Worlds of the Novan Empire

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Zor
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Worlds of the Novan Empire

Post by Zor »

This thread is about various planets inside the Novan Empire.
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“I always find it odd that the locals decry the Empire’s rule as being Patriarchal, a couple have even done so in my study to my face with the Empress’s portrait looking down on us.”
-Archon Guo Quintanilha, (First Archon Quintanilha and First Archon of Themyscira): News interview 4/15/2120

Themyscira
Population
Planetside-4.87 billion Baselines/Near Baselines, 207 million Genmods, 42 million Extraterrestrials, 6.5 million sapient AIs
Orbital-973 Million Baselines/Near Baselines, 72 million Genmods, 18 Million Extraterrestrials, 1.2 million sapient AIs
Noble Domains-25,351
Seats in the Diet of Commons-1,275
Daimyo Seats in the Supreme Shogunate-63
(Demographics Note-89% of the Baseline Population of Themyscira and orbital infastructure is Female)
System-Themyscira orbits a main sequence G3 Star. It is the closet planet in the system to the primary, which includes a Saturn sized gas giant with 32 moons, an inhospitable venuslike planet, a frozen mars sized planet and four major asteroid belts. Themyscira has four moons, one comparable to Luna in size, as well as a ring system. A Themysciran day is 19.2 hours long and a Themysciran year is 382.2 T-days long.

Topography-Themyscira is a geologically active planet, while it has 69% hydrocoverage, the largest land mass is of comparable size to Australia, although there are many of said landmasses. Plate movement is more intense, and there is more geological activity than Terra. Over the course of its geological Small continents are constantly slamming into each other and breaking apart and land is much less concentrated. Much of the land is either hilly or mountainous. This has had a noticeable effect on climate. Despite having a thicker atmosphere (1.6 bars sea level average), the terrain acts as a barrier against wind. Wind currents generally don’t circumnavigate the globe and are more localized. This, when combined with the fact that few areas on Themyscira are more than a thousand kilometers from water means that hurricanes are unknown and what little desert exists are small dry isolated valleys. Oceanic currents also mean that there is a less extreme drop in temperature near the arctic regions. However, Earthquakes and volcanic activity are both more common on Terra. Gravity is 1.09Gs.

Native Life-Themyscira’s biological history is long, with fossil evidence of Themysciran multicellular life going back 1.3 billion years. The key difference between that and terra has to do with mass extinctions, meteor impacts are 5 times as common and it is rare for a period of more than a hundred million years to pass without a major asteroid based extinction event. Combined with the fact that the planet usually has at least a dozen major landmasses and the result is that there has been no less than forty recorded instances in which marine fauna has moved to land, with more than ten of these still alive today. This means that the animal life includes complicated radial and bilateral lineages. The most recent extinction event happened 12 million years ago and the largest native land animal is comparable in size to a Terran Boar (and has a similar lifestyle). Themysciran plantlife is similar. The chemical structure of Themysciran wildlife is similar enough to Terragen plant and animal life that some of it can be eaten. This has manifested itself in the cultivation of some Themysciran plant species as foodstuffs and seasoning as well as fishing industries going for native aqualife. Aside from spices, most of these command little currency out of the Themysciran system, with the notable exception of Litterprawns. Terragen feral life has adapted respectably well (especially dogs, cats, pigs and boars) to the new planet.

There is some evidence which has led some scientists to believe that a sapient species once existed on Themyscira some 235 million years ago (Just before an extinction event) in the form of the remains of a handful of hemispherical clay and woven stem based structures. This theory does have some popularity, especially among conspiracy theorists but many scientists remain skeptical as the fossils that remain don’t show any creature that lived at this time to posses

History
Gender Separatism: a Historical Overview

Throughout Terran history, there have been single gender institutions and organizations, such as all Male/Female social clubs. A few of these went a step further and sought to isolate themselves completely. Generally these were monastic communities in some form or another. There were a few attempts at secular single gender societies. However, up until the late 1st century AT these efforts was always held back because of the limitations of reproduction, though advances in genetics and the live sciences eventually overcame this obstacle.

