavenger has perished inside of these decaying platforms which have been picked nearly dry over the centuries, but some brave souls still attempt to drag valuable materials out of the deepest reaches of the Brahma’s superstructure. There are, of course, rumors of Brahma platforms lost in the chaos of the Interstellar War which have laid untouched for two centuries and salvage expeditions are occasionally launched in attempts to discover these platforms. Many are funded by the mining syndicates of [[Himeo]], which are never ones to pass up an opportunity to improve their techniques.
Beyond the Algae Belt, as one travels further towards the planetary poles, the environment becomes less hospitable as human settlements begin to grow more sparse before eventually ceasing entirely. As one travels towards the poles weather becomes more extreme, with frequent storms and rain which is rumored to never cease at the poles. At the same time flora begins to steadily increase and eventually becomes too dense to reasonably travel through unless one spends days clearing the foliage meter by meter. Some Imperial expeditions have recorded foliage which appears to deliberately grow in their path and thin out behind them, as if it is trying to deliberately block their progress, but House Volvalaad has dismissed this as outlandish and unscientific. Much of this area is poorly explored and few accurate maps exist, with orbital photography ineffective due to the density of foliage and frequent cloud cover. Cartographic efforts by Imperial scholars have been frustrated by a lack of funding, Reacher superstitions about the poles, and the hazardous conditions of the far reaches of the planet. The Alliance is rumored to have completely mapped Sun Reach during its hegemonic era, but no maps are known to have survived to the modern era. Rumors have long circulated that the poles contain lost Solarian research facilities where terraforming was researched centuries ago, and that equipment gone awry is the source of the freak weather near the poles.
</div></div>


==Examples of Terraforming==
===Flora and Fauna===


In the Sol System the Jovian moons of [[Callisto]] and Ganymede were the first test of the Galatea Platform’s ability to transform uninhabited rocks into perfectly habitable worlds. Highly publicized throughout the Alliance, the transformations of both moons into habitable worlds took a shorter amount of time than projected and the project was, by all conventional measures, a resounding success for the Galatea Project. Following additional, and far less publicized, terraforming work the moons were declared ready for habitation and remain important population centers even centuries later. The success of this terraforming initiative can be readily attributed to the Sol System’s large amount of gas giants and asteroids alongside its already highly developed infrastructure, which ensured the terraforming effort had no lack of supplies and readily available infrastructure to transport necessary equipment. Prior to its demolition the Department of Colonization’s headquarters in Guangdong, Earth, featured a large painting of a Galatea Platform above Callisto.
The '''Reacher Gar''' is a large, typically 2-3 meter long and relatively slender carnivorous fish found across Sun Reach’s shallow waters. Commonly known as the “gar fish” (or garfish) among locals, it is a frequent source of food for the rural populations who live near the mangroves gar prefer to nest in. Reacher garfish are capable of moving at surprising speeds while striking at their prey — typically smaller fish or aquatic mammals — and their scales armor them against most predators. These scales are used by Reachers to fashion small blades and limited amounts of bite-proof clothing. While not actively hostile towards humans, gar fish will defend their nests and can inflict painful bites on unprepared humans.


Mars is perhaps the least successful terraforming effort outside of the Galatea Project’s Interstellar War-related failures in the Weeping Stars region, and this failure has long hung over the Red Planet. While the Catastrophe of 2298 was ultimately caused by the  neglect of simple technicians, what brought the Martian terraforming project to this point is far more complicated. Mars was initially terraformed using a slow form of terraforming which predates modern techniques and the Solarian government, frustrated by the glacial pace of Martian terraforming, eventually accepted a request by the Martian government to install then-modern Lebedev Engines in the mid 2100s in order to accelerate the process. These engines, which were still considered experimental at the time, were installed at the Martian poles in order to stabilize its thin atmosphere. Its designers, Soviet engineers who had pioneered the gravity generators of [[Pluto]], advised against this. There massive structures were supported by a network of terraforming “relay” stations which managed the process on a more local level. Damage to these relays sustained during the Martian World War, and a lack of safety features at rhe engine, caused the process to go critical in 2298, sparking a disaster which would kill millions.
An apex predator alongside humanity, the '''Reacher soostatom''' closely resembles the alligators of old Earth. It is a large, quadruped animal which can grow anywhere from six to nine meters long depending upon the environment, with soostatoms growing larger as one approaches the poles. Soostatom are carnivorous and easily capable of killing a human if threatened. However, attacks are generally rare. Reachers historically hunted soostatoms for their meat and their tough, leathery skins which are used to make clothing. In the Imperial era soostatom hunting has dropped as many urban areas have moved to adopt more traditionally Morozian styles of clothing.


Qerrbalak is one of the most prominent examples of the Federation's use of terraforming. [[The Skrell_Early_History#The_War_of_the_Tides_and_Skrell_Space_Age|Skrell Industrial Revolution]] saw a rapid industrialisation across the planet, and the War of the Tides' focus on technological supremacy resulted in a unmonitored polluting of the planet. By the time Skrell approached their space age and began to colonise their [[Qerr%27Malic|moon]], Qerrbalak was on the verge of ecological collapse. The three nations on Qerrbalak at the time brokered a treaty, which included an agreement regarding the moving of all industries off-world in an attempt to prevent total environmental collapse and draconian environmental policies. This agreement also established the terraforming project that would slowly revert the damage done to the planet, and over the centuries the project has been able to revert much of the damage caused during the early history of the Skrell. Qerrbalak's environmental restoration actually saw most of its progress during Glorsh-Omega's reign, where it sought to turn the planet into a menagerie for itself and its most loyal followers - though many historians in the Federation argue that its the momentum the project already had before Glorsh's takeover that allowed this progress in the first place. Despite the progress already made, the goal of the terraforming project is to bring Qerrbalak back to its pre-industrial state, and the Skrell stubbornly continue towards this ambitious, albeit potentially unrealistic goal.
The '''mangrove-creeper''' is a common semi-aquatic plant which is found growing along the bottoms of trees in mangroves or bayous. A symbiotic species with the larger trees, mangrove-creepers are carnivorous plants which lure small animals beneath them with their fruits and use grabbing “mouths” to latch onto their prey and dissolve them with a digestive acid. While their mouths are too small to harm humans, mangrove-creepers have historically been viewed as a pest by rural communities. However, since 2422, they have become valuable cash crops due to their acid being an effective industrial solvent which is commonly used in the planet’s Helium-3 refining industry. Villages which once cursed these plants now grow rich from them.


[[Aweiji]] is considered a major success for the Federation. The once barren planet was transformed into a verdant tropical world comparable to Qerrbalak during it's pre-industrial era, and is now known as the Federation's breadbasket. Aweiji used a pre-AI version of the Skrell's Seeding-Platforms to terraform the planet from a hot, dry desert into the agricultural centre of the Federation that it is today. Due to the lack of AI and the early design of this Seeding-Platform, the process was considered quite destructive for the planet, resulting in the unintended side-effect of harsh tropical storms being prominent on Aweiji. Though there were no identified signs of life prior to terraforming, meaning no real devastation was caused, the unintentional weather was used as justification for the future iterations of Seeding-Platforms to require AI management, as well as explaining why the Federation is not willing to go back to the old designs in the modern day.
==Culture==
The K'lax Hive, meanwhile, has taken the task of restoring the [[Moghes]] atmosphere in a different direction. While possessed of advanced technology, the Vaurca share few biological features with the other species of the Spur and have had to adapt much of what they understand regarding environmental re-shaping to accommodate their new air-breathing hosts. Consequently, the techniques utilised are highly experimental, and the Hive has in the past been accused by some Hegemony scientists of lacking caution when testing out a new hypothesis, a charge they vehemently deny. Thus far, the most notable effort has been the construction of "Growth Facilities" across the Moghes coasts. At the core of these facilities is a variety of the radiant-energy spire, a device used by the Hive on Tret to absorb ambient radiation for power generation. This serves the dual purpose of powering the facility and cleaning away the radiation. This collected power is redistributed to the water pumps of smaller towers nearby, which utilise wind turbines and a relatively mundane evaporative cooling system to release the chilled air into the atmosphere and generate even more energy, which can then be put back into the cycle. The concept is similar to a human downdraft tower, minus some of the more exotic tweaks made by the Vaurca.  This technique has several advantages, primarily that, outside of the requirement for water, it is mostly self-sustaining and can turn a nearby desert into a humid jungle. It is not without its downsides, however, it's speed or lack thereof the most obvious. It would take a long time indeed for Moghes to recover through these alone.


