1110 Quaver C111469-B
Prior to the Civil War, Quaver was a major trade hub overseen by an opportunistic dictatorship. Seen as a possible disruptive force in subsector politics, it was Imperial policy to undermine Quaver’s government. This policy succeeded just as the Civil War was breaking out. This success couldn’t have come at a more unopportune time. Trade collapsed and the new government, still trying to figure out how to govern, proved incapable of dealing with the failing economy. Millions either starved or fled. Today, a population of around 50,000 souls is governed by an Administrator appointed by the Solomani Rim. The economy has yet to recover.
1201 Akimasi C8A5455-6
1202 Sase C347441-9
Akimasi and Sase are two contrasting examples of the impact of the Civil War on planets with domed cities and less than ideal atmospheres. Akimasi was a colony world ruled by a feudal technocracy wholly dependent upon the Imperial government to make sure it had enough oxygen to keep its single city supplied with breathable air. Sase was a thriving civil service bureaucracy that managed to keep a population in the tens of millions safe from a diseased atmosphere through an elaborate system of air filtration and inoculations.
When the Civil War brought chaos to trade within the Subsector, Akimasi resorted to trading oxygen for safe haven to all parties: from Imperials to Solomani to pirates and criminals. They had the space to tolerate these interlocators and it allowed them to get through the entire war virtually unscathed, save for a minority of those with unsavory pasts that decided to stay on and integrate.
In contrast, Sase’s larger population put a huge strain on the government’s ability to keep up with demand on filters and medication. The situation quickly devolved into the rich having access through bribery and the poor being left behind. When people started dying, there was a massive revolt. The ensuing violence and spread of disease killed millions. In an attempt to avoid such government abuse and violence in the future, the current government is a representative demoncracy.
Both experiences left each planet very eager to cooperate with Tukera Lines to establish the Imperial Starlane. Today, they each seek to grow economically and in population with the stability the trade route has brought.
1205 Biggles C236666-9
Prior to the Civil War, Biggles was a protectrorate of Ascalon. Due to this relationship, Biggles was able to survive most of the privations incurred in the chaos that followed. The largest changes have been a loss of population (mostly due to emigration) and the loss of constant contact with Ascalon due to a shortage in Jump-2 ships. Although not officially part of the Ascalon Alliance, the government still sees itself as a protectorate. As a consequence, it is a hotbed of political intrigue and espionage as the Ascalon Alliance and Cluster Concorde vie for influence.
1207 Ascalon 1207 B5628A9-B
During the Imperial Era, the Royal Family of Ascalon also held the Imperial noble rank of Marquis, giving the king of Ascalon more political clout within the subsector than one might expect. Just prior to the Civil War, he used this influence to butt heads with the Duchess of Suleiman. This political rivalry continues to this day; however, the king also spent much of his political clout in anti-Solomani rhetoric. In the current climate, this rhetoric is almost non-existant. That doesn’t mean he isn’t trying to avoid dependence on or alliance with the Solomani Confederation. It also doesn’t mean he isn’t on board with having relations with either Tukera Lines or the Concorde, but he will only do so on his terms.
Note: I am using Rim of Fire, a GURPS Traveller sourcebook by Jon F. Zeigler published in 2000, as inspiration for this Gazetteer. The conflict bewteen the Marquis and Duchess is described largely in economic terms, with the Marquis coming off as a greedy upstart that seems to want to use any excuse to sabotage the Duchess; however, the text suggests something far more interesting that I plan to explore. The blurb on Ascalon has one of the very few mentions of Christianity I have found in Traveller sourcebooks. Suleiman is described as a people trying to reconnect with their Turkish (Islamic) roots. Thus, this conflict goes beyond economics and dips into both culture and religion. I will take the liberty to make Ascalon a Christian monarchy to make things more interesting.
1304 Vanefa A563963-E
Two factors played a huge role in determining the fate of Vanefa in the post-Civil War era: treachery and water. When trade got interrupted by the Civil War and Solomani encroachment began to look inevitable, the royal family of Vanefa gambled and sided with the Confederation. This did not play out well. It isolated Vanefa, despite being part of the Azeremiid Cluster. They could no longer import enough water for the billions who lived on the planet. War broke out and the royal family was imprisoned and executed. Stability wasn’t achieved until the Cluster Concorde intervened and imposed a government answerable to the Duchess of Suleiman in exchange for a steady supply of water. This promise ended up being rather tenuous until Tukera Lines made Vanefa a regular stop within the Imperial Starlane. Thus, the local population is more loyal to Tukera than it is to the Concorde.
1306 Rimmon X220000-0
In the Imperium, Rimmon was an uninhabited restricted zone that no one paid much attention to. Today, despite remaining uninhabited, the world is a focal point in the conflict between the Alliance and the Concorde. In order to facilitate trade and influence, the Concorde is seeking to start a colony on Rimmon. This would allow Jump-1 ships access to both Biggles and Coriolanus. Ascalon is actively sabotaging these efforts, because of its ties to Biggles and the inlfuence it has on Coriolanus through its agents stationed on Biggles.
1402 Gulimaru C7A66B7-A
The interruption of trade during the Civil War resulted in 90% of the population dying due to lack of oxygen. Those that survived did so through force. Despite the welcome influx of trade through the Imperial Starlane, the dictatorial rule through strength remains in power.
1404 Esterhazy C335420-B
This old Solomani colony world managed to survive the Civil War virtually unscathed due to long established trade routes within the Azeremiid Cluster. Locals proudly maintain a form of constitutionalism based upon the priniciples of an ancient terran document known as the Golden Bull.
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