Bythan History
A Shattered World
When the Scream occurred, the whole Bytha system, then the frontier of Imperial space, was already in a state of tension. The Unbidden, ever so unstoppable, were at their doorstep; refugees including alien, sometimes enemy species had settled without authorization on the Bythan homeworld, and riots were extremely common as the social order fell with the Unbidden's advance.
Before the Scream, Halruaa consisted of three terraformed mainlands, covered in farms. The main colony site was located offshore, on a small island linked by a monorail and a bridge to the First Mainland. The reason for such a site was that contamination of the fragile ecosystem would be easier to mitigate if everyone was forced to land on an isolated island.
The year before the Scream, 5'714'285 people lived on Halruaa.
It is estimated that 25% of the entire population on Halruaa - ~1'428'570 people - died at once or very shortly after the Scream. With the loss of FTL and only a dozen old spaceworthy spike drive ships, it became painfully obvious that they were cut off and would only be able to rely on their own limited facilities - even for a Third Wave colony, there was not a need for a cutting edge hospital, for instance, when one was available within a single jump or two.
Before the Scream, Halruaa consisted of three terraformed mainlands, covered in farms. The main colony site was located offshore, on a small island linked by a monorail and a bridge to the First Mainland. The reason for such a site was that contamination of the fragile ecosystem would be easier to mitigate if everyone was forced to land on an isolated island.
The year before the Scream, 5'714'285 people lived on Halruaa.
It is estimated that 25% of the entire population on Halruaa - ~1'428'570 people - died at once or very shortly after the Scream. With the loss of FTL and only a dozen old spaceworthy spike drive ships, it became painfully obvious that they were cut off and would only be able to rely on their own limited facilities - even for a Third Wave colony, there was not a need for a cutting edge hospital, for instance, when one was available within a single jump or two.
Colony Site Lockdown : Settling in Silence
Because so many people died at once, attempts were made to mass-incinerate the bodies. Despite the fact that this simply does not mesh well with Imperial practice, the task was almost impossible with millions of bodies in the open. The main colony site was given higher priority, but elsewhere, the mass graves are believed to have started the Great Plague.
With advanced medical facilities, the Plague should have been easy to fight off. With no outstanding medical facilities and few trained staff and medicine, it was utterly unmanageable.
The local Chantry quickly took control of the colony site - and the six cities that made it up - even as Imperials and Republicans argued on who should take the lead. Their first action, two years after the Scream, was to put the main colony site on lockdown. Nobody would be allowed in, and nobody would be allowed out. To enforce their degree, the great majority of drones on the planet was assigned to enforcing the lockdown, killing anyone trying to get in.
Beyond the Island, the Plague swept unabated across the three mainlands, then known as Ashland. Many people were left behind - a majority of the surviving population, in fact. Many groups of survivors, fending off feral psykers and the Plague, attempted to breach the perimeter, but every single try was met with lethal retribution.
Over the next few years, most of the Ashlander population died out. Inside the colony site, because most automation had become devoted to enforcing the quarantine, most fieldwork had to be done by hand or outdated machinery - something that kept a lot of important work from being done, as most skilled labourers were forced in the fields with everybody else.
It is estimated that of the immediately pre-Scream population, only 9% survived the Scream itself, as well as the Great Plague and hardships of the Silence : forty years after the Scream, when the population started growing again, the colony site numbered 480'000 settlers.
Not everyone was on board with the lockdown, and a few attempts were made to get out; however, at least at the time, surviving was no easy task and the colony's food output was barely high enough for any stockpiling. One bad harvest...and starvation would ensue. Many people kept their heads down.
The Chantry commissioned Guilds to keep up some of the essential skilled work going. The Healers' Guild was founded five years after the Scream, and dedicated to keeping the colony site's medical facilities going, as well as the training of any new psykers...no matter how little help they had.
With advanced medical facilities, the Plague should have been easy to fight off. With no outstanding medical facilities and few trained staff and medicine, it was utterly unmanageable.
The local Chantry quickly took control of the colony site - and the six cities that made it up - even as Imperials and Republicans argued on who should take the lead. Their first action, two years after the Scream, was to put the main colony site on lockdown. Nobody would be allowed in, and nobody would be allowed out. To enforce their degree, the great majority of drones on the planet was assigned to enforcing the lockdown, killing anyone trying to get in.
