Cornucopia, historically known by it's bayer name Delta Pavonis, is one of the largest and most prosperous core systems, owing to its very sol-like star along with it's high metalicity.
Fact list
System name: Cornucopia
Traditional names: Delta Pavonis
Region: Terran Sphere, Core, Sol Sector
Allegiance: Solar Union
Stellar class: G8IV
Secondary components: None
Planetary system:
- Rook, Ferrinean LoHepheastian
- Knight, Ferrinean LoArean
- Bishop, Ferrinean LoArean
- Copia, Ferrinean CiGaian
- Plenty, Ferrinean CiGaian
- Pearl, Silician Arean
- Cone, Silician Arean
- Foreman, Typi CryoJovian
- Blacksmith, Typi CryoJovian
- Artificer, Typi CryoJovian
- Aprentice, Typi CryoJovian
- Orphan, Ymerian Arean
Description
Cornucopia is one of the most industrialised systems in the Terran Sphere, having a high metalicty, two habitable worlds and large amounts of natural resources in adition to close proximity to humanity's birthplace in Sol. Traditionally, the system has been the primary shipyard of the Solar Union, as well as a major industrial center and corporate hub, with most, if not all, major interstellar corporations having a headquarters or important branch office in the system. During the De-unification control of the system and its shipyards was often an important prize for both political and military infighting severely damaging those very yards in the process. Since the end of the De-unification the system has focussed less on shipbuilding, but still produces a large share of the Cornucopia Coalition's joint fleets.
The dense inner system is marked by the peculiar orbital pattern of the Triplets, Rook, Knight and Bishop. Whose nearly circular orbits are extremely close together. As a result, the three minor worlds orbit as one, sharing a 1:1:1 orbital resonance. This results in Bishop having an orbital speed that would normally launch it out of the system. Every few centuries the resonance is broken by interference from the larger worlds, but it reforms within two years. As the planets are young enough for this formation to be temporary the doomsday scenario of Bishop abbandoning its orbit and crashing into Copia is common in Cornucopian fiction.
Further out are the twin habitable worlds of the system, Copia was habitable almost from the start, needing only small changes in atmospheric composition. Notable is that it had a primitive biosphere spewing enormous amounts of oxygen into the atmosphere. Biodomes of original life are maintained on several regions of the planet, but Terran life has overtaken the natives in the wild.
Copia is also notable for its low gravity, which worked in its favour, as most of the large scale industry of the early colonisation was space-based.
History
Due to it's proximity to Sol, it's habitable world, and it's vast supply of natural resources, Cornucopia has a long and occasionally turbulent history.
Early exploration
The system, then called Delta Pavonis, was first visited by human explorers shortly after the invention of FTL, due to its status as the most promising site for extraterrestrial life within range, or at least promising colony sites. A Solar Union exploration team succesfully jumped into the system in 2431 finding a highly resource rich system with two promising colony sites and the He3 rich atmosphere of Blacksmith, along with sites perfect for sorium production around the same world. He3 extraction operations were set up to circumvent the fusion monopoly of the outer Sol system, and the exorbitant prices they charged.
The mining colony grew quickly, as the enormous production capacity of the Union was put to work on drastically cutting energy prices through Pavonian He3.
In 2450 the Jovian Coalition declared war on the Solar Union back in Sol, and Cornucopia was quickly put on the sidelines, with supply flows shrinking to a trickle and He3 quotas rising continously. Discontent grew in the colony as all their work was being pulled into a destructive war far from home, with only a handfull of outdated patrol vessels hastily made fit for interstellar travel protecting their own worlds. The Coalition, eager to cut off one of the Union's most important supply flows, sent several attacks early in the war. However, their small number of FTL capable warships meant that local defenses, aided by repurposed civillian industrial machinery, was able to force the attackers to retreat every time, though not without significant losses. As a result, resentment against both the Union and the Coalition was strong. Through skillful political manouvering and the turbulent state of post-war Sol, the Pavonian colonists managed to turn their system from an unrepresented mining colony into a Union protectorate with considerable independance, provided they continued shipping resources to Sol.
First Diaspora (2475-3000)
Due to its newfound status as the most well-established colony in known space, along with considerable local independance in addition to Union protection and ample resources, the system became the most popular destination for colonists wishing to leave Sol. Due to the natural wealth of the system and a desire for a better name than Delta Pavonis, the system is renamed Cornucopia by local authorities. The early days of the diaspora sees the system having widespread trouble keeping up with the sheer inflow of population, up until now primarily a mining colony around Blacksmith and its moons with terraforming projects on Copia and Plenty, the system had limited living space.
De-Unification (4580-4800)
Age of Contact (4800-5500)
During the Great Enlightenment Crusade, the Vachik forces making their way to Sol from the Rome wormhole nexus were forced to a grinding halt here by Gregor Zolnerowich leading a hastily-assembled joint fleet of nearly all major Core nations. Although the Battle of Cornucopia resulted in a Terran victory and the crushing defeat of Vachik forces within the Terran Sphere, the sheer size of the battle meant enormous amounts of collateral damage. Nearly half of Blacksmith's orbital infrastructure was damaged beyond repair or destroyed outright in an attempt to remove Terran resupply bases in the system, leading to over a billion deaths in Blacksmith orbit alone. Several planets were bombarded via long-range missile strikes, and while the vast majority of these were intercepted, enough got through to do considerable damage throughout the system. Today, rebuilding efforts are well underway, but the scale of the damage means that it will be decades before the system is fully recovered. As a silver lining, the enormous amount of wreckage left from the battle is proving to be both a source of funds and of raw material.
