Post by Apillis on Feb 9, 2013 7:24:42 GMT -5
Planet Name: N/A
Planet Type: Asteroid(s)
Habitable: Environmental Artificial Atmospheric Shielding
System: Unknown Regions
Terrain Overview: Rocky/Urban
Notable Geographic Features: ...They're asteroids.
Capital City: Khardus (Unofficially)
Major cities: Khardus, Libarae, Cerus, Karnis, Grautus, Yelysis, Herist
Sentient species: Laitra, Strata, Human, and numerous misc. other species
Non-Sentient species of note: Droids
Asteroid Cities:
The area(s) of the Unknown Regions of the galaxy some know as "The Void", seven systems each with an asteroid belt(s), and among each one asteroid has a city built upon it or within it. Those systems are the Laitra's domain, the remnants of their empire now literally reduced to debris floating in space. This is where they continue to do endure until they are at last snuffed out by extinction, and the Strata inherit what is left.
City: Khardus
((Picture by Andreas Rocha))
The first city to be built after the Laitra Empire's demise by the destruction of their planetary systems. It was established by the surviving Laitra of time, lead by a very young Laitra general Hrist, who commanded several campaigns in the Laitra's war with the Republic. Though, while it is known Hrist spearheaded its construction, it has been a long standing rumor that Luesis was also a survivor, and that the two were lovers--but Luesis wanting to remain out of view aided Hrist in organizing the construction of Khardus from behind the scenes. But this is rumor only and has never been substantiated.
The city itself was built within the largest asteroid that was once the Laitra's homeplanet, Genesis. The asteroid itself is roughly one eighth the size Genesis was, while the rest of the planet's remains is little more than space debris composed of thousands upon thousands of smaller asteroids. The surface of the asteroid proved to be too rocky to begin laying down a foundation to construct a city. Within the sprawling labyrinth of caverns within the asteroid proved far more reasonable to begin construction of a new home for the Laitra people. The expanding metropolis eventually extended not just to the cavern floors, but even up the walls and the cavern ceiling as well.
Khardus has since become the Laitra's most central hub, while they do not have an official capital city. Were they to, Khardus would most definitely be considered as just that.
City: Karnis
((Picture by Ulric Leprovost))
A trait of the Laitra that certainly needs pointing out is they do not like to limit themselves, and while Khardus could easily house all of the Laitra and Strata comfortably for generations. The notion of such a thing is too claustrophobic for them, they refuse to restrict themselves in such a manner. And sentimentalists for the grandeur of what they had lost, they choose to build more cities on asteroids of the planets within the systems they once ruled. Genesis was in the Valuris system so named after the first Laitra empress and the capital of their homeplanet and great empire. They ruled over twenty different systems in the days of their empire, and since its destruction and the building of Khardus, they have built a city within six other systems that they once ruled.
Karnis is one of their more unique cities. It was built within the Cie system, the Cie were a species that had just learned to embark upon planetary colonization within their solar system. However, that is until the Laitra discovered them, conquered their planet and presumably proceeded to eradicate and possibly enslave the Cie species, for there is no trace of the species left other than the Laitra's own records of their conquering their world. Going by what is left of the Laitra Empire's records, they have delivered the same fate upon two other species within the Unknown Regions.
What makes the city, Karnis, unique is two things, the foremost is that it was the first city the Laitra built on the surface of an asteroid. Initially it was an experiment for the very aspect that makes it unique, which was having flowing water ways on the asteroid's surface with even a larger waterfall becoming the city's signature landmark. But after Karnis' successful construction of creating bodies of water on an asteroid's surface via the Laitra's artificial atmospheric shielding, it since became a standard practice. However, Karnis remains the only current Laitra city with a grand waterfall.
City: Libarae
((Picture by 0800))
The Fal system where the city, Libarae, is located was the first system the Laitra inhabited outside of their home system, Valuris. The planet was called Liberilis, and it was the planet furthest from its sun's orbit out of the sixteen planets that orbited it. But when it was destroyed the majority of the debris that the planet was reduced to was scattered out into the dead of space where the sun's orbit was too weak to keep within its orbit. One large piece of the planet that was one tenth its size, managed drift closer into the sun's orbit. As an asteroid it wound up being pulled into the orbit of a moon to a planet that was much larger than Liberilis by several times. It was that asteroid that the Laitra chose to build Libarae upon.
If there was ever a city of the Laitra that could be considered a 'tourist' attraction it would be Libarae without question. For the city itself built upon the surface of this asteroid since covered utterly in ice, seems like a splendid oasis paradise of a city within a frozen wasteland. The Laitra built the city with a measure of luxuriant sensibility and aesthetics. The view from the city many often say to be nothing shy of breathtaking. While the Laitra never built the city as a vacationing location, but more out of the particular architects who took up the reins of leadership to build chose make it a place for the more 'highborn' of their people, regardless they are so very, very few in number. But the sights from the city are said to be amazing, the energy gases of the Fal system are in clear view radiating off of planets and event the moon the asteroid city orbits creates vast assortment of colors midst a constant starry night sky with pale blue moon hovering just over the horizon.
