Operation ICARUS
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Operation ICARUS was the codename for the attempt to use Venus' massive sunshade as a weapon.
History[edit]
As part of Project Aphrodite at the turn of the twenty-third century, the largest man-made structure ever built was a sunshade that helped cool Venus and support various other terraforming efforts. It contained maneuvering thrusters that allowed the sunshade to be repositioned as needed to better shield the planet.[1]
In 2777, the Star League Defense Force began it's liberation of Terra in the last years of the Amaris Civil War. With over 900 ships on the verge of entering the system,[2] Stefan Amaris intended to use the massive structure to focus solar energies against approaching vessels. In theory, it was like using a magnifying glass on an ant. What he didn't realize was that sunshade was also extremely fragile, and during its redeployment, gravitational stresses ripped the structure apart. Amaris blamed his incompetent subordinates.[1]
The consequence was that, deprived of its shield, Venus began to warm significantly and was desperately reliant on the twenty large automated climate control stations on the surface.[1] Half of them would be non-functioning by 3028 as the planet slowly de-terraformed,[3] and the last one would be destroyed by a nuclear device in 3059,[4] rendering the planet inhospitable.