Sigil 2

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Sigil 2: Aerun
Astrographical
Region:	Core Worlds
System:	Jusadih System
Suns:	Sigil
Moons:	Three
Orbital period:	320 Days
Physical
Atmosphere:	Breathable
Climates:	Humid
Gravity:	1.26 Factors
Primary Terrain:	Varied
Societal
Native species:	Aerunian (Extinct)
Primary language(s):	Basic
Population:	None
Major cities:	All Destroyed
Major imports:	None
Major exports:	None
Affiliation:	Clan Plagueis, House Exar Kun
[ Source ]

Sigil 2 was the former home of House Exar Kun and former part of the Plagueis Dominion, known as Aerun at the time. It was once engulfed in ice, however, much like Kapsina it underwent massive environmental change and was transformed into a moderately temperate climate. This changed again when its surface was reduced to molten slag and then partially terraformed by a mysterious race of Force-devoid aliens during their Incursion. The planet is composed of a wasteland split into nine Zones as well as a Force-dead alien jungle encompassing approximately one quarter of the planet's terrain. The hazards of wasteland and alien jungle alike made the planet excellent for training the various armed forces of House Plagueis. Following the retreat of Plagueis following the Horizons Crisis, all remaining signs of Plagueis on Sigil 2 were destroyed.

History

The formation of the star Sigil, several billion years ago but unable to predict due to Jusadih's changeable nature, was followed by the creation of several planets. Every few hundred thousand years, gravitational events would occur due to Jusadih's unstable orbits and several black holes and other Deep Core that would hurl the planets from orbit to orbit. Regardless of its true beginnings, the world known as Aerun was an ice planet before the last planetary shift, the gravity hurling it close enough to Sigil to thaw the ice and jump-start vegetation growth; it is suspected that the rapidity of this growth and the complexity of lifeforms therein are a sign that Aerun was also lush at least once before it was frozen.

Aerun, much like the other worlds of Jusadih, once lived under a Feudal government. Its Dukes, Counts, and other Lords existed beneath the silent, shadowy hand of Plagueis and the Dark Council as they went about their business. The planet was not without problems, including the threat of the Aerunian Resistance Movement and internal strife between Lordships, but ultimately, the Dark Jedi of House Plagueis were free to profit from the world and keep to their own schemes.

Change began during the alien Incursion, during which they invaded Jusadih and several other star systems including the Antei system. Blasting aside unprepared defenders with little difficulty, their starships soon began to launch gigantic blasts of white-hot plasma at the planet's surface. Cities were reduced to molten rubble in seconds, entire forests were instantly set ablaze, and the very mountains and topography of the planet began to shift. The world's oceans were quickly broiled into a heavy veil of steam, most of it siphoned out of the atmosphere by enemy ships, while all life below this ocean was reduced to ash.

Despite this devastation, all was not lost, and several cities not under immediate attack managed to organize some escape efforts. Had it not been for Plagueians using their Force abilities on the ground and piloting fighters, it is doubtful that half of the escaping refugees would have even survived the coralskippers that swept the skies. Even without its populace perishing, Aerun itself was destroyed, and the Plagueian fortresses of Diadem and Ash were lost alongside the Umbra Arx base.

Following the complete destruction of the world's surface, enemy terraforming techniques were put into place rapidly and the planet's temperature was quickly stabilized. Pollutants and smog released by the burning of forests, the destruction of chemical- and plastic-filled cities, and the loss of natural oil reserves and other fossil fuels were consumed by ships specially designed to detoxify a world's atmosphere, while oceans worth of absorbed precipitation were released back to the planet's surface and concentrated. Within a few hours, the planet was stable; within days, full terraforming began. The advanced terraforming saw a quarter of the planet changed into Force-dead jungle before the aliens mysteriously abandoned Jusadih.

Sigil 2 was initially quarantined by the Feudal governments of Jusadih and Clan Plagueis as the terraforming stopped, both in an effort to stop any escaping aliens and to observe the changes to the world. The quarantine stayed in strict effect for three years as massive shifts and unpredictable weather patterns continued, though scouting teams stopped entering the atmosphere while the Feudalists began clandestine negotiations with the Crimson Tide. Their faith shaken, the Feudalists remained silent until Plagueis departed under new Consul Braecen Kaeth to aid in the push to retake Antei. Their newly minted Military went alongside them, courtesy of the Dark Council, but when they returned they found the system in disarray. The Tide and the Feudalists had united to form the Jusadih Independence Coalition. This sparked the War of Ascension.

