Timgro System

System Datafile:
System: Timgro
Star: Atimanth (yellow)
Orbital Bodies:
Name            Type                         Moons
Timgro I         searing terrestrial        0
Timgro II        barren terrestrial        0
Timgro III       barren terrestrial        2
Horhay           temperate terrestrial   1
Timgro V        small gas giant           4

Capsule: The Timgro System is truly unremarkable in most ways. Timgro I is a searing ball of rock no larger than most moons, with a core which is rich in valuable minerals. Unfortunately Timgro I is far too close to Atimanth for exploitation, as much of the surface of the planet is molten. Even if this were not the case it would be far too expensive to bore past all of the useless material which forms the planet's crust in order to reach the minerals in the core. Timgro II is even smaller than Timgro I, and whatever accessable mineral wealth it once possessed was mined centuries ago. Timgro III is fairly large for a terrestrial planet and, unlike Timgro I and II, actually has an atmosphere. The atmosphere, however, is not only poisonous to most forms of life, but it is actually highly corrosive, disolving any exposed metal within a matter of a few weeks. This combined with a high gravity makes any exploitation of Timgro III unlikely at best. Horhay, formerly known simply as Timgro IV, was once a planet which was rich in minerals but had no atmosphere to speak of. It was terraformed and heavily settled to exploit its mineral wealth. Timgro V is a rather small gas giant made up almost entirely of hydrogen. It is comercially worthless, along with its moons.

Horhay
Type: temperate terrestrial
Temperature: mild
Atmosphere: Type I
Hydrosphere: moist
Gravity: standard
Terrain: rugged hills, mountains
Length of day: 18 standard hours
Length of year: 393 local days
Sapient species: Humans, some aliens
Starport: stellar class
Population: 300 million
Planet function: played-out mining world, criminal haven
Government: Imperial governor (martial law in effect)
Tech level: space
Major exports: electronics, black market goods
Major Imports: foodstuffs, manufactured goods, black market goods
Capsule: Horhay was originally settled due to its mineral wealth and proximity to a major trade route. Horhay was a small planet where terraforming was considered to be cost-effective due to the presence of the proper gases trapped in the polar icecaps. The icecaps were melted, which created oceans, and also released the trapped gases into the atmosphere. Before this the icecaps had been seeded with microscopic lifeforms. These lifeforms were spread throughout the planet by the expulsion of the trapped gases. Within 5 years Horhay was ready to have larger lifeforms transplanted to it. Even today Horhay is slightly cool and has a much smaller variety of life than worlds where life evolved by itself, but, aside from the almost complete absence of polar icecaps, a casual observer would be hard pressed to find signs that the planet was once an inhospitable rock.
     For centuries Kiide Mineral Holdings, a mining and refining company based in the Kalpol system, was the largest employer on the planet. Almost 40% of the population was employed directly by Kiide, while another 35% were employed in work serving the needs of Kiide and its employees. This all ended roughly 600 years ago when the mines began to play out. Horhay was plunged into economic ruin from which the planet still hasn't fully recovered. There are still a number of struggling mines still operating on Horhay, all of them owned by Kiide, but at best they are only marginally profitable. The government of Horhay was corporate when the planet was first terraformed, but over the centuries Kiide gradually gave the citizens of the planet more and more control over their government. By the time the mines started to play out the government was already a democracy. This turned out to be good for Kiide, since the government received the lion's share of the blame for the economic disaster which arose. Public sentiment was that there was little that Kiide could have done to avoid eventually using up all of the accessible resources on the planet. The government, on the other hand, received massive criticism for not having taken sufficient measures to diversify the economy. At the height of the mine and refinery
closures there were in fact massive uprisings against the government. One of these uprisings actually had the support of the planetary militia and elements of the police force. The democracy was overthrown and a popular dictator was installed. Horhay operated as a dictatorship for almost a hundred years, during which time life on the planet was more miserable than ever before or since. The measures taken by the dictators to revive the economy were harsh indeed, but it is generally agreed that in the long run they did a lot to aid in the planet's recovery. This included attempts to foster an electronics industry on the planet. This is one of the most important legacies of the dictatorship, and today it is the healthiest sector of Horhay's economy. During the reign of the last dictator the citizens of Horhay appealed to the Old Republic to step in and create a new regime which would be a joint effort between an elected representative and an assigned Republic diplomat.
     By the time the Empire arose from the ashes of the Old Republic the citizens of Horhay had grown tired of the ineffectual leadership of their joint government. Life was almost as bad under this government as it had been under the dictatorship, and the feeling is that the only improvements were actually brought about because of the policies that the dictators introduced. In short, when the Empire came into power the people of Horhay practically begged for a strong Imperial governor to be put in place with absolute authority. It was hoped that with strong leadership the economic situation would finally start improving again, and that effective measures could be taken to cut the extremely high crime rate. Horhay is an oddity in that it is one of the only planets in the Empire where the imposition of martial law was seen by the populace as a cause for celebration.
     This, of course, is all from the point of view of the average citizen. The large criminal population was nowhere near so enthusiastic about the Empire's arrival, and was especially against the idea of martial law. Martial law has forced most of the small time operators out of business, as well as crushed many of the more organized groups. Crime is still higher on Horhay than on any other planet in the sector, but it has been steadily declining under the iron fist of Governor H'Olid. These statistics mask a sinister truth, however. It is true that crime as a whole has declined, but Moff Lesbeat, in return for large favors, has ensured that the operations of the Nestor Syndicate have remained untouched ever since he reached his special arrangement with them. Horhay has always been the primary source of revenue for the Nestors, and even more so since they have gained a virtual monopoly. To be sure, there are still groups operating on the planet which are not affiliated with the Nestors, but these groups constantly suffer setbacks at the hands of Governor H'Olid's many army troopers. It should be noted that very few individuals within the groups operated by the Nestors actually have any idea that they are a part of a larger organization. Typically the leader, and occasionally top lieutenants, of each group, be it a swoop gang, a spice syndicate, a group of racketeers or anything else, will be the only one in the group who even knows that the Nestors exist, let alone that the majority of their profits are being funneled to them. The primary money makers for the Nestors on Taurte are their prostitution rings, their protection rackets, their spice dealing operations, and their illegal gambling rings. In accordance with an agreement made with Moff Lesbeat the Nestors removed their top operatives from the slaving operations which they had managed on the planet before Lesbeat came to the sector. The slavery rings were then broken up in a series of spectacular and highly publicized raids performed by H'Olid's troopers. These raids caused huge public support for the Empire on the planet.
    In orbit around Horhay are 3 large space stations, each about 2 km long along their longest axis. These space stations are each shaped like a slightly irregular sphere attached to a stubby engine pylon. The stations, Horhay Hope, Horhay Pride, and Horhay Dream, are actually the original colony ships sent to the system by Kiide once terraforming was largely complete. These ships brought the first colonists, their mining equipment, and essential survival supplies. After the initial landings the massive craft were converted to serve as stationary platforms, and served as transfer points for incoming supplies and outgoing ore.