- "Landfall on KOI–1966.03, henceforth called Aljanna for this planet is paradise."
- ―Daran Bako's log (from Alien: The Roleplaying Game — Building Better Worlds)
KOI–1966.03, later renamed Aljanna after the Hausa term for paradise, was a terrestrial planet akin to Earth located in the KOI-1966 System of the Far Spinward Colonies. In 2186, Aljanna was chosen for colonization by the United Nations Interstellar Settlement Corps' Great Mother Mission.
History[]
Abandonment[]
Aljanna was the site of an Engineer city.
The third planet of the KOI-1966 System, KOI–1966.03 was the site of a city built by the ancient race known as the Engineers. During a war between the Engineers and beings of their own creation, the Fulfremmen, the city was abandoned to keep it from falling into the Fulfremmen's grasp.[1]
Settlement and isolation[]
Millennia later in 2110, with KOI–1966.03 now situated in the Far Spinward Colonies, the planet was visited by a group of scouts from nearby Gorham's Colony. Their leader, Daran Bako, named the planet Aljanna after the Hausa word for paradise due to its plentiful resources and welcoming climate.[1]
Shortly after, and unbeknownst to Bako and his team, the FSC sector was isolated from the Middle Heavens by a panoply of cosmic phenomena, which caused widespread chaos. As a result, the relief ship for the scout party did not arrive, and Bako's team was forced to settle on Aljanna. The explorers discovered the Engineer city, and were attacked and detained by Xenomorphs left behind by the Engineers; soon after, the creatures found Bako's base camp and captured everyone present.[1]
Colonization[]
The location of Daran Bako's camp, which was earmarked for colonization by the UNISC
In 2186 the Great Mother Mission, a humanitarian effort organized by the United Nations Interstellar Settlement Corps to reestablish contact with the Far Spinward Colonies, investigated Aljanna. Finding it to be a prime candidate for settlement, an expedition from the flagship UNCSS Ìyánlá was sent to establish a colony, and a colony module and Atmosphere Processing Plant were dropped to the surface. The expedition discovered Bako's camp, and encountered the Xenomorphs while exploring the Engineer city. The city was destroyed by a nuclear strike carried out by the Ìyánlá, and the colonization effort continued; in honor of Bako, Governor Kholwa Abantu formally declared Aljanna to be the planet's name.[1]
Climate and terrain[]
An Earth–like planet measuring 12,500 kilometers in diameter, Aljanna featured a warm and temperate biosphere, though it was subject to periods of extreme ultraviolet radiation from its local star; however, the addition of ozone from an Atmosphere Processing Plant would remedy that. A year on Aljanna lasted 460 days; days lasted forty–eight hours.[1]
Aljanna had an axial tilt of twenty degrees and gravity equal to that of Earth, and was covered in significant bodies of water. The northern hemisphere included plains, great rivers and vast deltas, and thermal springs replete with steam vents. Straddling both hemispheres was a continent featuring insect–infested forests. The southern hemisphere boasted bizarrely–hued vegetation and gently rolling grassland hills, as well as seas studded with giant icebergs.[1]
Flora and fauna[]
Flora on Aljanna included Ophiocordyceps vehemens, a species of fungus. Native creatures included the octobug and a type of lion-worm, as well as a rat-like creature and herds of bovines. The Harvester, a mammalian tunneling species native to the planet Tartarus, could also be found on Aljanna.[1]
Economy[]
Aljanna was rich in natural resources, as well as various metals such as iridium, platinum, and rhodium.[1]
Population[]
Aljanna was once inhabited by the Engineers; however, they fled the world several millennia prior to 2186. In 2110, Daran Bako's group of settlers briefly occupied a landing site before being captured by Xenomorphs.[1]
Points of interest[]
Aljanna was the site of a city built by the Engineers; the city contained the Gallery of the Ages, which held some of the Engineers' darkest secrets. A base camp was later set up by Daran Bako and his team near the city. The location was subsequently used by the Great Mother Mission to establish a colony.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
Aljanna appears in Alien: The Roleplaying Game — Building Better Worlds and is the setting for the third campaign mission, "Leave All Else to the Gods". The colony established during the mission can be further developed using resources given in the book.[1]