Otharian Star Cluster

Otharian Star Cluster

At one time, the Otharian Star Cluster represented the furthest achievement of the Terran Expanse Unions exploration and colonization.  It marked the farthest point in the galaxy humanity had reached.  But this achievement was no different than many of other human accomplishments.  Like many in the past, it was marked with violence, tragedy and greed.

The Terran Expanse or Terran Empire as their enemies called it, encountered many sentient races as it explored the universe.  The advent of Gravitic Wave Fold Drives – G drives – allowed humanity to travel past the limitations of their own system.  The first major expansion explored the obvious systems – Alpha Centauri, Barnard’s Star, Wolf 359, Lalande 21185, Sirius, Luyten 726-8, Ross 154, Ross 248. and others.  Some were colonized, others were cataloged for future colonization when the technology advanced enough to allow it.  As drive and terra-forming tech advanced, so did the Terrans.

Humanity has a history of war and enemies.  Going into the stars was no different.  A trail of wars, alliances made and broken and rebellions followed humanity’s expansion into deep space.  Karians, Glemmies, and the Karidian were just a few of the alien species humanity encountered and warred with.

The Karian war was the first – a war-like simian race encountered a Terran survey team. Out of fear and territorialism, the Granger Expedition Massacre was forever instilled into history. For over twenty years, the war ravaged the outer regions of the Terran Expanse until finally a treaty was reached. Since then, a tense cold war has been maintained.

The Glemmie Wars were of the Terrans own making, born of arrogance and misunderstanding of the overall universe. Humanity learned quickly the universe does not revolve around them and it holds many ancient secrets – some of which are extremely deadly.

The next major war shattered the Terran Empire into pieces. The Sarginians proved to be a formidable force when the Terran Authority Fleet first encountered them and things did not go well. A very territorial and xeno-phobic race, the Sarginians saw the Terrans as a serious threat to the race, their culture and their empire. Their technology was slightly more advanced and their tactics were unconventional and effective against the Terrans. The Terran Empire gained some ground once forming a tenuous alliance with the Karians, but the Sarginians proved to be far more formidable than anyone could have imagined.

The Otharian Cluster was discovered early in the war along the edges of what was later learned to be Sarginian space.  Up to that point, humanity had struggled to find livable planets, spending considerable resources of terra-forming with mixed results, all the while overpopulation on some worlds became a problem as resources dwindled.  Meanwhile, embers of rebellion were churning along the fringe, many colonies already declaring independence from the distant heart of humanity’s humble beginnings. Otharian Cluster was a Goldilocks gold mine.  Over a hundred systems where nearly a third were habitable and the another third prime for stage one terra-forming.

Positioned precariously between two thick and highly active nebulas, navigation to the Cluster was tricky. The Terrans saw this as an opportunity to gains some ground for deep space outposts to help in the war, but what they did not know was it was already a strong outpost for Sarginian forces. Sargos II was a massive military installation the Sarginians were building as a point of dominance in the region.

The Battle for Otharian Cluster was one of the largest battles on the Rim, with the Terrans investing all they had in the region to take it. It was a vicious battle that ended in what most assume was a draw, but most do not remember it as at the same time, the Terran Expanse took enough losses in other regions that it had to pull back and fortify the core. Meanwhile, the Sarginians too took too many losses and pulled back to their core. The Otharian Cluster was all but forgotten.

This time of isolation has become known as Isolation or the Collapse, depending on who you talk to. Many believe both Empires destroyed and see it as a time of Collapse, while others feel that they are simply isolated from them, and they will return one day. There is a stark, almost religious difference between the two factions now – Collapsists are highly independent and renounce any authority the old Empires had on the region while Isolationists still recognize the laws of the old Empires. The divide has grown stronger over time and now in some places, Isolationists are outlawed.

There are several key worlds in this Cluster.

Trokar

A trinary star system with a primary large and dense yellow main sequence star (Troko I), and two other smaller dwarf stars (Troko II and Wonderer. This system defies all physical science known to man and there is an existing theory that it was crafted by Ancients. There are fifteen total planets with four planets that are habitable. Two orbit the main star – Core Trokarus and Core Trokinus – both inhabited by humans and Sarginians. One orbits closely to Troko II and one orbits the dwarf Wonderer.

