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| - | ==Historical note on Laanex==
| + | A million thkans for posting this information. |
| - | Since the early days of Keldon exploration, astronomers had long wanted to explore their closest star system. They called it Laanex in ages past, and with the advent of space travel and the development of interstellar nuclear drives, they were able to design a cheap but reliable long range probe to survey this system. Early reports suggested that the atmospheric density of the only habitable planet was 80% of Keldana I, with 18% oxygen. Radioactive dust particles made up 40% of the atmosphere--likely caused by a meteor impact--with the strongest levels of radiation originating from a large crater in the southern hemisphere. The lack of water and the unacceptably high radiation of the planet forced the Keldon government to cut funding for the project.
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| - | But even that wasn't enough to stop the curious Keldon scientists from continuing. They knew that if they couldn't find anything useful there in the next few years, the project would be cancelled altogether. To counter the decrease in funding, they used the small amount of funds the government gave and organized the Nexian Call. The organisation dealt primarily with research and designed some of the biggest transport ships available during the early exploration days.
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| - | After 20 years, they finally had enough funds to start construction of two Laskat class large transports, their own improvement on the common Keldon large transports of the time. After four long years, the ships were finally completed. Finally, scientists both young and old breathed a sigh of relief and wasted no time in gathering the necessary equipment and set course for the Laanex system. The first ship, the Terru which carried most of the research equipment achieved planet fall first and landed at the Terrus Serbal, one of the milder regions of the planet. The second ship, Serba which carried construction materials and life support supplies landed 2 hours later and 2 miles away from the Terru.
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| - | To make it short, they managed to build the first colony on the planet. After a year of research, with the Serba making regular supply runs between Keldana I and Laanex, they discovered something that was extremely pleasing. The planet's crust was abundant with iron ore and rare metals, which were lacking in the relatively mineral-poor Keldana system and could be transported there for a huge profit. Seeing this great opportunity, the scientists abandoned their research and spread out across the planet, each making claims of their own. Mining and smelting facilities increased in number as more and more workers arrived to have a part in the business.
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| - | Little did the scientists know, the rampant mining of the planet would result in the instability of the planet's crust. As if it were a divine punishment, a major earthquake occurred, opening a fault that stretched from the northern hemisphere near Terus Serbal straight to the huge crater in the south, destroying the nearby mining colonies. Radiation beacons blared as more and more radiation was released to the atmosphere, resulting in an Ion Storm of hellish ferocity across the globe. The facilities not directly affected by the earthquake survived, but the population did not. On Exploration Age 274, over 30 thousand Keldons made the planet their tomb.
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| - | The Keldon government, after becoming aware of the calamity that befell the pioneers, waited 30 years to return to the planet. Officially the reason given was that they are honouring the dead of the EA 274 incident, but common speculation was they were simply waiting for the Ion Storm to pass and the crust to stabilize. To prevent the same disaster, Keldon government established the Laanex Disaster Control, which developed strict regulations on mining. After a long time, mining operations finally resumed and trade profits flowed again. The cheap ores and metals from Laanex allowed the Keldons to build many more ships at low cost, resulting in the well known Golden Age of Exploration.
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| - | There is a Laanex Memorial Statue in the Terrus Serbal to remember the sacrifice and fate that befall the first pioneers. May they rest in peace.
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| - | ''This entry to the Pardusian Guide to the Galaxy was provided by historian Shini''
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| - | [[Main Page]] -> [[Planet and Starbase Stories]] -> '''Laanex'''
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