Aweiji

REGION - Inner Systems
This location is centred in the Inner Systems region.
The Inner Systems are parts of the Nralakk Federation that were the first to be colonised by Skrell, and have had centuries, if not thousands of years of development. This region sees a high quality of life and technological standing on par with the Homeworld, which gradually begins to decline as one reaches the border with the Traverse. Older colonies have become specialised in one way or another, while the "newer" colonies focus almost purely on manufacturing as they transition from resource extraction to refining and production. The Inner Systems are divided between the First Waves, colonies that were established early in the age of Skrell colonisation, and the Second Waves, which were established much later to further support Qerrbalak and its colonies. Aweiji and Diulszi are located in the Inner Systems.

Aweiji

The Aweiji Flag, created with elements taken from the Nralakk Federation flag. The innermost circle indicates Aweiji, with the second indicating the colonial conflict, and finally the third indicates the isolation inflicted on Aweiji after the fall Glorsh-Omega before reconnecting with the Nralakk Federation.

Aweiji, is the first Skrell Colony established outside of Nralakk. Whilst initially much rockier and drier than the Homeworld, in 810 BCE the Skrell initiated a grand terraforming program to convert the planet into an Eden in the Homeworld's own image. The very first colonists settled on their new home in 700 BCE, in an atoll located between vast, narrow mountain ranges. The landing site soon became the bustling city of Tresja, and it was eventually selected for the location of the largest political meeting in the Nralakk Federation’s history, the renowned Tresja Agreement.

History

Discovered in 1171 BCE, Aweiji was quickly identified as a possible colony site for the Skrell—however, due to its general climate being unsuitable for Skrell, an extensive and time-consuming terraforming project was required before any colonisation could begin. Terraforming equipment arrived in 810 BCE, and quickly the planet was converted into an Eden comparable to even Homeworld in beauty. Soon, the planet was assigned priority and construction began on a colonisation spacecraft: the Startrekker.

Eventually colonised in 700 BCE, colonists initially suffered from slight Nlom withdrawal due to being so far from the Homeworld. Like most colonies at this time, the inhabitants found themselves experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression because of their separation from the Nlom on the Homeworld. They persevered, however, and eventually founded Aweiji’s first city, Tresja. Soon after the founding of Tresja, the colonists began construction of a Nlom beacon that would connect them to Qerrbalak once more. During this time most Skrell colonies focused on resource extraction to help fuel the rapid colonisation efforts of the species, but Aweiji made a quick transition to agriculture and aquaculture due to the planet’s terraformed climate providing the perfect environment for large-scale farming and fishing industries to develop.

During the colonial Independence Movement, many Aweijiin rejected Commonwealth authority over the colony, citing that they could reasonably support themselves. Aweiji was one of the first colonies to demand more autonomy from the Commonwealth of the Three, and with neither side willing to make major concessions to the other, Aweiji's settlers disabled their Nlom Beacon. With the beacon disabled Aweiji was no longer able to be slowly influenced by the Nlom into peacefully submitting to the Commonwealth’s rule, and with Aweiji being one of the main producers of food within its territory the Commonwealth immediately shipped dozens of representatives to Aweiji in an attempt to begin talks to end its part in the independence movement. These talks were in progress for decades, with Aweiji begrudgingly accepting to submit in 866 CE.

Aweiji was not spared from Glorsh-Omega and its tyrannical rule. It pillaged Aweiji, utilizing Orbital Spaceport XY-558 to distribute extracted resources across the Federation, with much of it going towards the manufacture of additional surveillance probes. The small mining town of Plebu'zlip was the Intelligence's primary focus during this time too, turning it from a small town into a massive manufacturing hub for building materials. After such a long period of close control by Glorsh-Omega, its disappearance plunged Aweiji into a dark age which the settlers were completely unprepared for.

