BARD PAPER: OPAL3049 | Home | Traveller | BARD | OPAL |
BARD PAPER: OPAL3049 | Home | Traveller | BARD | OPAL |
Urbain was the imperial gateway to the Beverly Run trade route across the rimward half of the Hinterworlds Sector and into the Hive Federation. It was equipped with a well equipped type A starport and a population of 800 millions. The planet was captured by the early solomani advances and was held by the solomani right through the Rebellion and the following Hardtimes. Trade with the hinterworlds, and the Hive Federation helped this corner of the new solomani territories weather most of the storm of hardtimes. Technology did drop to TL10 and the starport was waivering on the edge of a type B classification mostly due to the lack of spare parts due to the incompatabilities between imperial and solomani designs. The problem was solved by spares from the Hive Federation. The Hivers had long been an Imperial trading partner and were producing imperial compatible equipment for the imperial market. Margaret's trade links had boosted Imperial - Hiver trade, and Urbain bought some of this equipment. The Hivers were happy to sell to the reform minded solomani commanders in the region. This infusion of hiver technology saved the planet when the was hit with by the virus that arrived from the solomani heartlands.
The hiver components seemed to resist the virus a little longer and degraded less violently than imperial standard systems. This gave the population time to isolate systems, and start emergency measures. But despite this over a quarter of the population - 200 million people died as a result of the collapse. This die off coupled with the complete collapse of interstellar trade on this gateway world had a dramatic effect of the world view, and within a decade the world was effectively ruled by the Church of Urban.
The Church is by wilds standards almost saintly, it does not interfer in the peoples lives, with the exception of government duties that it has inherited. The church government runs smoothly and the population has good health care, food, housing etc. given the planets TL7 technology level - 1970s America or Western Europe for standards of living. There is even free speech. Church members are not subject to the normal civilian courst but are under the jurisdiction of church courts. The courts are just and reasonably fair, thought high crimes of blashempy and scientic research tned to get the priest judges back up.
The one area where the church does exert strict control is technology. The church revers technology and most technical personnel are church members. The church has even set up a special rank within its structure "lay member" for those more interested in technology that the religous aspect of the church. The TL7 infrastructure is well maintained and entry into the church technlogy schools in open to all, based upon merit. However church doctrine prohibits technological research, as higher technology is deemed to be the realm of god. They believe that the collapse was due to failable man messing with technology that was beyond him. They await the coming of the SeeDu (a representative of the one true god) who will lead them into the light of technology as shown in the holy books, and SeeDu will instruct the faithful in the correct rituals to operate this divine technology.
The remaining high technology is regarded as sacred, and is the property of the church, certain harmless items are open to public view and draw huge crowds of pilgrims. The Urbain Down Holotheatre is a prime example, millions of pilgrims visit every year to marvel at the divine wonder of a TL15 holofilm "Pirates of the Blood Asteroids". The theatre has been running since the collapse, and the priesthood can not even change the holo-crystals. The church does maintain a high tech defence force based arround four religious orders that can each field a TL11 grav infantry division. Reservists and police forces are well equipped, and experienced TL7 units. The space force consists of over a dozen TL14 solomani SDBs crewed by church members. The crews are generally of line standard.
The church's first major dilema was the appearance of Hiver vessels over twenty years ago as part of the survey that established the worlds in the Sitah Subsector. The population and the church had fond memories of the Hivers (especially as hiver technology has saved the planet), but they were clearly not SeeDu. They reached a compromise that the Hivers were priests of a separate church with their own sacred technology. Sitah free traders who have occasionally visited are classed as junior members of the hiver church and are allowed into the sacred precints of the starport. Vampires are considered abominations and works of the devil. They will be destroyed whenever they are found.
The world is genrally friendly and free traders will be regarded as visiting priests from another church. they will be granted use of the starport facilities subject to suitable donations. Their religious status will spare traders from most civil compliacations. However, crimes such as selling advanced technology will likely end up with the traders jailed for life. Guild ships are banded from the system for just such a crime. Urbain is a happy friendly world, but it does not actively contribute to the rebuilding of the Sector.