Tarsonis

Tarsonis was the capital world of the Terran Confederacy.

A temperate planet with a core continent and 27 hour day, Tarsonis was colonized by Terran prisoners who landed in the vessel, the Nagglfar. This supercarrier vessel had on board ATLAS, an artificial intelligence which also recorded information on Terran technology and mutations. Once the ship had landed, the 'cold sleep' chambers were deactivated and the 10,000 passengers slowly awakened. They accessed ATLAS directly and confirmed their growing suspicions that they would never see Earth again, for the Nagglfar was damaged beyond repair. The exiles began to salvage their wrecked ship in an attempt to find refuge in their new surroundings.

The inhabitants of Tarsonis worked to survive in what they termed 'the New World'. Unaware that their fellows also thrived upon Umoja and Moria, the vagabond Tarsonians made do with whatever meager resources they could find. Having lost the means to communicate over interplanetary distances when the Nagglfar was stripped for essential materials, the Tarsonians lived in isolation for sixty years. In a relatively short amount of time, they founded sister colonies upon Tarsonis, and grew into a prosperous, self-contained community. Being the largest and most technologically advanced of the Terran colonies, the Tarsonians soon developed second generation sub-warp engines, allowing their ships to explore the myriad, barren planets of the surrounding star system and eventually led them to find the other survivors of the Long Sleep.

Once reunited, the three colonies benefited from mutual trade and commerce treaties. Although Tarsonis kept pushing Umoja and Moria to join in a conglomerated government, the two colonies steadfastly refused. The fleets of Tarsonis continued to explore the Terran patch of space that came to be known as the Koprulu Sector.

Founding prosperous colonies upon seven other worlds within the system enabled the military might of Tarsonis to grow by leaps and bounds. A new government, christened the Terran Confederacy, was founded by the Tarsonian colonies, and at the beginning of StarCraft Tarsonis was still the intellectual and political center of the sector.

Near the end of StarCraft Episode I, the Sons of Korhal arrive at Tarsonis. General Edmund Duke's Alpha Squadron assaults the central of the three primary orbital platforms. He sets up Psi Emitters on the platform. Like a beacon, the combined power of the Psi Emitters reach out to the far corners of the Terran Sector, luring billions of Zerg to Tarsonis which, overrunning the Confederacy's best defenses, proceed to lay waste to Taronis' major cities and industrial centers. The main Protoss fleet, under the command of High Templar Tassadar, descends upon Tarsonis, heading on a direct course to the primary Zerg Hive at New Gettysburg. Arcturus Mengsk, fearing that the Confederates may escape, sends his second in command, Lieutenant Sarah Kerrigan, with a strike force to engage the Protoss. After They neutralize the Protoss, a wave of Zerg advances on their position. Mengsk orders the immediate disengagement of the Korhal fleet from the Tarsonian system and loses contact with the ground forces at New Gettysburg. Protoss and Zerg forces continue to battle across the core continent of Tarsonis.

Shortly after the fall of Tarsonis, the main Protoss fleet abandons the Terran Sector. Zerg efforts continue on Tarsonis to weed out the remaining Protoss forces. The Zerg soon make their exit from Tarsonis and travel to Char.

After the death of the Zerg Overmind, four Hive clusters are established in the area of the Confederate Psi Disrupter, which is soon uncovered by the UED's research team. Admiral Gerard DuGalle sends the Confederate Resistance Forces, led by Lieutenant Samir Duran, to find the Disrupter and secure it. They destroy the four Hives in the area, allowing them to neutralize the Zerg without too much trouble. Vice Admiral Alexi Stukov's Ghosts relieve Duran at the Disrupter, disassemble it, and secretly take it to Braxis.

Infested Kerrigan establishes her Fortress on Tarsonis early in StarCraft Episode VI. The Psi Disrupter's signal reaches them there and shatters the unity of her Broods. Her minions turn on each other and leave their Hive clusters to run out of control, so she has her Cerebrate (the player's character) take the few Zerg still under her control and stem further damage to her seven Hive clusters. After destroying the UED forces on Braxis and Korhal, Kerrigan returns to Tarsonis to rest. Two days later the UED, intent on forcing Kerrigan's hand, tests out control of their pet Overmind by sending hundreds of its Zerg to Tarsonis. Kerrigan has her consort, Duran, rally her forces so that she can defend her remaining outposts and make sure that the renegades can't gain a foothold in her immediate vicinity. Once they secured their perimeter, her minions take the fight to the renegades' Hive clusters. Soon after, Kerrigan has her primary Hive clusters relocated to the orbital platform over Char.