Isolation from the rest of Skrell Society proved to be harder than initially thought, with the colonists struggling to rebuild after over a century of Glorsh rule. Decades passed without much progress before Aweiji formed their own makeshift Grand Council that aimed to organise and empower them, ensuring Aweijiin across the planet would prosper even with the planet cut off from the rest of the Federation. When the Nralakk Federation re-established communications with them they were initially hesitant, many Aweijiin remembering the planets initial attempts to gain independence. The most vocal detractors relented, however, and Aweiji’s Grand Council hosted one of the most important treaties to be signed, the Tresja Agreement. The signing of this treaty in 2245 CE solidified the Second Nralakk Federations' legitimacy, and today the treaty is considered the official re-establishment of the Federation.

Government

During the interim period between Glorsh’s disappearance and the reformation of the Nralakk Federation, Aweiji was run by a rudimentary form of the Grand Council of the Nralakk Federation. The Aweijiin Grand Council had a more simplified structure; a Grand Councillor headed the council and was advised by regional councillors, while in the periphery there were a large number of advisors from various sectors of life. These advisors ranged from economists and prominent figures in important industries to religious and community leaders, who would represent their interest groups and advise on how legislation proposed by the council would affect various facets of society.

Today Aweiji is separated into four regions, headed by Planetary Governor Maqq’qel Xoi:

• Tresja Region - The Tresja region, named after the capital of the planet, encompasses Tresja and the landmass surrounding it. The Tresja region is the designated bureaucratic heart of the planet, with most of the planets civil service sector being based within the Captial and its surrounding area.

• Su’karr Region - This region is named after the Su’karr Bay, and includes the cities of Plebu’qlip and Hyu’blaq’wesi, the landmass between them, and goes as far south as the island found in the southern Kol’karr sea. The Su’karr region is the only place on Aweiji with a notable mining and manufacturing industry, located solely around the city of Plebu’qlip. Hyu’blaq’wesi on the other hand is the religious centre of Aweiji, with the more notable Qeblak Observatories being located here. Hyu’blaq’wesi is also home to the largest Orthodox Eternal church within Federation borders that isn’t on Xrim.

• Weibi Region - The Weibi region is named after its regional capital, Weibi’zlip, and is the smallest region on Aweiji as it only encompasses the island that Weibi’zlip is on. This region hosts the majority of the planets agricultural industry and is the region that gave Aweiji its unofficial designation as the ‘Federations Breadbasket’.

• Ignakii Region - The Ignakii region is named after the Ignakii Ocean, and encompasses the city of Gwikip and the island to its southeast along with the majority of the Ignakii Ocean. The Ignakii region hosts the majority of the fishing and aquaculture industry on the planet, and is considered to be the maritime equivalent to the Weibi Region. Both of these regions combined are responsible for 19% of the Nralakk Federations' yearly food production.

Environment

An unlabelled map of Aweiji.

Originally, Aweiji was too hot and arid for Skrell to live comfortably. Temperatures often reached as high as 60°C, with no humidity due to a lack of water on the planet. Skrellian ecological and medical specialists theorised that any colonists that attempted to settle here would suffer from multiple humidity and temperature-related ailments regardless of the initial landing site, causing colonisation plans to be postponed until a plan of complete terraforming of the planet was drafted and implemented.

Terraforming of Aweiji was achieved through the use of a Seeding-Platform, a new technology that would allow planets to be completely terraformed to the Skrell's liking. Terraforming efforts took nearly eighty years to finish and was considered a great investment as the environment became a humid, tropical climate ideal for Skrell. Once the climate was changed to suit their needs, efforts were made to transplant a large number of species native to Qerrbalak onto the planet which quickly populated the planet's newly formed oceans. The terraforming process was considered a success, but also unintentionally resulted in stormy weather being notably more destructive than on the Skrell's Home planet.

Seasons

The planet's year is divided into 5 months, with 34 days each, with a total of 170 days in the year. The planet's seasons are named after the seasons of Qerrbalak: Qu-Paalq and Lu-Paalq. The planet is noticeably warmer than Qerrbalak, with the season of Qu-Paalq lasting for three months of the year while Lu-Paalq only lasts for two months.

