Durius Highlands

Significant Sentient Population

137 million

Allegiance

Boraxian

Hazards

As part of their ongoing research into gravity technology, Boraxian legion has built an enormous set of gravity wave amplifiers around the main planet. The effects can be used to enhance damage.

History

The second of the new sectors to be discovered, a Boraxian research fleet made the jump through the gate from Boraxus in 2090 and found a sector far more attuned to Boraxian interests.

In orbit around a large yellow star they found eight planets one of which immediately took their interest. From a distance, looking very similar to their own homeworld, the Boraxians soon discovered that this little golden planet was far more similar to their own homeworld than they thought. Possessing an atmosphere almost identical in composition, and a very similar climate to Boraxus, the crew were even more surprised to find the planet inhabited by small, sentient yellow lizard like creatures, not looking too unlike Boraxians themselves. Struck by the similarity of the terrain to the "Durius Highlands" on Boraxus, the scientists named the planet accordingly.

Needless to say, Boraxus immediately embarked on a sterilisation mission intent on replacing all life on the planet with their own. Only then was a massive chink in the Boraxian armour exposed.

Whilst in the process of sterilising the planet, Boraxian life on the planet began to fall ill with a new disease. Without a doubt the most complex life form in the known galaxy, the Boraxian has natural genetic immunity to nearly every known disease and sickness is unheard of, but here they were falling ill. Characterised by a browning of the distinct Boraxian hue, the disease spread rapidly through all Boraxian life on the planet proving to be extremely fatal as it did so. The disease was found to be caused by an incredibly resistant and basically uncureable virus.

Not being ready to give up on such a prize, Boraxians continued their colonisation plans, but were now heavily restricted and forced to live under biodomes and even though the planet is quite capable of maintaining Boraxian life without assistance, they couldn't venture outside the domes without donning protective biosuits. A compromised suit resulted in the wearer being refused entrance back into the biodomes and forced to live out in the natural environment where they eventually contracted and die from the untreatable virus.

Over the years the sterilisation, although slowed down markedly has continued and despite the fact that large pockets of Boraxian life are now thriving on the planet and tribes of banished workers (due to their compromised suits) are living out in the wilderness with no sign of viral infection, Boraxian colonists remain under their biodomes, fearful of possible viral infection and mindful of the fact that Boraxian life outside the domes has probably adapted to carry the virus. A strange situation is now occurring on the planet with the Boraxian colonists debating as to whether the altered Boraxian life outside is indeed Boraxian and whether or not it is their moral obligation to sterilise it. Interestingly, the 'Boraxian' life that is surviving outside the dome appears to be integrating nicely with surviving indigenous life and the local 'lizards' are learning fast. Reports of dome sabotage are becoming more and more frequent as the years go on, as are skirmishes between sterilising workers in their suits and 'tribe Boraxians' accompanied by 'lizards', with the apparent aim of the attacking forces being to compromise as many biosuits as possible...

Deciding that, due to the risk of viral contamination, the planet is not much good for anything else (exports are forbidden), Boraxians have decided to turn it into a massive research centre specialising in gravity based research.

One such project involved the building of what looks like enormous gold rings around the planet, part of a huge device, running on Manezium gas designed to try and emulate the abilities of the Canopus West Ghost Armada. All they succeeded in doing was creating a thin, but very strong gravitational field facing inwards with one set of rings, and a large field facing outwards with the other. That's fine with the Boraxians because it means no one can get close enough to the planet to attack it, and no one on the planet itself can escape without permission, because at the top of the atmosphere they run into a huge gravitational field holding them back. Thus the Boraxians have security and are confident that the deadly virus and the mutated Boraxian life will stay put on the planet.

One of the 'benefits' to any craft in the sector is that done correctly the fields and their interactions can be used to boost the effectiveness of weaponry via gravity tunnels which are reliably found flowing outwards from the points where the two sets of rings cross. All combat pilots use these tunnels as much as possible when attacking but in doing so open themselves up to be attacked. There are no known gravity 'sinks' outside of the rings, but they are common on the inside of the rings where combat craft are not able to make use of them for protection.

Durius Highlands (last edited 2013-04-17 19:34:19 by ecvej)