Bountiful

The Bountiful System is a triple star system located in the Columba Sector of the Perseus Quadrant of the Milky Way galaxy (Commonwealth Designation 01 001 Columba). It is the home of the Bountiful Civilization.

Bountiful System A

Bountiful A is a G-Type star orbited by Five or six planets depending on how you count the sixth, which periodically changes orbit and circles Bountiful B in response to gravitational resonance from Bountiful A,B,C and the gas giant Desolation. Apart from Middoni, all of the other planets lie within the star’s thermal zone.

Bountiful Prime

• Bountiful Prime is a Terra Class planet occupying the first orbit out from Bountiful A. It is orbited by the moon Liahona.
• Geography: There are three major continents: First Inheritance, Samaria, and Zebulon and a number of large islands. The planet is girded by a large ocean: the Ripliancum Ocean. Much of the land area is arid or semi-arid, but there are also extensive fertile areas, especially along the coasts. There are large fertile areas in the provinces of Heshlon and Nephihah where a large portion of the planet’s food is grown. Parts of the planet are mountainous; such as the states of Onida and Corihor (the latter is a source of many bawdy limericks and bad puns) Its highest peak is Mount Zerinon on the continent of Zebulon. Bountiful Prime is a relatively warm planet, with no ice caps at either pole and extensive temperate regions at all latitudes.
• Culture: 6.5 billion people live on Bountiful Prime. Its Capital and Largest City is Zarahemla, which is also the Administrative Center for the Bountiful Tri-System.

Ether

• Ether is an uninhabited planet in the second orbit out from Bountiful A. It has 1.6 times the mass and surface gravitational pull of Bountiful Prime. It is surrounded by a thick atmosphere of corrosive gases at high pressure, and its surface temperatures are in excess of 300 degrees Celsius. Ether’s highly reflective atmosphere and proximity to Bountiful Prime allows Ether to shine brightly in the morning sky of Bountiful Prime during some parts of the year. Ether has no moon.

Cumorah

• Cumorah is the third planet of the Bountiful Prime system. It has two moons, Levi and Nephi
• Geography: , Cumorah has two major continental landmasses (Antionum and Angola), three subcontinent sized islands, and a number of smaller islands. It also has a large number of freshwater seas cut off from the planet’s oceans; including the Galilean Sea, the Sea of Irreantum, and the Sea of Jonah. Many areas of the planet are heavily forested; the Forest of Hermounts covers a fifth of the planet’s land area and parts of it have never been explored by humans. It also has the highest mountain (Mount Ararat) on any of the Terra Class worlds in the tri-system (7,220 Meters). An area of the planet called the Garden of Eden is preserved and nurtured as parkland. The planet has a mild, temperate climate in most of its areas, with polar climates at extreme southern and northern latitudes. The island-subcontinent of Heth lies within the Northern arctic circle and is permanently covered with glaciers and ice.
• Culture: 1.1 Billion people live on Cumorah. It has two capital cities: Jershon (Angola) and Aaron (Antionum). Aaron hosts the Council of Elders, that represent the planet’s twelve provinces. Jershon hosts the House of the People, made up of elected Delegates from all the provinces. A Council of Judges, appointed by the BCCS advises the other branches of Government. The planet has well-developed energy, transportation, and telecommunications infrastructure. Cumorah is regarded as a center of knowledge, learning, and spirituality within the Bountiful System.

Gideon

• Gideon is the fourth planet of the Bountiful A system.
• Geography: Gideon’s surface topography is non-continental in structure. Its surface is nearly equally divided between land and sea, and much of its surface is mountainous. The northern and southern latitudes are known for their bitterly cold winters, and are sparsely populated, but the equatorial belt has vast areas of hot, arid desert. The planet has no native tree life, and its environment is hostile to deciduous trees, however, several species of genetically modified pine trees have adapted to the climate.
• Culture: 1.7 Billion people live on Gideon, mostly in urban settlements on the shores of its seas. Its capital city is Gabriel, wherein 7 million people reside. Gideon is economically underdeveloped, relative to the rest of the Bountiful system, and its people generally have a lower standard of living, although pockets of absolute poverty are rare. Most of the inhabited areas of the planet have well-developed energy, transportation, and telecommunications infrastructures; but there are areas that lag behind the others.

