Gaiyama

"She may not be Andromeda's diamond, but she is certainly a gem. Anyone that claims the Ankoran cannot build majesty have never seen Gaiyama."

- Octandra Caveras

Gaiyama is the capital world of the Andromedan Covenant Territories. As the core of the Ankoran-controlled Gaia Cluster, Gaiyama is one of the wealthiest inhabited worlds within the Andromeda Galaxy, although is still paled in comparison to the various homeworlds of Andromeda's more powerful natives.

Due, partly, to its political status, Gaiyama boasts a vast array of mobile orbital defences and is the gathering location of the Andromedan Covenant naval fleets. The surface of Gaiyama is, despite the heavy security measures, mostly rural and untamed, although several vast cities and kilomiles of urban sprawl coat several of the smaller continents.

History
Discovered by the Covenant in 1288, during the opening days of the Andromeda Initiative, Gaiyama became the first colony of the Ankoran species beyond the Milky Way Galaxy. Selected from amongst thirty candidates for initial colonisation, early efforts to settle the planet were hampered by wildlife and limited building supplies, nearly spelling an early end to the planet's habitation.

The discovery of an immense wealth of rare metals quickly convinced the Ankoran to stay, founding the spaceport-city Talika Vae, meaning 'New Start' in Ankorta, which swiftly swelled with new migrants and colonists from other colony-fleets, becoming the de facto capital of the new Andromedan Covenant. Further efforts to house the growing population led to further cities being founded across the planet, with vast infrastructure projects proposed to connect the cities as they cropped up.

In 1821 Gaiyama was declared the official capital-world of the Ankoran Covenant's Andromedan territories, with the historic city of Talika Vae named the capital of the planet. Swaths of the old city were torn down over time to be replaced by newer, larger projects, the original city expanding in area thrice before the year's end as new colonists flocked to the planet.

By 2586, Gaiyama was believed to be the second wealthiest planet in the Ankoran Covenant, only outclassed in wealth by the homeworld, Usse.

As of 2950, it is believed that Gaiyama will become richer than Usse by 3010, and the wealthiest planet in the Ankoran Covenant.

Atmosphere
Much like other Ankoran worlds, Gaiyama possesses a primary oxygen atmosphere, alongside quantities of nitrogen. Gaiyama's atmosphere is also dominated by neon and argon, with trace amounts of methane in the air. This absorbs significant measures of red light in the sky, providing a strong blue sky, and duller sunsets. The stratosphere is comprised of ethane and propane gas.

Similarly to the Ankoran homeworld, Usse, Gaiyama possesses an abnormally thick layer of ozone its atmosphere, although it is overall less dominant and does not pass the Mesosphere.

Biosphere
The Gaiyaman biosphere is diverse, boasting mammalian, reptilian, avian, and aquatic life and over twenty thousand individual native species. Evidence suggests at least three major extinction events prior to Ankoran colonisation.

Much of the non-carnivorous life on Gaiyama is autotrophic in nature and typically rely on a form of photosynthesis to produce substance. Chemosynthetic organisms also wander the wastes of Gaiyama, and several herbivorous species live on the major islands where significant plant life exists. Despite this, herbivorous animals make up only ten percent of the native fauna, with most animals producing food through silt-feeding or solar energy consumption. Due to the high degree of carnivorous species on the main landmass of Gaiyama, settlements are not constructed there out of fear of predation on behalf of the local predators.

Society
As the seat of political power within the Ankoran Covenant's Andromedan territories, Gaiyama is the wealthiest world in the Gaia Cluster and is viewed as the crown and throne of political and religious influence in the sector. The resource wealth of a dozen settled colonies and hundreds of industrial outposts flow in and out of Gaiyama each day, fuelling great works of industry, commerce, and art. It is said only the people of Alcanti live more luxurious lives in Andromeda - a claim that may hold some merit.

Given its population, Gaiyama is considered one of the least crowded capital worlds in the Andromeda galaxy, with a population of only 8.8 billion - only slightly more than the average for a colonised world - Gaiyaman's can enjoy spacious homes, as cities, though exceedingly tall in many places, spread out for several landmasses. Most of these cities sit on the three major landmasses of Gaiyama.

