Abregado System

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Abregado System
Sector	Abregado Sector
Galactic coordinates	-24,-76
Planets	5
Moon	None
Asteroid Fields	None
Space Stations	58
Population	Approx. 2.5 billion
Controlled By	Galactic Empire

Return to Tapani Oversector

Abregado System is the capital system and chief economic hub of the Tapani Sector. Due to intensive investment from Imperial Government, and as a result of its newfound strategic and administrative importance, some would argue that the system is enjoying a golden age. The space lanes are filled with traffic from across the sector, and the galaxy; entire trade routes have twisted and reformed to put the key planet of Abregado-rae in their path. This sense of unparalleled prosperity is accentuated by the system's previous reputation as a den of iniquity.

History

Settlement of the Abregado System dates back to the early periods of human expansion, around 20,000 years ago. Surviving records indicate a small trading colony sprung up on Abregado-rae, the only planet in the system that provided livable conditions under the more severe technological limitations of the time. The humans were welcomed to the planet by an existing sentient species, the friendly and obliging Gados, with whom they began to co-exist. As with the worlds of the Tapani Expanse, this planet's location on the borders of the Herglic Trade Empire brought a measure of prosperity to the settlers, and the colony struck a bargain with the Herglics for protection from piracy and external threats.

Abregado's distance from the fast-growing Galactic Republic started to bring new settlers with less than noble intentions. Many fled southwards to escape either persecution (such as during the Pius Dea Crusades) or justice, but predominantly the latter, fostering a fierce and independent culture amongst the settlers here. When Abregado-Rae's erstwhile Herglic protectors joined the Republic, the world isolated itself politically and economically from the surrounding regions in an attempt to preserve its independence. As official trade lanes were cut off, smuggling took the place of legitimate business, since the colony demanded supplies to survive. Over the following millenia the well-placed colony transformed into a market for the trade in illicit goods and a hub for evasion of trade tariffs between the neighbouring systems. With the growth of the bacta trade, and the charting of the Rimma Trade route to transport it and similarly-valuable goods, Abregado-rae became a hugely-profitable location for smuggling these products into the core worlds. The smuggling operations began to catch the interest of larger crime syndicates, who gradually forced out the independent operators. Pirates and mercenaries also set up base on the planets and space stations of the system, and it is believed a sect of Dark Jedi hid there at one point.

During the declining years of the Old Republic and the Clone Wars, Abregado remained largely unchanged, with the Republic's non-interventionist policies preventing military action against the crime syndicates here. Abregado-Rae's authorities declared neutrality and attempted to play the Separatists off against the Republic. The system was the site of several skirmishes and space battles, but the planets were largely untouched by the war.

In Year 7, however, the system was shaken by political upheaval, as a radical populist movement calling itself 'The Tribunal' attempted to overthrow the criminals and bring them to justice. Seizing control of the government, the movement's leader, a Herglic named Solkov, initiated a crackdown using a series of public trials to imprison criminal leaders. Bribery, assassination and open conflict erupted as the various illicit organisations resisted the Tribunal. Extremist elements of the movement soon began to carry out brutal purges against anyone they thought to be involved in illegal activities. These measures were condemned by Solkov's Moderate wing; but the damage was done and opposition mounted to the Tribunal regime, encouraged, of course, by the smugglers and pirate groups. A civil war broke out between the Tribunal and several rival factions, lasting 5 violent years and leaving the criminals free to carry out their activities unhindered.

When the Galactic Empire seized control of the neighbouring regions in Year 12, it took advantage of the political vacuum to occupy the Abregado System too. At first, both the local population and Imperial personnel expected the occupation to be little more than a brief show of force against the pirates and smugglers, but all were surprised when Moff Cyneran arrived in the system and immediately declared it the new Sector Capital. Seeing the potential that the system had due to its position, and that only a full renovation could ensure order was permanently maintained in the region, the Moff spent the following few years overseeing a vast construction project centering on Abregado-rae itself. By flooding the system with military forces, who carried out checks on every ship entering or leaving, by removing trade tariff barriers, rebuilding the slum-like cities and ruthlessly prosecuting crime lords (replacing the highly-corruptible jury system with appointed Imperial judges), Imperial authorities forced the criminals out of business within four months.

