Aizuno (Moon)

Aizuno is the 7th moon of the Gas Giant Kolone in the Galia system. Originally inhospitable for life Aizuno was initially written off as a useless world, however following the Galian Civil-War the moon was reevaluated by the newly established Imperial Government. Quickly identified as a candidate for terraforming the moon was gradually warmed via Greenhouse injection. Following its terraformation the Moon quickly became home to much of the military dry docks formerly scattered across the system. Today the moon is most famous for the Aizuno Imperial Shipyard which is the second largest in the Empire, and fourth largest in the Galaxy. Geologically Aizuno is an example of an Oceanic Ice-7 Moon, meaning that the moon's core is formed from primarily hot ice kept solid by the immense pressures exerted by the hundreds of miles of ocean above. As such, Aizuno has no terrestrial sea floor.

Pre-Settlement
Aizuno (Along with the entirety of the Galian system) was discovered by pre-warp scouts from Terra in the year 2320. The moon at the time was covered by an immense layer of ice many miles thick (Making it similar to the Jovian moon Europa in Terra). Because of this, and its apparent lack of value the moon was quickly written off by the Terran Scouts as being virtually worthless. This assessment would remain unchanged until the reconstruction period following the Galian Civil-War in the 2760's. During this period the newly established Galian Government sought to centralize and expand its domestic military industry through the establishment of three "Imperial Shipyards". Aizuno was chosen for this honor on the grounds that it's small size meant that it had a gravity ideal for the surface construction of Cruisers, the adjacent moons of Kolone were rich in minerals, and that the moon was easily terraformable.

Unusually for a moon its size, Aizuno had managed to retain a rather substantial atmosphere which was near breathable. Oxygen could be easily produced from the surface ice via hydrolysis, and Nitrogen and greenhouse gases could be easily imported from Kolone and its other moons. In 2769 Aizuno was reevaluated by the Imperial Office of the Lands Censor as a Class-A Terraformation candidate, and work began on 2771. By 2790 Aizuno featured a fully breathable atmosphere, and its title was officially upgraded from a Vicounty to a County. By 2802 the Imperial Department on Terraformation and Ecological Systems officially began the process of Greenhouse Injection by injecting large amounts of Carbon Dioxide and Methane collected from the atmosphere of Kolone. Aizuno began being bombarded by Methane-bearing shells fired from Cruisers and Destroyers from the Imperial Fifth Fleet from Leona. By 2820 the temperature of the moon had been increased sufficiently that the ice surface of the moon began to melt, a process which quickly accelerated with the average lunar surface temperature stabilizing at 3°C.

Economic Growth
Following this in 2825 Aizuno's terraformation was officially declared complete after an abnormally short 54-year period. With the terraformation complete various Crown-Corporations were invited to settle the moon and begin production on the moon. An initial station was established in orbit by the Imperial Government where the production of Corvettes began in 2830. This was followed shortly after by the expansion of the dock and extension of production up to Cruisers by 2840. In 2842 Imperial Shipwright Crown-Corporation Maast &amp; Nicol announced they would be establishing a permanent dry dock on the surface of the moon where they would produce Corvettes, Frigates, and Midships. In 2850 this program was expanded to include traditional Aircraft and Naval Vessels. In 2855 Imperial Industrial Crown-Corporation Denton Heavy-Industry also announced they would move several production facilities (Primarily Aircraft and Ship-borne weaponry) to the Moon.

Following the economic explosion of the Moon the various Corporations which were now based there came to an agreement to centralize their production facilities in one location near the equator. This new colony was to take the form of an enormous floating city held up through the use of enormous sub-surface ballast tanks and was designed to be easily expandable as the moon's population and economic importance blossomed. This colony took the name Port Nicol, after late shipwright Francis Nicol, and co-founder of Maast & Nicol. Port Nicol quickly grew to feature a permanent population of nearly 200,000 by 2860 which quickly grew to nearly 500,000 just five years later. Port Nicol was rapidly expanded to include skyscraper apartments and offices in addition to extensive manufacturing facilities, airstrips, and docks. It wasn't until 2875 however that the moon's first space port was established. Prior to this point most ships would land on the surface of the water outside the port. In 2900 the Aizuno Imperial Shipyard has been fully completed, and the first Crown-Glory class Super Battleship was commissioned from her dock. Following this momentous event the Imperial Office of the High Auditor officially upgraded the Moon's title from County to March, establishing it as one of the most important Military assets in the Empire.

Over the following century Port Nicol, and Aizuno in general would continue to grow steadily as both the surface and orbital shipyards expanded. By 3137 the moon saw a surface population of nearly 15,000,000 (Most of which residing in Port Nicol) and an additional 1,000,000 residing in orbit. Today Aizuno is most famous for its orbiting Shipyard, however the moon itself has become an important manufacturing hub from which many Imperial Sub-Capitals and Midships are produced. Largely because of this Aizuno has earned the nick name "The most important Moon beyond Luna".