<center><i>“Reachers are, due to neglect by their former masters, less culturally advanced than the Imperial Core and Novi Jadran. In this volume, I will discuss how these primitive beliefs emerged and how they can be eradicated,”</i> - Doctor Rahela Lemnaru, Jadranic sociologist employed by House Caladius, in her introduction to Cultural Backwardness on the Imperial Frontier Vol. XII: Reacher Customs and Beliefs (published in 2559).</center>
While Reachers follow the broader cultural trends and holidays of the Empire, their recent entry and unique history has given them a culture distinct from the broader Morozian-influenced culture of Dominia. Those from the rest of Dominia often stereotype Reachers as rural, conservative, and prone to superstitions while at the same time being hardworking, loyal, and faithful to the Goddess. Internationally, some regard Reachers as simply another planet subjugated by Moroz while others view them as having received a justified punishment for their actions as pirates. Reachers themselves are generally Imperial loyalists, viewing the Empire as better than the Pirate Lords, but some wish for further autonomy and more radical dissidents wish for a return to the era of piracy.
Historically, Reachers have lived in small rural communities numbering from a few hundred to several thousand. Built around either desalination plants or natural sources of water these communities relied on aquaculture to survive and the Reacher diet remains mostly unchanged from this era, favoring algae, aquatic plants, and seafood. Under the Pirate Lords these communities were expected to pay a tithe of resources to the captain who controlled the area, and a single family was chosen to be the point of contact for the community. Over a century of paying tribute, these families have morphed into the dominant political class of the planet and many were kept in place by the Empire out of convenience. Modern rural communities on Sun Reach do not look very different from their counterparts a century ago, though many have died out due to depopulation as Reachers immigrate to urban centers for higher-paying work. Large families are a common sight in rural communities on Sun Reach and rural families are often very connected to one another, with multiple generations and branches living in close proximity to one another.
Rural village life on Sun Reach is often challenging, with little in the way of outside help and overland travel difficult due to swampy terrain and poor weather. Travel is traditionally done over water, often by airboat, and navigating the mangrove-filled waters of Sun Reach can cause even simple journeys to take days. Investment by the Empire has brought limited rail infrastructure to Sun Reach and some particularly remote villages are now more connected to the broader planet via air travel, but the difficult terrain of the planet has ensured infrastructure is slow to expand and expensive to maintain. Regular passenger rail services are only available between major settlements along the Algae Belt, with other areas serviced much more infrequently. Travel by wheeled vehicle is rare, with the exception of Imperial Army equipment, due to persistent swampy mud which mires all but the hardiest vehicles.
Reachers who move to its sole urban center, itself named Sun Reach, often find work in the Helium-3 industry which has come to dominate the Viceroyalty’s economy in the decades since its conquest. While it pays far more than aquaculture work, the He-3 industry is poorly regulated and dominated by off-planet nobles such as House Zhao. Injuries are common among laborers in the field and hours can be long, with plants working round-the-clock to fulfill the fuel nerve of the Imperial Fleet. Injured workers are often let go without severance fees or benefits, returning to their villages as cripples or living off of charity provided by the Tribunal in the slum districts of Sun Reach – sometimes without permanent housing, creating a homeless issue on a planet which had no such issue prior to 2422. The rapid expansion of the planet’s only city has created a housing crisis and resulted in many urbanite Reachers living in ramshackle apartments in poorly-designated, overcrowded slums. Urban families are much smaller than their rural counterparts, and many urban Reachers will only see their broader families on holidays. Imperial sociologists and urban planners estimate the Viceroyalty will not have a second major urban center until the early 2500s, potentially later, due to its environment being poorly-suited for major urban projects.
Due to neglect of the planet under the rule of the Pirate Lords leading to widespread poverty, Reacher cuisine has historically revolved around aquaculture and local fish — reliable food sources which can be found easily at all points of the year. Wild game from the swampy forests of the planet is part of the diet of Kent rural communities and the ends of successful hunts are often community celebrations where the entire village participates in a feast. As the planet’s population has urbanized since 2422 and off-world foods have become more common, Reacher urban cuisine has been influenced by the similarly seafood-based diets of Novi Jadranic soldiers and engineers who have been brought or come to the planet’s cities to support the Viceroyalty.
===Reacher Tribunalism and Folk Beliefs===
Tribunalism has been present on Sun Reach since the 2300s, first arriving via merchants and visitors from Moroz and gradually spreading throughout the planet over the following years, though it would only become the majority faith of the planet after 2422. Suppressed by the Pirate Lords as a potential security risk, the pre-Imperial Tribunalists of Sun Reach were forced to practice in secret to avoid punishment. These individuals — known as Old Tribunalists on Sun Reach — form a kind of social elite on the planet under Imperial rule, being viewed as more loyal and more faithful than the typical citizen of the planet. Reacher Tribunalism has, due to its isolation from the broader Tribunal prior to 2422, acquired several unique characteristics born from a merger of Tribunalist and Reacher traditions.
Unlike Morozians, Reachers traditionally cremate their dead due to the difficulty of ensuring corpses remain underground in the soft, swampy terrain of the planet. Those corpses which are buried will, unless properly buried in stone crypts, often return to the surface after the first heavy rain. The ashes of the corpse are collected and preserved by the deceased’s relatives, then stored in a family shrine. Often located on the edges of Reacher villages and towns, these shrines are the closest equivalent Reachers have to traditional graveyards and serve as an important gathering point for Reacher families. Reachers believe that unless a corpse is burnt and its ashes returned to the family shrine, it will wander the Spur as a wandering spirit for all eternity. While Reachers believe these spirits are not always malicious, traditional belief holds they will do anything to have their ashes returned to their proper resting place — including killing or harming the living.
Reacher Tribunalism has a strong religious tradition of faith healing, particularly in rural areas, which combines folk medicine with the Tribunalist faith. Locally known as Kaivijadii, or Roamers, these individuals grew to prominence under the Pirate Lords’ neglect of the planet and were the only chance many Reachers had to receive medical care. With the arrival of the Empire in 2422 and the increasing presence of modern medical systems, the Kaivijadii now coexist alongside conventional medicine with the Tribunal’s blessing. A Kaivijadii’s healing abilities are said to be derived directly from the Goddess and their connection to Her is strengthened through prayers passed down from practitioner to practitioner, generally through familial ties. The rituals of the Kaivijadii are unique to each practitioner and have often been passed down since the early 2300s.
While most Kaivijadii are regarded as benevolent practitioners who wish to aid the faithful of Sun Reach, the Madalin-Kaivijadii, or Roaming Sculptors, are a group of malevolent Kaivijadii said to live in the wild, sparsely populated areas beyond the Algae Belt where they can avoid the gaze of the Tribunal and the Viceroyalty. Madalin-Kaivijadii are said to be able to cast curses via black magic taught to them by witch-spirits, and sustain their powers through ritual sacrifices which ensure the victim becomes a wandering spirit in the thrall of the Madalin-Kaivijadii. Unexplained disappearances in rural communities are often blamed on these magicians and Reacher parents commonly tell their children that if they misbehave, a Madalin-Kaivijadii will abduct and sacrifice them. These rituals are said to give the Madalin-Kaivijadii eternal youth, so long as they continue them, and render them immune to any weapons not blessed by a faithful Tribunalist clergymember. The Viceroyalty’s government holds that the Madalin-Kaivijadii are simply fiction and do not truly exist, but many Reachers continue to believe in them. Whenever a person disappears without explanation, crops fail, or misfortune occurs, they are often blamed.
==The Viceroyalty==
Since 2422 Sun Reach has been part of the broader Empire of Dominia, and is known as the Viceroyalty of Sun Reach. The Viceroyalty itself is an odd state which is divided between a civilian-run colonial administration and an extensive military administration which rules alongside it, both of which are under the leadership of Governor-General Hermann Gaufried-Meinrad Strelitz — a career military officer who has found himself awkwardly balancing competing interests from native Reachers, the great houses, the Imperial government and military, the Tribunal, foreign corporations, and others. Below him is the civil-military administration of the planet, itself divided between Morozians and loyal Ma’zals, both from Sun Reach itself and elsewhere in the Empire. The civil-military cleavage in the Viceroyalty’s administration has led to many conflicts of interest between the government itself and has allowed notable Reacher families, through the patron-client system established under the Pirate Lords, to maintain their grip on power in many areas. But all know that, for the Viceroyalty to continue to succeed, one thing must not change: the flow of Helium-3 from Sun Reach to the broader Empire must continue, no matter the cost.
The civilian administration of the Viceroyalty is concentrated in its urban centers and the more developed regions of the Algae Belt, and has two primary responsibilities: the first is to ensure the planet’s development continues, and the second is to ensure its fuel industry continues to be profitable. Work on Sun Reach for the civilian administration is often unpleasant, with its primarily Morozian and Jadranic staff unused to the stifling heat and humidity of the planet and expected to work long, often irregular hours to ensure development of the countryside continues. Nobles prefer to avoid Sun Reach’s administrative postings, and almost all are instead filled by Secondaries or Integrated Ma’zals. The civilian government, with its focus on development, is expected to work with and alongside the military government, which focuses upon security.
The military government of the Viceroyalty is concentrated in its less developed and more sparsely populated areas, where control is often weaker and rural banditry continues to persist. Throughout the Viceroyalty’s history most of the troops stationed there outside of an Imperial Flying Corps contingent are Jadraners. While loyal and effective soldiers these troops are often unprepared for the tropical environment of Sun Reach when they first arrive. Sunstroke and other ailments are a common issue, particularly in the harsher environments on the edge of the Algae Belt, and the swampy terrain of Sun Reach makes travel difficult for the heavily mechanized Imperial Army, which must rely upon riverine forces and local militia units to bolster its strength and defend isolated regions from banditry and other nuisances.