City: Cerus
By the time of the construction of Cerus within the Dis system, the Laitra were seeking to solidify themselves once again to who they are--technological industrialists. It was what made their empire strong, and it was what they believed will bring them back from a state of ruin. The Dis system itself is a very small system composed of a young sun and three planets. There were four until the destruction of planet Solas, the planet in which the Laitra colonized in order to use it and its neighboring planets to mine resources. Since the construction of Cerus their goal within the system remains the same.
Cerus was the start of a new trend for their cities, which was devoting them utterly to manufacturing to build. Before their cities were constructed for the simple purpose of expansion alone. But for a species of builders that was simply not enough to motivate them as a people. Returning to the construction of new technologies with the progressing times of the galaxy helped with their need for more fulfillment in their dire predicament. By the construction of Cerus, the Strata were just beginning to crop up within their society as other species begun to populate within the Laitra's cities.
The planet Solas was actually a very small planet, and when it was destroyed half of it was completely reduced to thousands of fragments, while roughly the other half was simply split in two. One of those two pieces drifted into the sun, while the other remained within its planetary orbit (despite no longer being a planet but an asteroid) with the majority of debris Solas had been reduced to. The asteroid was too unstable on its surface for the Laitra to want to build their city upon, but within the caverns of the asteroid, it was still quite solid to fulfill their plans for it. Those plans being while to make a inhabitable city, it would be more akin to an over-glorified manufacturing plant the size of a city than truly being a city itself.
City: Yelysis
((Picture by nkabuto))
The asteroid that Yelysis was built within is a bit unique in comparison to the other cities. Like the Dis system, the Bael system was small system devoted to manufacturing and mining resources. But the planet Walr was actually very large with six moons in its orbit. When Walr was destroyed, its moons were destroyed with it by being pelted mercilessly by the debris--or asteroids really that the planet was shattered into. But roughly one third of the smallest moon remained in tact, and that fragment of the moon now asteroid within the asteroid belt on Walr's former planetary orbit around its sun, is what the Laitra chose build Yelysis within as it actually proved to be the most secure of the asteroids they tested. While the other Laitra cities are built within the asteroids of their former planets, Yelysis is actually the only one built within the moon of one of their former planets.
The city itself is not all that unlike Cerus, but on a bit more of a smaller scale and far more devoted to manufacturing technology. Really it comes off more as a gargantuan manufacturing plant that its workers live at rather than a city. But one of its other unique features being is the water ways they build within the asteroid they designed to channel into a massive river at the foot of a deep almost small canyon-like formation within the asteroid caverns at the foot of the city itself, and has an immense bridge spanning over it all leading into the city itself.
City: Grautus
((Picture by atomhawk))
The Haithe system was once a staging point of warfare for the Laitra, the planet in which they once inhabited was called Straitas. The sky is perpetual in a sunset-like state with vivid oranges and yellows. The effect is caused by the sun to being in its Betelgeuse phase. Many find the system terrifying because of its sun itself possesses such an enormous gravitational pull, and shear blazing mass of the orange star is intimidating nonetheless. Regardless of being similar to Libarae in that its asteroid was of the planet furthest from its sun is of little comfort as the temperatures without any form of environmental shielding technology will burn nearly anything to the point of destruction.
To the Laitra it is a symbol of power and for the more traditional it is a place of ceremony. Laitra elders known as Kayel, rather than waste away into being invalids will at times choose to walk the surface, which the extreme heat burns them alive in a matter of a few seconds until their bodies are reduced to ashes. The Force is nature, and the star of Haithe is one of the examples of the Force's power as Nature itself. This in a way is like sacrificing themselves to the Force, or rather--returning home--returning to the Force, in a very tangible way. But because this is a very ceremonious place for them, it was also where the more traditionalist warriors would pay homage to the Force and their ancestors before going off to battle. While some may see it as an oddly superstitious thing for a technological people such as the Laitra, for those who are Force-sensitive it can make perfect sense given how the Force can be felt within Nature and certain places within the galaxy. This is one such place for the Laitra, the destructive power of Haithe's star can be felt quite strongly within the Force for those sensitive to such things.
Unsurprisingly from the asteroid ruins of the planet Straitas, they built a city upon its largest asteroid. Building the city on its surface to appreciate its blazing hued sky and to continue ancient traditions. But further unsurprising the city they built was one dedicated to manufacturing weapons of war, and while each city has an academy dedicated to teaching and training soldiers for the Laitra military, the one based in Grautus is dedicated solely for their most elite students. But it is also the place where the Strata tended to solidify themselves the most within Laitra society and culture, which is what lead them to be called the 'Strata' by the Laitra, essentially naming them after a once sacred place and home to the Laitra.
City: Herist
((Picture by atomhawk))
With the Furstus system, the planet Lenax was utilized as manufacturing planet dedicated to building the Laitra military's starships. Its destruction somewhat ironically turned into an asteroid ring surrounding what was its moon, which essentially took its place orbiting the sun on its planetary orbital track. But it was a place the Laitra when they begun to reforge themselves from the ashes of their empire's ruin desperately wanted to get back in fear of another species or government discovering it and discovering whatever derelict technology remained there and claiming it. Whether it be good fortune or the Force being on their side, luckily it was never discovered as it was a system of the Laitra's that had yet to be discovered by the Republic.