As Aweiji was the first planet outside of Nralakk to be colonised, the planet was moulded into the image of Qerrbalak. From the climate to the fauna and flora, many visitors to the planet comment on how similar Aweiji and Qerrbalak are to each other. This can also be seen in the seasonal weather of the planet, with temperatures reaching upwards of 50 degrees with 90% humidity during Qu-Paalq, while during Lu-Paalq temperatures can go as low as 15 degrees with 60% humidity. Aweiji's weather is more turbulent than Qerrbalak as a result of its terraforming process, with tropical storms being less common but far more violent. Most coastal towns and cities are designed with these storms in mind, but floods and destroyed homes are not unheard of during particularly strong storm seasons.

Cities and Landmarks

A map of Aweiji and its cities.

Tresja

Tresja, a submerged city and the planetary capital of Aweiji, is located in the centre of an atoll surrounded by various mountains. Notable locations within the city include the Tresja Monument, a statue of the Startrekker sculpted by Rixulin Fliioux’Quualt as a memorial to the colonists. Tresja is considered greatly important to Skrell across the Federation; the bustling megapolis hosted the Tresja Agreement, a political conference that cemented the foundation of the second Nralakk Federation and solidified its legitimacy as the successor to the previous Federation.

The city is divided into two sections: a surface section built atop a large island in the middle of the atoll, and a submerged section that expands outwards from the island and deep underwater. The surface section of Tresja is the centre of the city, with the majority of buildings here housing the various bureaucrats of the Planetary Government. The surface is also a hotspot for historical tourists and students from all over the Federation, with a large portion of Tresja's income coming from various field trips that Skrell educational centres hold. It would not be uncommon for young Skrell from all over the Federation to visit Tresja at least once in their educational careers.

The submerged section of Tresja acts as the suburbs for the city, with an underwater and underground tram system connecting it to the surface. While the surface is the source of most of the city’s income, there is a bustling local economy under the water here that’s capitalising on Tresja’s proximity to the Kol’karr sea, resulting in a number of locals working in marine tourism. Day trips offering personal tours of the waters of the Kol’karr sea are common, while the more prestigious universities focusing on ecology or biology within the Federation have taken advantage of this industry. The majority of revenue from the marine tourism industry comes from universities organising field trips for students so that they can observe how the transplanted fauna and flora have adapted to living in Aweiji's waters.

Plebu’qlip

Plebu’qlip, the manufacturing powerhouse of Aweiji and the home of the third-largest number of Skrell on the planet. Established in 200 BCE, Plebu rests along the mountain range across Aweiji’s western island chain where the industrial town has access to the planet's relatively small mineral wealth. Aweiji, like most early Skrell colonies, has its origins in resource extraction, fuelling the early colonisation efforts of the species. Thanks in part to the planets mineral wealth being poor compared to other planets prospected by the Skrell, Aweiji made the transition from resource extraction earlier than most and began to focus on food production. Because of this, Plebu was the only major mining facility established on Aweiji, with the Planetary Government quickly changing its focus to establishing settlements near arable land or populated waters.

While Aweiji may not be rich in mineral wealth, it has plenty of non-arable land for use outside of agriculture. This land is mostly found around Plebu itself, and thanks to Glorsh-Omega's plans atop this land is a sprawl of refining and manufacturing facilities that take in resources from the Traverse and its own mines, with the finished products being exported to the rest of the inner systems. Plebu’qlip is best known for its plasteel exports, but it also has a small number of production facilities dedicated to the manufacture of personal vehicles that are exported off-planet as well as fishing boats and farming equipment for use in domestic industries.

Plebu’qlip is considered one of the most important links in the logistics of the Nralakk Federation; Skrellian economists theorise that if the city were to halt production and exports for more than two months, the Federation’s economy would see a substantial hit. Many go on to theorise that if the Federation were unable to offset the loss through their other facilities this would cause a domino effect in other industries and cause a major economic downturn. As a result of this citizens of Plebu have a noticeably higher quality of life compared to the rest of Aweiji, as the Federation offers higher wages for working here.

Hyu’blaq’wesi

Hyu’blaq’wesi is the religious hub for Aweiji. Located within the mountainous north, Hyu’blaq’wesi is mostly isolated from the rest of the planet with no major population centres near the city itself. With its distance from the more populous regions of the planet, combined with being the least populated city, Hyu'blaq'wesi has an exceptionally low amount of light pollution. This has made the region an ideal place to stargaze for followers of Qeblak and Weishii alike.