Below these civilian and military administrators are trusted Reachers, often Old Tribunalists, who are expected to carry out the day-to-day tasks associated with direct management in a twist on the patron-client model originally used by the Pirate Lords. These Old Tribunalists form a social and economic elite on Sun Reach through their work with the colonial government and are the closest equivalent Sun Reach has to a native nobility in the style of Novi Jadran. Reacher culture expects these families to work towards the goals of those below them and expects those below them to not question the ruling family — a survival mechanism originally from the era of the Pirate Lords, where being perceived as a threat to their rule could see a community wiped out. In the Viceroyalty era this means the Old Tribunalist families often leverage their political and economic influence to gain concessions from the colonial government.
Non-Tribunal law enforcement on Sun Reach is the responsibility of both the Imperial Reacher Colonial Constabulary (IRCC) and the Imperial Army’s military police (“MPs”), with the IRCC handling the capital, its surroundings, and many villages while the Army’s MPs handle much of the countryside outside of villages and more severe crimes. The reason for this odd arrangement is the relative inexperience of the IRCC: the Viceroyalty’s constable branch was founded in 2438 and remains mostly staffed by junior officers with little practical experience, and relies heavily upon Jadranic staff brought into the Viceroyalty to plug gaps in the IRCC’s abilities. During its past near quarter-century of existence the IRCC has struggled to establish itself as an effective policing force and likely will continue to do so without significant improvements to the Viceroyalty’s infrastructure and funding. For the time being it must rely upon the Imperial Army to handle major issues and assist it in maintaining order, to the irritation of many officers who would much rather be expanding the Empire than patrolling swampy roads for rural bandits.
===Jadraner-Reacher Animosity===
Despite both being part of the Empire for decades, the poor historical relationship between Novi Jadran and Sun Reach remains a very real issue on the planet, with Jadranic colonial bureaucrats often looking down upon their Reacher charges as barely civilised ex-pirates who once harassed their world during its darkest era and only ceased their raiding when forcibly brought to heel by the Empire. Anti-Reacher bias manifests in relatively harmless manners — such as jokes told by Jadraners to one another in pubs on the tundra planet — and very harmful manners — such as Jadranic soldiers and constables being much harsher on Reachers who break Imperial law than their fellow Jadraners, let alone Morozians.
Attempts have been made by Imperial officials to crack down on this bias to varying degrees of success, with Jadraners who overreact or mistreat their Reacher subordinates rarely punished aside from being sent off of the planet to avoid further incidents. Complaints, even by the Old Tribunalists, have mostly fallen upon deaf ears in the colonial bureaucracy. Those few Reachers who have seen legitimate punishments — typically fines or demerits, rarely prison time — given to Jadraners have always been officers of the Imperial Fleet, and often have the assistance of a House Zhao patron. Even if they are commoners, the Fleet is nothing if not dedicated to protecting its officers.
===The Imperial Military on Sun Reach===
Like many planets of the Imperial Frontier, Sun Reach is home to a significant military presence. It has the single largest garrison on the Imperial Frontier due to the strategic importance of its abundant fuel resources and these forces range from local militia units to Jadranic units of the Imperial Army to elements of the Imperial Fleet and Imperial Flying Corps, all working to ensure the planet — and its fuel — stay firmly within the Empire’s control. All military forces in the Viceroyalty are de jure under the command of the Viceroy-General. De facto, control is split between several factions which cooperate with one another — the Army answers to the Viceroy-General, the Fleet to Grand Admiral Zhao, local militias to prominent Reachers who raise and fund them, and the IFC to their strategic command for the region.
The largest military branch on the planet by numbers, the Imperial Army does much of the work required to keep Sun Reach secure for the Empire but suffers from persistent problems with the planet’s harsh environment and the resulting logistics headaches. While the Army has long favored mechanized forces the environment of Sun Reach makes these impractical, and the Jadranic troops who make up much of the planet’s garrison have instead opted to use riverine vessels — some officially produced by the Army and others made by arming and armoring civilian boats — to patrol the shallow waters of Sun Reach. The Imperial Army routinely conducts “smoking out operations” of suspected bandit groups where it will intensely patrol regions and burn down areas suspected of harboring bandit strongholds — a strategy which has drawn criticism from prominent native Reachers. Assisting the Imperial Army are the forces of the Imperial Flying Corps (IFC) under the command of Imperial Strategic Bomber Command - Viceroyalty of Sun Reach (ISBC-VSR). Unlike other IFC commands, ISBC-VSR is primarily logistic in nature and is staffed mostly by non-nobles, with Primaries instead wishing to be assigned to more prestigious locations.
Acting in support of the Imperial Army are the militia units of the Sun Reach Home Guard. Often the first line of defense for isolated rural settlements against bandit attacks or raids, Home Guard units are outside of the Imperial Army’s formal command structure and instead managed by Reacher officers appointed by the militias — though they are often assisted by an Imperial Army officer. These militia troops are valuable scouts and pathfinders for the larger Imperial Army units, and service in them is seen by many Reachers as a way to prove their loyalty to the Empire and acquire further benefits. In an emergency such as a war with Elyra these militias can be integrated into the Imperial Army but, in practice, this would be a difficult task due to the poor infrastructure of Sun Reach and semi-independent structure of the Home Guard.
===Reachers in the Imperial Military===
As a world of the Imperial Frontier which was recently conquered by force, the inhabitants of Sun Reach are regarded as prime targets for recruitment by the Empire’s military forces. Many do choose to join its ranks, seeing military service as their best shot to see the broader Spur aside from working for Zavodskoi Interstellar, and find themselves in the ranks of the Imperial Fleet or, if they are less inclined towards military discipline, as a state-sponsored privateer of the Goddess’ Flotilla.
In the stratified and hierarchical Imperial Fleet Reachers, as Ma’zals, are typically confined to the enlisted ranks. Some, either through entry into House Zhao-sponsored schools which train them from childhood to be naval officers or through truly exceptional abilities, serve as junior officers and adjutants to Morozian officers. Reachers will often attempt to “Morozise” their accents while in the Fleet, downplaying some of the “rougher” aspects of their dialect in an attempt to sound more “civilized” and appear more respectable to their officers. Fleet veterans are typically respected when they return home, and many easily find positions in the colonial administration or as management staff in the refining industry.
Reachers have a much smaller presence in the Army than in the Fleet, with few Army regiments having been raised from the planet. Some have argued this is part of an exchange with House Zhao by House Strelitz, as Novi Jadran is the opposite: many Army regiments have been raised from it while few Jadraners have opted to join the Fleet. Neither great house has publicly commented on the matter.
===Rural Banditry===
A broad term for both legitimate bandits and those who fight against the colonial government, rural bandits are the main concern for the Viceroyalty’s security forces. Banditry on Sun Reach began in the 2300s as the planet was neglected by the Pirate Lords, causing many desperate Reachers to turn to banditry to survive. After the Imperial military conquered the planet in 2422 these bandits, many of whom were simply petty criminals who did not pose a true threat, were joined by the former soldiers of the Pirate Lords who had escaped the Imperial Army. Better-equipped and often more brutal than their counterparts, these bandits began a campaign against the colonial government and any they perceived as loyal to it. In response, Imperial forces were deployed to counter them. However, the difficult terrain of Sun Reach and the lack of infrastructure across much of its surface has repeatedly frustrated the Imperial Army and allowed banditry to continue.
Over four decades later banditry remains an issue for many on Sun Reach, but many of the Pirate Lord-aligned groups have collapsed due to pressure from the colonial government, infighting, or simply becoming too old to continue fighting. Now, banditry is much the way it was under the Pirate Lords: a last resort method to endure on one’s economic survival. In some areas, however, organized bandit groups have become such an issue that they are regarded as security risks to their regional governments. While some Reachers join these bandit groups out of a desire to fight the Empire, most join for economic reasons linked to the steady migration of Reachers to urban areas from rural areas. As communities shrivel away, there are some individuals who — unable or unwilling to leave — turn to banditry to sustain themselves.
When the colonial government captures bandits it often attempts to rehabilitate them, often through hard labor in its development projects, but executes those found guilty of harming Morozians or Integrated Ma’zals. Those guilty of harming or killing other Reachers are instead sentenced to hard labor. Once these ex-bandits finish their sentences they are sent back to their home villages or given housing in an urban center. Regardless of where they go they are typically mistrusted and many opt to travel off-world, seeking employment with Zavodskoi Interstellar through contracts which offer lesser salaries and fewer benefits than other Imperials receive.
==Settlements==
Overwhelmingly rural, the Viceroyalty’s only major settlement is its capital city. Also named Sun Reach, this city is the center of its Helium-3 industry and administration. During the Solarian colonial era it was intended to coordinate shipbuilding efforts and was, unlike many frontier settlements, built around a central space elevator that was intended to assist in moving fuel to and from the planet. The elevator remains operational today and is still the center of the city’s economy, with tens of thousands of barrels of Helium-3 fuel traveling through it every day. While the administrative center of the capital is built in an elegant, somewhat Jadranic, style designed by House Zhao engineers — and their Jadranic subordinates — much of the working-class areas are hastily built slums which hate barely improved from the era of the Pirate Lords, and pollution from the city’s Helium-3 plants chokes the skies on many days.
Even if the capital suffers from overcrowding and poor urban planning in many areas, living in it is an opportunity for Reachers to have access to more services and resources than their rural counterparts, with education and employment opportunities readily available for them. Some Imperial economists theorize that by the dawn of the 26th century these urban Reachers will form the base of a new middle class in the Viceroyalty which will be loyal to the Empire. For now, however, the urban residents of the capital remain a working-class group.
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  • On the eastern edge of the Empire of Dominia lies the least-populated major world of its domain: the Imperial Viceroyalty of Sun Reach, fully integrated into the Empire in 2422 following an invasion of the Mithra System by the Imperial military in response to piracy against the Empire by the planet’s former rulers. Over the past forty years the planet has become a major source of Helium-3 production for the Empire’s war machine and, as generations of Reachers have come over age under Imperial rule, the planet’s identity has become more and more entwined with the Empire that both aids and exploits it.