Ishmael

• Ishmael is an uninhabited planet occupying the fifth orbital space from Bountiful Alpha. It has a frigid carbon dioxide atmosphere and deep deposits of frozen water in crevasses. Periodic attempts have been made to terraform the surface of Ishmael, but they have been unsuccessful.

Middoni

• Middoni is a large world (Its diameter is six times that of Bountiful Prime) Its surface is frozen carbon dioxide and helium slush. Middoni has a highly eccentric orbit and periodically leaves the orbit of Bountiful A and orbits Bountiful B as a result of gravitational resonance. Middioni has six small moons that follow it and one large moon almost as large as the planet Chaldea, called Nimrod, that follows it in a trailing orbit. Nimrod is the location of a scientific outpost devoted primarily to the study of astronomical phenomena.

Bountiful System B

Bountiful B is a G-class star encircled by five planets, three terrestrial worlds and two gas giants.

Desolation is hot gas giant (6.3 Jupiter mases) with three inhabitable moons and six uninhabitable moons. Desolation’s highly energetic atmosphere produces enormous amounts of plasma and ionized particle energy, which are harvested as a fuel source throughout the system.

New Moab

• New Moab – New Moab is the innermost habitable Moon of Desolation, population 40 million, Capital City: Teancum. Its surface is largely desert, with habitable zones around the bodies of water on its surface. It never rains on New Moab because its atmosphere will not support cloud formation. It is a low-gravity world, with surface conditions of approximately 62% of standard gravity on Bountiful Prime. Moab is tidally locked with desolation; its “day side” always faces the planet and is warm and desert-like. Its “night side” is mostly frozen wasteland. Its people still have a reputation for being reserved and unfriendly toward outsiders. Its primary industry is the processing of chemicals, plasma, and polaric ions from the atmosphere of Desolation. Extensive industrial complexes extend from deep into the moon’s core to orbital space, some of them stretching for tens of kilometers along the moon’s surface.

Deseret

• Deseret – Habitable Moon of Desolation, the second closest habitable moon to the planet’s upper atmosphere. Of all the moons in the Bountiful Tri-System, Deseret has the conditions most amenable to agricultural production. It is the bread-basket of the Desolation Moons, exporting food to all of the other moons and to the other planets. The region of Migron is especially fertile, and grows a large variety of fruits, vegetables, and nuts which are exported to all worlds in the system. Helam is major area for livestock production. Deseret’s people have a reputation for being strong, earthy, and practical. Its gravity is 70% of the norm on Bountiful Prime. Its Population is 60 million. Its capital city and largest city is Morianton.

Canaan

• Canaan – Habitable moon of Desolation. Canaan is mostly covered by water, has a temperate climate, and low gravity of 65% of the norm on Bountiful Prime. Canaan has long been known for its beautiful resort areas. Perhaps because of this, its people are known for their friendliness and openness. The city of Bethabara has become renowned as one of the most outstanding beach and resort areas in the entire Perseus Quadrant. Its warm climate and low gravity also make it a popular retirement destination for the elderly of the Bountiful System. It has long been a center for the production of entertainment; music and video programming, especially around the city of Babel. Its population is 90 Million. Its capital and largest city is Cumeni. Canaan is also the location of the Small Worlds Assembly, a governing body that coordinates administration of the inhabited moons of the Tri-System.

Alma

• Alma – Outermost Habitable Moon of Desolation with a population of 4 million. Its capital city is Amulek. When the Bountiful System was discovered, Alma did not have a life-supporting environment. Oxygen existed in its atmosphere at concentrations of <1%, and its water supplies were locked in deep underground aquifers. Commonwealth terraforming technologies, including the use of genetically-engineered terraforming moss, released oxygen into the atmosphere and purified the water supplies, eventually creating a life-sustaining environment. The environment of Alma remains relatively harsh; it is the coldest world in the Bountiful System, although thermal exchange between Zeezrom and Alma keeps the moon from freezing. Its native gravity is only 44% of the norm of Bountiful Prime. Atmospheric stabilizers are necessary to maintain breathable air around the settlements. Alma has become a center for advanced research and technology, and Alma University is one of the foremost centers of learning in the Bountiful System. Its people have a reputation for intelligence and technical skill, although they are also regarded as uncreative.

