DANGER

Conflict zone. Ground combat enabled. Space combat may be enabled without warning.

Derra I, with the shortest orbital period and the longest days, is a tropical paradise that has attracted the wealthy for generations. The weather is idyllic for half of the planetary year, with abundant sunshine and a constant ocean breeze that invites revelry and recreation. The temperatures during this "touring season" can be deceptively pleasant, as some races have been known to burn themselves sunbathing on Derra I's endless beaches. The other half of the year is a torrential downpour when trickling brooks turn into rampaging whitewater while the flow of rowdy vacationers largely dries up.

The main continent Mikaster rises abruptly from the emerald waters of the vast Zahn Ocean. Gentle rolling plains ripple inland into the dense tangle of the rainforest that surrounds Lake Narra. Between the southern lakeshore and the oceanside can be found Derra I's resort colony. This settlement attracted visitors by claiming it was the system's headquarters for "wet and wild fun." Some tourists got the wrong impression, and the resort's capacity was soon overwhelmed. But the hordes of bachelors enjoyed themselves nonetheless, and the reputation of this blissful holiday destination was established.

Everything changed when the Metamorphosis Plague broke out on a neighboring world. The affluent community that had taken up permanent residence on Derra I panicked and evacuated, some fleeing towards the core and others out towards the rim, long before the quarantine was enacted. Industrialists and entrepreneurs, oligarchs and magistrates—everyone who could afford to abandon their lives did, and the pillars of the colony evaporated, taking law and order with them. The ordinary working class were left stranded and continue to go about their business with a new sense of urgency. Local residents have stopped speaking with strangers and avoid lingering out on the streets.