Because the system managed to remain of the grid from the Republic during their war with the Laitra, it is the only Laitra city with where Laitra and Strata are the only populace outside of droids making it a very lifeless place. It was built on its asteroid in a fashion as if it were being built on a cliff face. This was done for the express purpose to have Herist fulfill the same purpose that Lenax had, which was developing Laitra starships. Since joining the Sith Empire, it has been Herist and Grautus that has worked closest with Muunilist Shipyards in developing new technology and starships for the Sith Empire.
But with the Evironmental Artificial Atmospheric Shielding system set in place with Herist, the atmosphere flowing through it has given it a sort of blue sky complimented even by small clouds drifting across the sky and the "cliff face" of the asteroid the city is constructed along.
History: What remains of the Laitra's systems they ruled are nothing more than asteroids. The larger asteroids is where they begun to reforge themselves anew by building their cities and spaceports upon them. Some on the surface of the immense asteroids such as Libarae, Grautus, Karnis, and Herist. The effect of the Environmental Artificial Atmospheric Shielding is within the energy field of the shields, generators melt the ice built up on those asteroids by the extreme sub-zero temperatures of space. But what these generators do is several fold, for they not only melt the ice causing condensation for their to be air, but they also work through solar panels, and those solar panels enable the generators to create their own photosynthesis in a way to take in and break down carbon dioxide. But it is this process by these great shield generators that create their atmosphere that causes their cities to have what look like clouds or fog, in come cases the melting ice of the asteroids create springs or even rivers and waterfalls, this too was by design so the Laitra would have water sources for their cities. A prime example of this is the asteroid the city of Karnis is built upon.
Their current most advanced city was the first one they begun to build after the fall of their once great empire, which is the city of Khardus, built deep within the caverns of a large asteroid that was once part of their homeplanet, Genesis. The other cities built inside the vast caverns of asteroids like Khardus are Cerus and Yelysis. Their atmospheric system functions in the same manner with exception to the fact that the generated oxygen is essentially being pumped into the asteroid where the cities are housed, and the water ways have all been tunneled as various networks through out the city.
The Laitra military spans thousands upon thousands of years dating back to even when they were little more tribal societies huddled around campfires. But they have long since evolved beyond that point, and their technological might coupled with their power in the Force their fierceness as martial combatants cannot be denied. Since ancient times they have gravitated toward melee weaponry, and in time merely incorporated ranged weapons such as slugthrowers and blasters with it.
Their military has always worked closely with law enforcement, and even at the height of their great empire, it was difficult to discern between the military and law enforcement as the two often overlapped into the other in their duties in the service of the empire and Laitra people. To this day that has not changed, patrolling the streets of the Laitra cities the droid sentinels of law enforcement and the droid soldiers of the military are often working side by side with one another. This is also the case for those Laitra and Strata who serve in law enforcement and the military. For centuries that has been a common sight within Laitra cities, and this will likely continue until the Laitra at long last die off.
Laitra/Strata Artillery Soldier
((Picture by Megane Rid))
Laitra society is harsh and there is little forgiveness and charity, those who cannot care for themselves are left to the way side. It is under the belief by picking up one's self by their own boot straps that makes them stronger, and thus in turn makes the Laitra stronger, essentially social Darwinism. Laitra can be surprisingly very nurturing parents... up until the child reaches adolescence, at which point they are left to fend for themselves and that once nurturing parent becomes quite cold, harsh, and detached. The result is the most common Laitra a person is likely to see out wandering the streets of a Laitra city is an adolescent, typically a wandering little waif living off of the streets.
These adolescents one has to be careful, because for centuries they are typically the ones to rob or even beat a tourist or unsuspecting spacer to death for their possessions. It is often suggested to treat an adolescent Laitra (or Strata for that matter) like one would a baby viper--they are small but their bite is still quite deadly. They often play the role of a fragile young girl at first, but it is largely a deception, they only do this to get an edge before sinking their blade deep into victim's chest before taking everything worth stealing. While definitely young (for Laitra) and their power and ability in the Force and martial prowess is still immature, they still are likely experienced combatants having lived for fifty to seventy years, and typically at least a couple decades of that time scrounging off of the harsh streets of the Laitra's cities.
An adolescent Laitra vagabond being greeted by a friendly tourist greeter droid.
((Picture by madspartan013))
The cities tend to be named after great leaders of the Laitra, largely the empresses or those Laitra who accomplished great deeds at some point in time. It is no mystery among the Laitra that Yelysis was in fact named after Elysis, as it was she who established that city over nine centuries ago three life cycles before her current one. Other cities have been named through the same means, such as Karnis and Herist. Herist was named after Hrist, one of the scant few surviving frontline warriors of the Laitra who fought the Republic. Upon the fall of the Laitra empire, it was she who initially lead the reconstruction of Laitra society directly after the destruction of their empire, and laid the ground work for the building of Khardus, named after the second Laitra empress, Kharlene.
