Norton's Crossing

Norton's Crossing is a terrestrial natural satellite in the Chi Eridani system. It's connection to other colonized systems like Terrel, Bosporus, and Dagmar's Star has helped form part of it's history and wealth.

Discovery
The planet was discovered in late 2423 by the independent Eridania Expedition led by the wealthy Captain Jeremiah Norton. The Chi Eridani system was chosen as a layover point after discovering branching slipspace routes from the system. While in the system, the expedition discovered an Earth-analog moon with visible oceans around an atmosphere devoid planet.

One ship from the expedition would return to colonized space reporting their findings thus far, attracting the attention of governments, corporations, and independents with word of another Earth-analog. Other scouts were sent to investigate in more detail.

Settlement and rising autonomy sentiments
The BXR Mining Corporation and Liang-Dortmund Corporation would claim various parcels of land across the moon to exploit the natural resources there. In several tense moments of land claim enforcement, security forces of both companies would open fire on one another. This chaos only relented with the foundation of the Norton's Crossing Corporate Council. The companies and parts of the colony enjoyed some profits from manufacturing, mining and trading with nearby systems as they were colonized and established.

A segment of Norton's Crossing's people over time felt that the council failed to address problems that arose from the two megacorporations and that an independent government could meet the challenges of the moon better. As such, a people's government known as the Republic of Norton's Crossing formed. Recognition of this government was limited, even on the moon itself. The Republic nonetheless began amassing weapons, light vehicles and a few ships with the intent of fighting the security forces of both Liang-Dortmund and BXR and establishing the moon as it's own state. With a small coalition of citizen allies, the companies lobbied the CMA and UEG as a whole in order to get assistance through 2493. The UEG and CMA were focused elsewhere and believed that this might have been cost saving ploy by the companies.

Insurrection
The CMA would come to late as all out conflict began in earnest following Far Isle and the Callisto Incidents in 2494. The security forces of both were overwhelmed within months and the companies had began to question their position on the moon and threatened to pull out of the colony. The economic impact on the whole sector from this would have been disastrous. Due to this, and it's physical location the CMA was finally pressed into service and fought back. While the mining corporations would stay, the corporate council was eventually dissolved and the pro-UEG Government of Norton's Crossing was formed in it's place.

Norton's Crossing would become the frontline along the New Eridanus Route as Secessionist Union forces began to exert more and more control on planets in the region like Mamore and Eridanus II. The CMA was eventually replaced with the UNSC. Fighting took place beyond the 2504 collapse of the Secessionist Union. Before this point, the Republic had shrunk and relinquished chunks of the moon, their logistical connection to the Secessionist Union had fallen apart. Their control amounted to mostly the deserts and desert island chains in the northern hemisphere.