| abstract | - Once a vast expanse of purely rock and sand, early settlers slowly terraformed the planet for over a century to create an arid ecosystem. New Madrid now supports a score of native and imported lifeforms, not to mention a human population of over 40 million. New Madrid is one of Humanity’s most prized possessions and crowning achievements, inspiring countless future generations of the greatness mankind can achieve when united in a common, righteous goal. While located in a strategically weak solar system, the sentimental value of the planet requires the USIF to maintain erratic patrols in nearby space. The siege, and subsequent capture, of New Madrid by the Arm of Orion is considered the catalyst that finally forced the US Senate to deploy Section 8 against the Arm of Orion, beginning the Outer Rim War. Initially expected to be a 3-day reclamation action, Arm Commander Soren’s clever defenses stalled Section 8 for weeks. Several USIF intelligence officers resigned their posts following the debacle, and USIF leaders have repeatedly clashed with Senate leaders over the botched action. The planet once again came under threat during the Spear Crisis. The mastermind behind the Arm of Orion's uprising, the a rogue army of mutated supersoldiers called the Orion's Spear, attempted full-scale planetary genocide on New Madrid's population. They planned to either corrupt one of New Madrid's major life-giving Terraforming Towers by introducing a lethal niacin-derivative toxin into the Tower, causing it to disperse the toxin throughout the planet and killing the entire colonial population. As a backup plan, the Spear would simply dismantle the Tower, cutting off the helpless colonists from oxygen altogether. Fortunately, both villainous schemes were thwarted by the heroic soldiers of Section 8 and other USIF forces. The Spear were completely destroyed as a result, never to threaten the US Empire again.
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