    Reachers are Ma’zals of the [[Empire of Dominia[[: commoners of non-Morozian descent. Unlike their counterparts in the Imperial Mandate of Novi Jadran, the majority of Reachers are not honorary Secondaries, and are instead simply common Ma’zals.

    History

    The Solarian Republic of Sun Reach (2189-2302)

    “This is almost certainly an advantageous position for us to hold in the Arcadian Frontier, Prime Minister. Through it we can secure a future for shipbuilding in the region. Within a century, it will be a production center on the level of Neptune,” - Martin Clemson (2119 - 2230), Solarian Secretary of Colonization, 2179.

    What would become the Viceroyalty of Sun Reach in 2422 was once one of the southernmost planets in the Solarian Alliance. Discovered in the late 2100s and colonized in 2189 due to extensive Helium-3 presence in its system, Mithra, Sun Reach was intended to support Solarian expansion into the Baltian and Arcadian Frontier Sectors through fuel processing and robust — though not military-grade — spacecraft production facilities built in orbit around it. Thousands of vessels were produced for the Alliance’s government, private corporations, and citizens throughout the 23rd century until the outbreak of the Interstellar War in 2278, when production was shifted to support the Solarian Navy and limited military production facilities were established in orbit.

    By 2287, when the Interstellar War ended, the Solarian Republic of Sun Reach was a comparatively stable and peaceful world compared to other Solarian frontier sectors, which has increasingly fallen into disarray as the War continued. A robust system defense force supported by the planet’s shipbuilding industry let it project an area of security around it alongside functional warp gates connecting it to Persepolis, Tau Ceti, and the Southern Reaches ensuring plentiful supplies. Assuming these connections remained stable, the Republic’s future was essentially secure. While the loss of the Coalition of Colonies had been a stark loss, the Alliance remained great — and the Republic imagined it would be the site of a new, bold expedition and expansion into the galactic south.

