Talk:Surface

USTA Stellar Factbook: 51 Basis

This entry was compiled in accordance with Article 37(3)(a)(i) of the Syene Convention and has been released as an open source document as part of the Crossdown Accord. The USTA Interstellar Support Information Service and the Intergovernmental Publishing Executive cannot guarantee that this document has not been modified for third party use. Publicly available USTA documentation should only be cited as such if it can be confirmed to have come directly from an approved Office of the Union.

The Union Special Tasks Agency (USTA) is an independent intergovernmental ZOCU agency responsible for providing interstellar security intelligence to senior ZOCU policymakers. The Stellar Factbook is a product of USTA's Information Support Information Service (ISIS) intended to provide a concise, accurate overview of the entities of the Sphere to inform decision making. It has recently been released into the public domain.

Introduction

SUMMARY/

An F-type main sequence star located in the Adriatic Traverse between ZOCU space and the PACT arm. Prior to longshot colonisation it was subject of highly extensive Posthuman investigation; evidence of extensive Precursor presence in the 51 Basis system lends a degree of credence to the 'Adriatic Hypothesis', which suggests that Posthuman discovery of Zoo lead them to believe that the Traverse represents the origin point of Precursor presence in the Sphere. The Adriatic Hypothesis, like all attempts to ascertain the motives of the Posthumans and determine the origins of the Precursors, remains in the domain of conjecture [lolol talk about not wanting to admit that the leeg is right about something].

In the mid-to-late 21st century the Frontier Society, a pro-transhumanism futurist NGO active from 2020, financed a colonisation effort and requested a long-distance FTL boost from the Solar Posthuman collective ['send us somewhere interesting' is just the usual Emberi manifest destiny bullshit. No way Omoikane et al really cared] in 2074. Human settlement took place on and is now centred around the fifth moon of the second planet: Surface. An initially more traditional system of governance periodically gave way to more experimental forms of direct democracy, culminating in the consensus anarchy known as the Emberi. Auspicious resources and positioning in the Traverse allowed it to rise as a major technological and trading power, and a leading star amongst the independent polities of the Traverse. Details regarding the state of 51 Basis during the Breakdown are scant. Local technological prowess allowed for minimal contact along the Traverse, but major trading partners were unreachable. Despite the trade contraction the economic impact was substantially less than financial modeling suggests would be normal. It is accepted that the probably cause is Posthuman interference of some kind. Emberi sources refer to the Apotheosis Event that took place during the Breakdown, which entailed direct intervention by and cooperation with the Posthuman Olympic. The exact details of the Apotheosis Event are for outsiders mostly in the realm of speculation, but it is known that some 2 million Emberek died and that the shape of society on Surface was finalised.

51 Basis' strategic positioning in the Traverse lead to difficulties during the Second Pacific War [its the ZODIAC war spacenoids and WE WON IT][god can we get one factbook article that doesnt have this Remember Crossdown crying eagle crap in it][Maybe if there were less PC Zoc sympathisers in this university.][Oh here come the hawks all scurrying out of the woodwork beating their ploughshares into swords]+++This section locked from further community edits+++ despite an initial position of neutrality. Considerable reserves of dust, advanced applied sciences and a professional, all-transgene military made it an attractive partner for both ZOCU and PACT. Tensions with both sides eventually escalated into armed conflict and in order to avoid being crushed by a two-front war the Emberi entered into the Adriatic-Zodiac Entente with a number of other Traverse polities. Following the conclusion of the war and the signing of the Armistice, surface has spearheaded the call for a return to neutral independence for Adriatic Traverse, to middling effect. The reopening of interstellar trade has seen the system enjoy strong economic growth, an influx of immigration and a more outward looking political culture. As of 2195, the Entente is beginning to lapse.

Astrography

LOCATION/

Coreward within the Adriatic Traverse.