Beyond the Island, the Plague swept unabated across the three mainlands, then known as Ashland. Many people were left behind - a majority of the surviving population, in fact. Many groups of survivors, fending off feral psykers and the Plague, attempted to breach the perimeter, but every single try was met with lethal retribution.
Over the next few years, most of the Ashlander population died out. Inside the colony site, because most automation had become devoted to enforcing the quarantine, most fieldwork had to be done by hand or outdated machinery - something that kept a lot of important work from being done, as most skilled labourers were forced in the fields with everybody else.
It is estimated that of the immediately pre-Scream population, only 9% survived the Scream itself, as well as the Great Plague and hardships of the Silence : forty years after the Scream, when the population started growing again, the colony site numbered 480'000 settlers.
Not everyone was on board with the lockdown, and a few attempts were made to get out; however, at least at the time, surviving was no easy task and the colony's food output was barely high enough for any stockpiling. One bad harvest...and starvation would ensue. Many people kept their heads down.
The Chantry commissioned Guilds to keep up some of the essential skilled work going. The Healers' Guild was founded five years after the Scream, and dedicated to keeping the colony site's medical facilities going, as well as the training of any new psykers...no matter how little help they had.
Y83 : Recovery
For about eighty years, Bytha struggled to survive and waited out the Great Plague in its island cities, far from the misery of the Ashlanders. However, this enforced lockdown could not last forever, even as the Chantry was unwilling to lift it.
Crucially, despite birth control the population was growing, which meant that there was more pressure on drones to be brought back into agricultural service. The infrastructure was beginning to seriously decay, and with more skilled workers in the fields, there was less and less people able to carry on much needed knowledge. The island did not have any mining facilities, either.
All these factors pressured the Chantry to lift the lockdown, 83 years after it decreed it. The Plague had died down, and the Healer's Guild had found no surviving samples. For all intents and purposes, the First Mainland was open to resettlement once again.
With the drones returning to the fields, less workers were needed and universities started to open, training young people in much needed skills, even though the Scream and forty years of neglect had meant that much knowledge had been lost. Universities would lead the charge in rediscovering and developing a lot of postech, but it would be no cakewalk.
The Chantry gave out Charters to individuals willing to relocate to the former Ashlands. New farmholds, salvage operations and mining facilities started to pop up amongst the ruins of the Bythan world.
Not every Ashlander had died. Many tribes had regressed technologically, and banded together to survive away from the colony site. The resettlement brought them in open, if infrequent conflict with the colonists. Many people also started to question Chantry policy of systematically taking the children of these tribals to reeducate them, and a few started to question the lockdown as well. In some sections of the population, it became known as "the silent genocide", and the issue would split Bythan society for centuries to come.
In the face of civil unrest, the Chantry decided that time had come to relinquish control to civilian authorities. A government was founded around a Congress headed by a President : the Bythan Mandate and the six cities that made up the colony site merged, though it was at best an indirect democracy.
As for the initial colony site - the economy spurred up by the expansion into the mainland prompted the six cities to start growing again, and develop into the true, modern city it had been meant to be.
174 years after the Scream, and 90 years after the lift of the lockdown, the planet's population had reached 1'000'000 again for the first time, about a sixth of the original population.
Crucially, despite birth control the population was growing, which meant that there was more pressure on drones to be brought back into agricultural service. The infrastructure was beginning to seriously decay, and with more skilled workers in the fields, there was less and less people able to carry on much needed knowledge. The island did not have any mining facilities, either.
All these factors pressured the Chantry to lift the lockdown, 83 years after it decreed it. The Plague had died down, and the Healer's Guild had found no surviving samples. For all intents and purposes, the First Mainland was open to resettlement once again.
With the drones returning to the fields, less workers were needed and universities started to open, training young people in much needed skills, even though the Scream and forty years of neglect had meant that much knowledge had been lost. Universities would lead the charge in rediscovering and developing a lot of postech, but it would be no cakewalk.
The Chantry gave out Charters to individuals willing to relocate to the former Ashlands. New farmholds, salvage operations and mining facilities started to pop up amongst the ruins of the Bythan world.
Not every Ashlander had died. Many tribes had regressed technologically, and banded together to survive away from the colony site. The resettlement brought them in open, if infrequent conflict with the colonists. Many people also started to question Chantry policy of systematically taking the children of these tribals to reeducate them, and a few started to question the lockdown as well. In some sections of the population, it became known as "the silent genocide", and the issue would split Bythan society for centuries to come.