Uninhabited Moons of Desolation

• Pahoran – Uninhabitable Moon of Desolation. Location of Pahoran Base, an outpost of the Bountiful Space Corps.
• Ammonihah – Uninhabitable moon of Desolation
• Gallim – Uninhabitable moon of Desolation
• Gomorrah – Uninhabitable moon of Desolation, known for its molten surface, sulfur volcanoes and fire-clouds.
• Horeb – Uninhabitable moon of Desolation
• Hamath – Uninhabitable moon of Desolation
• Kishkumen – Uninhabitable Moon of Desolation
• Lemuel – Uninhabitable moon of Desolation
• Pacumeni – Uninhabitable Moon of Desolation

Columba Zion

• Columba Zion – Columba Zion is a Terra Class planet occupying the second orbit of the Bountiful B System. It has a single large moon called Jeremiah.  
• Geography – Columba Zion has three large continents (Angola, Corihor, Joshua) three large oceans and numerous seas. Its oceans have a dark purple hue to them. Regions of the planet include New Battanea, New Auranitis, New Ephesia, New Galatia, New Iturea, New Samaria, New Judea, New Idumea, New Trachonitis, New Perea, New Decapolis, New Galilee.
• Culture - 3.5 billion people live on Columba Zion. Its planetary capital is Jordan (pop. 6 million) and its largest city is St. Joshua, home to 14 million people. Both are located on Joshua continent.

Jared

Jared is a terrestrial world that orbits 01 001 Columba B. It has a diameter 70% that of Columba Zion, with a thin carbon dioxide atmosphere. It has a single, very small moon called Enoch. The Bountiful Government is studying whether Jared could be terraformed, potentially. Ramah Base … a military and scientific research outpost, is maintained in Jared’s southern hemisphere.

Zeezrom – Gas Giant of Bountiful System B with 17 uninhabited moons.  Among the notable moons of the Zeezrom planetary system

• Oquirrh – Oquirrh is the largest moon of Zeezrom, It is a rocky body with a thin atmosphere and extensive areas of glacial ice. The Oquirrh space station is located on this moon..
• Carchemish – Carchemish is the second largest moon of Zeezrom. It has a much closer orbit than Oquirrh and has a thick, sulfurous atmosphere. The Aurelians captured Carcemish during the prolonged Battle of the Bountiful System during the Second Aurelian War and used it as a base for their operations in Bountiful System B.

Moroni

Moroni is an ice-planet located at the extreme edge of the Bountiful B system. It has eight small ice moons orbiting around it as well as a faint ring-system.

“The Mess”

“The Mess” – A dense asteroid field surrounds the Bountiful A and B systems. The asteroid field is made up primarily of debris from the early development of both systems, shepherded into an outer orbit by the gravity of the planets Zeezrom, Middoni and the red dwarf Bountiful C. The mass of asteroid debris in ‘The Mess’ exceeds by a factor of 3 the mass of all planetary bodies in the tri-system. Many parts of the asteroid field are dense enough to represent a navigational hazard to ships transiting between Bountiful C and the other worlds. Most ships plot a course around it, although this adds two to three days to a transit.

Bountiful System C

Bountiful C is a red dwarf star orbited by three planets.

Bountiful C’s orbit circumscribes both Bountiful A and Bountiful B, completing a highly elliptical orbit every 300 years.

Culture

Bountiful’s history as a religious refuge and the central role of the Galactic Christian Saints (and later the Bountiful Church of Christian Saints) has resulted in a society in which religion and faith are central guiding principles of society as well as Government. Adherence to the BCCS is nearly universal on Bountiful Prime and Cumorah, and large majorities on Columba Zion and the Desolation Moons are also adherents of the church. A bare majority of the population of Gideon are BCCS adherents, and there are a number of other faiths as testament to the colony’s past as a religious refuge. A third of Chaldeans are adherents to the BCCS, even though they have a reputation for being irreligious.

Because of the challenge of coordinating so many worlds with so many different orbital and rotational periods, the Bountiful System as a whole retained the standard solar cycle of 24 hour days and 365.24 solar day years.

