BARD PAPER: OPAL859

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Lilad

by Pete Gray

Starport: Class A

Diameter: 3973 Miles

Atmosphere: Thin with high levels of methane

Surface Water: 73%

Climate: Chilly

Population: 93.4 Billion

Government: Balkanised (4 power blocs)

Law Level: 11

Tech Level: 15

Tech Profile: FD-FFDDH-FFFF-HH-G

Lilad is the only free orbiting world in its crowded system. It is a small, mountainous world covered in deep oceans, with extensive pack ice and glaciers in the polar regions. Many low rifts and canyons are covered in bogs and swamps that choke the atmosphere in phosphorescent methane gas clouds known as "Faerie Fog" and create a foul odor of dirty socks that hangs over the lower elevations. Surface land for habitation and farming is in short supply, and most communities are built on pier like cities or shallow water arcologies in coastal zones.

The world did possess substantial mineral resources, particularly nickel and platinum group metals that attracted colonists in the latter part of the first century. Though most of these are now played out after a millenia of exploitation, it did attract and fund the worlds enormous industrial base. In Antebellum times it was considered to be the Queen of the Rift, as its tech level exceeded that of every other world on the Rift Highway with the exception of Lintl/Vestus. Despite a poor starport and no local shipbuilding assets, the world was a major industrial player since the 300s.

The world's growing importance prompted the creation of the Ducal seat of Lilad in 411. For most of its history the world was nominally under the control of the ruling Kawabe family. However the Kawabes were often little more than figureheads, with most political power being concentrated in the hands of a handful of bureaucrats and industrialists that ran the government subsidized industries and services. Because of their economic dominance of the subsector, these individuals and their allied government agencies became infamous for their intrusion and interference in neighboring worlds. The Lilad government tried to dictate the economic destinies of its neighbors and immediate competitors for centuries. It generously funded megacorp access to its cheap labor and abundant resources, making itself the perfect world to be exploited, in return the local oligarchs recieved the funding it needed to hinder the development of its neighbors and rivals. The founding of GeDCo by Solomani nobles following the Alkhalikoi ascension undermined its control over Zeng, but it remained dominant by its support and alliance with other tyrannical regimes, most notably Giranima and Gorod/Macon (Reft 1302).

In order to remain competitive, local labor and political groups had to be utterly meek and inoffensive to their overlords, to better attract the offworld and megacorp interest that bankrolled the oligarchs opulent lifestyles. Much like Endup/Gulf, the local rulers were winked at by Imperial policymakers, who proclaimed Lilad a model world. In reality oppressive laws against political freedom, invasive police and surveillance, preferential treatment of monopoly businesses, vast corruption and the trickle down of few economic benefits created a life of misery for the masses. The regime based its power on a hardened core of government and monopoly employees that were guaranteed lifetime jobs in return for their absolute loyalty, and who were eager in their persecution of disloyal elements. Several rebellions broke out in the antebellum period, but were all supressed with heavy loss of life.

But Lilad and her economic dominance came under attack during the Civil War, as megacorps pulled out of the Domain of Deneb, and during the Collapse, when the money her oligarchs relied upon dried up with the death of the Imperial administration. Economic restructuring just in the nick of time prevented an economic meltdown and subsequent revolution, and the government was able to secure Regency money through the Industrial Development Program by showcasing its supposed economic might. An A-class starport and supporting shipyards were built to help alleviate the starship shortage, and there was even idle talk of transferring the subsector seat to the world.

But as the Dreamtime wore on, Lilad's economic and poltical weaknesses became evident, a giant Imperial era Potemkin village. In the increasingly competitive markets of the growing Stronghold, Lilad proved to be bloated, inefficient and weak in economic fundamentals. Manufacturers found its labor force unmotivated, its factories uncompetitive, and its goods and services unnecessarily expensive. Sabotage and boycotts drove many investors away, as did the corrupt and bureaucracy bound government. Many oligarchs had veto power over new investment, ever keen to protect their interests against offworld competition.

Following the Liberation Riots, disgruntled military units in outlying districts mutinied against the planetary government, and seized control of their postings. Rebel armies clashed with the bodyguard units and private militias of the oligarchs for nearly five years before the Regency government was able to broker a peace deal, but by that time the world had fractured into four different parts: