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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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18 Hours
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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 Personel
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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. It was once engulfed in ice, however, much like Kapsina it underwent massive environmental change and was transformed into a moderately temperate climate. The planet is composed of six continents: Tesh-Relin, Decaria, Erineth, Barridon, Kelimar and Nyo. The various terrain types provided by the continents serve as an excellent training ground for Plagueis' ground forces.
During the Eighth Great Jedi War, Sigil 2 was reduced to little more than a barren wasteland. Bombed by the Yuuzhan Vong, all of the major cities and structures on the surface were destroyed and a quarter was terraformed to the invaders’ liking. The once great symbols of Exar Kun, Ash Citadel and Diadem Fortress, were also destroyed in the attack, forcing House Exar Kun to take refuge on Kapsina.
History
Sigil 2, formerly known as Aerun, was once a planet of varied climates, possessing a native species called Aerunians which is now extinct. With the invasion of the Yuuzhan Vong into the Jusadih System, Sigil 2 was bombarded mercilessly until its surface was completely obliterated. Its oceans boiled and vaporized as its land mass was reduced to molten waste. As the Vong set down upon its surface, their Vongforming techniques took place over the blackened land that used to be the continent of Decaria, and jungle landscape spread across the ground.
The land had become a mixture of odd valleys, craters, plateaus, and gorges because of the oceans and lakes evaporating and the molten surface and tectonic plates shifting. This landscape became the purchase for many strange and alien life forms, from strange lichens and shrubs to towering trees and spires of yorik coral. This was the case until the Yuuzhan Vong left the system, seeking the Battle of Coruscant. One-fourth of the planet had become a vongformed jungle, spreading outward from the former site of Diadem Fortress.
The land beyond the jungles seems to be little more than a harsh, decimated wasteland. Because of the build-up of vaporized oxygen and hydrogen in the atmosphere, the planet’s first few weeks since the Vong left saw it covered it in powerful storms and tempests. These bombarded the surface with rainwater and harsh winds, letting the planet’s alien jungle grow and swell even more while filling certain gorges and craters outside the wilderness with water swarming in the pollutants left over from the world’s obliteration. Altogether, one who had dwelt on Sigil 2 before the bombardment would swear it was a different world.
The release of hydrogen and oxygen into the atmosphere had a somewhat purifying effect on the atmosphere, disturbing the build-up of greenhouse gases and forcing many of said gases off of the planet. However, without these gasses, Sigil 2’s surface beyond the Vong jungle can be called cold at best. Within the jungles, however, the varied flora and fauna forms a tight-knit, highly humid environment filled with warmth. The strangest fact about the planet’s new surface is that the jungles erected by the Vong have, like their creators, a complete absence in the Force. This has confounded Dark Jedi on the planet, but may help them find places like the ruins of Ash Citadel. In the meantime, the planet is populated only by CP forces, alien life forms, and anyone who may have found their way on-world before Plagueis returned.
The Vongforming of the planet holds unexpected merit and opportunity. Though the surface is destroyed and polluted for the most part, it is anticipated that in time, a natural water cycle will be formed and the surface of the planet will, at least partially, purify itself. This will give Plagueis forces an opportunity to reshape the world, using some restorative technologies in addition to the natural aggressive tendencies of the jungle to spread. Only time will tell.
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 on the world has been converted to a sort of escape area for hundreds of refugees fleeing the Vong attacks, along with other bunkers established on the moon.
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. None know their true purpose except the Dark Jedi, who purged all databases on the moon.
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. Now, it is unknown what may dwell there, though it does seem that the Vong were in the process of growing a colony there, and possibly other things such as starships.
Planet Geography
Nine zones currently form the wasteland of Sigil 2. Only three of these are definitely suitable for long-term habitation and usage, though four others are targets for exploration, their habitability at least possible if not suspected. The final two zones are considered uninhabitable due to harsh conditions, though they may still be explored for short intervals of time.
Zone 1
Under Investigation
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 what seems to be some sort of tunnels formed by an as-yet-unknown species of creature or natural event. However, faint fungal growth on certain rocks is shown in some orbital imaging, giving rise to the thought of possible habitability. At present, an automated facility serves a tri-fold purpose here. It relays information to and from the planet, monitors the Vong jungle, and is being used as a test of habitability and equipment durability in the hostile turf near and within the jungle.
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.