The city was founded in 2270 CE by pilgrims visiting the Wonqio Monastery, a large Qeblak Observatory Dome. The Dome itself is considered significant both historically and culturally as it once housed original Qeblak manuscripts detailing some of the early history of the religion. This information was thought lost with the locking of the Tzqul Archive, and the manuscripts were soon transported back to Qerrbalak for proper archiving. Copies of the original manuscripts can still be found within the Wonqio Monastery, still attracting many pilgrims to this day.

Hyu’blaq’wesi hosts eight large observatories, able to allow up to ten thousand people inside each. These observatories are dwarfed by the Wonqio Monastary, however, which is considered the largest Qeblak Observatory Dome within the Nralakk Federation with a capacity of up to thirty-five thousand people. These observatories are notable pilgrimage sites for the more religious citizens of Aweiji, who because Aweiji being a long-established colony, are predominantly followers of Qeblak. Despite this, Hyu’blaq’wesi in more modern times has started to see a rising community of Weishii followers and members of the Orthodox Eternal faith.

While there is little in the way of groves or natural clearings for Weishii followers to establish sanctuaries near Hyu’blaq’wesi, there are still some secluded grottos or other bodies of water near the coast that are utilised as Weishiin Sanctuaries. Unlike Qeblak followers who make annual pilgrimages to the city, followers who utilise these sanctuaries have established permanent communes on the outskirts of Hyu’blaq’wesi, attracting the majority of the planets Weishiin population here.

Orthodox Eternal followers in comparison have elected to establish their church near the centre of the city, within a Penuma gestalt. This is notably the only time that the Nralakk Federation has sanctioned a Penumas to live outside of established Spiral Gardens, although only because the Eternal followers agreed to have the gestalt be cared for by a non-affiliated team of Skrellian scientists. Although the Eternal community is a religious minority, they have a high profile within the city. Followers of the faith can be regularly seen assisting first-time pilgrims, hosting them in free lodgings while they visit the city and guiding them if needed. They are also known for manning tourist kiosks and hosting events out of their church where everyone is welcome to participate.

Weibi’zlip

Weibi’zlip, while being one of the most important cities to Aweiji’s economy, is the second least populated city on Aweiji. Established early on in Aweiji’s history, it was founded on the planets most fertile island chain close to the planets equator, in response to the quick reprioritisation of the planet from resource extraction to food production.

Before Glorsh-Omega, the majority of farm work in Weibi was automated, with synthetics following a strict schedule to ensure optimal plant growth. After Glorsh-Omega’s disappearance, its inhabitants had to rely on manual labour to continue the city's role of being Aweiji’s primary source of food. With this massive responsibility on their shoulders, the workers of Weibi’zlip developed the ‘Weibi Method’, an agricultural philosophy that was finely tuned over fifty years of being the sole supplier of food to a disaster-struck planet. After the Tresja Agreement in 2245, the Weibi Method was soon brought to other planets within the Nralakk Federation. With the city’s advanced techniques greatly boosting the efficiency of farming across Skrell space, many still hail Weibi and Aweiji itself as being the ‘Parent of Agriculture’ to this day. In modern times Weibi no longer has the responsibility of being the sole supplier of food, but it still plays a major role in the food industry of the Nralakk Federation. Making up two-thirds of the planets food production, as well as being the main processing hub for exports to be sent to Spaceport XY-558, Weibi plays an important part in Aweiji’s role as the Federations breadbasket.

While Weibi may be known for its importance in the field of agriculture, and its significance in the survival of Aweiji in between the disappearance of Glorsh-Omega and the re-establishment of the Second Nralakk Federation, Weibi also houses what is seen as the most important Archive for the Nralakk Federation. The Weibi archive stores the vast majority of the species’ knowledge of agricultural science, as well as a seed vault containing viable samples of all Skrellian crops.

Gwikip

Gwikip is tied as the second smallest population centre on Aweiji along with Weibi'zlip. The city was established on the coast of a small island near the planets northern pole, where biologists seeded the majority of the Qerrbalak marine life that was transplanted onto Aweiji after it was terraformed.

