Ica

Ica is the ocean moon of Amer, and one of the first celestial bodies incorporated into the United Republic of Amer Prime.

Overview
Ica is the natural moon of Amer, and is covered in vast oceans. From space, Ica's skies and clouds appear to be grey, while its islands appear light brown. Ica shares orbit around Amer with two small artificial moons known as Overseer I and Overseer II.

Geography
The surface of Ica is mainly sprawling oceans, with deep trenches and large natural formations. Islands of varying sizes formed on the surface of the waters, often with rocky formations and soft soil for plant and animal life. Deep beneath its surface are extensive natural tunnels, also filled with water. Its poles are known to house ice caps and unique wildlife.

Urban Layout
Ica's cities are mainly complexes that start on the sea floor and rise out of the oceans, although many cities are also built on islands, both natural and artificial. In addition, massive hydrorefinery plants to refine energy resources, along with power plants, factories, mining complexes, and military bases, often appear as especially massive towers that come out of the water and rise far higher than the cities. Hydrorefinery plants, which collect a water-based resource known as Energy-Aqua, are able to move on their own, often not attached to a static ocean floor structure. Ica is also known for lavish resorts that either hover over the water or look over the underwater Light Trenches.

Environment
Ica is known to be a rather cool-temperature world with a moon-wide maritime climate, thus causing the native Lutrinites to evolve with moderately thick fur. However, it is also known to feature tropical climates on its larger islands.

Citizens
Ica is populated by citizens of the United Republic of Amer Prime, with residents and other natives of Ica are known as Icanites. The two dominant species on Ica are Halians and Lutrinites. Marsuleons, from the Republic world of Australcora, also make up a very small percentage of the population, but are the only other single species that makes up over 1% of Ica's population. The last 5% of Ica's population are made up of multiple species from across the Republic, none of which make up over 1% of the population. One of these other species are the long-living human-like Britonicans, whose race made up the Commonwealth colonists that arrived from Eiel Britonica.

Native Species
The native sapient species of Ica is the otter-like mammalian Lutrinite race, who are well-adapted to Ica's watery surface, with waterproof fur and the ability to swim far and fast, along with being able to hold their breath for prolonged periods of time. They are also the dominant member of Ica's population of registered citizens.

Flora
Ica has a wide variety of flora, mostly aquatic. Its most well-known native fauna are the Lumispires, which are bio-luminescent tower-like plants that appear to be several flower-like structures stacked on top of each other.

Fauna
Ica's fauna include mostly aquatic or amphibious creatures, with its signature Greatfish, whale-like creatures with 6 eyes, being among its most famous. Icanite Krill are incredibly abundant and a common source of food, as are the urchin-like Eunogrons. Cloudrays soar through Ica's skies, landing on the many islands to mate and lay eggs. Large amounts of native fauna on Ica were killed and eaten by an Aralssor that was brought to Ica as part of a string of eco-terrorism, although the species recovered after the Aralssor was killed.

Government and politics
Ica is ruled by the democratic United Republic of Amer Prime. Its elected moon-wide leader is the Governor of Ica. However, most of Ica's other branches are linked to that of Amer, and are not fully autonomous.

Military
Ica is defended by Republic forces located both on its surface and around Amer. Units permanently stationed on Ica are organized into the Icanite Defense Division. Platoons of these soldiers often accompany miners and construction crews into underwater formations to keep them safe from potentially hostile wildlife. Government complexes are protected by automated defenses, which are controlled from central buildings. However, some orbital defenses are connected to Overseer I.

Law Enforcement
The Republic Department of Judicial Enforcement covers the law enforcement duties on Ica, being found across all Ica's cities and other civilian complexes.

Public Works
Most systems on Ica are free or at low cost to the public, including healthcare and higher education. Public transportation systems run across the cities and can include round trips to Amer, charging moderate fees. Many civilians on Ica do not operate their own personal transportation methods due to cities being small and the vast oceans requiring special training and permits to navigate with vehicles. Many products made on Ica are recyclable or biodegradable, although other disposable products get ferried to incinerator ships by large pipes, which take the garbage to orbit to incinerate it. Every sewage system contain purifier stations to extract particles and trash from sewage waste and recycle it into water that can be poured back into the oceans or distributed. Tower cities often reserve their highest levels for the rich and powerful, with poorer members of the population taking up residences in the lower levels.