Geography
Aizuno was originally classified as an Ice Moon consisting primarily a surface ice sheet containing minimal minerals, a subterranean salt-water sea, and an Ice-7 core located deep beneath the sea. Following its successful terraformation however Aizuno has been reclassified to an Oceanic Ice-7 Moon. Aizuno is bound by two immense floating ice caps representing the partially melted remains of the original ice sheet. These immense glaciers can rise as much as a mile into the sky, and an additional four below the water. Additionally large glaciers (Ranging from the size of a car, to as massive as a floating mountain are dotted across the sea.

As an Ice-7 world Aizuno has no traditional sea floor. Instead Aizuno has a core of solid ice located beneath approximately 200 miles of water. At this depth the immense pressure caused by the water above compresses the moon's waters to such an extent that they overcome to immense temperature produced by the moon's tidal forces against Kolone and the friction caused by the highly compressed liquid. Because there is no terrestrial surface beneath the sea ocean currents are unable to redistribute collected minerals from lower depths to more shallow regions. As such there is an extreme lack of the nutrients required for life to exist and thrive. Because of this not only is Aizuno entirely devoid of native life, even the importation of foreign life has proven difficulty. Today the only extant fauna exist in or near human settlement and thrive off of waste released by these settlements with the intention of nurturing said life. Some amount of Terran and Galian derived fish exist near major settlements such as Port Nicol with populations regulated and harvested as food. Some research has been invested into potential solutions for the issue, including the importation of minerals from other moons, and the genetic engineering of algae more capable of surviving on waste chemicals. Aizuno's salt-water oceans stretch down for hundreds of miles, far beyond the standard maximum submarine depth of 10 miles (And hypothetical survey sub depth of 15). Though its surface waters are generally calm during fair weather, immensely powerful currents exist from the 6th mile and lower. The true depth of these currents are unknown as they are known to exist at the deepest point surveyed at 12 miles. Known as the Aizuno Abyssal Vortex this current poses an immense risk to any vessel which is locked into it. The current is known for its infamously sharp and unexpected turbulence which averages speeds of 15 MPH but has been known to reach as high as 20. Given that the average lateral speed of a deep depth submarine is 25 MPH the Vortex can pose an immense threat to wandering subs. The Vortex has also been known to travel both vertically and diagonally at times as well, meaning submarines can be swept to greater depths against their will. This can lead to dangerous situations where unexpecting submarines can be locked into the current and, in a matter of minutes be swept to critical depths potentially crushing the sub and killing all those on board. Because of this Submarines on Aizuno tend to avoid descending below 6 miles unless necessary.

Urban
The majority of Aizuno's population reside in large cities floating on the surface of the water. Such cities, exemplified by Port Nicol, are typically large sprawling structures which feature all the elements one would expect from a traditional city. Due to the cold climate of Aizuno and occasional storms or even cyclones the majority of the population of these cities will spend all (or nearly all) of their time indoors. Large residential or office towers rise above the sea surface, with large enclosed public forums and plaza connecting the buildings which are lined with stores, restaurants, and public spaces. Beneath the surface these cities stretch down several hundred feet and contain both Ballast tanks, Nuclear fusion reactors for powering the city, and various other mechanical and support rooms.

On the exterior of these cities there are typically large industrial work environments connected to the main city via enclosed monorails or walk ways. Typically these spaces come in the form of large dry docks where Space or Aquatic vessels are produced for export off world. The economy of Aizuno is primarily fueled by the construction of Midships and Sub-Capitals too small to be produced in the orbital Aizuno Imperial Shipyard. Alongside these dry docks are additional factories which help produce some of the necessary equipment for these ships such as their engines and reactors, and airstrips which are used both to help the newly constructed ships reach orbit and to allow freighters to bring in materials and components for the ships.

Beyond these cities some nominal portion of the moon's population live on surface outposts on the ice caps. These communities are far smaller, rarely exceeding one or two thousand and are primarily dedicated towards research, military purposes, or the maintenance of sensor arrays. Some further portion of the population live in a dozen sub-surface outposts. These large under water hubs host as many as 5,000 people and are primarily dedicated to the long term research of the moon's sub-surface currents, and providing some form of long term support for the vessels of the Aizuno Imperial Maritime Fleet in the case of an invasion.

