Fjord

Fjord is a human-colonized planet in the Beta Comae Berenices system, located about 30 lightyears from Sol. Fjord and its system were colonized by competing settler groups that eventually consolidated into two major blocs, both fostering an exceedingly militaristic culture fueled by paranoia of the other. The planet suffered a minor Covenant attack which destabilized the already struggling local government, precipitating a full UNSC takeover, one that was welcomed by most of the locals after decades of incompetent administrations from the world's two opposing political factions. The Beta Comae Berenices system has assumed some strategic importance as a waystation system in the post-war era, and Fjord came to house an increasing UNSC presence in the later years of the war.

History
Two medium-length slipspace jumps away from Sol, Fjord was one of the first Inner Colonies colonies to be settled during the Domus Diaspora. Since the colony's founding in 2365, several groups were engaged in various disputes over colonization and mining rights on the planet and several of the system's asteroids. This gave rise to one of the conflicts that would later be counted among the Inner Colony Wars soon after the colony's founding. There has been speculation that the conflict was partly stoked by the corporations seeking to stake a claim on the world, which used the settlers' political factions as proxies in their own rivalry.

While the fighting eventually subsided, the underlying grudges did not fade. The various minor factions that existed early on in the colony's history were eventually subsumed into the larger blocs that dominated Fjord's political landscape for much of the 25th century: the Fjordian People's Republic and the New Caucasus Federation. The New Caucasus Federation was founded by a Terran colonization group hailing from polities in the troubled Caucasus Protectorate. The origins of the Fjordian People's Republic were more eclectic, with elements from Earth, the Asteroid Belt, and several Jovian colonies.

Fjord's economy was largely centered around mining and heavy industry, located both on the planet and in the nearby asteroid belt. Agriculturally, it has always managed to remain mostly self-sufficient despite its harsh terrain. Its closest trade partners were the later Outer Colony of Paradise Falls and the colonies of the Gaelic system, as well as the larger Inner Colony of Ballast further toward SolCore.

In the 2490s, the Fjordian Civil War erupted following the escalation of a localized dispute over a small area of land in a primarily uninhabited highland region. Most historians agree that the crisis was merely an excuse to settle old scores once and for all, and the war would have happened sooner or later anyway. The corrupt and ineffectual CMA did nothing of substance to prevent the war from happening, mostly waiting for the problem to take care of itself - though the lack of instant communications was a cited issue, the warning signs of the coming conflict had been in the air for years beforehand, giving CMA ample time to prevent all-out war had they truly put any effort to the task. New Caucasus suffered a humiliating defeat in the war, cementing Fjordian People's Republic's status as Fjord's central government. Around this time, a number of New Caucasian nationalists chose to emigrate off-world to escape persecution.

The war was an all-around muddy affair, and it brought to light many human rights abuses rampant on the world, including myriad accusations of war crimes, including the use of child soldiers. It is commonly agreed that neither side came out looking squeaky clean from the war, despite both succeeding governments attempting to "smooth out" historical records. War crimes on either side have yet to be properly investigated by an impartial authority, as the CMA, CAA, UEG and UNSC have had their hands full with more pressing conflicts over the better part of the last century. With the Covenant War concluded and Fjord under the auspices of the Phoenix Initiative, investigations could potentially begin -- assuming anyone wants to open up old wounds in the first place.

Nearly twenty years later, a NAVSPECWAR strike team eliminated a Fjordian People's Republic leader, Fjord's government having since set their sights on the UNSC as part of the Insurrection movement. This, in turn, destabilized the Fjordian regime and, within ten years' time, allowed a rising movement of New Caucasian partisans to rise to power.

Fjord served as a UNSC staging area and refugee center during the Human-Covenant War, and it was the UEG's firm grip that uplifted the planet from a downward-spiraling economic collapse following a grossly incompetent handling of government funds by the 'New' New Caucasian revolutionary regime. A UNSC political council assumed governing functions on the planet in 2535, and the inhabitants put up very little resistance, having been thoroughly fed up with the alternatives. Over the decades, the fierce patriotism and warrior culture of old gradually gave way to a largely de-politicized society, particularly after the onset of the Covenant War. What had formerly been an insular colony unconcerned with the greater human sphere also became more closely aligned with the UNSC and its ethos of collective defense.

The colony was one of a small number to be attacked by the Covenant but avoid total annihilation; according to Covenant records released by the Concord of Reconciliation after the war, Fjord may have been inadvertently spared glassing by an inter-ministerial power struggle, which delayed reinforcements from being deployed to the planet after the initial expeditionary task force, and thus prevented the world's invasion from being drawn to completion before the whole planet was forgotten in favor of more attractive invasion targets. Following the war, local governance has slowly been transferred from the UNSC emergency government to a relatively tight-knit governing coalition.

Characteristics
Fjord is a harsh, cold world with frequent inclement weather. A single deep ocean covers much of the planet, and most of the habitation is centered on the highland regions of its largest continent. Fjord has large polar ice caps, and its terrain is dominated by craggy mountainscapes, tundra, glaciers, and cold deserts. Many regions are virtually impassable on foot or by non-aerial vehicles. The coasts of its continents and islands are broken up by sheer cliffs and the fjords for which the colony gets its name. There is a native ecosystem including plant and animal life, but it is rudimentary and sparse.