Marcan

View from Orbit

Marcan is a blue and green orb with whisps of clouds flowing across the surface. Moderate size polar caps cover the northern and southern poles of the planet. It has no moons or rings but several large transfer stations orbit over the agricultural starports on the planets surface. Large freighters can often be seen docked at these stations as well as smaller craft travelling between them and the surface.

Surface

The surface of Marcan is temperate, with mild weather, frequent rains, and little techtonic activity. Large areas of the planet have been cultivated for agricultural products. Almost all of the agricultural lands are maintained by automated machinery or droids. The oceans are large, relatively mild, and abundant in wildlife.

Population

The population of the planet lives, primarily in one of three towns around the starports or one of three agricultural towns that maintain equipment in the rural areas. The population in the starport towns is focused on the maintenance of the agricultural equipment, transfer of goods to starships, and the maintenance of the starport itself. In the rural towns the residences maintain the equipment and make sure goods make it to the starports.
Most of the residents are involved in the production of agricultural goods and many of them own small, independent farming businesses. There are few corporate farming enterprises on Marcan, and the number drops regularly. Those businesses not owned by off-world corporations are part of the Marcan Agricultural Cooperative, an organization designed to ensure that all of the businesses are fairly represented in worldwide trade policy.
The remainder of the population lives in Able Bandicoot's Exploration Station. This large station employees a large number of workers and provides accommodations and services for them. These employees live in relative luxuy in the hub on floors above the business areas. Some of the employees have been at the station over 20 years and Able is known to treat those he trusts very well.

Industry

Marcan is an agricultural world and sells all kinds of agricultural goods as well as a few items that are gathered from the worlds oceans. It supplies goods to the southern end of the Dalicron sector as well as several nearby sectors.

Culture

The culture of Marcan differs depending on where you live but falls into 3 general categories. Those that live in the agricultural distribution starports have greater exposure to events off-world. Many of them have regular contact with merchants travelling around the sector, or from other sectors nearby. They live fairly mundane lives governed by the harvest cycles and the flow of merchants.
In the rural communities the residents live even simpler lives. They are, for the most part, involved in the maintenance of equipment but often have to become involved in the management of crops.
Life for those living in the station can be chaotic. The station is visited by all types of characters, from simple merchants, to small fleets of explorers, to pirates seeking a place to lay over. Provided you keep the peace and obey the rules you are left alone by security. Rarely do the residents encounter life-threatening situations. The profit-sharing system set up by the stations owner promotes a certain degree of flexibility for the residents.

History

Marcan was surveyed over 1,400 years ago and noted as a potential for agriculture or large scale settlement. While settlers did come to the world it was not in great numbers. The remote nature of the world and the popularity of other worlds nearby, pulled settlers away. For centuries the planet was home to single groups of settlers looking for a place to call their own. Their lives could be hard as it was not uncommon for raiders to visit the planet, killing settlers or robbing of their goods. When the Dalicron sector was established Marcan was re-enforced by troops and the raiding slowed.
For centuries the planet saw little change. Just over 200 years ago, in the High Republic era, a large corporation descended on the planet and began setting up automated farms across the planet. Some of the settlers were pushed out and their cries to the sector government went unheeded. During the clone wars the corporation went out of business, leaving the equipment on the planet unclaimed. The residents and workers took over the equipment and claimed it as salvage. They formed independent businesses and created the Co-op to ensure they were all represented.

Notable Features

Able Bandicoot's Exploration Station (A.B.E.S.)

Able Bandicoot's Exploration Station is a sprawling, planet-side, starport that contains all the services any ardent explorer would desire. The station covers almost seven square kilometers in a mostly circular form. At the center of the hub is the core of the station and contains services of all types including stores, entertainment venues (including a stage with a live band), hotels, restaurants, brothels, casinos, and many more. The hub looks like an inverted funnel the upper floors containing Able's personal quarters and the traffic control center.
Surrounding the core are almost one hundred medium-size bays meant for medium and smaller freighters and personal craft. Some of the bays have the equipment for more complex ship repairs and modifications while the others have equipment for rent (for personal modifications) or mechanics for hire.
Over 25 years ago Able was an avid explorer, roaming about the frontier of the outer rim, exploring new systems and making his way by trading and performing contracts. He built quite a fortune over the years but time caught up to him and he began to look for a way to settle down. He'd visited Marcan many times in his travels, buying supplies from the locals, and decided it was a good location. He'd always thought that explorers, like him, needed something on the frontier that would support them.
The station began as a simple set of buildings providing goods from the planet as well as some mechanical services offered by Able and his crew. Since then it has grown to a monstrous enterprize directly employing over 500 workers with almost 1,500 independent workers across the station. Able is a Besalisk and his large, four-armed figure, can be frequently be seen throughout the station and he's known to sit with those that have good tales of strange places.
There is a security force on the station, and they can be quite brutal if pressed. Weapons larger than pistols are not allowed in the hub area and if someone is found with one they are required to leave the station. The security force on the station exceeds 200 (mostly temp personel) and operates around the clock.

Grid Location: C-27

Climate: Temperate and mild

Gravity: 0.8

Common Hazards: None

Atmosphere: Thin but breathable

Temperature: Temperate, cold at poles

Moons: None

Diameter: 10,000 km

Length of Day: 30 h

Length of Year: 307 d

Starport: Multiple, full service

Population: 100,000

Government: Business Cooperative

Law Level: 6 - Moderate

Major Exports: Agricultural

Major Imports: Technology, Luxury

System: Marcan System