History

Survey and Early Settlement

The Bountiful System was mapped early in the 38^th Century by the Commonwealth Survey Ship Cordillera under the command of Captain Georges Alberton. The survey remarked only on four of the habitable planets. The vast resources of the system excited interest throughout the Commonwealth, but as they were preoccupied with the Sixth and Seventh Crusades at the time, no effort was made to settle the world. The system, along with much of the Survey data about the Columba Sector, was misplaced for over 200 years before being rediscovered on Moab colony. The Church of Galactic Christian Saints (CGCS) (The Saintists) on Moab colony moved rapidly to file a Claim for Colonization, which was denied in the early 41^st century in favor of the Federal Outworld Consortium, headquartered on Atlas Colony. The Federal Outworld Consortium planned to develop the colony according to the stand Thousand Year Model, in which the consortium would claim a percentage of the colony’s total economic output for a thousand years in return for investing in the colony’s establishment and development. 

However, by the time the first FedOut colonists arrived in early SY 4102, they discovered the CGCS had already established a colony on Bountiful Prime. In fact, the Saintists had been in place for over sixty years. Tipped off by one of their own, a geocartographer serving on board the Cordillera, some breakaway Saintists on the planet Moab had formed a convoy of eleven sleeper ships and crossed the galaxy to the star system.  They named the system Bountiful because in no other charted system were there so many habitable worlds. [The Federal-Outworld Consortium was going to name it ‘Columba Prime.’] They established their colony, called Zarahemla, on the seaboard of the planet’s largest continent, which they named Amulon.

The CGCS colonists numbered just over 6,000, compared to the 10,000 colonists on the much more advanced and better-equipped Federal-Outworld ships. They had dismantled their ships upon arrival to create the structures of the colony. The Federal-Outworld colonists did not have protocols for dealing with this situation, and dispatched a message to Consortium headquarters on Atlas colony. In the meanwhile, they proceeded to land colonists on the secondary and tertiary colony sites on the second largest of Bountiful’s continents, called ‘Samaria’ by the Saintists, and, in accordance with their instructions, built Federal City and Mountbatten (named for the colony ship) settlements.

The Consortium’s replay was received over a local year later, and instructed the Federal Outworld colonists to dispatch officials to the GCS settlement informing them that they would be allowed to remain on the planet, but they had to abandon their settlement and live in another area of the planet that would be selected for them. They would also have to submit to Federal-Outworld authority, and pay the same yearly “Settlement Tax” as the other colonists. The GCS colonists rejected all of those terms. The Federal-Outworld colonists were then instructed to “bring the unlawful colonists to heel” by sending armed troops to their settlement; but there were very few soldiers among the Federal-Outworld colonists; and they were held off.

In SY 4170, the Consortium sent armed ships and troops to remove the Saintists, but they were repulsed; even though the colonialists were armed with only a handful of small shuttle-fighters and small arms. The Commonwealth sent task forces in on two separate occasions to negotiate the withdrawal of the CGCS colonials; but they were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Saintist settlers from Moab and throughout the Commonwealth had also been called to the new system to support their brothers and, in some cases, to escape religious discrimination on their homeworlds. The Saintists established additional colonies on the planets that would become Columba Zion, Gideon, and Cumorah; while the Federalist-Outworld colonists focused on building up their strongholds on Bountiful Prime.

The Colonialist – Federalist Wars

The Galactic Commonwealth gave Federal-Outworld the approval to remove and relocate by force all “unauthorized colonists” from Bountiful Prime in 4185. They were to be relocated to the fourth planet of the Bountiful A system, Gideon. They would be allowed to colonize that world, and have autonomy of Government, provided they paid the Federal-Outworld consortium a Colonization Tax, that would be only half the tax levied on Federal-Outworld colonists. Once again, the Saintists refused.

Federal-Outworld hired specialized tactical forces to remove the colonists, resulting in the Battle of Zarahemla in SY 4194. The Saintists were able to, once again, repel the invaders, but at great costs. The Saintists then launched an offensive against the Federalist settlement of Mountbatten, and after a pitched battle, took it over in SY 4198.

A long series of conflicts followed. The Federalists retook Mountbatten, then lost it again. The Federalists conducted air strikes against energy and water infrastructure in the Saintist Zones. The Consortium sent more warships and troops to the system, but were stymied in their attempts to oust the Saintist colonists. The Saintists, meanwhile, were able to secure some old patrol ships from sympathists on Moab and other colonies, which gave them the ability to protect their holdings on Cumorah and Gideon as well.