During the War, Plagueian forces were easily able to outmaneuver the Feudalists that held the planet under quarantine; what little defense remained was shot from the sky as the Dark Jedi and their troops took to the planet's surface. Temporary prefabricated structures were used in place of Kapsina's Dark Tower as the ousted Plagueians began to plan their attacks. As the months progressed and the worlds fell back under Plagueian control, Sigil 2 became the de facto and then the official training site of the newly minted Jusadih Military Regime. Defecting soldiers, new recruits, and a literal flood of refugees without anywhere else to go soon took up the cause, with every species capable of doing battle accepted.

The next few weeks saw prefabricated structures joined or replaced by permanent buildings and facilities; in addition to training recruits, Sigil 2 was in dire need of exploration and study. It was during this time that the alien jungle was discovered to be not only still alive, but thriving in the absence of its creators; immediately, the Plagueis Automated Surveillance Facility or PASF was built to maintain its spread. The following Insurrection of Alaris Jinn di Plagia saw forces on the planet affected little, with training continuing and only a minor showing of factional aggression before the conflict stabilized. After Jinn became the lawful Consul and Supreme Commander of Plagueis, little changed.

It was after his rule, the subsequent Reform of Clans to Houses, and the rise of Quaestor Kal di Plagia Vorrac to the Plagueian helm that saw a new threat arise on the world. Hidden within the jungle and based out of Si'Tilk and other pockets of strange civilization, alien deserters and those left behind had come together to form a group called the Dark Crusaders of Yun-Harla. This group's strength came from fanatical belief that they could reclaim their faith and a near-endless army of Thralls, disabling the PASF before it could even send out an alert.

Additional targets would include the Plagueis Army Training Facility and the Instigator, though the conflict would see much of the jungle explored, the ruins of Ash Citadel being located and replaced with the newly-built Fort Ash, and ultimately, the defection of Sarak Shai to Plagueis and the Taking of Si'Tilk.

Following the Taking, Sigil 2 returned to its former status as a Military training ground; the jungle was no longer entirely unknown, though it was still lethal to leave Si'Tilk or the recently-built Fort Ash without heavy armament. Zones of the planet were further explored, and while some were still uninhabitable, others were tolerable or near to it. After the Fall of Jusadih, Plagueis destroyed all remaining structures and facilities on Sigil 2, leaving the jungle to reclaim the entirety of the planet.

Satellite Description

Relaren

Roughly equivalent to the size of the Earth's moon, the first 'moon' of Sigil 2 is geographically mountainous, in addition to being covered in snow and ice -- completely glacial climate. Several mountain ranges merge into a dormant volcano, Toevarlinli. Recent science studies determine that the volcano will remain dormant for at least the next hundred years. However, a station for collecting thermal energy from the volcano does exist on the moon. Initially, this facility became crowded by refugees and even saw a temporary town established, but the town has since been liquidated and an outpost built around the power station.

Rakmar

Almost equal to the size of Relaren, it is stationed slightly closer to the planet and shares Sigil 2's ability to support life. Heavily forested, with a cool atmosphere, it is prime conditions for a host of deadly creatures that inhabit the uncivilized 'moon.' House Exar Kun abandoned several outposts on the moon, however, and these have been taken over by any number of pirate and smuggler groups, or refugees. Though the Dark Jedi of Plagueis have since ousted these and demolished all outposts except for one listening post, their databanks would have been safe in any instance as House Exar Kun purged them prior to their departure.

Joran

The farthest from Sigil 2, Joran is the third 'moon' of Sigil 2 and is roughly half the size of Relaren. Formerly rocky and possessing next-to-no planet life, it seems that any settlements were wiped out by the aliens and the moon was terraformed completely. Explorations revealed a small contingent of the Dark Crusaders of Yun-Harla upon the moon, overseeing the growth of new starship analogs. These have since been wiped out and destroyed, though the moon continues to shelter an occasional smuggler or pirate; in an effort to prevent this, the JMR has installed a radio tower on the moon to detect transmissions or signals sent near or on its surface. These are relayed back to Rakmar's listening post.

