Sandbox:MinzeyesAssunzione

Corporate Presence Within Assunzione

A relatively recent development in the scheme of Assunzione's planetary history, widescale corporate investment in the Republic began only in the mid 2280s - facing wild clashes with the deep-rooted values of its denizens. As, having begun to occur only after the demise of its star - labor, work ethic and efficiency had already firmly cemented themselves as an important part of the Assunzionii cultural narrative, widely linked to Luceian values as a whole. It helped little, of course - that Corporations were widely seen at the time as a brazen extension of Solarian influence - a bridge then only recently burned by the Alliance's unwillingness to aid Assunzione through the death of its star. Conversely, the first inklings of post-calamity Corporate activity were met by the staunch, open hostility of many - decried as anathema to Luceism by influential church representatives at the time, and subsequently fought back against with several large scale pro-worker protests. Within a mere forty-six days of Hephaestus Industries’ attempt at inaugurating their first facility, these demonstrations spilled out into outright violence - a riot many Assunzionii peacekeeper divisions proved outright unwilling to disperse. A PMCG squad was immediately called in their stead, without authorization from Assunzione's ruling body - fifty two dead protesters confirmed in the week following their arrival. Though the riots themselves ceased that very same day, the broiling spite leftover would soon present itself anew.

Five months after the incident, in August 15th 2286 - a terrorist attack blew a hole the size of a small apartment through the easternmost side of Iraklio's dome, on which Hephaestus' facility had been built. Air at a -180 degrees celsius burst through the opening, immediately colliding with, and killing the local population. The city's failsafe - a retrofitted Lebdev engine - activated with a delay of 63.05 seconds, containing damage to the surrounding neighborhood. In total, 1679 lives were claimed by the incident. Corporate response to the attack was unusually tepid, a fact most often attributed to Assunzione’s status as the largest port within Light’s Edge - and therefore, as the only place outfitted to launch large-scale expeditions into its depths. The Council of Seven quickly signed and implemented far harsher protest laws after the incident, though followed it with a rather extensive barrage workers’ protection regulations. The planet currently has the second-largest minimum wage within the COC, and a law allowing Assunzione-made IPCs within Triesto to legally apply for self-ownership after paying for only half of their original cost.

Zeng-Hu pharmaceuticals was the first megacorporation to officially agree to these terms - founding its Coalition HQ in Assunzionii soil partly to quell worries of Solarian meddling. The inauguration went through with no further issues; and the scientific company would eventually outfit all seven cities with high-end, atmospherics-grade energy shielding - becoming an odd outliar in the planet's still less-than-favourable view of corporate entities. To this very day, Astructuralist branches of Luceism still refuse to bless or outfit Hephaestus-led expeditions into Light's Edge.

Assunzionii Architecture

The evolution of Assunzione’s post-calamity architectural movements is one closely watched and cataloged by contemporary anthropologists. The planet’s boom in religious fervor and subsequent Luceian rule have since spawned several eccentric urban regeneration projects - each designed to further cement the faith as an integral part of Assunzionii culture; and, less explicitly - to capitalize on the uptick in tourism the planet has begun to experience since the demise of its star. The result of said projects has been a wholly unique, densely packed fusion of old-earth gothic architecture and urban sprawl; soaring vertical proportions used to circumvent the inherently limited space offered by the domes, while intricately carved stone and massive flying buttresses serve as idle reminders of the seven cities’ status as holy sites. Black and gold accents feature prominently throughout - abstract representations of light and dark - and large, bulbous lamps bathe the streets in dazzling light.

Assunzionii Expeditionary Corps

Sparked by an odd mixture of Frontiersmen ideology, religious fervor and scientific intrigue, the Assunzionii Expeditionary Corps -- officially founded in the 20th anniversary of the planet’s calamity - are the result of a joint effort between Zeng-Hu Pharmaceutical’s Coalition Branch and the Council of Seven; created with the single-minded aim of unveiling the secrets behind the spatial anomaly commonly known as ‘Light’s Edge.’ Thus, since their original formation, the AEC has feverishly spearheaded scientific exploration into the depths of the Lemurian Sea - becoming themselves something of a focal point in the myriad urban legends, conspiracy theories and overall speculation regarding the area; their infamy only further fueled by the group’s insular demeanor and resulting air of mystery.

