Astronius
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Setting Intro | Visitor's Guide | Author's Intentions
Astronius was a TL3 planet known for its plethora of TL5 relics. The star it orbits is in its red giant phase and has made the planet too hot to support life.
YN-339
Astronius orbits a star more often called Yonny than its official moniker of YN-339. This star was already near the end of its life when colonists arrived in 2603. Records show the plan was to attract the brightest minds to prolong either the planet’s or the star’s lifespan. These top-secret projects relied upon psitech and master psionics, all destroyed or killed in The Scream. Surviving Astronian scientists had a new problem and new urgency: The Scream also destroyed any means of evacuation. Though it would take thousands of years for Yonny to officially die, the planet would be unlivable by human standards far sooner. Even as the population recovered during the Silence, there was little consensus on whether to focus on ship manufacturing, reviving pretech, or developing new technology to solve their problems.Evacuation
There is no way to stop death, whether a human or a star or a planet. Evacuation was the only true solution for Astronians. Yet the evacuation efforts were fraught with missteps and corruption. By the end of the Silence, it was clear Astronius needed help. Without spike drive manufactories, Astronius relied upon external sources for means off planet. These limited tickets were prohibitively expensive for all but the richest, while the rest of the boiling population was told to simply wait for the price to come down or move to a cooler climate. Many refused to accept this answer, and began protesting for their governments' aid despite the risks of heat exhaustion. Various Astronius leaders put out calls to nearby planets for assistance, but received little as its neighbors had neither the space nor the ships to provide much support.Pretech Ship
By 3208, much of the remaining populace was desperate for an escape. The most notable protests were those in the city of Osangar in the Selandic Empire. Then-governor Luke Edwards had hired Mark Aydrien to oversee evacuation efforts, but with no budget or other support, the project was merely a publicity stunt to appease the increasingly agitated populace. Press secretary Jordan Black publicly refuted these allegations at the time. Aydrien's departure from the project was a mutual decision between him and his employer. He went on to start a grassroots evacuation compaign, working with the citizenry to get them to homes on other planets. This is when he encountered the Night Knights and hired them to investigate the pretech ship manufactory in the plains near the city. They, along with famed freedom fighter Tavari Zima, managed to initiate the manufactory to build one last ship. The Osangar government tried to lay claim to this ship, using hired members of the Invincibles to force their way. However, an unethically-sourced confession from Black changed the tide. In video and under the effects of Squeal, she revealed that there were no plans to evacuate the citizens who couldn't afford their own alternatives. The Invicibles broke their contract with the corrupt government, allowing Aydrien and his campaign to maintain ownership of the pretech ship.The Emeral Legion
It wasn't long before the Emperor of Selandia himself got involved, along with his newly-trained honor guard. At the time, these guards were believed to be simply combat psions in intimidating green armor. Today, we know them as members of The Emerald Legion. The Emperor was under their control when he entered Osangar and relieved the governor of his post. The change in leadership was welcomed, as the Emperor worked with Aydrien and others to facilitate a proper evacuation once the ship was ready. This peace only lasted a few months, until the Night Knights warned the cluster about the Legion. The Battle for Talmar ended the Legion's main invasion plans, and the small contingency on Astronius was no match for the fed up and freshly armed citizenry.Today
Though it took a year for the manufactory's automated systems to complete the ship, it was clear from the start it would be able to house thousands as the only functioning pretech ship in existence. Many Astronian refugees were able to make homes on Devali, Mithorous, Xeros, and even Talmar, but many others saw long-term potential in the ship, and chose to stay on board. These enterprising individuals founded The Astronius Collective: Space farers seeking to explore the cluster and study pretech, hoping to bring us closer to regaining pre-Scream knowledge. Today, the planet is no longer classified as habitable. A few thousand remain on planet, some simply refusing the leave and others seeking out any lingering pretech not already claimed. Even these stubborn individuals will soon have to choose between leaving and living, or staying and dying.
Icon for Astronius
Timeline
| 2603 | Colonists arrive and settle the dying planet |
| 2665 | The Scream destroys all pretech and research |
| 3050 | Astronius joins the Protectorate alliance |
| 3200 | Astronian leaders requests evacuation assistance |
| 3208 | Pretech ship begins manufacturing |
| 3213 | Most Astronians brought to safety |
| 3220 | Astronius classified as uninhabitable by the Protectorate |
| 3222 | Astronius Collective founded |
Included Organizations
Information
Dying race
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