The planet of Chiron was originally discovered by high powered telescopes many years before the colony mission was launched. Since its discovery, the telescopes had become more accurate, painting an interesting picture of a planet very similar to Earth, but also very different. However, even with these telescopes, there was only so much that the people on Earth could learn from Chiron without actually sending a mision to the planet. When that troubled mission finally arrived in orbit of Chiron, they discovered a world that was both beautiful and deeply troubling.
Chiron is the only habitable planet in the Alpha Centauri star system. Alpha Centauri is a trinary system, consisting of two bright stars that are relatively close together and a third, much smaller star that is quite far away from the rest of the star system. Astronomers had been observing Alpha Centauri for centuries, but it was not until the late twentieth century that planets could be seen in the Alpha Centauri system. At first only the gas giants in the star system could be distinguished, but as the technology progressed, more and more planet could be seen and analyzed. One planet, named Chiron, was determined to have an atmosphere that could support Human life. With a suitable planet, the United Nations organized a colonization mission, but it was not until the colonists arrived at Chiron that the planet could be analyzed thoroughly. Unfortunately, the colonists were preoccupied with the assassination of the SS Unity's captain and the failure of the fusion reactor to do more then briefly scan the surface of the planet. However, after landing on the planet, the colonists quickly realized that Chiron was not all they were led to believe.
With only a few exceptions, the planet of Chiron's local flora was composed of a few varieties of shrubs and cactus-like trees. The planet's soil also contained minerals not found in Earth soil and also lacked a large quantity of nitrates, which made growing Earth crops, such as grain, rice, and even vegetables, much more difficult. Although the planet's native animals varied in size from small, rodent-like mammals to large grazing lizards similar in size to bison, the diseases they carried were capable of infecting Humans and Earth livestock, causing death in small, isolated outbreaks. The colonists had to fight long and hard to keep their crops and livestock alive and healthy during the first years of living on Chiron, but after those first years things became much easier as new technologies were developed and people adapted to the strange world.
Adapting to life on their new planet, all of the factions came to grips with their environment and changed it to match their needs. In order to grow more crops, some factions burrowed deep underground to access richer nitrate deposits, while others simply planted much larger farms hoping to increase the surviving yield. The Gaians and the University factions developed independent ways of altering existing livestock and crops so they could live under the different conditions of Chiron and both factions, and most factions afterwards, adopted a policy of planting large forests to help bring the planet closer to an Earth-like conditions.
In the century and a half since the colonists arrive, the surface of Chiron has changed substantially. Although a large percentage of the planet remains untouched, there are a large number of farms, industrial complexes, and forests clustered around the Human cities and outposts spread across the surface of the planet. The forests, and the special kelp planted in the oceans of Chiron by the Nautilus Pirates faction, have spread far and wide and now cover an estimated 15% of the surface on the planet and do not appear to be slowing down anytime soon. These forests are making the atmosphere more suitable for Humans and are increasing the quality of the soil where they are planted. The native animals of Chiron have also adapted well to the forests and the smaller creatures can be found in all of them, as they are a safe haven from the ever-present Mind Worms.
The general terrain of Chiron before the arrival of the colonists consisted of generally featureless, rocky, broken terrain with only patches of shrubs and cactus-like trees. Although it rains regularly in many places, on a whole, the planet is quite dry and hot. In areas of increased rainfall, the shrubs and trees grow more abundantly, but the variety is still quite sparse. The small variety of animals and insects seem adapted for life on Chrion and are capable of traveling across the rugged terrain, but generally live in or around the areas of increased rainfall. However, since the arrival of the colonists, vast tracks of forests have begun to spread across the planet. Consisting mostly of conifer and hard wood trees, these forests are incredibly hardy and have been known to grow well even in the some of the driest parts of the planets, areas that receive only a few inches of rainfall each year.
Chiron's oceans are even more bare then its land. Only a few types of fish swim in the large oceans and seas of Chiron and they are quite poisonous for Humans to ingest. Quite shallow compared to Earth's oceans, the average depth of the oceans on Chiron is only 1.5 miles (2.4 km), with most stopping short of 0.6 miles (1 km). With the introduction of kelp and Earth fishes, the ecosystem of the oceans has taken off. Unlike the land, where strange mineral compositions proved a hindrance to farmers, the oceans of Chiron proved beautiful for the fish species that the colonists brought with them. Great fields of kelp and coral are becoming abundant throughout Chiron's oceans. Carefully harvested and cultivated by the Nautilus Pirates, these ocean fields are teeming with life and provide an incredible natural resource to the ocean-bound faction.
