Azushin

Azushin is the home planet of the Azu people, who created the colony of Azuma. It is a small ocean world where only 7% of it's surface is land. The rest is either frozen polar cap, ocean or sporadic volcanic activity. It is the centre of the Interstellar Coalition.

Geology
Azushin has a smaller than average core, meaning its internal energy output is lower. This produces a slow moving mantle and little geothermal activity reaching the surface. This is the main reason for the oceanic nature of the planet. In addition, while the planet is covered largely in ocean, its sea bed and crust are extremely thick meaning what little geothermal activity reaches the surface has already lost a lot of energy from penetrating the crust.

The planet is however, fairly temperate. It has a larger than normal equatorial band where much of the sea life originates and small ice caps due to higher than average temperatures at the poles (an effect created from the proximity to its star). This produces a stark contrast to that below the crust; a sprawling network of heavy thunderstorms and torrential rain moves across the planet for half of the it's solar orbit. The result is an extremely vibrant and turbulent weather system beyond the equatorial band with the native Azu referring to it as a band of light in unending darkness.

Biology
Aside from the Azu people, the planet plays host to many indigenous fish, reptiles and water mammals. Many of these are typically dark coloured to blend in with the depths of the seas and have good tolerance for changes in pressure. They are also highly migrant, moving across the planet's ocean in order to stay ahead of the storms. These species tend to be small with the largest predator, a small whale like creature, being only 10 metres in length. In addition, the sea is filled with typical oceanic life such as tiny crustaceans and coral formations.

Azushin History
The uniformity of the planet's ecology has been reflected in its history. While the records of the Azu's colony Azuma speak differently, life on Azushin and other Azu worlds has been generally peaceful.

Only one civil war has ever taken place, known as the integration period. The conflict came about when Azu first began space travel and elements of the regime at the time felt the culture was denying it's roots. In what is now regarded as a small movement, a small force of Takei took to the government buildings and attempted to overthrow the establishment. It failed however as popular opinion, an important element in Azu politics, felt the movement was unfounded. It later became symbolic as a reminder of the Azu heritage and resulted in a more prominent role for Takei in modern times.