Formerly home of Battleteam Devil's Shroud, Myrmidon is the current base of operations for the ground forces of Shar Dakhan's Armed Forces, located deep within the jungles of Aeotheran.
History
Myrmidon was originally thought up by Marcus Kiriyu and Daedric Turelles who, at the time, were displeased with the lofty direction that Devil's Shroud had been taking by occupying Sky City as its base of operations, rather than being true to its roots as a swoop gang. Allocating the available resources and pulling inspiration from its members in the planning phase, Kiriyu and Turelles made a formal proposal to relocate the Battle Team to a remote location on Aeotheran, already the home planet of House Shar Dakhan. The plan was approved and they began preparations, but would be stopped short when Marcus was promoted to the position of Rollmaster for Clan Naga Sadow. With the project's momentum lost, much of the initial work and population was forgotten in Aeotheran's jungles.
When Devil's Shroud fell under the leadership of Bentre Stahoes, the half-constructed town remain largely untouched. This environment fostered dissent amongst a pocket of the already small population who began to see themselves as the rightful heirs to the land (although the near-extinct Ekind would have been the only ones to be able to make a truthful claim as such). This developed into a heated but isolated incident that saw the insurgency fall under the banner of a supposedly Zeltron woman by the name of Chelidon. Stahoes called upon allies in Sapphire Squadron to assist in putting down the insurrection - particularly Scarlet, the Squadron's Battle Team Leader at the time - as well as Lexiconus Qor and Macron Goura Sadow. The allied forces obliterated the insurgency and razed much of the settlement in the process before departing, once again leaving Myrmidon's remaining populace isolated in the jungle.
During this time, Myrmidon would gradually stabilize itself, with the remaining population augmented by the occasional retiring spacer or frontier settler. Supply for the aggregated races and professions that found themselves there was largely subsistence farming through aeroponic gardens housed in the prefabricated structures that remained after the Chelidon incident. However, with so few hands to maintain what was still a proportionately large settlement, many buildings on the fringes were abandoned to be reclaimed by jungle foliage, along with a great deal of construction equipment.
In 34 ABY, stewardship of Devil's Shroud would fall to Qyreia Arronen who, late in her tenure as Battle Team Leader, discovered information on the isolated village. She had only barely been able to make contact with the inhabitants and, upon arrival, was struck by the dilapidated yet self-sustained and relaxed environment she found, including the intended starport that had developed no further than a cleared grass field. A retired human spacer, Rhess Junipyr, was the accepted authority figure, and initially offered resistance at the return of the organization that had previously destroyed and twice-forgotten the Myrmidon project. Opinions and the physical state of the village quickly changed, as Arronen worked tirelessly to bring new life into the area. In a matter of months, the jungle was cleared away from the abandoned structures and equipment, the starport was constructed, and the small town was transformed into what would become a small city. Qyreia would punctuate the end of her role as Battle Team Leader with the construction of a small fortified headquarters complex - the Shrouded Redoubt - before handing civilian control of the growing population to Rhess, on the stipulation that the human maintain the self-sufficiency and peaceful culture that it had been found in.
Following the return to Aeotheran by House Shar Dakhan in 38 ABY, Quaestor Malisane Sadow decided that Myrmidon would be a suitable location for the House ground forces, and begun to expand and develop the facility for this purpose.
Description
Layout
Diagram of the pre-fabricated apartments that comprise most of the city's structures
Myrmidon is much changed since its original inception. Located in the middle of one of Aeotheran's largest continents, the city is isolated and largely land-locked, save for small nearby rivers and streams. Laid out in a large square, the city is divided into three distinct sectors. Comprising the entire northern side of the area is the starport, which supplies transit for settlers, additional construction materiel, and the availability of trade. The southern sector maintains the main body of residential and commercial structures, as well as housing and headquarters. The eight residential and commercial blocs are arrayed in a radial pattern, following a street pattern designed with simplicity and efficiency in mind, while the main avenues provide clear line of sight to and from the centrally-located headquarters sector. This sector is used for accommodation for the House military and support personnel - individual homes over the larger apartment structures of the residential district(s) - with the Shrouded Redoubt in the center providing a headquarters as well as a small, ASF prescence.