    Over the remainder of the 23rd century the Alliance fell further and further from its prewar glories. A naval coup in 2289 led to more unrest in the Solarian Frontier, a terraforming disaster on Mars in 2298 shifted more attention to the Solarian Core, and the damage the Interstellar War had caused to the economy had not faded in much of the Alliance. As the 2300s dawned Sun Reach entered a new century in a more precarious state than it had ever been in.

    The Pirate Lords (2302-2422)

    “I will take what is mine through my strength of conquest, and your planetfolk weakness. Disobey my command, and my crew will have the run of your capital, ‘Duke’ Glavan,” - High Captain Ernst Zhang during a raid of Novi Jadran during the mid-2380s.

    With the secession of the Republic of Elyra in 2302, Sun Reach was thrown into chaos as its supply routes collapsed and the broader Alliance began a messy, chaotic withdrawal from the Southern Solarian Frontier which left many planets to fend for themselves. The republican government of Sun Reach ended in early 2302 when the system defense force couped the civilian government and installed a military “emergency government” which was essentially a dictatorship. Desperate to sustain their naval strength without the external supplies they had depended on, and unable to produce new shipyards, the military government turned to “requisitioning” supplies from nearby systems under Solarian emergency regulations. But as the years dragged on and the defense force began to loot further and further territories, their goal became less to sustain their strength and more to enrich themselves while maintaining their dominion over nearby worlds, who they forced to pay protection money. By 2310 the Reacher Guard had become the Pirate Lords, the scourge of the Badlands.

    As the Pirate Lords further established their authority over the planet and enriched themselves, they neglected to support the civilian population of the planet and instead focused on their planetary refineries and the orbital facilities from which they ruled. The broader population, deprived of any external support and forced to pay their own tithes to the Pirate Lords and their crews, gradually became unable to support the advanced technology many settlements had. By the mid-2300s most had resorted to living off the land in small villages they often built around desalination facilities or the rare natural aquifer. By 2422 a solitary urban center – Sun Reach, the former capital of the planet – remained, with others having fallen into ruin and many having been reclaimed by nature. These villages would nominate a single family to deal with the Pirate Lords, who demanded material support and recruits from the planet itself. Tribunalism arrived on the planet during the 2300s and was mostly an underground religion, with the Pirate Lords viewing it as potentially dangerous to their rule.

    By the 2380s the Pirate Lords’ influence had reached another major former Solarian world: Novi Jadran. Jadranic and Reacher forces fought several battles between 2380 and 2389, with most being won by the Pirate Lords and Novi Jadran squeezed further and further by raids. But the victories of the Pirate Lords over Novi Jadran would, in a twist of irony, become their undoing when Novi Jadran petitioned the young Empire of Dominia for aid and was annexed into it peacefully. Deprived of the industrial tithe they could gain from Novi Jadran, the Reachers were put on the backfoot as they tried to avoid deliberately raiding Morozian-flagged vessels. But by the 2410s the Pirate Lords, greedily seeking more wealth, had begun harassing Imperial vessels. The Empire and Pirate Lords were now set upon a course which would inevitably bring them into open warfare and, following a skirmish between the Imperial Fleet and Pirate Lords in 2422, the Imperial military launched a punitive expedition with the aim of conquering Sun Reach, ensuring the Empire’s control over the Badlands and the end of the Pirate Lords as a serious threat to its expansion in the region.

    The Imperial Viceroyalty of Sun Reach (2422 - Present)

    “For crimes against the citizenry of the Imperial Mandate of Novi Jadran I sentence you, Captain Zhang, to death by hanging! To your crew, the beneficent Emperor has seen fit to offer them their choice of service in the Imperial Fleet or fifty years’ labor in the Imperial Territory of Fisanduh’s mines. With Her as my witness, I pronounce judgement!” - Naval Magistrate Hitomi Kaneko during the military trials of the Pirate Lords, 24 March 2423.

    It took the Imperial military under a month to defeat the Pirate Lords and occupy the planet, with their dated equipment and poorly-trained forces falling apart after the first engagements of the expedition. Some, unwilling to surrender to the Empire, fled abroad or into the swamps surrounding the Algae Belt, becoming the first rural bandits of the planet. Many of the Pirate Lords were captured, tried, and quickly executed by the Empire. Imperial forces were, in some areas, greeted with open arms by a population which had long hidden their Tribunalist faith and was now free of the tithes paid to the previous government. In other areas, the Empire was viewed as little more than a replacement for the Pirate Lords and a shallow reminder of the democracy which once flourished under Solarian rule.

    With Sun Reach’s conquest of Dominia came immense investment by the Empire’s economy, particularly Houses Zhao and Caladius. For the first time in over a century neglected Helium-3 refineries and orbital shipyards which had fallen into disrepair were brought online, and thousands of Reachers moved into cities to seek employment in better-paying urban industries. Others, seeking to redeem — or perhaps continue — their piratical past, joined the Imperial Fleet or the Goddess’ Flotilla. Most residents of the planet view life as better under the Empire than it was under the piratical former government, though some dissent. Those who opt to fight against the Viceroyalty often take to the swamps and mangroves around the Algae Belt, risking disease, weather, and dangerous wildlife to avoid the Imperial Army and Home Guard. Derided as outlaws and rogues by the government, and by most Reachers, these men and women often become little more than bandits.

    In the Helium-3 industry, which is concentrated in the planet’s cities, there are few regulations and many are made to work long hours in hazardous conditions for less pay than workers in the Imperial Core. Meanwhile, the rapid growth of urban areas over the past 40 years has caused a rural decline in many areas as young algae farmers leave for higher-paying jobs to pay off their Mo’ri’zal, disrupting the planet’s traditional way of life. While their system of ruling their villages through notable families remains, some Reachers are concerned their culture will be consumed by the Empire by the end of the century as more and more of the planet’s inhabitants grow up only having known Imperial rule.

    As the Empire looks towards the 2470s it considers how to best continue to develop the Viceroyalty, and to quash its issues. Whether or not it is successful remains to be seen, though as more and more Reachers are raised knowing solely Imperial rule it is less and less likely any serious efforts will be made to throw off its rule. For now, at least, the Viceroyalty is solidly in the hands of the Empire.

    Environment

    “Soldiers! This environment will be unlike your homes in the Imperial Mandate. Expect humidity, insects, and constant rain in some areas. Remember your training and watch yourself and your comrades for signs of heatstroke. Dismissed!” - First Lieutenant Henrik Novak of the 122nd Jadranic Infantry Regiment prior to their deployment to Sun Reach, 2457.

    Sun Reach is a hot, humid, and wet world dominated by swamps and mangroves. It has long, hot summers with short, cool winters and temperatures rarely drop below freezing even during winter. Much of the planet’s surface outside of its limited landmasses is covered by shallow oceans. These oceans are home to floating islands of organic plant mass which, while rarely encountered, represent a stunning example of Reacher biodiversity. Rain is frequent and many areas flood seasonally, being dry during the winter and underwater during the summer months. Building any serious infrastructure on Sun Reach is difficult due to these seasonal floods and the swampy conditions of much of its land. Much of the planet’s water is salty, which leads to further infrastructure issues due to corrosion and a need to build desalination facilities — historically, Reacher settlements are often based around these plants.