Zone 3
Uninhabitable
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 would, at present, prove to be a loss of equipment and personnel. With innovation, and perhaps Mustafarian technology, Plagueis could possibly set up a facility for thermal energy extraction and the production of materials from the molten elements within the Zone.
Zone 4
Under Investigation
Zone 4 appears to have some vestigial ruins from one of the planet’s former cities. At present, it is unknown what else may have happened when the city’s various industrial and military emplacements may have done to the landscape. However, it is quite possible that clearing of the rubble could allow establishment of a facility in the future.
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.
Zone 6
Under Investigation
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 Special Forces 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.
Zone 8
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, suspected to be Tirik but impossible to confirm with the shifting of the planet’s surface in its molten state and the movement of tectonic plates, as well as other elements that shifted in, changed much of this water into vicious, polluted, and even acidic water. 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
Under Inverstigation
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. With studies of Zone 9’s unknown weather patterns and altered topography, however, it is highly probable that this Zone will soon have a permanent facility, probably for Plagueis Intelligence or top-secret research due to the hostile, unforgiving cold making the area difficult to access without force. However, a crashed ship in the area may be the first signs of potential habitation.
Facilities
Plagueis Army Training Center
Located in Zone 2, the facilities of the PATC are the typical army setup. It is here that the rank-and-file soldiers of the Clan are trained, and it is here that they receive their orders. As many of the soldiers are refugees, this is the place that they call home. The buildings of the compound are surrounded with chain-link fencing.
In the center of the area, a bunker houses the leading members of the ground military forces. This bunker is expanded upon below-ground with a series of tunnels, many of which are under construction. Along with automated defences within and outside of the bunker, soldiers piled into it are thought to be able to fight off an entire enemy army for a few weeks until help arrives.
A large barracks facility has been established, which is housed within fifty feet north of the bunker to enable efficient crossover to the bunker in times of emergency. The barracks are essentially one large warehouse, with a second floor of metallic grating and simplistic bunks built into the walls. A bathing facility is attached on the side of the bunker, housing twenty-five minimalist shower stalls that soldiers cycle into and out of.
About seventy feet west of the bunker is housed the armoury. Another warehouse similar to the barracks, it houses many crates and containers full of munitions and gear. A staff of droids and work officers handles the equipment, and keeps a computer system with a full record of the armoury’s stock and changes to it. In times of danger, there is a secret trap-door hidden beneath a faux grenade crate. Soldiers would sneak munitions into the bunker’s tunnels from it, and it is easily locked down should enemies find it.
Sixty feet east of the bunker is a small landing pad attached to a much larger garage. Within this garage, many vehicles ranging from swoops to combative tanks are housed. The pad is used for incoming shuttles, and the garage’s roof opens to allow troop transports out.
A large space of the field outside the fence is made up of weapon and combat drill sites. It is located to the south of the facility, and is crowned with a large obstacle course. Included is an area for blaster practice, grenade usage, and other forms of combat. It is here that most of a trainee’s time is spent. All drills and the course have small doors which can be opened in times of emergency to allow quick and easy access to the compound.
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. Genuine fighter-to-fighter drills are held over the rocky, difficult-to-traverse terrain of Zone 5.
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.
Attached to the outside of the building on the left side is a fairly large landing pad. This houses TIE fighters of various makes, used in training exercises and the defence of the academy should it come under attack. The TIE is used here mainly because it is cheap and quickly produced, should they be destroyed.
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. Housed within this place are a number of simulators that allow recruits to experience dogfighting without risking their lives in a pointless drill. 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.
Another module of the naval academy is the command office. Very small, this is where the leaders of the Plagueis Naval Forces coordinate the academy and other matters of the Navy on Sigil 2. It is also here that the Jedi serving the Consul are housed, sending their dark orders to those ignorant to and untrained in the Force.
Finally, the smallest module is a communications tower on the side of the academy. This is maintained by two Naval staff at all times, receiving transmissions from the Summits, other installations, and the PASF.
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.
The section immediately west of the bunks serves as an armoury. 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 armoury 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.
Plagueis Automated Surveillance Facility
The PASF is an entirely automated facility, run by computers and droids. Its mechanisms coordinate with satellites placed in orbit around the planet to store and make sense of the data captured in imagery, which is sent to the Dark Tower via relayed communications on a weekly basis. The facility also uses cameras and other sensory equipment to observe, but not alert, the organisms of the Force-dead Vong jungle.
