LCARS database entry: Aurelia

[Akios]

Aurelia is a binary planet--two small worlds revolving around their mutual center of gravity. Each has a surface gravity about 2/3 that of Earth, but their proximity creates a strong planetary magnetic envelope. This plus their aggregate mass is enough for them to retain a dense oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere. The low gravity and dense atmosphere favored the development of flying species, while the presence of a huge planet in the sky (eclipses on Aurelia are a monthly occurrence lasting several hours, while nights are truly dark only during the new moon) led its one intelligent species into space exploration.

(The atmosphere of Aurelia has thinned appreciably within the aurelian people's recorded history, and geophysical evidence shows that in the remote past, the planet's atmosphere was thicker. Current estimates suggest that the atmosphere could become too thin to support a viable biosphere in less than 100,000 years. Aurelia has established a network of magnetic satellites over the past 50 years to stem the losses and is searching for a permanent solution.)

Aurelia is a metal-rich world, so much so that the planet's relatively shallow oceans appear tinged with various colors when viewed from orbit. Native animal life has a high tolerance for metals, and the flesh of Aurelian animals should be consumed only in small quantities by beings without a similar tolerance. Aurelia exports a variety of metals to the Federation.

Although an early member of the Federation, Aurelia's system is closer to Qo'noS than to Earth, and for a time during Earth's 21st and 22nd centuries Aurelia was a Klingon possession. Aurelia's environment proved ideal for growing the Klingon qa'vIntIr plants from which ra'taj and raktajino are made, so the Aurelian environment was left relatively unmolested in order to allow the planting of vast crops. Political reversals within the Klingon Empire in the mid 22nd century caused the region of space including the Aurelian system to be abandoned, an event which was swiftly capitalized upon by the young United Federation of Planets. Aurelians like to joke that it was actually the loss of the Aurelian ra'taj crop that caused klingons to lose their brow ridges for a time. Ra'taj has become a major Aurelian export once again in the 24th century.

However, the fact that Aurelia's entire agricultural system had been taken over by the klingons caused great hardships and years of famine until a diverse crop system could be reestablished. This, plus the fact that Aurelia's unique environment made establishment of offworld colonies by the aurelians almost impossible, resulted in Aurelia requiring Federation assistance until early in the 23rd century. Although they enthusiastically joined the Federation before the end of the 22nd century, Aurelia maintained illicit trade relations with the Klingon Empire until detente allowed open, legal trade to take place. Aurelia's "gray market" trade continued well into the 24th century, however, and old aurelian starships can occasionally be found still being operated by the worlds Aurelia used to trade with in that manner.

(A study of aurelian culture completed in 2364 indicates that they have fully recovered from their period of klingon subjugation and later Federation dependence.)

Although Aurelia has been a Federation member since its early days, the aurelians themselves are uncommon offworld. This is primarily due to gravity--aurelians can function in Earth-normal gravity, but it is uncomfortable for them, with a long period of acclimation. It takes a great deal of physical strength for an aurelian to be able to fly in standard gravity, and this, plus a tendency towards what humans would regard as claustrophobia, makes an aurelian a rare sight anywhere but their homeworld, similarly low-gravity worlds, or in starships of their own design. As longstanding Federation members, however, they do have a Council Representative with a full staff of mostly aurelians on Earth.

Aurelia's sister world (the aurelians themselves refer to both worlds as "Aurelia", having abandoned the old name Khall that was given to the "satellite" on which they did not evolve. They call the two worlds Old Aurelia and New Aurelia when a distinction needs to be made) was first colonized in Earth's 19th century, using rockets somewhat more primitive than Earth's Apollo vehicles. These early vehicles provided a one-way trip for the colonists, though contact was maintained by simple electromagnetic radios. Return travel didn't become possible for twenty Earth years, by which time the colonial population had grown to fifteen thousand, two-thirds of which was "native". (Colonization followed a space program similar to Earth's Apollo program, which concluded with a landing on Khall. This landing was made with the full understanding that no return was possible; since Khall is roughly the same size as Aurelia, it would take a launch vehicle as big as the original launch vehicle to effect a return, and at the time Aurelia's space program was not nearly advanced enough to attempt construction of a return vehicle in space. The 12-person crew of the final expedition survived, and it was the reports of their successes on Khall that led to colonization.)

In 2369, Aurelia began its first major offworld colony with the opening of the Savrok IV binary planet (Walok) for colonization. Savrok IV is remarkably similar to Aurelia, although having fewer available metals. Aurelia has colonies on each of the sister planets, with a current aurelian population of 30 thousand, and colonization is continuing. The Savrok system is 11 light years from the Cestus system.

(Note: While the skorr claim a common ancestry with the aurelians, which is supported by genetic regression analysis, the theory is not openly embraced by aurelians in general.)