    The equatorial region of Sun Reach is known as the Algae Belt, and is where most of the planet’s population can be found. Year-round dry land is found more readily here than in any other region of the planet and, while still swampy and humid, permanent settlements are easier to construct and infrastructure is easier to maintain. However, regular maintenance is still required to counteract the planet’s climate and the mostly-sunken remnants of rail lines and roads from the pre-Imperial era are frequent sights in more rural regions of the Algae Belt. Aquaculture has historically been the dominant industry in this region due to the abundance of shallow, relatively calm waters and natural hardiness of the Reacher staple crop: algae.

    Beyond the Algae Belt, as one travels further towards the planetary poles, the environment becomes less hospitable as human settlements begin to grow more sparse before eventually ceasing entirely. As one travels towards the poles weather becomes more extreme, with frequent storms and rain which is rumored to never cease at the poles. At the same time flora begins to steadily increase and eventually becomes too dense to reasonably travel through unless one spends days clearing the foliage meter by meter. Some Imperial expeditions have recorded foliage which appears to deliberately grow in their path and thin out behind them, as if it is trying to deliberately block their progress, but House Volvalaad has dismissed this as outlandish and unscientific. Much of this area is poorly explored and few accurate maps exist, with orbital photography ineffective due to the density of foliage and frequent cloud cover. Cartographic efforts by Imperial scholars have been frustrated by a lack of funding, Reacher superstitions about the poles, and the hazardous conditions of the far reaches of the planet. The Alliance is rumored to have completely mapped Sun Reach during its hegemonic era, but no maps are known to have survived to the modern era. Rumors have long circulated that the poles contain lost Solarian research facilities where terraforming was researched centuries ago, and that equipment gone awry is the source of the freak weather near the poles.

    Flora and Fauna

    The Reacher Gar is a large, typically 2-3 meter long and relatively slender carnivorous fish found across Sun Reach’s shallow waters. Commonly known as the “gar fish” (or garfish) among locals, it is a frequent source of food for the rural populations who live near the mangroves gar prefer to nest in. Reacher garfish are capable of moving at surprising speeds while striking at their prey — typically smaller fish or aquatic mammals — and their scales armor them against most predators. These scales are used by Reachers to fashion small blades and limited amounts of bite-proof clothing. While not actively hostile towards humans, gar fish will defend their nests and can inflict painful bites on unprepared humans.

    An apex predator alongside humanity, the Reacher soostatom closely resembles the alligators of old Earth. It is a large, quadruped animal which can grow anywhere from six to nine meters long depending upon the environment, with soostatoms growing larger as one approaches the poles. Soostatom are carnivorous and easily capable of killing a human if threatened. However, attacks are generally rare. Reachers historically hunted soostatoms for their meat and their tough, leathery skins which are used to make clothing. In the Imperial era soostatom hunting has dropped as many urban areas have moved to adopt more traditionally Morozian styles of clothing.

    The mangrove-creeper is a common semi-aquatic plant which is found growing along the bottoms of trees in mangroves or bayous. A symbiotic species with the larger trees, mangrove-creepers are carnivorous plants which lure small animals beneath them with their fruits and use grabbing “mouths” to latch onto their prey and dissolve them with a digestive acid. While their mouths are too small to harm humans, mangrove-creepers have historically been viewed as a pest by rural communities. However, since 2422, they have become valuable cash crops due to their acid being an effective industrial solvent which is commonly used in the planet’s Helium-3 refining industry. Villages which once cursed these plants now grow rich from them.

    Culture

    “Reachers are, due to neglect by their former masters, less culturally advanced than the Imperial Core and Novi Jadran. In this volume, I will discuss how these primitive beliefs emerged and how they can be eradicated,” - Doctor Rahela Lemnaru, Jadranic sociologist employed by House Caladius, in her introduction to Cultural Backwardness on the Imperial Frontier Vol. XII: Reacher Customs and Beliefs (published in 2559).

    While Reachers follow the broader cultural trends and holidays of the Empire, their recent entry and unique history has given them a culture distinct from the broader Morozian-influenced culture of Dominia. Those from the rest of Dominia often stereotype Reachers as rural, conservative, and prone to superstitions while at the same time being hardworking, loyal, and faithful to the Goddess. Internationally, some regard Reachers as simply another planet subjugated by Moroz while others view them as having received a justified punishment for their actions as pirates. Reachers themselves are generally Imperial loyalists, viewing the Empire as better than the Pirate Lords, but some wish for further autonomy and more radical dissidents wish for a return to the era of piracy.

    Historically, Reachers have lived in small rural communities numbering from a few hundred to several thousand. Built around either desalination plants or natural sources of water these communities relied on aquaculture to survive and the Reacher diet remains mostly unchanged from this era, favoring algae, aquatic plants, and seafood. Under the Pirate Lords these communities were expected to pay a tithe of resources to the captain who controlled the area, and a single family was chosen to be the point of contact for the community. Over a century of paying tribute, these families have morphed into the dominant political class of the planet and many were kept in place by the Empire out of convenience. Modern rural communities on Sun Reach do not look very different from their counterparts a century ago, though many have died out due to depopulation as Reachers immigrate to urban centers for higher-paying work. Large families are a common sight in rural communities on Sun Reach and rural families are often very connected to one another, with multiple generations and branches living in close proximity to one another.

    Rural village life on Sun Reach is often challenging, with little in the way of outside help and overland travel difficult due to swampy terrain and poor weather. Travel is traditionally done over water, often by airboat, and navigating the mangrove-filled waters of Sun Reach can cause even simple journeys to take days. Investment by the Empire has brought limited rail infrastructure to Sun Reach and some particularly remote villages are now more connected to the broader planet via air travel, but the difficult terrain of the planet has ensured infrastructure is slow to expand and expensive to maintain. Regular passenger rail services are only available between major settlements along the Algae Belt, with other areas serviced much more infrequently. Travel by wheeled vehicle is rare, with the exception of Imperial Army equipment, due to persistent swampy mud which mires all but the hardiest vehicles.

    Reachers who move to its sole urban center, itself named Sun Reach, often find work in the Helium-3 industry which has come to dominate the Viceroyalty’s economy in the decades since its conquest. While it pays far more than aquaculture work, the He-3 industry is poorly regulated and dominated by off-planet nobles such as House Zhao. Injuries are common among laborers in the field and hours can be long, with plants working round-the-clock to fulfill the fuel nerve of the Imperial Fleet. Injured workers are often let go without severance fees or benefits, returning to their villages as cripples or living off of charity provided by the Tribunal in the slum districts of Sun Reach – sometimes without permanent housing, creating a homeless issue on a planet which had no such issue prior to 2422. The rapid expansion of the planet’s only city has created a housing crisis and resulted in many urbanite Reachers living in ramshackle apartments in poorly-designated, overcrowded slums. Urban families are much smaller than their rural counterparts, and many urban Reachers will only see their broader families on holidays. Imperial sociologists and urban planners estimate the Viceroyalty will not have a second major urban center until the early 2500s, potentially later, due to its environment being poorly-suited for major urban projects.

    Due to neglect of the planet under the rule of the Pirate Lords leading to widespread poverty, Reacher cuisine has historically revolved around aquaculture and local fish — reliable food sources which can be found easily at all points of the year. Wild game from the swampy forests of the planet is part of the diet of Kent rural communities and the ends of successful hunts are often community celebrations where the entire village participates in a feast. As the planet’s population has urbanized since 2422 and off-world foods have become more common, Reacher urban cuisine has been influenced by the similarly seafood-based diets of Novi Jadranic soldiers and engineers who have been brought or come to the planet’s cities to support the Viceroyalty.