Between SY4245 and SY4285, many Federalist colonists departed Bountiful for other colony systems (especially Bright Angel). “We came here to live, not to fight,” in the words of Geronimo Braxton, a Federalist leader who left in 4247. The Saintist Governor of Bountiful, Wyatt Sheridan, declared an amnesty for Federalist colonists who departed Bountiful for the planet Gideon in 4250, ordering that they not be harassed nor fired upon if they departed Bountiful for that planet.

The Federalist-Colonialist War finally ended in 4296 when the Federal Outworld Consortium collapsed due to bad investments. The remaining claims to Bountiful Colony were bought by the Galactic Saints Church for a relative pittance. The Commonwealth sent Cyborg Peacekeepers to the system in SY 4308 to maintain peace between the remaining Federalists and Saintists, but by that time, it was recognized that the Colonialist Government in Zarahemla had legal authority to administer the affairs of the system.

After the War

Bountiful Prime and Columba Zion developed major population centers in the thousand years that followed the end of the war. Settlements on Gideon and Cumorah struggled. Most of the in-migration to the system were members of the GCS Church; most of whom settled on Bountiful Prime. The White Plague struck the system in the 4600’s, killing a tenth of the population and sterilizing a third. The colonial government imposed travel restrictions in an attempt to contain the plague.

The moons of Desolation were surveyed in the 4400’s, and some small outposts were established there, primarily as bases for future colonization and population.

The planet Chaldea was also surveyed during the 4400s and 4500s. The planet had served variously, during the wars, as a secret base for the Federalists, a prisoner of war camp, and a refuge for those fleeing the fighting. A permanent habitation was established in SY4573

The Great Silence

At the time of the collapse of the Commonwealth in the 55^th Solar Century, the population of the Bountiful System numbered about one and a half-million people, with nearly a million living on Bountiful Prime and another quarter-million living on Gideon. By this measure, the Bountiful system was among the most heavily populated in the Perseus Quadrant.

After the collapse of the Commonwealth, the Bountiful system managed for a time, but like most of the systems in the underdeveloped Perseus Arm, it lacked the technological resources to build spaceships and sustain its technological infrastructure. Population growth lagged, mainly due to the lingering effects of the White Plague which still produced relatively high levels of infertility in the population.

Over time, its planets lost the ability to travel between each other, although communication links were maintained through carrier-wave signals. Each inhabited world began to develop independently. Strains in the social fabric began to set in. The formerly united GCS Church broke into factions. Social disorder led to a collapse of their civilization into a pre-industrial state on Gideon.

On Bountiful Prime, an initial determination to restore what had been lost fell into dissolution and decay. Several nations rose and fell, and there were occasional armed conflicts; i.e. History happened. Throughout most of the period, the planet hovered around a level of development comparable to Old Earth’s 19^th Solar Century that persisted until the 68^th Solar Century when the planet finally began rebuilding its technological and industrial infrastructure.

Cumorah remained at peace through the Great Silence except for some minor skirmishes and disputes. After the collapse, Cumorah became an agrarian culture. There was no planetary central government, but the leaders of the planet’s Family Houses made a decision, early on, to devote resources to preserve peace and knowledge. The construction of the Great Library Complex was among the fruits of those efforts.

Gideon’s history after the Fall of the Commonwealth was far more violent. The planet divided into nations based around the most powerful political figures and landowners. Wars and conflicts were frequent, entire cities were burned to the ground. During the Millennium that followed the Fall of the Commonwealth, the planet became a violent dystopia. The initial skirmishes were sectarian in nature; adherents of other faiths and Federalist refugees settling scores with the Saintists. Later, gangs and tribes fought over the remnants of the fallen civilization. The gangs and tribes became nations, the cities were rebuilt, but the wars continued. Conflict on the planet continued into the 70th Solar Century, long after the rest of the Bountiful System had recovered from the collapse.

