Post by Insano-Man on Sept 24, 2018 9:57:40 GMT -5
The Nightmare Below
There is no greater merchant port in unaffiliated space than that of Port Marstell, a rain-beaten planet thoroughly known for its orbital infrastructure. Once the central command of the Alvuncke Systems Confederation navy, now overseen by the Ming-Koff Privateer Alliance, few merchant and mercenary vessels alike have ever concluded their service without at least one stopover among Port Marstell's shipyards and commerce platforms. Kept safe by the Privateer Alliance, backed by hundreds of independent merchants and corporations, and sheltered in the neutral space of former Alvuncke territory, there is no better place to do business than over the clouds of the Ming-Koff crown jewel.
Beneath the clouds, however, there is a far different story to be told. Port Marstell is engulfed in unending hurricanes, thunderstorms, and poor weather revolving around its hyperactive water cycle. Forgotten ruins and shantytowns of their survivors lie buried underneath the white blanket that few of the planet's spaceborne visitors ever see past. Only three planetside spaceports remain tended to by the Privateer Alliance and each carries only a faint, dubious purpose.
History
To understand the contrast between orbit and below requires an understanding of the conflict that broke the Alvuncke Systems Confederation over a century ago. Once a seceding colony of the Garrant Commonwealth in 2052 A.F., the Confederation slowly grew to encompass twelve star systems over the course of three decades. Port Marstell was the growing space nation's first acquisition in its steady expansion and quickly became its fledgling space navy's nerve center, thanks much to its strategically and commercially important location.
Alvuncke colonial managers quickly learned and adapted to the unique challenges Port Marstell's terrain represented. An even split between rocky highlands and muddy lowlands complicated finding appropriate sites for spaceports and cities. Year-round harsh weather conditions in both, where the highlands saw extreme winds year-round and flooding in the lowlands was all but unavoidable, further hurt the planet's prospects as a colony. The engineers and supervisors behind the project, however, showed both ingenuity and resolve when Windfall City, the seat of the local Alvuncke government on the planet, was founded.
Years later and substantial expansion behind them, 2087 A.F. saw the end of Alvuncke success on Port Marstell - and the end of the Confederation in entirety. An event few could label as anything more than a freak accident threw the unready and unwilling space nation into the frenzy of war as a centuries-old fleet of Inkron warships and generation ships arrived all across the line of systems the Alvuncke had taken. Port Marstell itself was evacuated with haste, only three months into the rapid war between man and alien. The panic that had stricken the nation was told no better than by the planetary defense installations of Port Marstell; of the fourty-nine missile siloes hidden on the planet's surface, only two had launched their warheads and neither struck their target.
Elsewhere, the Alvuncke navy struggled on all fronts. Ship after ship was lost as the arriving Inkron colonial force - a title that has remained a guess - brought wave after wave of their own vessels. Tens of thousands died on either side, both civilian and soldier, and yet the war lasted only six months. Only seven days from 2088, with its military depleted and its people frustrated, the Alvuncke Systems Confederation dissolved into a handful of independent worlds.
While the formation of the Ming-Koff Privateer Alliance brought new security and prosperity to the pirate hunting grounds Port Marstell had become, the ruins below were left to wither. Since its colonial abandonment in 2087, the so-called floodlands of Port Marstell have been inhabited only by a scattered few towns and spaceports. Only one inhabited metropolis still stands, while the ruins of a dozen others have been picked clean by scavengers and hurricanes alike. Even with the Privateer Alliance's own difficulties growing in age, it is doubtful that Port Marstell's days as a harsh weather colony will ever return.
There is no greater merchant port in unaffiliated space than that of Port Marstell, a rain-beaten planet thoroughly known for its orbital infrastructure. Once the central command of the Alvuncke Systems Confederation navy, now overseen by the Ming-Koff Privateer Alliance, few merchant and mercenary vessels alike have ever concluded their service without at least one stopover among Port Marstell's shipyards and commerce platforms. Kept safe by the Privateer Alliance, backed by hundreds of independent merchants and corporations, and sheltered in the neutral space of former Alvuncke territory, there is no better place to do business than over the clouds of the Ming-Koff crown jewel.
Beneath the clouds, however, there is a far different story to be told. Port Marstell is engulfed in unending hurricanes, thunderstorms, and poor weather revolving around its hyperactive water cycle. Forgotten ruins and shantytowns of their survivors lie buried underneath the white blanket that few of the planet's spaceborne visitors ever see past. Only three planetside spaceports remain tended to by the Privateer Alliance and each carries only a faint, dubious purpose.
History
To understand the contrast between orbit and below requires an understanding of the conflict that broke the Alvuncke Systems Confederation over a century ago. Once a seceding colony of the Garrant Commonwealth in 2052 A.F., the Confederation slowly grew to encompass twelve star systems over the course of three decades. Port Marstell was the growing space nation's first acquisition in its steady expansion and quickly became its fledgling space navy's nerve center, thanks much to its strategically and commercially important location.
Alvuncke colonial managers quickly learned and adapted to the unique challenges Port Marstell's terrain represented. An even split between rocky highlands and muddy lowlands complicated finding appropriate sites for spaceports and cities. Year-round harsh weather conditions in both, where the highlands saw extreme winds year-round and flooding in the lowlands was all but unavoidable, further hurt the planet's prospects as a colony. The engineers and supervisors behind the project, however, showed both ingenuity and resolve when Windfall City, the seat of the local Alvuncke government on the planet, was founded.
Years later and substantial expansion behind them, 2087 A.F. saw the end of Alvuncke success on Port Marstell - and the end of the Confederation in entirety. An event few could label as anything more than a freak accident threw the unready and unwilling space nation into the frenzy of war as a centuries-old fleet of Inkron warships and generation ships arrived all across the line of systems the Alvuncke had taken. Port Marstell itself was evacuated with haste, only three months into the rapid war between man and alien. The panic that had stricken the nation was told no better than by the planetary defense installations of Port Marstell; of the fourty-nine missile siloes hidden on the planet's surface, only two had launched their warheads and neither struck their target.
Elsewhere, the Alvuncke navy struggled on all fronts. Ship after ship was lost as the arriving Inkron colonial force - a title that has remained a guess - brought wave after wave of their own vessels. Tens of thousands died on either side, both civilian and soldier, and yet the war lasted only six months. Only seven days from 2088, with its military depleted and its people frustrated, the Alvuncke Systems Confederation dissolved into a handful of independent worlds.
While the formation of the Ming-Koff Privateer Alliance brought new security and prosperity to the pirate hunting grounds Port Marstell had become, the ruins below were left to wither. Since its colonial abandonment in 2087, the so-called floodlands of Port Marstell have been inhabited only by a scattered few towns and spaceports. Only one inhabited metropolis still stands, while the ruins of a dozen others have been picked clean by scavengers and hurricanes alike. Even with the Privateer Alliance's own difficulties growing in age, it is doubtful that Port Marstell's days as a harsh weather colony will ever return.