The famed Laitra General Hrist leading a charge.
((Picture by madspartan013))
Though it is the Strata who are more commonly seen compared to their parent species the Laitra. And they have somewhat made their own mark among them. The Strata much like the Laitra are a people of builders, and what one is mostly likely to see of a Strata is what they call 'Technomancers'. Their genius for technology cannot be overstated, and it is them who are only second to the droid builders of the Laitra that have directly constructed the asteroid Laitra cities. They are often tinkering, creating, building, or maintenancing something within the Laitra cities, seen from time to time as a group working on the electronics of a high-rise building, or constructing the very droids that inhabit much of Laitra society.
A Strata Technomancer
((Picture by madspartan013))
While the Laitra cities have many thousands of soldier and sentinel droids, largely constructed by Strata technomancers, the majority of droids the Laitra possess are civilian droids. But their vast assortment of civilian droids are a bit of a perplexity to those who have never been to a Laitra city, or even some of the inhabitants of the asteroid Laitra cities of other species who do not quite get it. The Laitra and to be fair the Strata, while in the process of creating these numerous and wide array of droids to inhabit their cities, did so with a bit of a sense of humor. While these droids earn no income, they are programmed to run on a patterned functionality as though they were ordinary humans or other species who live similar to them that go to work clock in and out of their nine to five job, and come home to their family. And yes, these droids do have families, constructing their own children and some those children construct a brother or sister with their "parents". They call each other by their model numbers as if they were names from human society or with their family referring to each one appropriately as mother or father or uncle or grandmother etc etc etc. They even have domestic issues.
Species outside of the Laitra and Strata, especially those species seeing it for the first time, find it all a bit strange and surreal. While the Laitra and Strata find it to be utterly amusing and like watching soap operas and dramas or even in certain cases comedies in real time rather than on the holonet. From a certain perspective it is a bit artistic, these droids they have constructed--machines taking on lives and generically mimicking perfectly in many ways the day to day lives of the biological machines that are humans or those Near-Human species similar to them. While the Laitra and Strata tend to find it a bit humorous and entertaining, those humans or near-humans that catch onto the "joke" find it a little unsettling and surreal; but from another perspective it seems the Laitra and Strata do this to make their cities not feel quite as cold or eerie filled with the mindless routines of ordinary droids--this gives their cities a bit more personality and life. But the somewhat social commentary and mockery of--especially human society--does not go unnoticed by the other species inhabiting the cities.
While the droids continued maintenance largely falls upon other droids, it is all oversaw by Strata technomancers and Laitra engineers, while the protection of them falls under the military's protection as it is viewed as an attack upon the Laitra/Strata directly to tamper or damage their droids. They play a large role within the Laitra and Strata's day to day for maintaining not just their cities but what is essentially the last remaining societal hubs of their people. Thus punishment tends to be severe, even to Laitra standards. However, it should be noted within the current area because the Strata's populace is so much more vast than the Laitra, it is largely them who have taken on the responsibility of these things as they have the numbers to do it with much greater efficiency than the Laitra can at this stage of their laboring existence.
But these are things have gone on within those cities for years, centuries even, and in fact even to far greater extremes in those days when the asteroids were planets and the cities were global spanning metropolises. But those days are lost, and what is left now of the Laitra and to be passed onto the Strata is a tiny iota of what it all once was...
The Invaere-class battlecruiser developed by Laitra and Strata manufacturers and Muunilist Shipyard manufacturers.
((Picture by Vince-T))
Since allying with the Sith Empire though, the Laitra cities can be seen with Sith military units and ships docked at the ports and shipyards. The Sith presence there for the most part seems to be primarily for supplies and technological trade. The Laitra since becoming part of the Sith Empire has worked in conjunction with Muunilist's own shipyards and weapons manufacturing to help further develop the Sith Empire's military.
On a cultural level within the cities, there are those of the Sith Order who have traveled to the Laitra cities for whatever their reasons may be. And once there, they quickly learn they must be just as weary within the Laitra cities as they do on Korriban within the Sith Temple. The Laitra and Strata are a suspicious people as it is, and their more spiteful impulses nudging them close or even well into the dark side, dealing with a Laitra or Strata on a superficial level can often feel like dealing with another Sith.
The coming of outsiders to their cities centuries ago was met with mixed feelings among the Laitra, but given it lead to the rise of the Strata amongst them, they learned to accept it, some begrudgingly--others welcoming it with a smile seeing only opportunity. But the coming of the Sith Empire to their cities, the non-Laitra/Strata inhabitants tend to be largely weary or fearful of this alliance. Whereas the Laitra and Strata themselves regard them little differently than they do the outsiders that immigrated into their cities long before the rebirth the Sith Empire. That is not to say they are not suspicious of the Sith, far from--Laitra and Strata are naturally suspicious of everyone, even their own, and they have no reason not to be any less suspicious of the Sith. But in the end it has not forced the Laitra and Strata to change much--if anything--with their society or culture, so the Sith presence coming to their cities if not welcomed is met with a certain indifference or begrudging tolerance in the same regard as the initial outsiders who came to inhabit their cities.
