There are many places in the galaxy worth exploring... some are filled with amazing wonders, whilst others are uniquely dangerous.

Hespera was one of the first worlds colonized by the Fulgar and by most species standards can be considered an idyllic paradise... with easily tilled soil, pleasant and stable weather conditions, and home to a wide variety of useful and even domesticatable life forms. 

Indeed the so-called "Buggalo" (a Terran nick-name) is a native species... a massive six legged beetle like creature, whose eggs and meat are considered to be a key ingredient in many "comfort food" recipes. 

The Fulgar's unique combination of careful cultivation of resources and ambition for wealth creation has been kept in balance on Hespera by some of the most notable and wealthy Fulgar clans for generations. The result is that Hespera remains a verdant paradise whilst generating enormous quantities of food, wealth, and even tourism.

At the end of the Monroe Wars the Ukaros gifted a habitable planet on their borders to their hired mercenaries, the Veygar. The leader of these Veygar felt justified in naming the planet after himself, and so, Kharn was established.

The planet itself is notable for it's barely habitable qualities. Specifically, the planet rotates around it's red star very quickly, and suffers rapid seasonal changes every eight standard "day" cycles. The planet's specific rotation is rather slow, and the entire planet only rotates over the course of three or so standard "month" cycles. The entire ecology of Kharn has evolved around these factors.

Most assume that the Ukaros gave this planet to the Veygar as a way of paying their debt as cheaply as possible... effectively "fleecing" the mercenaries. This is inaccurate... the Veygar's leader Kharn had great influence in which world would be selected for payment and he specifically chose a planet that "Would be as harsh as the Veygar's soul and as unforgiving as our hearts.".

Kharn has quickly become a dangerous port of call to many mercenaries and cutthroats throughout the galaxy and the Veygar leadership have legalized virtually all illicit activities for a modest fee... a tactic that has brought in a great deal of tax income and influence. The Veygar themselves still ply space as they always have, but individuals now make pilgrimages to Kharn to pay homage to their leaders, raise families, farm, and hunt. Notably, the Veygar have gone to great lengths to import dangerous species to Kharn (many from the Tothk homeworld) and are slowly creating a new ecosystem to suit their "survival of the fittest" ideals.

The Terran Republic had originally founded New Troy as a series of relatively small cities on a small but habitable moon near the border of Aquilaran space. Unfortunately, the Aquilarans took advantage of the Monroe Wars and decided to take the small (but well fortified) colonies. The Aquilarans chose to use genetically engineered bioweapons and exterminated virtually the entire population.

This act would later be used as justification by Terran Republic ships who went rogue after the war and used nuclear weapons to destroy several Aquilaran colonies in retribution.

Today, New Troy is occupied by a small population of Aquilarans who are engaged in research and scavenging operations. What few humans survived the plague bombings by immunity or isolation have been enslaved by the Aquilarans in residence and are otherwise being hunted for sport.

Paradise 6B is a orbital habitat built by affluent and extremely wealthy leaders of the Terran Republic prior to the Monroe Wars. Orbiting a beautiful gas giant (whose atmosphere is harvested for fuel and various byproducts) the facility serves as a "home away from home" for the elite and wealthy of the galaxy. The other Paradise facilities are all utilitarian structures and have generally been abandoned.

It should be noted that when the Monroe Wars became dire for the Terran Republic, that many of their more affluent citizens moved to Paradise 6B permanently and that the facility stopped responding to Republic commands... effectively the facility was one of the first entities to "secede" from the Republic. This fact has made the facility deeply unpopular with the Terran Sovereignty.

Presently travel to the facility from the Terran Sovereignty has been banned and as a result the facility relies primarily on independent contractors and Fulgar merchants for trade and transit services. Within the shining dome of the facility a population of "well-to-do's" live a life of wealth and luxury, whilst the facility's support structure is operated efficiently by an elite secondary class of individuals. Outside of Paradise 6B the rest of the system is home to scavengers and the dispossessed.

The Monroe system was famously chosen as the "line" that the Terran Republic would not allow aggressors, such as the Ukaros Dynasties to cross during a series of intensifying border conflicts that would quickly evolve into the climatic Monroe Wars.

At a time where most human colonies were comprised of small settlements with populations of mere thousands, the planet of Monroe was home to nearly seven million Terrans and represented the Terran Republic's largest administrative center outside of the Sol System.

The Monroe colonies would in fact become battlefields between the Ukaros and the Terrans, battlefields that would eventually leave the civilian population displaced and left traveling as refugees.

Today the cities themselves are ghostly monuments to the war, and are filled with all manner of traps, munitions, and dangerous obstacles. Indeed, the Terrans specifically seeded the planet with all manner of devious robotic weapon systems that continue to hunt for targets today. 

Despite the dangers, the Monroe system is home to salvage operations and pirate outfits and remains officially as an unclaimed territory.

The planet of Valhalla was a Terran Colony world during the Monroe Wars and became independent as part of the Terran Republic's final peace treaty. Following this period the cold and poorly developed planet struggled to remain solvent for most of the following decade.

The situation for the Valhallan citizens was growing increasingly desperate until a fortunate discovery was made. Underneath the northern pole's massive ice sheet, a vast supply of radiological materials was found. Mining these substances became the colony's economic lynch pin and brought investment and migration from other Terran worlds as well as Fulgar corporations, and even the Tothk.

This period of prosperity and independence came to an end five cycles ago when the Terran Sovereignty, in violation of the Republic peace treaty (which they disavowed long ago) annexed the Valhalla colony by force. Whilst the Sovereignty had been increasing it's territory by incorporating former colonies in the past, Valhalla was the first annexation by force.

Strategically, the annexation has proven a boon to the Terran Sovereignty, as the radiological materials they are now mining from Valhalla are being put to use constructing weapons for the Sovereignty fleets. Politically however, the Valhalla annexation has been less successful, as it has signaled to other empires (the Ukaros) that the Terrans are becoming a threat once again. Furthermore, the Valhalla colonists have been difficult to manage and numerous underground movements fighting for independence have emerged. 

The Sovereignty has been cracking down on the colonists since, and suppressing media coverage of the entire affair has remained a priority. Meanwhile, resistance groups have been gaining traction in a series of violent acts of sabotage. It is suspected that they are receiving arms and funds from Fulgar investors angry at the seizure of the mining operations.

The ongoing sedition and violence combined with the strategic importance of Valhalla's mines makes the planet a very profitable venture for mercenaries and industrial operators alike.