In addition to the general surface features, Chiron has several truly unique areas that have become important strategic regions. Wars have been fought over several of these regions and the occupation of others continues to be a sore spot in the relations for many of the factions.
One of the three very few ocean features on Chiron, the fossil ridge is an amazing place of towers of mineral-rich rocks jutting out from beneath the water. The rocks are pot marked with fossils from ancient sea creatures, hence its name. How this unusual place was formed is impossible to determine, but it is known to be millions of years old. Occupied by the Nautilus Pirates in 10 AL, the Fossil Ridge region has become the main industrial center for the faction. Housing their largest drydocks and production facilities, the Fossil Ridge region is also the second most populated area controlled by the Nautilus Pirates.
Although the SS Unity was not in the Alpha Centauri system for very long before disaster struck, it was there long enough for some initial surveys of the planet's surface to be completed. This information was enough to provide a general map of where the continents and oceans were located, but it was not much more detailed then that. A scan of a small region of the planet had detected the presence of a massive crater, surrounded by high peaks. An initial survey had determined that the crater was lined with rich mineral deposits, most likely from the asteroid that hit the planet. With the breakdown of order on the SS Unity, almost all of the initial surveys, including the survey of the crater, came under the control of Dr. Zharkov. Leaving the failing ship with his supporters, Dr. Zharkov decided to land in the Garland Crater, as it became known, and use it to establish his base of operations. Since landing, the crater has become the hub of the University of Planet faction.
Soon after landing on Chiron, Svengard realized that his faction needed power, not political and military power, but electrical power. Without the resources to build fusion reactors, which had become common among the land-based colonies, Svengard decided to build generators based on tidal movement. Within a few years, these generators were quite effective at providing power for the burgeoning colonies, but they provided only just enough power, with very little margin for error. Each time one of the generators had to go down for maintenance, whole colonies were left without power, which was very dangerous for colonies that floated partially submerged in the ocean. When an exploration mission discovered the Geothermal Fields in 7 AL, it was a miracle. This floor of this shallow section of the ocean was broken and had a huge number of thermal vents. These vents created huge instabilities in the region and generated an amazing amount of water movement, perfect for the tidal generators the Nautilus Pirates built. Within a few years, the region was occupied and filled with tidal generators, and it quickly became the third most populated region controlled by the Nautilus Pirates. Using huge, insulated wires to connect the colonies in the Geothermal Fields to the rest of the Nautilus colonies, the faction had enough power to increase the size of their existing colonies and build new colonies throughout the world.
There is a region of the planet that bordered the Spartan Federation and the Lord's Believers that receives virtually no rainfall. This section of the planet is almost completely devoid of life, even Xenofungus and Mind Worms seem to avoid this parched stretch of land. The sandy terrain and harsh winds have created a vast region of towering sand dunes and the first Human explorers from the Spartan Federation dubbed this region the Great Dunes. The lack of water and vegetation has ensured that Humans have expanded around this region, but this led to a false sense of security for the Spartan Federation, as they did not defend their border with the Great Dunes. This vulnerability was exploited in 86 AL when the Lord's Believers attacked through this region. Since then, the Spartan Federation has established a series of tiny five to ten person outposts throughout the Great Dunes. However, these outposts are considered to be the worst places to be assigned in the Spartan Federation and often the worst soldiers or soldiers with high ranking enemies are assigned to them. The only other inhabitants of the Great Dunes are a few nomadic bands and a small, very secret outpost controlled by the Progenitors.
No region of Chiron has been fought over more then the Monsoon Jungles. Originally discovered by the Gaians and soon afterwards by the Human Hive, the Monsoon Jungles is a beautiful place. The jungle, named for its incredibly thick vegetation and immense rainfall, is the most Earth-like place on Chiron. The jungle has the most diverse plant and animal life on the planet and is home to more species then the rest of the planet combined. The jungle would serve as a beautiful home for Humans, which is why the Gaians and the Hive both wanted control of it. A brief war was fought over the territory in the first years after landing on Chiron, but the Gaians prevailed and were able to retain control over the region. Since then, the Jungles have been site of several wars and almost constant raids by the Human Hive faction. The land remains beautiful and is the real center of power for the Gaian faction, but the constant bloodshed is wearing down the spirit of the people that live there.