In the face of civil unrest, the Chantry decided that time had come to relinquish control to civilian authorities. A government was founded around a Congress headed by a President : the Bythan Mandate and the six cities that made up the colony site merged, though it was at best an indirect democracy.
As for the initial colony site - the economy spurred up by the expansion into the mainland prompted the six cities to start growing again, and develop into the true, modern city it had been meant to be.
174 years after the Scream, and 90 years after the lift of the lockdown, the planet's population had reached 1'000'000 again for the first time, about a sixth of the original population.
Y174 : Reaching for the Stars
In 1392, President Anebra had to resign when he declared the practice of stealing tribal children "perfectly moral", sparking Natha Nar's first real riots, and a call for change from the colonists.
While obviously bad news for the ruling government, this was good news for the development of the colony as a whole. After all, they reached a state of self sufficiency, and worked hard on their pathway to reclaim lost technology. Issues related to day-to-day survival had made way for the rise of local corporation and the population had the luxury of tolerating political shifts and splits.
Yet despite this lull, the colony was still planetbound. A few shy attempts to reclaim the starbases that surely were still orbiting the planet were made, but there seemed to be very little political will for it to happen. Lack of many fossil fuels to power rockets and the breakdown of the last Spike Drive ships made a return to spaceflight a bleak prospect indeed.
In 1488, president Despani apologized for the Mandate's treatment of tribals, and declared the entire Second Mainland a "tribal preserve", not to be disturbed. The Third Mainland would house dangerous science projects, but the tribals were allowed to stay, if they did not get too close.
Cities became bigger and bigger, and the population swelled above 2'000'000 in 1497 - limited by draconian birth control rather than lack of resources. Yet this was nothing compared to the encounter they were about to make.
While obviously bad news for the ruling government, this was good news for the development of the colony as a whole. After all, they reached a state of self sufficiency, and worked hard on their pathway to reclaim lost technology. Issues related to day-to-day survival had made way for the rise of local corporation and the population had the luxury of tolerating political shifts and splits.
Yet despite this lull, the colony was still planetbound. A few shy attempts to reclaim the starbases that surely were still orbiting the planet were made, but there seemed to be very little political will for it to happen. Lack of many fossil fuels to power rockets and the breakdown of the last Spike Drive ships made a return to spaceflight a bleak prospect indeed.
In 1488, president Despani apologized for the Mandate's treatment of tribals, and declared the entire Second Mainland a "tribal preserve", not to be disturbed. The Third Mainland would house dangerous science projects, but the tribals were allowed to stay, if they did not get too close.
Cities became bigger and bigger, and the population swelled above 2'000'000 in 1497 - limited by draconian birth control rather than lack of resources. Yet this was nothing compared to the encounter they were about to make.
Y255 : Encounter at Farpoint
In the year 1500 - 255 years after the Scream - a strange vessel landed in a field in the old colony site, having eluded or shrugged off all air defence. The ship, the Feymarch, was a marvel of ancient Imperial engineering. It belonged to a faction called the Mechanopriests - a cult based on Bytha-IV, and devoted to the upkeep and hoarding of dangerous pre-Scream technology.
Clad in orange jumpsuits, the Priests claimed they had been observing the colony for some time, and grown frustrated with their inability to return to orbital flight. They came with a gift : schematics for Spike Drives, only using materials found on the Homeland, as well as a dozen prebuilt Spike Drive ships.
They also came with a warning : other factions, in other stars, may also be on the rise. While the Priests only wanted isolation, they deemed the prospect of a non-local power staking their claims in Bytha a threat that could only be contained by the natives getting there first.
The Mechanopriests left soon again, but their threat was made obvious in 1502, when a far trader landed on Bytha and started to destabilize the local economy.
The Mandate could not tolerate that prospect, either. Their priorities were to reclaim the orbital shipyards and Starbase 01, once the system's port of entry, and repair the damage. That was now much easier with some political will as well as brand new ships and schematics. In 1503, a survey team took control of Starbase 01.
Once control of Starbase 01 was re-established, the Mandate moved onto the furthest system : Bytha-VI, known for being the system's only known deposit of Quadrinix, the vital piece powering Spike Drive ships.
Clad in orange jumpsuits, the Priests claimed they had been observing the colony for some time, and grown frustrated with their inability to return to orbital flight. They came with a gift : schematics for Spike Drives, only using materials found on the Homeland, as well as a dozen prebuilt Spike Drive ships.