Politics

Each planet in the Abregado System, with the notable exception of Abregado-taki, is directly administered by the Oversector government, with devolved authority existing only at the municipal level. This arrangement exists due to the system's strategic importance as capital of the Tapani Oversector, and because the system suffers from internal divisions which render it unfit for self-rule. Taki, owing to its sizeable population and semi-isolated status, was given the status of an autonomous planet in Year 15 after attempts at direct rule proved unworkable. Each independent township on this planet reports to a council of elders, which liaises with representatives from the Empire's Regional Government.

The system's turbulent past has still not been entirely buried and this manifests in the three main political factions found throughout Abregado:

• Reconciliationists: By far the predominant party, this faction is strongly pro-Imperial and welcomes the changes that have been brought to Abregado System in recent years. Growing out of moderate elements of The Tribunal, as well as some repentant criminals and neutral parties, they believe in putting the system's past behind it and attempting to heal divisions caused by the civil war. This party suits the nature of the Gados species, and so draws a lot of support from them.
• The Bloodhounds are a terrorist faction made up of former smugglers and pirates with nostalgia for Abregado's lawless days. They take their name from a pirate group featured in romanticised popular folklore, and are largely anarchist in nature. Their chief hope is that Abregado-rae can resume its former status as a hub for illicit trades, but they insist that the larger crime syndicates must be kept out and the market should be shared between independent groups. The Bloodhounds hate these larger crime organisations (whom they accuse of exploiting their workers and draining the system's wealth to line their own pockets) almost as much as they hate Imperial law.
• The One Abregado party grew from an extremist faction of the Tribunal movement, and hold an almost religious desire to purge all criminal elements. They proclaim the dawn of a new, independent Abregado, free from both Imperial rule and from corruption. In addition, they hold a strong dislike for offwolders, and wish to remove from the system anybody who does not belong to the old colonial families. Although theoretically opposed to the Empire, most of their activities in recent years have been directed towards hunting down and assassinating retired crime bosses to satisfy personal and political vendettas.

Abregado-rae

Ecology

A temperate world of rolling hills, ancient cities and beautiful waterways, Abregado-rae is the heart of the system. It is the third planet from the star Anza. In spite of the world's beauty and apparent fertility, it has long held a darker, more desolate side. The enormous rivers and seas that sometimes cover the surface act as an overflow reservoir for the underground lakes which lie miles beneath the ground, causing seasonal droughts and floods as the planet's irregular orbit and climate affects surface water levels. When water rises to the planet surface, it gushes with volcanic force through geysers dotted across the planet, before draining underground later in the year. Only with dams, careful irrigation and water-storage could this be controlled, necessitating the long canals for which Rae is known.

Lava flows are also present on the planet's surface; whenever these come into contact with the water flows, enormous jets of steam rise up into the sky and new land may be formed. An additional quirk of the planet's climate is that enormous ice caps form in the seas at the north pole in winters, but as the water drains back beneath the ground the mountainous ice caps are left beached on arid land.

Agriculture is sparse on Abregado-rae. Perhaps as a result of the peculiar water, livestock die within a generation on the planet, and only certain crops can be grown effectively. This ensures the world is highly-dependent on imported (and until latterly, smuggled) foodstuffs, which explains the mixture of extreme poverty and extravagant wealth the planet once exhibited. In addition, the green landscape is surprisingly devoid of wildlife, with only a small selection of species native to the world. The two dominant native species are the Gados and the Moochers.

The Gados are a sentient species which existed on the world prior to human colonisation. Whatever culture they once possessed is almost completely lost, leaving them with two distinguishing characteristics. Firstly, they are renowned across the Galaxy as superb gymnasts, due to a remarkably supple build which consists primarily of muscle and very little bone. Secondly, they are an extremely friendly and forgiving species, with the result that human colonisation was welcomed and the Gados readily integrated into settler communities. As time wore on, this would result in the loss of their unique culture and way of life, and helped ensure the humans' black market activities met minimal resistance. There is no surviving Gados language, art or history; almost every facet of Abregado culture is a mishmash of the practices of a hundred other worlds across the galaxy.