Though well publicized in their efforts - the AEC’s every departure displayed on countless screens throughout Assunzione, and often scheduled to take place in annual festivals - only a scarce few of their more substantial discoveries ever reach the public eye, the rest perpetually shrouded in countless layers of bureaucratic red tape and corporate secrecy. Despite this, the AEC as a group are by and large lauded and romanticized within Assunzionii culture -- considered heroes; the act of braving the endless dark seen as an ultimate display of courage by many. This, as well as the mysterious drop in fatalities experienced on ventures involving the planet's denizens - has brought the group significantly closer to the Luceian church throughout the years, though the Keiretsu was initially reluctant to rely on mysticism of any sort in its operations. This odd mix of factors has led to a drastic boost in the group’s popularity; so much so that, in recent times - the platonic ideal of an AEC Scout - a helmed frontiersman, shrouded as much in intrigue as they are by the dark steel of their voidsuit, and ever-adorned by a cloak inscribed in gold with Luceian scripture -- has become something of a cultural staple within Assunzionii culture, from religious shrines to popular media.

Controversy

Though often idolized, the group’s overall acclaim within Assunzione is not without its myriad critiques - most prominently laid out in a recent barrage of journalistic exposes aimed at breaching the unspoken layer of secrecy shrouding their operations. These allege everything from poor working conditions, predatory NDAs and harrowing first-hand accounts - as well as cataloguing the countless, frightening unknowns with regards to how prolonged Light’s Edge exposure may affect both body and mind. Antidepressant usage in the AEC is thought to be at least 15% higher in average when compared to the overall Assunzionii population - Prescription antipsychotics rank 10% higher, and addictive stimulants rank a whopping 32% higher on average. Speculated to be exceptionally high, exact statistics on the group’s fatality rates have yet to be disclosed to the public - the lingering promise of fame, sizable income and free education having historically meant a sustained flow of employment for the AEC’s ranks regardless, with many free-spirited youths eager to enlist.

Exposure to Light’s Edge

“Light’s Edge Syndrome” as it is known, yet not officially recognized - is a catch-all term for the myriad mental health issues associated with prolonged exposure to the starless swathe of space - denoted by symptoms of paranoia, PTSD, hallucinations and even prolongued episodes of total dissociation, as well as the rarer, violent bouts of anger so often linked to the nasty habit Light's Edge settlements have of tearing themselves apart internally. Those more heavily affected have come to be referred to as ‘Night Swimmers’, by some - due to an oft quoted interview with an anonymous AEC scout on the matter. "Swim too deep into that night, man? stare out those windows too long? you don’t ever come back right. That is, if you come back at all.”

Missing Flagships

Many strange tales surround the AEC's efforts - most exceptionally difficult to confirm, all regarding the myriad unknowns which may or may not lurk within the depths of Light's Edge. These range rather wildly - from macabre visual anomalies and gargantuan, ancient ship graveyards leftover from alien warfare; to pulpier, less credible stories - blood-starved gestalts whose pale-green hue draws in the curious or desperate; strange figures in the eternal midnight - clad in voidsuits from every-which origin, striding the the starless void as though walking through even ground. On the flipside of these accounts, however - there are those, a scarce few - that prove frustratingly difficult to explain, let alone disregard. Most notably, the AEC's missing flagships. The group is presently in possession of fourteen vessels - exploratory and defensive alike, two ascribed to each of Assunzione's seven cities - Dullahan V, the largest among them, serving as the fleet's current flagship after the well-publicized loss or destruction of its progenitors - Dullahan I to IV.

It is well and widely known to the Assunzionii public that the four earlier Dullahan model ships were each destroyed or lost after years of service each -- yet no design specifications, crew manifests nor even news footage of them has thus far resurfaced, despite the efforts of countless online forum users invested on the topic. The only proof of their existence being the memory of those alive at the time, the joint announcements released by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals and the Assunzionii Government following each event, mourning crew and ships alike, yet divulging little of their respective fates.

Assunzionii Universities

Assunzione is well known among the Coalition for the high standard to which its academic institutions are held - hard work valued as a virtue near regardless of one's chosen occupation.

