Izina

Izina is the second planet of the Aluya System. It is one of seven neutral colonies jointly inhabited by all major powers of the Urum Hierarchy. In accordance with Hierarchy Treaty 126, travel to and from Izina is forbidden without consent - effectively leaving the planet in a controlled communications blackout. Although many of the initial colonists were active military personnel, there have been no cases of significant civil strife. Izina continues to be viewed as a productive sociopolitical experiment.

Discovery
Much of the local galaxy was mapped out long before the first interstellar starships left the homeworld. Orbital telescopes discovered the existence of a dense star cluster roughly one thousand lightyears from Eshduri. Due to its distance, direct observation of the cluster would remain impossible for over one hundred cycles.

Urum Enasa launched a massive exploration operation from several colonies on the edge of the settled territories. Izina was one of many planets charted and mapped by automated drones in the initial stages of the program. Manned exploration vessels arrived later to take more detailed readings. Away teams were dispatched to explore the surface and classify native life.

Rich in natural resources, Izina was considered an ideal candidate for future colonization. Small observation posts were constructed in areas suitable for initial settlement.

Treaty 126
The cluster's newly charted systems were divided between the leading members of the hierarchy. After a series of negotiations, the Aluya System was given to Urum Zalag. Plans were in motion to send colonists to Izina, but political tension -- and the threat of war -- put a halt to any further development.

As political tension continued to increase, the hierarchy signed a treaty to jointly colonize seven planets within the new star cluster. It was marketed as an effort to promote camaraderie between the leading urums. The Zalag begrudgingly released their hold on Izina on the condition that they reclaim full control of the planet after the expiration of the treaty.

Settlement
Each participating urum "volunteered" citizens to colonize Izina. Most initial settlers were active military personnel, but several thousand civilians - impoverished families seeking new lives - willingly relocated. A loose procession of transport vessels, some accompanied by warship escorts, brought the first wave of settlers to Izina.

While this journey was largely without incident, one Kankal transport - the E'Rikar - crashed on the surface of Izina after sustaining major damage from an asteroid impact at the edge of the system. There were hundreds of casualties, but the majority of passengers descended safely to Izina via escape pods and regrouped with other settlers.

Most early towns were built around the observation posts left behind by early explorers. Due to the small population and the need to establish stable infrastructure as soon as possible, settlement demographics were mixed - with citizens of every urum living and working together.

As most colonists were military operatives, commanding officers temporarily took charge of all operations and formed a makeshift planetary council. Proper representatives were elected in the years following initial colonization.

Continued Development
The population condensed into several major cities and surrounding townships. Aria, the largest, was designated as the planetary capital. Offworld supply drops provided Izina with basic construction and industrial equipment. Led by army engineers, workers began to refine the planet's abundant natural resources. Industrial complexes were built in all major settlements, and a rudimentary transit system was constructed to connect them.

An electromagnetic rail launcher was the first advanced installation built on Izina - a facility that was capable of launching small craft into orbit. Communication and navigation satellites were put into orbit several centuries after initial colonization.

Colonists began to marry - often involving partners from different urums - and produce children. New waves of volunteer settlers would arrive in the coming cycles, resulting in a population boom. Cities increased in size, and proper skyscrapers began to replace the kit buildings that had initially dominated the earliest settlements.

Despite the harsh laws protecting Izina from outside influence, the planet's remoteness and lack of development attracted the attention of interstellar crime syndicates. Although visitations were rare, local law enforcement was occasionally forced to intercept and eliminate criminal elements on the outskirts of established cities.

Cycle 136
Ten cycles after Izina's initial settlement, an unmanned freighter dropped a cargo capsule a few dozen kilometers outside of the capital. Local enforcers arrived on scene shortly after the landing and discovered that the capsule contained military-grade weaponry manufactured outside of the system. A team of criminals - also armed with advanced weapons - fired upon the enforcers, and were eliminated in the resulting firefight.

The planetary council was then tasked with investigating the situation. Many dismissed the incident as another case of smuggling, but various details of the case left others wondering if there wasn't something more going on.

Just a few weeks later - an impossible coincidence - Izina receives its first formal visit by the hierarchy.