Moochers are a semi-sentient species often dismissed as vermin by the inhabitants of Rae's towns and cities. These small, scuttling creatures are about half of human height and have a reputation for grabbing any item of food left out in the open for too long. They make nimble use of their tail to steal things; this and their capacity to perform simple commands made them useful pets to smugglers and other shady individuals. Many are not aware that the pesky Moochers encountered on the surface are in fact outcasts from Moocher society, rejected for their stunted growth or similarly undesirable characteristics. The bulk of this species dwell underground in unfathomably-deep cave systems, but certain of their number are forced into exile upon reaching adulthood, in order to fend for themselves in Gados and Human society.

One of Abregado-rae's waterfront cities, pictured at sunset.

Culture

During the latter years of the Republic, known to the older residents of the system as the 'Golden Age of Piracy', smuggling on Abregado-rae was at its peak. Based out of the notorious Abregado-Rae Spaceport, smugglers brought in and swapped goods on an industrial scale, with no real laws or obstructions to get in the way. A smuggler would typically do his deals in the Spaceport itself, before transporting his goods along the canal to a warehouse-hideout in the southern hills. After this, he might choose to kick back in one of the numerous seedy cantinas, bars and bunkhouses to be found in the Old Patch district, said to be the oldest part of the town. The planet's dirty, vice-filled cities gave Rae a reputation as a slice of the Outer Rim in the middle of the Core.

Much changed with the Empire's rule, however, as the planet was tamed for the first time in its history. Through the efforts of some of the Empire's finest architects, who lent their considerable talents to the redevelopment project, and through enormous government investment, the Empire proved the difference it can make when it channels its vast resources towards a singular goal. By the time the project was concluded, whole swathes of old slum-like cities had been torn down and replaced with new houses, shops, public buildings and hotels. Restaurants took the place of cantinas, and universities stood where once there had been casinos and slave markets. A new Spaceport was built, dwarfing the old one and sporting a cleaner, more modern design. The old Spaceport city has been preserved as a site of cultural and historic interest, but since the collapse of the crime syndicates all trade is now conducted elsewhere.

In its capacity as Oversector Capital, Rae contains headquarters for all of the branches of government and the military, including parade grounds and an enormous Governor's Palace complex. The planet's population has swelled as millions of new officials, government staff and their families have taken up residence. Finally the planet can stand tall alongside other Core worlds such as Kuat or Corulag.

Canals remain a key part of the planet's infrastructure, despite the now much-improved roads, ship docking facilities and skyways. Tourists are drawn to the charming renovated canal cities in droves, many hoping to catch a ride on the famous floatboats that transport goods and people around the planet. These barges are usually painted and decorated colourfully, with their conductors acting as taxi drivers as well as working still to move heavy goods over long distances. The beautiful, busy waterways that criss-cross the planet and its cities have earned modern Abregado-rae a reputation as “the Theed of the Core” which is cheerfully promoted by the tourism sector.

Abregado-dai

Abregado-dai is the first planet of the system; a volcanic, pockmarked rock with minimal settlement. The planet is known to contain valuable minerals, but attempts at exploitation have never progressed beyond the planning stage due to the prohibitive cost of mineral extraction in extreme heat conditions.

Abregado-san

Abregado-san is the second planet in the Abregado System. In comparison with Abregado-dai, the conditions here are slightly less inhospitable (although the planet is still very hot and dry) and a handful of settler townships have sprouted in clusters near sources of frozen underground water. Both San and Dai are home to a small group of scientific research stations, which monitor the star, Anza.

The planet's sun-scorched surface is distinguished by little more than a pattern of enormous craters which cover it from pole to pole on one side, but soil residue has been discovered which points to a significantly more fertile, temperate climate at some point in the distant past. Furthermore, the planet's orbit contains large chunks of rock which form a small asteroid belt, and, according to the samples taken by Imperial researchers, these rocks were residue from the formation of the surface craters. The prevailing scientific opinion is that, countless millenia ago, Abregado-san was impacted by an intense concentration of space debris or perhaps by some form of ancient alien super-weapon. The blast propelled the planet into a new orbit much closer to the sun, destroying all life on the surface and rendering the planet nearly uninhabitable for thousands of years.

