The
information surveyed and transmitted by the Bounty Hunters initially revealed
that there were indeed planetary bodies in orbit about Solaria. Furthermore,
it was the xenophobic inhabitants of the main planet in the system who were
partly responsible for hiding the system from the entire Galaxy. It was they
who cleverly manipulated the stellar gases and material so as to obscure their
homeworld form view. They accomplished this by adapting a primitive network
of gravity well generators and tractor beams to the task of holding this stellar
material together and causing it orbit Solaria in such a way that no one 'inside'
the Galaxy would be able to see their planet.
The Fleet
Commander has also recently authorized several structures be erected in
New Imperial City, located on the western continent of New Laconica. New
Imperial City will be based upon the architecture of Imperial Center on
Coruscant. Several of the Emperor's lower level Imperial architects have
been found, rescued from Coruscant and now reside planetside. Within this
new marvel of Imperial engineering has been constructed the High Court of
the Inquisitors, an Imperial Academy to internally train our military forces,
the Fleet Commander's Palace and a new, highly complex Command Complex to
be stationed in orbit in the retrofitted Torpedo Sphere, Empress Teta. In
addition, millions of support personnel have been moved into the city which
not only boosted the local economy but also provided the funding for construction
of new libraries, eateries, theaters, coliseums, plazas, corporate centers
and COMPNOR reeducation centers...Aurora has become a shining beacon of
Imperial might, wisdom and education throughout the Outer Rim Territories...
construction is nearly complete and the entire Aurora System is bustling
with literally thousands of incoming and outgoing transports, freighters,
tugs and their military escorts.
Due to
the ever-present threat of the Rebellion in the Outer Rim, the Grand Admiral
still requires that all military personnel serve extended tours of 3 to
5 years in space duty. Thus, the Fleet Command and associated command staff
will remain on board the SSSD Sovereign rather than transfer to Aurora Prime...
The Emperor's
Hammer recently conquered the Aurora System. Despite some initial objections
from the Auroran High Council (which was subsequently "disbanded" in a series
of covert bounty hunter missions), the Emperor's Hammer has swiftly and
fully assimilated this world and claimed it as its "homeworld". With the
arrival of the Hammer and its millions of supporters, technicians, families
and followers, Aurora Prime (as the only habitable planet in-system is now
referred to by the Imperials), has seen a remarkable increase in both colonization,
technological upgrades and tourism planet-wide...Many Auroran natives have
made immense fortunes already...muting most Auroran resistance to the Imperials.
Much open land is available planetside for Emperor's Hammer personnel and
their families, despite the debates raging among some younger Auroran nationals
and environmentalists. It is rumored that Grand Admiral Ronin will soon
announce that ALL Imperial Military personnel will be guaranteed an allotment
of land on Aurora, provided their full term of service is successfully performed.
Solaria
is a red dwarf star, located on the far-most echelon of stars of the Outer
Rim region. It has the distinction of being the furthest star in this sector
from the Galactic center. The small, but vibrant star occasionally (approximately
once per Imperial Standard annum) undergoes "sunstorms," as the Aurorans
call them. Miniature bursts of relatively harmless solar energy that permeate
the system with willowing clouds of fast-moving, low-radiation plasma and
visible light being reflected and refracted off the stellar dust formations.
From the newly constructed spires of New Imperial City, these rare storms
are a wonder to behold. Vast, overwhelming 'waves' of red and yellow light
crossing the horizon. Native Auroran religious dogma places a great emphasis
on these annual events...Some have linked the arrival of the last sunstorm,
the largest and grandest ever recorded in Auroran history, with the arrival
of the Imperials...
The last
recorded mention of the star in the Imperial Survey Corps Database, prior
to the arrival of the Emperor's Hammer, appears in an Imperial communications
log. A stray TIE recon fighter had to be rescued after a minor skirmish
with a rebel flight. The pilot used Solaria as a marker for his coordinates.
Other than this one mention, the star had been only casually observed from
a distance.