Calathia

Calathia is the home system of the Calians, a relatively peaceful and isolated species. They are frail mammalian creatures that white fur and a strong culture of religion and philosophy. Much of their religions revolve around the mythology surrounding three ancient figures – collectively called the Elders. Some researchers believe these to be ancient aliens that seeded the world originally with their slave race.

Polisius

A Sarginian colony world, it is dominated by the Sarginian faction called the Formothian Order. They opposed the wars the Sarginians were involved with and hoped they could start a new society in the Otharian Cluster. After the Collapse, they were the largest contingent of Sarginians in the Cluster and a major contributor to the new coalition government with the humans.

Cavanaugh

This system was first settled by humans upon arrival at the start of the war. Since there, it was a post-war wasteland that the Sarginians bombed to rid their system of the Human scourge. The humans that remain live in underground cities that tap the core for power.

Edge

The one of two systems that is still fully populated by humans, it was once the foothold of Humanity in their invasion of the Cluster.

Antillighar-9

Antiillghar-9 is a system named after one of the Terran Generals that invaded the Otharian system during the start of the war. It was the site of a few major battles between the Sarginians (and their proxies) and the Terran Expanse forces. It now remains a mixed population of humans and Sarginians, each on their own designated continents. Local tensions, however, still remain as the global politics hang on to historical prejudices.

Odrom

A system taken by the humans early in the war, it is not the home world to Odromian Conclave, a human faction of hard-liners that wish to build a new human-centric Empire and avenge the Sarginian scourge. They firmly believe

Ur Prime

Home world to the insectoid Urians, client race to the Sarginians. They were discovered in their industrial age and were given technology far in advance of their own by the Sarginians in return for their servitude. Since the end of the war, the Urians have gained more independent.

Garmon

A trading system and rich in Larninium (Interstellar fuel), it was once used by the Karians (an old Terran Enemy) as an outpost during the War. Rumor has it there is still an outpost there but no one has tried to find it.

Planets include (in order of orbit)

OrbitNameDetails
StarGarmon PrimeK-dwarf (yellow orange)
1MavaronHot rock with little mining potential
2Asteroid Belt AlphaFormer planet, shattered by some unknown cataclysm, currently being mined for Larninium by the Urian Mining Corporation.
3Y-51A warm but habitable world with small ice caps and thick jungles. It is known for it’s geothermal activity and ancient alien ruins. Inhabited by near-human hermaphroditic creatures that appear like human females as well as a colony of intelligent flying saurian creatures. For some reason or another, both have regressed in technology to mediaeval levels and war constantly.
4Y-50A co-orbital world with Y-51 with a similar temperature and topography, it is home to two mining corps that mine this system.
5HaskarA cold world that humans can barely survive on, it is home to the Haskarians – a species of humanoid mammalian creatures that are well adapted for cold climates as well as the coldness of space.
6Asteroid Belt BetaThe site of a Larninium mining effort by Haskarian Mining Conglomerate.
7Separo DarGas Giants with dozens of moons rich in Larninium. Both the Humans of Antillighar-9 (Antilligharian Mining Conglomerate) and the Haskarians miners compete (sometimes violently) over mining the moons.

Sargos II

Sarginians colony world, it was colonized in hopes of replacing their homeworld. Now, with total contact with the home world lost, it is assumed this is the new home world to the Sarginian race.

Hegnaius IV

The system contains the human colony on the world Hegnia, and the human faction of Hengnian Confederation. It remains relatively peaceful with the Sarginians in the region. It is a world very similar to Earth and considered a vacation spot for many humans.

Core Vapalger

Remote system, the only habitable world is Vapalger III and it is a desert world. The Humans attempted to establish an outpost here during the war but the outpost mysteriously disappeared. The last report indicated they had found ancient alien ruins on the planet. There has been no attempt to explore it ever since.

Core Atiliar

Sarginian Outpost during the world, the sole habitable planet in this system is now a join military base for both human and Sarginian forces.