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| Sigil 2: Aerun
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Core Worlds
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Jusadih System
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Sigil
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Three
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320 Days
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Breathable
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Humid
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1.26 Factors
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Varied
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Aerunian (Extinct)
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Human
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Basic
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900,000
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All Destroyed
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Military Equipment and Personnel
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None
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Clan Plagueis, House Exar Kun
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Sigil 2 was the former home of House Exar Kun, 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 during the Vong War, in which its surface was reduced to molten slag and then partially terraformed by the Yuuzhan Vong during their Incursion. The planet is composed of a wasteland split into nine Zones as well as a Force-dead Vong jungle encompassing approximately one quarter of the planet's terrain. The hazards of wasteland and alien jungle alike make the planet excellent for training the various armed forces of House Plagueis.
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 Vong 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 Vong biots, 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, Vongforming 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 biots 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, Vongforming began. The advanced terraforming saw a quarter of the planet changed into Force-dead jungle before the Yuuzhan Vong abandoned Jusadih to aid in the taking of Coruscant.
Sigil 2 was initially quarantined by the Feudal governments of Jusadih and Clan Plagueis as the Vongforming stopped, both in an effort to stop any escaping Yuuzhan Vong 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 Vong 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 Vongformed jungle and based out of Si'Tilk and other pockets of strange civilization, Yuuzhan Vong 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 Vongformed 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.
Since the Taking, Sigil 2 has returned to its former status as a Military training ground and has even increased in its capabilities; the Vongformed jungle is no longer entirely unknown, though it is still lethal to leave Si'Tilk or the recently-built Fort Ash without heavy armament. Zones of the planet have been further explored, and while some are still uninhabitable, others are now tolerable or near to it.
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 Vong and the moon was Vongformed 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 Vongformed plant and animal life; Plagueis holds several facilities therein.
Zone 1
Habitable
Zone 1 is an expanse of terrain on the border of the Vong 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 Vong 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 Vong 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 Vongformed 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.
Facilities
Plagueis Army Training Center
The Plagueis Army Training Center, or PATC.
Located in Zone 2, one finds the PATC. It is here that the soldiers of Plagueis are trained to be lethal killing machines and indoctrinated into complete loyalty toward Plagueian Dark Jedi. The facility is housed around a large bunker, whose tunnels below and automated defenses mean a siege of the complex would be quite protracted without the element of surprise. This bunker operates as the center of command for the PATC.
East of the bunker is a barracks facility, originally quite small but since tripled in size to accomodate many soldiers. This now contains an interior refresher complex to replace the rough showers of past years, while also holding supply rooms, a basic medical room, and a mess hall to keep soldiers well-fed, well-provisioned, and properly attired at all times. The bunker has recently recieved a secondary level, reached by ladders and steps that can be detached if necessary; lined with E-Web blaster cannons, this section can act as a garrison for trapped soldiers should they be overwhelmed, much like what happened during the Taking of Si'Tilk.
On the west side of the bunker can be found a vehicle garage with an attached armory and a landing pad atop the roof. This is the store of weaponry used in training and defense of the PATC, and while substantial enough to hold the facility, it's not meant for launching any attacks. The garage holds anything from AT-ST walkers to T4-B tanks and has a few units always ready for rapid deployment, though most are used to train soldiers in their maintenance, operation, and armament.
Since the near-capture of this facility, it has seen three scout towers and several turret emplacements built to defend it. It has also seen its old chain-link fencing replaced by a thick durasteel wall, twenty feet in height.
Plagueis Naval Academy
Located in Zone 5, the PNA is a facility comprised internally of facilities for training pilots and sophisticated training equipment for drills in fighter and capital ship combat. The compound itself is a fairly large structure, seemingly one oddly-formed building but in reality comprised of many attached modules. Attached to the top of the building is a concussion missile launcher, placed to stop attacking fighters long enough for the fighters to get into the air. It is aided by a turbolaser battery and an ion cannon, both operated from within the structure. Also outside the building is a landing pad, always occupied by fighters used by the Military Regime; these are used to train recruits, but also to defend the facility if necessary.
The largest module of the academy is the living quarters. Rectangular in shape, these are much nicer than those of the rank-and-file military, consisting of small, cubicle-like rooms around bunks and enclosed showers, as well as allowing personal possessions in rooms. Also, on the floor beneath the rooms is a dining hall, where food of moderate quality is cooked for aspiring naval personnel. Attached to the living quarters is a smaller fighter training module, where recruits can go either by instruction or for downtime to practice their piloting skills. Also held here is a large storage of TIE pilot equipment, such as blaster pistols and flight suits.