Planet Type: Asteroid(s)
Habitable: Environmental Artificial Atmospheric Shielding
System: Unknown Regions
Terrain Overview: Rocky/Urban
Notable Geographic Features: ...They're asteroids.
Capital City: Khardus (Unofficially)
Major cities: Khardus, Libarae, Cerus, Karnis, Grautus, Yelysis, Herist
Sentient species: Laitra, Strata, Human, and numerous misc. other species
Non-Sentient species of note: Droids
Asteroid Cities:
The area(s) of the Unknown Regions of the galaxy some know as "The Void", seven systems each with an asteroid belt(s), and among each one asteroid has a city built upon it or within it. Those systems are the Laitra's domain, the remnants of their empire now literally reduced to debris floating in space. This is where they continue to do endure until they are at last snuffed out by extinction, and the Strata inherit what is left.
City: Khardus
((Picture by Andreas Rocha))
The first city to be built after the Laitra Empire's demise by the destruction of their planetary systems. It was established by the surviving Laitra of time, lead by a very young Laitra general Hrist, who commanded several campaigns in the Laitra's war with the Republic. Though, while it is known Hrist spearheaded its construction, it has been a long standing rumor that Luesis was also a survivor, and that the two were lovers--but Luesis wanting to remain out of view aided Hrist in organizing the construction of Khardus from behind the scenes. But this is rumor only and has never been substantiated.
The city itself was built within the largest asteroid that was once the Laitra's homeplanet, Genesis. The asteroid itself is roughly one eighth the size Genesis was, while the rest of the planet's remains is little more than space debris composed of thousands upon thousands of smaller asteroids. The surface of the asteroid proved to be too rocky to begin laying down a foundation to construct a city. Within the sprawling labyrinth of caverns within the asteroid proved far more reasonable to begin construction of a new home for the Laitra people. The expanding metropolis eventually extended not just to the cavern floors, but even up the walls and the cavern ceiling as well.
Khardus has since become the Laitra's most central hub, while they do not have an official capital city. Were they to, Khardus would most definitely be considered as just that.
City: Karnis
((Picture by Ulric Leprovost))
A trait of the Laitra that certainly needs pointing out is they do not like to limit themselves, and while Khardus could easily house all of the Laitra and Strata comfortably for generations. The notion of such a thing is too claustrophobic for them, they refuse to restrict themselves in such a manner. And sentimentalists for the grandeur of what they had lost, they choose to build more cities on asteroids of the planets within the systems they once ruled. Genesis was in the Valuris system so named after the first Laitra empress and the capital of their homeplanet and great empire. They ruled over twenty different systems in the days of their empire, and since its destruction and the building of Khardus, they have built a city within six other systems that they once ruled.
Karnis is one of their more unique cities. It was built within the Cie system, the Cie were a species that had just learned to embark upon planetary colonization within their solar system. However, that is until the Laitra discovered them, conquered their planet and presumably proceeded to eradicate and possibly enslave the Cie species, for there is no trace of the species left other than the Laitra's own records of their conquering their world. Going by what is left of the Laitra Empire's records, they have delivered the same fate upon two other species within the Unknown Regions.
What makes the city, Karnis, unique is two things, the foremost is that it was the first city the Laitra built on the surface of an asteroid. Initially it was an experiment for the very aspect that makes it unique, which was having flowing water ways on the asteroid's surface with even a larger waterfall becoming the city's signature landmark. But after Karnis' successful construction of creating bodies of water on an asteroid's surface via the Laitra's artificial atmospheric shielding, it since became a standard practice. However, Karnis remains the only current Laitra city with a grand waterfall.
City: Libarae
((Picture by 0800))
The Fal system where the city, Libarae, is located was the first system the Laitra inhabited outside of their home system, Valuris. The planet was called Liberilis, and it was the planet furthest from its sun's orbit out of the sixteen planets that orbited it. But when it was destroyed the majority of the debris that the planet was reduced to was scattered out into the dead of space where the sun's orbit was too weak to keep within its orbit. One large piece of the planet that was one tenth its size, managed drift closer into the sun's orbit. As an asteroid it wound up being pulled into the orbit of a moon to a planet that was much larger than Liberilis by several times. It was that asteroid that the Laitra chose to build Libarae upon.
If there was ever a city of the Laitra that could be considered a 'tourist' attraction it would be Libarae without question. For the city itself built upon the surface of this asteroid since covered utterly in ice, seems like a splendid oasis paradise of a city within a frozen wasteland. The Laitra built the city with a measure of luxuriant sensibility and aesthetics. The view from the city many often say to be nothing shy of breathtaking. While the Laitra never built the city as a vacationing location, but more out of the particular architects who took up the reins of leadership to build chose make it a place for the more 'highborn' of their people, regardless they are so very, very few in number. But the sights from the city are said to be amazing, the energy gases of the Fal system are in clear view radiating off of planets and event the moon the asteroid city orbits creates vast assortment of colors midst a constant starry night sky with pale blue moon hovering just over the horizon.
