Coalition Holdings

The Galactic Coalition is a massive, expansive empire with multiple systems under its control. While originally from the Sol system, the human species quickly spread out to nearby stars such as Alpha Centauri or Epsilon Eridani, and these systems were one of the first colonized by the human species. Now, the Coalition controls a large swathe of space, containing a myriad of colonies, stations, naval yards, and shipbuilding facilities. While not as large as it used to be before the Succession War, the Coalition is still one of the largest empires in the galaxy - but the size of their territory makes effectively policing it difficult, and the Coalition's military is a deep expense as a result.

Major Holdings

Alpha Centauri

Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to Sol and is the home of the first extrasolar colony the human race established. It is a star system with three stars - Rigil Kentaurus, Toliman and Proxima Centauri. There are seven planetary bodies in orbit around the three stars, with Proxima Centauri b, now known as New Terra, as a key planet in the Coalition's core worlds. Outside of Sol, Alpha Centauri has seen the most development in human space, having become something of a bustling metropolis itself. Multiple space stations and trading hubs were constructed in Alpha Centauri, and it is a favorite tourist destination due to its history as 'humanity's first triumph' in extrasolar colonization.

Toliman Station

So named for the second of Alpha Centauri's three moons, Toliman Station is a residential station home to a significant population of 2.3 billion individuals. It is one of the largest residential stations in human space; it has a massive trading hub filled with both exotic and local goods, several apartment blocks of capsules stacked on top of each other, and a portion of the station has been rented to Toliman Pharma, a local megacorporation who headquarters themselves within the station. Toliman Pharma has invested heavily in the development of Toliman Station, leading to accusations of corruption by some. Nevertheless, it is known as an affordable and pleasant place to live, free from the expenses of homes on Earth or New Terra. Many of the people who live on Toliman Station work locally in Alpha Centauri, and its population mainly consists of blue collar workers.

New Terra

Originally known as Proxima Centauri b, it was discovered early in the 21st century by humanity and was theorized to be within the habitable zone of Alpha Centauri's stars. When humanity first sent deep space probes to the system, this hunch was proven to be correct. A large portion of New Terra's surface is home to calm, placid waters, and it is considered by some to be a tropical paradise. Towering hotels, residential skyscrapers and expansive vacation homes claim the majority of beachfront property, with a booming tourism industry centered around these unpolluted oceans and picturesque beaches. Proxima Centauri b earned its name as New Terra due to the Earth-like environment found on the planet; thick humid jungles make up a good percentage of inland territory, with the beaches overtaken by human civilization. The rich and famous are known to make regular trips to the planet, and it has a growing modeling and fashion scene where many famous brands headquarter themselves on New Terra.

Luna II

In keeping with the perhaps unoriginal naming scheme for New Terra, Luna II is the planet's only natural satellite - though it is much smaller than the moon it gets its namesake from. It is, however, home to several large cities, each connected to the other with atmospherically-sealed underground subway trains. Luna II is known as the destination for night life, clubbing, and partying, with many cities investing heavily in and marketing their Red Light districts to entice tourists on New Terra to visit the moon. Some tours offered by companies on New Terra make Luna II a destination for this purpose, and while the rich and famous model and buy exorbitantly expensive fashions on New Terra by day, at night they can be found drinking, partying, and doing drugs in the back rooms of many of Luna II's famous nightclubs.

Urumat

As a world outside of Alpha Centauri's habitable zone, Urumat has no atmosphere and its surface is inhospitable to life. However, it has become an important mineral world for the Coalition, as its rich deposits of ore and heavy metals has made it the prime focus of many mining megacorporations who continuously fight over territory rights to this day. There are no colonies on the surface of the planet; rather, the different mining corps have a variety of orbital platforms and stations to house, supply, and equip their dig teams. An abundance of metals like iron and copper have resulted in Urumat's exports making their way all over Coalition space, from military installations to civilian construction projects and even privately owned stations. Urumat is now filled with a network of caves and tunnels from the rampant drilling, and it plays an important part in the economy of Alpha Centauri.