During the initial survey's of the planet, the SS Unity detected the largest mountain on Chiron, named Mount Chiron by Dr. Zharkov. The mountain was not only 10 miles (16.1 km) high, but it was also an active volcano. The area immediately around the volcano was determined to be rich in minerals and nutrients, but during the chaos that followed the death of the SS Unity's captain, Dr. Zharkov decided to land at the site of the Garland Crater. For many decades, the area around the mountain went undeveloped, but several nomad groups traveled through the region every few years. Then the Progenitors arrived. One of the Progenitor groups landed almost on top of the Mount Chiron region and their first action was to secure the mineral resources at the site, killing any Humans located nearby. Since then, it has served them as their main base of operations.
The New Sargossa region was discovered by a small Nautilus Pirate exploration group in 15 AL. Completely covered by layers of Xenofungus, the area looked initially uninviting, but further examination revealed an amazing discovery. A large plateau sat just 1640' (500 m) beneath the surface of the water and there was evidence that the region would be perfect for growing the new varieties of kelp that the research labs had recently developed. By 20 AL, a massive operation was underway to clear the Xenofungus from New Sargossa region, as it had become called. Starting in 26 AL, the Nautilus Pirates began establishing colonies in the region and it quickly became their largest concentration on Chiron, far surpassing the faction's initial landing site. In 120 AL, Svengard completed the dominance of the New Sargossa region within the faction by moving his capital to the region.
The Phobus Ridge is a huge, thin, almost completely straight mountain range that was once in the heart of the Human Hive faction. The ridge was discovered to contain a huge amount of natural resources and was very valuable to the industries that supported the Human Hive. Unfortunately, the revolution that led to the creation of the Free Drones faction also lost the Hive half of the Phobus Ridge region. The colonies and outposts along one side of the ridge are controlled by the Free Drones and the colonies and outposts along the opposite side are controlled by the Human Hive. Over the century following the formation of the Free Drones, the ridge has been fought over repeatedly, even as both sides seek to extract as many resources as possible. The mining tunnels that both sides are digging have already begun to intersect. It is now possible to walk from one side of the ridge to the other using the mining tunnels. Unfortunately, neither side is aware of this new vulnerability, but it is only a matter of time.
All research has pointed towards the fact that the planet is somehow sentient. How that is possible is something that no one has been able to figure out. Even worse, some evidence points to the fact that the planet, or at least the semi-sentient consciousness of the planet, was artificially created. Nothing points more strongly to this second fact then the discovery of the Planetary Nexus. Although originally discovered by the Lord's Believers, it was not until the Spartan Federation took control of the facility that an effort was made to determine what the facility was used for. With the help of the University faction, the Spartans determined that the Nexus had partial control over the mind worms and the Xenofungus. Even better, the Nexus had an effect on the people that visited it and their families. Within a generation of the discovery of the Nexus, the mutation rate throughout the Spartan Federation increased dramatically and the powerful Transcends began to develop for the first time outside of the Cult of Planet and Gaia's Stepdaughters factions. By the current year, through continued research at the Nexus, the Spartan Federation has become one of the leaders in the field of understanding the strange semi-sentient planet.
As the factions scattered across Chiron, the Lord's Believers landed in a strange geological site. The Lord's Believers landed on a giant plateau that was raised 1.2 miles (2 km) above the surface of the surrounding land. The weather patterns around the region caused the plateau to receive a large amount of sunlight. These conditions led to an abundant amount of life, not as much as in the Monsoon Jungle, but more then in most places of Chiron. The region, which became known as the Sunny Mesa, was perfect for establishing the first colonies of the Lord's Believers and the area was further developed even as the faction spread across the continent to compete against the nearby Spartan Federation. By the beginning of the devastating war against the Spartan Federation, the Sunny Mesa region was the true heart of the Lord's Believers. Almost all of their manufacturing facilities and population was located in the region. Fortunately, the Sunny Mesa region remained under their control following the end of the war, but the area had been heavily damaged during the years of fighting and bombing. Since the end of that war, the Sunny Mesa region has been rebuilt with clandestine help from the Progenitors and remains one of the most populated regions on the planet.
