Aradan was a planet in the Outer Rim Territories in the Aradan system. A terrestrial landscape, featuring a near-perfect balance between urban and plains, the planet was noted for its beauty.
With Cybe, Aradan fulfilled an important role within the Cybe sector, being responsible for guaranteeing its safety for many centuries under the kingdom of Aradan, and again briefly after the Empire's collapse.
History[]
Discovery and colonisation[]
Aradan was discovered in 3715 BBY by Republic scouts hailing from the Core Worlds, but the planet was only settled by the Republic fifteen years later, due to its distant and inaccessible location.
Despite being loyal to the Republic, a growing sentiment of separatism threatened the fragile peace on Aradan, stirred up by the establishment of royal families. It was at this point that the House of Azimuth, one of the largest contemporary major houses, was founded by Elios Azimuth.
Royal houses and feudalism[]
By 3615 BBY, Aradan had been divided over several dozen of royal houses of varying sizes, often vying for more land and power. Chief among these were the Houses of Azimuth, Hars, Evora and Vaine, which all possessed great lands and sizable household forces.
In this political landscape, unreliability and betrayal were key factors, and two houses which were previously allied could find themselves at odds the day after. Several decades of feuding riddled Aradan with an inevitable declaration of war between two leagues, the Kyrus League, led by Reginald Kyrus, duke of the House of Kyrus, and the Loyalist League, led by Elios Azimuth II of the House of Azimuth.
While the declaration had been written, the spark to ignite the flame was an illegal border skirmish on the outskirts of Faros, a major city on Aradan and crown territory of the House of Azimuth.
The war brought about the destruction of the House of Kyrus, which promptly resulted in a Republic response. A rapid-response unit, the Aradani Peacekeeper Corps was established and deployed under command of Jacen Maraisell.
It wasn't until faced with a potential Republic invasion that the Loyalist League backed down and instead resorted to a peaceful solution, and the victorious houses finally established the Kingdom of Aradan in 3602 BBY.
The kingdom and expansion[]
After the establishment of the Kingdom of Aradan, a consolidated military, the Aradani Royal Military Forces, were established, backed by a thriving economy as planetary and galactic trade both began to flourish, especially with their close powerhouse neighbour, Cybe. Aradan was hooked up to the Cyberlane and became the new end node for this trade route, enjoying new riches it had never experienced before. Aradan's inclusion in this trade route would be a stepping stone to the relationship between Aradan and Cybe.
In addition to the establishment Aradani Royal Army, funded solely by Aradani Royal Arsenal, the Aradani Royal Navy were established, the official naval detachment of the military and the protectors of Aradani space. Cybe Drives, the orbiting shipyards of Cybe played a vital role in their establishment, as they were responsible for the manufacturing of warships for the fleet.
Politically, the Aradani Royal Senate was established, made up of 112 representatives from houses all across Aradan, with the largest houses having the majority of members and as such, most of the power. However, membership of the kingdom of Aradan expanded, and two other planets, Cybe and Cystia, both became members, being the first planets to do so. As a result, a reshuffling of hierarchy was required, the Royal Council was established on Aradan, assuming the previous position of the senate of day-to-day affairs. The council became the planetary parliament, while the Royal Senate was rebranded and became host to politicians from Cybe and Cystia as well.
Over the next few hundred years, Cybe and Aradan colonised many of the neighbouring planets, including Cestea, Cenris and Lyak, which all joined the kingdom of Aradan, all contributing in their own way. Meanwhile, Povis, the most outward habitable planet in the Cybe sector was conquered in 2876 BBY by a contingent of joint Aradani, Cyber and Cystian recruits, led by the later Aradani legendary general Christopher Cour, who vanished fighting the Cult of Odaine.
Counting eight planets, the expansion was considered complete, as the senate was under the assumption all habitable planets had already been discovered and colonised. Unaware, the kingdom was still lacking three of its future planets, two of which were hidden behind the Teverae Nebula which, despite not having been traversed yet, naval forces operated in and had constructed at least one space station there. The nebula also acted as blacksite for the naval forces, and civilian transit was as such forbidden.
Bridging the nebula[]
At some point after many desperate attempts, the royal naval forces managed to bridge the nebula, discovering the dead world of Obitus, as well as the rogue planet Babylon. Both planets became sites for the Aradani Royal Navy but were crossed off of public maps. From orbit, Babylon looked like a gaia world and in Aradani culture, the name of the planet became synonym to what was believed to be the perfect planet.
Despite popularly considered a myth, several spacers and explorers made attempts to find the planet, most to little avail. Short from Aradani military presence, nobody has been recorded setting foot on the planet.
Later Republic membership[]
In 35 BBY however, continued instability within the Cybe sector and outside influence led to the collapse of the parliamentary elements of the kingdom and the resignation of the king, and the sector rejoined the Republic. As a result, the Aradani Royal Military Forces were dissolved, and the smaller but more nimble Cybe Sector Defense Forces replaced the Aradani Royal Naval Forces.
Starting 22 BBY, the 666th Elite Legion had been headquartered on Aradan and sections of the Eighth Army operated from the Outland Expansion Subsector. In addition, the Aradani Royal Arsenal supplied the Grand Army of the Republic with licensed versions of Clone trooper weaponry.
In spite of the dissolution of the senate a decade prior, Aradan had become fiercely loyal to the Galactic Republic and suffered little separatism. Having been a bystander in the Ciera Major crisis the Aradani government was not in favour of the Separatist Alliance.
While the Cybe sector had not been touched for much of the war, in 19 BBY this abruptly changed when elements of the Vianden Exchange Association opened the Cybe theater. The Vianden Exchange Association had acquired Cybe's colony, Ciera Major, a couple years prior and sought to continue their expansion, as well as hoping to distract Republic forces further.
The Eighth Army protecting Aradan had suffered grave casualties during deployments elsewhere during the war, meaning Aradan was ill-prepared for invasion. The forces under command of admiral Senth Polith however never reached Aradan, as they were defeated and pushed back with the battle of Cybe.
Under the Empire[]
In 18 BBY, the Empire forcefully disbanded the kingdom and the planet became a client world of the Empire. Due to its location, it was largely ignored, but around 3 BBY, admiral Norven Loyaler made it his new headquarters.
Warlordism[]
The battle of Endor ushered in the collapse of the Empire, which saw Aradan independent once again under the Aradan Union, under command of former Imperial admiral-turned-warlord Norven Loyaler.
Culture[]
Rivalry with Cybe[]
Aradan often had an uneasy relation with Cybe, the sector capital, often finding themselves at odds with them and even harnessing a rivalry on occasion.
Under the Kingdom of Aradan, Cybe was responsible for the production of a large section of the Aradani Royal Naval Forces. Despite this and the large contributions Cybe made to the kingdom, Cybe was often overlooked and forgotten. Similarly, Cybe did not have representation on the Royal Council until the Commonwealth of Aradan was established.