The next module, larger than the training module yet smaller than the living quarters, is a garage for fighters in need of repair. Here, Plagueis technicians keep spare parts, extra munitions, and other equipment for the repair and maintenance of starfighters. The staff of this area are newer pilot recruits, mandatory staff, droids, and any recruit serving penance for disobeying a commanding officer. Above the garage module of the naval academy is the command office. Very small, this is where the leaders of the Naval Command coordinate the academy and other matters of the Navy on Sigil 2. It should be noted that the windows of the command office are all ejectable via explosives, should the people within need MAAT extraction or the Dark Jedi within simply need to jump out.
A pair of communications towers finish off the facility, recieving info from Si'Tilk and Fort Ash as well as the moon Rakmar and the tower on Joran. Finally, these towers handle any communications from starships onworld and serve as a relay point for Summit transmissions.
Plagueis Special Operations Facility
Located in Zone 7, this facility is placed atop one of the larger plateaus in the Zone. The PSOF is, in itself, rather minimalist, consisting of small areas for equipment and supply storage as well as a simplistic bunk area for those few specially-trained recruits that make their way here. While it is a minimalist structure, it is streamlined for efficiency.
Appearing to be one large bunker, the facility is divided into five sections, each for its own purpose. The north section is the bunks, a room of beds built into small indents in the walls. Each bunk consists of a sleeping pallet and a drawer for possessions, kept small and mostly empty by Special Forces.
File:Plagspecop.jpgThe section immediately west of the bunks serves as an armory. Here, one can find various combat lockers and containers holding varieties of specialized weaponry never used by the typical rank-and-file grunts, as well as standard equipment for more general usage. Also held in the armory are the various suits that Special Forces use in battle, depending on the situation.
The eastern section is the mess hall. Here, food is prepared to deliver maximum nutrition while not wasting anything or being overly unhealthy. As such, food here is typically tasteless, and the Special Forces tend to regulate eating times along with everything else.
The south-eastern section of this area is the practice room. Here, recruits into the Special Forces are typically drilled on combat, both armed and unarmed. In between exercises, the Special Forces commonly spar here, as it gives them something to do besides merely sitting around and waiting for things to happen. As most exercises are kept outside, in the gorges and canyons of Zone 7, this room is either for recreational sparring or for the greener recruits of the Special Forces.
The south-western section of the facility is a bathing facility kept minimal to the last. Special Forces have five standard minutes of hot water to clean themselves before the shower shuts off, and a retinal scanner ensures that the same recruit uses the showers once a day. Also, special disinfectant showers are necessary for whenever the recruits discover a new area or venture into the jungle.
The final and most-hidden aspect of the facility is a small shield generator that encompasses the facility and surrounding area in an anti-bombardment shield. This makes a ground assault necessary for the enemy in the event of an attack, using the unpredictable terrain as a two-pronged attack on the enemy. Heavy equipment and machinery becomes useless, while the Special Forces that call the terrain home use their home field advantage to kill enemies with guerrilla tactics.
Fort Ash
- Main article: [[Fort Ash|Fort Ash]]
Established during the Taking of Si'Tilk as a prefabricated staging point for military operations, Fort Ash was founded atop the ruins of Ash Citadel after any large chunks were carted off to be analyzed and any remains were properly dealt with. The initial complex was surrounded by temporary chain-link fencing as a command, barracks, communications, and medical tent were put up around the edges of the facility. The center of the facility was left clear for landing ships and troop transports; it has since been replaced by a proper landing pad.
Fort Ash, founded during an operation led by Furios, has since seen its tents removed and proper facilities built in their place. The command center now houses communications equipment as well as strategic displays and briefing rooms for any Dark Jedi or Military officers present, while the Barracks has been expanded to match that of the PATC; normal staffing sees it at one third capacity, but its bulk is designed to accommodate task forces for any missions in the jungle.
A medical facility occupies a third part of the compound as the Vongformed jungle is a lethal place, while a large sniper tower houses a backup communications array and a platform for scouts and snipers to identify threats to the facility. Finally, a thirty-foot wall surrounds the facility, with blaster cannons on each corner to take down any assaults from fauna or other forces and a small anti-air battery to take care of any grutchins or flying biots nearby.
