Centaurus

The Capital of The Commonwealth

Centaurus, officially known as Proxima Centauri b/2, was the first planet to be explored and subsequently colonized by Mankind following their exodus from Earth. Originally a lifeless, rocky world with abnormally high gravity, the discovery of the world-changing Crash Site Apollyon set off a chain of events that lead to the planet's transformation into the habitable, albeit frigid, Capital of the fledgling Commonwealth.

Geography

As Centaurus was originally a rocky, barren world, much of its modern surface is akin to Tundra found on colder habitable worlds. The planet also has a variety of mountain ranges, with the highest peak, Mountain Triomphe, being over 10,000 metres above sea level. From these mountains, numerous rivers have formed, with the River Sunstrom being the most famous, as its banks divide the central districts of the planet's largest settlement - Illustria - which lies on the coast. Large ice basins, originally present on the planet, have since been thawed, and although ice sheets are a common occurrence, the open oceans of Centaurus have become a suitable habitable for many species brought on the Ark from Earth.
On an astronomical scale, Centaurus is a rather unfitting world for human habitability, especially compared to later discovered planets such as Lysandre and Shinkyō. However, there were several key factors that made it much more fitting than any other planet in its home system for settlement and, later, terraforming;

1. The planet has a gravity of approximately 0.9Gs, making the effects of a low gravity environment minimal
2. The magnetosphere of the planet is around 1.5 times stronger than Earth's, which protects the surface from the regular flares that Proxima Centauri produces
3. Although the constituents of the planet's atmosphere upon arrival were not hospitable to humans, the high amount of CO2 provided a thick heat shield that kept the planet warm even during its eleven-day night
4. It has a day-night cycle - although it's technically a yearly cycle - fairly comparable to human timespans.

These factors, among others, provided a useable framework to Terraform the planet, making its atmosphere breathable, the ground temperature within survivable ranges, and minimizing the radiation that bombarded the surface.

Fauna & Flora

Due to being tidally locked with its parent star, Centaurus has no seasons, and its day-night cycle lasts 22.4 days in totality. Because of this, most farming on the planet occurs in large hydroponic towers within urban areas. Called Green Spires or Green Towers, these facilities are essential to feeding much of the population of Centaurus, as they allow growing both during the Long day and the Long Night. Some crops have been engineered to survive the cold temperatures and prolonged night-time of the planet, with hardy mosses and lichen proving the most effective at surviving in these new conditions.
Around the equator of the planet, hardy evergreen plants and trees are common, with even some small tropical orchards being possible to naturally cultivate without the need for hydroponics. It is not uncommon to find grasslands and deciduous trees thriving in their new environment during the Long Day. However, due to the unstable nature of Centaurus' climate compared to Earth's, it is rare to see a blooming grassland, as the plants are forced to return to hibernation before they can reproduce. This has lead to several genetic engineering programs that increase the reproduction rates of certain species from months to around a week, which has met some success - most plants created from these experiments reproduce a lot, but aim for quantity rather than quality, meaning only a small proportion of ejected seedlings actually survive longer than a single night.
As for fauna, a variety of animals have been able to thrive in their new environment. Atlantic and Arctic Fish, crustaceans, and even certain forms of algae and underwater plantlife have thrived in the planet's oceans and lake systems, with whales specifically thriving in the new, garbage-free oceans. Furthermore, many species of migratory birds have adapted well to their new habitats - although at first seasonal changes proved a challenge for certain species, many quickly adapted and changed their lifestyles to keep up.

Natural Resources

Although the planet was originally barren before its terraforming, there was one upside to the lifeless world - its surface was rich in ores and minerals. One of the largest exports from the capital is helium reserves, siphoned from vast underground supplies that far exceed the amounts ever found on Earth. Furthermore, the planet is quite dense, as much of its crust is filled with valuable metals; most researchers believe that the core of the planet must make up a large percentage of the Planet's mass, as although Centaurus is smaller than Earth, it is almost as gravitic.
However, although Centaurus is very naturally rich in resources, a number of treaties and accords have been put in place to ensure the created beauty of Centaurus is maintained. The Anti-Uncontrolled Climate Change Act (AUCC) is one such measure, intended to prevent the new Capital of Humanity from ever coming close to the Global Warming that occurred (and subsequently killed) Earth.

Alternative Name(s)

Proxima Centauri b/2

Type

Planet

Included Locations

• Crash Site Apollyon

Owning Organization

The Commonwealth

Changing Times
In recent times, there have been calls to move the capital to a new, more central system, in order to promote sorely needed unity between the Commonwealth and it's Frontier Territories. Suggested planets include Lysandre and Gaia, but no movement as so far has gained much traction within the Commonwealth Parliament.