Tarsonis is thus presumed abandoned.

Giddings Station
Giddings Station is presumably located in or near Tarsonis City (see below). It provided transport from the surface to points of call (eg. space stations) up in orbit.

New Gettysburg
New Gettysburg is a major Tarsonian city where the Zerg established their primary Hive. Kerrigan's strike force neutralized the Protoss there but was overrun by the Zerg.

Trivia
New Gettysburg is featured in Operation Silent Scream, a disabled mission, as a ground-based city. It is not known if both the city and station bore the name, or if Blizzard liked the name enough to "rescue" it after Operation Silent Scream was removed. The name Gettysburg is often misspelled "Gettysberg" in the StarCraft universe.

Osborne Station
Osborne Station is one of the largest space stations (or platforms) orbiting Tarsonis. It acts as a checkpoint for ships travelling away from Tarsonis.

Tarsonis City
Tarsonis City, the main city of Tarsonis, is so grand it was named twice. It has suburbs with more people than some Terran-populated planets. It is the seat of the Confederate Government and includes bodies such as the Council. Tarsonis has its own City Council, which has a reputation for corruption.

The tallest buildings in Tarsonis City are the Terra Skyscraper, the Kusinis Tower, and the Universal News Network Building.

The Gutter
The Gutter consists of the Southwest and Southern Districts of Tarsonis City; it is desperately poor and run by crime lords such as Fagin. The police make virtually no attempt to solve crimes there, in part because of bribes from the criminals who rule there. It is divided into a number of suburbs, many of them run by Fagin's subordinates;


 * Cramville: The suburb furthest away from Fagin's HQ in Duckworth (see below). Run by Evan.


 * Duckworth: The "nicest" suburb of the Gutter in that there was housing more than one hundred square feet. Fagin's HQ is situated here.


 * Kistios: "Prime territory" for crime lord Fagin, in which his followers sold the drug hab. Run by Francee.


 * O'Callaghanis: "Prime territory" for crime lord Fagin, in which his followers sold the drug hab. First run by Manfred then Tenilee.


 * Pyke Lane: Geographically closest to the "snooty" part of Tarsonis City. It was first run by crime lord Orphy Jones until he was killed by another crime lord named Grin. After Fagin betrayed him, Markus Ralian was given control over the suburb.


 * Stephens: "Prime territory" for crime lord Fagin, in which his followers sold the drug hab.

Tarsonis Police Force
The Tarsonis Police Force (TPF), a somewhat corrupt organization composed mainly of bruisers, defends the interests of the rich (defined as anybody who makes more money than the chief). Police with any brains become detectives, and the best detectives become government agents (whether they want to or not). Known staff include;


 * Larry Fonseca. Stationed at the TPF Gutter HQ. One of the few TPF officers immune to the force's corruption.
 * Grabowski: Married a woman who Pembleton claimed to love, earning the detective's dislike.
 * Detective Malcolm Kelerchian: The TPF's best detective he later became a Wrangler (telepath hunter) after creating a political problem for his chief.
 * Detective Jack Pembleton: Known for always wearing shades. Despised Grabowski for marrying a woman he claimed to have loved.
 * Philbert: Presumably an anatomist who worked on identifying victims.
 * Sergeant Volmer: Stationed in the TPF Gutter HQ, he was in charge of watching video feeds, looking for criminals breaking the traffic laws.

The TPF is chronically underfunded.

Theta Prime Station
A supply depot orbiting Tarsonis, it fell into disrepair after the fall of the Confederacy, but has since been renewed by the Dominion Engineering Corps. Utilizing new designs, the DEC has nicknamed it "Catwalk Alley", given the extensive walkways that allow for easier functioning, maintenance and defensibility.

Trivia
Tarsonis is also the name of a black metal band, lyrically basing itself off of the StarCraft universe.

-http://myspace.com/tarsonis -http://www.purevolume.com/tarsonis