City: Cerus
((Picture by James Ledger))
By the time of the construction of Cerus within the Dis system, the Laitra were seeking to solidify themselves once again to who they are--technological industrialists. It was what made their empire strong, and it was what they believed will bring them back from a state of ruin. The Dis system itself is a very small system composed of a young sun and three planets. There were four until the destruction of planet Solas, the planet in which the Laitra colonized in order to use it and its neighboring planets to mine resources. Since the construction of Cerus their goal within the system remains the same.
Cerus was the start of a new trend for their cities, which was devoting them utterly to manufacturing to build. Before their cities were constructed for the simple purpose of expansion alone. But for a species of builders that was simply not enough to motivate them as a people. Returning to the construction of new technologies with the progressing times of the galaxy helped with their need for more fulfillment in their dire predicament. By the construction of Cerus, the Strata were just beginning to crop up within their society as other species begun to populate within the Laitra's cities.
The planet Solas was actually a very small planet, and when it was destroyed half of it was completely reduced to thousands of fragments, while roughly the other half was simply split in two. One of those two pieces drifted into the sun, while the other remained within its planetary orbit (despite no longer being a planet but an asteroid) with the majority of debris Solas had been reduced to. The asteroid was too unstable on its surface for the Laitra to want to build their city upon, but within the caverns of the asteroid, it was still quite solid to fulfill their plans for it. Those plans being while to make a inhabitable city, it would be more akin to an over-glorified manufacturing plant the size of a city than truly being a city itself.
City: Yelysis
((Picture by nkabuto))
The asteroid that Yelysis was built within is a bit unique in comparison to the other cities. Like the Dis system, the Bael system was small system devoted to manufacturing and mining resources. But the planet Walr was actually very large with six moons in its orbit. When Walr was destroyed, its moons were destroyed with it by being pelted mercilessly by the debris--or asteroids really that the planet was shattered into. But roughly one third of the smallest moon remained in tact, and that fragment of the moon now asteroid within the asteroid belt on Walr's former planetary orbit around its sun, is what the Laitra chose build Yelysis within as it actually proved to be the most secure of the asteroids they tested. While the other Laitra cities are built within the asteroids of their former planets, Yelysis is actually the only one built within the moon of one of their former planets.
The city itself is not all that unlike Cerus, but on a bit more of a smaller scale and far more devoted to manufacturing technology. Really it comes off more as a gargantuan manufacturing plant that its workers live at rather than a city. But one of its other unique features being is the water ways they build within the asteroid they designed to channel into a massive river at the foot of a deep almost small canyon-like formation within the asteroid caverns at the foot of the city itself, and has an immense bridge spanning over it all leading into the city itself.
City: Grautus
((Picture by atomhawk))
The Haithe system was once a staging point of warfare for the Laitra, the planet in which they once inhabited was called Straitas. The sky is perpetual in a sunset-like state with vivid oranges and yellows. The effect is caused by the sun to being in its Betelgeuse phase. Many find the system terrifying because of its sun itself possesses such an enormous gravitational pull, and shear blazing mass of the orange star is intimidating nonetheless. Regardless of being similar to Libarae in that its asteroid was of the planet furthest from its sun is of little comfort as the temperatures without any form of environmental shielding technology will burn nearly anything to the point of destruction.
To the Laitra it is a symbol of power and for the more traditional it is a place of ceremony. Laitra elders known as Kayel, rather than waste away into being invalids will at times choose to walk the surface, which the extreme heat burns them alive in a matter of a few seconds until their bodies are reduced to ashes. The Force is nature, and the star of Haithe is one of the examples of the Force's power as Nature itself. This in a way is like sacrificing themselves to the Force, or rather--returning home--returning to the Force, in a very tangible way. But because this is a very ceremonious place for them, it was also where the more traditionalist warriors would pay homage to the Force and their ancestors before going off to battle. While some may see it as an oddly superstitious thing for a technological people such as the Laitra, for those who are Force-sensitive it can make perfect sense given how the Force can be felt within Nature and certain places within the galaxy. This is one such place for the Laitra, the destructive power of Haithe's star can be felt quite strongly within the Force for those sensitive to such things.
Unsurprisingly from the asteroid ruins of the planet Straitas, they built a city upon its largest asteroid. Building the city on its surface to appreciate its blazing hued sky and to continue ancient traditions. But further unsurprising the city they built was one dedicated to manufacturing weapons of war, and while each city has an academy dedicated to teaching and training soldiers for the Laitra military, the one based in Grautus is dedicated solely for their most elite students. But it is also the place where the Strata tended to solidify themselves the most within Laitra society and culture, which is what lead them to be called the 'Strata' by the Laitra, essentially naming them after a once sacred place and home to the Laitra.
City: Herist
((Picture by atomhawk))
With the Furstus system, the planet Lenax was utilized as manufacturing planet dedicated to building the Laitra military's starships. Its destruction somewhat ironically turned into an asteroid ring surrounding what was its moon, which essentially took its place orbiting the sun on its planetary orbital track. But it was a place the Laitra when they begun to reforge themselves from the ashes of their empire's ruin desperately wanted to get back in fear of another species or government discovering it and discovering whatever derelict technology remained there and claiming it. Whether it be good fortune or the Force being on their side, luckily it was never discovered as it was a system of the Laitra's that had yet to be discovered by the Republic.