Led by small numbers of Misogynists and Mysandrist philosophies and cults, the former generally coming from Greco-Roman or Fringe Abrahamidic sects, the latter based largely off of naturalistic polytheistic revivalism and offshoots of the Feminist movement. Still, outside of a small number of people who lived as shut-in communities in remote locations on Terra where they only had to deal with the occasional Gendarme or Bureaucrat and much of their subsequent generations would leave in rebellion, but it still established this separatist demographic. Both male and female communities grew in isolation. By the early 3rd century AT, a few of these settlements had established themselves in the Asteroid belt. Here contact was more easily limited and migration out into mainstream society was more difficult, thus allowing their numbers to further increase. During the First Solar War, many of these were destroyed, occupied or rendered unlivable. This led to the creation of a refugee population. Some re-integrated into mainstream society, others rebuilt and more moved to other single gender settlements, some of which became more and more radical and isolationist. A few declared independence in the third century and would remain minor states in the Solar System. The main problem was that despite their best efforts, their settlements were still caught up in power games of the mainstream. There were instances of conquest, occupation and so forth.

By the 3rd century, a few of these states (both male and female) had come to believe that the future of their societies. As such, they mustered together funds over the 4th and first half of the 5th century to collectively launch out a total of 9 colonization ships before losing interest and focusing on defense and civic improvement. One of these was the Penthesilea, which was launched in 452 AT for Themyscira.
Arrival and Early Development

The Penthesilea arrived in Orbit of Themyscira in 1436 and deployed its payload of some 13,921 colonists, settling in Neo Artemisia in a warm trop. Development of the new colony was fairly typical, save for the matter of reproduction which was done via Ova Fusion* or bacterial induced Parthenogenesis. This meant that the setting up of a genetics laboratory were a top priority in the first months. At this point population growth was high, with the population increasing in size three fold in the first decade, though this initial surge subsided afterwards to rates that ensured population growth. The colony reached a population of some 80,000 by 1480. Satellite towns were established around the central complex around 1460. Government was handled mostly by a fairy direct democratic system in which referendums were common, though there was a few elected figures who oversaw things, as well as a prominent priesthood. In 1484, a representative council for each of the towns was created. In 1492, a small group of religious people left to found a minor enclave to live in a simple low tech environment removed from the mainstream (several more of these communities would emerge). Settlements were for the most part built next to the Sea, with most of the more inland settlements being along navigable waterways. The first century of Themysciran history was quiet, peaceful and without incident save for an about average level of crime. This also saw the emergence of a purposeful cultural restructuring. clothing, writing, architecture and language were adjusted. The most extensive high end project that was done was the creation of a low range missile that was placed in orbit on the last flight of the landing shuttle in 1476.

*Ova Fusion is an artificial means of conception in which two Ova are combined to create a single fertilized Ovum. It is a safe procedure with a near universal success rate and is common across the Terran Sphere by female couples who want a daughter.
The First Disaster and the Contingency Plan

In 1528, a volcano erupted on Themyscira near the area of human development, which coincided with a number of earthquakes. A town was wiped out by the pyrotechnic blast while the dust cloud killed off a fair amount of livestock and crops. The earthquake also affected Neo Artemistria, cutting power and causing fires. Other towns were likewise adversely affected by landslides, mudslides, forest fires and falling ash. In the end, this natural disaster led to the deaths of some 18,000 people (out of a total population of 200,000) and left more homeless or injured. Many people were forced to abandon their homes and the lack of supplies often led to petty crime and riots, which led to the deaths of an additional 500 people over the next few years. A number of priestesses interpreted this as a sign that the spirit Themyscira had been angered by human activities from some degree or another, although most of them simply believed that this was a regular geological occurrence. This, when combined with a number of people who had their own secular concerns led to a wave of minor insurgency, although this was mostly limited to theft of food that they believed the upper strata of society and some vigilante activity. This forced martial law and food rationing for up to nine months in some regions and destroyed several notable facilities, including the city’s fusion reactor and the main genetics laboratory. While there were five other such facilities and various wind, solar and tidal power systems, the power grid was compromised and (more importantly) the Artemistria genetics laboratory was the largest. This caused a drop in industrial output and population growth by more than 65% and prompted tight control and oversight. It would take five years before population growth would reach pre-eruption levels, industrial output would take more two decades to resume pre-catastrophe level. Development was in both cases decentralized.

