Proxima

Proxima, historically known as Proxima Centauri b, is a human Inner Colony located in the Alpha Centauri system. Named after its parent star, the red dwarf Proxima Centauri, it is the closest extrasolar colony to the Sol system and one of the earliest extrasolar worlds to be surveyed and colonized.

History
A rocky, terrestrial world initially hailed as one of the most promising future homes of humanity, Proxima was noted by pre-slipspace remote imaging for its hospitable, if harsh, near-Earth climate and ecology. Multiple waves of settlers arrived to the planet over the decades, significantly complicating the planet's political situation. The planet has been the site of periodic unrest since before the Inner Colony Wars, with political conflicts both internal and against the United Earth Government being commonplace.

Due to the system's proximity to Earth, it was once thought that Alpha Centauri could become a hub for outward expansion like Epsilon Eridani system. However, this hope was dashed when the system proved to be poor in viable slipspace pathways, at least with technology available to humanity. The system's status as a relative "dead end" made large colonial investors eventually lose interest, turning Alpha Centauri into what would later be known as "Sol's backyard".

Proxima was invaded by the Covenant during the final weeks of the Human-Covenant War by a relatively small invasion force. The planet suffered localized glassing, though the war ended before the Covenant could carry their destructive work to its logical conclusion. Notably, the Covenant forces at Proxima and the Alpha Centauri system fell to infighting between the Schismatics and Loyalists as soon as news of the Great Schism hit, resulting in a three-way battle between the UNSC, the Schismatics and the Loyalists, as well as an eventual tentative truce between the UNSC and a portion of the Sangheili-led Schismatics.

Governance and society
Proxima is noted for its unusually eclectic population base. The planet received settlers from across the Solar System, with the Asteroid Belt and the moons of the outer planets being particularly well represented. The exodus from the Saturnian moon of Dione was so intensive that the moon-colony practically died in the decades since. Though many of the colonists had financial motivations, a fair number of the original settlements were small utopian communes set up by religious or political movements inspired by the promise of a new beginning on one of humanity's first extrasolar colonies. One of the more notorious groups, now long snuffed out, was an attempted revival of the Frieden movement that terrorized other settlements on Proxima for a time in the mid-to-late 24th century. Only a fraction of the planet's original factions have survived to the present day, with many groups merging or dissolving altogether; Proxima is littered with the ruins of old colonial settlements. As well, "Proxima" is far from the colony's only name. Many of the distinct cultures on the world have their own names for Proxima, though Proxima is generally considered the most neutral and universal one — even as many deride it for its lack of creativity.

Accordingly, Proxima's population has historically been divided on questions of autonomy from the United Earth Government. Some of the planet's settler groups are fiercely pro-UNSC and others are just as fiercely pro-independence. Votes on whether to leave or remain are inconclusive, and generally depend on which group is left alone with the ballot boxes. At best anyone can determine, the percentage of the population that wants to leave was likely over fifty percent as of 2524. For an Inner Colony, there are unusually high disparities in the level of development and quality of life between the various cities and settlements.

Though its colonization was more motivated by hype and propaganda than utility, Proxima hosts various industries. What began as a routine resource-extraction-based economy has since diversified to various civilian goods and even small spacecraft, though Proximan brands are known in Sol more for their low prices than quality. Proxima also hosts several holiday resorts that market themselves to the inhabitants of Earth and Mars through exotic sights and various extreme activities. One of Proxima's most notable exports is Blue Sap, a psychoactive drug made from a local plant. Formerly trafficked by criminal cartels, Blue Sap has been legal on many UEG worlds since the mid-25th century, legitimizing its growth and production as a business.

Although formally considered part of SolCore, Proxima hardly stands alongside the industrial and cultural giants of Sol itself or even Rigil Kentaurus' Ammon. It is often pointed out as being ironic that one of Earth's closest extrasolar colonies is also one of the most politically troubled, and Proxima's reputation as a disappointing failure likely contributes to the Alpha Centauri colonies often being overshadowed by the more celebrated worlds like Reach, Luyten and New Carthage.

Topography and climate
Though hardly the most hospitable of the worlds in Sol's neighborhood, Proxima's terrestrial-compatible ecology and fertile soil made it attractive to many, even as its natural resources are relatively modest. Though its inhabitants are often quick to point out its unique natural wonders, Proxima is described as a dull world by many, easily overshadowed by the natural beauty and exotic locales of other worlds. Large swathes of the planet remain harsh and arid, with the most common biomes being temperate shrublands and steppes, salt flats, deserts and craggy mountains, along with a world-encompassing shallow ocean and small ice caps.

Proxima has a molten core and relatively abundant volcanism, part of which is attributed to its 3:1 spin-orbit resonance with Proxima Centauri. Early scientists noted that the planet's habitable biosphere is a near-miraculous occurrence due to its proximity to a flare star. Though Proxima's habitability is usually assumed to be naturally occurring, fanciful theories have even suggested a degree of planetary engineering by an Antecedent culture in primordial times. While Proxima has a relatively strong magnetic field, frequent flares from Proxima Centauri still cause frequent radiation bursts to reach the planet's surface. The magnetosphere has now been artificially augmented with active superconducting magnets, but the flares continue to interfere with technology. As a result, many inhabitants prefer simple and easily repairable technology for most everyday applications.

Proxima's native flora consists largely of analogues to grasses and bushes, along with small animal life. Some Earth plants and fauna have been introduced to Proxima, albeit after genetic modification to thrive in the local day-night cycle. As a result, forests now exist in some regions. Ecoforming and climate control measures have been necessary to control the large dust storms that sweep across the world's vast plains, though these interventions have had unexpected and sometimes undesirable effects on the local ecosystems. Due to its lack of axial tilt and short orbital period (a Proximan "year" lasts eleven days), Proxima has no seasonal cycle. While Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf, its light appears orange-yellow on Proxima's surface due to the planet's closeness to the star.

Due to Proxima's high orbital speed and the frequent solar flares interfering with satellites, most of the system's space infrastructure is located further out-system. Proxima Centauri houses a handful of other planets, including a mini-Neptune that serves as the system's premier helium-3 harvesting site. Although slower-than-light journeys to the nearby Alpha Centauri A-B system are technically viable via the use of a fusion drive, a slipspace jump is a far faster and more economical option. However, quirks in the local higher-dimensional space-time mean that such jumps, despite the shorter physical distance, are not much cheaper or faster than jumps to and from Sol.