They also came with a warning : other factions, in other stars, may also be on the rise. While the Priests only wanted isolation, they deemed the prospect of a non-local power staking their claims in Bytha a threat that could only be contained by the natives getting there first.
The Mechanopriests left soon again, but their threat was made obvious in 1502, when a far trader landed on Bytha and started to destabilize the local economy.
The Mandate could not tolerate that prospect, either. Their priorities were to reclaim the orbital shipyards and Starbase 01, once the system's port of entry, and repair the damage. That was now much easier with some political will as well as brand new ships and schematics. In 1503, a survey team took control of Starbase 01.
Once control of Starbase 01 was re-established, the Mandate moved onto the furthest system : Bytha-VI, known for being the system's only known deposit of Quadrinix, the vital piece powering Spike Drive ships.
Y265 : Once More, Unto the Breach
Within ten years, twelve more starports had been reclaimed and the entire economy became focused on assembling and training a Fleet. Halruaa's moon, once a penal colony, was reclaimed and used as Fleet Headquarters. Admiral Omrael's First Fleet was to remain in orbit of the Homeworld, while Admiral Lithrael's Second Fleet would be deployed across the inner systems. Admiral Morayn would take control of the Third Fleet and oversee the re-industrialization of Bytha-VI. The orbital shipyards were working once again, churning out more ships.
In 1512, eccentric young billionaire Hunzrin decided to move to the Credits Exchange, a gold-plated, lavish station orbiting the gas giant Bytha-V. Before the Scream it was a local branch of the Imperial Bank, and as CEO of one of Halruaa's biggest banking corporations, the Ezno Building Society, Hunzrin simply had to lay claim on what it saw as "the brightest Vault in the universe". He renamed his company the Credits Exchnage Society and soon became an effective lobbyist and part of the Mandate Government's inner circle. In 1523, he became Secretary of the Treasury for five years. Despite constant accusations of misuse of public money and laundering, he passed key pieces of legislation : the 1524 Unified Credits Act created a grain-backed universal credit currency and set into motion the Mandate's policy of gaining allies aggressively through feeding them.
In 1527, first contact was made with nearby systems using a stable psionic passageway called The Rift. The many worlds of the Pasvrosth system accepted the Mandate's offer of friendship in exchange for special seeds that were perfectly tailored to their environments, but were one-use only, forcing Pasvrosthto keep buying them year after year. This was the first instance of the Grain Diplomacy and only further gave backing to the Bythan Credit. Contact was established with a mining colony that had survived the Silence on Bytha-III, who joined the Mandate's protection in exchange for mining apparatus.
Despite this rapid reclaiming, not everything was perfect. Miners on Bytha-VI were not happy with their living conditions, having to put up with piracy, poorly maintained facilities; even though the Third Fleet was stationned there, headed by Morayn's son, Drenzon, any serious threat was hard to stave off and many pirates made a living raiding stations in the vicinity.
Thus in 1539, Bytha-VI and the Third Fleet defected and became their own entity, the Union of Mining Fleets. The loyal fleets of the Mandate did try to reclaim the planet, but far as it was, it was impossible for them to conduct any sort of meaningful raid. The Second Fleet was destroyed over the two years of the conflict, and when a conspicuous pirate raid seriously damaged the only major orbital shipyard in the system, it became impossible for them to carry on fighting the miners.
Instead, the Mandate decided to offer a trade deal : self-independence and hydroponic facilities in exchange for the Quadrinix they so needed. The Union of Mining Fleets accepted - though not all Bytha-VI miners were happy at the prospect, and some colonies turned their back on the Fleet, instead being independent in their own right.
In all these years, far trading had become more common and Bytha was soon gaining a reputation as a "jewel in the rough" - a lucky beacon stocked with food that managed to thrive in the Silence era where so many other worlds had not. Thus, soon traders started to converge on the Credits Exchange and on Starbase 01 - far traders from systems far and wide brave the dangers of the Void and there are more foreign ships now more than ever as trade routes start to be established once again.
Yet it is no golden age for the Mandate. Stretched thin against vastly increased piracy and external influence, the government also grew increasingly ridden with corruption - something the common people had certainly missed during this expansionist phase. The Bythan navy is still only partially rebuilt - and consists of two Fleets of 20 costly frigates each, with the orbital shipyards managing to push merely 4 more each year. Strife with the Mechanopriests over the carefree salvage of pretech ships and space stations is pushing tensions, especially after the Mandate's salvage of the pretech warship Deliverance. If that wasn't enough, Lolthian cults are on the rise again, spreading their filth from system to system.