Solaria
has only one planet in orbit, Aurora (now referred to as Aurora Prime),
which was only recently discovered by the Imperium. The planet of
Aurora is a rather old, tectonically stable world. It was comparatively
underpopulated prior to the arrival of the resource-hungry Imperials, but
is still quite rich in natural resources. Recent Imperial colonization is
growing exponentially and resources may soon be depleted on this world,
forcing increased imports of basic foodstuffs. Aurora has an advanced, native
civilization despite its seclusion from the rest of the Galaxy. The humanoid
population is apparently heavily augmented by droids of radical design.
Half of its surface is covered by water. There are only two land masses
which are connected to each other by a wide land bridge, which is thought
to be artificial.
Aurora's
land is lushly covered in vegetation, and the population centers are small,
well ordered and do not seem to adversely impact their surroundings. It
is clear that the Aurorans have spent most of their time and genius on perfecting
a quality of life for themselves. Their expertise in droid design, their
work with gravity well generators and their control of their environment
are evidence of this. In addition, most of the larger, surviving factories
are located off world in orbiting Platforms.
Their
military capability however, had suffered as a result. They had to rely
on a small supply of outdated, obsolete fighting craft bought from a few
trusted black market traders. Since they've not seen war for more than a
standard century (an historic large scale Auroran Civil War), they had amassed
a large defensive force over time. This lack of wartime experience was a
liability when this force met the Emperor's Hammer Strike Fleet in combat
and resulted in the quick defeat of the Auroran Defense Forces.
At any
given time, 10 to 15 standard Imperial garrisons are stationed along key
trade routes and within major population centers by the Emperor's Hammer
Strike Fleet on Aurora Prime. The sight of dozens of AT-ATs and AT-STs rumbling
across the less populated, backlands of Aurora searching for Auroran nationalists
and environmentalists is a common one. Three full Divisions of Stormtroopers
have been barracked in the major population centers of New Imperial City,
Europa and Biblis. In addition, an Imperial Army Group, the Auroran Home
Guard BattleGroup, and the Dark Jedi of Clan Alvaak defend the Aurora System
from ANY intruders.
Although
the Aurorans have essentially been allowed to maintain their daily routines,
the Auroran High Council has been disbanded by the Fleet Commander and an
Imperial Planetary Governor from the Directorate installed. Despite the
pervasive Imperial presence, the Aurorans seem to have adjusted to their
new situation, since to do otherwise would be hopeless against the massed
firepower of the Emperor's Hammer Fleet.
Aurora
has one natural moon, named Eos. Eos is significantly smaller than Aurora,
but rich in ore deposits. It was formerly home to Auroran colonists, manufacturing
and military facilities. Eos is now an extremely heavily garrisoned world
since Eos is now home to the recently constructed Dark Hall of the Dark
Jedi Brotherhood. Their watchful eye ever present high above the Auroran
night sky...
The Dark
Hall has been completed, and it's construction is a marvel of Imperial Engineering.
The Hall itself, that is the Grand Master's Audience Chamber and the Main
Auditorium, are located on the surface of the moon of Eos. The Dark Hall
then burrows into the moon itself, with the Private chambers of the Grand
Master and training area for the Dark Jedi being located at the center.
(see the Dark Side Compendium for a full description and detailed pictures
of the of the Dark Hall).
Platforms
are of three basic types, Civilian, Industrial and Defense. The civilian
platforms are pleasant colonies. The inhabitants are mostly native Aurorans,
supplemented of course with their ever-present humaniform droids. Most of
these temporary residents are on some sort of sabbatical or extended holiday.
It is rumored that the average platform dweller has been off world for no
more than 5 standard years.
The Defense
platforms were obviously intended to thwart an external invasion of the
system. For all of the peace this system has seen, its inhabitants were
surprisingly paranoid. Unfortunately for them, their paranoia is matched
by their naiveté concerning the Galaxy before them. Despite their obsession
with military preparedness, they had no inkling of the power that would
be arrayed against them when the Hammer came. The surviving former Defense
Platforms now serve the emaciated Auroran Defense Force in its limited police
role allowed it under the ever watchful eye of the Imperial Navy.
Factories
are situated off world so as to limit the impact of their presence on the
planetary environment. There are military, consumer and scientific oriented
facilities among their number. Several Emperor's Hammer Corporations have
also sought contracts to construct Platforms in the Aurora System due to
the ease of access to the Fleet (especially the Triad) and its market demands...