Despite its small population, the city of Gwikip is just as important as Weibi’zlip is to Aweiji’s food production, accounting for a third of the planets food exports. Gwikip specialises in both traditional fishing in the vast Ignakii ocean as well as aquafarming along its coast, and is where the majority of Aweiji’s maritime industry can be located.

Citizens from Gwikip are seen by some as simple fishermen. This is far from the truth, however, as many who are employed in its fishing industry are highly respected marine biologists or veterinary Doctors tasked with ensuring that fishing operations on the planet are sustainable and that diseases in the population are monitored and treated. While their counterparts in Weibi ensure that the crops and land are healthy, Gwikip’s specialists monitor the ocean and make sure that the industry does not inadvertently cause ecological collapse.

Orbital Spaceport XY-558

Orbital Spaceport XY-558 was once the Federation's first Seeding-Platform, initially used to terraform Aweiji from a hot, barren planet to one of the Nralakk Federation's most strategically important sources of domestic food production. XY-558 pre-dates Artificial Intelligence by centuries, and while successful, its terraforming of Aweiji unintentionally resulted in violent tropical storms being common on the planet. The technology was abandoned soon after Aweiji was terraformed but was reintroduced following the creation of AI in the Federation, and then subsequently abandoned again after Glorsh-Omega and the ban of AI in Federation space.

The spaceport today is considered a city in its own right, housing several thousand Skrell that are employed aboard the installation, utilising pre-existing habitation blocks as apartment blocks where all employees live. The spaceport was retrofitted to accommodate a large number of incoming and outgoing ships and shuttlecraft as well, primarily focusing on the shipping of goods, and is able to have multiple dozens of ships or shuttlecraft docked at the same time to accomplish this.

First-time visitors to Aweiji are known to spend most of their first day here in the spaceport, browsing the massive mall deck known as the Aweijiin Bazaar. This area of the spaceport has two dozen permanent retailers and restaurants, with another dozen smaller 'seasonal' businesses that are rotated periodically depending on the time of year.

Holidays

Founding Day - Aweiji is unique in that it does not celebrate its Founding on the same date that the colony was established. Instead, the planet celebrates its Founding Day at the start of the same week as the anniversary of the Tresja Agreement being signed. Celebrations on this day are quite short, and is usually treated as the preamble to the more extravagant celebrations during the anniversary of the Tresja Agreement. With this said, many Skrell come together in remembrance of the hardship the planet went through during the reign of Glorsh-Omega. Because Founding Day is near the end of Aweiji’s harvest season, it’s also common for Skrell to travel to Weibi’zlip for its yearly farmers market where excess produce not marked for export is sold.

Yoq’Maa’Aweiji - Translated to ‘The Reconnection of Aweiji’, this holiday celebrates the signing of the Tresja Agreement in 2245 CE and its significance in bringing Aweiji back into the Nralakk Federation. Participants in the celebration will typically get together to join in large banquets hosted at the neighbourhood level, sharing stories from the last year and celebrating Aweiji’s perseverance after the turbulent years of Glorsh-Omega.

Qe’Lya-Maq - A yearly pilgrimage organised in the middle of the planets Lu’Paalq season. Qe’Lya-Maq is a religious event where thousands of Qeblak followers will travel to Hyu’blaq’wesi to participate in Stargazing processions conducted jointly by the eight largest Observatory Domes in the city. During Qe'Lya-Maq, the Orthodox Eternal community is known to offer their help to the city as they provide food, lodging, and general assistance to the pilgrims visiting Hyu'blaq'wesi. Their charity work during this time of year receives a lot of support from Aweiji's Government, with their volunteering often being compensated in some way. This official support has cemented the religious minority's place within Hyu'blaq'wesi.

Demographics

A pie chart showing the demographics of Skrell living on Aweiji.

Most of Aweiji’s established cities are coastal, partially submerged, or fully submerged. Because of this, there is a large number of Axiori Skrell that come from Aweiji. As a result of the close proximity of Axiori and Xiialt Skrell, there is a higher-than-average number of Xiiori Skrell compared to other planets within the Nralakk Federation.