The results of this natural disaster and in particular the decrease in population growth cultivated a sense of vulnerability. There had been a history of similar geological instances (usually small scale earthquakes) beforehand and people were concerned of the matter of colonial collapse. The loss of the ability to fuse ova could be a death blow to Themysciran society. While induced Parthenogenesis was a viable method of replacement which did not require mechanical assistance, it had its disadvantages. It was unreliable, lingering in the carrier and occasionally inducing a pregnancy with little control by the mother. More importantly was the fact about gene pool stagnation. Creating continuous lines of clones could lead to genetic bottlenecks which could make the population venerable to viral outbreaks that could lead to extinction. There were calls to the government for long term backups in case of infrastructural failure between 1530 to 1550. Among these were emergency cashes of genetics equipment and information on its operation in bunkers. However, there was also a more radical plan which was met with controversy.

In 1534, a funding bill was passed by the Themysciran Assembly along with a plan to establish four more genetics centers. It allowed for the creation of a think tank with a considerable amount of freedom to come up with an emergency policy, who was allowed a considerable degree of secrecy. Among the policy that was perused was that of research. Some consideration was put forth towards fairly radical plans, including the proposition of creating a number of male organs under medium for seminal collection (modified not to produce sperm with Y chromosomes) as well as research into. The proposition was met with some resistance by the Assembly, but in 1536 by a slim majority the project was put forward. Work was carried out in secret and yielded fruit within fourteen months. Samples were collected, frozen and stored in bunkers in case of emergency.
The Radical Response and the Civil War

At first, these programs were kept secret. But eventually (exact details have been lost in the annals of history) around 1550-1560, information was leaked. First as rumor among other conspiracy theories and then some files were exposed to the media. This eventually forced a press statement on this matter in 1563, explaining the limitations of the program. This naturally caused a considerable level of controversy and protest. The Themysciran prejudices against human males still endured and a century of cultural development in isolation had not lessened this fact of Themysciran society. While the majority of the population was either indifferent or willing to live with it as an emergency measure at this capacity, a significant section of the population saw it as an abomination. Most notably among them were the priestly sisterhood and sections of the older generations. Others disagreed with it as it was introduced without their knowledge. There were several protests and riots by the religiously motivated along with one assassination attempt on one of the politicians. Historians believed that this was enough to swing a referendum vote on whether to keep up the project (admittedly by less than a hundred votes). In many ways this made thing worse. While moderate opponents eventually cooled their tempers begrudgingly the radicals simply further radicalized. Their position also further coupled with those who were dissatisfied with economic control as well as those.

In 1565 a radical majority on the fringe settlement of Mytilenian and the surrounding area ushered into office a set of representatives which engaged in a protest. They did not send a representative to the Assembly and refused to interact until a number of demands were met, most of which related to overdue requisition compensation but among them being the reproductive organs issue. Council offices were shut down and matters were handled locally. This was fairly orderly and no one was killed or injured in the process. This was originally intended as a protest move and after two month the Assembly was willing to send officials to negotiate on this matter. The first talks broke down after a few days due to the fact that several Sentries (Gendarmes) had taken to patrolling the fringes and eventually ending in a firefight between them and a homestead family. This also led to increased radicalization, a small defensive militia composed of a few hundred volunteers and police was put on guard. Their numbers were increased by a number of others dissatisfied, voted with their feet and moved to join Mytilenian, increasing the population of the settlement and surrounding area from 14,000 to 20,000 in six months. This led to some further radicalization, despite the fact that the further support was welcomed. This eventually created some economic problems in the mainstream society and led to polarization. Several Media figures said that giving into demands in this case could lead to the eventual fracturing of society. This was prompted by several more firefights between Sentry and Mytilenianese Militia and the growing radicalization. Eventually, this led to increased recruitment and ultimately, militarization. Some 500 volunteers were gathered and armed and a few trucks were converted into technicals. In 1566, after 11 months of failed talks, saber rattling and sixteen skirmishes an ultimatum was delivered. Stand down or be re-integrated by force. They did not respond and as such, an invasion was launched. There were several firefights and fifty eight people were killed but in the Assembly’s forces won.

