Amargosa

Amargosa is a Class E (Earthlike) agricultural colony located on the frontier of Compact space. Known for its vast tracts of farmland and small settlements, the planet serves primarily as a food producer for the core worlds of the Compact. Its culture is heavily agrarian, blending old settler independence with Compact-era institutions and off-world influences.

Originally a Martian colony, Amargosa operated under the Martian Code of Colonial Conduct and Compact institutions like the OCD. However, tension simmered between settlers and off-world bureaucracies—especially Mars—over policy, enforcement, and resource allocation.

Major settlements include Lansdorp, Riverside, Arcanum, and Susskind, with notable geographic features such as the Misty Mountains, Amundsen Range, Lake Anaronda, and the Gene Cernan Spaceport. The planet orbits retrograde compared to others in its system, leading locals to describe the sun as rising in the west and setting in the east. Atmospheric flight and orbital navigation require specialized vector corrections.

In 429 IE, Amargosa became the first target of the Gelt Incursion, a devastating attack that included clean fusion strikes on Lansdorp and Arcanum, destruction of its hypergate, and a prolonged occupation. Lucius Kray and a band of human collaborators aided the Gelt invasion but were eventually defeated by a combined resistance of civilians, sapient lycanths, and defecting Gelt settlers.

Following the liberation in 430 IE, Amargosa was placed under joint protectorate status by Metis and Hanar. This arrangement was designed to support reconstruction while preserving the planet’s independence. Metis provided legal and bureaucratic guidance, while Hanar—led by Tishla—offered cultural mediation and agricultural recovery support. Athena Jovann served as Compact legal liaison during the transition.

In 432 IE, after Metis formally seceded from the Compact to establish the Metisian Republic, Amargosa became a core world of the new republic. Though the move surprised many Compact officials, Amargosa’s inclusion had been in negotiation since its protectorate phase, allowing it to retain its independence and rebuild on its own terms under Metisian support.