Aweiji has no Vaurca either on the planet itself or on installations orbiting it, making Diona the majority non-Skrell demographic on Aweiji. With the establishment of Aweiji’s SEZ, there is a sizeable human population that can be found working for Hephaestus and NanoTrasen.

Skrell

Skrell make up roughly 94% of Aweiji's population. The percentages below are of the Skrell population only.

• 62% Axiori
• 28% Xiialt
• 10% Xiiori

Non-Skrell

Non-Skrell on Aweiji make up roughly 6% of Aweiji's population. The percentages below are of the Non-Skrell population only.

• 98% Diona
• 2% Human

Culture and Life on Aweiji

Acquiring the title of ‘The Federations Breadbasket’, those from Aweiji are the embodiment of the Federation view on diligence and work ethic. Citizens of Aweiji put great importance on work and contributing to the greater whole; a sentiment that’s been cultivated by the State to ensure that the populace stays obedient and accepting of Nralakk authority.

Citizens from Aweiji are also known to be more respectful of Skrell traditions, as well as emphasising the importance of quyas as a cornerstone of social stability. For this reason, the populace of Aweiji tends to be more motivated to work to the betterment of the Federation and more likely to show traits that are seen as beneficial by the Nralakk Government. Aweijiin Skrell are notably more mobile within the Social Credit System as a result of this, with many high-profile idols both in culture and science originating from Aweiji. The number of idols from Aweiji has also caused a trend in the rest of the idol community, with many idols not from the planet adopting a ‘faux-weiji’ accent. Those from Aweiji typically have a low view of idols that do this, however, but because of the accents popularity within the Nralakk Federation the trend shows no signs of ending anytime soon.

Quya on Aweiji are well-known for emphasising the skills, habits, and values required to succeed in the Nralakk Federation into their children. These topics are re-affirmed at each key stage of their childs life, and ultimately culminates in their child repeating this behaviour once they start their own quya. This cycle of behaviour has resulted in your typical quya going above and beyond to ensure the best possible future for their children, going so far as to support them even long after their child is no longer considered their dependent. There is a strong culture surrounding the Skrell family unit, with most believing that their quya should come first before anyone else.

Because of the importance of Aweiji in the Federations logistics, manufacturing, and food production industries, the quality of life of the average Aweijiin is considered better compared to systems within the same region.

Unique Constellations

Due to the period in which it was colonised, Aweiji maintains a strong presence of Qeblak; with teachings similar to those found across the rest of the Nralakk Federation. Since Qeblak is the dominant religion on Aweiji, there are quite a few constellations that while viewed by the greater Qeblak population as being minor, are considered by those hailing from the planet to be some of the most important.

Catalogued early on in Aweiji’s history by Starkeepers, these constellations have influenced the planets residents into being more self-sufficient, and to put greater importance on self-reflection over thoughtless action. When Glorsh-Omega disappeared, this influence became especially prominent as Aweiji found itself isolated and forced to persevere, with its inhabitants having to rely on their own skills and abilities. This attitude can still be seen today by those hailing from Aweiji, with many going out of their way to learn life skills that are seen as important for survival.

The Nioh: Trust. Reliance. Perseverance. Survival.

The Mountain: Self-analysis. Feelings of accomplishment. Clearer view.

The Sraso: Sustainability. Growth. Safety.

Special Economic Zone

Aweiji’s Special Economic Zone is shared between Hephaestus Industries and NanoTrasen. Hephaestus has begun plans to integrate itself within the manufacturing and mining industries of Plebu’qlip. The Megacorporation has stated its intentions to send Hephaestus employees to Aweiji to work in a new facility designed to produce ship components. Hephaestus will also be offering optional training programmes for miners interested in more in-depth mining techniques, which will be headed by veteran miners from both terrestrial and space-based mining operations.

NanoTrasen, through its GetMore subsidiary, is currently working alongside Weibi agricultural scientists to create new crop strains to boost Aweiji’s food output. It has also stated plans to set up a hydroponics facility dedicated to the production and export of Skrellian food products for GetMore vending machines. Examples include items such as Skrellsnax, a protein bar made from algae and kelp, as well as Cooling Breeze, a drink made using dyn leaves.