Azure IX is the home planet of the Yndij race and often referred to as 'The Blue Moon'
About
Across the length and breadth of the GCPS there are a handful of worlds that regularly make the top tiers of the traveller’s bucket list: the crystal arroyos and amethyst cliffs of Pallivyr Terminus, the singing pine forests of Tamatatiya, the binary stars that yet light the doomed Elphenstein worlds as they spin down in their slowly decaying orbits. And who could forget the lush, vibrant jungles of Azure IX.
When the explorers of the SanMar Corporation visited the system, they initially thought it unremarkable: A main sequence star orbited by a single barren world, whose surface was tinted a deep, rich blue due to mineral concentrations on its surface. They marked it down as a possible waypoint along the way for future expansion, but during a routine survey of Azure’s nine moons they found something remarkable.
The ninth moon could not have been more different to its parent planet. It was clearly formed from the same rock, but where the planet was barren the moon was abundant with life. A massive rainforest stretched across its surface from pole to pole, with great mountains soaring through its canopy. Survey parties returned with samples of precious minerals and tales of exotic flora and fauna. Reports were filed and a colony tender lodged, swiftly won by Acosta Biológico EIRAS. Having secured exclusive rights to all genetic material on Azure IX, the nuclear medicine and agribusiness conglomerate wasted no time in putting together a colonial expedition.
The first settlers did not expect to find any sentient life and for five cycles the colonisation proceeded smoothly. It was only when the colony outgrew their first Shensig habtainers and began to clear a small section of forest for more that the native Yndij made themselves known. Approaching the colonists peacefully, the Yndij explained that while they were happy to share their forests with the new residents, there were sacred laws regarding the felling of trees. To keep from angering the gods, permission had to be asked before any logging began, and to take more than was required was a grave transgression.
The colonists took their words to heart, and Azure IX has since become a beautiful blend of the best of corporate culture and the wonder and splendour of the natural world. Sculpted, decorative plascrete twinned with carefully tended trees, low-hanging branches supporting lattice-weave habitats open to the humid night air, and other, even more exotic delights bring travellers from as far as the Core Worlds. Azure IX is a holiday destination rated by Galactic Flaneur Magazine as second to none.
Azure IX is officially designated a mixeduse industrial/commercial world, with light manufacturing, research, and processed wood products listed as its main exports. Unofficially, though, most know it as home to one of the most exciting little DreadBall competitions in the galaxy: The Azure Forest League.
Jungleball
It’s little surprise that the galaxy’s greatest sport can be found on Azure IX. As settlers flocked to the moon in increasing numbers, it was only a matter of time before an arena was built. The colony was still in its infancy at the time, with materials mostly restricted to what could be found on-world, so this first arena was considerably more low-tech than those found on more civilised worlds.
These limitations affected gameplay in a number of ways, but when better resources later became available, the league organisers realised that players and fans were enjoying the change of pace, and so were keen to keep the quirks. Soon, guidelines became rules and the Azure Forest League was born. The most obvious difference between a regular game and an Azure Forest game is the open-air arena. DreadBall usually takes place in a sealed atmospheric environment where temperature, humidity and even gravity are rigorously controlled to stay within the DreadBall Governing Body (DGB) parameters.
It can take new players some time to adjust to the sudden downpours and sweltering heat of the jungle, not to mention the close proximity of the crowd! The stands are separated from the action by little more than a low flexiglass wall, bringing the players and fans into much closer proximity than in regular games. This makes the roar of the crowd all the more inspiring, even if it does make outside interference an occasional issue. As the league sponsors say, it’s all part of the flavour!
Franchising
All prospective leagues seek registration with the DGB and to take advantage of the numerous benefits that come as a result. But, there is a strict list of criteria that must be met before this is allowed. Among other things, arenas must pass rigorous safety inspections, RefBots must be regularly updated with the most recent software, and arena technology must meet a minimum benchmark. While the DGB understands that this may be difficult for smaller arenas, it maintains that it is vital to preserve the integrity of the sport and prevent breaches of safety policy. Nader Zaelos, a small, but marginally successful tourism and resort management firm, did not let this stop them from taking their league to the airwaves.
CEO Harold Zaelos had built the first DreadBall pitch on Azure IX as part of a range of attractions for his treetop resort, and had initially given it no more thought than he did the glasspex-bottomed treetop-suspended swimming pool. Putting aside enough in the operating budget to interest a handful of mid-tier teams, he had expected the tournament to bring a few thrills to the tourists and nothing more.
However, something unexpected happened: the Yndij, normally content to let the new settlers run their affairs in peace, took an interest in the game. Initially this was limited to watching the games and socializing with the visiting teams afterwards. Before too long though, a group of young Yndij ‘adopted’ some of the teams, conducting a version of their pre-hunt rituals before they went on the pitch.
From there it was a short step to including an Yndij team in the league. The Ninth Moon Tree Sharks got their start in the Azure IX League, and their quick-footed play style earned them a clutch of fans amongst the resort’s regular guests. It was one of those guests who first approached Harold Zaelos with a proposition.
