Aurigan System
And in its darkest hour, Man's last chariot finally found its charioteer.
The Aurigan System is the gravitationally bound system of Auriga and the objects that orbit it. Of the bodies that orbit Auriga directly, the largest are the two gas and ice giants and the three terrestrial planets, followed by a large number of dwarf planets and innumerable small astronomical bodies. Of the bodies that orbit Auriga indirectly—the natural satellites—two are larger than Luteria, the largest dwarf planet, but none are remotely as large as the smallest terrestrial planet.
The Aurigan system formed about 4.4 billion years ago, making it rather young compared to other systems in the Elysian Star Cluster. It was also the first to be settled by human civilization after the Solar System, making it the de-facto new home of the human race. Auriga's most important planet is, by far, the class V world of Vesta, the new homeworld of humanity and the beating heart of the Vestan Federation. As a result, Auriga is the foremost economic and cultural force of Elysium, as well as its most populous system with more than 500 million inhabitants.
History
Early history
The Aurigan system was initially discovered by the UNS Ulysses some three hundred years before its arrival, with early scans indicating a potentially habitable world. As the Ulysses closed the distance, ever slowly reducing its speed, its scans became more and more accurate, providing a complete cartography of the system and its astronomical bodies when it arrived in year 0. After the colonization of Vesta, astronomers began to study the Ulysses' data and established their own observatories to pursue their analysis.
It wasn't until the early 110s that expeditions began to explore and survey the system's bodies for raw resources. From there, colonization and industrialization of the system grew exponentially, reaching its apex in the 130s. This expansion culminated in Operation Hades, which stabilized the system's trade routes and removed much of the dangers caused by pirates and other outlaws. Growth eventually slowed after 169, with the colonization of Asteria taking much of the expansion efforts, and nearly came to a stop in the aftermath of the Interstellar War.
4.426 billion years
Total population
556 328 788 (382 est.)
Nations
Vestan Federation
Non-Aligned Nomad Fleets
Known Planets
Styx
Vesta
Atalanta
Cardea
Stannus
Recent history
After the war, MINERVA struggled to maintain control over its territory, as mass protests and riots erupted throughout the system. For more than a decade, corporations and national institutions alike suffered tremendous backlash, severely limiting global trade and even leading to many communities outright leaving the system to form their own nations. Still, peace and prosperity eventually returned to the Aurigan system. With a stable and self-sufficient economy, industry and agriculture, the newly-founded Vestan Federation remained somewhat stagnant for the next century, slowly healing from the war and its consequences.
Sixty years after the war, the Asterian Restoration Initiative led to a slow but long awaited growth of industrial and technological capabilities. This optimistic goal also united the Federation behind a singular task, a feat that decades of political debate failed to do before. Asteria's restoration also led to a significant emigration towards the new planet, as promises of cheap real estate and abundant ressources attracted families and corporations alike. This trend continued up to this day, with trade between the Aurigan and the Ceryx systems representing a significant portion of all Vestan exports and imports.
Major astronomical bodies
Styx
Vesta
Styx is a bleak and desolate class II world and the closest planet to Auriga. Due to its extreme surface temperatures and radiation levels, it remains untouched by human civilization, although several probes were sent for scientific exploration. Recent proposals suggested to use it as a "dumping ground" for industrial wastes that proved to be difficult to process, but such proposals have yet to be accepted.
Vesta is a lush class V world and the second planet from Auriga. It is a continental world similar to prehistoric Earth in both geology and biosphere, with abundant fertile lands and large oceans. It is by far the most important planet in Auriga and in all of Elysium, acting as the heart of human civilization. Its ecosystem is also fiercely guarded by numerous NGOs, making it relatively unscathed by mass industrialization and urbanization.
Atalanta
2 Luteria
Third planet from Auriga, Atalanta is a class III planet found to be rich in rare metals and other minerals. Despite its thin atmosphere and low gravity, Atalanta has relatively manageable surface conditions for its various settlements, facilities and testing grounds. It remains, however, a dangerous place due to frequent dust storms and extreme wind speeds.
Luteria is a class III dwarf planet and the largest astronomical body in the system's asteroid belt, as well as its main supplier of raw materials. Strategically located in a relatively safe orbit, it is a major trading hub, supply station as well as a military and civilian shipyard.
7 Sowings
Cardea
Sowings is the second class III dwarf planet within the system's asteroid belt. It is home to numerous mining corporations as well as vast hydroponic farms, utilizing the planet's unique soil composition and orbit. While not as important as Luteria, it remains a local hub for mining ships and various trade routes.
Cardea is the fourth planet from Auriga and the largest astronomical body in the system. Its mass and size dwarf all other planets in the system combined, coming at nearly 340 times the mass of Vesta and 12 times as large. Cardea is a gas giant primarily made of hydrogen and helium, with numerous moons surrounding it. This make it one of the most strategic locations of the system, serving as a vital fuel supply and military base.
Stannus
Stannus is the fifth and farthest planet of the Aurigan system. It is the second largest by diameter and mass, coming at about 16 times as massive and 4 times as large as Vesta. Stannus is an ice giant primarily composed of oxygen and carbon, forming a dense structure of supercritical fluids and gases. Due to its position, it is orbited by several observation stations as well as a military base established on one of its moons, but it otherwise unexploited.
Comments