Government
Aizuno is unique among Imperial holdings in that it is officially a March, a special title representing holdings of immense military or strategic importance. Since the moon of Aizuno and its orbiting shipyard constitute one of the largest and most important ship production regions in the Empire, it has been deemed a holding of immense national importance. Marches are governed by a Marquis, who is considered above a Count in rank but below a Duke. Despite this Marquis are uniquely appointed by the Imperial Admiralty rather than the Chancellery as is standard procedure. As a march Aizuno holds one position in the Imperial Senate (That of the Marquis himself) and has no entitled Vassals. The governance of the moon's various cities, and factories are left up to a commission of military and civilian official appointed by the Marquis himself. Though nominally part of the Admiralty, the present Marquis Theron Rambert is a dedicated member of the Imperial Conservative faction, and holds known loyalties to the Imperial Chancellor Mathias Corwin.

Economy
Aizuno and its orbiting station are classified as a specialized Manufacturing economy meaning that at least 50% of its economy is dedicated to the exclusive manufacture one of good types. With the presence of offices representing private shipwrights (Maast & Nicol, Denton Heavy-Industry) the majority of Aizuno's economy is mostly focused around the production and export of Space Craft ranging in size from Destroyers at the largest, to Midships and Subwarp Craft at the smallest. An additional share of the economy comes from the manufacture of traditional Aircraft and Sea-fearing vessels primarily led by Denton Heavy-Industry and Oskar Munitions (Which produces the famous OI-13 Peregrine Fighter Jet on the world). Oskar Munitions also maintains a naval dry dock which produces submarines and traditional aquatic warships such as Destroyers, Frigates, and Missile Cruisers for export to other worlds.

In addition to the production of vehicles Aizuno has also developed several large complementary manufacturing industries, with the local production of components and weapons having grown to exceed demand and enter into export. Denton Heavy-Industry has in decent decades begun the export of sensor equipment, shield deflectors, and nuclear reactors from the world, while Oskar Munitions has recently begun the export of ship-borne weapons up to Destroyer class. Lastly there exists a small but growing agricultural luxuries industry as the unusually clear ice of the moon has become popular in niche culinary circles, birthing a limited ice export industry.

Aizuno Imperial Shipyard
A large portion of the moon's economy is further focused around the operation of the Aizuno Imperial Shipyard in its orbit. The Imperial Shipyard is responsible for the construction of Capital-Ships (Namely Cruisers, Escort Carriers, and the Crown-Glory Super Battleship). Aizuno was terraformed and colonized thanks exclusively to the creation of the Shipyard which continues to contribute significantly to the now developed lunar economy. Recently there has been talk of relocating the production of the new Knight-of-Avelania class Strike Cruiser from the orbital shipyard to the lunar dry docks so as to free up production space for larger cruisers such as the Iris or Aosect.

Military
As a March Aizuno features an unusually high share of population in the military. 225,000 individuals are presently enlisted in the lunar Army (~1.5% of the population), with 25,000 enlisted in the Marquis Army, 100,000 in the Air and Space force, and an additional 100,000 in the Maritime Navy. The Marquis' army is mostly responsible for peacekeeping operations throughout the various cities and stations on the moon.

The Aizuno Lunar Void Company is the name of the Marquis' personal Air and Space fleet, and consists of 100,000 individuals. The Lunar Void Company is authorized to operate within the gravity well of Aizuno and to provide security to vessels in transit to the Kolone system. As a Vassal-Fleet the Void Company is independent of the Galian Admiralty and is not required to followed the Crown-Admirals commands (Unless Military Imperium is granted by the Emperor). The Void Company operates the following vessels:

3x Izuna Heavy Cruisers

1x Santilly Arc-Cruiser

5x Iris Patrol Cruisers

10x Artonne Heavy Destroyers

5x Crown-Princess Scout Destroyers

20x Surzell Heavy Frigates

More than 200 Corvettes and Midships

Aizuno Imperial Maritime Fleet
Additionally the Marquis operates a traditional aquatic fleet consisting of dozens of Ocean-borne Cruisers, Destroyers, and Corvettes. This includes on surface aircraft carrier, and a fleet of several hundred submarines. The Submarine fleet in particular consists primarily of high pressure (rated for 6-10 Miles) ICBM and Railgun strike submarines. The purpose of these submarines is to provide for the defense of lunar and orbiting assets via the use of high range rail-guns and ICBMs, while using their extreme pressure range to shield themselves from orbital strikes.

The Aizuno Imperial Maritime Fleet serves as a vital link in the Imperial defense plan of the vital moon, and is intended to make the occupation of the moon a difficult, and expensive task. The Maritime Fleet operates in conjunction with several sub-surface stations (Stationary, pressurized settlements ranging from 1 to 3 miles in depth). These stations provide supplies for the submarine fleet by locally growing food via hydroponics, and maintaining large reserves of Uranium and other radioactive materials for use by the Submarine reactors.