Morrigan's Labyrinth

At the edge of Alpha Centauri are three circumstellar discs, one for each of the three planets. The density of these celestial bodies make navigating the stretch a nightmare; initial attempts to colonize Alpha Centauri were inhibited by this, as these small particulates would easily damage the hull and shielding of approaching vessels. Coalition expedition Captain Morrigan Allister was the first to successfully navigate the three discs, not once, not twice, but three times, and his navigation data is still used by vessels trying to make the journey today. Thus, Morrigan's Labyrinth earned its name. The ease of travel in and out of the system owes its history to this man, as all other attempts to look for new paths have resulted in failure.

Epsilon Eridani

Epsilon Eridani is a star system with a sun that is less than one billion years old. It is smaller and more orange than Sol's star, and owing to its youth it has higher levels of magnetic activity than Sol's star. Epsilon Eridani was the second system to be colonized by the human race and has a reputation as the industrial powerhouse of Coalition space. Owing to the large gas giants in orbit around Epsilon's star and the abundance of asteroid belts therein, the system is a major exporter of non-FTL fuel, metals and refined gas. As such, most of the economy and commerce in Epsilon Eridani is centered around its industry and it has even seen investment from other empires, such as the Onk Conglomerate, as the galaxy at large is also a major consumer of the goods that come from Eridanian space.

Vorman

The first planet in Eridanian space is known as Vorman. It is a gas giant that is larger than Jupiter and is characterized by intense storms in its upper atmosphere. Surrounded by a thin ring of stellar dust and small rocks, its bright red hue is a result of a complex mix of gases that make up its atmosphere. Several stations reside in the upper clouds and harvest this gas to convert it into energy and fuel; these stations are suspended with a mixture of anti-grav technology and reinforced zeppelins. Their interiors are small, cramped, spartan and industrial, with most of the space taken up by the massive intake units required to regularly 'farm' Vorman's atmosphere. While a good paying job when compared to other careers like deep space mining, it is notoriously dangerous, for just as the workers on Jupiter are in danger of being blown off, so are those on Vorman.

Thorien

Thorien is one of Vorman's twenty-seven moons; it is the largest one and home to an outpost that services the stations that are in Vorman's atmosphere, and acts as a staging point for cargo vessels and larger ships to land. Then, it coordinates the distribution of supplies and new workers to these facilities. While less populous than Vorman, the quality of life on Outpost 13 is higher. As such, it is a favorite posting for workers in the sector, as compared to the perilous work of gas refining it can be considered a walk in the park. Outpost 13 is also home to a locally famous burger and chili joint, the Gassy Giant.

The Cord

Separating Thorien from the outer part of Epsilon Eridani is an asteroid belt that has been thinned considerably by aggressive mining operations. These mining megacorporations employ large refinery vessels that tether to individual asteroids and pull them inside of the ship so that they can be strip mined, refined, and stored for transportation and trade, thus making these asteroid-eaters a three in one vessel. This allows them to avoid the cost associated with a permanent installation as most vessels can recoup the money lost on fuel, time, and crew simply by operating. These asteroid crews may spend months doing this repetitious work before they are permitted to return to civilization and offload their accumulated cargo.

Saron

The second gas giant, (though really more of an ice giant) in Eridanian space, Saron has an abundance of hydrogen and water in its atmosphere. Thus, the few facilities that are in orbit of Saron exist to draw water from its atmosphere, then purify that water. Saron Cosmic Water Inc owns the facilities that process its atmosphere, and they sell this as a drink that can be commonly found in most upscale grocery stores galaxy wide. Saron Cosmic Water makes plenty of questionable promises about their product, ranging from increased cognizance and wit to superior reflexes. They make billions of dollars a year in revenue, and in contrast to most other megacorporations their facilities are well-maintained and their employees are treated kindly; Saron Cosmic Water prides itself on its 'family owned business'.

The Source

In what equates to a massive metal orbital resevoir, the Source is a space station owned by Saron Cosmic Water that houses several hundred thousand gallons of purified water gathered from the gas giant, Saron. It is here that they also have most of their bottling facilities and regional corporate office that oversees the production and quality control of their drinking water. A small residential attachment ensures workers don't need to commute back and forth and can live on the facility for months at a time. A small contingent of Rokhandan scientists also live on the Source, helping the Saron company develop the unique signature taste attributed to their water. The taste of the cosmos in your home, today!

