The recently acquired territory on Ciratha, now affectionately called ‘Pelratha’ by the inhabitants, has reached an adult population of 300,000 after just three years.

When questioning the 750,000 members of the five legions given first settlement rights, about 200,000 of them reported that they had family members already colonizing the region. A further 50,000 said they enlisted with their spouse and plan to settle Pelratha once their terms of service are finished.

Each legion has marked 10 locations across the colony for specialized development, 50 soon-to-be towns which will grow into cities in the coming centuries. These will become the manufacturing hubs to support the legions.

Agricultural territorial allotment is going by the old expansion model on Peldor, adapted for an alien world. A married couple with at least two children goes into the wilderness and finds a spot. The family then begins to build a fence, and everything they can enclose within a single day becomes their property. This typically results in starter estates of 10-15 acres. As the family grows, the surrounding lands can be annexed by their estate for further development.

The Senate anticipated interest in settling alien worlds, though not to this degree. For nearly a century, sunlight and its health benefits have been one of the strongest motivators for travel, with peldaks planning extended stays off-world at least once every decade. Peldaks will typically schedule these trips before their tans fade and their skin turns ‘pale’ and ‘pasty’, which is generally considered unattractive and too ‘sedentary’ these days. Now that peldaks have the opportunity for permanent sunlight residency, it isn’t surprising that so many are jumping at the chance.

The Senate and Lord Protector are expected to announce further colonization projects on Monsoo and Relgan within the year.