Alpha Centauri System
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The Alpha Centauri System is an inhabited star system in the United Federation of Planets. It is a trinary star system consisting of the stars Alpha Centauri A, B, and C, also referred to as Rigel Kantaurus, Toliman, and Proxima Centauri. Rigel Kantaurus and Toliman form a binary star system, while Proxima Centauri is approximately 0.2 light-years away. It is the closest star system to Sol, the home of the first interstellar human colony, and has formed a part of the Federation since its founding. It is one of the most developed and densely inhabited systems in the galaxy, particularly for a non-homeworld, with a population in the billions spread across dozens of planets and moons.
Alpha Centauri was invaded and occupied by the Vaadwaur Supremacy during the Nightfall Incursion of 2402. Rebuilding of homes and infrastructure, and recovery for the general population, is ongoing.
Overview
The Alpha Centauri system was settled by humans in the late 21st century, with the famous Zefram Cochrane one of its early inhabitants. The capital planet, also called Alpha Centauri, is technically Alpha Centauri AB III, the third planet orbiting the binary stars of Rigel Kantaurus and Toliman. It is the home of Alpha Centauri City, the first human settlement in another star system and one of the most vibrant, large, and cosmopolitan cities in the Federation. Within the city is Alpha Centauri University, one of the most prestigious centres of learning and research in the Federation, and its Starfleet Academy campus is one of the oldest and most respected satellite campuses. Life in Alpha Centauri epitomises Core World comfort and the Federation lifestyle, though the system’s natives think of themselves as humanity or the Federation’s earliest pioneers, the first people to make their life and identity away from their home star. Alpha Centauri carries its identity as the ‘first colony’ (a technically inaccurate term that discounts the colonies of other founding Federation members, but humanity’s enthusiasm often wins out in such things) with pride.
The many worlds and moons of all three of Alpha Centauri’s stars are well developed, having been settled for over two hundred years. Planets have been terraformed for habitation, or boast habitation facilities. Others have been harnessed by industry for their natural gases and minerals. A modern Spacedock II-class starbase codenamed Centauri Station sits in orbit of the planet Alpha Centauri itself, home to an established Starfleet task group and the hub of orbital, system-wide, and interstellar affairs of the system.
Proxima Centauri
The third star of the system, Proxima Centauri, is a small distance from the binary stars of Rigel Kantaurus and Toliman. Travel between the planets of Alpha Centauri AB and Alpha Centauri C is, in practice, impossible without warp. This distance gives Proxima Centauri and its colony worlds a distinct identity. To its residents, the sub-system is more rugged, individual, and pioneering - a perspective that may be true in relation to the comfort and luxuries of Alpha Centauri AB, but is laughable in contrast to the wider galaxy. To residents of the core system, Proxima Centauri is more like an annex, or even a suburb. Regardless, the worlds and moons orbiting the red dwarf of Proxima Centauri are well-developed and densely populated, with a primarily industrial focus through the mining operations around the gas giant of Proxima V.
Proxima II is the most-settled world in the system, with the vast city of Innes one of the earliest interstellar colonies in human history.
Vaadwaur Occupation and Liberation
In 2402, the Vaadwaur Supremacy launched invasions of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants through the subspace network of tunnels known as Underspace, exploiting the chaos they had inflicted on the region through the deliberately orchestrated Blackout phenomenon. Alpha Centauri fell swiftly, the Vaadwaur cunning enough to isolate its local defence forces from the region through the Blackout. What followed was weeks of occupation, the Vaadwaur seizing absolute control of part of the Federation's heartlands and eager to make a statement about their domination. Local resources and industry were redirected to reinforce Vaadwaur occupation and provide resupply to the wider Vaadwaur war project. Any demonstration of resistance from the population was met with brutal oppression, such as with the levelling of the residential Sinclair District of Innes.
