A frigid, miserable rock, Zaeng's wisp of an atmosphere is methane. Its ice
caps are a methane-water ice mixture. The world was a mining concern for a
short time during the last days of the First Imperium. After the Vilani
retreated, the Vargr failed to put forth the infrastructure investment required
to properly exploit its mineralogical resources. And why would they when the
Vilani did the heavy lifting on so many other worlds.
Ultimately, the corsair Zaeng Knaetskanuekgunguegvae claimed it as its own and
thus gave the world its name. While he owns the world, he doesn't claim to rule
it. There are no laws, merely his whims. And money could easily sway them.
Zaeng's corsairs raided shipping along the Sunggoe Combine, Tsougak Trade
Federation, Kishadiku Empire, Kfothoeghuel Concordat, and Odzaengzaegvue
Confederation. He also leased mining rights out to those intrepid belters
willing to accept his fees. When the 17th Disjuncture came along, he realized
that it was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.
Gungaerrg was a pleasant agricultural world with a temperate climate.
Although the world was balkanized, there wasn't a war for centuries. The keys to
the peace had been shared prosperity and common foes, namely corsairs.
The world was a late addition to the Odzaengzaegvue Confederation. The
construction of the naval base was a message to not only hostile corsairs but
to the expansionist Sunggoe Combine as well.
When the Odzaengzaegvue Confederation splintered, Gungaerrg remained loyal to
the spinward half, which sought safety within the 17th Disjuncture. However,
life within the Disjuncture wasn't what it was sold as. The naval base sent
ships out to attack worlds that used to be allied with Gungaerrg, and vile
corsairs were now guests. Its agricultural exports went to feed the war machine.
When it became common knowledge that the Vakh had severely weakened the 17th
Disjuncture, the garrison commander clung on to power, declaring a military
dictatorship and instituting martial law. The local population organized, and a
resistance spread over national borders. While mostly unsuccessful at the
outset, the destruction of the naval base leveled the battlefield. After a
decade of war, the rebellion was won by the locals.
The new government formed from the rebel alliance and is hard at work fighting a
new war: recovery. Enough has been salvaged and maintained that Gungaerrg has a
functional starport, which services its small fleet of ships. Tech level
decline has been modest. Unhindered, Gungaerrg could become a new interstellar
power in only a decade.
Enoknokh was a nameless Vilani border world during the First Imperium.
Makhidkarun was just beginning to establish the infrastructure to properly
develop the system when Vargr corsairs had begun to raid the Ziru Sirka's
coreward border. The world was abandoned for centuries. Corsairs couldn't be
bothered to develop it, and belters were reluctant to invest their time and
sweat only to have their efforts undermined by raiders.
When the region settled down and states brought stability and an appetite for
raw materials, belters moved in. A vargr with vision, Dzo Enoknokh, organized
the belters and codified the rules regarding claims and adjudicating disputes.
He also established a police force to protect them from raiders. While he didn't
seek to have the world named after him, the belters voted to do it to show
their gratitude.
Decades later, the world joined the Odzaengzaegvue Confederation after a trade
agreement promised higher returns on the ore they supplied. When the spinward
half seceded to join the 17th Disjuncture, Enoknokh resisted. The belters saw no
profit in the economic philosophy they espoused. But the Disjuncture kept up
the pressure, sending corsairs from Zaeng (Meshan 0123) to
continuously harass the belters. Eventually, those belters that didn't move on
voted to give in to the Disjuncture's demands.
Like Enoknokh, Zagzuetsersi was a nameless Vilani border
world during the First Imperium. Makhidkarun was just beginning to establish the
infrastructure to properly develop the system when Vargr corsairs had begun to
raid the Ziru Sirka's coreward border. The world was abandoned for centuries.
Corsairs made use of the system's three gas giants as a fuel stop.
After Enonknokh found prosperity, a group of belters split off to try their luck
at Zagzuetsersi. A sizable deposit of lanthanum was discovered on the mainworld
along with bauxite and other minerals, and the system prospered.
But unlike Enoknokh, no single leader emerged. There was no system in place to
handle claim disputes. The mining companies became de facto governing
bodies and morphed into states. Eventually skirmishes died down as warfare cut
into their profit structures. A series of mergers took place reducing dozens of
"states" down to six of equivalent strength and revenue.
Since no one trusted the other to handle planetary defense against marauders,
the Olusourraerrg, a corsair group of honorable repute, was hired for the
job.
When Vougong put forth the idea to leave the Odzaengzaegvue Confederation and
join the 17th Disjuncture, the Zagzuetsersi states all agreed to the split. The
Disjuncture also provided an opportunity for the Olusourraerrg, who had grown
disenchanted with the Opposition Alliance defense against the Ruler of Five, to
be invigorated.
Another nameless Vilani border world during the First Imperium. Makhidkarun
had just established the infrastructure to properly develop the system when
Vargr corsairs had begun to raid the Ziru Sirka's coreward border. Makhidkarun
was forced to abandon the world.
After Enoknokh found prosperity, a group of belters split off
to try their luck at Gzeghsarae. While bickering undermined the colony at
Zagzuetsersi, the outcome here was different. A concord was
established before development got out of hand. A non-partisan international
body was established to adjudicate claims and other arguments.
Seeking to fortify its spinward border, a Confederation naval base was built
here. While the small population ensured that recruitment would never be
fulfilled locally, the Confederation decided that protecting the mineralogical
wealth in the two belts and other bodies was too important.
For decades, Vougong's populace was content to be a second tier world in the
Odzaengzaegvue Confederation. The world's agricultural and manufacturing sectors
met its needs and provided modest exports. But when the world was passed over
for the establishment of a naval base (its neighbor, Gveghsarae, was chosen), it
spawned the rise of a nationalist movement. After taking power, so called
"reforms" were put in place that effectively curtailed socio-economic freedom
all in the name of putting Vougong's needs ahead of the Confederation's.
Spies from the 17th Disjuncture made a note of their discontent and reported it
back home. Secession from the confederation was legally easy enough to do, all
it took was a convincing argument. Silver-tongued Disjuncture representatives
stoked the flames and suggested that revenge would be sweeter if Vougong could
take other worlds with them. Diplomats were sent out from Vougong to convince
other worlds to join them in their secession. They managed to convince four
worlds, even their former rival, Gveghsarae.
The world failed to impress Makhidkarun during the Ziru Sirka's initial
expansion, so few resources were allocated to the initial colony. When contact
was lost with the colony, a rescue team was sent to investigate. Finding a scene
of savage butchery, they immediately blamed vargr corsairs. While there was
vehement denial, the Vilani remained unconvinced. The truth wasn't discovered
for centuries.
A descendent of the corsair chieftain blamed for the crime funded an
archaeological expedition intending to clear the name of her ancestor. An
examination of the ruins and exhumation of the graves revealed that an insidious
mold spore was to blame. It infected several colonists and hijacked their
nervous systems, driving them into a murderous rage. While vargr can be infected
by the parasite, the effects are far less dramatic. Debilitating headaches hold
sway until the vargr immune system takes over, usually within 3-4 days.
Samples have been collected and shipped out to research facilities to develop a
cure. In the meantime, every effort is being made to eradicate the fungus from
the ecosystem. Humans should exercise caution and wear a filter mask whenever
possible.