Columba Zion had been garrisoned during, and after the Colonialist – Federalist wars by both Colonial and Federal Troops as well as cyborg Commonwealth Peacekeepers. People who don’t understand military culture very well would assume this led to a lot of wars. The case was precisely the opposite. The leaders of the military organizations cooperated throughout the era of the Great Silence to keep peace on the planet and guide its development. Their military transports continued to function for centuries after the collapse and visited other planets and moons on a regular basis until the automated fuel refinery on Moab became inoperable. All of Columba Zion’s major cities grew up around military installations. (Fort Joseph Smith, Fort Brigham Young, Fort Charlie Sierra). Eventually, the military factions lost their  Commonwealth Era designations and became the Defenders (Colonialists), Guardians (Federalists) and Protectors (Commonwealth). The former military rivals were also integrated into Columba Zion’s tri-partite Government in the form of a 21-member Martial Board with delegated powers and authority along with the Legislature and the Council.  Military honor and discipline became deeply ingrained in the planet’s culture, as well as sport and completion. Most of the population can trace its lineage to one of the military sects (although, not so much the cyborgs because many of them didn’t have reproductive organs.) This lineage is celebrated in both the wearing of martial colors (black for the colonialists, mint-green for the Federalists, orange for the Commonwealth Peacekeepers), and in the colors of the Zionian flag.  The Zion Olympiad, held every four years in the Megiddo Citadel, became a systems-wide competition in SY 6956.

Only a handful of colonists remained on the Desolation lunar colonies – Moab and Alma were evacuated completely. Alma’s terraforming biomass was left behind and, over the course of a thousand years, led to a vastly increased oxygen content in the atmosphere.

Chaldea, similarly, was left with only a few thousand colonists after the Fall. Those left behind reverted to a primitive state, becoming sea-faring islanders living in huts, coloring their skins with native dyes. Some tribes were more savage than others, reports of cannibalism were exaggerated… probably.

Reconstruction and Revival

By the 67^th Solar Century, much technological progress had been made on Columba Zion and Bountiful Prime, leading to the construction of Interplanetary spacecraft and the re-establishment of contact among the colonies. 

In the early 69^th Solar Century, the GCS Church was reinitialized as the Bountiful Church of the Christian Saints (BCCS) under the direction of the Prophet Tamron Belknap, who had worked dutifully for twenty years reconstructing scriptures after centuries of degradation and alteration. The reconstruction of the Ancient Gospels led to a system-wide religious revival, and the Restoration of Christian Faith as the guiding compass of civic and personal life; although the revival was decidedly stronger on some worlds (Cumorah, Bountiful Prime, Columba Zion) than others (Gideon, Chaldea).

By the Solar Year 6928, the worlds of the Tri-System began working toward system-wide governance and cooperation, and established the Bountiful Council, comprising representatives of all habited worlds in the three-star system.

New Commonwealth Era

By the time of the system’s rediscovery by the Pathfinder Ship Republic in the Solar Year 7434, Bountiful had rebuilt its technological capabilities, and civilization had spread onto all of the inhabitable worlds in the system. The system had space travel and communication networks connecting all the worlds in the three systems.

Bountiful became one of the Founding Members and Principal Worlds of the New Commonwealth. Bountiful subsequently became one of the leaders in galactic exploration, being one of the few systems with the technological resources to construct starships. However, there are some tensions; although the Bountiful System contains 9 inhabited worlds, they have only one seat on the New Commonwealth council. Also, Chaldea has sought repeatedly to withdraw from the New Commonwealth and join the Free Worlds Alliance.

Governance

Each inhabited world sends a delegation to the Council House in the city of Zarahemla. The size of the delegation is based on the world’s population. Each is led by First Councilor, who sits on the planetary council. A Council President is elected by popular vote (although the president must be from a different world than the previous four presidents). Each delegation, and president, is elected for a four year term as measured in years on Bountiful Prime. The Bountiful Council speaks for the entire system on interplanetary matters, manages the common currency, provides system defense, distributes recovery aid in the event of disasters, and provides models for planetary law.

Additionally, each world has its own planetary government to manage local planetary matters. The Bountiful Council has some “guiding authority” over planetary governance, and there is sometimes tension over what level of interference the BC is permitted in planetary matters. The BC Department of Justice, for example, has conducted multiple investigations into corruption in the Government of Gideon, but lacks authority to prosecute Gideon’s Government officials.

The moons of Alma, Canaan, Deseret and New Moab have created a body known as the Small Worlds Assembly to coordinate among themselves and advocate for their positions within the Bountiful Council.