The Sea of Rocks

The circumstellar disc that makes up the borders of Eridanian space is affectionately called the Sea of Rocks. Despite its name, it is not that densely populated and is not as heavily mined as the interior disc, the Cord. That said, sometimes those asteroid-eating vessels are dispatched to the Sea if there is too much activity in the Cord, but beyond some interest by the mining corporations the Sea is nothing more than another asteroid belt and the accepted end of Eridanian space. It poses no real risk to space travel.

Tau Ceti

Tau Ceti is the local center-point for the Coalition military. The system has no native celestial objects, only a single yellow dwarf star. This freedom made it the perfect target for manmade expansion, and now Tau Ceti acts as the perfect gatekeeper to the Coalition's core worlds. For one to pass through to Sol, for instance, it is unavoidable to cross through Tau Ceti space. It is home to a massive military installation known as the Janus Bastion and several other supportive structures, making it the largest concentration of Coalition military might in human space. This effectively keeps the Federation or other hostile empires from making a beeline for Sol to bring a decisive end to any conflict - they would have to deal with the imposing Bastion before they could.

Janus Bastion

Sitting above Tau Ceti’s now stabilised debris disk, the Janus Bastion, or “The Bastion” is the dominant structure within the system. Standing over 180 kilometres high and just as wide, the Bastion is a testament to what the Galactic Coalition can construct. The Bastion is equipped with super-capital grade defensive emplacements, electronic warfare suites, FTL jammers and cavernous hanger bays capable of hosting entire fleets. The station is rumoured to be able to defeat any currently constructed fleet singlehandedly. These rumours persist, despite the Bastion having never been truly tested. Few dare to enter the heartland of the Coalition’s military with hostile intentions, fewer still survive the ever present Battlegroup Janus that protects the system and the (un)lucky souls that somehow managed to breach the defensive perimeter have been swiftly dispatched by the stations secondary armaments.

Within the Bastion’s armoured flanks reside a significant portion of the Coalitions military command and control structure. From defence of the Coreworlds to the deployment of the Marines Expeditionary Fleets, most of the orders generated by the Interstellar Command Authority back on Earth executed within the operations rooms of the Bastion

Built before the Federations rebellion, the station had been intended as the first of several to secure key hyperlane junctions throughout the Coalition, but the chaos of the war ended those plans. The haunting skeletons of two other Janus Class Bastions can be seen in Tau Ceti space, with their older brother station being the sole reminder of better times for the Coalition military.

Janus Shipyards

Under the watchful guns of the Janus Bastion and her battlegroup sprawl the Janus Combined Fleet Yards (JCFY). Stretching across almost half of the stabilised debris disk, the Fleet Yards have been working overtime for the past decade, attempting to restore the losses suffered by the combined Coalition Services throughout the war and the collapse. These are an interconnected weave of foundries, dry docks, construction yards, manufactories and other ancillary support structures.

Following the loss of several key production worlds in the Collapse, the JCFY is now responsible for the production of over sixty percent of all Coalition war material and perhaps the Collation’s only chance of restoring their military dominance.

The Panopticon

The Panopticon, or to use its official name, Collation Deep Space Super-Max Correctional Facility 01, sits as an 80 kilometre tall tower just beyond the gravitational reaches of the Tau Ceti system. Well beyond any hyperlane jump point, the only access to the prison is by short range FTL via a series of pre-established navigational buoys. Any deviation from which would be easily detected and intercepted by the plethora of defensive systems both in system and aboard the Panopticon itself.

No one has ever escaped from the prison, a point of pride for the Coalition Correctional Services. The only attempt that came close was stopped dead in its tracks after the station’s Warden emergency vented the hallways, allowing the Coalition Navy to collect the bodies when they arrived in response to the prisons distress signal.

Cetian Naval Academy

For aspiring servicemen, navigators, bridge staff or deck officers, the Cetian Naval Academy is the first choice. It is an Ivy League school and space station founded early in the 23rd century when the Coalition began expanding its military might through Tau Ceti. Many famous expedition leaders, admirals and politicans are alumni of this prestigious educational institution, and the Coalition invests heavily in the Academy so they can staff their navy with the youngest, brightest minds humanity has to offer. The Academy's proximity to Janus Bastion means that upon graduation, new servicemen can immediately be deployed and dispersed to whatever vessels or battle groups they're assigned to. In the wake of the Succession War, where the Coalition lost a portion of its naval staff to the Federation, extra pressure has been placed on the Academy to fill those empty spots. Its overall acceptance rate, however, is quite low, and it is notoriously difficult for students to secure a spot within its halls.

