Veles

Originally built to house the Perun's drone supervisors, Veles was quickly seen to be a vital transportation hub for the developing Colonial Sphere. Now housing numerous trading corporations and a large spaceport, as well as operating several acceleration gates, Veles is an important part of Colonial affairs.

General Information
Population: 12,000,000

Demonym: Velesian

Founding
Built in 2130 as a part of the Perun settlement, Veles was established as the space station home for the remote operators running drones on Perun. Built as an industrial home, the base structure was quite limited. Consisting of little more than an extended residential block, the work stations and then a recreational centre, Veles served as a basic home for workers until the founding of New Moscow on the surface of Perun. It was at this time that Veles began to widen its purpose, with renovations and extended construction to allow for the import and export of goods from Perun. Sistema is given control of the space station as the other corporations move their operations onto the planet itself.

Stagnation
Now a sizeable station, complete with large docking bays and supporting several acceleration gates nearby, Veles was hit with a period of idleness in 2136 brought on by the arrival of the Kosmar around New Moscow. The sudden halt of goods to the colony forced Sistema to open up the station to alternate sources of income. It's because of this that Veles began to grow as a travel hub, with the acceleration gates nearby allowing for transport of goods from one colony to any other. Other corporations began to establish themselves on Veles, though none managed to challenge Sistema for control of the station. Smuggling of goods also started at this point in Veles' history, though whether Sistema was involved is up for debate.

Expansion
The lifting of the Kosmar in 2139 marked a period of reinvestment into the colony on Perun. The entirety of this construction effort was funnelled through Veles, providing Sistema with a huge source of income off the trade of goods. An expansion of the docking bays was undertaken to accomodate the flow of ships, as well as construction on wider residential and recreational bays to deal with the flow of new workers and merchants coming to the station. For the first time since it had been constructed, Veles is seen as more of a final destination for some rather than simply a stop along the way. The flow of people and the near constant expansion of the station creates a rather luxurious state of affairs for many of the residents, with luxury apartments and night clubs being built to accomodate the wealthy corporate workers as well as merchants and travellers on the station for a short time. A criminal element begins to take hold of the Veles underbelly, making the station a melting pot of a settlement where people can find anything.

Civil War
The UCA crackdown in 2168 hit Veles with unexpected severity. Cracking down on the smuggling of goods, shipments into Veles began to be intercepted more forcefully by the UCA. Shipping in general slowed, limiting profits and making it much more difficult for Veles to operate as it had for the past two decades. A presence on Veles itself also served to limit the capacity for profit and embittered Sistema against the occupation of what was seen as their property. Veles remained under occupation until 2177, when Perun was liberated. As rebel forces approached, Sistema agreed to hand over the station to their control. The rebels readily agreed, eager to avoid the damage Veles missile defence batteries would offer.

Rebuilding
With no damage sustained to the station itself, Veles was thrust back into the trade role it had filled for so long. Further expansion was undertaken on the station, as well as repairs to the space elevator connecting it to Perun.

Geography
While a space station, and thus lacking any natural geography, the layout of the station is far from orderly. Built upon the structure of an industrial centred space station, Veles has been built and expanded upon over time to accomodate its more advanced role. This sort of construction has given the station a patchwork visual style of sorts. Despite this, much of the station features sleek architecture befitting a place of commerce such as Veles.

Culture
The culture of Veles is different from almost everywhere in the Colonial Sphere. Being a mix of people from the furthest reaches of human space, the population is far from standard. The only constant of the station is the prevalence of commerce and the importance it holds for the people aboard. Being primarily a home for businesses of some sort, Veles has an immense stream of wealth coming in daily though importing and exporting goods. This business has brought up a sizeable class of traders who are eager to spend their newfound wealth. This has in turn led to an abundance of recreational activities aboard the station, making Veles one of the more desirable locations for Colonists to go to spend a few days enjoying themselves.

Government
Since it is not a colony, but instead is a corporate entity, Veles is owned by the corporation that operates it. Sistema runs every aspect of the stations business, indirectly or not. Veles is an ICSA member, and the only one that is not a planet. Veles maintains a private military operating as a police force, with a sizeable fighter contingent for ship interdiction. It also maintains sizeable defence batteries to ward off ship attacks.