Epsilon Pegasi - What you need to know.

#1
Epsilon Pegasi (or EP) is the primary setting for the majority of the story of the Twisted Infinities campaign. Although briefly visited during the events of Freespace 2, very little about the system was made explicit.

General Information

The Epsilon Pegasi system is the central point of the EP sector, which comprises Procyon, Mirfak and Adhara. It contains known jump nodes to Polaris, Mirfak and Adhara, and a collapsed node to Capella. The system itself, in addition to the singular star, is made up of eight planets (four rocky, of which 2 are inhabitable, one barely so, and four gas giants) and two asteroid fields. It is reasonably densely populated by the standards of Terran systems outside of Sol, although the significance of both orbital and deep space installations mean that the planets themselves are somewhat less densely settled than in other systems.

History

Early History

Along with Polaris and Capella, EP was initially settled during the Terran-Vasudan war, after the capture and fortification of Vega opened up several new systems for Terran expansion. During the TV War, the mining and processing facilities at Epsilon Pegasi were second only to Sol itself as a resource base for the construction of new ships, particularly in the Capella system. Enif station, at the time the most advanced GTI Arcadia-class installation in Terran space, was brought online in 2331.

Left largely untouched during the Shivan invasion, EP joined with Adhara, Procyon and Mirfak to form the Adhara Coalition following the breakup of the Galactic Terran Alliance. Although headquartered and run from Adhara, Epsilon Pegasi formed the economic core of the Coalition, again through mining and local advances in refinery technology.

Initially unenthusiatic about the expanded GTVA, the Adhara Coalition was the last major group to join the new alliance in 2345 due in large part from opposition from Epsilon Pegasi. Eleven-hour negotiations and certain assurances regarding taxation, however, secured the Coalitions place in the GTVA, and allowed it to join the newly reunified Terran government.

The remaining years of reconstruction saw demand for natural resources grow, but EP's pre-eminent position had somewhat decreased due to the fragmentation of the supply chain caused by the fracturing of the Terran populace into its smaller blocs. Nonetheless, its traditional customers in Polaris and Capella remained strong, and domestic development continued in EP. These years would prove something of a short golden age for the citizens of EP and its surrounding systems, with strong economic and population growth, and one of the highest standards of living in the entire Terran galaxy.

The NTF Rebellion and Post-Capella

These good times, however, couldn't last forever. In 2365, large scale labour protests in Polaris caused a sharp drop in demand for EP's natural resources. As these protests quickly developed into large scale rebellion, Polaris was cut off from export entirely. This, along with Bosch's secret plans to eventually expand into Capella and through to the nebula beyond Gamma Draconis, made Epsilon Pegasi a prime target for invasion by the NTF, which duly occurred almost as soon as Bosch had finished solidifying his gains in Sirius and Regulus. The Epsilon Pegasi system became a battlefield, and was essentially front-line territory for nearly a year and half. These woes were further compounded by the arrival of the Shivans in Gamma Draconis. Ultimately though, it was the destruction of Capella which was to have the greatest impact on the Epsilon Pegasi system.

Capella's significance to EP could not be overstated. Not only was it a major trading partner (even more so in light of the sanctions imposed on Polaris), but it also sat on the most direct route between EP and the core systems such as Vega and Beta Aquilae. Without Capella, transport in and out of EP required a much longer transit through in some cases twice as many systems. Moreover, while direct combat with the NTF had ended in 2367, its ideology had not ended with it. The survivors of Bosch's army gathered themselves in his former stronghold systems and began a sporadic campaign of terror, attacking both Alliance and civilian interests. Transit shipping to EP was not immune, and the risks posed in traversing these systems further increased already inflated transit costs.

The results in EP were nothing short of catastrophic. As an export based economy effectively denied the means to export, the system experienced a major economic depression, amplified by the much broader recession being experienced across the GTVA (and the associated downturn in demand for materials). At its worst, unemployment exceeded one in four, and industrial production dropped to nearly forty percent (by volume, lower by value).

One of the impacts of this severe downturn was that many people felt forced into criminal activities to support themselves. Given relatively easy access to weaponry and equipment from old NTF cache's (and direct supply by Neo-Terran Remnant rebels in neighbouring Polaris), piracy became a common occurrence, further exacerbating the pressure on shipping and harming the economy. Although levels of piracy have varied over the past decade, EP continues to have significantly elevated criminal activities compared with nearby systems.

Attempts by the GTVA have been made to clean up the system, despite the general decrease in the capabilities of the fleet since Capella. The most significant of these – Operation Ragnarok in 2373 – did much to stem the flow of illegal weapons into EP, but little to solve the underlying economic causes of the criminal activity.

Economy

The economy of EP has historically been dominated by mining and industrial production, and these continue to be highly significant in 2378. For a long time, it served as the primary source of raw and processed materials for Terran shipyards in Capella and Polaris. The new reality of EP as a distant and expensive place to ship to and from has taken some time to sink in, but its large, pre-existing infrastructure and recent investment (both by multi-system and home grown companies such as the Starr Corporation) have seen a slow improvement in the system's economy.

Much of the industrial infrastructure built during the reconstruction era is still present in EP, despite damage done by the NTF, although little of it runs at full capacity.

Other important industries include limited ship building and repair, and mercenary services, often protecting convoys from piracy.

Military Presence

EP is defended by the Epsilon Pegasi Sector Fleet, formed out of the dissolution of the Sixth fleet during the redistribution of assets that followed the Second Shivan Incursion. Despite the unrest in the system, the economic realities following the Capella Disaster limit the number of available GTVA personnel in the system. The EP sector fleet includes only a single destroyer, the GTD Antioch, which is tasked with defending Epsilon Pegasi in the event of major crises, but is primarily based in Adhara.

Significant ships
  • GTC Advocate (GTC Aeolus class)
  • GTCv Domino (GTCv Deimos class)
  • GTC Quirinus (GTC Fenris class)
  • GTC Marduk (GTC Leviathan class)
  • GTD Antioch (GTD Orion class)
Significant Locations
  • Enif Station - Rendered inoperable and uninhabitable by NTF bombardments during their rebellion, initial attempts to repair Enif were quickly abandoned as uneconomic. Blackwood Station was built to replace it.
  • Blackwood Station - The new administrative centre of the EP system, Blackwood is a modified Ganymede type repair facility. The GTVA bases its local fighter corps out of Blackwood, as there is no longer a destroyer based permanently in Epsilon Pegasi.
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#2
Cool. I've always wondered about the consequences of EP becoming a relative backwater due to the Capella cut-off. For once we have a plausible reason for space pirates. :P
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