GCS Olympus Mons

One of the few public, civilian destinations in Tau Ceti is the Galactic Coalition Starship Olympus Mons. It was critically damaged during the Succession War and as the Coalition began to repair it, they realized retrofitting and upgrading this aging battle cruiser would be a significant money sink. Instead, they turned it into a non-functional military museum, stripping it of its engine core for another ship. Now, it is moored to an accompanying small space station and regularly sees tourists from Sol interested in seeing the history of Coalition military might and the events of the Succession War. Tourists even get to move and aim the battleship's cannons and pretend-fire them at virtual targets, giving them a taste of what it really was like during the War! A fun variety of amusing toys, clothing and accessories can be purchased at the accompanying gift shop.

YZ Ceti

YZ Ceti is extremely close to Tau Ceti, making it a natural extension of that area. Many hyperspace lanes and trade routes enter Coalition space here, and it is home to a massive trade hub along with several small outposts that peddle a wide variety of wares. It is not as heavily militarized as Tau Ceti and is technically a civilian star system, but its closeness to Tau Ceti (of 1.6 light years!) means that it is the benefit of consistent patrols and oversight by Coalition naval forces. This protects the trade facilities from pirates or brigands and deters hostile incursions by rogue parties. YZ Cet's star is a red dwarf and is known as a flare star, prone to random and sudden increases in brightness and solar radiation.

YZ Ceti b

The first planet in the YZ system is unnamed; it has no natural satellites and is inhospitable to life. Given its close proximity to YZ Ceti's star, it is a barren wasteland constantly bombarded by solar radiation that coincides with the flares that YZ's star experiences. This makes any idea of colonizing or even attempting to mine on its surface laughable - while modern technology is capable of constructing suits and structures that can survive in extreme temperatures, the massive blasts of solar radiation require expensive, special technology on a large scale. Thus, YZ Ceti b is untouched and unmolested by man beyond the occasional probe or rover that is dispatched to examine its surface in the name of science.

Lyzium

Lyzium was noted as a sub-earth candidate as far back as the early 21st century. This planet gave a perfect foothold for humanity in the YZ Ceti system and is now a blossoming hub of commerce and trade. Lyzium is smaller than Earth and an arid, dry planet. Its vast mesas and savannas are covered in thick red grass and vibrant alien trees. Multiple cities have propped up on Lyzium's surface, and its center spaceport is a thriving trade hub full of peddlers from all over the galaxy. This has also helped the planet attain quite the following in the criminal underworld. Despite the heavy presence by the Coalition navy, it is easy to land on Lyzium unnoticed by disabling your transponder, and port officers are stereotyped to be easily bribe-able. Thus, the saying is 'anything you can want you can find on Lyzium', whether that be rare Vesreenian silks or military grade illegal AIs.

Hestil

Hestil is a gas giant with a colorful atmosphere made up of bands of orange, cyan and grey. It is large enough to be seen from Lyzium's surface. Hestil has no resources of value and its atmospheric composition is devoid of gases that may be valuable for human consumption. As such, Hestil has seen little development. YZ Ceti's traffic control station remains in orbit of Hestil and can help direct incoming vessels and ships, as Lyzium space can be heavily trafficked making flight perilous unless guided. This installation only has a handful of workers manning it, however, and beside the station Hestil has been untouched by mankind.

Kapetyn

Kapetyn was first recorded as far back as the late 19th century in human history. It is home to a class M1 red subdwarf and is home to only two celestial bodies. While the Kapetyn system was ignored by humanity at first, the discovery of another garden world helped spur development in the sector until it became an important producer of extrasolar foodstuffs for the Coalition. It is heavily defended due to its importance as a food producer, and it has a local garrison known informally as Kapetyn's Finest. It's relative out-of-the-way location and lack of tourist industry prevent it from really being a household name for Coalition citizens, even if a lot of their food is stamped with the Kapetyn seal of approval.

