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Chaza is a large space station in orbit around the planet Canctra in the Century system. It was founded by an unknown mining corporation in approximately 1902 CE, and was originally designed as a mining outpost. Not much is clear about the history of the station, however, it is presumed that the mining corporation owning the station went bankrupt some 70 years after it was built, and abandoned the complex following the demise of the corporation. Instead of falling into the hands of scavengers and pirates, it was re-occupied by Levian Rduna and his company of free merchants in 1999 CE, establishing a trade center for bypassing travelers and mercenaries. The station grew in poupularity and is currently one of the biggest trade centers in the Terminus Systems, aside from Omega and a couple of other large space stations. It is also one of the wealthiest regions in the Terminus Systems, making it a slightly more attractive travel destination compared to other regions. Also, despite the growing tensions between the Citadel Council and the Terminus Systems, Chaza and its rulers generally maintains a good relationship with the Council, as they see them as valuable business partners, and tends to give information to the Council if the price is right.
Founding[]
The Chaza Space Station was founded in 1902 CE by an unknown mining corporation, possibly because of the large quantity of iridium filled asteroids orbiting the planets in the Century system. Not much is known of Chaza's past, but it is presumed that the corporation went bankrupt some time after its construction, leaving it abandoned and thrown into the hands of scavengers. However, when Levian Rduna and his trade company arrived in 1999 CE, much of the station was intact, indicating that the station went unnoticed by looters for a long time.
Re-Occupation[]
In 1999 CE a group of free merchants and their escorts, led by Levian Rduna, stumbled upon Chaza by scanning the area for valuable salvage. Levian and his followers occupied the station, and established a trade outpost there for bypassing travelers in the area, making a good profit for him and his group. By 2007 CE the station had grown in population and popularity, earning the reputation of a "shelter from the storm" as proclaimed by Rduna. This statement was somewhat true because of the wild turmoil usually engulfing the Century system and the surrounding areas, so Chaza became something of a safe haven for colonists and travelers living in the Hawking Eta cluster.
Slaver conflict and hostile takeover[]
The slaver and scavenger bands patrolling the Hawking Eta became weary of the Chaza station and the protection it offered to their prey, and so decided to exploit the situation by demanding protection money from Levian Rduna, who had full control over the station and its merchants at the time. United by one common goal, the various brigand parties proclaimed themselves as "the Red Vipers" and gathered a fleet to meet Levian to discuss the terms of the agreement. However, Levian was not impressed by the opposing force and immediately
mustered his personal fleet and engaged the Red Vipers head-on. the attack took them by surprise and Levian's forces managed to dispatch half of the enemy fleet before they fled out of the Century system, with Levian's forces receiving minimal casualties. While Levian celebrated his victory, a well planned coup d'etat shook control away from Levian at Chaza by a rival merchant merchant company, led by Kiran Necturus. Levian was attacked and eventually killed during a firefight that took place in the "Board Hall", where Levian and his advisors ruled Chaza. his fleet was disbanded and the rest either fled or was assimilated into the ranks of Kiran Necturus's army.
Revolution and creation of the Commontrade[]
In 2013 CE, Tycus Rduna, Levian's son, returned to Chaza along with several supporters, to bargain for the control of Chaza. A long and controversial campaign ensued, pitting Kiran's and Tycus's supporters against eachother, with sometimes violent conflicts taking place on the station over the course of the year. To end the dispute once and for all, Kiran founded the "Commontrade ", a large board of the most prominent merchants and organizations
on-board Chaza. The Commontrade acts as the only government on Chaza. They are responsible for the financial and economical aspects of the society. They are the supreme rulers of Chaza, and not a single thing goes by on Chaza without the Commontrade hearing of it. They also control the law enforcement of Chaza, including special operations units and agents, as well as the Chaza Merchants Army, the military division of the space station.
Collector Attack[]
In 2185 CE a large collector cruiser appeared outside the ports of Chaza without warning, causing chaos and panic in the general public. As the collector threat was still a tightly guarded secret, nobody knew much of what was going on, not even the Commontrade itself. They first became aware of the Collectors hostile intent as the cruiser fired upon the Hanza, the flag ship of the Chaza Merchants Army, and nearly destroyed it in one volley.
Several other ships were demolished as the cruiser made way into the port, and sabotaged the security system using a virus planted by one of their agents. The nearest fleet was a star away, so it would take some hours for reinforcements to arrive. This forced the defenders to try to stall the cruiser, and preventing it from getting out. The collectors goal was clear, to capture as many humans as possible and destroy all opposition. The ground forces leading the defence inside the station were quickly overhvelmed by the ruthless Reaper servants, wiping out all ground forces protecting the entrance to the common area, where the citizens lived. A team of MESSIAH agents managed to infiltrate the cruiser while the attacking force were wreaking havoc upon the station abducting or killing all they could find. The team eventually fought their way through to the control room, and managed to disable the cruiser's shields so the Chaza Merchants Army could destroy the vessel. The group nearly died during their escape from the cruiser, fighting their way through countless collectors and husks, but they made it out just before the fleet assembled to take the cruiser down. The collector vessel realised this danger and quickly pulled out of the port to engage FTL speed and warp out of the region, leaving a whole army of collectors trapped inside. As a last resort of defence, The Commontrade ordered for the air locks to be opened in the port district, killing all living things inside the port, while preventing the collectors from attacking the common area. The cruiser got away with roughly 250.000 humans onboard, but not without taking casualties, losing a fragment of the ship and a whole batalion of Collectors. The total loss of civilians and soldiers after the attack was estimated to be about 423.000 casualties, leaving the station crippled and scarred afterwards. It was after this that MESSIAH turned their attention to the collectors, to launch a counter strike against them and ultimately destroy them. Their plan was futile, though, as Commander Shepard and his team managed to destroy the collector base before any war could be started.
Reaper Attack and destruction[]
At the height of the reaper invasion in 2186 CE, 5 sovereign-class reapers stormed Chaza without warning, obliterating the entire Chaza Merchants Fleet within the first few hours of the battle. The Commontrade had organized a station-wide evacuation using the last ships the fleet had left, while the last defenses of the station were battling the reapers. At the time the reapers had inserted ground forces into the station, only remnants of the Chaza Merchants Army was left, along with a few MESSIAH operatives. While large portions of the station was completely destroyed, some of the core components were still intact, forcing the reaper ground forces to proceed on foot. This proved to be quite difficult, because of the Chaza Merchants Army soldiers who struck from the station maintanence vents and storage components, catching the reapers by surprise. Although the remnants fought valiantly, they were wiped out completely after several hours of intense fighting. A handful of vessels made it out intact and activated a distress beacon, warning the neighboring star systems of the reaper attack. In the end, only a burning ruin was left, as the reapers left the system to push on the attack elsewhere.