AKANTHE INTERNATIONAL PARK

Akanthe International Park is a series of scientific missions and resorts located within Akanthe and its ring system. This area is designated a Park due to it being one of the few occurrences of void ecology within the Milky Way Galaxy.

ORIGIN

Due to the young nature of the system itself, Commonwealth scientists theorized that life did not arise within the system but instead came from an external source through migration or seeding. The flora and fauna that have arisen are incredibly complex and varied, which implies that life has been present in the system for at least a few million years.

SOLAR SYSTEM

Akanthe International Park rests in the ring system of Akanthe, a planet that orbits around a G-Type Star.

AKANTHE

Akanthe is a gaseous planet orbited by a ring system with a diameter of approximately 90 million kilometers.

DISCOVERY

While recovered pre-war data modules have indicated previous knowledge of the Nujim system and its contents, the area was rediscovered by the Commonwealth Galactic Research Initiative after the Theomachy. It was designated as a nature reserve twelve years later by the Galactic Assembly.

ECOLOGY

Autotrophs

While some animals possess their own form of autotrophy, primary autotrophs are prevalent throughout the ring system. They are primarily found on asteroids with a suitable gravitic well, or just floating in the form of large planes in the vacuum. Although some autotrophs are capable of photosynthesizing, other portions of the electromagnetic spectrum are utilized as well. Some have even been documented to use photovoltaic cells, which can directly convert light to electricity. Autotrophs of all colors—from purple, pink, and beige for photosynthetic cells to yellow and brown for photovoltaic cells—can be found here.

Bucket Whales

One of the most notable herbivore species within this ecosystem is the bucket whale, a migratory animal that can span several kilometers in size. They possess incredibly wide mouths that funnel into a small body, which then funnel into an even smaller excretory system. These mouths are used to wrap around drifting autotrophs. A long tongue-like structure then extends from the body and the plant matter is consumed using a combination of chemical and mechanical digestion. After digestion, gas is stored in a rear sac until it needs to be excreted for propulsion. Bucket whales possess four telescopic eyes on stalks that can peek over their large mouth to determine their heading as well as to watch for predators. These eyes can retract into the body in the event of an attack for protection.

Raptors

One of the primary carnivores that reside within the ring system are the raptors, tentacled predators that orbit asteroids. They possess compound eyes that can spot various herbivores that venture near the surface of their asteroids. Raptors utilize a form of methane rocket to propel themselves toward their prey. They use their hooked tentacles to latch onto their prey which then they promptly consume using a toothed maw. During long periods without food, they may enter a state of orbital hibernation. In this case, their tentacles will wrap around their entire bodies save for their compound eyes. When their eyes detect significant movement, the raptors will immediately reemerge from hibernation to hunt their prey.

Derma

There exists a fungal organism named derma that envelops celestial bodies, such as asteroids, within the ring system. It is a thin membrane that stretches across the surface of celestial bodies, which allows the fungus to decompose various detritus that fall into the gravity well of the asteroids. This can include the bodies of old raptors as well as the uneaten bits of flesh of the bucket whales.

Environment

The size of the ring system allowed for a large variety of environments where life flourished. Some of these include artificial atmospheres created by coral-like organisms, ice chunks with sizable amounts of internal water, and the barren surface of asteroids.

Increased Mutation Rate

Due to the lack of protective magnetic fields or atmosphere within the ring system, the organisms that dwell within are constantly bombarded with powerful radiation, leading to high mutation rates.

ORGANIZATIONS

Several organizations have been established within the park, including Optil Kawau Hotels & Resorts, the Akanthe Research Institute, and the Akanthe Park Service.