Ark Galactapedia

The Pyro system is an unclaimed planetary system that consists of a K-type flare star, five terrestrial planets, and a gas giant. Discovered in 2493 by Pyrotechnic Amalgamated, it was not claimed by the United Nations of Earth (UNE) due in part to the dangers surrounding its star. Instead, it was exploited by corporate interests until the 2560s, when the potential resources extracted from the system stopped outweighing the increased cost of maintaining equipment under a volatile sun. Pyro became a haven for outlaws by the early 2600s. Today, it is mostly populated by criminal factions that frequently struggle against one another for dominance. In 2947, extremist group XenoThreat seized control of Ruin Station, making them the de-facto leaders of the Pyro system.

Pyro, the system's star, is roughly 11.3 billion years old. It is classified as a flare star, or a variable star that undergoes dramatic increases in brightness within a few minutes, releasing powerful bursts of radiation. The closest planetary body to it is Pyro I, a terrestrial planet with a dense atmosphere and a silicate crust. Of the other terrestrial planets, Bloom (Pyro III) is the only one with naturally habitable conditions. Monox (Pyro II) has enough oxygen in its atmosphere to allow a person to breathe without protective equipment for only a short time before deadly health consequences set in. Those who visit the surface of Terminus (Pyro VI) can breathe there for long periods of time, but not comfortably. The gas giant Pyro V has six true moons. The planet Pyro IV, which was likely knocked out of its original orbit around the star by a massive celestial body, now circles Pyro V as its seventh and outermost "moon."

In 2463, the watch officer of the Earth-flagged tanker ship Roustabout, Raj MacEwan, detected a strange signal in the Cano system. He conducted an analysis and compiled his findings into a detailed report, which he sent to the owners of the ship, Pyrotechnic Amalgamated. The board of directors chose to take no action at that time. In 2493, CEO Cecile Uchiha ordered that legacy flight records be reassessed to factor in advances in jump point detection technology. MacEwan's original report was found during this review, and the company dispatched an exploration ship to the region. After careful investigation, they discovered a jump point at MacEwan's coordinates, and entered it to find what would later be named the Pyro system on the other side.

Pyrotechnic Amalgamated celebrated the discovery until surveys revealed the existence of the flare star. Although scans of Pyro II had found valuable mineral deposits, the unpredictable bursts of radiation from the system's sun would make their extraction with the technology of the day a costly endeavor. The company made the decision to report the discovery to the UNE, planning to collect government subsidies that would fund their operations and guarantee future profits. Uchiha personally reported news of the discovery, and Pyrotechnic Amalgamated was granted first crack at the system when the UNE opened it for commercial activity.

While the UNE gave corporate interests like Pyrotechnic Amalgamated the green light to enter Pyro, they held back on allowing full colonization. The flare star presented a completely unknown quantity, one that could have disastrous effects on Human life. Government officials elected to conduct a voluntary ten-year pilot program that would document the effects of the star's flares on Humans. If the conclusion of the study was favorable, they would sanction colonization and officially claim the system. However, the program became one of many that were cut short in 2499, when Project Far Star located the Magnus system and the Senate voted to channel all possible resources to the terraformation of Magnus II and the construction of a new center of shipbuilding for the UNE Navy. In 2516, when more funds might have become available, the discovery of the Terra system funneled any available capital towards the development of the naturally-habitable Terra III. 2523 brought the advent of the United Planets of Earth (UPE), and along with it, a complete reorganization of the government. The question of what to do with Pyro was put on indefinite hold, and the system remained unclaimed.

Over the next few decades, commercial interest in Pyro waned as valuable minerals became thin on the ground and government subsidies dried up. After the end of the First Tevarin War (2541 - 2546), improvements in shielding technology allowed the few companies that remained in the system to extend their operations to previously unreachable areas, but this also increased the presence of outlaws as they too gained access to this tech. Eventually, bandit raids made turning a profit impossible. Some companies were forced to declare bankruptcy, including Pyrotechnic Amalgamated. By the end of the 2500s, almost all corporations had pulled out of Pyro, paving the way for outlaws to become the dominant force in the system.

Instead of having formal, organized government, competing gangs rule over the Pyro system, creating a series of fiefdoms that are subject to change if the local dominant faction is ousted from power. Gangs that hold particular strategic points are seen as more powerful than others, especially those who control Ruin Station and the drug labs within it. Many gangs maintain strongholds on the surface of Terminus, the planet the station orbits, that they use as launching points for attacks.

Outside of its criminal organizations, Pyro maintains a moderate population of mostly Human inhabitants whose main occupation is survival. Monox's mining infrastructure, long-abandoned by its former owners, houses squatters who will fiercely defend their right to live there in spite of its hostile environment. Those who live on the naturally habitable Bloom have an easier existence, but still struggle day to day. Joining a gang and attaining its protection is largely seen as a way of attaining a better life, and many choose this path if it's made available to them. Still, numerous others refuse the option, preferring the known risks of subsistence living over the constant dangers associated with gang membership.