by Laurie Burns
Dark Side Points: 1
Character Points: 9
Move: 10
Capsule: Everyone said little Reye would need a lot of luck to survive after his mother died (some whispered she’d been murdered) and his father sought solace in the rigors of working their Stassian farm, leaving the infant’s care to a hastily-purchased and rather decrepit minder droid.
But Reye did, indeed, turn out a “lucky” kid. He’s not sure why, or even exactly how he does it, but he’s always had an uncanny ability for winning bets, and slipping unscathed out of messy scrapes — like that harvesting accident. Everyone said it was amazing that the flailer somehow’ shut itself down or he’d have been killed, and that close call convinced Reye there had to be an easier way than farming to make a living.
He found his calling in Stassia City — gambling — and in short order he’d accumulated a heady pile of credits. Tall, skinny and shy, he hasn’t finished growing up yet, and it never occurred to him that his winning streak might draw some unnerving attention — not only from crime madame Aalia Duu-lang, but also from Imperial investigators, who think he’s orchestrating a flam.
At least, that’s what the investigators think they’re looking into. Their orders came from “higher up” — so much higher up that it’s probably safe to say neither knows what an Imperial High Inquisitor is, or why one would want Reye’s lucky streak investigated.
Stassia
Type: Terrestrial
Temperature: Temperate
Atmosphere: Type 1 (breathable)
Hydrosphere: Moderate
Gravity: Standard
Terrain: Plains
Length of Day: 22 Standard Hours
Length of Year: 340 Local Days
Sapient Species: Humans (N)
Starport: Stellar class
Population: 1.3 billion
Planet Function: Agriculture
Government: Imperial governor
Tech Level: Space
Major Exports: Foodstuffs
Major Imports: High lech
Capsule: A minor bauble among the jewels that comprise the Core Worlds. Stassia is best described as “accepting” of whatever fate has in store for it. While the planet has been settled almost as long as some of the more well-known Core worlds, its history, fame, and contributions to galactic society don’t begin to rival those of such Old Republic giants — and the Stassians don’t even bother to try
The same stoic attitude toward the vicissitudes of weather and soil conditions that govern the growing of Stassia’s principal export carries over in its people’s passivity when it comes to politics. Stassia’s economy has been built on agriculture for as long as history remembers, and its people are used to working hard and seeing the results of their labor loaded onto freighters and flown away to feed other worlds, with the ensuing credits flowing into the government’s coffers and, from there, down to its citizens. Because the exports are controlled by the government, not the growers, there’s little personal correlation between work and reward, and with no basis for comparison, many Stassians have no comprehension of the economic clout their planet might wield in galactic society.
Stassia’s former rulers liked it that way — as, currently, does the Empire. Previously governed by members of Stassia’s 15 Head Clans (descendents of the original colonists), the planet and its resources are now overseen by Imperial Governor Tren Pergallis, whose task is made easy by its populace’s traditional acceptance of authority, and the ready cooperation of former ruling clan members who now occupy key positions in the governor’s office and enjoy certain rewards as loyal citizens of the Empire.
Long known for its indifference to the larger galactic picture, Stassia made the transition from Old Republic to Empire without a blink, and appears to be a staunch supporter of the Emperor’s New Order. The planet is pointed out as a model of the kind of stability that the Empire brings to its subjects (of course, everyone seems to have forgotten it was stable before the Imperials arrived), and sedition seems unheard of. If the Rebel Alliance has managed to penetrate the Stassians’ apparent placidity and set up cells of resistance, so far, nothing has happened.
From Star Wars Adventure Journal 6 (05-1995)
11.6.18.15.14.5-1