Despite this there was still resentment, especially over the fact that the cudgel of armed suppression was used. A couple of months afterwards a truck loaded with fertilizer based explosives crashed into the council’s hall (as a side note this was not a suicide mission, the driver jumped out of her vehicle before impact) killing all but four representatives and numerous civil servants. This resulted in public outcry and the appointment of Armestris Madan as leader and the declaration of a state of emergency. The radicals at this point had lost a fair bit of popularity and with her powers she entered into a period of martial law. Elections were barred for the time being. There were police crackdowns on rebel groups, wire tapping was instituted, censorship was put into effect and transportation in certain areas was limited. Violent and political criminals (of which more than 1,500 were apprehended in the first year of the Madan’s rule, out of a population of 325,000) were sent into exile to one of three penal colonies that were located more than two thousand kilometers from the capital. At the same time, several thousand dissenters left on their own volition over the next five years, going inland or moving out to unsettled islands to set up small retreats which they desired to be temporary. Dissent also manifested itself in more active means as revolutionary cells emerged. Many of which were neutral in regards to previous problems and were simply against the rise of the new tyrant, but the older radicals found their way into these or founded their own. There was some terrorist activity against government authorities and infrastructure, mostly avoiding civilian casualties by destroying bridges and such to force engagements with the police and force them to extend themselves. In Mendel of 1571, rebel forces with public support seized control of three towns and surrounding environments and with equipment from the local policy armories set to defend themselves. Thus began the Civil War.

The Rebel towns had a total population of about 40,000 people. While this was only about a tenth of the population, they had command of some sugnfigiant industrial resources and for the first year focused mainly on digging in and defending themselves while supplying equipment to their sisters elsewhere. There were other guerilla activities which intensified. While the other main urban centers and surrounding areas remained loyal to the government, there was considerable buildup of rebel sentiment in smaller settlements and on the countryside. Slowly but surely, various rebels managed to seize control of regions. In response, Madan began increasing the size of her army considerably with plans for a 15,000 woman strong force (These soldiers were dubbed Amazons, after the mythological warriors, a term which would eventually become the Themysciran word for soldier). When volunteers failed to fill out the expected quotas for recruits after a year, criminals were inducted into the army and lottery conscription was instituted. By early 1573, the advance of the rebels had been stopped and a steady rollback would happen until a stalemate was achieved by 1574. Limited combat by aircraft was engaged as was combat by armed boats. Most military technology had to be re-invented as the original Themysciran colonists saw no need for weapons technology beyond automatic weapons and mortars. Fighting continued for three years until both sides found that they lacked the resources to achieve victory and begrudgingly signed a ceasefire treaty in 1576. Before then, more refugees were displaced.
Cold Peace and the Second Themysciran War

When the ashes cleared, some 20,000 Themyscirans lay dead and two nations emerged. The old Assembly’s Republic, now ruled by Mehen with the council slowly reduced in prominence and New Confederation, ruled by a council of warlords and oligarchs. Both had a population of about 125,000. There were also minor independent towns and settlements of refugees. Some integrated with the two nations over the next twenty nine years while others did not and turned to Parthenogenesis for reproduction.

Although the shooting had stopped, both sides saw this as a respite before the next round rather than a long term solution. Both stimulated large-scale efforts to reproduce and to create the next generation of soldiers and workers (especially the new confederation which lagged in terms of industry) with various programs ranging from tax incentives to propaganda campaigns about the virtue of motherhood. By 1596, the collective population of these two states rose to 550,000. Both of these nations suffered in terms of standards of living due to militarization and the expansion of the population. Girls were integrated into the workforce as young as age twelve by 1585. The glut of children also put strain on the education system causing standards to fall. Some attempts were made to diffuse the situation diplomatically, but in the end this was not enough to stop the conflict entering its next stage.

In 1604, the Confederacy came to realize that the Republic had managed to maintain its industrial advantage. While they had a slight numerical advantage, in a prolonged war where they did not make the first move it would most likely end in defeat. As such they searched for alternative methods to achieve victory. Eventually they came to the conclusion that the best way to defeat the assembly was a multi stage long term plan…
1-Invest in building up a large fleet of combat aircraft.
2-Launch a surprise offensive, with part of the first wave being a dedicated set of air strikes against the Republic’s reproductive centers
3-After taking some territory, hold the line until the Republic exhausts its resources and sues for peace.
4-If unconditional surrender could not be attained, wait another twenty years before launching another attack, by which point they would have the advantage.