Planet Geography

Nine zones currently form the wasteland of Sigil 2. These have been largely explored and, while some remain unprofitable to explore and colonize, other parts of the world are now being considered for training exercises and even possible habitation in the future. In addition, one quarter of the world is enveloped in plant and animal life; Plagueis holds several facilities therein.

Zone 1

Habitable

Zone 1 is an expanse of terrain on the border of the jungle. It is characterized as a large crater, and is known to be full of treacherous holes and potential hazards, along with a system of tunnels. Initially thought to be the work of wildlife, these aided the Dark Crusaders of Yun-Harla in overwhelming and destroying the PASF before moving on to strike the PATC. Since then, the tunnels have been explored and the region is considered habitable.

Zone 2

Habitable

Zone 2 is a habitable area made up of something of a flattened expanse of what could one day be called plains, perhaps even grasslands in time. It is in this area that a military barracks and training ground is established, due to the wide area for equipment usage. This site was the location of the Battle for the PATC, during which Mograine and Unus Domus fought off forces led by Tavro and Sarak Shai before being relieved by reinforcements from Ballista. Since then, Zone 2's security has been beefed up and the PATC expanded.

Zone 3: The Lava Lake

Semi-habitable

Zone 3 inhabits the area once called the Valley of Death. The alien plasma destroyed the volcanoes around the valley, and their lava bubbled up to form a wide field of it by the end of the bombardment. However, the rains of the planet semi-cooled the surface of what has been called the lava crater in slang terms. Its surface is semi-solid and unstable, and a facility here has often been considered a lost cause. However, thanks to a contract with certain Mustafarian elements, Sistros Acquisitions and Holdings has managed to create a facility for thermal energy extraction and mineral gathering. Zone 3 has since become a boon to the badly-wounded Sistros and the source of power for all Plagueian facilities on-world.

Zone 4

Uninhabitable

Zone 4 appears to have some vestigial ruins from one of the planet’s former cities. At present, it has become clear that the remains of the city are coated in contaminants in many areas, radioactive in others, and full of semi-damaged ordnance or other possible explosives that the bombardment buried or burnt. Some of these have been recorded exploding without warning, and alongside the contamination, Zone 4 is useless for the time being.

Zone 5

Habitable

While Zone 5 is rather rocky and difficult to traverse, its turf is fairly level and its environment is stable, unlike other parts of the planet. One area of Zone 5 has been cleared for the establishment of a runway and flight school for Plagueian forces. Clan Plagueis uses the terrain here as a reliable area for actual and simulated drills in fighter and capital ship operation, and an extension to the facility has seen the possibility of repairs for up to Corvette-sized ships.

Zone 6

Uninhabitable

Destabilized plate tectonics on Sigil 2 in the wake of the enemy bombardment led to a number of plates colliding and receding. This caused the land of Zone 6 to fragment and split, forming deep rents and chasms in the ground in some places, while forcing hills and smaller mountains upward. These factors, combined with occasional earthquake activity in the area, are all that keep Zone 6 from being habitable.

Zone 7

Habitable

Zone 7, near Zone 6, underwent similar transformation into a rocky series of caverns, fissures, and small mountains. However, Zone 7 is stable, and a training facility has been established on one of the larger plateaus for Intelligence Directorate recruits. Those who show themselves to be a cut above the regular soldier and pilot militia will be trained in this area to serve guerrilla and other roles, while Journeymen of Plagueis see some training here to supplement their skills.

Zone 8: The Acid Geysers

Uninhabitable

Zone 8 was the area of a very large, previously untapped source of subterranean water. When the plasma bombardment began, this extensive network of pools and rivers were transformed. Additives of pollution from a nearby city as well as other elements that shifted in changed much of this water into vicious, polluted, and even acidic liquids. These burst out of the ground at random points, though the water from them may be drained off in the future and cleaned. At present, the Zone is entirely uninhabitable.

Zone 9

Uninhabitable

Zone 9 is the nearest zone to habitability. At present, it is positioned near the northern pole of the planet, and the combination of hostile, jagged terrain, unknown climatic events, and sheer drop in temperature mean that this place is simply too cold and unknown to colonize at this time. Due to the capture of the jungle and the ease with which facilities there can hide their secrets, Zone 9 has since been abandoned by House Plagueis to its cold and unpredictable nature.