Demographics
Despite settlement only occurring roughly two-thousand-five-hundred years ago, during the Covenant's Andromeda Initiative, much of Gaiyama has been covered in urban sprawl. The planet, hosts an unsurprisingly majority-Ankoran population, although diplomats and immigrants have come to call Gaiyama their home. Districts in many of the planet's cities have been constructed to cater to these alien migrants. The planets demographic remains somewhere between seventy to eighty-five percent Ankoran, despite these migrations.

Of note, however, is the different major landmasses have developed their own demographics within the Ankoran species. Although they are genetically typical of the overall species, many note Gaiyaman's bear odd shades of scale colouration, and 'thin' facial features. Gaiyaman's tend to be taller, on average, compared to off-world Ankoran.

Economy
Although not the richest planet in Andromeda, Gaiyama is undeniably wealthy beyond the dreams of many worlds. The boldest and brightest Ankoran in the galaxy come to Gaiyama to make their stories known, and it is the headquarters of almost all of the Covenant's corporations within the Andromeda galaxy. Whereas worlds such as Alcanti are brought wealth through the taxation of other worlds, only one percentile of Gaiyama's total GDP is generated this way.

Gaiyama instead generates its income through industrial might; the world churns out trillions of Credits worth of products each day, exporting countless high-tech products that are then purchased by the common Ankoran across Andromeda. Even corporate bodies such as the Carina Foundation have operations on Gaiyama, able to cheaply import vast supplies of raw materials, and export equipment for profit.

Culture
Gaiyama is a typical Ankoran world culturally, despite its elitist population, and is extremely faithful to Ankoran religious doctrines. Within the cities dotting the surface, immense cathedrals are exceedingly common, and many are decorated with more wealth than some colonies can output in a year. Millions of pilgrims flock to Gaiyama each year, wishing to pray and show their faith in these great temples.

For the locals of Gaiyama, life is filled by luxuries, leisure and amenities imported from across Andromeda and beyond. The largest businesses thrive through the sheer importance of Gaiyama, and its impact in the galaxy. Many offworlders consider the population as elite, wealthy and powerful, although still lesser to the true giants of Andromedan culture and politics - the Drakniar.

Despite the wealth and fame of Gaiyama, it is considered a dangerous world, and entering its underbelly is considered foolish by many. Within the back-alleys, beyond the sight of tourists and law enforcement, crime rates quickly soar to unprecedented levels. Every night, reports of paramilitary police forces raid the lairs of crime bosses, in a secret war to retake the planet from the corrupt.

Talika Vae
Founded in 1288 during the early colonisation process on Gaiyama, Talika Vae is both the oldest city on Gaiyama, and its largest. Wealthy and culturally significant to the entire planet, Talika Vae is considered to be one of Gaiyama's most important global cities and has been termed the world's most powerful, most desirable, most influential, most visited, most expensive, innovative, sustainable, most investment-friendly, most popular for work, and the most Xenos-friendly city on the planet.

Exerting a considerable impact upon the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transportation industries, the city has become the template for all other Covenant cities within the Andromeda Galaxy.

The city has a diverse range of people and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken in the region. Its estimated mid-2950 municipal population is 8 million. It is estimated 10% of the city is non-Ankoran.

Aeoi Katha
Located immediately south of Talika Vae, along the Saetun Beach, Aeoi Katha (literal translation: "Red Light"), Aeoi Katha was founded in 2413 by business owners from Talika Vae who protested against the increased taxation on the sex industry within the city.

The boulevard's cityscape is highlighted by its use of contemporary architecture, lights, and a wide variety of attractions. Its hotels, brothels, restaurants, residential high-rises, entertainment offerings, and skyline have established the small city as one of the most popular and iconic tourist destinations on the planet.

Most famous for prostitution and sex-oriented businesses in the region, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theatres, Aeoi Katha has become mired in controversy by the more conservative population of Talika Vae, though remains popular amongst tourists from other Gaiyaman cities, and off-world.