System: Chichibu

The first colonists to settle Chichibu perished in less than a generation, thanks to an undetected alien strain of smallpox that decimated the population. In those early days of colonization, before the advent of HPGs, word of the epidemic traveled slowly, and by the time investigators arrived, all that remained of Chichibu's first settlers were empty buildings and overgrown streets.

Warned by the previous colonists' desperate last messages, those who followed took adequate precautions against the disease and reoccupied the "ghost towns" left by their predecessors. Dubbing the largest of these townships Remembrance and establishing it as their capital city, the second wave of Chichibu colonists quickly spread out over the primary continent of Jaweena. They found a world similar in many ways to Terra, with fertile lands, diverse climates and ample waters.

The planet's mineral wealth, while lacking in heavy metals or precious gems, is nonetheless sufficient to sustain a steady mining and refining industry, combined with a prosperous aqua-ranching trade centered on the Chichiban whale. The dominant life form in the planet's vast oceans, this large aquatic mammal, almost twice the size of the Terran killer whale, is prized for its tender, protein-rich meat and the valuable oils found in its thick layers of blubber.

Ecologists initially argued against the formation of a whaling industry, fearing the widespread hunting that decimated similar species on Terra before the end of the 21st century. To allay these fears, the planetary government strictly enforces designated no-fishing areas between the northern and southern semi-arctic zones and maintains a whale-breeding program to sustain the population. This has transformed whaling on Chichibu from a hunting sport to more of a ranching industry.

Besides the large continent of Jaweena, Chichibu has four smaller island continents. Thracen, in the north polar area, is virtually uninhabited due to its extreme cold, while the equatorial continents of Quillani and Vyrusia boast the majority of the planet's cities, towns and seaports. Uranday, the fourth island continent, is located in the southern hemisphere and is home to the spaceport city of Sharpendale, a major hub for planetary commerce.

There are no functional factories located on this planet.