Azure's Pirate Broadcast
The guest in question, Maxine Ryder of Ryder Broadcast Network (RBN), recognized something special in the ramshackle league playing on a dirt pitch in the jungle. DreadBall was already big business, with the glitz and glam of the professional leagues drawing billions of eyeballs with each CorpsNet pay-per-view broadcast. Her proposal was this: Let her film a match, run it on her network, and see if there was enough demand to turn the hardscrabble league pro. Harold agreed, either unaware or deliberately ignorant of the harsh measures the DGB took against unlicensed operators looking to get a piece of the action.
In an entirely surprising and not at all coordinated coincidence, Maxine’s trial broadcast happened to be playing at the same time that the Sirona League Pool C qualifying game mysteriously lost their feed. As a result, millions of eager DreadBall fans tuned in to this strange game from an unknown league, and were amazed at what they found. Away from the bright lights and pyrotechnics of the big leagues, here was DreadBall as it was originally played – desperate men and women, scrabbling in the mud, chasing the titanium ball with only their skill and daring determining their success or failure.
Halfway through, a tree shark (the deadly creatures for which the now famous team is named) invaded the pitch, eating the Amasis Asteroid’s star Jack and pushing the ratings through the roof! The DGB, however, was furious. It was one thing for a two-bit tourist flophouse across the galaxy to have a private DreadBall tournament to show the rubes. It was quite another thing for an unlicensed, unsanctioned, and more importantly, non-fee-paying tournament to pre-empt prime time programming. A team of high-priced lawyers and their bodyguards were dispatched to Azure IX, with strict orders to bring this rogue outfit to heel.
Maxine and Harold were prepared, however, with their own legal team. The negotiations between them lasted months, and the manoeuvres and tricks employed by both sides became the stuff of attorney folklore. In the end, Jesus Ortiz himself made the trip to Azure IX. Calling for a halt to the negotiations, he had one simple request: He wanted to see this socalled JungleBall for himself. Whether it was the passion the Yndij players showed for the game, their obvious skill, or the potential for profit he saw in the sight of his hightech game in such primitive surroundings, history does not relate. In the end, Azure IX was granted an associate franchise license, and RBN was sternly warned not to try anything like their pirate broadcast again.
The Azure Lie
Since the GCPS 'overran' their home planet of Azure IX, many of the Yndij people have thrown in their lot with the Rebellion, fighting to ensure that other races do not suffer the same fate that theirs did.
Rebel Propaganda sample 5821.32
Category: Non-permissible (accuracy)
Author unknown
"Do not believe the lies of the imperialists! Brothers and sisters: The corporations lie, and no lie is more pernicious, more abhorrent, than the great lie of Azure IX!
Our world has two faces: One face shown to the galaxy, and one face kept hidden. One is beautiful, an image that is carefully shaped to present the illusion of benevolent governance. The other face, however, is horrific: The corporations are ravaging our world, and the galaxy appears not to know or care.
The gravitic forces of our sun and parent world mean our gentle moon spins at the same rate as Azure itself. As such, every McKinley cruiser only ever sees our home from the one hemisphere. The dark side of Azure IX, however, is being systematically cleared for industrial agriculture. Our trees are torn down and hacked to pieces, their wood shipped to the Core in the form of executive office furniture.
What’s more, the vermin of Acosta Biológico lay claim to our very bodies, saying that the license they bought included the rights to our very genetic code. By corporate law, all births must be registered and our children’s DNA sequenced, lest their precious intellectual property slip through their fingers.
If anyone speaks of this they are silenced. Famed documentarians attempting to share our struggle are buried under libel suits. Activists protesting this treatment are arrested, beaten, or killed by corporate assassins. The only choice left to us, is direct action.
Take up arms, kin and comrades! Smash their machines! Kill their soldiers! Know this: For every one of us that falls, ten more stand behind them. We will bring their enterprise to a halt, even if we must choke the gears of industry with our very bodies. But in the end, we shall prevail, and our people shall breathe free!"
The Azure Forest League
The Azure Forest League has a number of unusual features that make it both an exciting variation and a different challenge for seasoned DreadBall Coaches. As Azure Forest League games aim to replicate the early matches that were played on the planet, they forego the sealed arena environments that are standard in regular games. This means the action takes place under the open sky, and teams can’t rely on perfect DreadBall weather! The best Players soon learn to use this to their advantage. Other Azure IX themed 'incidents' may also occur during a game.
AZURE IX TOP PLAYS
989 AE: An earthquake strikes during the Wu-Ling Wanderers and Fran-Taar Philosophers exhibition match, sending Koris and Tsudochan players stumbling – right into the dense network of wormholes the Koris had established earlier. In a panic, the Tsudochan use their ‘abilities’ against friend and foe alike. What follows is sixty minutes of players flying across the pitch at random, popping in and out of the corporeal realm. The game ends in a nil-scoring draw, but the real winners are the Philosopher’s psychiatrists, as the hapless monks recover from their journey through the Koris’ nightmare realm.
Gallery
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Azure IX Map
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Azure IX Planet
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