Because the system managed to remain of the grid from the Republic during their war with the Laitra, it is the only Laitra city with where Laitra and Strata are the only populace outside of droids making it a very lifeless place. It was built on its asteroid in a fashion as if it were being built on a cliff face. This was done for the express purpose to have Herist fulfill the same purpose that Lenax had, which was developing Laitra starships. Since joining the Sith Empire, it has been Herist and Grautus that has worked closest with Muunilist Shipyards in developing new technology and starships for the Sith Empire.
But with the Evironmental Artificial Atmospheric Shielding system set in place with Herist, the atmosphere flowing through it has given it a sort of blue sky complimented even by small clouds drifting across the sky and the "cliff face" of the asteroid the city is constructed along.
History: What remains of the Laitra's systems they ruled are nothing more than asteroids. The larger asteroids is where they begun to reforge themselves anew by building their cities and spaceports upon them. Some on the surface of the immense asteroids such as Libarae, Grautus, Karnis, and Herist. The effect of the Environmental Artificial Atmospheric Shielding is within the energy field of the shields, generators melt the ice built up on those asteroids by the extreme sub-zero temperatures of space. But what these generators do is several fold, for they not only melt the ice causing condensation for their to be air, but they also work through solar panels, and those solar panels enable the generators to create their own photosynthesis in a way to take in and break down carbon dioxide. But it is this process by these great shield generators that create their atmosphere that causes their cities to have what look like clouds or fog, in come cases the melting ice of the asteroids create springs or even rivers and waterfalls, this too was by design so the Laitra would have water sources for their cities. A prime example of this is the asteroid the city of Karnis is built upon.
Their current most advanced city was the first one they begun to build after the fall of their once great empire, which is the city of Khardus, built deep within the caverns of a large asteroid that was once part of their homeplanet, Genesis. The other cities built inside the vast caverns of asteroids like Khardus are Cerus and Yelysis. Their atmospheric system functions in the same manner with exception to the fact that the generated oxygen is essentially being pumped into the asteroid where the cities are housed, and the water ways have all been tunneled as various networks through out the city.
The Laitra military spans thousands upon thousands of years dating back to even when they were little more tribal societies huddled around campfires. But they have long since evolved beyond that point, and their technological might coupled with their power in the Force their fierceness as martial combatants cannot be denied. Since ancient times they have gravitated toward melee weaponry, and in time merely incorporated ranged weapons such as slugthrowers and blasters with it.
Their military has always worked closely with law enforcement, and even at the height of their great empire, it was difficult to discern between the military and law enforcement as the two often overlapped into the other in their duties in the service of the empire and Laitra people. To this day that has not changed, patrolling the streets of the Laitra cities the droid sentinels of law enforcement and the droid soldiers of the military are often working side by side with one another. This is also the case for those Laitra and Strata who serve in law enforcement and the military. For centuries that has been a common sight within Laitra cities, and this will likely continue until the Laitra at long last die off.
Laitra/Strata Artillery Soldier
((Picture by Megane Rid))
Laitra society is harsh and there is little forgiveness and charity, those who cannot care for themselves are left to the way side. It is under the belief by picking up one's self by their own boot straps that makes them stronger, and thus in turn makes the Laitra stronger, essentially social Darwinism. Laitra can be surprisingly very nurturing parents... up until the child reaches adolescence, at which point they are left to fend for themselves and that once nurturing parent becomes quite cold, harsh, and detached. The result is the most common Laitra a person is likely to see out wandering the streets of a Laitra city is an adolescent, typically a wandering little waif living off of the streets.
These adolescents one has to be careful, because for centuries they are typically the ones to rob or even beat a tourist or unsuspecting spacer to death for their possessions. It is often suggested to treat an adolescent Laitra (or Strata for that matter) like one would a baby viper--they are small but their bite is still quite deadly. They often play the role of a fragile young girl at first, but it is largely a deception, they only do this to get an edge before sinking their blade deep into victim's chest before taking everything worth stealing. While definitely young (for Laitra) and their power and ability in the Force and martial prowess is still immature, they still are likely experienced combatants having lived for fifty to seventy years, and typically at least a couple decades of that time scrounging off of the harsh streets of the Laitra's cities.
An adolescent Laitra vagabond being greeted by a friendly tourist greeter droid.
((Picture by madspartan013))
The cities tend to be named after great leaders of the Laitra, largely the empresses or those Laitra who accomplished great deeds at some point in time. It is no mystery among the Laitra that Yelysis was in fact named after Elysis, as it was she who established that city over nine centuries ago three life cycles before her current one. Other cities have been named through the same means, such as Karnis and Herist. Herist was named after Hrist, one of the scant few surviving frontline warriors of the Laitra who fought the Republic. Upon the fall of the Laitra empire, it was she who initially lead the reconstruction of Laitra society directly after the destruction of their empire, and laid the ground work for the building of Khardus, named after the second Laitra empress, Kharlene.