Triesto Federal University (TFU)

"The largest, most prestigious university in all of Light's Edge," is the semi-humorous slogan for which the TFU has come to be known over the years. Proud of their well-kept student's quarters, the university's exchange program is widely sought by many planning to visit Assunzione; with most of the planet's non-human population traversing its halls. It specializes in fields of civil engineering, as well as atmospherics and overall physics, (widely valued within Assunzionii culture, given the continued existence of life on the planet's surface relies on the domed cities.) as well as arts. (As it turns out, spending one's life on a planet devoid of sunlight sparks some very melancholic poetry) and its students are all but guaranteed work in the Council-run "Assunzionii Civil Infraestructure Company" (ACIC), more well-known for maintaining both the cities' domes and Triesto's famed spaceport.

Alden Saraspova Center of Anomalistic Research (ACAR)

Situated in the same building complex as Zengu Hu's Coalition HQ, the ACAR acts as a small yet prominent academic hub within Triesto - one of the few privately owned Universities within the city. Though originally solely for the discussion, study and application of anomalistic sciences, it is now known as the foremost academical institution for any who seek work in Zeng Hu's COC branch. It's overall aims remain very much on the anomalous, however - a fact amply reflected in the ACAR's overall reputation. Many, in Triesto and abroad - echo hushed, dreaded rumors about the goings-on in the pristine, crisp white of those halls -- and the anomalous artifacts undoubtebly hosted therein. Though often livestreamed to the public, the testing and open discussion of said materials does little to remedy its reputation - a fact over which many scholars have expressed their annoyance.

Golden Deep Midnight Palace Extravaganza

Situated on the opposite hemisphere of most life on the planet’s surface, the ‘Golden Deep Midnight Palace Extravaganza’ is one of the few buildings constructed outside Assunzione’s seven domed cities. It consists of a near one-to-one replica of Windsor Castle; walls adorned with golden filigree and flanked by colorful crystal formations akin to alien plant life. Currently, the palace lodges any (paying) Golden Deep investors opting to spend time away from the Republic in their planetside stay - and has been near unanimously decried as a tasteless flaunt of wealth by the denizens of Assunzione - now commonly cited as directly responsible for a dip in the planetary opinion of Positronics in the mid 2450s, following its announcement. The issue has been repeatedly acknowledged by the Council of Seven, but a course of action has yet to be decided upon.

“Such exquisite scenery, such marvelous vistas -- all situated atop this lovely plot of free real estate.. entirely vacant land! why - it makes one wonder if they even knew it was here.” - Plutus#456723, in an online interview circa 2458.

Synthetics on Assunzione

As a major regional port within the Coalition and the gateway to the mysterious Light’s Edge sector. Assunzione is home to a small but notable population of synthetics, a minority are manufactured locally whilst the majority of them are bought in from Konyang by corporations operating in Assunzione. The isolated nature and lack of space on the planet however make immigration by synthetics similarly unattractive as it does the immigration of non-synthetics, and the free IPC population of the planet is small compared to other planets of a similar size and development within the Coalition.

Positronics manufactured on Assunzione are rare but make up most of the free synthetics on the planet due to the minuscule immigration rate to Assunzione. A majority of frames built on the planet are Bishop and Mobility frames, as the planet is the location of the Coalition HQ of Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, who are also the biggest owner of synthetics on the planet.

A curious part of Assunzione manufactured positronics who stay on the planet is that they are blessed on creation and most often outfitted with a specialized Datapack minutely detailing the native faith of Luceism, to fit in better with the highly religious population - displaying both a knowledge of the faith and the ability to follow its tenets. Synthetics are usually programmed with an understanding of the Luceist branch most popular where they will be sent to work.

Free synthetics can be found in all manner of roles on Assunzione, from expedition crews to menial workers and high ranking corporate positions, and similarly reside in the great domed cities that the human population occupy. All manner of frames are used by free synthetics across the planet, though the locally produced Bishop and Mobility frames are the most common.

Owned positronics meanwhile vary greatly across the seven cities of Assunzione, depending on the corporate presence there. The majority of positronics manufactured on Assunzione itself find themselves employed in Triesto, where the Headquarters of Zeng-Hu is located, serving as researchers, medical or service staff for the corporation. Another common role is as Bridge Crew and other staff for the many Zeng-Hu expeditions launched into the Light’s Edge region, the risks of exploring Light’s Edge make IPC crewmembers inherently useful as they are considered more expendable than human crew. Nanotrasen also employs synthetics in Triesto for their phoron-finding expeditions into the Light’s Edge for similar reasons. Markarsa also serves as another major hub for owned synthetics produced on the planet, as the research hub of the planet and home to a substantial Zeng-Hu research facility, many positronics serve as scientists or support staff here.