This plan was concocted because reproductive centers were not targeted by either side during the civil war and the Confederacy had a larger number of small scale reproductive centers, making retaliation a more difficult matter. Had this plan been for an all male colony, such a move would have been an act of genocide. On Einstein-12th, 1605 the attack was launched and in 48 hours, nine of the thirteen Republic held reproductive centers were destroyed, along with numerous trained personnel. However, the Confederacy’s ground victories were not as successful as anticipated and aircraft losses from this first raid were higher than expected. Additional sorties were launched with the objective of destroying the Republic’s remaining Reproductive Centers, but these only drove a call of vengeance among the Republic’s population. After fourteen months, they managed to achieve their task, although not before some equipment was relocated to secure facilities. At the same time, other parts of the Republic’s infrastructure were targeted by Confederate airborne and naval forces including industrial centers (in particular higher end areas such as computer manufacturing), shipping, dams, bridges and so forth. In particular the destruction of dams led to massive devastation, flooding out several towns and. However, the Republic responded again in kind.

In Mid 1607, after a defeat at republican hands pushed them back and caused major casualties, they launched an offensive further into republican territory to deny the enemy resources and force them to fall back. The Confederates also adopted scorched earth policies afterwards. The Republic rolled back the confederate forces out of the claimed territory and even took back some interbellum confederate areas, but in the end did not have the resources to complete this reconquest and eventually sued for peace.

Again, both sides lost significant sections of the population, more than 85,000 people died during the second civil war, with the confederacy receiving some 65% of the losses, and a larger number of the Non Combatants. More importantly, the industrial and reproductive infrastructure was colossally damaged. Technology regressed in many areas in the subsequent decades and birthrates fell. While a few genetics facilities (mostly in the confederacy) remained fuctional, they were only able to provide about 6,000 ova fusions/impregnations per year in total and many areas had no access to them. Parthenogenesis became the norm in many small towns and (despite some protesting) after 1612, artificial insemination was made available in the Republic for those willing to use it. Attempts to re-establish these facilities were problematic, as were up keeping existing ones despite being given top priority. Electronics regressed to primitive systems as the ability to fabricate new processor chips was lost. As this happened, some refugee communities began to rise to power. The confederacy also turned to conquest of refugee states to help bolster its population and gain new resources.
The Unthinkable Option

In the Republic the vulnerability was all the more prevent. With about a fifth of the remaining Ova Fusion capacity at its control, a very real scenario was the reduction to pure Parthenogenic reproduction. Semen supplies would not last if power was cut. After a bombing at an insemination clinic and an attempted suicide bombing on a reproduction center in 1631, the council discussed radical alternatives. One of which that came up was that considered was the creation of a number of genetically modified males or hermaphrodites. Eventually it was agreed on and the project was initiated. The project bore fruit in 1635 with the first successful prototype organism, seventy two individuals were grown using condemned prisoners by 1636. There were a few differences, they were short (averaging 1.5 meters tall by adulthood), and produced nearly eighty XX spermatozoa for every XY, produced less testosterone and even grew breasts. They were confined to a special experimental community. They were raised in secret, kept illiterate and well away from any violent stimuli or anything which they deemed to be masculine. One of the reasons why this project was kept secret was the fact that there had been so many rumors and conspiracy theories floating around along these lines that people became jaded to any leaks.

War came again to Themyscira in 1650 between the Republic and the Confederacy. The conflict was at a similar level of intensity with the targeting of civilian structures. The confederacy launched a surprisingly effective bombing campaign in the first years of the war and sent commando teams to destroy key strategic infrastructure, including the destruction of all of the remaining republican reproductive centers. Despite this in Faraday of 1653 Republican armies began a slow but steady push into Confederate territory. In response the Confederates resumed scorched earth activities, including demolishing reproductive centers that were about to be captured. By 1655, facing the fact that most of their army was tied up in occupation and they lacked the personnel to push further, the Republicans set up a defensive line after taking more half of the Confederacy’s territory and contented themselves with bombing the remaining Confederates, occasionally taking settlements and encouraging smaller states to take what territory they wanted.

