Devil's Kiss
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
The Devil's Kiss is the name of a long-term and widespread drought on the human Outer Colony of Aleria that lasted for over a hundred years[1] between the years 2453-2560.[2] The drought devastated the planet and its economy and halved its population within a century,[3] causing many of the planet's colonists to become smugglers to allow them to earn money and to counter food shortages.[4]
History[edit]
Shortly after Aleria was first colonized, the planet's sun Elduros had just exited a millennia-long period of low solar activity. The Unified Earth Government's terraforming efforts and Elduros' recommenced instability led to a change in the Alerian climate.[3] Signs of the drought occurred years before it begun. As temperature increased and rainfall became less frequent, some Alerians became worried and political unrest grew among the colony's population. While the agriculturists became concerned, the mining economy on Aleria had just boomed, leading to an influx of employment opportunities. Beginning in 2453,[1] the drought led to the deaths of many Alerians and caused food shortages.[4] The Alerian government turned to the Unified Earth Government for support, but to no avail. As the drought continued for decades, the lakes and rivers on Aleria began to recede and the planet's agricultural employment opportunities increasingly declined.[1]
Alerians were soon forced to crime—largely as smugglers in courier guilds—in order to support themselves, including the planet's youth. Hicham Upadte blamed the Alerian government for not sufficiently asking the UEG for aid during the drought, while most Alerians blamed the UEG. By 2556 the drought had led to the collapse of mining union Mols'Desias.[1][5]
As of 2560 Elduros' instability is projected to last for more than a century, with the expectation that Aleria will be rendered totally uninhabitable by around 2580. To prepare for this the Alerians investigated the use of terraforming and slipspace capacitors to delay or offset the worst of the effects for as long as possible. However, these attempts were futile, and in April 2560 the courier guilds agreed to work with the Created, who offered to stabilise Elduros and restore Aleria's climate using Forerunner technology in exchange for 1% of the population to be turned into Executors. In early May 2560 the drought was brought to an end as rain fell on Aleria for the first time in over a century.[2]
List of appearances[edit]
- Halo: Nightfall (First mentioned)
- Indebted Travelers (First appearance)
- ONI: Trade Barriers (Mentioned only)
- Halo: First Rain
Sources[edit]
- ^ a b c d Halo: Nightfall - Second Stories, episode ONI: Trade Barriers
- ^ a b Halo: First Rain
- ^ a b Halo Waypoint, Aleria (Retrieved on Oct 27, 2015) [archive]
- ^ a b Halo: Nightfall, episode Chapter 3
- ^ Halo Waypoint, Canon Fodder - Second to None (Retrieved on Aug 10, 2016) [archive]