Outside the main body of the settlement are a series of small outposts located on the woodland fringes. Manned by small security teams and civilians alike, they provide protection from the wildlife of the jungle that surrounds the city, maintaining a wide, open "safe zone." This area contains small commercial enterprises as well, including logging companies which prevent natural land reclamation, and wildlife tours for the rare tourist or educational trip.
Key Locations
Shrouded Redoubt
Largely constructed of reinforced permacrete, the headquarters is a small, enclosed complex, surrounded by a large wall. The six meter tall perimeter slopes for half of its height, providing protection from direct-fire weaponry, as well as preventing armored vehicles from simply battering their way through by reducing their momentum and deflection angle. The interior houses an armory, training ground with small firing ranges, barracks, and the "bastion" that serves as a defensive tower as well as administrative building for the army and local Aeotheran Security Force. The commander's office offers a commanding view toward the starport, but is otherwise spartan in décor: a simple desk, comfortable office chair, and stiff interview sofa provide human furnishing; while a large shelving unit provides storage for files and personal effects. Arronen said of the conditions, "It's an office, not a penthouse," and made clear intention that it should remain as such.
Starport
The starport is the primary lifeline to the outside world and galaxy at large. While it has no formal name as yet, it is large enough to maintain traffic and landing surface for dozens of spacecraft, from small shuttles and starfighters to large freighters and some smaller capital-grade ships, such as corvettes and frigates. Two reinforced towers provide traffic control for the incoming and outgoing craft, while their transmitters also double as the main communications array for Myrmidon. Operations are considered thorough and safe, although military security is weak when compared to the Redoubt sector of the city.
Economy
Much of the economic profit in Myrmidon comes from exportation of wood gathered from the ever-encroaching jungle that borders every side of the city. The rich, dark wood varies in quality, but generally provides a fair profit. Likewise, the heavy presence of untamed nature attracts a sliver of tourism that caters to jungle safaris. As the city was built to be self-sufficient in food and water, excess crops are used to create luxury items that are sold within the settlement or exported to other sites on Aeotheran; this includes products like alcohol, linen, and a limited amount of grains. However, these agri-products account for the smallest amount of revenue. As the population grows, so too does the availability of work in fields like education, skilled crafts, security, and transportation.
Population
Due to its recent history, Myrmidon has become home to a wide variety of the races that inhabit the galaxy. The predominant species are humans, making up at least fifty percent of the population. The next largest body is comprised of Ugnaughts, who trade their exceptional engineering skills for living space - an arrangement that is thoroughly honored and protected by the city's leadership and settled populace. An amalgam of other aliens rounds out the demographic, to include but are not limited to: Bothans, Duros, Rodians, Twi'leks, et cetera. By the time the city was inaugurated as fully active, the population influx had stabilized at around fifteen thousand (15,000), although urban planning estimates place population capacity upward of twenty five thousand (25,000), with the possibility to create additional city sectors following the same model should capacity be exceeded.
Key People
Rhess Junipyr
Described as a nominally attractive older human female, Rhess came to Myrmidon just prior to the Chelidon incident. Her long, brown-streaked blonde hair is often pulled into a ponytail, making her look more youthful than the near-fifty years she has accumulated. Prior to settling, Rhess was a trader and smuggler of the toughest sort who placed her welfare and that of the people under her care above all else. After years of the harsh life, the spacer moved to Aeotheran on the premise of a quiet retirement in the secluded town that Myrmidon was supposed to be. Due to her care for those around her however, she became the voice of the people, bringing many of the citizens' concerns to the attention of Brotherhood personnel; this was largely alongside Qyreia, for whom she held a friendly respect as a fellow spacer and smuggler. Rhess currently holds the title of Speaker of Myrmidon, equivalent to a mayor, with an entire council that handles civil affairs within the city.
Igg
As the elected ufflor representative, Igg is the public face of the Ugnaught presence within Myrmidon. A master engineer in his own right, his efforts greatly aided in the construction of the city, reducing what would have been a year-long project down to a matter of months. He also provided a great deal of advice and suggestion to Arronen when planning specific projects such as the Shrouded Redoubt and the starport. The Ugnaught and others of his kind have grown a great deal of respect for Devil's Shroud thanks to their recent dealings, as they are given equal respect and reward for their monumental efforts in building and maintaining the city's operations.