The famed Laitra General Hrist leading a charge.
((Picture by madspartan013))
Though it is the Strata who are more commonly seen compared to their parent species the Laitra. And they have somewhat made their own mark among them. The Strata much like the Laitra are a people of builders, and what one is mostly likely to see of a Strata is what they call 'Technomancers'. Their genius for technology cannot be overstated, and it is them who are only second to the droid builders of the Laitra that have directly constructed the asteroid Laitra cities. They are often tinkering, creating, building, or maintenancing something within the Laitra cities, seen from time to time as a group working on the electronics of a high-rise building, or constructing the very droids that inhabit much of Laitra society.
A Strata Technomancer
((Picture by madspartan013))
While the Laitra cities have many thousands of soldier and sentinel droids, largely constructed by Strata technomancers, the majority of droids the Laitra possess are civilian droids. But their vast assortment of civilian droids are a bit of a perplexity to those who have never been to a Laitra city, or even some of the inhabitants of the asteroid Laitra cities of other species who do not quite get it. The Laitra and to be fair the Strata, while in the process of creating these numerous and wide array of droids to inhabit their cities, did so with a bit of a sense of humor. While these droids earn no income, they are programmed to run on a patterned functionality as though they were ordinary humans or other species who live similar to them that go to work clock in and out of their nine to five job, and come home to their family. And yes, these droids do have families, constructing their own children and some those children construct a brother or sister with their "parents". They call each other by their model numbers as if they were names from human society or with their family referring to each one appropriately as mother or father or uncle or grandmother etc etc etc. They even have domestic issues.
Species outside of the Laitra and Strata, especially those species seeing it for the first time, find it all a bit strange and surreal. While the Laitra and Strata find it to be utterly amusing and like watching soap operas and dramas or even in certain cases comedies in real time rather than on the holonet. From a certain perspective it is a bit artistic, these droids they have constructed--machines taking on lives and generically mimicking perfectly in many ways the day to day lives of the biological machines that are humans or those Near-Human species similar to them. While the Laitra and Strata tend to find it a bit humorous and entertaining, those humans or near-humans that catch onto the "joke" find it a little unsettling and surreal; but from another perspective it seems the Laitra and Strata do this to make their cities not feel quite as cold or eerie filled with the mindless routines of ordinary droids--this gives their cities a bit more personality and life. But the somewhat social commentary and mockery of--especially human society--does not go unnoticed by the other species inhabiting the cities.
While the droids continued maintenance largely falls upon other droids, it is all oversaw by Strata technomancers and Laitra engineers, while the protection of them falls under the military's protection as it is viewed as an attack upon the Laitra/Strata directly to tamper or damage their droids. They play a large role within the Laitra and Strata's day to day for maintaining not just their cities but what is essentially the last remaining societal hubs of their people. Thus punishment tends to be severe, even to Laitra standards. However, it should be noted within the current area because the Strata's populace is so much more vast than the Laitra, it is largely them who have taken on the responsibility of these things as they have the numbers to do it with much greater efficiency than the Laitra can at this stage of their laboring existence.
But these are things have gone on within those cities for years, centuries even, and in fact even to far greater extremes in those days when the asteroids were planets and the cities were global spanning metropolises. But those days are lost, and what is left now of the Laitra and to be passed onto the Strata is a tiny iota of what it all once was...
The Invaere-class battlecruiser developed by Laitra and Strata manufacturers and Muunilist Shipyard manufacturers.
((Picture by Vince-T))
Since allying with the Sith Empire though, the Laitra cities can be seen with Sith military units and ships docked at the ports and shipyards. The Sith presence there for the most part seems to be primarily for supplies and technological trade. The Laitra since becoming part of the Sith Empire has worked in conjunction with Muunilist's own shipyards and weapons manufacturing to help further develop the Sith Empire's military.
On a cultural level within the cities, there are those of the Sith Order who have traveled to the Laitra cities for whatever their reasons may be. And once there, they quickly learn they must be just as weary within the Laitra cities as they do on Korriban within the Sith Temple. The Laitra and Strata are a suspicious people as it is, and their more spiteful impulses nudging them close or even well into the dark side, dealing with a Laitra or Strata on a superficial level can often feel like dealing with another Sith.
The coming of outsiders to their cities centuries ago was met with mixed feelings among the Laitra, but given it lead to the rise of the Strata amongst them, they learned to accept it, some begrudgingly--others welcoming it with a smile seeing only opportunity. But the coming of the Sith Empire to their cities, the non-Laitra/Strata inhabitants tend to be largely weary or fearful of this alliance. Whereas the Laitra and Strata themselves regard them little differently than they do the outsiders that immigrated into their cities long before the rebirth the Sith Empire. That is not to say they are not suspicious of the Sith, far from--Laitra and Strata are naturally suspicious of everyone, even their own, and they have no reason not to be any less suspicious of the Sith. But in the end it has not forced the Laitra and Strata to change much--if anything--with their society or culture, so the Sith presence coming to their cities if not welcomed is met with a certain indifference or begrudging tolerance in the same regard as the initial outsiders who came to inhabit their cities.