It was during this period that Republic Authorities began to introduce the male minority to the general population. In 1657, it was announced that, due to infrastructural collapse brought on with the Confederacy the only way to preserve the human presence on Themyscira was to create a small number of Men. They stated that the individuals in question were genetically adjusted and specifically raised to neutralize the (in their words) the base depravity of the Human Male. They also stated that they would be limited and put under the strictest observation. There was some dissent, including several riots, small uprisings and assassination attempts. However, things were eventually calmed by the fact that the confederacy was to blame for driving them to extremes in this matter and fears over creating another confederacy rose again. As such, slowly a number of women took to impregnation giving rise to a generation which included some 500 males by 1670. This also saw the emergence of the beginnings of Themysciran Manhood. Males were for the most part limited to the City of Danissian for the first few years, which was fairly secular, and would slowly establish themselves in long-term republic territories. There was still plenty of misandary about, and the confederacy did launch a few desperate offensives to liberate lost territories but a transition had begun.

That said, the nonstop occupation of areas which held 200,000 people in 1655 (a number which steadily grew), which generally had with plenty of forests and isolated valleys nearby where guerillas could fade into was taxing on the economy. Some of the refugee enclaves had grown into comparatively substantial nations and others became havens for pirates and bandits. Although eventually some males emerged elsewhere between 1670 and 1700, their introduction did nothing to improve the status of the Republic in the emergent international community. Though the confederacy was eventually consumed by the Republic and other states, this was not the end for active shooting wars. After a series of uprisings from 1687 to1692, substantial amounts of occupied Confederate territory were lost, mostly becoming dominated by Warladies or being taken over by non republican states. Over the 18th century AT, the Republic would be superseded by other states.
Development Post Decay

In the first half of the eighteenth century things stabilized, the major war that led to the destruction of society had ended. Technology stabilized at a basic industrial level based largely on coal, hydroelectric and wind power. There were attempts to redevelop and make up what was lost, but much information had been lost and there were only so many minds dedicated to the task. Nor was the remaining industrial equipment suited to producing high end machinery. At the same time, standards of living fell back. While cities were generally not cramped, amenities such as plumbing and electricity were rare. The population of Themyscira as of 1700 was only about 2.5 million but would grow quickly by virtue that the vast majority of the adult population had a functional womb. It would expand to 16 million by 1800, 50 million by 1900 and 225 million by 2000. As the population expanded, new lands were colonized, starting with coastal settlements on various continents with various pushes inland. In total some 10-25 sizable nations emerged during this period, as well as numerous independent enclaves. While dictatorship was the norm between 1670 and 1800, gradually democracy reformed. The traditions still existed and many sought to rebuild the golden age before the disaster and civil wars. Otherwise, military dictatorships and theocracies were the most prominent

Military conflicts did happen, although they were limited by a strong belief that emerged in the 18th century not to repeat the same pig headed aggression which led to three bloody civil wars. The rules were basic, but generally obeyed and those who made habits of breaking them tended to lose more in soured relations than they did with tactical gain. Cities were not targeted, armies fought in the field, prisoners of war were treated well, NBC weapons were not used and one side stood down when it was beaten. By 1850, the larger states had achieved what would be the standard level of development, which was comparable to that of Terra’s most advanced states around 20BT to 1AT save for the fact that Atomic weapons were never fielded. Many wars were purely naval and were limited to the seas. Wars happened for several reasons, control over settlement rights, control of waterways (as mentioned before), contested territory, various grievances, alliances and cultural differences. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the biggest of these was the Male Issue: A division between states that took to having a male population and those that rejected it and relied on Parthenogenesis for reproduction and immigration. However, the latter declined as they could not keep up with the expanding population of the former.

This period also saw the emergence of the Themysciran Man and his cultural role. Males were relegated to simple breeding stock and were denied much of an education. Between 1660 and 1800 having a father in many Themysciran societies often carried an element of shame, though this eventually deteriorated due to the fact that more and more Themyscirans were born in such a manner at all social levels. Men were typically confined to breeding centers after age twelve under the observation of female guardians. Often such arrangements were done to protect said men from religiously motivated attack. Artificial insemination was common, but so was more natural ways. Dress codes were generally quite strict, generally to the effect of heavy robes and heavy dresses. A specific male culture was slowly cultivated in isolation. Around 1820 a category of masculine crafts and artwork (largely relating to ceramics, textiles and small articles of woodwork) became popular. Status for males was based largely on the success of their daughters. Some marriages between men and women were experimented with around 1950 onwards, but these generally were limited to the elites.