Whilst Triesto and Markarsa serve as hubs for Assunzione produced positronics, both NT and Zeng-Hu utilize synthetics bought from off-world in their operations here too. However, in other cities off-world produced synthetics make up a far larger section of the overall synthetic population with most coming from the nearby production centre of Konyang. Iraklio’s status as the primary shipyard of Assunzione and recent investments by Hephaestus Industries have brought large amounts of industrial frames to the planet to serve as labour for the budding shipbuilding industry and Hephaestus facilities. Meanwhile Said, being the port of call for many unaffiliated vessels travelling to the planet leads to it playing host to all manner of synthetics from off-world, primarily working as part of these independent crews but also within the city, a few members of the Golden Deep also have operations in the city, using it as their base for conducting business in the region.

The opinions on synthetics held by the human residents of Assunzione primarily stem from their interpretation of Luceist teachings, whilst Luceism itself espouses a neutral view towards synthetic life, personal interpretations vary between followers, and can be broadly classified into two primary views. The more pro-synthetic side of Luceism, albeit not necessarily advocating for synthetic freedom, still has a more positive outlook of synthetics for their efficiency, work ethic and other factors, especially those produced and blessed locally who adhere to Luceism, seeing them as properly integrated into the planet's population and support them being used on the planet.

The more anti-synthetic side of the faith believe that synthetics are a drain on Assunzione as a whole, and antithetical to the teachings of Luceism. This is primarily due to their inherently inorganic nature and the belief that synthetics drain away electricity that could instead have been used to produce light. They would rather see positronics not present on the planet at all. This divide exists within both the Pyramidicalist and Astructuralist branches of the faith, though is far more pronounced in the former.

A common uniting factor however for both viewpoints is an overwhelming discomfort regarding positronics who were not created on the planet itself, finding their lack of knowledge or adherence to Luceism to be insulting at best and unacceptable at worst. Owned synthetics bought in from off-world often do not find themselves treated well by the locals where they do interact. Free synthetics choose to adopt the tenants of the faith if they were not local to the planet or simply not immigrate at all. Due to Luceism’s overwhelming presence on the planet, followers of the Trinary Perfection, both synthetic and organic are unheard of.

Doctor Alden Saraspova

Birthdate: October 31st, 2247

A (likely) prolific xenoarcheologist and professor of the anomalistic sciences, Alden Saraspova was born on earth, where he proceeded to attain his doctorate; before traversing the wider Spur in an (allegedly) storied career of anomalistic expeditions. He is the (presumed) inventor of the Alden-Saraspova counter, utilized to measure unusually behaving particles and matter fluctuations - the most reliable way yet found of tracking anomalous artifacts. (It is widely believed) he worked extensively with Zeng-Hu pharmaceuticals prior, during, and shortly after the Interstellar War.

Though Doctor Saraspova's contributions to the field are (nearly) undeniable, much of his work has been sadly lost to time - the breadth of his research, and even the man's own physical appearance now matters of great debate and oftentimes extensive exaggeration. He is oftentimes cited in, and accredited scientific works from that era - often regarding matters completely unrelated to his presumed field of study. Contemporarily, younger academics and forum users alike have taken this exaggeration even further as a means of entertaining. A list follows of some, though not all of Doctor Saraspova's alleged achievements.

• Alden Saraspova found the very first anomaly, and will find the last.
• Alden Saraspova unwittingly kickstarted the Interstellar War.
• Alden Saraspova wittingly kickstarted the Interstellar War.
• Alden Saraspova unveiled exactly why and how Assunzione's star went out - yet forgot to tell anyone.
• Alden Saraspova was the first Vaurca in the Orion Spur.
• Alden Saraspova was an Unathi.
• Alden Saraspova was the very first IPC.
• Alden Saraspova will grant you good grades if you pray to him hard enough.
• Alden Saraspova's final resting place is somewhere within the bowels of Alden Saraspova's Center for Anomalistic Research.
• Alden Saraspova was earth’s foremost professional wrestler in his time, and the “Alden-Saraspova Counter”' was really just his signature finishing move.
• Alden Saraspova discovered the earth’s sun.
• Alden Saraspova either killed or tried to save Prime Minister Al’marii Hadii. (the latter is widely disputed, with the adage, ‘If Alden had tried to save him, the man would still be alive.’)
• Alden Saraspova is a wizard.