Abregado-fus

The gas giant Abregado-fus is the fourth planet in the system, and the second most-populous. Like so many gas giants around the galaxy, this planet has only been settled in the past thousand years, owing to recent advances in repulsor technology that allow for floating cities to be maintained in orbit. The sky cities of Fus, built and maintained by disreputable corporations and crime syndicates on a tight budget, became notorious for their instability. Repulsor failures meant that cities plunging from orbit into the depths of the planet below became a semi-regular occurrence and life upon these stations was a gamble that only the truly desperate were ready to take. Of noticeably higher quality were the floating holiday homes of the wealthy and influential, who chose only the finest atmospheric real estate. Tibanna gas mining also took place around Fus, before supplies dried up around 40 years ago, and the orbital facilities were either abandoned or repurposed.

Today the situation is very different. The orbital colonies, stations and facilities have been replaced with Imperial-owned equivalents which comply with strict safety standards. The Ministry of Planning & Public Works has unveiled plans to turn the middle of the planet's atmospheric Life Zone into a luxury holiday destination, whilst the less occupied sections of the lower and upper atmosphere are reserved for Imperial Research & Development projects.

Abregado-taki

The furthest planet from the sun is Abregado-taki. An icy, volcanic world such as this does not lend itself well to outside settlement, but it was nevertheless the second planet to be colonised in the Abregado System. Many of those who moved here were Abregado residents who wished to escape the world's vice, and live somewhere where they could conduct business legitimately. But the world's unforgiving climate forged a unique culture amongst the settlers, who now have very little in common with their cousins on the other planets, and indeed consider the residents of those worlds closer to the warmth of the sun as 'soft' and weak.

Planetary temperatures sit at a level which is lethal to even the toughest humans, and they drop yet further during the planet's semi-frequent electromagnetic storms. When these occur, they can last for upwards of two weeks, and make all atmospheric or surface travel impossible; the planet is almost totally isolated. Heat is such a valuable resource on 'taki that fuel acts as the most commonly-accepted form of currency in the planet's towns. When the storms cease, traders will jostle to get fuel, food and other supplies to the now-accessible settlements, and often make a tidy profit in the process.

In spite of the Taki'ans' desire to be left in peace, smugglers saw that the cold, barren planet would serve as an excellent location for secret hideouts and operational bases. This angered the communities of Taki, and so it is no surprise that the planet would later become a point of origin for the Tribunal movement and one of its main strongholds during the civil war. Each town on Taki has a long-established militia, originally formed to protect against wild animals, but which later began to launch night-time raids on pirate bases. These militias later took part in fighting on Abregado-rae itself as the conflict wore on, calling themselves the 'Taki Foreign Legion', and developed a reputation for savagery and extreme tenacity. The civil war left Taki in a far stronger, more unified state than it had been in its isolationist past. The towns, long given to petty feuding, began to co-operate on matters of collective interest, and new links were formed with the galaxy at large. The planet's relationship with Imperial rule was initially rocky, but it has since begun to provide the Imperial Military (and in particular the Snowtrooper Corps) with a disproportionately-high number of recruits. The strongest bonds, as they say, are forged on the field of battle.

Abregado-taki's capital, Deeptown, stretches miles underground.

Taki's townships remain largely unchanged from how they have always been, with buildings that stretch into deep underground tunnels, which serve to provide warmth and protection from the planet's year-long winter and from the violent weather conditions. Thick shutters and durasteel shields are brought out during storms and blizzards. The Empire has been running trials on a new type of city design which incorporates a transparent dome to protect citizens from the planet's icy grip, with energy and heat being extracted from sources of geothermal energy, including underground magma flows. Regional Government is under no illusion about the difficulty or perhaps even impossibility of taming the world, but expects to win the hearts and minds of the natives if it can succeed.

Several hidden military research installations have been established on the planet's surface, specialising in [REDACTED].

As a final point of curiosity, Abregado-taki plays host to a bewildering variety of superstitions and legends. One of the most prolific tales tells of a religious cult of fire-worshippers who took root on the world, theorising that their god hid the most divine and beautiful of flames in the hearts of the coldest planets. So the cultists sought to dig their tunnels down to the very planet core, hoping to find their salvation there, and as they dug deeper and deeper a most violent storm kicked in. This storm lasted for a full three months, and when it lifted the cultists' settlement had simply disappeared. In its place stood a mountain made of frozen ash, and the wind gave off the sound of demonic whispering. Due to this most peculiar of tall tales (for there is no reason why a rational Imperial should find any truth in this), the inhabitants are forbidden to dig their tunnels any deeper than the planet's crust.