Living conditions gradually improved as the Population increased. More labor available meant more resources could be devoted to non military areas and bigger consumer markets. During the 20th century, there was a period known as the Themysciran Renaissance. In 2038, the Inland Federation launched an artificial satellite into orbit and three years latter launched a manned Spacecraft. By 2060 there was a basic network of weather and communication satellites and by 2075, an internet had been established. By 2080 there were mining operations in the ring belt and plans to build spacecraft to begin exploration and settlement of their star system.
External Forces

The colonization of Themyscira was monitored by those in the nearby Herschel system. Radio messages were monitored by Novan Authorities and documented. A few messages were transmitted, but no official response was ever received. With the degeneration of Themysciran society in the 16th and 17th centuries, there was a decrease in transmissions. As such, a probe was dispatched by the Ministry of science in 1726, arriving in orbit in 1789. While it attempted to establish a stable orbit, the long dormant missile sent to deal with any possible invaded by the Themysciran People locked on and destroyed it. When information about its destruction was received, it caused enough comment to prevent a second mission from being launched, as it was unknown if any additional missiles were in orbit. Plans for a second voyage were discussed, but never went anywhere.

The next spacecraft (and first Hyperdrive equipped Starships) to enter the Themyscira system were those of a refugee convoy in 2082, which, after approaching and sending a hail, were met with a salvo of crude missiles on approach. They then turned away in search of more amiable places to settle. This caused some concern over a potential invasion and a buildup of missiles was engaged. The next craft was the Queen Haruhi-I in 2095, an FTL equipped Novan Explorer ship. Unlike the unarmed refugee fleet, it carried an arsenal including eight point defense laser clusters and was able to destroy the salvos launched against it before deploying explorer and remote control ambassador probes to the planet’s surface. A couple of nations sent up ambassadors, but negotiations did not go well. On Kepler-14th, they left. A couple more ships would enter the Themysciran system over the next seven years, one refugee ship, an explorer ship from the core systems and a Novan Explorer that collected Deuterium in the outer system on its return voyage. Some debate was made in terms of military development and attempting to acquire foreign technology.

On Imhotep-25th 2102, Six hundred forty troopships and other transports escorted by sixty four frigates and sixteen destroyers emerged from hyperspace in the Themysciran system under the Command of Lady Admiral Guo Quintanilha (then Eighth Boyar Quintanilha). In total, this Conquest Fleet carried a force two million soldiers strong. Upon arriving in Orbit, immediate planetary surrender was ordered. When the various nations of Themyscira launched a salvo of missiles against the Imperial Fleet the invasion was ordered. After a quick destruction of orbital weapons stations came a bombardment salvo. Large scale bases, enemy formations and Warships were destroyed in a week long campaign of bombardment of military targets before waves of drop ships descended from the sky. On Kepler-9th, thousands of drop pods were deployed delivering Divisions to all the major population centers. Despite the complete lack of actual combat experience of the Novans and superior numbers of the indigenous Amazons and defensive militia, Novan Technology proved to be the key factor and by Armstrong Day the planet’s major population centers had been secured at a cost of only 40,000 Imperial Soldiers. Thus marked the first Out of System conquest of the Novan Empire.
Themyscira under Novan Rule

Fairly quickly, Themyscira was divided up into lordships for the Nobility, most of which created from generals who led the campaigns of annexation and civil servants who helped organize it (as mentioned before, the Admiral entrusted to command this expedition had her rank increased from Boyar to Archon). To maximize the effectiveness of the planet, hundreds of thousands of experts were brought in as well as shiploads of equipment. Large numbers of teachers and professors were also brought in to normalize the citizenry. Civil construction projects were initiated to improve infrastructure. The planet’s population was declared Subjects. Propaganda campaigns were used to bring about change.