Starfleet forces made use of alternative FTL technologies to launch a liberation from outside of the system. This opened with an assault on the distant third star of Proxima, where Starfleet opened hostilities with sabotage of Vaadwaur communications and exploited the Blackout's effects to cut off and defeat local defenders. Starfleet officers on the ground at Innes interrupted the public broadcast of what the Vaadwaur had intended as a summary execution of Proxima officials, instead transmitting a message to the wider system that the liberation had begun, and that the Federation would fight back.
This likely inspired the Vaadwaur's retaliation as they were driven from Proxima. Before fleeing for Toliman, Vaadwaur forces targeted the habitat domes of a moon of Proxima IX for orbital bombardment, devastating habitats and causing the immediate deaths of over a hundred thousand people. In addition to the serious blow to morale, the damage done in the occupation gave Starfleet considerable humanitarian duties at Proxima, even as they prepared to launch a further assault on Toliman and Rigil Kantaruus.
Over the following weeks, Starfleet secured dominion over all of the region but the binary stars. While the occupation of Alpha Centauri A/B was less brutal than Vaadwaur oppression elsewhere, the strip-mining of resources and reallocation of infrastructure to shore up the Vaadwaur's defences, and the brutal crackdown on resistance, led to mass incarceration, forced labour, and summary executions. A targeted assault by Starfleet to bring down the Blackout and rout the Vaadwaur forces ahead of the eventual ceasefire brought about the final liberation of the system. The Battle of Alpha Centauri was the largest conflict ever fought in the star system, with only the efforts of heroic Starfleet crews preventing the Vaadwaur's orbital bombardment of Alpha Centauri City.
In the aftermath, Alpha Centauri's rebuilding and recovery is one of the Federation's top priorities. The system's proximity to Earth, untouched by the Vaadwaur, has significantly shored up operations to restore infrastructure and bring humanitarian relief to the population. While some industrial and residential regions across all three stars have been devastated, the sheer size of Alpha Centauri placed limits on where the Vaadwaur could directly inflict force on the population. In practice, locations across Alpha Centauri have either been completely gutted and are in desperate need of aid, or have bounced back quickly with the restoration of supply lines.
There are plans for a memorial to be raised in Virellon Square in Innes in remembrance of both the civilians who were killed by the Vaadwaur, and the Starfleet officers who lost their lives in the liberation of Alpha Centauri.
Despite the resilience of the people of Alpha Centauri, the psychological impact of the invasion remains, and could be felt for a generation. Alpha Centauri has long been seen as 'safe,' deep enough within the Core Worlds to not be targeted by any outside threat. There is now a fear within the populace, a shattering of their sense of security, that is likely shared across the Federation.
In Play
- Alpha Centauri is the oldest Earth colony and one of the founding systems of the Federation. It is a bustling, densely habited part of the Core Worlds and should be considered comparable to depictions of Earth and the Sol system in terms of established settlement, cities, infrastructure, and industry. It is as far from a harsh, small colony as one can get.
- Alpha Centauri C/Proxima Centauri is part of the same star system but is a long way away - it would take over 9 months for a starship to travel from A/B to C at impulse. It is still considered part of the system, and equally well developed and densely inhabited.
- Whilst Alpha Centauri was occupied by the Vaadwaur, several key regions suffering greatly, it is a densely habited star system with massive infrastructure. It was simply impractical for the Vaadwaur's oppressive forces to reach all corners. This, combined with the Federation making the restoration of Alpha Centauri a high priority and its proximity to sources of support such as Sol, means that recovery has moved swiftly. Locations of direct atrocities, such as deliberate slaughter of civilians or the stripping of assets and infrastructure, will take months or years to fully rebuild, but areas even mere miles away are rapidly returning to 'normal.'
- The psychological and social impact of the occupation on Alpha Centauri's populace has yet to be fully seen or reckoned with. While help from other worlds is likely to assuage paranoia directed towards outsiders, the effects will likely leave an indelible mark on a generation.
External Information
- Alpha Centauri (system) at Memory Alpha
- Alpha Centauri (planet) at Memory Alpha