The PASF is a very small facility. It consists primarily of a communications array, accessible to living staff in times of emergency by way of a crawlspace that leads into the smaller room. Inside, a team of up to five droids consisting usually of astromech droids monitor and control transmissions. A translator unit is usually in this facility to interpret and translate transmissions to basic should they be of alien origin.
The next feature of the facility is a small attachment for observation of the jungle. Using several cameras and sensors, photographs and recordings of the jungle are taken and sent to an analysis team on a weekly basis by the droids running the observatory.
The final feature of the PASF is a repair bay with specialized repair droids that handle any damages to equipment or mechanized staff. In the worst circumstances, the door used to enter is fully useable by sentient organisms to conduct manual maintenance. Like the observatory, the repair bay is linked into the communications array.
Landmarks
Si’Tilk
The abandoned fortress of the Yuuzhan Vong on Sigil 2, Si’Tilk is currently the most remarkable feat of Vong technology on the planet. While most or all of the creatures and plant life on the world’s surface have been Shaped in one way or another, Si’Tilk is an amalgamation of multiple organisms working together to function similarly to a technological facility. It will hopefully be conquered and repurposed by Clan Plagueis.
Ruins of Ash Citadel
While, in theory, the world’s cities and facilities should be molten into the shifted surface of the planet, Ash Citadel was within the range that was soon Vongformed by the Vong. While it has clearly been obliterated, the quickly-stabilized terrain did not melt and shift as the rest of the world did, and satellite photography shows a distortion in the thickness of the jungle. This indicates that something is left, and any well-attuned Jedi on the planet’s surface can feel the screams of agony that paint it as a landmark in the Force among Force-dead flora and fauna. Hopefully, it can be rebuilt.
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
Perhaps as a side-effect of the rain that poured down on Sigil 2 following the bombardment, one spire of yorik coral has grown far larger than others of its kind. However, by the shape of it, it was the beginning of a Yuuzhan Vong ship being produced. Certain observations by orbital photography have shown what seem to be wildlife and plant life growing out of the spire, as well as entering and leaving it, suggesting it may in fact be hollow.
Crash Site
Recent photography of Zone 9 have shown what appears to be a crashed CR90 Corvette, or similar model of ship, protruding from the landscape. The bridge of the ship seems to be pulverized, with the rest of the ship lying on its side in a large crater. It is unknown whether whoever piloted the ship survived, but it is certainly a site for future exploration.
Graveyard of Souls
A slang term used by the military of Plagueis, the Graveyard of Souls refers to an area where Jedi have identified a large number of echoes in the Force, screaming imprints left by an unknown group of dead within the Vong jungle. This could be the last of the former resistance movement on the planet, the ruins of a city, or some other civilization scar. However, it is possible for decently strong Jedi to feel it more than a Zone away from the jungle, and will be studied when it is found.
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.
Strange Settlement
While not populated by the Yuuzhan Vong, smaller, reptilian creatures that appear to be sentient occupy a group of organic structures. Their function and purpose is unknown, but they are definitely organized and working toward a goal. Future investigation is a must, for these may be servants of the Vong left behind.
Political Outlook
Sigil 2 is at present deemed as “Officially restricted” by Plagueian political leaders in Jusadih. No unauthorized presence is allowed on the world’s surface. However, it is secretly used by Plagueis for a number of training and other endeavours that must never reach the eye of the Republic, who still hold a treaty with Jusadih’s new leaders. As such, those outside the Brotherhood that know of Sigil 2’s use are quickly eliminated. Political presence on the system’s “dirty little secret” is strictly minimal, nearly non-existent, ruled only by the scant few Jedi left on the world.
Military Presence
In contrast to the scant politics, the military usage of Sigil 2 is paramount to the success of Clan Plagueis. It is here that the military of the Clan is trained, with only the Intelligence branch of the world left on Kapsina. With the stabilization and habitation of at least some of the Zones under investigation, even this branch will be transferred to Sigil 2. It is within the military that any real political power rests.
While Jedi representatives control the wishes of the Summits, Plagueis military and naval leaders form the de facto rulers of the planet. Military personnel gain standing and importance as they gain rank, ordering their subordinates as if they were in a permanent, though dull, wartime situation. Until more permanent government is established, this is the only command structure on the world.
All military and navy personnel that are not assigned to active duty call this world home, outside of leaves of absence where they are sworn to secrecy. However, this is largely unnecessary as most of the military consists of conscripted refugees of the Vong’s merciless crusade of domination. As such, many of the personnel refuse leaves and call the world their permanent home as they have nowhere else to go.