Resistance was particularly intense for the first few decades, as it meant controlling a population of nearly a billion with a set of cultural and religious beliefs which made things difficult. Guerilla campaigns proved to be a major problem. Despite this, the Empire refused to yield. By 2110, the Imperial Novan Army garrison was increased to five million soldiers. The need for soldiers to keep things in line on Themyscira in particular was a major driving force behind the development of the Attrition series of Robotic Infantry. In the first three decades, some 350,000 rebels and anti-imperial figures were arrested and either executed or reprogrammed. Despite this, activities slowly subsided. By 2145 most areas had been stabilized, though sporadic uprisings in the less developed districts still happened. At the same time, locally recruited military forces were being used by the Novans to help them keep the peace and facilitate conquest elsewhere. In 2147, Themysciran Lieutenant General Tryaine Song (Novan Imperial Marine Corps) was given by Empress Susan-IX the title of Baron, the first non Herschel member of the Empire to do so. Standards of living also improved significantly during the latter half of the. While a fair number of Themysciran had gained citizenship beforehand, the entire Themysciran population was granted citizenship status in 2215 during the First Novan War.

Economy-The Standard of Living in on Themyscira is well above the Imperial Average, as is fairly typical for planets in the Core of the Empire. Though they are not as high as Nova Atlantis or Nova Australia, it remains quiet affluent. The Improvement in standard of living is generally used to justify Imperial Rule.

In orbit is a fairly substantial orbital infrastructure and orbital manufacturing, including being one of the larger centers of shipbuilding in the Empire, both civilian and Military. In 2103, construction work began on a set of orbital shipyards to service the Navy, using the best equipment which could be imported from Hershel. Having a significant head start, advantage in terms of quality and access to cheap resources in the ring system, the Themysciran yards quickly grew in Prominence and scale.

Planetside, Themyscira has developed prominent specialist industries, notably in the areas of medicine, cybernetics, civilian vehicles and luxury goods. In particular, Themysciran furniture, handmade ceramics, glasswork, leatherwork and textiles are considered to be of noted value inside and outside of the Empire. Themyscira also has a fair number of Artistic Institutions and Artisan’s guilds. Tourism has also become big as of late, with numerous resort communites.

Culture-Themysciran Culture is somewhat removed from the mainstream of Imperial Society, despite being the first world to be added to the Empire. While there generally is local flavor in terms of culture, on Themyscira it is much more pronounced. While one would find the typical apex tower dominated skylines of Imperial cities, native fashions have not entirely died out, Novan is still a secondary language in terms of use in day to day parlance.

Despite some attempts to bring in immigrants, the majority of the Population remains female. Even though the level of blatant sexism has by in large been tempered, there still is a preference for girls over boys which is generally achieved through screening, ova fusion or making arrangements with a genetic Themysciran man. Even recent emigrants from Themyscira tend to keep this preference for female children. Themysciran Men still exist and have entered the workforce to a greater degree, although they are becoming less common due to gene therapy to adjust their offspring along more normal lines. Themyscirans tend to have different expectations. A few reactionary groups have taken to living in seclusion in small all female settlements in the Themysciran system, and a few have even made their way out to the frontier to start anew. Themyscirans deeply hold to the view that women as being the default status of Humanity, which is one which lingers with even migrants from Themyscira. One of the more obvious and well known was is that in a fair number of areas, if a woman refers to a man with a female pronoun it is considered a mark of considerable respect.

The Themysciran brand of Naturalistic Polytheistic religion remains fairly prevalent, although it has become more moderate. By in large, Imperial elements have not integrated into native Themysciran worship beyond minor things such as priestesses giving minor comments wishing health and long live to the new monarchs or mourning the passing of an Emperor. Imperial Shinto has recently become popular on Themyscira after it’s conquest, as has Hinduism and Ancestor Worship. Atheism is established, though it is concentrated in a few secular cities. Abrahamidic Religions remains highly unpopular and is limited largely to a few immigrants.

Oddly enough Themyscira has become a fairly major recruiting ground for Army, Navy and Marine Corps. Though there was some recruitment after 2120 providing a comparatively small number of soldiers for the empire, this tendency started up in the 2170s and continues to this day. Among the more renound forces which recruit largely from Themyscira are the 16th, 20th and 52nd planetary armies. Around the Novan Empire, many Themysciran soldiers can be seen performing occupation duties and garrisoning planets.
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