At it's founding the planet Ortus had seemed a promising land for a vibrant culture to form. There had been fields as far as the eye could see. Grand lakes from which freshwater could be drank to contentment. Once man began to inhabit it, its colony on the planet expand exponentially.
But the honeymoon period was short lived. Ortus had a massive large scale cave system beneath it. The caves spawned unique life within them. Amongst its indigenous species was the Noxestro.
A Noxestro is a creature best described as a living slime. They normally take up about a single square foot and at the center are a half inch thick. Their surface is covered with toxic pores that breakdown almost anything they come into contact with. Their skin can absorb the broken down materials for nutrients. They have a white sensory organ within them which controls their movement based off of environmental factors.
Shortly after the colonization of Ortus Noxestros began to reek havoc on the civilization. Through Ortus interactions to the other states and territories across Andromeda the Noxestros became the second recorded interplanetary invasive species. They ravaged many establishments of the first. Eventually humans found a way to control the spread of Noxestros and began systematically destroying their colonies where they had formed. While the Noxestros are not really anywhere near being eradicated, there are those who have begun to countdown the moments.
As for Ortus itself, the planet was quarantined. The population suffered greatly, but was eventually able to successfully construct a barricade against the oncoming threat.
The victory came at great cost though. Cut off from the rest of humanity life was bleak. With barely enough resources to sustain itself, the colony became militarized under the command of Naraanbatar.
The people of Ortus worked long days and tough lives to sustain themselves. Most of their time was designated to ensuring proper growth of crops.
Amongst the ranks of the Ortus people was the Zaya family. A generation ago the Zayas had worked for a galactic shipping company. Now they were farmers with a child. The child was bright found his parents insistence on hope strange. Everyday they would tell him to hope; to pray. But he saw no reason for hope, no one to pray to. Who would listen? Who'd do anything at all?
"Oh Shona," his mother would answer, "always pray to the stars... they're the only things that never stop fending off the dark"
