Kalais

Fourteenth moon of Halix, Kalais is a Stage 3-HR terraformed world that would likely be completely barren and uninhabited under normal circumstances.

An accident in the initial comet seeding in AC 93 caused a mining asteroid in orbit to break apart and decimate most of the surface. Though thousands were killed, it was discovered afterward that the core of the asteroid had been rich in phosphorous. This, combined with the original surface's nitrogen content made the world perfect for plant life. Core magnetization was attempted in AC 95 but only produced modest returns. Kalais's magnetic field is weak as a result and solar radiation is high. Geothermal cracking was started in AC 120, and was continued beyond the standard time frame to allow more greenhouse gases to develop.

The world was briefly colonized in AC 183 by the Out-World Security Authority, with research into UV and radiation-resistance crops yielding only partial success. This lead to famine and abandonment of several colonies. Almost 20 years later those colonies that did survive were marooned by Governor Ron Kimal when he commandeered all space faring vessels and left to participate in the raging Out-World Wars.

Agricultural improvements elsewhere brought fresh colonists back starting in AC 266, and a brief shooting war was fought between “originals” and “independents.” With better supplies, the new colonists either defeated or assimilated the natives and continued to flourish for two generations.

In AC 318 the world joined the Belt Confederacy, but was removed when a large war between the various states of Kalais caused tithing to be suspended. The war, known as the Kalais War saw the two largest nations to try to draw in confederate support. Rather than get bogged down in local politics the alliance simply left- leaving the Kalaisians to their bloody conflict.