Valaad (An Rhy)

The An Rhy star system, also known as the Valaad System, is home to three planets including planet Valaad. It is North of the Wazu Nebula.

Valaad is a war-scarred, barren, sandy desert world. It is home to several cities built by settlers, the largest of which is Gate City. Valaad has a single ocean in the northern hemisphere. Valaad has a deep, rich history going back to some of the earliest years of the SARPiverse and has been heavily affected by 3 wars and one rebellion.

Valaad's status as a protected but unclaimed system has presented opportunities in Smuggling.

An Rhy was formerly controlled by the Qel'noran, and later the Yamatai Star Empire, and by the Mishhuvurthyar during both the First Mishhuvurthyar War and the Second Mishhuvurthyar War until YE 34 when it was abandoned due to lack of strategic value.

In YE 23, the Qel'noran Empire joined the Yamatai Star Empire.

In YE 24, the Second Draconian War resulted in major environmental damage to Ralfaris, causing major turmoil in Qel'noran society.

In YE 26, the First Mishhuvurthyar War began and Ralfaris was further damaged. Believing that the Yamatai Star Empire is too busy with the massive Mishhuvurthyar invasion, the Qel'noran Industrial Sector begins a rebellion, which is supported by the Star Army's Fourth Fleet. But Ketsurui Yui has no compassion for her disloyal troops and the rebellion is immediately attacked by multiple fleets of the Star Army of Yamatai. The Fourth Fleet is destroyed and Ralfaris has to be moved to another universe (Ayenee) to avoid being glassed. Many Qel'noran on Valaad are forced to hide or evacuate.

In YE 27, the 34th Nekovalkyrja War Fleet was deployed to Valaad¹⁾.

In YE 28, a wormhole opened near Valaad to transmit a secret message²⁾. The senator from Valaad called for an investigation into the death of Empress Ayame. Valaad appointed Dr. Yoshi Murata to the investigatory board³⁾.

In YE 29, pirate ship ISC Osiris started out on Valaad. Valaad Star Fortress (later renamed to Hotaru Star Fortress) was stationed in the Valaad System⁴⁾⁵⁾. That year, the Mishhuvurthyar attacked, including orbital nuclear bombardment. The planet fell to the Mishhuvurthyar military.

YE 30: The Third Expeditionary Fleet, under Chujo Jeiriel Kemitha, suffered heavy losses trying to retake Valaad from the Sfrarabla Mishhuvurthyar Xhrafuklurp (SMX)⁶⁾⁷⁾⁸⁾ (YSS Celia plot). YSS Miharu passed through this system later that year. Eventually when the Mishhuvurthyar pulled out, Valaad was free again.

YE 31: Second Mishhuvurthyar War began. Valaad was captured by the NMX sometime during the war and is occupied once more. Gillian Manufacturing once had a branch on Valaad. It was destroyed in the YE 31 invasion by the NMX.

“I fought on Valaad when the NMX invaded, my Regiment, my friends were wiped out with only seven survivors, myself included. They huddled and whimpered, and cried while I kept piling bodies of dead Mishhuvurthyar into a corpse wall as they came into range of the trenches. I held that line until reinforcements arrived five hours later only to find that we were pulling out. Xyainbor, Tatiana, Valaad, Yamatai. And all across space. I've fought, I've clawed, I've shot and stabbed countless NMX and infested Nekovalkyrja alike. – Kurusu Ruri.

In YE 34, unable to defend Valaad and desperate to free up military resources, the NMX finally abandoned Valaad due to “lack of strategic value” during the final phases of the war as it tried to consolidate its holdings. Yamatai took the system under its protection but did not claim it as its territory again, leaving it as an independent enclave.

In YE 36, Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Himiko I of Yamatai declared that the war with the Qel'noran Star Empire is finally over.

In YE 38, the Star Army of Yamatai donated its last Noujou-class Agricultural Ship to the residents of Valaad as a humanitarian goodwill gift⁹⁾. Since then, the decommissioned ship has orbited the planet providing food to the people below.

In YE 43.7 the Star Army ship YSS Resurgence and a cargo ship operated by the Star Army of Yamatai delivered humanitarian (and possibly security assistance) supplies to the local defense forces to support their efforts to maintain territorial integrity.