Si'Tilk
- Main article: [[Si'Tilk|Si'Tilk]]
Grown by the Yuuzhan Vong and occupied by the Dark Crusaders of Yun-Harla before their dissolution, Si'Tilk was grown on the approximate site of the former Diadem Fortress. Its main bulk is a huge organic complex, with smaller damuteks growing out of the ground around it. Large, fleshy mounds remain from where plasma cannons had been grafted together; some of these have been removed because of damage and replaced by durasteel framework, while others have simply been topped with blaster cannons. The damuteks have been repurposed to be an armory, a medical facility, a communications room, and several other minor facilities; the main complex's secondary level is now a command center, while its upper level houses troops. The basement, formerly containing a yammosk, has been sterilized and sealed off.
The initial defenses of the base also included much smaller variants of dread weapons, created, like much of the Crusaders' technology, against Shaper protocols. These would hide within the ground and crush or devour any assailants, though heavy bombardment killed them and their corpses were since removed. A trench remains from every row of these; while simply a scar of their passing, some of these can be used by soldiers to defend the base.
Finally, a twenty-foot wall now encompasses Si'Tilk; this is a precautionary measure, as during the Battle for Si'Tilk, Plagueian forces had to contend with reinforcements pouring in from the jungle at several intervals. As some feral Thralls and biots remain, the Summit is not taking any chances.
Landmarks
City Ruins
While at present we do not know which city this is due to the shifting of the planet’s surface in the wake of the Vong’s evacuation, the ruins within Zone 4 are definitely still somewhat intact and are notable as a landmark both in the Force and on satellite photography.
Giant Yorik Spire
Originally believed to be an accident, the Giant Yorik Spire was found to originally have been the body for a ship analog. However, it was modified after the desertion of the Yuuzhan Vong to be a much larger biot, complete with thousands of weaponry emplacements and innumerable operating systems. Intended as a sort of transport vessel to carry the Crusaders to Joran and a new fleet, this vessel caused serious problems for the Plagueian fleet and Dark Council contingent until it went dark on the death of the yammosk in Si'Tilk. Since the Taking, the Spire has been thoroughly explored and anything living inside of it has been neutralized.
Di Plagia Monument
Built in Zone 1, the Di Plagia Monument is a large, square stone base with a statue of the current Consul of Plagueis placed atop of it, with an inscription that reads “The Throne of Diadem will be ours once more”. It is used as a point of reverence by the Jedi and military of Plagueis, as well as a monument to those that died of the initial assault on the planet. Finally, a secret emergency beacon is hidden within the base of the statue. This can be activated as a last-ditch effort, should all else fail in defending the planet.
Remains of the PASF
The first act of the Taking of Si'Tilk was the covert elimination of PASF; the automated facility once kept a steady eye on the jungle, while also relaying data to the Summit and stopping the spread of flora and fauna beyond regulated limits. However, with the establishment of Fort Ash, the conquering of Si'Tilk, and the overt destruction of any vital information inside the PASF, its remains were left without repair or refit as they had become obsolete.
Political Outlook
Sigil 2 is at present deemed as “Planetary Quarantine” by Plagueian political leaders in Jusadih. No unauthorized presence is allowed on the world’s surface and all unauthorized vessels in orbit around the planet are detained or shot down. However, it is secretly used by Plagueis for indoctrinating its soldiers for complete loyalty. As such, few outside the Dark Jedi and the Military know of Sigil 2's purpose, those either dead or locked deep within Tyr Prison on Morroth for a life sentence of solitary confinement. This lends the image that the Military of Jusadih isn't trained; it just occurs. Naturally, conspiracy theories have sprung up about cloning or mercenary involvement, but thanks to the Directorate's little nudges, those theories usually stray far from the planet's true purpose.
Military Presence
In contrast to the scant politics, the training purpose of Sigil 2 is the backbone of Plagueis' military; were it lost, they would have to re-establish large training facilities on other planets in the system. The military here is trained to be completely loyal, skilled enough to be highly deadly, and since the Taking of Si'Tilk, always ready to engage in combat.
Since events like the War of Ascension have long passed and the system of Jusadih has again become stable, Sigil 2's purpose as a staging point is less-significant. It is still a vital asset for training and a good muster point, but the JMR is now firmly rooted within the system. Recruitment centers exist on every inhabited planet and bases and outposts have been erected everywhere. While it would be crippling to lose the planet, they no longer need to rely entirely on it for large-scale support.