The year is now 1567 - and the Bythan system has been exploited for sixty years. The Mandate is a regional hegemon in the waiting - despite the losses of the war with Bytha-VI and its unability to hold onto anything beyond its Inner System, not many nearby worlds can claim to be as advanced nor boast the same quality of life. Yet with a Navy and shipyard only partially rebuilt piracy and civil unrest on the rise, and the Mandate government increasingly corrupt, authoritarian and unpopular under the rule of President Orlyduis, it looks like strife is brewing once again. The future looms ominously and the stars have never seemed so distant...
In 1512, eccentric young billionaire Hunzrin decided to move to the Credits Exchange, a gold-plated, lavish station orbiting the gas giant Bytha-V. Before the Scream it was a local branch of the Imperial Bank, and as CEO of one of Halruaa's biggest banking corporations, the Ezno Building Society, Hunzrin simply had to lay claim on what it saw as "the brightest Vault in the universe". He renamed his company the Credits Exchnage Society and soon became an effective lobbyist and part of the Mandate Government's inner circle. In 1523, he became Secretary of the Treasury for five years. Despite constant accusations of misuse of public money and laundering, he passed key pieces of legislation : the 1524 Unified Credits Act created a grain-backed universal credit currency and set into motion the Mandate's policy of gaining allies aggressively through feeding them.
In 1527, first contact was made with nearby systems using a stable psionic passageway called The Rift. The many worlds of the Pasvrosth system accepted the Mandate's offer of friendship in exchange for special seeds that were perfectly tailored to their environments, but were one-use only, forcing Pasvrosthto keep buying them year after year. This was the first instance of the Grain Diplomacy and only further gave backing to the Bythan Credit. Contact was established with a mining colony that had survived the Silence on Bytha-III, who joined the Mandate's protection in exchange for mining apparatus.
Despite this rapid reclaiming, not everything was perfect. Miners on Bytha-VI were not happy with their living conditions, having to put up with piracy, poorly maintained facilities; even though the Third Fleet was stationned there, headed by Morayn's son, Drenzon, any serious threat was hard to stave off and many pirates made a living raiding stations in the vicinity.
Thus in 1539, Bytha-VI and the Third Fleet defected and became their own entity, the Union of Mining Fleets. The loyal fleets of the Mandate did try to reclaim the planet, but far as it was, it was impossible for them to conduct any sort of meaningful raid. The Second Fleet was destroyed over the two years of the conflict, and when a conspicuous pirate raid seriously damaged the only major orbital shipyard in the system, it became impossible for them to carry on fighting the miners.
Instead, the Mandate decided to offer a trade deal : self-independence and hydroponic facilities in exchange for the Quadrinix they so needed. The Union of Mining Fleets accepted - though not all Bytha-VI miners were happy at the prospect, and some colonies turned their back on the Fleet, instead being independent in their own right.
In all these years, far trading had become more common and Bytha was soon gaining a reputation as a "jewel in the rough" - a lucky beacon stocked with food that managed to thrive in the Silence era where so many other worlds had not. Thus, soon traders started to converge on the Credits Exchange and on Starbase 01 - far traders from systems far and wide brave the dangers of the Void and there are more foreign ships now more than ever as trade routes start to be established once again.
Yet it is no golden age for the Mandate. Stretched thin against vastly increased piracy and external influence, the government also grew increasingly ridden with corruption - something the common people had certainly missed during this expansionist phase. The Bythan navy is still only partially rebuilt - and consists of two Fleets of 20 costly frigates each, with the orbital shipyards managing to push merely 4 more each year. Strife with the Mechanopriests over the carefree salvage of pretech ships and space stations is pushing tensions, especially after the Mandate's salvage of the pretech warship Deliverance. If that wasn't enough, Lolthian cults are on the rise again, spreading their filth from system to system.
The year is now 1567 - and the Bythan system has been exploited for sixty years. The Mandate is a regional hegemon in the waiting - despite the losses of the war with Bytha-VI and its unability to hold onto anything beyond its Inner System, not many nearby worlds can claim to be as advanced nor boast the same quality of life. Yet with a Navy and shipyard only partially rebuilt piracy and civil unrest on the rise, and the Mandate government increasingly corrupt, authoritarian and unpopular under the rule of President Orlyduis, it looks like strife is brewing once again. The future looms ominously and the stars have never seemed so distant...