From space, Valaad looks a lot like a dirt ball–a few clouds scudded across the surface, a small ocean providing the sole source of moisture¹⁰⁾. Its climate is described as “dry and uncomfortably hot¹¹⁾.” Some sites on Valaad's surface are still radioactive from nuclear weapons used by the Sfrarabla Mishhuvurthyar Xhrafuklurp (SMX) during orbital strikes on military targets in YE 29 and the surface is often plagued by severe dust storms which prevent ships from flying.

A provisional government consisting of the planet's native inhabitants is maintaining order.

Currently, the star system is independent despite being in the middle of Yamatai's territory. Its position means that Yamatai will not allow any other faction to claim the system and the Star Army of Yamatai has an agreement with the local government to provide protection in the event of attempted invasions.

A notable location is the spacer's lounge Inferno Wind, situated in Gate City's starport sector. Gate City itself is one of the older settlements on Valaad, a mere twenty years younger than Sky Tower (built near an immense geologic formation which is still being studied) and only thirty-seven years younger than Keystone Lake, which surrounds a freshwater oasis in the higher latitudes of the southern hemisphere, near the pole.

Gate City has a Bravemart.

“Gate City, a mess of industrial Nepleslian-style concrete blockhouse towers, tan buildings made of adobe bricks in ancient Qel'noran designs, and evens some Yamataian-style buildings including a damaged old Star Army of Yamatai building near the starport with the old Type 22 Hinomaru on it, partly spraypainted over with graffiti. They could see a large, old-looking tavern near the spaceport with a “BAR” sign above the entrance.”

The desert heat washed out the hiss of coolant being cycled through pipes and vents as the gantryway of the Osiris lowered and the pressure equalized between ship and planet. It was empty for the most part, just a scattering of supply boxes and a portable crane folded up in one rounded corner of the landing pad.

It wasn't set inside a concrete crater, but the pad was screened off from the dust and dirt. The sky overhead soon darkened, but not with rainclouds; a dust storm was blowing through and it would be awhile before any ships would fly again, they would just have to wait it out.

The floor lit up, leading to the gantryway hatch, where Terry was already in his regular outfit and disembarking. The crew would probably be waiting at the usual hangout, Inferno Wind, a spacer's bar and hangout for mechanics and desert prospectors.

Valaad was dotted with mines dating back to before the Qel'noran ownership and its subsequent transfer to Yamataian control. Most of the people, as far as Terry was aware, were near-humans that passed themselves off as Yamataian, not by “upgrading” to the artificial bodies, but by means of various implants and neural enhancements. Some of those were not available to the average person, but some specialization was of course needed.

Terry liked to keep his appearance the way it was; he'd wait for Lucien and Kirio to get off of the ship and then take them to meet the rest of the crew, and then check the bulletins to see if there were any jobs available. By now customers would know to tag their request with the name of the ship and crew they would like to handle it, but the concept was still catching on.

The docks didn't seem to be anything special, just landing pads with the bare minimum. It offered some protection from the sandstorm, but Randy had thrown a cover over his Ronin as an extra measure, with the cover weighed down with some cinder blocks. The thought of his precious little Ronin tucked away like the daughter he saw it as put a smile on his face.

Looking around there didn't seem to be much out of the ordinary. There were some civilian craft and transports but nothing big or extremely dangerous looking. Recounting the people at the bar, he guessed they were using one of the bigger transports.

It is home to the Basilisk, an intelligent species of reptiles who are beginning the journey to sapience.

The Valaad system is reachable by starship. It is located about 14 light-years from the Yamatai Star System in sector grid 1513 near Darso, Koenic, Xyainbor System, and Yicuqibu.

On the surface, ground vehicles and hovercars are used. There are currently no public transportation or rail systems on Valaad.

Valaad is populated by independent spacers, Yamataians, Reds, and random aliens.

Here's an automatic list of all characters currently in this place (based on structured data from their character pages).

Gun shop owner:

• Form independent starship crews

• Radiation has causes some of the local wildlife to mutate into monstrous creatures.

Wes created this article.