Astronomic Annihilation Device

Astronomic Annihilation Devices (AADs, colloquially known as Planet Busters or Star Busters) were weapons or other technological feats that could accomplish the destruction, to varying degrees, of an entire moon, Planet, or other celestial body, even including an entire Star. This destruction could range from simply destroying most of the ground area of the planet to wipe out extant macroscopic life, to completely vaporizing the planet from existence.

Although these devices varied wildly in their methods and intentions, their loose categorization had political significance to a multitude of governmental bodies which forbade the creation or use of such devices as weapons during the Second Galactic Senate Era. The use of AADs was completely banned by the Second Galactic Senate government.

Known AADs

Anathema

Main article: Anathema

The Anathema were an innumerable swarm of femtobots created by the enigmatic Pantheon of Qianae. They broke down stars and planets to store the energy contained within. The Collective used the Anathema to destroy many star systems, resulting in the creation of The Scar.

Arckasian Era

The Empire of Arckas created many devices capable of destroying and altering worlds, many of which were not designed to be used as weapons, rather as ultra-large-scale transformative tools that could alter the gravitational effects present in star systems or wipe out rogue planets.

Omni Era

The Omni empire accidentally caused a planetary destruction event in the Azamond system while attempting to strip down the resources of the planet Farfelim, which they had mistakenly identified as uninhabited. They caused the planet's oceans to spill out into space, but they rescued the native Farfelle inhabitants. During lawmaking sessions of the Second Galactic Senate, this incident was used as an example of why even non-military technology must be regulated under anti-AAD agreements.

Buyuk Wars

The Buyuk Empire produced and deployed these weapons several times during the Buyuk Wars. It has been speculated that in terms of total economic effect, it cost the Buyuk more to produce these weapons than they were able to inflict in damage; However, every deployment of such destructive weaponry struck fear throughout every world of the known galaxy.

The list of AAD attacks by the Buyuk:

• Leguma - Capital world of the Palasarian Holy Empire. After the Buyuk Empire occupied the Greenwater Nebula, they demanded that king Rustiagon Karrel of the Karalian Empire return an ancient Arckasian terraforming device which had been stolen from the Buyuk in years past. When he refused, the Buyuk destroyed Leguma in retaliation. This would lead to long-term cultural and political animosity against the Karalian leadership by the other residents of Greenwater, who blamed king Karrel for not meeting the Buyuk's demands.
• Mortan system - A star system being used for terraforming research by the Karalian Empire. The Buyuk unexpectedly launched an attack here, destroying the planet Morta and leaving only a white dwarf in place of the red giant star Mortan.
• Raycaon - During the Battle of Raycaon, the Buyuk unsuccessfully attempted to destroy the same weapon they had used against Mortan, but were stopped by Karalian forces, preventing any further destruction.

Chechkal Wars

During the Chechkal Wars, the United Kyekna Monarchies developed several anti-planetary weapons in the extreme environment of the Wolf-Rayet star Bezck's solar system. These weapons were necessitated by the CHKC-27 AIs, self-replicating AIs who lacked conventional weakness to chemical weapons, famine, oxygen deprivation, and disease.

A prototype weapon deployed against the uninhabited planet Bozzkrit left a massive fissure across the surface of the planet. A fully developed anti-planetary bomb would be used against Akakech, which the Kyekna believed would be vulnerable to such a weapon because it lacked a metallic core, having only a continuous rocky mantle instead. The remains of the planet still orbit around the star, but can no longer sustain an atmosphere.

Finally, using a truly immense pressor beam generator, the UKM destroyed the capital world of their AI attackers, ending the war.

Fisiena Incident

Main article: Fisiena Incident

Fisiena was a planet that appeared habitable, but was infested by the Mahra-Bondo parasite. The DEV Bor’Si, a ship fleeing the Chaos Crisis, attempted to establish a colony here, only for many of the colonists to meet a brutal ending due to the Mahra-Bondo. The DEV Bor'Si carried out a planetary bombing campaign to wipe all life off the surface of the planet in order to destroy the parasite and stop it from spreading to the rest of the galaxy.

The Mizani Empire strongly objected to this course of action for deeply held religious beliefs against the destructions of planets. Although they considered the actions of the DEV Bor'Si's Captain Jarin Rotas to be criminal, the captain and crew were able to go peacefully with the Roving Flotilla to find a new planet to colonize, and avoid further issues with galactic law.

Galactic Law

AADs have frequently been regulated and prohibited by various governments due to the extreme threat they pose.

Under the Second Galactic Senate, it became illegal to produce or possess AADs in any capacity. All Galactic Senate members acknowledged and accepted this rule, and pledged not to produce any such devices, as part of their membership. The Senate retained the authority to create an exemption on a case-by-case basis by special vote, in circumstances such as a threat from a rogue planet.

Strict standards were adopted for reporting when Buyuk AADs, or plans, blueprints, or data relating to them, was captured by Senate forces, in order to make sure this data was not redistributed.