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The New West

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In the dying days of the first Xeno-Terran war, with the empire on the retreat, digging in and fortifying their ever receding lines, there was one planet that was their last greatest stronghold outside of their inner circle. A planet so heavily fortified and populated by both civilians and military personel, that it was estimated an attempted invasion would have cost tremendous casualties on both sides. The majority of the Imperial Navy guarded the space around it, this was their hopes to break the juggernaught that was the Staevik Republic, and with their military offensive capabilities broken, they could reallocate resources to deal with the Terran Federation advancing on it's other flanks. Dreadnoughts, battleships, and cruisers littered the skies, prepared to fight to the bitter end, to break their push.

The resulting naval battle nearly crippled the Staevik Republic's ability to wage an offensive, lasting for 3 weeks of bitter naval combat. The outer atmosphere and territory around the planet itself became littered with the dead. The hulls of once great starships and the corpses of their crews. It became a graveyard. 

But the planet itself, would become a tomb. By the end of the phyrric assault into the system, the Staevik had too few resources of their already depleted resources. The Imperial forces on the planet refused to surrender, prepared to fight to the very last man. Facing even more casualties, the Staevik did the unthinkable. The planet was purged. Fire consumed the planet for months as kinetic strikes and non-nuclear orbital bombardments didn't cease until the planet's surface was scorched a black color. Any bunker below the surface was targeted with every round until the vessels ran out of ammo, and had to switch out with another vessel, or until the surface of the planet had been broken through and the insides of the underground defenses destroyed.

Billions died and the world that was once a green utopia ceased to exist.

In time, plantlife had started to grow again and it showed promise of a comeback. The colonists from across the free colonies flocked to it soon after. Some seeking to start anew. Some seeking to scavange Markai for the loot, weather from old ships, or the facilities dotting the planet. Government was established, and a once mighty Staevik dreadnought that had once been destroyed had been repurposed into an orbital space station and living area. Below however, Markai was the new wild west.

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Markai has seen many things in it's short revitalized lifespan. Warlords, crime families, a pirate occupation, and it's eventual liberation. But it's people have pushed through it all.


Short story and Image from the Liberation of Markai: (2 versions, same image)

Liberation of Markai 
The 2nd Battle of Port Bowen, 2773
Guns, Speed, and Scrap by goeliath  Showdown at Devil's Point by goeliath
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Was more or less me playing with color
Always appreciate feedback! ^^
Image size
3231x2400px 2.71 MB
© 2017 - 2024 goeliath
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Kanji-The-Wanderer's avatar
Wonderful, great work~!