Souv

Compared to the garden world Thusme, Souv is the exact opposite. Not only is its atmosphere hostile to life, it is particularly toxic to humans, making any attempts to colonize it difficult. The planet's soil is caustic, its air is poisonous and it would take decades of terraforming to even get it to the point where hermetically sealed colonies would be able to thrive. It is a favorite subject of scientists, however, as its brutal environment has helped joint research teams of human and Rokhandan scientists experiment with attempts to live on and colonize worlds that are antithetical to the formation of life, even more so than the usual planets in space.

Thusme

Unlike Souv, Thusme is a veritable garden world that is home to a massive agricultural industry. Its rolling hills of vibrant blue grass and high oxygen content make it ideal for growing crops or keeping cattle, making it the breadbasket of Coalition worlds. It is responsible for supplying a large percentage of the Coalition's foodstuffs, and strict environmental policies not unlike the ones instituted on Earth help keep it fertile and clean for future generations. Kapetyn's Finest, the local fleet detachment, is tasked with protecting this green jewel of Coalition territory; its ranks are pulled from the close-knit communities on Thusme's surface, making them zealous in their defense of their home. After losing Voltker Prime, the Coalition cannot afford to be deprived of another farming planet.

Lacaille

As a system, Lacaille was under development before the Succession War began; the Coalition was forced to abandon their expansion plans in the system to deal with the War, leaving it underfunded and half-finished. Before the War, Lacaille was an important area for the Coalition military. It was an empty star system, much like Tau Ceti, with only its M2-main sequence red dwarf star and the circumstellar disc as major bodies. The Coalition used Lacaille for war games, giving their large navy an opportunity to see faux combat in a large open space. This, naturally, led to some development. The Coalition began to construct stations in the area to support the training of their navy and civilian entrepreneurs opened refueling ports, restaurants and hololounges for soldiers and servicemen to come to and relax. Now, with the War over, the Coalition has begun to invest in Lacaille again, but it has been slow goings.

Sor-Chung Chop Suey

The most famous restaurant in this region is Sor-Chong Chop Suey. It is an orbital refueling platform that services small military craft and provides food and entertainment for members of the Coalition navy. It was once featured on the galactic television show Taste of the Galaxy, where its award-winning I-can't-believe-its-not-chicken teriyaki and nutripaste sushi were put to the test against skilled, Michelin star Poliesu chefs. Coming out of that challenge as the winner helped boost its popularity and it is a favorite stop for cargo captains and other ships that find themselves within a few short jumps of the restaurant. Sor-Chung Chop Suey has a small arcade, VR systems and a holodeck to further entice new customers into coming in; you can eat your meal in a holodeck that emulates ancient China, for example!

The Warzone

All structures in Lacaille are built past the border of what is known as the Warzone. This is a vast swathe of Lacaille's territory claimed by the military for one purpose: wargames. Different battle groups of the Coalition can use this huge amount of space to practice maneuvers, combat, or fight in simulations overseen by their commanding officers. Given the tensions between the Coalition and Federation, usage of the Warzone has spiked recently as the Coalition trains to prevent the devastating losses they suffered during the War.

Frontier and Transitory Systems

Owing to the large amount of territory under Coalition control, some star systems exist on their map merely because their hyperlane routes are important to connect key systems. Others are frontier systems that have seen very little serious development and are home to only a few hundred thousand colonists. While these parts of space may contain the odd refueling platform, orbital hotel or recuperation center, they are systems one does not typically linger in and have seen little in the way of attention or investment from the Coalition government. People move through these star systems because they have to, not because they want to. The secondary systems of the Coalition consist of:

• Epsilon Indi, frontier system. It is home to a few colonies and has a population of under two hundred thousand.
• GJ 1061, transitory system. It connects Kapetyn, SCR 1845-6357 and Lacaille to Tau Ceti, and serves no strategic purpose beyond this.
• SCR 1845-6357, frontier system. Recently settled, one colony with a population of fifty thousand has spearheaded colonization efforts.
• FS-124, frontier station. A frontier station cut off from Coalition space after the War. It is still claimed by the Coalition.