    Reacher Tribunalism and Folk Beliefs

    Tribunalism has been present on Sun Reach since the 2300s, first arriving via merchants and visitors from Moroz and gradually spreading throughout the planet over the following years, though it would only become the majority faith of the planet after 2422. Suppressed by the Pirate Lords as a potential security risk, the pre-Imperial Tribunalists of Sun Reach were forced to practice in secret to avoid punishment. These individuals — known as Old Tribunalists on Sun Reach — form a kind of social elite on the planet under Imperial rule, being viewed as more loyal and more faithful than the typical citizen of the planet. Reacher Tribunalism has, due to its isolation from the broader Tribunal prior to 2422, acquired several unique characteristics born from a merger of Tribunalist and Reacher traditions.

    Unlike Morozians, Reachers traditionally cremate their dead due to the difficulty of ensuring corpses remain underground in the soft, swampy terrain of the planet. Those corpses which are buried will, unless properly buried in stone crypts, often return to the surface after the first heavy rain. The ashes of the corpse are collected and preserved by the deceased’s relatives, then stored in a family shrine. Often located on the edges of Reacher villages and towns, these shrines are the closest equivalent Reachers have to traditional graveyards and serve as an important gathering point for Reacher families. Reachers believe that unless a corpse is burnt and its ashes returned to the family shrine, it will wander the Spur as a wandering spirit for all eternity. While Reachers believe these spirits are not always malicious, traditional belief holds they will do anything to have their ashes returned to their proper resting place — including killing or harming the living.

    Reacher Tribunalism has a strong religious tradition of faith healing, particularly in rural areas, which combines folk medicine with the Tribunalist faith. Locally known as Kaivijadii, or Roamers, these individuals grew to prominence under the Pirate Lords’ neglect of the planet and were the only chance many Reachers had to receive medical care. With the arrival of the Empire in 2422 and the increasing presence of modern medical systems, the Kaivijadii now coexist alongside conventional medicine with the Tribunal’s blessing. A Kaivijadii’s healing abilities are said to be derived directly from the Goddess and their connection to Her is strengthened through prayers passed down from practitioner to practitioner, generally through familial ties. The rituals of the Kaivijadii are unique to each practitioner and have often been passed down since the early 2300s.

    While most Kaivijadii are regarded as benevolent practitioners who wish to aid the faithful of Sun Reach, the Madalin-Kaivijadii, or Roaming Sculptors, are a group of malevolent Kaivijadii said to live in the wild, sparsely populated areas beyond the Algae Belt where they can avoid the gaze of the Tribunal and the Viceroyalty. Madalin-Kaivijadii are said to be able to cast curses via black magic taught to them by witch-spirits, and sustain their powers through ritual sacrifices which ensure the victim becomes a wandering spirit in the thrall of the Madalin-Kaivijadii. Unexplained disappearances in rural communities are often blamed on these magicians and Reacher parents commonly tell their children that if they misbehave, a Madalin-Kaivijadii will abduct and sacrifice them. These rituals are said to give the Madalin-Kaivijadii eternal youth, so long as they continue them, and render them immune to any weapons not blessed by a faithful Tribunalist clergymember. The Viceroyalty’s government holds that the Madalin-Kaivijadii are simply fiction and do not truly exist, but many Reachers continue to believe in them. Whenever a person disappears without explanation, crops fail, or misfortune occurs, they are often blamed.

    The Viceroyalty

    Since 2422 Sun Reach has been part of the broader Empire of Dominia, and is known as the Viceroyalty of Sun Reach. The Viceroyalty itself is an odd state which is divided between a civilian-run colonial administration and an extensive military administration which rules alongside it, both of which are under the leadership of Governor-General Hermann Gaufried-Meinrad Strelitz — a career military officer who has found himself awkwardly balancing competing interests from native Reachers, the great houses, the Imperial government and military, the Tribunal, foreign corporations, and others. Below him is the civil-military administration of the planet, itself divided between Morozians and loyal Ma’zals, both from Sun Reach itself and elsewhere in the Empire. The civil-military cleavage in the Viceroyalty’s administration has led to many conflicts of interest between the government itself and has allowed notable Reacher families, through the patron-client system established under the Pirate Lords, to maintain their grip on power in many areas. But all know that, for the Viceroyalty to continue to succeed, one thing must not change: the flow of Helium-3 from Sun Reach to the broader Empire must continue, no matter the cost.

    The civilian administration of the Viceroyalty is concentrated in its urban centers and the more developed regions of the Algae Belt, and has two primary responsibilities: the first is to ensure the planet’s development continues, and the second is to ensure its fuel industry continues to be profitable. Work on Sun Reach for the civilian administration is often unpleasant, with its primarily Morozian and Jadranic staff unused to the stifling heat and humidity of the planet and expected to work long, often irregular hours to ensure development of the countryside continues. Nobles prefer to avoid Sun Reach’s administrative postings, and almost all are instead filled by Secondaries or Integrated Ma’zals. The civilian government, with its focus on development, is expected to work with and alongside the military government, which focuses upon security.

    The military government of the Viceroyalty is concentrated in its less developed and more sparsely populated areas, where control is often weaker and rural banditry continues to persist. Throughout the Viceroyalty’s history most of the troops stationed there outside of an Imperial Flying Corps contingent are Jadraners. While loyal and effective soldiers these troops are often unprepared for the tropical environment of Sun Reach when they first arrive. Sunstroke and other ailments are a common issue, particularly in the harsher environments on the edge of the Algae Belt, and the swampy terrain of Sun Reach makes travel difficult for the heavily mechanized Imperial Army, which must rely upon riverine forces and local militia units to bolster its strength and defend isolated regions from banditry and other nuisances.

    Below these civilian and military administrators are trusted Reachers, often Old Tribunalists, who are expected to carry out the day-to-day tasks associated with direct management in a twist on the patron-client model originally used by the Pirate Lords. These Old Tribunalists form a social and economic elite on Sun Reach through their work with the colonial government and are the closest equivalent Sun Reach has to a native nobility in the style of Novi Jadran. Reacher culture expects these families to work towards the goals of those below them and expects those below them to not question the ruling family — a survival mechanism originally from the era of the Pirate Lords, where being perceived as a threat to their rule could see a community wiped out. In the Viceroyalty era this means the Old Tribunalist families often leverage their political and economic influence to gain concessions from the colonial government.

    Non-Tribunal law enforcement on Sun Reach is the responsibility of both the Imperial Reacher Colonial Constabulary (IRCC) and the Imperial Army’s military police (“MPs”), with the IRCC handling the capital, its surroundings, and many villages while the Army’s MPs handle much of the countryside outside of villages and more severe crimes. The reason for this odd arrangement is the relative inexperience of the IRCC: the Viceroyalty’s constable branch was founded in 2438 and remains mostly staffed by junior officers with little practical experience, and relies heavily upon Jadranic staff brought into the Viceroyalty to plug gaps in the IRCC’s abilities. During its past near quarter-century of existence the IRCC has struggled to establish itself as an effective policing force and likely will continue to do so without significant improvements to the Viceroyalty’s infrastructure and funding. For the time being it must rely upon the Imperial Army to handle major issues and assist it in maintaining order, to the irritation of many officers who would much rather be expanding the Empire than patrolling swampy roads for rural bandits.

    Jadraner-Reacher Animosity

    Despite both being part of the Empire for decades, the poor historical relationship between Novi Jadran and Sun Reach remains a very real issue on the planet, with Jadranic colonial bureaucrats often looking down upon their Reacher charges as barely civilised ex-pirates who once harassed their world during its darkest era and only ceased their raiding when forcibly brought to heel by the Empire. Anti-Reacher bias manifests in relatively harmless manners — such as jokes told by Jadraners to one another in pubs on the tundra planet — and very harmful manners — such as Jadranic soldiers and constables being much harsher on Reachers who break Imperial law than their fellow Jadraners, let alone Morozians.