The Uranium Fields is a highly radioactive region of Chiron, but it is also very rich with Uranium and Plutonium. Discovered by the UN Peacekeepers within months of landing on Chiron, the Peacekeepers began using the area as a source of fuel for a large array of nuclear and fusion plants throughout their territory. Unfortunately, in order to convince Morgan Industries to back the UN Peacekeepers in forcing the Spartan Federation to not completely destroy the Lord's Believers faction, the UN Peacekeepers transferred complete control of the Uranium Fields to Morgan Industries. Within weeks of taking control of the region, Morgan Industries began building massive processing plants. Within a few short years, massive strip mining operations were underway and these operations have continued to this day, feeding the massive energy consumption needs of the people living in the colonies governed by Morgan Industries.
One of the strangest discoveries that the colonists made on Chiron was the plant life they dubbed Xenofungus. This plant closely resembles coral reefs from Earth's oceans, but is actually very different. Composed of rich minerals, Xenofungus is an incredible mesh of tubes and growths that go in all directions, often covering huge areas, sometimes even hundreds of square kilometers. Xenofungus can grow as high as 15' (4.6 m) and is very thick, requiring a huge amount of effort to cut. Although mostly stable, Xenofungus can experience growth spurts, increasing in size by several kilometers in just a few short hours. Due to its thickness and hard casing, Xenofungus is incredibly difficult to move through. Travelers have to either climb over the Xenofungus or to cut a path through it for vehicles. These paths often close quickly after a vehicle has passed through, creating perfect traps for mind worms. In general though, most colonists avoid traveling through or even near Xenofungus.
Aside from its unusual composition and strange growth patterns, Xenofungus would not be too interesting to the colonists except for the fact that it is the habitat of the mind worm species. The mind worms, and the related species, are an aggressive and deadly psionic animal that attacks anything on site, from the native animals on Chiron to Humans. Although mind worms can be found anywhere on Chiron, they grow in large numbers in Xenofungus, and where the fungus expands, the mind worms often follow.
In an effort to control the population of the mind worms, nearly all colonists have taken to destroying Xenofungus wherever it is found, often extracting minerals from the fungus in the process. The only exceptions to this are the Cult of Planet and the Gaia's Stepdaughters factions. These two groups have developed techniques to exploit Xenofungus without destroying it. The two factions can extract minerals without destroying the fungus and have learned ways to grow other plants within the fungus for food, they can even communicate with the fungus and move it out of their way when they travel, completely eliminating any movement penalties that the other factions experience. Within recent years, the Spartan Federation and the University of Planet have begun to duplicate these same results, but their techniques are a lot less refined then the methods used by the Cult of Planet and the Gaians.
Many people refer to Chiron as being sentient. This is not too far from the truth. In actual fact, the planet is capable of an amazing level of intelligence, but is generally limited to a subconscious level of awareness. Unlike a normal intelligence that has a central body with a brain, the planetary sentience on Chiron is spread across the entire planet. Every mind worm and every piece of Xenofungus on the planet is a part of the planet's intelligence. The more mind worms and Xenofungus on the planet, the more aware the intelligence becomes, eventually achieving total awareness. Unfortunately, until the point of awareness it cannot completely control the mind worms and the Xenofungus. For example, the mind worms increase their numbers by eating and killing the other animals on Chiron, thus decreasing the available supply of food. Similarly, the Xenofungus spread further and further across the planet, destroying habitats and killing animals in the process.
Once the planet reaches the point that it is aware and can consciously control the mind worms and the Xenofungus, the food supply for the mind worms and the Xenofungus is virtually exhausted. No matter what the planet's intelligence does, parts of its mind begin to die. When a balance is restored, the planet's intelligence is dormant and the mind worms are no longer under its control. The planetary intelligence enjoys only a few short weeks of full awareness before it slips away. This is a cycle that has repeated itself for millions of years, and the colonists have arrived just as the Xenofungus and the mind worms are beginning a giant push in the direction of achieving planetary awareness. Left to its own devices, the planet would achieve awareness in about a hundred more years (around 250 AL), but with Human interference, it could take longer or shorter.
The colonists have, unfortunately, no idea what is happening on the planet. Some colonists have a psychic connection to the planet's vast intelligence, but even they cannot talk with it directly and are still not aware of the planet's cycle of growth. Although the Cult of Planet and the Giains are the closest to communicating with the planet, the Spartan Federation are the closest to discovering the secret of the planet through their control of the Planetary Nexus. On top of this, The Lord's Believers are the closest to actually learning of the origins of the planetary intelligence through their alliegance with one of the Progenitor groups.