Economics
Ica's economy is built on direct trade with Amer and interstellar trade of their natural resources, most often done by private corporations that pay high fees to purchase raw materials from Ica to create manufactured goods, which are also commonly sold across Republic space from Amer. Ica's most valuable resource is its supply of Energy-Aqua, an inexhaustible energy resource that powers great scores of Republic technology, although it is not suited for every asset. Tourism and pleasure cruises across the skies and oceans are another source of income for Ica, which attracts citizens from across the Republic.

Pre-Republic
Ica formed as the natural moon of Amer. Its native species developed independently of Amer, but did not advance at the same rate. The Lutrinite race, Ica's native sentient species, developed on and around the islands of Ica, especially the larger regions. However, The Commonwealth, an alien megacorporation that held systems of the Nostrom Cardinal Galaxy at the time, had claimed Ica and Amer as their own, and had them held as colonies, among the last colonies they would own before their fall. Commonwealth operatives began the collection of Energy-Aqua at once, using it to fuel the system's colonial economy, at the expense of the Lutrinites, which were oppressed and forced into service as local wildlife were killed in droves. As Amer grew more sovereign and autonomous, they built their own military force and launched a revolution against the Commonwealth, in which one of the first actions was the liberation of Ica. At the time, most Commonwealth assets in the Amer Prime System had been moved to assist in a long-running campaign the Pyonium Belt, located in the nearby Hieron System, in an attempt to contain and destroy a multi-system coalition led by Cavor, an advanced sovereign world which resisted the colonization and annexation attempts of the Commonwealth for three decades, and thus, Commonwealth forces still on Amer were taken by surprise and overthrown. In the chaos, many foreign colonists on both Amer and Ica fled the system, and Halian revolutionaries captured Commonwealth navy assets and used them in the liberation of Ica. Scores of Lutrinites joined the revolution against the Commonwealth, and were able to secure the system, moving their forces in to attack the Pyonium Belt fleet from behind, coming to the aid of the Cavor defense forces and destroying the Commonwealth fleet.

Republic
Following the revolution and fragmenting of the Commonwealth, Ica became one of newly-founded United Republic of Amer Prime's economic powerhouses, using its Energy-Aqua to its full extent, powering civilian assets far and wide instead of selling batteries to the highest bidder. As a founder of the Republic, Ica also gained interstellar prestige as the Republic grew to expand beyond its system. Due to most of the Commonwealth colonists fleeing during the revolution, Ica's population mainly comprised of Lutrinites and Halians. After Australcora and its colonies joined the Republic, Marsuleons began to make up a portion of Ica's population as well. Ica housed several private companies and corporations, some of which were based on Amer, which operated within Republic laws and came at great benefit to Ica, unlike the rule of the Commonwealth. Ica also became a popular tourist destination during this time.

Eco-terrorism
During the War for the Chronicle Timeline, the United Republic of Amer Prime had contact with the Trans-Galactic Government and wished to join them as allies. However, at the same time, Ica was attacked by a terrorist known as Rix Giger, who used a genetically modified Aralssor to cause chaos among the undersea infrastructure and wildlife so that he and his Brainfish minions could take hostages. Among those hostages were the URAP President, Enu Forgon, and the URAP Defense Administrator, Cora Degro. Hucon Misis, the current Governor of Ica, was assassinated by Giger. The efforts of URAP soldiers, a Holy Faction operative named Thomas Fru, a Parfinoid mercenary named Nara Genopos, and Starwatch marines rescued the hostages, destroyed the invading species, and had Giger arrested. Following this, the damaged areas of Ica's infrastructure had to be rebuilt by the combined efforts of the Government and URAP. Native fauna and flora that were ravaged from the attack later recovered, partially due to conservation efforts.