    Attempts have been made by Imperial officials to crack down on this bias to varying degrees of success, with Jadraners who overreact or mistreat their Reacher subordinates rarely punished aside from being sent off of the planet to avoid further incidents. Complaints, even by the Old Tribunalists, have mostly fallen upon deaf ears in the colonial bureaucracy. Those few Reachers who have seen legitimate punishments — typically fines or demerits, rarely prison time — given to Jadraners have always been officers of the Imperial Fleet, and often have the assistance of a House Zhao patron. Even if they are commoners, the Fleet is nothing if not dedicated to protecting its officers.

    The Imperial Military on Sun Reach

    Like many planets of the Imperial Frontier, Sun Reach is home to a significant military presence. It has the single largest garrison on the Imperial Frontier due to the strategic importance of its abundant fuel resources and these forces range from local militia units to Jadranic units of the Imperial Army to elements of the Imperial Fleet and Imperial Flying Corps, all working to ensure the planet — and its fuel — stay firmly within the Empire’s control. All military forces in the Viceroyalty are de jure under the command of the Viceroy-General. De facto, control is split between several factions which cooperate with one another — the Army answers to the Viceroy-General, the Fleet to Grand Admiral Zhao, local militias to prominent Reachers who raise and fund them, and the IFC to their strategic command for the region.

    The largest military branch on the planet by numbers, the Imperial Army does much of the work required to keep Sun Reach secure for the Empire but suffers from persistent problems with the planet’s harsh environment and the resulting logistics headaches. While the Army has long favored mechanized forces the environment of Sun Reach makes these impractical, and the Jadranic troops who make up much of the planet’s garrison have instead opted to use riverine vessels — some officially produced by the Army and others made by arming and armoring civilian boats — to patrol the shallow waters of Sun Reach. The Imperial Army routinely conducts “smoking out operations” of suspected bandit groups where it will intensely patrol regions and burn down areas suspected of harboring bandit strongholds — a strategy which has drawn criticism from prominent native Reachers. Assisting the Imperial Army are the forces of the Imperial Flying Corps (IFC) under the command of Imperial Strategic Bomber Command - Viceroyalty of Sun Reach (ISBC-VSR). Unlike other IFC commands, ISBC-VSR is primarily logistic in nature and is staffed mostly by non-nobles, with Primaries instead wishing to be assigned to more prestigious locations.

    Acting in support of the Imperial Army are the militia units of the Sun Reach Home Guard. Often the first line of defense for isolated rural settlements against bandit attacks or raids, Home Guard units are outside of the Imperial Army’s formal command structure and instead managed by Reacher officers appointed by the militias — though they are often assisted by an Imperial Army officer. These militia troops are valuable scouts and pathfinders for the larger Imperial Army units, and service in them is seen by many Reachers as a way to prove their loyalty to the Empire and acquire further benefits. In an emergency such as a war with Elyra these militias can be integrated into the Imperial Army but, in practice, this would be a difficult task due to the poor infrastructure of Sun Reach and semi-independent structure of the Home Guard.

    Reachers in the Imperial Military

    As a world of the Imperial Frontier which was recently conquered by force, the inhabitants of Sun Reach are regarded as prime targets for recruitment by the Empire’s military forces. Many do choose to join its ranks, seeing military service as their best shot to see the broader Spur aside from working for Zavodskoi Interstellar, and find themselves in the ranks of the Imperial Fleet or, if they are less inclined towards military discipline, as a state-sponsored privateer of the Goddess’ Flotilla.

    In the stratified and hierarchical Imperial Fleet Reachers, as Ma’zals, are typically confined to the enlisted ranks. Some, either through entry into House Zhao-sponsored schools which train them from childhood to be naval officers or through truly exceptional abilities, serve as junior officers and adjutants to Morozian officers. Reachers will often attempt to “Morozise” their accents while in the Fleet, downplaying some of the “rougher” aspects of their dialect in an attempt to sound more “civilized” and appear more respectable to their officers. Fleet veterans are typically respected when they return home, and many easily find positions in the colonial administration or as management staff in the refining industry.

    Reachers have a much smaller presence in the Army than in the Fleet, with few Army regiments having been raised from the planet. Some have argued this is part of an exchange with House Zhao by House Strelitz, as Novi Jadran is the opposite: many Army regiments have been raised from it while few Jadraners have opted to join the Fleet. Neither great house has publicly commented on the matter.

    Rural Banditry

    A broad term for both legitimate bandits and those who fight against the colonial government, rural bandits are the main concern for the Viceroyalty’s security forces. Banditry on Sun Reach began in the 2300s as the planet was neglected by the Pirate Lords, causing many desperate Reachers to turn to banditry to survive. After the Imperial military conquered the planet in 2422 these bandits, many of whom were simply petty criminals who did not pose a true threat, were joined by the former soldiers of the Pirate Lords who had escaped the Imperial Army. Better-equipped and often more brutal than their counterparts, these bandits began a campaign against the colonial government and any they perceived as loyal to it. In response, Imperial forces were deployed to counter them. However, the difficult terrain of Sun Reach and the lack of infrastructure across much of its surface has repeatedly frustrated the Imperial Army and allowed banditry to continue.

    Over four decades later banditry remains an issue for many on Sun Reach, but many of the Pirate Lord-aligned groups have collapsed due to pressure from the colonial government, infighting, or simply becoming too old to continue fighting. Now, banditry is much the way it was under the Pirate Lords: a last resort method to endure on one’s economic survival. In some areas, however, organized bandit groups have become such an issue that they are regarded as security risks to their regional governments. While some Reachers join these bandit groups out of a desire to fight the Empire, most join for economic reasons linked to the steady migration of Reachers to urban areas from rural areas. As communities shrivel away, there are some individuals who — unable or unwilling to leave — turn to banditry to sustain themselves.

    When the colonial government captures bandits it often attempts to rehabilitate them, often through hard labor in its development projects, but executes those found guilty of harming Morozians or Integrated Ma’zals. Those guilty of harming or killing other Reachers are instead sentenced to hard labor. Once these ex-bandits finish their sentences they are sent back to their home villages or given housing in an urban center. Regardless of where they go they are typically mistrusted and many opt to travel off-world, seeking employment with Zavodskoi Interstellar through contracts which offer lesser salaries and fewer benefits than other Imperials receive.

    Settlements

    Overwhelmingly rural, the Viceroyalty’s only major settlement is its capital city. Also named Sun Reach, this city is the center of its Helium-3 industry and administration. During the Solarian colonial era it was intended to coordinate shipbuilding efforts and was, unlike many frontier settlements, built around a central space elevator that was intended to assist in moving fuel to and from the planet. The elevator remains operational today and is still the center of the city’s economy, with tens of thousands of barrels of Helium-3 fuel traveling through it every day. While the administrative center of the capital is built in an elegant, somewhat Jadranic, style designed by House Zhao engineers — and their Jadranic subordinates — much of the working-class areas are hastily built slums which hate barely improved from the era of the Pirate Lords, and pollution from the city’s Helium-3 plants chokes the skies on many days.

    Even if the capital suffers from overcrowding and poor urban planning in many areas, living in it is an opportunity for Reachers to have access to more services and resources than their rural counterparts, with education and employment opportunities readily available for them. Some Imperial economists theorize that by the dawn of the 26th century these urban Reachers will form the base of a new middle class in the Viceroyalty which will be loyal to the Empire. For now, however, the urban residents of the capital remain a working-class group.

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