New Janos, like Mysia, has a single continent wrapped around its equator. From space, however, the most distinctive feature is the ring of water and mineral particles orbiting the world. From the planet, this ring appears light pink or purple, even at midday.
Both oceans are freshwater and rich in fish and amphibian life. Parts of the Troy Sea coastline are often the scene of mass-matings of giant frogs or sea lizards. Because the animals can be dangerous while in rut, most of these mating regions are limited to well-marked preserves.
Only one tropical rain forest exists on New Janos, located east of Harrison and northwest of Boggilia. This old forest is also a preserve and home to the most impressive native creatures of New Janos, its mammoth insects. The entire jungle is ringed with powered fences to prevent these large creatures from wreaking havoc on the surrounding countryside.
New Janos is rich in molybdenum-titanium alloy deposits. Most of these are in the mountains north of Curtis Keep and west of Mazif. Several large mining corporations control most of the mineral rights to these areas, with smaller operations grabbing the leftover scraps.
The recently formed Mintara Desert north of Curtis Keep is the site of several scientific outposts. Damage to the area has prompted the Commonwealth to take precautions on a number of other worlds to ensure that the same disaster does not occur again.
Early History[]
The first Baufrin expedition to study New Janos lost three landing parties to attacks by "unknown life forms." The Baufrin remained leery of the world, and so it was not until the Commonwealth was established that another full survey of New Janos took place.
The landing parties discovered that the dominate life forms on New Janos were gigantic insects. Many stood over ten meters high, and some were strong enough to crack open shuttlecraft with their mandibles. With security provided by the Commonwealth Armed Forces, several bases were established to observe the native life forms.
Because the giant insects were near extinction, the scientists decided to gather as many as possible into an enormous wildlife preserve. The project took more than 80 years, but most of the insect species were finally moved into New Janos' only tropical rain forest. Held in place by customized force fields and security beams, the creatures managed to survive for centuries.
Gathering the dangerous giants into one location opened the rest of the world to colonization. Several small colonies were established, with protection provided by a CAF garrison at Curtis Keep.
By 4900 more than a billion people lived on New Janos, most involved with light industry. Miners appeared, seemingly overnight, when molybdenum-titanium alloys were discovered north of Curtis Keep, near Mazif, and in the steep mountains of Simp's Pass.
With land running short, controversy began to brew over whether to maintain the jungle preserve or give it over to industrial development. At the peak of the protests, off-world CAF troops were brought in to help keep the peace; the protests became moot when the Snow Plague was discovered to have accompanied these reinforcements.
The survivors on New Janos barely noticed the arrival of the KessRith in 5021. Riots had broken out over scarce food supplies in the major cities, leaving millions dead. Even under KessRith direction, goods did not arrive fast enough, and by the end of 5029, only 20,000 were still alive on the planet.
As on so many other worlds, the era of the KessRith occupation passed uneventfully for generations. The KessRith used New Janos as an industrial base, rebuilding many of the damaged structures left behind by the Commonwealth. They polluted the atmosphere and cared little for damage done to the planet. The small town of Mintara became a toxic and radioactive dumping site. The inexpensive and poorly built facilities in the 100 kilometers surrounding the town housed billions of tons of waste and deadly toxins.
In 6483 the KessRith's ill-treatment of New Janos caught up with them. When an underground fire broke out in one of the thousands of storage bunkers near Mintara, the blaze raged out of control, spreading to dozens of other bunkers. Eventually the entire facility exploded, destroying the town and all life within 100 kilometers of the site. The KessRith capital was consumed by the blast. A dark cloud blocked the sun worldwide for over a week, and toxic fallout killed millions of workers and slaves.
Within six months, KessRith on the world began to die from a strange malady caused by the explosion. Fearing their own form of the Snow Plague, the KessRith clan leaders quarantined the planet, abandoning the garrison and their fellow KessRith to their fates.
When the Baufrin and Humans on New Janos realized the situation, they quickly organized and confronted the remaining KessRith. Cut off from the Empire and barely able to survive, the KessRith decided to cooperate for survival. Farming communities were established and a large-scale cleanup operation began, despite heavy loss of life. By the time the first waves of anti-KessRith rebellion swept Shannedam County, New Janos was ready to join the Commonwealth. Its industrial base had been destroyed, but not its will.
Recent Events[]
New Janos was able to rebuild some of its former industrial might after the Mintara holocaust, but it was not able to support its growing population.
Naram corporations, fleeing from the Naram Republic's new masters, liberally funded the construction of orbital manufacturing facilities. The mining operations of Mazif, now over 500 years old, were rebuilt with more contemporary equipment. Soon New Janos was thriving, a viable alternative to dealing with the might of the Tiven-Rilus-Ope'Diar Megaplex.
With the TOG invasion of Ancona, the Royal Navy hastily constructed a VLCA station on New Janos as part of the command circuit from Shannedam County to the rest of the Commonwealth. As millions of refugees passed though the system on their way to Finor County, the people of New Janos became determined to participate more actively in the war against TOG.
First they converted one of the largest orbiting factories into a small arms production facility, then the people of New Janos formed a Commonwealth legion, the 44991st B'ekkal Armored Legion. They also built facilities so that New Janos could temporarily stage and train other Commonwealth troops.
TOG agents apparently slipped onto New Janos several years before the invasion of Shannedam County. When the 44991st was officially activated, the occasion was marked with terrorist explosions and sniper attacks. A small orbital facility was factory was sabotaged in 6825, and a similar attempted failed in 6828.
Intelligence experts believe that at least several dozen Lictor agents may be operating on New Janos. Because of this, the Royal Navy is reconsidering its troop deployments in the system, fearing that detailed information on their capabilities might be relayed back to TOG.
New Janos was the largest target of a long-range TOG carrier raid in May 6830. The TOG ship is believed to have come from the direction of Grosianus and worked its way past Ku Crassus and Mala, but this has never been confirmed. To shore up system defense, the Royal Navy is currently forming the 338th Long Range Patrol Squadron in the system, a supplement to the 3998th Renegade Heavy Carrier Strike Squadron (The Brave and the Foolish) assigned here in Fall 6830. Even though New Janos is well behind the lines, it is quickly being drawn into the war in Shannedam County.
Planetary Timeline[]
4900
More than a billion people live on New Janos. Molybdenum-titanium alloys discovered, leading to mining boom.
5021
KessRith take world already devastated by Snow Plague.
6483
Toxic explosion leads to KessRith plague; KessRith quarantine world.
6535
KessRith, Human, and Baufrin ally to clean up world; when CW is reestablished, New Janos is among first to join.
6825
Intermittent TOG raids begin, continue today.
6830
3998th Renegade Heavy Carrier Squadron (The Brave and the Foolish) assigned to defend New Janos.