Barstow

Background
Barstow is a relatively habitable planet in the outer colonies which received little terraformation and therefore did not become an agricultural world similarly to most other outer colonies. When the UNSC founded the colony it was formally an industrial site for refueling and extended dry dock periods for ships scouting the outer colonies regions. The scattered lakes and the large Iris sea are the only real hallmarks of civilization on the planet. As its industry grew its inhabitants stationed there grew in numbers until a native born population rivalled the immigrated populations. Barstow narrowly escaped the Human - Covenant war and actually remain in good standing with the UNSC drawing back its successionist ideaologies when the war started. Ten years in the war however Barstow went dark.

Whether Barstow had been attacked by the Covenant or if the colonies usefulness had dry is unknown. When the colony went dark it had already been three years without major contact with the refueling and dry dock industries on the planet as most of the outer colonies had been lost.

Following the conclusion of the war the alive and well inhabitants of Barstow emerged from their darkness. A civil war had actually erupted on the planet with rebels sabotaging communications relays and sending the colony into a black out. The newly appointed authority of the Karmen Militia had declared the colony a liberated and independent world.

With little resources or interest in the planet Barstow early on in reclamation efforts following the war went unnoticed. UNSC command had largely agreed the planet had been wiped out along with its minimal usefulness to the UNSC, its only function now would be as a picket in the fence outlining the UNSC's territory and so a small group of corvettes and freighter ships were sent to the planet in order to establish a listening post and small military presence. None of the ships sent to establish a firebase on Barstow returned.

Geography
With a more dramatic axial tilt than Earth and orbiting significantly closer the planet experienced scorching summers and frigid winters in the north and south regions of the planet. The equator which remained relatively scorching all year round was a wasteland of salt beds and deep canyons seperated only by long stretches of arid desert. Towards the poles vegetation grew which gave the planet a breahtability index of 51.1% that of Earth. Near the Iris Sea was the largest settlement of Humans on the planet sporting the city of Argdor with neighboring settlements encircling the sea. Other listening posts and encampments existed along the other smaller lakes on the planet as well.